The Innocent Mage's Spellbinding Nights - Chapter 23
‘Ah, really.’
Hesed’s clenched fist trembled as his lips quivered.
He thought he knew a lot about his beloved Senior. It was a very arrogant misconception.
Who would have thought she possessed such a bold charm to visit a man’s quarters late at night, spend the night, and then disappear as if nothing had happened.
“Senior really… has a natural talent for driving men crazy.”
His once trembling crimson eyes now blazed with intensity.
Realizing that Irina, whom he thought was a delicate bird, was actually a cunning bird that could fly away after picking at the fruit whenever she wanted, made him realize they needed to have another conversation.
*
Feeling both mentally and physically heated, Hesed decided to start his day not at his office but by visiting Irina’s office.
“Oh, Lord Hesed. What brings you here so early in the morning…”
Only Irina’s assistant, Celsia, greeted him warmly.
“Where is Senior, no, the Tower Master?”
Celsia’s eyes showed a familiar light of disappointment.
“The Tower Master has gone to the Gartane Royal Palace to handle some requests. She plans to have lunch with the king there and then visit the Batu and Maura clans. And…”
Coincidentally, Irina’s schedule for today was entirely made up of business trips.
In the past, he might not have thought much of it, but now Hesed didn’t see it as a coincidence. He suspected she had hastily arranged today’s schedule to avoid him.
A frown appeared on Hesed’s smooth forehead.
“The Tower Master worries too much. I’m sure you handled everything well. There was no need for her to check personally…”
“Celsia.”
“Yes, sir?”
“There are shifting sand dunes in that region. The terrain changes constantly.”
And there had been some rain after the mages of the White Tower left.
“It’s only natural that the meticulous Tower Master would go out for an inspection.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
Hesed’s words were gentle yet sharp. If words had a shape, his would be like finely honed blades.
Celsia, not being dense, could roughly guess why he was acting this way.
‘He can’t tolerate even the slightest negative comment about the Tower Master.’
From the perspective of someone who harbored feelings for him, it was a piercing display of affection.
“I had something important to discuss with the Tower Master, but since she’s on a business trip, it can’t be helped. I’ll see her next time.”
After confirming that Irina was not in her office, Hesed vanished before Celsia could say anything else.
He was going to be very busy for the next few hours. He planned to complete all his tasks within a limited time so he could wait at Irina’s quarters until she returned.
***
The schedule at the Gartane Royal Palace went relatively smoothly.
“If anything, Tower Master, you seem to grow more beautiful by the day. How can the mages of the White Tower concentrate on their training?”
The crown prince’s buttered-up compliment during the state banquet, uttered in a syrupy voice, didn’t make things any better.
“Welcome, Tower Master.”
The Batu and Maura clans, who she thought only had the word ‘war’ in their heads, greeted her with surprising politeness, unlike before.
People’s goodwill does come from a well-stocked granary; the stable water level of the oasis seemed to have reminded them of courtesy and propriety.
“The mages you left behind have been a great help. We should have visited to express our gratitude sooner, but with your busy schedule, it’s a blessing that you came to visit us…”
Hesed’s handling of the situation was, as always, perfect. He had not only dealt with the root cause of the sandworms but also meticulously carried out the necessary countermeasures. The rain a few days ago wasn’t enough to diminish its effect.
‘I guess I didn’t need to come. Was Celsia right, and have I been too harsh in my judgment of him?’
If others had noticed, Hesed, who was always quick-witted, would have known long ago.
‘He should be annoyed by how cold I am towards him, but…’
‘Despite occasionally saying or doing annoying things, he really is quite kind in some ways.’
Like when he brought sweet desserts because she skipped lunch, or how he led her when she was clueless in bed the other night.
‘But I…’
Irina felt a pang of guilt as she recalled how she had run away this morning after spending the night with a drunken Hesed, pretending nothing had happened.
‘Well, it wasn’t a forced relationship anyway.’
If it had been one-sided, he wouldn’t have been so enthusiastic last night.
When she hurried back to her quarters this morning and examined her body while washing, there wasn’t a spot on her without marks, leaving her unsure where to look.
‘What would I have done if I didn’t know how to use healing magic?’
Though Hesed had said that as his duty as a junior, she should come to him if she suffered from the drug’s side effects again.
‘But more than once or twice would be too burdensome. So, if he can’t remember, it’s better that way.’
Justifying her concealment of last night’s events, Irina hoped her body would hold up today.
Both she and Hesed had their fill, so now she wanted…
She wanted to return to her normal routine.
