It was a Political Marriage, But I’m Being Loved - Chapter 91

Furthermore, showing the Master of the Magic Tower in a state of frustration could cause the princess to lose respect for him. A jealous man would truly be a pitiful sight.
‘This isn’t the time to be doing this! I need to analyze my fight with the Master of the Magic Tower and figure out how to defeat him!’
Ryuhan thought back on Achilles’ magic and considered what he had done wrong. To the outside world, he appeared strong, but he hadn’t been able to gauge just how powerful Achilles was.
Ryuhan had thought that his own strength was comparable to the Master’s, but now he realized that Achilles likely possessed a mana far beyond his capacity, something that could not be measured by his own abilities.
‘No! That can’t be true! There’s no sorcerer stronger than me, except Tian Liao!’
Even though the opponent was a magician, Ryuhan didn’t believe it would change anything. He had lost before, but he had always fought until he won. He believed it would be the same this time.
“I haven’t lost!”
He convinced himself that he had only been holding back to jump higher, and so, he stormed out of his bedroom. The servant who attended him looked relieved, but when Ryuhan spoke, his face immediately turned pale.
“Send a message to the princess’s palace! Tell them I want to meet with her!”
“W-what? The princess… why…?”
The servant seemed hesitant. He knew that the princess was about to marry the Master of the Magic Tower, and he could clearly see the prince’s intentions. He seemed to want to stop him but was too afraid to speak out.
However, Ryuhan glared at him and shouted,
“Send the message now! Are you questioning my actions?!”
“No, Your Highness! I’ll send it immediately!”
The servant bowed and quickly left, muttering apologies as he scurried out of the room.
Ryuhan made his way to the room where he had stored his sorcery books. He thought that if he looked through them, he might find a clue for a rematch with Achilles.

Meanwhile…

“Did you say the Fourth Prince of Lushan wants to meet with the princess?”
Charlize, who was heading to her chamber after returning to the princess’s palace, looked puzzled when she heard the news from her maid. She knew who the Fourth Prince of Lushan was. She had seen him lose a magic duel to Achilles just yesterday.
But she couldn’t figure out why he would want to meet with her. Charlize had no connections with Lushan’s envoys, and she certainly had no personal relationship with the prince.
‘I can’t imagine Achilles would want to take revenge on me because of how his pride was hurt…’
Though they were royalty and there were relations between countries, Charlize knew that those in power could often act in petty ways.
‘I’m about to marry, so maybe he thinks I’m easy to approach.’
Her wedding was only three days away. She had enough to do, checking with friends and finalizing wedding details. The last thing she needed was to meet with a foreign prince. That was something for the Empress or Crown Prince Oscar to handle.
“Politely decline. Tell him it’s hard to find time due to the wedding preparations.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
While Charlize was speaking with her maid, Achilles had already changed his clothes and was walking into her room. It seemed he had hurried to wash up and change because he didn’t want to be apart from her for long.
It was still a secret that Achilles secretly came to sleep with her every night, but it seemed like everyone assumed they had already become intimate.
Perhaps that’s why Achilles seemed to think it was perfectly normal to shower and change his clothes at the princess’s palace.
‘Well, we’ve lived together in the northern castle, and we spent a lot of time in the bedroom even during the day…’
Achilles quickly approached Charlize’s side, his damp hair still glistening with water. Charlize looked at his wet hair and spoke.
“Wait. I’ll be right with you…”
“Is the Fourth Prince of Lushan bothering you?”
He must have heard about it from the maid and reacted somewhat more strongly than necessary. Achilles had changed in the room just next to hers, separated by a single door.
“I heard what your maid said.”
“I just asked to meet with him. He probably wants to know more about you since he lost to you in the duel.”
If it weren’t for that, there would be no reason for a foreign prince to take an interest in the princess, especially since she would be leaving the royal family after her marriage.

