CHAPTER 021
Bella whispered to me with a giggle as our eyes met.
"Look at that. It's springtime, spring!"
"Bella, why are you so excited?"
"It's fun, isn't it? Where else would you see something like this?"
But still! Won't they feel uncomfortable being stared at so openly?
I glanced back and forth between them, feeling flustered.
However, the sweet atmosphere between the main characters didn't last long.
"Huh...? Are you giving this to me too?"
"Of course. I can't just give it to Lady Yanils, can I?"
Philip presented me with a tulip and Bella with a rose.
"See you next time."
He then made a light farewell and left.
I thought we would step aside to give Charlotte some space, but it turned out that it was Philip who left.
Why the sudden gift of flowers...?
Still, receiving fragrant flowers made me feel good. Well, good things are always good, right?
The next day, while talking to Lewis, the story of yesterday came up.
"I met the Crown Prince on the street, and he gave me a flower!"
It was something I mentioned while chatting to fill the silence.
"A flower?"
"Yes, a tulip! It was fresh and beautiful."
I said it as if boasting, but Lewis's expression was somewhat peculiar.
It didn't seem like a pleased face...
Lewis stared at me with an inexplicable look, then curled one corner of his mouth into a smile.
"So, did you like it?"
"Of course. It's a gift, so of cour-"
"Did you like it?"
It didn't feel like he was just asking; it sounded like he was picking at my words.
...Did I say something wrong? But why would Lewis dislike it?
Puzzled, I tilted my head, and he spoke again.
"Don't accept anything from the Crown Prince."
"What?"
"It bothers me for some reason."
Why does it bother you? Lewis asked me.
"Is it the flower you liked, or is it because it was from the Crown Prince?"
Huh? What is he talking about?
I took it in stride that he referred to the Crown Prince as "that," and replied.
"Of course, both. It feels nice to receive a flower suddenly, and the Crown Prince is a great person, isn’t he? He's the Crown Prince, and he looks impressive. Anyone would like getting a flower from someone like that-"
Oops.
I stopped talking, realizing I might have said something wrong. Lewis’s brows furrowed deeper.
I pride myself on being good at flattering people! What did I do wrong?
"I'm the Tower Master."
So what...
Lewis's words left me even more confused.
I didn't know how to respond, so I remained silent, which made Lewis frown in discontent.
I rolled my eyes, trying to gauge his mood.
"Forget it."
After staring at me for a while, Lewis stood up with those words.
Left alone in the drawing room, I murmured to myself.
"What did I do wrong again?"
* * *
Lewis himself didn’t understand his own feelings either.
As he rode back to the Magic Tower in his carriage, he thought.
Why does it bother me that Selina received a flower from the Crown Prince? Is it because that jerk is annoying?
"I'm the Tower Master. If it's impressive because he's the Crown Prince, then what about me?"
Lewis didn't like hearing Selina praise Philip.
What's so great about him?
A position as the Crown Prince, given at birth, pales in comparison to becoming the Tower Master through sheer ability.
He started to feel resentful towards Philip, whom he had once barely noticed. It was because Selina found him impressive.
However, Lewis soon interpreted it in his favor.
"That girl has very generous standards."
After a brief rest, it was time to work.
Returning to the Tower, Lewis headed straight to his lab.
In his private lab, a secret experiment was underway.
He was researching a way to stop the persistent noise in his head. While Selina had helped him manage it temporarily, he sought a permanent solution.
He once thought it impossible, but meeting Selina had shown him a glimmer of hope.
If it can stop momentarily, why not permanently?
No one else in the Magic Tower knew about this research.
Only the Croft family was aware of Lewis's noise problem.
Lewis proceeded with the research alone, only hinting to Michael.
"I'm researching a way to end the noise."
"End it?"
"Yeah. What I want is complete cessation."
Michael, knowing how Lewis had suffered from the noise since childhood, didn’t discourage him despite his worried expression.
"I'm only telling you. I'll inform Aunt and Bella if the experiment succeeds."
And he planned to tell Selina too.
It would be strange not to inform her when she lived with his relatives and they had met several times.
Lewis frequently sought her out, using the noise as an excuse.
