Chapter 13
“…Who do you think that man is?”
“Do you have any guesses?”
Charlize shook her head. Though she technically had a claim to the throne, the Crown Prince was Oscar—eight years older than her and far more suited for the role in every way.
As the two whispered, the intruder outside slipped a thin dagger between the window frame and quietly lifted the latch.
Click.
The window opened without resistance, and Charlize’s face turned pale. She hadn’t imagined it would open so easily. On top of that, how had he made it this far when guards were patrolling outside? How could he have slipped past them?
The man stepped inside, shut the window silently, and drew the curtain to block out the moonlight. Then he moved toward Charlize’s bed.
The four-poster bed had curtains drawn on all sides except one. He approached without a sound—but suddenly stopped. He seemed to realize the bed was empty.
As he looked around, Achilles’ eyes narrowed slightly. From the moment the man had entered, Achilles had already guessed who it was.
‘So… her feelings weren’t one-sided after all.’
Judging by her reaction, it clearly wasn’t a planned meeting. From Achilles’ point of view, there was nothing to lose if the man left without finding her. In fact, it would be better that way. She didn’t need to know that he felt the same way she did.
“…Shouldn’t we tell the guards?”
Charlize, unlike Achilles—who had masked their presence with magic—only realized that someone had broken into her room. She glanced at him nervously and asked in a whisper. Achilles looked at her briefly.
“Do you want him to be caught?”
“Well…”
She was about to say of course, but hesitated. A thought she didn’t want to believe crossed her mind.
“…Do you know who it is?”
Her trembling blue eyes looked up at him. In the darkness, even his golden eyes looked shadowed and unreadable.
“…”
Achilles didn’t respond. He simply watched the man quietly moving through the room, checking places where someone might hide—behind the curtains, or inside the dressing room.
Then, without warning, the room lit up in a flash.
Achilles had cast a spell to turn the lights on.
The intruder’s face wasn’t visible. He wore a long, black cloak with a hood and a mask that covered most of his face. Only his eyes and mouth were exposed—but that was enough. Charlize recognized him instantly.
“Valter.”
Startled, Valter snapped his head toward the sound of her voice. There they were—in the corner beside the bed, the Tower Master holding Charlize protectively in his arms.
Valter’s face twisted with rage beneath the mask.
“How dare you! Get away from Her Highness!”
He drew his sword and charged. Charlize reached out instinctively, but Achilles didn’t let go of her. He held her close, eyes sharp and focused on Valter.
“Don’t! He only came because he sensed an intruder in my room—he was trying to protect me!”
“And how would he know that? Don’t tell me… You’ve been spying on Her Highness all this time?”
At that, Charlize glanced at Achilles in surprise. He had been keeping an eye on her for quite a while—but telling her that was a different matter altogether.
“I detected it through a breach in the palace’s magic barrier,” Achilles explained calmly. “The magical tool used to get past the wards left a trace. For someone at my level, it’s easy to sense.”
Relieved, Charlize exhaled softly. But Valter frowned deeply. It was true that a special magical item had been used to bypass the palace’s alarm system—but the idea that the Tower Master had sensed it so quickly seemed hard to believe.
“You believe that?” Valter said harshly. “It’s just a convenient lie to get out of this situation. Your Highness, you can’t trust him.”
Charlize looked at him in disbelief. He’d shown up in the middle of the night, and now he was telling her not to trust the man she was about to marry?
“Lord Bianchi… Surely, you have some proof to back up what you’re saying?”
Whenever there were others present, they maintained formality. But having to use polite titles in front of the Tower Master made Valter’s blood boil.
“A few days ago, he cursed a man during an argument in the streets.”
“A curse?”
“The man went mad and attacked innocent bystanders—then turned his blade on himself. It was the Tower Master’s doing.”
Valter glared at Achilles as he spoke, but Charlize couldn’t believe it. Achilles had never shown even a hint of cruelty in front of her.
“There must be some mistake… The Tower Master hardly ever even goes out—”
And then it hit her.
That day.