Marriage wouldn’t strip Charlize of her royal status, but it would undoubtedly lessen her influence. The Master of the Magic Tower, who spent more time at the tower than in the capital, and his wife would likely follow that same pattern.
“Entertaining foreign guests isn’t my job. After we get married, we’ll return to Lushan, so there’s no need to worry about it.”
“…….”
They were planning to leave for their honeymoon right after the wedding. Even after the honeymoon, they wouldn’t return to the royal palace but would go straight to the Magic Tower. Therefore, Ryuhan was someone she would only meet as a guest for a few days, if at all. They were unlikely to meet again after that.
Achilles seemed to have understood what Charlize meant, and his anger faded.
“I’m eager to take you to the Magic Tower, Your Highness.”
Whenever he said something like that, Charlize didn’t know what expression to wear. She had accepted her marriage to Achilles, but the thought of moving to the Magic Tower didn’t exactly fill her with excitement.
‘I’m glad to be learning magic, though.’
The one thing that eased her heart was that she had the natural ability to learn magic well. It pleased her that Achilles believed she could surpass him one day, and having that kind of power was something she took comfort in.
‘If I think of it as training for magic, I can accept it.’
What would life at the Magic Tower be like?
Achilles hadn’t given her many details about the Magic Tower. Since it wasn’t a place anyone could easily enter, all she could remember were some vague words she had heard from a former royal sorcerer.
“The Magic Tower is hidden from view at the base. Its five towers reach up to the clouds, standing in immense grandeur.”
The towers were dark gray, and the central tower was reserved solely for the Master of the Magic Tower. The tower was for sorcerers, but depending on their rank, they could only access certain floors.
The higher their rank, the higher they could go, and only the Master and those he allowed could enter the top floor.
‘Is it taller than most buildings?’
With her past life’s memories, Charlize was confident that she would adjust to life at the Magic Tower. She smiled and took Achilles’s hand.
“I suppose I can look forward to it, can’t I?”
“I will do my best not to disappoint you, Your Highness.”

Meanwhile…

Susanna, who had recklessly jumped over the high wall of the palace using a magical artifact, was completely lost. She had managed to avoid the guards and sneak into the garden, but there were soldiers visible at every entrance.
‘This shouldn’t be too hard! I just need to teleport to a space without soldiers!’
Even if she encountered soldiers, she could simply teleport away. The magical artifact had no limit on usage, so she could use it as much as she wanted.
She had already used the artifact once when she encountered a soldier, and now she saw more and more soldiers gathering.
Gripped by fear, Susanna stared at the increasing number of soldiers. Among them were a few knights.
“The enemy can use teleportation magic!”
They had identified her by her appearance and her gender, and a knight began giving orders on how to search for her. Susanna felt a chill run down her spine.
‘I’m going to get caught!’
Driven by her obsession with Viscount Bianchi, Susanna had snuck into the palace, but in this situation, she couldn’t help but feel terrified. If they discovered that she had murdered Joan and illegally infiltrated the palace, her crimes would be far beyond what she could handle.
…Leroy Young Lady, this way.
A voice, almost like a whisper, sounded in her ear. Susanna quickly turned around but saw no one nearby.
…If you stay hidden like this, the soldiers will catch you. You don’t want to see the dungeons, do you?
Her anxious gaze fell upon a crow that had perched on the ground. The crow clicked its sharp beak and spoke.
…This way, follow me. I will show you the way.
Susanna swallowed nervously and slowly stood up. She bent down to hide behind the bushes and began to follow the crow.
As she entered a spot surrounded by tall garden trees and shrubs, she was finally able to stand up fully. The crow, which had been walking with small steps like a pigeon, spread its wings and took off. Susanna panicked.
‘Where is it going?’
Just as she was about to round a corner made by the trees, someone grabbed her arm and pulled her, covering her eyes. Before she could react, she lost consciousness and fell limp.
“How troublesome.”
Iaoros, who had used magic to put Susanna to sleep, carried her on his shoulder and headed toward the empty palace. Taking Susanna to the royal dungeons wasn’t difficult, but it wasn’t the right time yet.