CH 111

The more sensational a rumor was, the faster it would spread. And so, this rumor grew in size day by day.

“Did you hear? About what kind of person the woman Lord Alejandro returned with?”

“I heard! I mean, he didn’t seem like he’s interested in women before. What on earth happened out there that he brought one home?”

“Yeah, I’m curious, too. Still though, all the people interested in Lord Alejandro before instantly got discouraged. I heard she’s his fiancée?”

“They’re engaged?”

“Why else would they come back to the tower together if they’re not getting married? Lord Alejandro could go anywhere, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah!”

“I heard something, too. That she’s actually pregnant.”

“She’s pregnant?”

“I heard she got morning sickness though?”

“Oh my gosh!”

“I guess the reason Milord brought her back to the tower was because they’re having their wedding at once.”

“Yeah, it seems like it! And I heard that they get along very well!”

“Why, oh why!”

And so, that’s how the rumors blew up to this point.

The tower tended to buzz at even the smallest of news, so rumors like this caused a great stir inside. Funnily enough, however, the people who just returned were entirely unaware of these rumors.

Although people whispered to themselves out of earshot, no one actually had the courage to ask them directly. Besides, it was a lot more fun for them to talk about and watch other people’s relationships from afar rather than to personally come forward.

Of course, the four people who returned knew that the tower was particularly noisy these days, but they didn’t pay any mind to it because they just assumed it was due to Alejandro’s return.

In the end, Cornelli was the first to notice the rumor.

He paid a visit to a friend’s lab to ask about the research he left behind, and that was when he noticed them gossiping about the tower lord’s lover.

At this time, if the person who heard about this was Yennit, she would have reacted in this way:

“What the heck are you talking about, you buffoons!”

And along with that shout, she would have flipped the table where the gossiping people were hunched over.

Cornelli, however, didn’t have that kind of temper.

As he had the kind of personality that made him naïve to everything while also quick to accept anything at all, even though he was one of the two people who accompanied Alejandro during his return, wool was quickly pulled over his eyes.

‘When did Lord Alejandro and Ophelia get together?!’

—was what he thought.

He completely and utterly believed the rumors without any question. From the part where they assumed the two were engaged, and to the story that Ophelia might be pregnant.

And so he thought that Alejandro and Ophelia had been hiding this fact from him all this time. He felt betrayed by them.

‘How could you keep this a secret from me when others are talking about it already!’

To reiterate, Cornelli was utterly naïve, yet also very forthright.

He immediately stormed Alejandro’s office.

“Lord Alejandro! Do you know what I heard today? That Milord is engaged to Ophelia, and Ophelia is already pregnant before you had even wed! How could you hide this from me—”

These words poured out of Cornelli’s lips at the speed of light, but he soon halted mid-sentence.

Because he belatedly felt the room’s atmosphere drop to an arctic temperature.

Alejandro wasn’t the only one in his office. Ophelia and Yennit were there as well.

All three people were frozen in place, their equally widened eyes fixed on Cornelli.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

BANG!

The door behind Cornelli slammed to a close. There’s no doubt that it was Alejandro’s doing.

Click.

And the door was locked as well. Alejandro opened his lips.

“Say that again, will you, Cornelli.”

* * *

After hearing about the whole situation, Alejandro was the first to speak.

“…I already expected that something like this would happen, but this is just too much.”

“I don’t even know where to start correcting these rumors. I only felt a little sick because I’m not used to the food here yet.”

Ophelia said this as she recalled what happened a few days ago.

Since the magic tower was located in the middle of the ocean, the usual food on the table was seafood. And this in itself was a struggle for Ophelia as she was a bit squeamish.

She didn’t usually eat any fish or shellfish, but she figured that she might be able to eat a little if it’s the kind of fish she was already familiar with.

However, most of the dishes that were served to her were doused in strong spices to mask the fishy smell. Naturally, Ophelia couldn’t help but throw up and refuse to eat.

—I, I’m not feeling well right now. Uurp. I’ll eat later.

That’s all that happened, but as this fact was spun into a rumor, she ‘became’ pregnant.

“What are they saying when all we’ve done is hold hands.”

Ophelia laughed as she said this. It was much too funny just thinking about it.

As a matter of fact, she was in Alejandro’s office right now for a reason that was directly opposite of these rumors.

