Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince - Chapter 277
Chapter 277
Translator: Yonnee
—
Albert rose from his seat only after Jung-in had completely fallen asleep.
‘It’s all finally over.’
After getting up, Albert entrusted Jung-in to Blanc and headed to the prison where Rosé Artius was held captive.
His steps were light, perhaps because of the long conversation he had shared with Jung-in throughout the night.
‘…Perhaps I still don’t know you fully just yet.’
The more they talked, the more he realized how thoughtful she was.
He felt fortunate to have someone like her by his side.
He would still hide the aspects of himself that might frighten Jung-in… but only sometimes.
Maybe it’s alright to show those desires sometimes. Jung-in would love him no matter what face he showed.
Just as he loved Jung-in.
“…Strange.”
Arriving at the prison, Albert was perplexed upon seeing the cell beyond the iron bars empty.
The door was locked, and there were no signs of tampering with the lock, yet Rosé Artius had vanished without a trace.
It was supposed to be impossible for mages to use their power here to escape…?
The reason he had temporarily lifted the magic restraints yesterday was to show that Rosé Artius’s magic wouldn’t work at all, even if she aimed to harm him or anyone else.
Moreover, only Mercy and he could unlock and lock the door.
It should have been impossible for Rosé Artius to exert any effort to escape.
Albert narrowed his eyebrows and looked around.
‘Is there a problem with my magic?’
He let out a bit of magic power between his clenched hands to check, but the magic felt normal.
Nothing had happened yet. There was no need to worry prematurely.
Albert exhaled and recalled the magic circle he had drawn.
Rosé Artius couldn’t harm Jung-in. She had failed to use magic just yesterday.
The magic circle drawn for Rosé Artius would apply to her for life.
Besides, Jung-in’s power was not to be underestimated. It wouldn’t be easy to harm a dragon contractor lightly.
Her power was not something that could be trifled with.
And now, she was unbelievably stronger than before.
Knowing that, and after talking to Jung-in yesterday, he thought he had calmed down, but his heart was still restless. A quiet storm brewed within.
‘There’s no time that flows just as I wish.’
Being with Jung-in always led to emotions and events beyond his thoughts.
But even in new situations, he believed in his ability to find solutions to any issue.
His life had always been about deriving the best outcomes from his efforts.
The first step was to gather information.
Mercy had returned to the magic tower since last evening for a desperately needed vacation.
She would still be there, catching up on sleep, given her penchant for sleeping more than one might expect.
‘Heading to the tower would be wise.’
Choosing to walk out of the castle instead of teleporting was to see if anyone around had noticed anything.
Stepping outside the palace, Albert encountered Liam speaking with Commander Leona.
“Your Majesty.”
Liam bowed his head in greeting upon seeing him.
“I thought you had already left,” Albert said.
“I was just telling the commander to take good care of things in my absence before I left.”
True to Liam’s nature of doing everything by the book, it seems he couldn’t leave for vacation immediately after it was decided.
Had it not been for his status as a duke, his skills would have already earned him the position of a commander.
Though the war ended swiftly with Jung-in’s return and the sudden unification, many parts of the continent remained unstable.
Currently, Albert’s overwhelming power was holding things together, but they couldn’t rely solely on Albert forever.
Leona and Liam were well aware of that fact.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Albert spoke.
“Since when have you been talking?”
“Since dawn. Is there something wrong?”
If Rosé Artius had managed to open the prison door by herself—a premise that was impossible to begin with—then she would have used up all her magic power.
She would have had to walk out of the prison.
Then, it’s possible that Liam or Leona, who were near the training grounds close to the prison, might have seen something.
Because even the slightest clue couldn’t be overlooked easily, Albert broached the subject.
“Rosé Artius has disappeared. Do you have any leads?”
At Albert’s words, Liam blinked. Judging by that reaction, it’s clear that he didn’t know anything.
Albert sighed and shook his head.
‘If they had seen her, an incident would have occurred.’
Given how Liam was, if he had seen Rosé Artius, he would have captured her.
The same would apply to Leona, who knew Rosé’s face. It was a needless question.
Seeing Liam still blinking in confusion, Albert shook his head.
“Never mind, I’ll look into it myself.”
Albert turned away from Liam and Leona. However, Liam’s voice stopped him.
“Pardon me, Your Majesty, there’s something I would like to ask before you go.”
“…What is it?”
“Who is Rosé Artius?”
Liam wouldn’t joke about this here. Albert slowly lifted his head.
Liam’s eyes, deep as a forest, met his. He asked one more time.
“You don’t know who Rosé Artius is?”
“No, sire, not at all.”
It was a response filled with sincere honesty.
Liam Masen could not remember Rosé Artius.
…An uneasy premonition surged. It felt like something utterly impossible had happened.
Want to read more? Advanced chapters are available on Patreon! (for selected novels only)
≪ Discord ≫
≪ Novel Updates ≫