I Didn’t Save You To Get Proposed To - Chapter 19
I couldn’t take my gaze away for a second. His blue hair, long legs, and neat robes.
I was reminded of the peacock with its colorful tail wide open as I saw him dressed modestly and with every gesture elegant.
‘Well, to be a playboy, you have to have a shell like that.’
“Ah, Elsia.”
Niel smiled. His eyes drew together like a charm.
“Isn’t that too pretty? You’re not like the same person you were at the previous banquet.”
I didn’t say anything in response, but I couldn’t help but agree.
I was wearing an out-of-date pink frill dress with messy hair and no proper accessories at the time.
I realized how bad my walk was at the time after taking the liberal arts class, and how unusual it was to cross the banquet hall to dance.
“All right, let’s go.”
Niel extended his hand to me, and I held it lightly. Even the maids who were quick to criticize Niel exclaimed.
Everyone was excited because the main character of this banquet would be Evgeny’s brother and sister.
But those words didn’t come with very much meaning.
In the first place, he went to the meeting to avoid upsetting the Marchioness—I wasn’t interested in banquets or anything, and my thoughts were completely different.
As I walked through the lovely corridor to the banquet hall, I spoke quietly to Niel.
“Niel,”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t recall ever using black magic. But I believe I may have used it.”
Niel nodded at my nonsense.
“If you can investigate it, please help me.”
“Nothing in the world can stop the wizard’s curiosity. I’ll be glad to help. But— the problem is that I don’t know much about black magic. I don’t know much about the situation.”
Niel said with a serious look. Already deeply immersed in this topic, the artificial eye smile he had made while looking at me had disappeared.
6 “It is said that black magic and holy magic have their origins in another world, and that they ultimately have the same roots, but because they both declined at the same time, ordinary wizards know nothing about it.”
When it came to magic, at least, he seemed serious.
And, paradoxically, the sense of separation forced me to trust him.
“So, what should I do?”
Niel responded to my question right away.
“The Lord of the Magic Tower is returning to the Tower soon, so I believe we should pay him a visit. Because no one in the world is as skilled about magic as he is.”
“Go to the Magic Tower?”
“It isn’t that far. If the Lord of the Magic Tower says he doesn’t know, he may be able to search through them. In any case, if you want to learn about magic, you must visit the Magic Tower.”
I gave a nod. I couldn’t ignore my suspicions and anxieties and simply live.
I wanted a professional to examine my physical condition, but I thought it was fine.
Thinking about what I should do in the future reminded me of Ixion.
‘Oh, he was just like that. A man who never leaves anything in life that doesn’t make sense.’
The third prince, Prince Ixion Eastheim, would have received a letter of refusal by now.
When I thought of blue eyes and a solid mouth that looked like glass beads, I let out a shallow sigh.
Elsia, in many ways, was the one who had no choice but to fall in love.
But since I have no plans to return to the capital, I will never see him again.
I’d saved him, so I’d already saved face for Elsia, the owner of this body, but I just wanted him to live happily ever after.
He’s a great man in many ways, so it wouldn’t hurt to walk the tightrope and become Emperor.
I doubt I’ll ever see you again, but it was the first goal I had when I came to this world, so I figured I’d think about it now and then.
“Magician Niel Evgeny and Elsia Evgeny are coming!”
Niel escorted me into the banquet hall, and everything had changed.
******
When Ixion and Aiden arrived at Count Recesil, the banquet had already begun.
Unfortunately, as he was driving down a remote mountain road, he was attacked by a monster and was covered in blood.
He’ll have to change his clothes and attend the count’s banquet because he’s been running around and getting splattered with blood. That could have pushed back the deadline even further.
Aiden stood by and asked for assistance because the sooner the better, the more important the better.
“It’ll be fine if you speak up. Exactly as the Marchioness said. It makes no difference what you look like, what culture you come from, or who your family is. Everything she tells me is true.”
“… Is she really rejecting the marriage proposal because of that?”
“Without a doubt. If not, what is the reason?”
Aiden kept going with confidence.
Ixion considered becoming a Knight Commander in order to marry Elsia.
Things didn’t go as planned because the proposal was rejected, but being associated with the ruined royal family as a member of the imperial family was just as difficult.
Clever Elsia was more likely to be burdened by Ixion’s decision to abandon his position for himself.
“It’s not as if she’s found another man. But isn’t that a possibility? Young Lady Elsia claims that this is her first step into southern society; therefore, what kind of man would she have met?”
It was time for them to leave their horses and go to the garden.
What stopped them were the words of a middle-aged man dressed in Marquis Evgeny’s Knight’s uniform.
