Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince - Chapter 281
Chapter 281
Translator: Yonnee
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It had been three days since Rosé Artius’s existence had been wiped out.
Today was the day Albert and I were to leap across dimensions, the day we would say our final goodbyes to everyone.
Of course, we hadn’t told anyone about our plan.
Those who knew of Albert’s and my plans would have told us not to do unnecessary things.
Only those who wished solely for Albert’s safety came to mind—I thought of Liam, Schubert, and Mercy in turn.
“…Are you starting?”
Seo Ina’s voice brought me back to my senses.
I was with Seo Ina at the moment.
I had promised to show her some magic, and I did my best to demonstrate.
My magic grew stronger day by day, and it never failed to amaze even me.
It seemed only natural that a power capable of cheating death would come with trials.
In a way, it felt fair.
Even a dragon contractor couldn’t completely escape the flow of time and remained merely a human at heart.
Like how I could delay but not forever prevent the butterfly effect caused by the disappearance of Rosé Artius.
Despite such mighty power, a human would remain human.
The heart that remains unshaken despite the arduous trials and the overwhelming power was the most important thing.
The same was true even for beings who were no longer human.
Emmett had died retaining his human heart, and Alexander had decided to make ‘that’ choice for our sake.
Even lost in thought, my hand drew the magic circle.
Water swirled in the air. Seo Ina’s voice cheered with joy.
“You are truly amazing!”
The last spell I showed was a rainbow made with water magic, as spectacular as any fountain. It drew sighs of admiration from Seo Ina, making me once again marvel at my own magical skills.
Wasn’t I once a mere ordinary person who could only admire Albert’s magic? Now I was someone who could wield any spell.
“Is it true that you are leaving tomorrow?”
Seo Ina asked, sitting beside me, sounding regretful.
Officially, it was arranged that Albert and I were going on a vacation together.
“Unfortunately, that is the case,” I replied with an awkward smile.
Seo Ina nodded as if there was no helping it and sat beside me, handing over a small paper box that looked like a lunchbox.
“It’s the first time in a long while that I’m going out on a picnic, so I packed some kimbap for us.”
We were just in the palace’s garden, but she urged me to open the lunchbox nonetheless.
“…….”
I had not expected to be eating a lunchbox with the novel’s female lead. Startled, I opened the lid.
“I prepared everything from simple kimbap to ones filled with beef and pork.”
The kimbap, cut neatly and looking delightful, was tempting. Even the ends were included.
“I like the ends because they’re chock-full of all the ingredients.”
“I do too.”
“Oh, you do…?”
Finding this unexpected commonality, we both took a bite of the ends together.
The explosion of flavors from the meat, vegetables, and the fluffy rice was perfect.
Eating kimbap felt like dining on gourmet food, a first for me.
Thinking back, there had been a time when I wanted to learn cooking from Seo Ina.
…Although it all fell through when I was thrown back to the past.
I wondered how Albert, who often had to leave the palace for expeditions, had managed during my disappearance.
I had never asked about Seo Ina’s life up to now, and it made me curious.
I casually broached the topic.
“Do you like working as a palace chef?”
“Do you still want to hire me?”
“No, just curious.”
Seo Ina burst into laughter at my words, then fell into thought before speaking softly.
“It’s so wonderful that I’ve just been wondering if it could really be this good. But I also feel the desire to leave.”
“Wanting to leave even though it’s good…”
“As much as the imperial palace is nice, the empire being built has also widened the roads to many countries. His Majesty has always assured my safety.”
Seo Ina, who could have been content just cooking by Albert’s side, now had new dreams.
Ever since the empire was established, Albert guaranteed perfect safety and a good salary.
Having mages and soldiers around seemed to help her mental and physical stability.
“And I want to further explore the power I possess.”
She had developed new abilities, a butterfly effect caused by my arrival, beyond what was written in the book.
“Since I’ve got no worries about money or safety now, I’ve become more at ease.”
“……”
“And for this, I owe my thanks to you, Jungin-nim.”
I was surprised by the subsequent remark. I thought I had misheard, but the way Seo Ina looked at me was too clear.
“What have I done to deserve that?”
“I know very well that the only reason His Majesty the Emperor brought me to the imperial palace was because of you. And the way you’ve protected me like a fortress from the beginning.”
Seo Ina slightly bowed her head to me.
“It’s been a while since I could focus solely on cooking. Thank you.”
After finishing her thanks, Seo Ina lifted her head. A smile like wildflowers adorned her lips.
The smile blooming on her face showed how happy she was.
…Finally, I felt a bit relieved.
I had been worried that Seo Ina would become unhappy because of the changes I made to the original work.
But she still seemed happy in this new story.
…What would happen to Seo Ina if the flow of time changed this time?
Would she still exist? Or would she, like me, live a life unpossessed by another?
I know she’s a good person.
If possible, I hope that you still exist in the time to which I return.
“Thank you for treating me to delicious food.”
And then, hopefully, we can develop a deeper friendship over a bit more time.
Thus, I finished my final farewell with Seo Ina.
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