CHAPTER 028
I wanted to break the prejudice against the Mage Tower, so I answered appropriately.
"Gloomy? No way! It's actually quite fresh!"
"See? What were you thinking about the Mage Tower?"
Lewis, the very person who had spread strange rumors until recently, laughed arrogantly.
Just as I was about to awkwardly laugh along, someone entered the lab and called out to Lewis.
"Master, there's a message from the Imperial Palace."
"Tch. Wait here for a moment."
Lewis sat me in the break room outside the lab and left for a while.
"Just sit here for a bit. I'll handle it and come back."
Not long after I sat down, one of the wizards brought me some tea.
"Please enjoy this while you wait, Lady."
"Thank you."
However, the wizard didn't leave after giving me the tea. Instead, all the wizards from the lab gathered around.
Wow, I feel like a celebrity.
Their eyes were shining with curiosity as if they were seeing something extraordinary.
"Are you really our Master's friend?"
It seemed like they had things they wanted to ask me.
As soon as one asked, another quickly followed with a question.
"I saw you at the Imperial Ball last time. How did you end up like this?"
How did I end up like this! I got a clear sense of how the wizards viewed Lewis.
"You must have a hard time working under the Marquis."
The words slipped out unintentionally.
The wizards all looked sad at my words, which were filled with genuine pity.
"Lady, if you're being threatened, blink four times as a signal."
Such determination!
"We're beyond saving, but we can help you escape-"
Just then, a gust of wind blew, and two wizards in front of me were lifted into the air.
And swoosh-
"Ugh!"
"Aagh!"
"Hey, where are you going!"
The wizards flew away!
I reached out desperately toward the wizards flying toward the wall.
But my hand didn't reach them, and they crashed into the wall and fell.
"Eek!"
At the same time, the remaining wizards around me shrieked and backed away. Through the gap they created, I saw Lewis with a stern expression.
"Get away from her. Who do you think you're talking to my guest?"
He said it was a nice atmosphere in the Mage Tower, but it felt more like a place of terror.
"Don't get close to those guys. Do you know how dangerous research-crazy people are?"
You seem to be the most dangerous one, Marquis...
I thought quietly as Lewis approached and spoke to me.
After lunch, we headed to Lewis's lab.
"This is where my experiments take place."
There wasn't much difference from the wizards' lab we had visited earlier.
"I'm conducting my own research here, separate from the Mage Tower's work."
"Did you make that potion here?"
I was talking about the noise-canceling potion.
I remembered he had been deeply engrossed in research to cure his chronic noise issue.
Lewis nodded.
"Yes. I made it here countless times. None of them worked properly, though."
Lewis frowned as if he were genuinely upset.
"I've never failed at anything before... This is the worst."
No wonder he was upset.
For someone who had always been called a genius, this failure must have been a bitter experience.
It was probably his first time experiencing failure in his life.
'That's a worry I'll never have to face.'
Even if Lewis wanted to completely eliminate the noise, there was no immediate solution.
Charlotte was currently in a state where not even a trace of her holy power could be found.
Besides, there was no reason for Charlotte to use her power for Lewis, but anyway, the fact was that there was nothing to be done right now.
In this situation, there was only one thing I could do.
"Don't worry, Marquis. I'll help you with my ability!"
I meant that I would meet him and temporarily stop the noise whenever possible.
Once the noise completely disappeared, my ability would no longer be needed.
Lewis looked at me intently and then smiled mysteriously.
Why is he smiling? Is he so touched by my words?
Of course, there was no way Lewis would say that.
"Isn't that obvious? We agreed to that from the beginning."
He smirked as if it were a matter of course.
"If it comes to it, it might last a lifetime."
"A lifetime?"
I had no intention of doing this forever!
Lewis didn't miss my eyes widening in surprise.
"Why are you surprised? You said we're friends."
"Oh, yes. We are friends...! But Marquis, do you think the noise might never go away?"
"That depends on whether I can find a solution."
He didn't say he would definitely find one.
Maybe his confidence had waned after a single failure.
"If the process takes a long time..."
Lewis's finger lightly touched my cheek and then withdrew.
When I flinched, Lewis chuckled.
"This could go on for decades."
"Decades..."
I intend to get married and have a family someday, but that seems a bit...
I couldn't help but trail off.
My attitude, which could hardly be seen as positive, caught Lewis's keen gaze.
