“I can date, sure, but...”
The problem was that Ahwin wasn’t just any man—he was the singular, exalted master of the Mage Tower.
Penelope, lost in her thoughts, ended up imagining even the aftermath of a potential breakup with Ahwin.
‘If I mess things up with the Mage Tower Master, won’t I end up ruining the entire territory?’
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Ahwin himself might not care, but the mages who revered him as a god might think differently. Their loyalty to him could easily turn into hostility toward Penelope, and that was a risk she couldn’t ignore.
While the heroine had become an empress and could silence even the Mage Tower with her status, Penelope was nothing more than a minor baroness. She was like a frog at the mercy of a stone thrown in jest.
What’s more, if she earned the mages’ ire, the Mage Tower would never establish a branch in her territory—a significant loss for its development.
‘Even if we stay together, that’s a problem. The entire continent will be watching me.’
For now, Ahwin’s true identity was concealed, but there was no guarantee that it would remain so forever. If it came to light that he was the Mage Tower Master, Penelope, by association, might face scrutiny and resistance from all across the continent.
‘I don’t need my relationship to be on such a massive scale, thank you very much.’
Letting out a groan, Penelope shuffled out of her bedroom, her steps unsteady.
When Giselle saw Penelope’s tired face, she gasped.
“My goodness, my lady! What’s happened to you? You look completely worn out. Did you have trouble sleeping?”
“Mm, I just had a lot to think about... Can I have some coffee first?”
“Of course. Just a moment.”
Giselle, her expression full of concern, began brewing coffee. Only after gulping down the first cup as if it were a lifesaving elixir did Penelope finally regain some semblance of focus.
Later, as Penelope sat at the breakfast table, she sighed heavily, her food untouched.
Then, a knock sounded, and the door opened. It was Ahwin.
Penelope’s heart sank with a thud.
Ahwin walked in confidently and took a seat across from her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Without hesitation, he made a remark that instantly irritated her.
“You look like you didn’t sleep at all.”
“...Thanks to you.”
“Well, do you think I slept well? I didn’t get a wink of sleep either. This wasn’t how I wanted to confess—rushed and cornered.”
“...”
Penelope stared at him, her eyebrows twitching in disbelief.
‘Why is the one who confessed acting so self-assured?’
Exhausted from her sleepless night, Penelope felt a surge of frustration well up within her, but she lacked the energy to argue.
Once the food was fully prepared, Ahwin began eating without a word. Penelope, however, could only sit there, watching him blankly. Her throat felt dry, and she had no appetite.
Pausing mid-spoonful of soup, Ahwin glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
“You’re not eating?”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Eat a little, at least. You’re always telling me to eat, aren’t you?”
“That’s... fine, I’ll eat.”
Reluctantly, Penelope picked up her spoon. She noticed, perhaps just in her imagination, that Ahwin’s earlobes were tinged red. Oddly enough, she felt her own cheeks heating up in response.
Finally, it dawned on Penelope.
‘Ahwin was showing signs, and I just didn’t notice.’
Thinking back, Ahwin had been unusually kind to her for some time. While he remained cold and sharp with others, he was always gentle with her.
Once she started paying attention, it even seemed suspicious how he never complained when she scolded him, always complying with her demands.
Ahwin had been expressing his feelings all along, but her own obliviousness had kept her from seeing it.
She didn’t know when his feelings for her had started, but one thing was clear—they were genuine.
‘Ahwin doesn’t deal with people insincerely.’
“Is your appetite really that bad? Should I give you a healing potion?” Ahwin asked suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“No! Do you think it makes sense to drink something that expensive just because I didn’t sleep well?”
“If potions are in surplus, why not? Do you really need to scrutinize things like that?”
“Ah...”
Penelope was at a loss for words. She was suddenly reminded of exactly who Ahwin was.
‘Right, he’s the Mage Tower Master.’
To someone as wealthy as him—likely second only to the heroine herself—healing potions were nothing but pocket change.
And this man, of all people, was pouring his affections onto her. Penelope didn’t know how to process that fact.
Suppressing a sigh, she replied, “I’ll just have another cup of coffee instead.”
