Chapter 74

Chapter 74

“Me?”

Rose gaped, utterly unable to hide her shock.

Seeing her expression, Iris let out a playful laugh and continued brightly.

“And more than anything, Mr. Dillon kept glancing at you whenever he wasn’t asking me questions… Oh my! Don’t tell me the two of you haven’t confessed your feelings yet?”

Rose’s lips twitched in an odd way, and at that, Iris gasped in excitement.

“It’s true! Truly, Miss Hampton—Mr. Dillon definitely likes you.”

Rose’s face turned crimson, the color of a ripe apple.

Really? James was looking at me like that?

“N–no way. He was probably just watching to make sure I was paying attention to the investigation.”

Rose flapped her hands quickly, insisting there was no such thing.

But Iris clearly wasn’t convinced.

Her eyes curved sweetly as she went on, “Come to think of it, have you ever heard of a spell that can turn someone’s heart toward you?”

“No? I’ve never heard of such a thing. You can’t force emotions with magic.”

“Well, apparently, you can. It exists—there.”

“There? Where’s ‘there’?”

Miss Iris… I thought she was just a quiet, well-mannered lady, but she’s quite the romantic, Rose thought with resignation, deciding it was better to humor her. At least listening to fanciful stories about love magic was easier than being interrogated about her and James.

“Inside the restricted archive of Sialef Monastery in Egard!”

“Ah, the place you mentioned before.”

Rose recalled the story she’d heard in Nigel Brown’s house back in Ashville—about how rumors of leyline-healing magic had originated from the monastery’s collection.

“They say the forbidden archive holds priceless grimoires you can’t find anywhere in Mythos society—so if there’s any clue to restoring lost magic, it would be there.”

A vault full of forbidden grimoires… could that really be true?

“Some even say it contains the answers to all of Mythos’s problems.”

“But monasteries aren’t open to just anyone, are they? And surely that archive must be heavily guarded.”

“Hehe. Miss Hampton, you really aren’t from the South, are you? During the Lunasa Festival, the Egard Monastery opens its doors to the public.”

Rose’s eyes lit up with interest, and Iris eagerly continued.

“Of course, not everyone can enter the archive. But one of the victims’ families happens to include a university professor. He’s granted access every year for research.”

“Ah-ha!”

Iris’s eyes gleamed dreamily as she spoke of the archive.

“He’s allowed to view certain books for a limited time under a monk’s supervision. So the information that leaks out each year is fragmentary, but still…”

She toyed shyly with the hem of her skirt.

“If, someday, a perfect clue to undo my magic seal is found—and my power becomes free again…”

A soft blush spread across her cheeks.

“Regaining my magic would be a dream come true, but I’d also love to fall in love with someone wonderful, like Mr. Dillon, and maybe even start a family.”

Meeting someone, falling in love, pledging eternity together—simple, ordinary things that were far from possible for Iris, bound by her sealed magic.

“Oh! Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to pursue Mr. Dillon! I just used him as an example because he’s so admirable.”

“Ah—no, I, um—yes, of course.”

“You know how it is for Mythos like me who can’t use magic. That’s why, when I see the two of you, I can’t help but admire you both.”

“Admire us?”

“The Golden Crow doesn’t take just anyone. You’re both such remarkable mages—and to think you even share mutual feelings—it’s like something out of a romance novel.”

Well… actually, Mr. Dillon isn’t a Mythos, Rose thought, suppressing a grimace.

James was indeed gifted in magic detection and control, but he was neither Mythos nor Logos—he was a Revis, a being that stood between both. Not that Iris needed to know that.

“With my magic sealed, I don’t dare dream of marriage. Still, if there were someone who could understand me as I am…”

Her voice trailed off into a wistful sigh, and Rose found herself at a loss for words.

Right—she’d almost forgotten, buried beneath her own struggles as a low-tier Neutral constantly pushed around by Logos society—just how cruelly closed and elitist Mythos society could be.

“I’m sorry,” Iris murmured, forcing a small smile. “I didn’t mean to bring down the mood.”

