Chapter 135

Aidan looked at Coco, who had fallen asleep, breathing raggedly in front of him.

He had stayed by her side ever since Coco had collapsed.

He had missed it. He knew she pushed her stamina to the limit. Guilt crushed him for not stopping her from overdoing it. If Cornelia found out, she would be stunned.

“You can’t die like this. Coco…”

He had seen and heard patients every day and yet hadn’t known until now.

He liked her, and still hadn’t noticed.

He had never felt so powerless in his life.

Would that man have known? The man who had made her laugh and made her cry in pain.

‘He noticed her love of magic like a ghost, but didn’t notice what happened to this person.’

He realized his feelings far too late.

At first, he thought she was an interesting and fun person.

To someone like him, who had no talent for organization, the way she neatly arranged everything into categories and spoke her mind directly in a crisis was intriguing. He had never seen anyone like that while at the Marquess’s residence.

Everyone was too busy watching for cues and only respected the opinions of the most powerful.

So when he sometimes heard things through his father, there were many decisions that didn’t make sense. At the Magic Tower, everyone was absorbed in their own research and paid no attention to others, so even if they spoke in meetings, their thoughts were extremely self-centered. They rarely offered opinions about efficiency or the greater whole.

‘Was it from then on?’

Because she seemed fun, he often visited Coco’s home. Her brother and younger sibling were kind and honest, and it was comfortable to be with them. He liked that no one put on unnecessary excessive politeness.

In truth, Coco was cold only at work; her heart was warm. She always encouraged her older sister to be confident and punished unfair treatment of servants thoroughly. And legally, too. To be honest, that maid had nothing to do with Coco, yet Coco acted for her.

He wanted to know her more.

But one day Coco started coming home late. When he asked, she said the Supreme Justice made her work overtime. Normally he wouldn’t have minded—the Magic Tower had a lot of overnight research, and overtime was common at the Marquess’s residence as well.

But for the first time, he felt, ‘I don’t like that.’

“I came to pick you up.”

And that’s how it began.

Her tired face made him feel sorry. Seeing her so delighted as if she owned the world when he teleported her with his magic made his chest flutter. Coco said there’s almost nothing better for office workers than fast commuting. If that was the case, he was willing to keep doing it. It wasn’t bothersome at all.

Would things have been different if he had realized it even then?

When Coco first came to the Magic Tower, he thought an irritating man was following her. He sensed it instinctively. The Duke was interested in her. Whether she knew it or not, it was definitely a feeling of affection.

Fortunately, Coco seemed to have no particular feelings, so he accepted the proposal. He thought he couldn’t just stay quietly at the Magic Tower so far from the Imperial Palace.

But it wasn’t difficult to realize that Coco’s feelings soon grew.

‘I’d never seen her suffer like that.’

She cried. He didn’t know the reason, but he instinctively felt the Duke was involved. He wanted to comfort her. His chest ached and he hoped she’d be happy soon—if so, he didn’t need her to know his feelings. That’s what he thought.

‘In truth, none of that was okay.’

Something had happened in Yuno that changed the relationship between Coco and the Duke. The subtly awkward atmosphere grew warm. The way they looked at each other was no longer that of mere colleagues.

His heart dropped. It hurt like a stab. He felt he’d missed something precious. Though it was a sunlit, warm country, it felt as cold as if snow had settled on his heart.

Even if he pretended otherwise, Aidan could tell. He couldn’t understand how the people around them failed to notice.

Aidan finished with the delegation and returned straight to the Magic Tower. He poured out these indescribable feelings to the Magic Tower Master. The old master only laughed when he heard him, then abruptly said this:

“How about trying to become the Magic Tower Master? She didn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d give her heart for power, but it’s better than nothing. The match would be against a Duke and Next Archduke—the empire’s finest groom, isn’t he?”

It would just speed up what he’d inherit anyway.

And so he came to inherit the succession.

Thinking about it, the old master’s words had merit. Studying at the Magic Tower without a title could seem unattractive. And by awakening at the right time, he was able to meet Coco in his current form.

It looked like the Duke and Coco’s bond had grown stronger, but he didn’t want to give up his feelings like that.

