039. What You Truly Desire (3)
The next day, it rained from morning.
It wasn’t pouring rain, but a gentle drizzle.
This didn’t cause any major disruptions to the schedule.
“Saint…”
When Bella finished preparing and waited for the carriage, the chief priest, who had been anxiously pacing back and forth, spoke up.
“Shouldn’t I go with you…?”
He had been bringing up such words since yesterday, but Bella’s answer remained the same.
She smiled and spoke.
“I’m taking a break. It’s been a long time since I had a vacation, isn’t it nice?”
“You don’t have to give me a vacation…”
“You’re busy with other matters. Think of it as delegating a task.”
The chief priest looked crestfallen at Bella’s words.
Wasn’t he just adding more work?
Though he silently conveyed that with his eyes, Bella pretended not to notice.
“Saint.”
Eventually, the carriage arrived.
As a proof of belonging to the temple, the carriage was pure white.
Even the horse was white.
The only non-white part seemed to be the wheels.
“Please get in.”
The knight opened the carriage door with courtesy.
Bella, escorted by the knight, entered the carriage.
“I’ll handle things well and return, so don’t worry.”
After reassuring the anxious chief priest, Bella set the carriage in motion.
As the carriage departed, the knights who would accompany her followed behind.
They were all mounted on horses.
Like the horse of the carriage, all their horses were pure white.
“They must only use white horses in the temple, right? It must be a rare breed to have so many horses like this.”
Bella gazed through the rear window of the carriage at the following group of white horses, pondering such trivial thoughts.
“Well, it’s a novel, so it’s possible.”
Come to think of it, this place was inside the novel ＜Empire’s Flower＞.
It meant a fantasy world where absurd stories could happen at any time.
“…It feels excessively realistic, though.”
Bella reached out and touched the window.
Tap, tap.
The sound of raindrops hitting the window was clear.
Beyond the rain-spattered window, the scenery of the capital city was visible.
The knights following behind, medieval-style buildings visible through the side window – all were scenes that anyone could recognize as belonging to a fantasy world.
These seemingly fictional scenes felt so surreal, yet they were all real.
Everything could be seen, touched, and reached.
Although she had now adapted to this world, when she first arrived here, it was a huge shock.
She had fallen asleep and woke up suddenly in a shabby alley.
‘Bella’ was an orphan living in a northern city.
After losing her parents, she was entrusted to relatives, but they squandered her parents’ inheritance in gambling.
As if that wasn’t enough, they piled up debts and fled abroad.
Left alone, Bella lived chased by debt collectors.
The beginning of ＜Empire’s Flower＞ continues from that moment.
Being chased by debt collectors and wandering through the forest, it marked the start of a long journey.
Of course, Bella took a different path than the original.
After awakening, she spent a month adapting.
It took a day to accept this place as reality, and three days to realize the fact that I was ‘Bella’.
Then, she exerted all her efforts for her awakening.
Unlike the original, she couldn’t escape to ‘Foggy Forest’, Taylor Viscount’s territory, due to the debt collectors.
So, she struggled for two weeks to awaken barely, and immediately moved to ‘Forest of Eyes’ where the hunting competition would be held.
With no money on hand, the only way to get there was to ask for directions and walk aimlessly.
Fortunately, it was located not too far away in the northern region.
If not, even if she walked for a whole week, it would have been impossible to arrive on time.
“We have arrived, Lady.”
Thinking back to when Bella first fell into this world.
The carriage that had left the capital had already reached the front of the tower.
Bella, who slowly descended from the carriage, looked up at the towering tower.
The tower, built high with blue magical stones, looked sturdy and sharp.
‘It was said to have 100 floors.’
According to ＜Empire’s Flower＞, the tower had a total of 100 floors.
Just like in any fantasy world, the higher the floor in this world, the more outstanding one’s abilities were.
That’s why the tower owner had all 100 floors to themselves.
“We came from the temple. We informed in advance.”
While Bella was lost in thought at the tower, one of the knights approached the entrance and spoke.
The mages guarding the entrance checked the visitor list and nodded in response to the knight’s words.
“You informed us that you came to meet the tower owner. Confirmed. The mage inside will assist you.”
“Thank you.”
Although the relationship between the tower and the temple was not good, they did not try to make a scene even in public matters.
The mages and knights greeted each other politely.
From Noble mtl dot com
Bella followed the knight into the tower.
“I will guide you to the 100th floor.”
The scenery inside the tower was magnificent.
With an opening in the middle allowing a view all the way up, the floor was so spacious that the term ‘tower’ seemed out of place.
“We will use an elevator for transportation.”
The mage led them to the center of the open area, where an elevator made of magical stones and runes was placed.
Two of the five knights seemed greatly amazed as if it was their first time in the tower.
The other three didn’t seem particularly impressed, having visited a few times before.
Knowing that the elevator functioned similarly to a regular one, using magic instead of electricity was what surprised Bella the most.
It seemed like magic had replaced everything that science had established.
“Please board.”
With a ding sound, the elevator arrived, and the mage said briefly.
As everyone entered the elevator, the mage pressed a button on one side.
