Chapter 2
Because Charlize never acted like the villainess from the original novel, she was never engaged to Valter. Without her interference or jealousy, Valter was free to meet and befriend other noblewomen.
Naturally, many of them were young ladies around his age.
Another difference from the original story was that Oscar had no interest in Rebecca. In the novel, he had been one of the sub male leads, but now that Charlize didn’t antagonize Rebecca, their connection had disappeared.
Rebecca was a count’s daughter, but she didn’t come from a particularly powerful or influential family. To Crown Prince Oscar, she wasn’t someone worth forming ties with.
To him, Rebecca was simply “one of the girls Valter flirts with.”
“Marriage isn’t everything. You still have Their Majesties and me by your side. Don’t ever forget that.”
“I won’t.”
Still, marriage felt like walking into a battlefield completely exposed. To marry someone meant to spend every day and night together, to reveal every part of your life—flaws and all. Could she really live that way with someone she barely knew, someone she didn’t trust?
“But… it’s too fast. Do we really need to rush into this?”
Even among nobles, engagements usually lasted at least a year. But the Emperor had said the wedding would take place next month.
The Emperor wouldn’t want to send his daughter off so quickly. That could only mean the one pushing for speed was the Tower Master himself. It felt like he was trying to trap her—like he wanted to lock things in before she could run.
“I thought it was rushed too, but His Majesty’s mind is made up.”
Maybe the Emperor was worried Achilles might change his mind. If so, it meant he was agreeing to the Tower Master’s plan to make sure he stayed tied to the Empire.
Charlize looked down, defeated. If even Oscar couldn’t help her, then there was no way out. She would have to go through with the wedding.
A part of her had always known this day would come—whether soon or later.
“Even if I wanted to escape, I’m up against the Emperor and the Tower Master. I’d never make it.”
And her unusual condition only made things worse. If she were ever seriously injured or fell ill, there was only one person on the entire continent who could save her—the Tower Master.
That’s why the Emperor supported the marriage so strongly.
“What kind of person is he?”
Charlize had barely seen Achilles in private. But as Crown Prince, Oscar had been present whenever he visited the Emperor.
When she asked, Oscar’s face turned uneasy.
“He’s a bit cold, but… he’s polite. He’s not the worst.”
That’s your idea of reassuring?!
Charlize stared at him in disbelief. Oscar quickly added that Achilles wasn’t such a bad guy, but even he didn’t sound convinced.
“And now this mess too… unbelievable.”
Still, the plan was nearly complete.
Finally, he was about to claim the woman who carried the one thing he had been searching for—Primordial Mana.
Princess Charlize.
When he first arrived at the imperial family’s request, all he had thought about was how to save her and what he might gain in return.
But the moment he examined her, everything changed.
“I need her.”
The high priests and royal mages had all failed to heal her. She didn’t look any different from other people on the outside. But inside…
“She’s not just unique. She’s exceptional.”
Charlize’s body was made entirely of Primordial Mana—from her hair to her fingertips. Even a single eyelash carried immense energy. It was shocking that none of the others had noticed.
“Then again, if I hadn’t studied Primordial Mana myself, I might’ve missed it too.”
They would’ve just dismissed her condition as an odd resistance to magic or divine power.
But Primordial Mana was something far greater—energy from a time before magic and divine power were separate. According to the temple’s teachings, in the beginning, there was light. From that light, the gods emerged and created the world.
Mages told a different story.
They believed that the gods were born from energy, and what remained—the part that wasn’t divine—became the raw force that shaped the world: mana.
That’s what mages now used to create spells, manipulate matter, and perform magic.
“The princess is something rare. Something irreplaceable.”
When Achilles healed her, he barely used any of his own power. He simply awakened the Primordial Mana sleeping inside her, letting her body heal itself.
Helping her like that wasn’t just a rare experience—it sparked something dangerous inside him.
A desire.
“I want to make her mine.”
“If she wants to, she could become something close to a god.”
