Chapter 90
It was a week later that I was able to see Joy again.
“Customer!”
Joy, released from confinement, rushed to the castle where I was.
With a voice full of urgency, he entered the room, and I waved my hand happily at him.
“Welcome back, Joy.”
“I’m glad to see you’re okay. Huh? Little one! You’re here too? Have you been doing well?”
As soon as he entered the room and checked on me, he spotted Aires, who nestled in his lap, and smiled warmly.
“I was wondering how you were doing while I was in the tower. But it seems you’re still eating well even with someone else.”
Joy lifted the child and approached me.
It was a face I hadn’t seen in almost ten days.
Thinking that I had kept him from going outside for those ten days made my expression gloomy.
“You must have been bored without me, right? I could have snuck out again, but if your husband found out, I felt like I’d be locked up in prison this time, not just the tower, so I stayed put.”
Joy glanced at my expression and responded with a playful smile.
“You held up well.”
“But what are all these?”
At that moment, Joy pointed to one side of the room.
There were piles of various snacks and bouquets stacked high.
“Oh, the knights have been taking turns bringing gifts lately.”
“Really? The knights? Isn’t that the same as saying your husband sent them?”
“Well, they said they prepared them among themselves.”
I scratched my cheek with an ambiguous smile.
As it became difficult to go outside due to my injured leg, the time I spent in the room increased.
Then, at some point, the knights began to bring flowers and desserts, claiming they were for me, one by one.
At first, I accepted it as the knights’ kindness, but as it continued every day, I couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
I recalled a time when I had grabbed one of the knights who constantly brought gifts and questioned him.
“Is this sent by Evan, by any chance?”
“Excuse me? Oh, no. It’s just that we prepared these among ourselves, thinking you might feel lonely staying in your room all the time.”
“…I see?”
Whether it was fortunate or not, the knight caught in my inquiry was not skilled at lying.
His face clearly showed that he was lying, so I didn’t press any further.
I knew there was only one person who would orchestrate such a thing.
“How amusing. If he wants to give me a gift, he could just come and give it himself, right?”
I was surprised, thinking that I had accidentally spoken aloud what I had been muttering to myself.
Joy seemed to have the same thought, rummaging through the desserts piled on the table while grumbling.
“Anyway, your husband is really peculiar. What’s with all the caution?”
“Well, Evan probably has his reasons.”
“Hmph. You’re just defending him because he’s your husband, right? Being single is so lonely.”
As I defended Evan, Joy scoffed and shook his head.
Hearing his characteristic playful tone again after ten days brought a natural smile to my face.
At that moment, Joy, who had been lively since entering the room, suddenly hunched his shoulders and slowly opened his mouth.
“Um, customer, if I had been near you at that time, your leg wouldn’t have gotten hurt like that. I’m really sorry.”
He looked as if he were a child about to be scolded, biting his lips repeatedly while gauging my reaction.
“What are you talking about? I should be the one apologizing.”
“Enough! This incident is definitely my fault. So, take this.”
Joy pulled something out from his embrace and held it out in front of me.
“What is this?”
What he handed me was a small ring that could barely fit on my pinky finger.
“It can only be used once, but if you infuse your power into it, it’s a tool that allows you to teleport to where I am.”
Upon learning the purpose of the ring, I widened my eyes and asked Joy in an excited voice.
“Joy, you can create magical tools too?”
Creating magical tools requires a level of skill so complex that even proficient magicians find it difficult.
This is because the concept of power used when casting regular magic is different from that used in crafting magical tools.
For this reason, magicians capable of creating magical tools are considered extremely rare.
“I can’t yet handle complex formulas, but something like this is fine.”
Joy boasted that it was no big deal, but upon closer inspection, he seemed somewhat tired.
Had he been making this the whole time while trapped in the tower?
I knew that if I asked, he would deny it, so I swallowed the questions I wanted to ask.
“Thank you so much.”
Instead, I sincerely expressed my gratitude to him.
“Oh, it’s really nothing, so don’t mention it.”
Joy, feeling awkward about receiving thanks, quickly tried to change the subject.
So, I decided to shift the topic as he wished.
“Joy, I’m planning to go to the capital soon. Can you come with me?”
“To the capital?”
“Yes. I’m going to try to break the curse that’s been placed on me.”
For that, I absolutely needed Joy’s help.
However, remembering how he had initially wanted to avoid getting entangled with nobles made it difficult to ask her.
“If you’re not inclined, you can refuse right away. If there’s anything suspicious, like a curse medium, I can send it here from the capital…”
“Seriously, you hesitated just to ask that? I was planning to go with you, but I guess you weren’t?”
As I cautiously continued speaking, Joy interrupted with a chuckle.
At his promise to accompany me to the capital, I smiled brightly and nodded.
“Then I’ll let you know as soon as the date is set.”
“Okay. Thanks to you, I’m going to the capital and getting ahead in life.”
With Joy’s companionship assured, I felt much lighter.
Going to the capital was, in a way, like voluntarily stepping into the enemy’s den.
‘But I can’t stay here forever.’
With a clear goal in mind, I decided to cast aside any further hesitation and move forward.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The next day.
A letter arrived from the duchy.
Upon seeing the seal with a fierce eagle around a sword, I was momentarily startled, my eyes widening in surprise.
“This is… an invitation to a banquet from the imperial palace?”
As I examined the luxurious invitation adorned with gold leaf, I quickly read the contents inside.
After reading the invitation, I stared blankly into space and muttered.
“A succession exam for the emperor.”
The contents of the invitation stated that a succession exam for the two princes of the empire regarding the next emperor was planned, and before that, a banquet would be held for all the nobles.
“I’ve never even heard of a succession exam taking place in my past life.”
This meant that someone had made a different choice than the predetermined future, just like I had.
Moreover, there was only one person who had the kind of influence capable of changing the future to such a significant extent.
“Bjorn.”
I recalled the time he had briefly visited the duchy.
He had always been a person full of mysteries, but one thing seemed certain.
‘There are too many differences compared to my previous life.’
Remembering the words he had left me before departing for the capital transformed my doubts into certainty.
Such as the hints he had subtly given about Delos’s recent situation and the investigation he had entrusted regarding the unidentified herbs used by the emperor.
“Could it be that he really returned to the past like me?”
If that weren’t the case, it wouldn’t be possible to change the future so naturally.
My mind became instantly complicated, and I rubbed my temples as a low sound escaped my throat.
“Speaking of which, I think I had a note from the first prince back then.”
I recalled the note that mentioned meeting again and provided a location where I could find him.
Approaching my desk, I searched for the note Bjorn had given me.
“12th Street, Spring Tavern of December. Look for Terry.”
I repeated the contents of the note several times, engraving them in my mind.