Bella briefly glanced at the scene before turning her gaze to the transparent glass window of the elevator.
The elevator was made of transparent glass, much like a glass elevator.
A few differences were that all six sides were transparent, not just the sides.
And the glass contained magic and runes.
“Please exit.”
The ding sound rang again.
Even though it sounded like a regular elevator alert, it made them chuckle.
Following the mage’s instructions, Bella exited the elevator.
Then, she walked down the corridor as guided.
Although all 100 floors belonged to the tower owner Kyle’s domain, they were not all one space.
They were divided into various rooms and places like an office, a study, a conference room, a bedroom, and a library.
“Tower owner. They have come to visit for the reason previously informed at the temple.”
The mage stopped at a door after walking along a maze-like corridor for a while.
After knocking and speaking, a voice granting permission came from inside.
“You may enter.”
Having completed the guidance, the mage withdrew with those words.
Bella pulled the door handle and opened it with a creak.
Behind the door, a desk and bookshelves were revealed.
It seemed like this was Kyle’s study.
“…?”
Huh.
As soon as Bella entered, she forgot to greet and blinked her eyes.
“Miss?”
“Why is….”
It couldn’t be helped.
Clearly this was Kyle’s tower, a space reserved for the tower master.
Someone else was present in the space where only Kyle should be.
“I remember mentioning sending a gift from the temple in advance.”
“That’s true but….”
“From the temple?”
Owen Verdun.
For some reason, the male protagonist of ＜The Empire’s Flower＞ was in Kyle’s study along with the supporting male lead.
As Owen asked with a puzzled expression, Kyle looked at him and replied.
“The banquet was postponed.”
“Ah. Because of that.”
They seemed quite comfortable talking to each other.
Bella, suppressing her bewildered feelings, tried to grasp the situation.
So….
Did Owen come for a visit?
To where Kyle works.
…Does this make any sense?
“But I didn’t hear that the lady herself was coming.”
Kyle asked Bella, who was taken aback.
Bella cleared her complicated mind and gave a prepared answer.
“The banquet was delayed because of me, so I thought I should ask for forgiveness.”
“It wasn’t necessary. It was bothersome, but if you thought I would be held back by this incident, it’s a misconception.”
Kyle firmly responded to Bella.
Although Kyle found this incident troublesome, he had no intention of making it a big deal.
It was too bothersome and troublesome in many ways.
“It’s about my personal etiquette and beliefs.”
Was that the most plausible excuse to give?
Although she wanted to say such words, it was not something she could actually do.
Bella smiled, trying to maintain the gentle and kind face typical of a female lead.
“Ah.”
She wanted Kyle to react as such.
However, the response she desired came from elsewhere.
For some reason, Owen seemed to realize something, then flashed a smile at Kyle.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
“You’re just going to state your purpose and leave?”
“Guests have arrived.”
“You’re just going to give a gift and leave. How can you be sure whether I’ll grant your request or not and just leave like that?”
“You won’t grant it? We agreed to be friends.”
“Is being friends about granting every request?”
Their conversation went back and forth.
It seemed Owen had come to make a request.
‘…This is getting stranger.’
It was already odd for Owen to visit Kyle’s study, but making a request was even more awkward.
A request is usually made in a relationship of closeness and trust.
Furthermore, calling each other ‘friends’!
It was Owen and Kyle.
People who could argue endlessly, yet even the concept of ‘friends’ seemed unfamiliar to them.
“And…. Because it seems like the lady is waiting for you.”
Owen glanced at Bella for a moment.
Bella flinched at the sudden and distant gaze.
‘What’s going on?’
Owen alternated his gaze between Kyle and her.
Then, unexpectedly, he flashed a bright smile.
“I shouldn’t rudely intervene.”
“…?”
“???”
Looking at Owen, who seemed to be lost in some grand delusion and imagination, Kyle and Bella’s faces were filled with confusion.
Kyle seemed unable to grasp what Owen was trying to say until the end, but Bella soon realized what misconception Owen was under.
‘Goodness…’
Bella sighed inwardly, hitting her forehead mentally.
‘How can the lead actor, who is supposed to be with the female lead, try to connect her to the supporting male lead?’
She wondered when he started having such delusions.
‘Did it start when I came to see him today?’
Come to think of it, this wasn’t even in the original work.
Then, according to the butterfly effect, it wouldn’t be difficult for the leading actor to misunderstand too.
‘…Could it be even earlier than this?’
However, upon further reflection, Owen’s change wasn’t just a recent development.
It could have been since the hunting competition, or even before that.
Owen was different from the original.
‘The important thing is to clear up this misunderstanding.’
Bella took a deep breath and spoke again.
“Marquis Verdin. I came here for the reasons I stated.”
“Right. I know. I know very well.”
It was clearly an attempt to clear up the misunderstanding.
Yet, for some reason, Owen seemed even more convinced.
‘…Why is he acting like this?’
Isn’t this a misunderstanding?
While Bella was panicking, Owen, unlike her, delivered the final blow with a calm expression.
“I hope you have a good time.”
lmao this is getting fun