If he managed to end the noise completely, he wouldn't have a reason to seek her out anymore.
But Lewis had no intention of cutting ties with her entirely.
After all, living at the Duke's residence meant they'd see each other even if they didn’t want to.
...No, thinking it over, even if Selina had moved out, they would have met occasionally.
They had met countless times already.
Lewis immersed himself in his potion research, pondering thoughts that Selina might have found troubling if she knew.
Three hours later, when the noise resurfaced, the potion was ready.
A red liquid in a beaker.
Lewis drew the potion into a syringe.
He intended to test it on himself.
Had it been any other experiment, he would have tested it on criminals, but this potion could only be tested on him.
No one else could hear the noise, and it couldn’t be artificially induced.
Lewis rolled up his sleeve, pressed the needle against his left forearm, and injected the potion.
He realized the potion was ineffective soon after.
The noise remained as if nothing had happened.
Even the healing potion he had prepared in case of side effects was unnecessary. Nothing had happened, frustratingly so.
"Inserting blood might’ve had a better reaction."
If the potion worked, the noise should have stopped immediately.
But with the noise still present, it was a clear failure.
"Well, it wouldn’t be fun if it worked on the first try."
Lewis smiled wryly, looking at the syringe.
Tilting it so the needle faced up, he pressed the plunger, spilling the remaining red liquid.
The once pristine lab floor was stained with a red blotch.
* * *
Charlotte, who had frequently visited the Duke's residence, continued to do so after the party.
"Thank you for inviting me."
"Oh, it's nothing. Come in."
Bella welcomed Charlotte with a wide grin.
Bella and Charlotte spent time together in many different ways.
Bella was more spontaneous, lying in her room, swinging a sword in the training yard, or shopping when out.
Charlotte, on the other hand, was much more structured.
"Yesterday, I stayed at the mansion and read books all day."
"Must have been an interesting novel?"
"No. It was a history book, but there was so much to read that time just flew by."
Charlotte giggled.
Bella looked at her as if seeing something amazing.
"How can you read that all day?"
Bella, your muttering is too loud!
As I signaled to Bella, Charlotte changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, I heard something at another gathering."
If she wasn't reading at the mansion, Charlotte often attended noble gatherings.
"What did you hear?"
Bella asked.
"Well, the topic of Marquis Bloomberg came up."
"Lewis?"
Both Bella and I tilted our heads in confusion.
Lewis often came up in conversations at gatherings. What made this one different?
I recalled the ladies I met previously praising Lewis's looks.
So, I assumed it was a common topic, but Charlotte’s words were a bit different from what I expected.
"They said the Marquis has been acting strangely lately..."
"Well, Lewis has always been strange."
Bella scoffed.
Um... That’s a bold statement. Unable to join in, I just smiled with Bella.
Then, Charlotte asked.
"Is the Marquis ill?"
Huh?
That was the gist. Visiting the Magic Tower, one could see Lewis looking on edge.
"They said there were unexplained bloodstains where the Marquis had passed."
Charlotte also mentioned that several nobles had left the Magic Tower in fear after encountering Lewis.
Meeting many nobles in the capital had made her well-informed on rumors.
As expected of the protagonist’s charm! Or rather-
"Blood?!"
What on earth is Lewis doing at work?
"Yes. If he's bleeding to that extent, isn’t he seriously ill...?"
Despite the frightening story, Charlotte worried about Lewis.
How could she worry about Lewis after hearing that?
I couldn't understand Charlotte. If Lewis was bleeding because he was ill, the nobles wouldn't be fleeing in fear.
Bella, sharing my thoughts, chuckled.
"That blood is from others."
"Pardon?"
"Or animal blood. He often experiments with magic potions. So, there's no need to worry about Lewis."
If I weren’t Bella’s friend, I might have been one of those test subjects...
Sipping tea to soothe my dry throat, I listened to Bella's nonchalant explanation.
"Despite his bad reputation, he does more strange things. He’s really odd."
Even though Bella herself had a similar image in society, she seemed unfazed.
That evening, Lewis came to visit.
I was walking down the hall when I suddenly heard his voice.
"Hey."
"Oh my!"
Turning towards the sound, I saw Lewis leaning casually against the corner.
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