It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 37

When Achilles arrived at the detached palace, he was greeted by a wizard wearing a blank expression. The soft, melting gaze he once had for Charlize was nowhere to be found, and his beautiful golden eyes had turned cold, like pieces of glass.

“Why are you so late?”

“Quiet.”

He stepped in through the window leading to the balcony and closed it behind him with a spell. A man who looked exactly like Achilles was sitting calmly at the tea table.

Judging by the scene, he had even eaten breakfast in his place.

“Did you say it to her? Does Her Highness like you?”

“……”

The compliment he had given Charlize right before parting ways had been this man’s suggestion. Most wizards in the Magic Tower had never even experienced love, let alone marriage. But Marcus—the man in front of him—at least had a girlfriend.

‘Looks like history’s been made… Ha! Maybe Her Highness will save our Magic Tower after all?’

Achilles had been discovered by the previous Tower Master at the age of six and brought into the Magic Tower. He quickly gained a reputation for being addicted to research. Since becoming the old Master’s disciple, he had never slept more than three hours a night. He constantly wore dark circles under his eyes and lived like a true workaholic.

He became acting Tower Master at age ten and officially took over at eleven. To become Tower Master only five years after learning magic was something no one could believe. No one could measure just how much of a genius he truly was.

As soon as he became Master, Achilles threw himself into research with a near-mad obsession—so intense that even other magic-crazed wizards feared him.

It took him less than six months to gain full control of the Tower. From then on, the Magic Tower became a living hell of nonstop research, but everyone was too afraid of Achilles to resist—or even try to run away.

Then, at fifteen, he received an urgent message from the Imperial Palace. Achilles, who had long coveted the ancient texts stored in the royal archives, eagerly flew to the capital.

The Emperor had begged him to save his daughter. She had a rare condition—neither magic nor divine power worked on her. That was how Achilles met Charlize for the first time.

Most wizards in the Magic Tower had no idea why their Master was on such good terms with the Emperor.

Only Marcus and a few close disciples quietly suspected that, perhaps—just perhaps—thanks to the help of the gods, their Master might have feelings for the princess.

No one but Achilles knew the truth about the “Primordial Mana.” Not that it mattered—most people wouldn’t understand it anyway, and those who might still wouldn’t be able to study it. He kept it secret to avoid unnecessary risks.

When word spread that the Tower Master had asked for the princess, many of the Tower’s wizards prayed to the gods for the first time in their lives.

Please, let this love succeed.

Most of them had been single their whole lives, and they knew—if this relationship crashed, they’d probably get dragged into the fallout too.

‘Just let things keep going smoothly… Your Highness, please take pity on us and accept our Master’s heart!’

Marcus smiled inwardly, convinced he was delivering good news. Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to mention the rumor that the Tower Master and the princess might have spent the night together.

Getting caught spreading that kind of gossip would be a death sentence.

“Do you have any other orders for me, Master?”

Although Achilles was two years younger than Marcus, he was still his teacher. Marcus genuinely feared him—but he also respected him deeply.

“No.”

“Then I’ll return to the Tower.”

Marcus gave a graceful bow—unusual for a wizard—and began casting a long-distance teleportation spell. Just as he was about to activate it, Achilles lifted his head.

His face remained blank, but his gaze pierced through Marcus with an intensity that carried meaning. Marcus tilted his head, puzzled.

“Is there something you want to tell me?”

“……”

“Master?”

The unbroken stare made sweat form on Marcus’s brow. But being quick-witted, he suddenly understood.

“My compliments worked, didn’t they!”

He spoke enthusiastically, and a small wrinkle appeared between Achilles’s brows.

“No. Just go.”

“Yep!”

Marcus immediately activated his spell and vanished. Truthfully, he had run out of flattering things to say and was just making a quick escape.

He may have been one of the few in the Tower capable of having a relationship, but that didn’t make him a dating expert.

Achilles didn’t even spare a glance in the direction Marcus disappeared. His mind was completely filled with thoughts of Charlize.

‘How can I convince her…?’

The theory that the Primordial Mana had changed her body turned out to be wrong. It was true that pleasure and emotional connection with him had softened her energy, but it had nothing to do with her body’s natural responses.

It seemed she had always been highly sensitive by nature. As the man who would become hers, it was a pleasant discovery.

“……”

Maybe it would be easier to teach her magic than he thought?

Learning magic was like imprinting a new sense into the brain. Even those born with vast mana still needed tireless effort.

That’s why passion was just as important as talent—it was like awakening a sense that didn’t exist for ordinary humans.

But Charlize’s case was different.

Her loosened, softened mana was already in a very workable state. Once she used magic just once, it would be much easier for her body to learn and memorize that sensation.

‘Looks like I’ll need to follow through on the plan I originally had for her.’