***
"Baroness?"
"Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. What were you saying?"
"We were discussing the contract terms," Lianel replied patiently.
Penelope quickly snapped back to attention. Daydreaming in front of the Grand Duke? How careless of her.
She hurriedly skimmed through the contract Lianel had handed her—a proposal for the Ondol Boiler Sales contract between Halo Territory and the Grand Duchy.
The document was impressively well-prepared, leaving little to amend—except for the profit distribution.
‘As expected. The profit distribution is skewed against Halo. And if I look closely, there are a few clauses that also work against us.’
The Grand Duke was not someone to underestimate, even for a second.
From now on, her task was to meticulously persuade him to amend the contract in Halo’s favor.
However, her thoughts quickly veered off-track again.
‘For now, let’s not think about anything else. Reviving the territory comes first. Relationships are for people with the luxury of time.’
She also reminded herself that until Ahwin revealed his true identity, his confession couldn’t be considered complete. While she understood why he might have kept it a secret, Penelope felt she couldn’t accept his feelings until he came clean.
‘That’s only fair.’
"Baroness?"
"Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep well last night, and I’m a bit tired."
"Then perhaps it would be better to rest and reconvene later," Lianel suggested readily.
Penelope was tempted by the idea. Negotiating the crucial profit terms of the Ondol Boiler Sales contract required her full focus, and she couldn’t afford to let her distracted mind jeopardize it.
Carefully, she replied, "Would that be alright? I feel bad for wasting your time."
"It’s no trouble at all. If you feel bad, just spare me some time later."
"That sounds fair. Let’s do that," Penelope agreed quickly.
Lianel smiled faintly, stood, and said, "Then I’ll see you another time."
"Yes, goodbye."
Penelope managed to keep her expression composed as she saw him off, then turned to Lucas. He nodded in understanding.
"Get some rest, Baroness. I’ll review the documents in the meantime."
"Thank you..."
"You’ve been working too hard lately. Take the day to rest and start fresh tomorrow."
‘That’s not the real reason, but fine.’
Penelope felt a pang of guilt, but Lucas’s suggestion was too appealing to refuse. She retreated to her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. The soft mattress felt like a lifesaver, and she finally felt like she could breathe.
"Oh, I’m going to die..."
She felt as if she had aged ten years overnight.
Getting a confession from the Mage Tower Master—just thinking about it made her head throb again.
Her sleepless night had partly been due to her overactive imagination. From the idea of dating him to the worst-case scenario of breaking up, she had exhausted herself mentally. Her utter inexperience with romance was painfully evident.
‘I thought Ahwin was the one person who wouldn’t cause trouble, but he’s causing trouble with me.’
With a sigh, Penelope closed her eyes. Even keeping them open felt like too much effort.
Perhaps Lucas was right, and she was simply worn out from all the stress of her responsibilities.
‘Forget it. I’ll think about it after I rest. It’s not like I’ll solve anything by worrying.’
At last, she drifted into a deep sleep.
"Penelope, wake up."
"Mmm..."
"Pepe, wake up."
Don’t call me Pepe.
"Ugh..."
Penelope thought she had replied, but what escaped her lips was more of a groan. Her head felt heavy, her body weak, and her throat dry.
"This isn’t good. We should call a physician," Giselle’s concerned voice sounded from above her. Laura’s voice joined in.
"I’ll run and fetch one right away."
A physician? I’m not sick—I’m just tired. Leave me alone. I just want to sleep...
Half-asleep, Penelope weakly shook her head.
Ahwin sighed audibly. "No need for a physician. I’ll give her a high-grade recovery potion."
"Oh, that’s right! A Mage Tower Master would have plenty of excellent potions, wouldn’t he?"
"Thank goodness. Still, I’ve never seen the Baroness like this before. Even when the late Baron passed, she held strong," Giselle murmured.
"Stop making noise next to the patient. I’ll give her the potion—just go soak a towel in cold water and bring it here."
"Understood," Giselle and Laura replied before hurrying out of the room.
Ahwin sighed again, louder this time, and leaned closer to Penelope.
"Was my confession really that shocking?" he asked.