CHAPTER 12
When she heard the word “secret,” Linaria lifted her head, intrigued.
“Daddy is afraid of the dark.”
“……”
“It’s funny, isn’t it? Handling the divine beast of darkness and yet being afraid of the dark. But your mother never laughed at me.”
Dante turned his gaze to the large window that overlooked the garden.
“She hid glowstones all around the garden so I could feel safe even if I took a walk late at night,” he said.
Glowstones looked no different from ordinary stones during the day, but at night they gave off a faint light.
Even now, despite the darkening sky, the glowstones were subtle and barely noticeable.
Though they didn’t shine brightly, just knowing that light existed was enough to comfort Dante.
Linaria, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.
“Father… Do you not hate me?”
“Hate you?”
“Because of me… Mother died.”
“I’ve never once thought that.”
He spoke firmly.
“No matter what anyone says, you are my daughter.”
For a moment, Dante’s face—filled with unwavering love—overlapped with that of a rotting corpse in Linaria’s mind.
She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.
“Then… no matter what happens, I want you to stay alive. Promise me you’ll never die before I do.”
“Alright, I promise.”
Dante held out his pinky finger.
“And promise me you won’t sacrifice yourself for me. No matter what happens.”
He paused.
Just before pressing his thumb to seal the pinky promise, Dante hesitated at her words.
“…Alright.”
Then he nodded.
***
A disheveled Linaria was dragged into the bath by Anna.
“Sleep well, Riri.”
After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Linaria lay in bed. Dante stroked her hair and whispered:
“I’ll stay by your side until you fall asleep.”
Even though she was clearly exhausted, Linaria couldn’t close her eyes.
“Goodnight, sleep well,” Dante said.
A gentle lullaby began to hum through the air.
“Lovely child. Swim with the blue whales in the sea, and silver tigers will nuzzle your cheeks.”
It was a lullaby every imperial child had likely heard at least once.
“May the blessing of the divine beast be with you.”
The lullaby repeated several times.
Gradually, Linaria’s breathing steadied.
“Sweet dreams.”
Dante kissed her forehead and quietly returned to his room.
The first thing he did was reach for his pipe.
“I promised not to sacrifice myself… but I have no choice. It’s not time for this to be revealed yet.”
He whispered as he exhaled a breath infused with herbal smoke.
A pale mist surrounded him as shadows deepened.
“The fact that Riri made a contract with a divine beast…”
The shadows moved, as if in response.
Time passed.
The visitor Linaria had long awaited finally knocked on the door.
Linaria was walking down the corridor, holding a book tightly in her arms—one she was returning to the library and one she planned to read next.
Suddenly, a maid rushed past her, clearly in a hurry.
She stopped the maid.
“What’s going on? Don’t tell me Father’s condition has worsened?”
“No, a guest has arrived.”
“A guest?”
Just as she was about to ask who it was—
“That arrogant Obell! How long are you planning to make me wait?!”
An old man’s thunderous voice shook the entire mansion.
Startled, Linaria looked at the maid wide-eyed.
“…Yes, that’s why I was going to inform the Duke immediately.”
“I’ll tell Father myself. Please prepare the drawing room for tea.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s alright. He’s my guest.”
Without waiting for a reply, Linaria quickly headed toward the entrance.
There stood an old man who was just as eccentric and stubborn as the rumors said.
He wore the trademark black robe of a magi-engineer, instantly revealing his profession.
But he wasn’t just any magi-engineer.
He was Magnus, the Master of the Tower—the Tower Lord. And he had responded to the letter by coming in person.
“Who are you?”
…Not a very friendly greeting.
He scowled the moment he laid eyes on Linaria, his hostility unhidden.
But Linaria didn’t flinch.
She had to win over this man to save her father.
Magnus, the Tower Lord.
Even among magi-engineers, he had risen to his position at lightning speed—two hundred years ago.
That’s right—he was over 200 years old, even without a divine beast’s contract.
A truly remarkable old man.
“Go ahead and curse me for not having a divine beast. I’ll carve it on your tombstone.”