He looked into my eyes as if he were about to pierce through them, then smirked.
"So we need to work hard, right? Friend."
Helping Lewis for a lifetime?
I had never considered that.
After all, Charlotte would eventually seal the noise away.
"How far into the future are you looking to think it could last for decades?"
Well, Lewis didn't know the original story, so he might think that way.
The only solution I could think of was Charlotte.
What if that method became unavailable? Then, as Lewis said, he would keep seeking me out.
"If it's just a meeting, it's not a problem."
Back at the mansion after parting with Lewis, I muttered to myself.
"Lewis wants quiet, private meetings."
At first, he said he would only meet with Bella present, but now we often meet one-on-one.
The location was the Duke's mansion, so Bella could keep an eye on things.
"Still, I can't live here forever."
Someday, I would move out and have my own family.
In that case, if my ability to handle the noise was the best solution, Lewis would likely come to where I live.
And he would probably say to my husband,
'Step aside, I need to see your wife for a moment.'
"Ugh, Lewis might really do that!"
Just imagining it made me shudder.
It's a strange scenario, no matter how I think about it.
Of course, it won't come to that. It's just that Charlotte's holy power hasn't manifested yet.
"Still, it's a bit unsettling..."
At that moment, Bella burst into the room.
"Selina!"
"Yes?"
Why does Bella look so excited?
As I wondered, Bella exclaimed,
"We received an invitation to a ball!"
An invitation to a ball?
"This time, it's not from the Imperial Palace!"
Not from the Imperial Palace?!
* * *
Bella had never received an invitation except from the Imperial Palace. At the unusual invitation from a noble family, Bella and Selina were excited.
At that very moment, wizards who hadn't left work yet were chatting in the Mage Tower.
"How much time is left until your family's ball?"
"About ten days."
The family that sent the invitation to the Croft Duke's mansion was one of the noble families working at the Mage Tower.
The wizard was talking about the ball his family was hosting.
"Come to think of it, I didn't get to say a word to Lady Elsner earlier. I wanted to ask if she received the invitation."
"Did you send one to Lady Elsner too?"
"Of course. I also sent one to Lady Croft."
After attending the previous ball at the Duke's mansion, he learned that the Crofts weren't as terrifying as their reputation suggested.
So, the wizard decided to invite them to his family's ball.
"Besides, it's beneficial to get along with the Duke's family-"
"Who did you invite?"
Another voice interrupted.
Startled, they turned to see Lewis standing behind them.
"Ah, Master!"
It seemed he was out inspecting the wizards' labs again.
Talking about the people closest to him while being caught might upset him.
But contrary to their expectations, Lewis didn't seem to have any intention of scolding them. Instead, he asked an ambiguous question.
"You sent an invitation to the Duke's mansion?"
"Yes, sir."
"And to Lady Elsner?"
"Yes, sir."
Talking to Lewis always made them nervous. But there shouldn't be any problem with this.
The wizard waited anxiously for Lewis's response.
Unexpectedly, Lewis pointed out something they hadn't considered.
"Why didn't you invite me?"
"Pardon?"
"You left me out but invited others. Do you dislike me that much?"
Lewis smirked.
The wizard was flustered. It's true that he disliked his tyrannical superior, but hearing Lewis say this!
Lewis's last words were especially chilling.
"Do you dislike working under me lately? I get it. Who likes a boss who gets on their nerves? That's why I got rid of them all."
The wizard vehemently denied it.
"Not at all! It's just that you dislike gatherings like these..."
"So, it's not because you dislike me?"
"Of course not!"
"Then give it to me."
Lewis extended his hand.
"Pardon?"
The wizard blinked in confusion, so Lewis repeated.
"Send me the invitation too."
* * *
"Marquis, Bella received an invitation to a ball!"
It had been two days since I last saw Lewis after visiting the Mage Tower.
As soon as I saw him, I shouted, and he laughed as if he found it amusing.
"Is that something to be so excited about?"
Such a bland response!
"Of course. It's the first time I've seen Bella get an invitation from a noble family!"
Bella didn't dislike it, but she was hard to approach. The only invitations she had received were from the Imperial Palace.
But now Bella was receiving invitations like other nobles!
"The previous ball at the Duke's mansion was worth it."
We invited them to show that the Croft family wasn't as terrifying as the rumors suggested.
At that moment, Lewis, who had been listening to me, asked.
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