Because it was his first love.

Seeing the Duke being wary actually pleased him. It felt as if the Duke had acknowledged him as a rival.

‘But… this wasn’t what I wanted.’

He had followed her even into the epidemic zone to try to win her heart. The Duke, claiming Coco had asked him to, even humbly entrusted Coco to him.

‘Aside from himself, I’m the strongest, apparently.’

Whatever that task was, it was an opportunity for him. He closely followed and helped her work. He aided in rebuilding the clinic with magic and helped purify the stream. He once used the same magic more flamboyantly in front of her to look impressive. Seeing her amazed filled his heart.

He worried about her tired face, nagged her, and made sure she ate, but that was all. Yes, that was all.

He should have noticed the moment the brooch disappeared.

In front of him she lay covered in hives and suffering from a high fever. They were using holy power to slow the symptoms as much as possible, but her stamina had fallen so much from overexertion that this wouldn’t last long.

“It would’ve been better if she were a genius priest.”

He was irritated at being a magician useless for treatment. Having someone precious in front of him was more agonizing than he’d imagined.

He had never lived a life of discomfort except for worries about magic. But each passing day left him breathless and parched. It was a different kind of pain. Even if that bastard came and killed him, he would have no complaints. But above all else, he was most afraid of losing her.

‘When did my heart grow this big?’

Aidan placed Coco’s hand on her forehead and prayed, regardless of infection.

“Please get well, Coco. You don’t have to like me… that’s enough.”

The Magic Tower Master threatened that he would never let Aidan stay if he became infected and sent him back to the barracks. He was grateful but wanted to be alone. He needed time to think.

His physical condition was rapidly worsening by the minute. His stamina dropped further, the fever raged, and pus and hives that seemed ready to burst covered his whole body. His throat was swelling too, making it hard to swallow saliva.

‘What should I do first now?’

He needed to get his affairs in order. He couldn’t keep relying on slim chances forever.

As he slowly tried to sit up, someone else entered the barracks. Ever since the infection was discovered, many people had been coming and going. Too weak to deal with them, he pretended to be asleep. Footsteps of what sounded like a single person came close to the bed, then he heard a thud as they sank down.

“Chancellor… I was wrong…!”

‘Huh?’

That voice… was Nora the priest.

Getting up felt awkward, so he continued to pretend to sleep and listened. For some reason, moisture filled his voice.

“You’ve worked so hard for these patients, and I couldn’t understand… I’m truly sorry. I was petty and jealous of the Chancellor!”

‘It seemed that way.’

“From the moment you took action, the patients’ complexions looked calmer and better… You even asked the Magic Tower Master for sleep magic so those in pain who couldn’t fall asleep could sleep—I’ve known you’ve been attentive in many ways. Infections among priests and medical staff are now almost gone. Although you haven’t made a cure yet, Chancellor, you’ve effectively saved many patients. You’ve done much better than I have, and I showed a shameful side. You looked younger than me, and I behaved selfishly. I should have spoken honestly sooner. I should have stayed by your side to assist. Then you wouldn’t be this ill… You can’t go like this, Chancellor. Please give me a chance to ask for your forgiveness.”

It was almost a confession. He seemed to feel guilty after hearing about the infection.

‘Still, it’s not his fault.’

“Please give me a chance to atone for my unreasonable rudeness. If the Chancellor regains her health, I’ll be your slave for life—please just live.”

‘Oh my.’

Suddenly she felt a stronger will to live.

She had planned to delay telling them so they wouldn’t be sad, but seeing Nora changed her mind. Selfishly, she wanted to see Ren and her family before she died. She wanted to see them for as long as possible and share the things she wanted to say.

‘It would be good to write a will, too.’

Ending one’s life seemed to require some preparation. She was ready to accept it rather than avoid it.

She was about to tell Nora, who was crying almost like a wail beside her, that it would be okay.

“Um…”

“Chancellor!”

At that moment, an urgent voice was heard in the barracks.

Who was it?

Nora hurriedly stopped his tears and composed himself.

“What’s the matter?”

“W-we found it!”