Achilles had assumed Charlize would naturally love magic and feel passionate about it.
After all, when he discovered his own magical talent, what followed was an uncontrollable, burning desire to master it.

But Charlize didn’t share that kind of passion.
It seemed she already understood just how difficult magic could be—and that realization had dimmed any spark of interest before it could grow.

‘With her potential… and what I’ve discovered… I know she can learn magic. I just need to keep the method absolutely secret…’

Sitting deep in his room, Achilles settled into a chair and began planning how to convince her—and teach her.

Duke Adam Bianchi, like many powerful nobles, was far more timid than his greed suggested.
He often scolded his son loudly but rarely followed through on half the things he said.

It was the same with his so-called investigation into Tower Master Achilles.
He had loudly declared he would expose the man’s lowborn origins, but for weeks now, all he’d received were vague, meaningless reports.

And he was getting nervous.

‘Why does nothing seem to come of this? Could Valter really have done something so reckless?’

Unlike his wife—who outwardly insisted their son was innocent—the Duke had growing doubts about Valter.

He knew his son was smart.
He had seen how frustrated Valter was with the limits of the Bianchi family and how he seemed to want something more—something beyond their reach.

The problem was, he had no idea what that “something” was.

When he heard that the investigators in charge of the Crown Prince’s attempted assassination were now looking into the Ralph family’s incident, Duke Bianchi jumped in alarm.
To him, it felt like the investigation had hit a wall—and now they were trying to shake down the Bianchi family instead.

“But didn’t the baron already take his own life? That should’ve been the end of it! Why aren’t they focusing on the Crown Prince’s case first—that’s the real matter of importance…!”

“They’re probably just reaching in all directions because the investigation isn’t going well. You don’t need to worry about it, Father.”

“How can I not worry when they say they’re investigating us?”

The Duke snapped at Valter’s calm response but quickly glanced at his son to gauge his reaction.
Valter didn’t seem upset. His face was unreadable as always.

“Tell me honestly… was it you? The baron’s case, I mean.”

The Duke didn’t truly suspect Valter had anything to do with the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince.
Yes, his son had friends among the younger nobility—but they were all heirs of respected houses.

To the Duke, something as extreme as assassinating the heir to the throne had to be the work of useless elements—upstart or fallen nobles with no real place in the Empire.

“No, Father. Ruining the Tower Master’s reputation wouldn’t make His Majesty cancel the marriage. I’m also looking into his past.”

“Right… yes, of course. I overreacted. My apologies.”

Even as he apologized, the Duke couldn’t understand why he still felt uneasy.
He had never believed from the start that Valter was involved in treason… and yet, something just didn’t feel right.

‘The two incidents have nothing to do with each other. Even if Valter was involved with the baron’s case, that doesn’t mean my son was part of a rebellion.’

Trying to reassure himself, the Duke lifted his teacup.
But his fingers trembled slightly—something they rarely did.

Valter may have been confident he left no trail, but Oscar had started to suspect him.
On the surface, the Ralph case looked like a failed, foolish scheme that ended in humiliation—but Oscar saw it for what it really was: a distraction.

A desperate outcry from a disgraced baron wasn’t going to change the Emperor’s mind.
In truth, the attempt on Oscar’s life was the final blow—the one that was supposed to stop the royal marriage for good.

‘It’s as good as admitting they want Charlize.’

Whoever was behind it wanted to change the line of succession.
Oscar suspected Valter wanted to marry the princess himself. But there was also the possibility they intended to pair her with someone else who could be controlled.

“Did this help you, Your Highness?”

The Empress handed him a document as she spoke.
Oscar didn’t know how much his mother truly knew, but she had given him a quiet warning: to keep a close watch on the Lacna Auction. She suggested that Viscount Bianchi might be involved.

Oscar had already been watching that auction for a long time.

The Lacna Auction was infamous for dealing in cursed or illegal items hidden among regular goods—a double-layered black market disguised as a prestigious event.
Oscar was convinced that the cursed artifact used in his attempted assassination had come from there.

Empress Roxana had already made up her mind to bring Tower Master Achilles into the Imperial family.
She no longer needed Valter—and that made it easy for her to hand over damaging information.

‘I don’t know yet if Viscount Bianchi was the mastermind behind the assassination attempt… but he’s definitely involved.’

Oscar still grounds his teeth when he remembered the look on Valter’s face.
That calm expression—despite knowing what was going to happen at the Tower Master’s knighting ceremony—still burned in his memory.

“This has been very helpful, Your Majesty.”

The list she gave him this time was different from the one she’d once made the Duchess buy out of spite.
This one was serious. Every item had been part of a dual auction—and both the sellers and buyers were recorded.

Naturally, the Crown Prince wanted to know who had provided such detailed information.
But the Empress didn’t tell him.

“Good luck, my son.”

At her words, Oscar quietly bowed his head.
He was still chasing the shadow of the true culprit.

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