She possessed Primordial Mana, the pure, undivided energy that existed before the gods separated from it—a power unlike anything else. Achilles knew that to make her his, he would need to lay down a net—many layers deep.
Yes, he had the power to take her by force if he wished. His magical strength alone could bring her to him against her will.
But that would only make her resist him.
“I awakened my own first magic through anger. Primordial Mana responds to intention and emotion. If she begins to hate me or resents me… it’ll be dangerous.”
So he needed a way for her not to hate him. Ideally, a way for her to accept him willingly.
Through investigation, he discovered she had feelings for that immature boy, Valter Bianchi. It was a nuisance—but not a threat. Valter was nothing more than a fool who didn’t realize how extraordinary Charlize truly was.
His title of Sword Master meant little. There were more than ten Sword Masters in the Empire alone. But a Tower Master—there was only one in the world.
Even the Emperor understood his value. And the fact that only Achilles could heal the princess if she were ever wounded or fell ill? That only strengthened the Emperor’s conviction.
“The real problem is…”
Achilles was terrible at forming bonds with people. Most mages respected him, but also feared him. As for non-mages—they either avoided him or found him intimidating.
He believed Charlize would feel the same once she got to know him. Not attraction, but discomfort.
That’s why he had kept his distance. He planned to marry her as soon as the proposal was accepted—before she could get cold feet.
“I’ll take her to the Tower.”
He knew he would need to be careful with how he treated her. But if he filled her surroundings with things she liked—objects, comforts, luxuries—maybe she wouldn’t dislike living there.
The truth was, he knew very little about women. That part concerned him.
“I thought about teaching her magic… but that would be too dangerous. I can’t give her any means of escape.”
Never before had he met someone who fascinated him this deeply. Someone he had invested this much thought and effort into.
At one point, he had even considered pretending to be someone else entirely—just to win her heart.
But then he remembered his assistant’s reaction and gave up on the idea.
“Eek! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Tower Master!”
“What did I even do?”
He recalled the incident with a pouty scowl but said nothing and sat back down. Today was the first time he would meet the princess since the wedding date had been set.
“Stay calm.”
Charlize had one clear goal in mind: convince him to extend the engagement and push the wedding as far back as possible. If, in that time, he lost interest and broke it off—even better.
“I can’t be rude right away. That would be too obvious. I’ll need to be polite, just enough to keep things civil.”
She thought back to the few times she’d seen him. He was so striking, so impossibly handsome, it was hard not to look at him when they shared a ballroom.
Whenever their eyes met, he didn’t even blink. He just… stared. It made her uneasy. So both times, she quickly looked away.
“He did that both times…”
And the last time, he’d cornered her with that question about Valter. She remembered how embarrassed she’d been, stammering under his gaze as he watched her fumble for words.
“Ugh, I don’t want to see him again. This is so awkward!”
Her face burned just thinking about it, but she forced herself to keep a straight expression. If she wanted to break off the marriage, she had to face the enemy first.
“I won’t run away. I’ll fight. Down with the Tower Master!”
Just as she was about to signal the servants to open the door, it suddenly swung open from the inside.
There stood the Tower Master, Achilles Illien.
“Come in, Princess.”
“…”
This was her palace. The home of the Emperor and the royal family. And yet, it felt like he was the one in charge. Charlize stared up at him—he was nearly two heads taller than her.
“Um…”
But she didn’t get the chance to greet him.
Achilles turned around abruptly and walked toward the sitting area without saying another word.
“He didn’t even return my greeting… Does he not know court etiquette?”
Usually, the moment someone of lower rank saw royalty, they bowed. And turning your back on a princess without permission? That was practically unheard of.
Then again, Achilles was far from ordinary.
Charlize thought that as she stepped inside. Her attendants followed close behind, looking clearly flustered and somewhat offended by the Tower Master’s behavior.
But then Achilles stood and bowed briefly.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
His gesture was subtle—but it counted.
The Tower’s influence made this unusual arrangement possible. That’s why even though no one knew where Achilles Illien truly came from, the Emperor had approved a royal engagement.
