Life as a Tower Maid: Locked up with the Prince - Chapter 64
Chapter 64
Translator: Yonnee
—
Why are you asking if you already knew the answer? I was about to protest, but I instead groaned when the migraine returned.
“Black magic can eat away at your life every day. However, it’s also a type of magic that can taint the soul of the target.”
“……”
“Right now, you’re under black magic.”
Gracious, I really can’t understand Rosé. Just what kind of life did she live?
This made me think that Rosé might have a deeper backstory than I originally expected.
It’s actually also a little suspicious that, out of all people, Rosteratu chose Rosé to get locked up in the tower with Albert. Why was it her?
Was it all just a coincidence?
“If we’re considering any changes that could have happened this time… I believe it’s because you left the tower with me, and it served as an opportunity for the hex to be activated.”
Several mages were gathered to make a very strong barrier to prevent the use of magic inside the tower. This was a trap that was for Albert, and of course it would work the same with other mages.
Dark mages could use their own souls as ammunition on top of their original power, but black magic was still essentially magic.
Since the spell couldn’t have gotten activated while I was still within the confines of the barrier, an opportunity came up when I left the tower. And since it got activated, it seemed like the effects still continued even when I’ve already returned inside the tower.
Anyway, it seemed like the effects stopped at just migraines because the anti-magic barrier was counteracting the spell. Of course, I don’t know how long it would just be a headache…
And what did he mean by the black magic eating away at my life! At this rate, I’m being forced to say adios to my happy future. In the meantime, the migraine was getting worse and worse.
I was enduring it while I was talking to Albert, but I don’t think I can keep it up anymore. I decided to end the conversation as soon as possible.
Taking in a deep breath, I looked up as I was still in Albert’s embrace. Placing one hand on his chest, I gently pushed him away. Then, I looked straight into his eyes.
“How can I get rid of the hex?”
Albert tilted his head obliquely, and his bangs swept down. He reached up to his own gray hair, its strands scattering through his fingers.
With his eyes half-lidded, he stared at me for a long time. Then, he answered.
“We’ll have to go out of the tower again.”
It was a simple, clear statement, but it was also the most difficult thing to do.
“Is there no other way?”
“No. Not if the hex had already been activated.”
“……”
“It’ll eat away at you since it’s already activated. You’ll only feel a migraine now while you’re inside the tower, but this doesn’t change the fact that your life is being depleted.”
…I can’t believe it really is directly connected to my life. Now that I knew what kind of illness this was, it was scarier than I could have predicted.
Goosebumps formed all over my body. And I was so confused because this was so different from what I’ve read of the novel.
Rosé was a character who was set to die, that’s why—in the beginning of the novel—there was only a brief mention of the time Albert and Rosé spent together. Did the original Rosé have these symptoms? Did the novel just gloss over this particular detail because she was a minor character?
…Or did my possession of this body change something?
Suddenly, my mind was flooded with questions I had no answers to.
I don’t want to die like this.
I can’t just die without receiving the land and pension that Albert’s supposed to give to me as written in our contract.
I always did what I could. So, that’s why I need to survive.
After making this simple decision, I asked him with determination.
“Then, what should I do?”
Albert once again placed his hand on my nape and gently pulled me close to him. His eyes shone dimly in the darkness.
“To nullify the effects of black magic, you need a mage with the opposite attributes, Rosé. What’s needed is for me to treat you.”
“But you’ll be pushing yourself to the limit again.”
Albert’s lips were drawn into a thin line.
“Actually, there’s a much larger problem than that.”
“…What is it?”
“Isn’t the timing too convenient?”
Because he was so close to me, Albert whispered with a hushed voice.
“To nullify the hex, we’ll need to be outside the tower for a long time. It would take a lot of power to be away for that long of a period, and it would also take a lot of power again to treat you. After all that, I’ll be incapacitated for a week, and the pain I’ll feel will be much more severe compared to what you’ve seen in the past few days.”
What Albert said reminded me of how sick he had been recently. I couldn’t even predict the severity of pain he was going to be under because he didn’t describe it. I chewed on my lower lip.
“Are you telling me all this to make me feel guilty? Prince, I’m seriously thinking whether I should even ask you for help.”
“No, I’m saying the opposite.”
Before I knew it, he took my chin and lifted it gently.
“At that time, I’ll have to accept whatever it is that you’ll do to me.”
“Would I ever do anything dangerous to Your Highness? I consider my own life precious, too.”
“It’s a different story if you’re a dark mage.”
“…A dark mage?”
Albert slowly raised his hand, and my eyes naturally followed the movement as he held up two fingers.
He spoke unhurriedly.
“There are two cases where a person gets subjected to black magic.”
He folded his middle finger, leaving only his pointer finger.
“First, if another person had hexed you.”
Then, he folded his remaining index finger.
“Second, if you’re a dark mage yourself.”
Only then did I realize the meaning behind his icy gaze earlier.
He was suspicious of me.
I could be a dark mage.
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