But her reddened eyes betrayed the sadness she tried to hide.

“Miss Iris, don’t lose hope. Once the investigation progresses, we’ll uncover both the cause and the cure for your seal—I’m sure of it.”

Rose’s encouragement, however sincere, couldn’t stop the tears that slipped from Iris’s violet eyes.

And so, Iris wept quietly for a long time, shoulders trembling with sorrow.

James had stayed holed up in his room for most of the day, only emerging when Iris Brown was about to leave Triden Mansion.

“I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay here. Please take care on your way back.”

“Thank you for arranging a carriage to the station and for all your kindness. Oh—and Miss Hampton.”

Just before stepping into the carriage, Iris pressed something into Rose’s hand.

“I didn’t have enough time to say everything I wanted, so I’ve written it in a letter. I hope you don’t mind.”

What she handed over was a rather thick bundle of letters.

“And… please be sure to ask Mr. Dillon how he feels.”

Iris whispered it with a knowing smile.

“P–pardon?”

Rose blinked in confusion, but Iris only smiled brighter, pretending not to hear.

Even after the carriage disappeared down the long dirt road that stretched through the countryside, Rose stood there for a while, staring after it.

“Aren’t you going inside?”

James’s voice startled her so badly that she nearly hiccuped.

Thankfully, quick-witted Maria appeared with a glass of cold water, allowing Rose a moment to catch her breath and recover from her embarrassment.

But even as she sipped, the memory of Iris’s teasing words echoed relentlessly in her mind.

“And more than anything, Mr. Dillon kept glancing at you whenever he wasn’t asking me questions…”

She knew there was nothing to overreact about—it had just been a silly misunderstanding, an innocent assumption from someone who didn’t know the truth.

Still, it made her unbearably self-conscious.

Even if James really were interested in me, what would it matter? All he ever sees is the most unflattering version of me anyway.

Her mood sank. The thought that she might be wearing her feelings on her sleeve every time she looked at him made her cheeks burn with shame.

“I should go read Miss Iris’s letter now,” she mumbled quickly. “It looks like there’s quite a few pages to get through.”

“Rose, wait—”

“Oh dear, at least ten pages! Writing a reply will take ages!”

Pressing a hand to her flushed cheek, Rose all but fled toward the staircase.

There was no one chasing her, yet she dashed up the steps as if fleeing for her life. By the time she reached the second floor, her breath came fast, sweat dampened her neck, and her heart was pounding.

One glance in the mirror made her groan. Her hair was a mess, her face was red, and she looked utterly ridiculous.

Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless.

How could anyone fall for this? Where was the grace, the charm, the slightest trace of femininity that might make someone’s heart stir?

Shaking her head to banish the thought, Rose sat down and untied the bundle Iris had given her.

To my dear Miss Alice Hampton,

Thank you for giving me such a wonderful and unforgettable experience.

I truly hope that my testimony and the victims’ registry will help you solve this case that has been trapped in mystery for so long.

…

If you have the chance, please visit the monastery during the Lunasa Festival. If you contact Professor White beforehand, he might be able to arrange access to the restricted archive.

Mr. Barry White, listed in the victims’ registry, is Professor White’s cousin at Rombert First University.

…

Oh, Miss Alice Hampton—thank you for listening to me and treating me kindly, without prejudice against my sealed magic. It made me so happy I thought I might float straight into the sky.

How wonderful life would be if I could have a friend like you!

“She kept calling me by that alias until the very end… but somehow, it makes me feel both guilty and grateful.”

Rose let out a soft sigh.

To think she had been jealous, even wary, of someone so pure and kind-hearted.

After fleeing to Linden, she’d cut off contact with her old friends Catherine and Caroline; between that and the chaos of her recent work, she’d had no one she could truly call a friend for a long time. The idea of a new friendship stirred something warm and fragile in her chest.

But then—

“What… what does this mean?”

Her eyes caught on a final line scrawled near the bottom of the last page, the handwriting slightly uneven as if written in haste.