I’m Looking for the Male Lead for the Ending - Chapter 23

Chapter 12.2

Despite my words, my father’s gaze didn’t turn towards me. He continued to keep his eyes fixed on the stage and spoke in a subdued voice.

“You must not do anything that would bring dishonor to Aidelis’s name, Ardi Aidelis.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

With that short reply, I turned and left my seat right away. Marie, who had been watching my father and me closely, holding her breath, quickly followed me. Trailing behind me at a slow pace, she spoke with a hushed voice as soon as the people around us disappeared.

“Um, excuse me, Young Lady.”

“Huh?”

“Perhaps the head noticed that the Young Lady suddenly disappeared a week ago??”

In response to her question, I looked back over the past week. My father’s attitude hadn’t been significantly different from usual.

My anxious heart calmed, and I replied in a nonchalant tone.

“He probably didn’t know. If he had known, he would’ve surely punished me, right?”

“Is that so? Oh dear, I thought maybe he knew something because he told the Young Lady not to tarnish Aidelis’s name all of a sudden…!”

“Marie, shh!“

I quickly raised my index finger up to my lips and used another hand to silence Marie, who was chirping like a sparrow out of anxiety.

In the distance, I could hear the murmuring of the crowd as soon as I managed to stop her. As Marie, who had realized the situation belatedly, quickly closed her mouth, I released my hand that had covered my mouth at the sight of her nodding her head as if she understood and asked.

“Anyway, nothing out of the ordinary happened the day I disappeared, right?”

“Yes, you really don’t need to worry about that… Ah! I don’t know if this is a big deal, but…”

“What is it?”

“The Master of the Magic Tower left a message saying that he looks forward to the next meeting.”

I narrowed my eyes, remembering Diel’s reaction, which I knew even without seeing him.

‘Look forward to what? There won’t be any more encounters between us in this lifetime.’

Marie, who had been following me in stride, suddenly raised her voice in surprise as I headed in the opposite direction of the powder room.

“Where are you going, Young Lady? Didn’t you say you were going to the powder room?”

“I just came out to get some fresh air.”

I answered indifferently as I stopped beneath the large oak tree located in the backyard of the stadium. The tree, so large that I couldn’t hug it with my arms outstretched, was shrouded in thick greenery. As the wind blew, the leaves rustled, and the sunlight shone through them. Unlike the resounding clashes of swords in the stadium, the peaceful atmosphere created by the massive oak tree was pleasant.

As I gazed at the tree for a moment, I turned to Marie, who was standing next to me.

“Oh, Marie. How did my request from last time go? Did you show the brooch to the craftsmen?”

“Of course.”

Marie added, handing me the brooch I was carrying.

“The Young Lady asked me to keep it a secret from others, so I personally met with the craftsmen. They all said there was nothing that needed repair. It didn’t seem to have any hidden function either.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They said it seems to be so well-maintained that they didn’t even have to redo the gemstone.”

‘As I suspected, it wasn’t about fixing the brooch and finding its hidden functions after all.’

As I nodded, accepting the brooch, Marie asked cautiously.

“But wasn’t that the brooch that the Young Lady was looking for at the street shop last time? Where did you find it?”

“Someone gave it to me.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, someone gave it to me, but I don’t know what they intended for me to do with it.”

I pursed my lips in response.

The child from that day had left the brooch behind after our eyes had met before she had run away. If you look at it, it was clear that it was given to me, but since I didn’t know her intentions, it was of no use.

Marie, who was tilting her head in confusion at my words, quickly spoke as the sound of trumpets reached us.

“Well, for now, it’s best to return to our seats. I can hear the trumpets, which means the games will be starting soon.”

Nodding in response to her words, I turned towards the stadium, but I felt someone’s gaze from somewhere. Although I lifted my head and scanned my surroundings, there was no one in sight.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I quickly moved my steps, thinking that perhaps I had become overly sensitive due to the unresolved situation.

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