The day he sent her flowers and gifts—she suddenly remembered. That must have been the day he went out. The thought crept in, and she turned toward Achilles as the arm around her loosened.
He was already looking at her.
“Princess. It wasn’t me.”
The steady gaze in his eyes calmed her instantly. Achilles had never once lied to her. Perhaps he had simply never been caught… but up to now, he hadn’t deceived her.
“Your Highness, it was him. Don’t trust him,” Valter insisted, stepping forward and reaching out to take her arm.
As he moved, Achilles’ arm—which had momentarily relaxed—pulled her back firmly into his embrace.
Charlize’s face pressed against his chest, and she panicked. Valter’s expression twisted with fury. He couldn’t stand to see the Tower Master holding her any longer.
With a flash, Valter swung his sword at lightning speed, too fast for the eye to catch—but it didn’t reach Achilles. The blade bounced away, repelled.
A translucent blue glow had wrapped around both Achilles and Charlize.
“Valter!”
The momentary flash revealed a magical shield, which quickly faded from sight again. Realizing an invisible barrier stood just a few steps ahead, Valter focused mana into his fist and struck the shield.
Crackle!
Sparks exploded as energy lashed out, slashing across Valter’s face, shoulder, and body. His mask shattered, and a cut ran down his cheek. Dozens of smaller wounds appeared all over him.
Startled, Charlize broke free from Achilles’ arms and ran toward Valter.
“Valter, you’re hurt…!”
A soft white glow wrapped around his wounds—and within seconds, they vanished completely. Valter, scowling, tore off the broken mask and threw it aside, glaring fiercely at Achilles.
Achilles took a single step forward.
“She only healed you because she was worried. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Charlize’s hand, which had nearly reached Valter, froze mid-air as she too turned to Achilles in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to go that far.
“Thank you. Oh—”
She winced as Valter suddenly grabbed her arm harshly. He pulled her behind him and raised his sword again, pointing the tip directly at Achilles.
“Step away from Her Highness.”
“Touch her like that again, and I promise you—I’ll break every bone in your body.”
Achilles’ voice was calm, but the cold fury behind it was unmistakable. Valter realized it was because he had grabbed Charlize. That only made his anger worse.
“None of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for you. Get away from Lize!”
“Valter, stop!” Charlize cried, flustered.
But Valter charged at Achilles without hesitation. Tower Master or not, a mage’s reaction was bound to be slower than a swordsman’s—or so Valter believed. He swung his sword at close range, convinced he had the upper hand.
“The next time Her Highness’s name comes out of your mouth, I’ll cut out your tongue.”
What his sword struck—wasn’t Achilles.
It was his afterimage.
Valter’s eyes widened. He barely turned in time to hear a whisper right beside his ear—and pain surged from his feet upward. He opened his mouth, but the scream was swallowed up by a grayish light that rose up over his body.
“W-What…? Tower Master!”
“I only petrified him to prevent more damage to the princess’s chambers. It’s easily reversible, so don’t worry,” Achilles said calmly.
“Petrified…?”
Valter had been turned to stone—caught mid-motion, still twisted as if about to strike. Charlize blinked in disbelief.
Now that I think about it…
This much noise, this much chaos—and no one had come. Not a single guard or knight.
“I blocked all sound with magic.”
“Why…?”
She started to ask, then stopped herself. Valter’s intrusion would have been scandalous for him, yes—but it would’ve been just as bad for her, especially with the wedding approaching. Achilles clearly hadn’t wanted to make things worse.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Your Highness.”
He paused. “And… the man Valter spoke of—I only cast a brief confusion spell. It lasted about five minutes. That’s all.”
Charlize looked at him, stunned by how calmly he explained it.
“I didn’t want to cause a scene so close to the wedding. That’s why I left the area quietly. If the man died, then it wasn’t by my magic—it must’ve been someone else’s doing.”
She said nothing.
Achilles wasn’t the type to make excuses. If anything, he was the type to say little at all—or to issue short, decisive commands. Even now, though his golden eyes remained unreadable, it was clear he was watching her reaction closely.