“……”
“Everyone who ever insulted me is dead now. I’m the only one left.”
It was one of the most infamous quotes from the Tower Lord.
He had once been a legendary genius, then disappeared into seclusion within the ivory tower.
So few people had seen his face that his appearance was almost mythical.
His visit today was truly extraordinary.
“Hello. I’m Linaria Obell,” she greeted.
It had been an unannounced visit.
Linaria was still holding her book, and she was careful not to lose her composure as she bowed politely.
“Linaria Obell?”
“Yes. This may be a long conversation, so please allow me to escort you to the drawing room. We’ve also prepared some refreshments—please don’t hesitate to enjoy them.”
She added the last part in case he insisted on speaking while standing.
The old man seemed to have a lot to say, but thankfully he followed her inside without protest.
Linaria glanced at the boy trailing behind him.
He looked no older than ten and wore the same black robe, likely a disciple or servant.
“You resemble Margaret.”
As soon as they sat, the Tower Lord commented while giving her a disinterested glance.
“Yes, my mother is Margaret Obell.”
“Then where’s the man who gave you those red eyes? I heard he’s on his deathbed, and yet he dares provoke me and doesn’t even show his face? Shameless fool.”
The old man’s face twisted in disgust.
“Sending his daughter instead? Crafty bastard. He’s become a sly fox in his old age.”
Linaria didn’t want to hear him insult her father, so she spoke up before it went too far.
“If you’re referring to the letter, I wrote it.”
“What?”
“You assumed it was my father because the sender wasn’t specified.”
“……”
“But it was me. I’m the one who sent it.”
“You? This letter?”
He pulled the envelope from his robes and scoffed as he shook it.
“Did your father put you up to this?”
Linaria firmly shook her head.
“My father loved my mother dearly. There’s no way he would rip apart one of her treasured books and send it to someone else—especially not the part she scribbled in herself.”
Magnus’s eyes grew sharp.
“So you know who I am.”
“Magnus, the Lord of the Ivory Tower. Who wouldn’t know that great name?”
Linaria responded confidently, unfazed by his aura.
“Then you must also know this. That book you tore—I wrote it.”
Magnus’s displeasure deepened.
“Sending a torn copy of my work? What are you trying to do—threaten me into helping you?”
His rage grew fiercer.
Even most adults would cower before it.
“There’s nothing more to say! I wasted my time. I’m leaving.”
He stood abruptly.
At last, Linaria—who had been holding her words—spoke up.
“You know I didn’t rip the book to insult you.”
“What?!”
“You were happy when you received that letter, weren’t you?”
She smiled softly.
Someone as great as the Tower Lord hadn’t hated the Obell family from the start.
His hatred had a cause—a deeply personal one.
“I heard you cherished my mother. That’s why you came rushing here the moment you saw her handwriting, isn’t it?”
That was the truth.
Since Margaret’s marriage and death, Magnus’s hatred toward the Obell family had only grown deeper.
His expression turned cold.
“Where did you hear that? Did your father tell you?”
“No. I found the scribbles.”
“Scribbles?”
“While reading a book my mother loved during her lifetime, I found notes she wrote about you.”
Linaria gently stroked the cover of the book in her arms.
“What did she write?”
“Hmm… ‘Master is not a genius,’ something like that.”
Magnus still looked displeased, but he sat back down.
Perhaps he recognized it wasn’t a lie.
“You deduced our relationship just from that? Are you sure your father didn’t tell you?”
“You saw the letter. She wrote a lot of little notes like that. It wasn’t hard to figure out who her ‘master’ was.”
Magnus couldn’t deny his connection to Margaret.
“He came running the moment he opened the letter,” Linaria thought.
Considering the delivery time, he must have left immediately after reading it.
As expected, his intensity faded.
Gulp.
Linaria swallowed hard.
Now came the real reason he was here.
“Because of me, Mother died. So I understand why you hate me.”
“You—”
“I won’t ask you to like the Obell family. But… just my father…”
“……”
“Please… Just save my father.”
Linaria stood.
And then—
“…!”
She fell to her knees.