“So Sera, you must watch Lady Elsia.”
They couldn’t help but react instinctively when they heard the name ‘Elsia.’
The man’s words continued, didn’t know of the existence of the two.
“Young Master Niel has nothing to do with the letter Evgeny’s honor. He was raised in the tower since he was a child. If the madam discovers that he is flirting with his step sister, she may collapse, which would be a disaster.”
Aiden began hiccuping in surprise.
“Don’t let Young Master Niel stay long in the first place. Master Niel has never failed to bring the woman he targeted over. Not to mention an innocent woman like Lady Elsia who has been locked up in the Imperial Palace.”
Aiden and Ixion exchanged bewildered glances.
Come to think of it, he never cared a bit about the fact that Niel and Elsia were together in the Marquis.
The seriousness of the situation came to an even greater extent because he knew better than anyone else how much Niel caused problems with women on the battlefield.
“Young Master Niel has been following Lady Elsia since the day she arrived. While following her, he kept trying to grab her hand. I’ve been monitoring it over and over, and I’ve barely been able to separate it, but there is no way.”
Sera, an Elsia maid Ixion had previously seen, responded with a laugh.
“Certainly not. Our Lady Elsia is a very wise woman. She’s not the type of person he’ll overlook simply because her stepbrother made a move on her. There were even rumors in the Imperial Palace of an affair with a much better Prince!”
To be more specific, there were rumors that ‘Elsia has a one-sided crush on Ixion,’ but Sera dismissed it as a ‘rumor of a rumor’ as her last pride for her master.
Despite this, Dalton maintained a worried look.
“That’s what every woman says. They say there’s no reason to get involved with that scumbag. But I’ve never seen a woman who didn’t fall over when Young Master Niel rushed in. There will be no exceptions, even if it is not the Prince, but the Woman of God.”
“Oh, there isn’t such a thing—”
“It’s true, so you just have to make sure they don’t bump into each other. It’s not that I don’t trust Lady Elsia, but I don’t trust Young Master Niel. I can’t attend the banquet, but—”
“My lady isn’t one of those people.”
“All right, let me tell you a story.”
Sera’s reaction was still insignificant, so Dalton’s voice became increasingly louder.
“It was all over when Young Master Niel took her to the tower, no matter how aloof the woman was, no matter how many layers of iron walls she didn’t even react to. I’ve never seen an exception to this rule.”
Dalton shivered, as if he couldn’t bear the thought of it.
“The tower is beautiful at night, surrounded by all kinds of light. Showing the moon reflected on the lake, ‘I will soon be the owner of that place. I’ll let the whole Wizard Tower study magic for you.’ If he says the same thing, there’s no woman who wouldn’t fall for it.”
Aiden shuddered as if on instinct.
This was due to the unusual energy he felt from Ixion, who was standing next to him.
Aiden wondered for a moment if this was a battleground.
“Look at how they were whispering to each other while being escorted. They must have gotten close in the carriage in an instant.”
“I believe they were holding hands in the carriage.”
Sera murmured, tilting her head.
“I looked out the window for a moment to see if there was anything bothering me, and then I caught a glimpse.”
“Oh my— Eventually—”
“Isn’t that why they seemed so natural when she was escorted?”
It appeared that Niel Evgeny was her escort.
It was common for brothers to accompany their sister, but if his opponent is Niel, he will be—.
Aiden unknowingly looked into Ixion’s eyes.
“But I couldn’t help myself. They got along so well the moment they stood together that we all burst out in tears. I almost cried. In the Imperial Palace, the Lady had never been escorted. It was most likely her first escort.”
He’d prefer to be aware of their presence, but the maid and guard were absorbed in their conversation.
“Lady Elsia and Master Niel looked so good together. They shone brightest in the banquet hall. I’m sure they did an excellent job with their first dance.”
“Your reaction has already been this way, so what do you think of the Lady—this is why the banquet is dangerous. Even if you don’t think about it, it creates a strange atmosphere in an instant.”
Dalton sighed and rubbed his temples.
“It’s obvious. They’ll stick together at today’s banquet. He’ll set aside time for just the two of them on the balcony and ask her to stop by the Wizard Tower on their way back with a bottle of sweet wine. It’s all over now.”
Ixion’s step began to move again without hesitation.
‘Ah—’
Aiden sighed and moved quickly behind Ixion’s back.
He knew he should have changed his bloody clothes, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so.
The rejection of a marriage proposal he thought would be acceptable, as well as the promiscuous Niel Evgeny next to her.
He sobbed, hoping that it wouldn’t be the worst.
“Why is it that whenever you show up at a banquet, something always happens, Elsia?”