Because even though they entered the magic tower already, Alejandro still continued to avoid Ophelia.

Still, Ophelia has had enough of Alejandro’s avoidance, considering that the same thing happened even while they were still at Ladeen.

That’s why, after asking Yennit’s help in advance, she barged right into his office.

—Let’s talk, Alei. And I’m telling you, if you try to run away again, you’ll never see my face ever again.

Because it had come to this point, Alejandro had no other choice. As he was cornered here—just the two of them alone now—he had to explain why he’d been avoiding her.

He told her everything, from how there was someone from the tower who sent a letter to the temporary tower, to how he decided to avoid her in the meantime for fear of them going after her because of him.

However.

“Being away from you was all for nothing…”

Alejandro was rather depressed by this.

It was like this, but Alejandro endured very hard up until this point.

He suppressed every urge to go to Ophelia’s door and knock, and even more suppressed was every desire to eat together or spend time with her.

As he regained his memories, Alejandro had truthfully been in love with Ophelia for such a long time already, and so his yearning for her had doubled like this. It was torturous not being able to be beside her.

One time, he almost couldn’t endure the torment—he had to pinch his own thigh to stop himself—but then what’s this going on outside? They’re already about to be married, they said?

“I was stupid. I should have conducted myself better. If I had tried to hear out the rumors a little more,”

“What would be the difference? The rumors have already spread.”

“But we should at least do something,”

“Then, will you deny the relationship between us?”

Alejandro couldn’t say anything to that. When it came to matters related to love, he was absolutely clueless.

He was so far behind Ophelia, as she had already experienced all this kind of chatter, already experienced when it came to love, and had already been married in the previous life.

“I quite like these rumors. This kind of attention is cute, too. You know about the rumors spread about me before, right? That I tried to seduce a man to get a high position, and they said at night I—”

“That’s enough. Please stop there.”

“Why? I can tell you more.”

“No thank you.”

Compared to how he looked earlier, Alejandro’s expression was ever so slightly rumpled.

With a smile, Ophelia looked at the man who was so very honest with both his body language and his words. She might as well stop teasing him.

“In any case, Alei. I’m just saying that this much is nothing. And to be honest, I’m a bit worried myself.”

“About what?”

“When I entered the magic tower, I realized even more just how amazing you are.”

Every single person Ophelia passed by loved Alejandro.

They all admired Alejandro as a good teacher and an unparalleled genius. Naturally, there were many people who surrounded him.

“That’s why I just… I don’t see any reason for you to love me.”

While it’s true that they had a bond together as they entered the magic tower, this bond didn’t necessarily translate directly to love.

So, Ophelia thought to herself. Perhaps she just mistook the bond she had with Alejandro as a deeper emotion.

‘I was the only one beside him in Ladeen. But it’s not like that anymore.’

It’s natural for people’s minds to change, natural for emotions to be misconstrued.

That’s why Alejandro must have belatedly realized that he was mistaken about the feelings he had for Ophelia, that’s why he was avoiding her now.

“That’s why let’s talk about it properly and finally end it.”

“Just what are you talking about?”

For the first time in his life, Alejandro thought that he’d rather be slapped across the cheek.

“Do I truly seem like a fool who doesn’t know my own feelings? I, I didn’t even think that there’s any reason for you to like me at all…”

Alei’s expression crumpled in his anguish, and at that moment, as Ophelia looked at him, she spoke.

“Alei, I like your face.”

“…I’ll take good care of it.”

“Your hands, too, I like them. They’re straight and pretty.”

Ophelia held Alejandro’s hands with her own. Their fingers slipped together, intertwined as though entangled by a net.

Just as their hands were joined, so too did their bodies and faces come closer to each other.

“I like your voice, too. I like hearing you hum from time to time. And I find your personality endearing. You’re especially cute whenever you frown. It makes me want to tease you.”

Alejandro’s gaze fell to their hands, then returned to the striking blue eyes of the person in front of him.

A low voice whispered as though to reprimand her.

“You toy with me too much.”

Those blue eyes slightly curved into arcs.

“You like me even if I do, don’t you?”

“I already know that about you, but yes, I still do like you.”

At the end of the whisper, the tips of their noses touched, and soon, their lips met.