We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 153

After a month had passed, I finally felt that I had made a full recovery. I could now speak for extended periods without my throat hurting, and the burns on my limbs had healed, though the scars remained.

However, one thing was troubling me.

I took the apple Miranda had given me and held it in my hand, sniffing it with the tip of my nose.

Sniff-sniff.

Normally, this apple would have had a sweet and refreshing aroma, but now it had no scent at all. Although it still had a taste when bitten into, the lack of smell was concerning.

“Hm.”

I could taste it, but I couldn’t smell it. I wondered if it was because my recovery wasn’t complete, and I realized too late that I had developed an issue with my sense of smell.

Now that I thought about it, everyone here was an Omega, and I had never smelled any pheromones.

I had assumed that everyone contained their pheromones, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

After finishing the apple, I got up and went to find Lucia, who was working. I knocked softly and then opened the door.

“Excuse me.”

“……”

There was no immediate response, but I naturally took a seat next to her. The focus exhibited by Lucia and all the other wizard’s here while working was impressive.

Lucia’s eyes, which were the same color as her magic, glowed with pink energy as it wove into the object, beginning to draw a magical circle. I had heard that a significant portion of magical tools sold in stores are distributed from the magic tower.

I watched the process of creating these tools intently, making sure not to disturb her.

The magical circle she was drawing flickered briefly with light before fading away repeatedly. As she layered several magical circles, I concentrated silently, much like Lucia.

“Ha…”

Lucia removed her glasses and sighed deeply.

“It’s not easy to inscribe more than five layers of magical circles at once.”

“You’re amazing.”

“Heh, it’s definitely something you can learn with enough practice. Oh, did you come here to say something?”

Lucia stood up, grabbed a water bottle, and sat on the sofa. I followed her lead and sat down next to her. As soon as I was seated, she gave me a mischievous look and said,

“Can I have some refreshing ice water?”

Having recently gained better control over my magical abilities, I created small ice cubes and poured them into her glass. Lucia smiled with satisfaction as she drank the water in one gulp and let out a cool sigh.

“How about you handle the magical tools for the ice cream shop deliveries from now on?”

“If you assign it to me, I’ll do my best.”

“That’s a great answer.”

“By the way, Tower Master.”

“Hmm?”

I remembered the reason I was here and casually brought it up. It seemed prudent to inform her, given her position as the head of the magic tower.

“I think my sense of smell might be broken.”

“What?”

“I can’t smell anything.”

“What do you mean…”

Losing one’s sense of smell could indeed bring challenges in life, but surviving the ordeal was a miracle in itself. I hadn’t lost my limbs or developed any glaring scars. The burns on my limbs were easily covered by clothing.

Therefore, not being able to smell seemed like a minor issue. However, Lucia’s reaction was quite different. With a fierce look on her face, she shattered the glass she was holding.

“Ah!”

Fortunately, the shards of glass quickly vanished due to her magic.

“…Melissa, don’t you feel unjustly treated?”

Lucia’s face looked as sharp and precarious as the recently vanished glass shards. I couldn’t respond immediately. She closed her eyes briefly and then continued,

“Don’t you hate the Alpha who did this to you?”

“…I do.”

“Then you should be more upset. You should feel wronged by the injustice done to you. So why do you act as if losing your sense of smell is no big deal?”

“….”

Her words were a hundred times right that I couldn’t come up with a reply. I had thought of it as just losing my sense of smell, and since I had survived, it seemed like enough.

I was too embarrassed to lift my head. Even within Marquisate Ovando, I had found it strange how Nicola and Lorena didn’t seem to feel any injustice.

Yet now, my own condition was no different from theirs back then. My nearly resigned self-destruction had slowly consumed all of me.

“…I’m not saying this to you. You understand, right?”

“Yes, I understand. I just want to say thank you.”

“For what? You overcame everything on your own.”

“…”

What would have happened if I hadn’t met Lucia and the others? Would I have died just longing for Ian, not even realizing my own mental state was deteriorating? Perhaps I would have followed in Nicola’s footsteps…

Or maybe, if I had awakened as a wizard later on, I might have dreamed of a joint suicide, like my mother. Either way, death would have been the end.

“…I feel like I’m just bothering you to your work. I’ll go back and rest.”

“It’s not a bother. But alright, I understand.”

“Then, take care.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After bowing to Lucia, I left the room. Walking down the corridor, I saw the red sunset outside the window.

The Magic Tower was mysterious, and I couldn’t tell how many floors it had, but the primary living spaces seemed to be quite high up. The red sunlight falling on the mountain had a certain charm.

Back in my room, I turned on a small magic lamp and sat at my desk. I opened a notebook without purpose and lost myself in thought.

In reality, the part of me that was most severely injured was elsewhere. Yet, I didn’t think of it as an unfortunate thing.

Isn’t it ironic? That I could only escape the imprinting after my body was damaged.