Father, I Won’t Do Anything

As if just realizing it, Izren smiled wryly at Rosian.

“Student Rosian, shouldn’t you be addressing me more formally?”

“…”

“No matter how highly ranked you are, within the Academy, you’re still a student. Though if you dislike that, mutual respect is fine too.”

Unlike his time at the Magic Tower, ever since coming to the academy, Izren had a knack for rendering people speechless with his characteristically blunt expressions.

Speaking in that innocently casual manner, he left no room for rebuttal, however irritating it might be.

‘His Highness is no ordinary person, either.’

However, Rosian wasn’t one to simply endure. Whether it was due to having the formidable Princess Elia as his mother, or being the cousin of the notoriously foul-mouthed Mikael, Rosian showed no signs of being intimidated before Izren.

“Then you should treat Jaina as a mere student too, without discrimination. It seems Professor Izren judges and treats people differently.”

Inwardly heaving a sigh, Jaina realized Rosian wasn’t one to back down easily.

But he seemed unusually emotionally charged today.

‘Did something happen?’

To prevent an escalation that could lead to a fight, Jaina swiftly grasped Rosian’s arm to dissuade him.

“Thank you both for your concern. It seems I was rather thoughtless. No matter how long we’ve known each other, this is still the academy, after all.”

“…”

Though Jaina attempted to diffuse the situation, Rosian remained sullen, seemingly unsatisfied.

Seeking Izren’s understanding, Jaina approached Rosian and spoke to him quietly.

“Your Highness, are you feeling unwell?”

“No.”

“Then did something upsetting happen?”

“Nothing of the sort.”

Though he denied it, to Jaina, his curt responses and impassive expression clearly indicated something was amiss.

Whether he was angry or depressed, she couldn’t tell.

“But you seem rather unlike your usual self.”

“…So you’re worried about me?”

“Of course.”

Phew, Rosian let out a deep sigh.

“In truth, I’ve been constantly worrying about Miss Jaina. Not that I don’t always worry, but…”

“Ah, so that’s what’s been weighing on your mind. Thank you, Your Highness. If not for you, unsavory rumors might have spread. I could have unintentionally caused harm to Izren as well. Since Izren has been my guard from a young age, I grew overly familiar without deeper consideration.”

“Seems you two are quite close, calling each other by name.”

“I used to address him with an honorific, but at some point, we started calling each other by name.”

“At some point, you say…”

“Bonds are quite remarkable, aren’t they? I never expected to become so close with Izren initially.”

In the novel , Izren had pledged loyalty to Rosian, who had taken him in, and the two became closer than blood brothers. But now, for some inexplicable reason, their relationship seemed strained, akin to enemies or strangers…

No matter how divergent from the original storyline, could their relationship truly twist to this extent? Jaina tilted her head in confusion.

‘Well, they’ll grow closer eventually.’

After all, their paths were bound to converge sooner or later.

Jaina decided not to dwell on it excessively.

“I wish for Your Highness’s happiness.”

“Huh?”

“And for Princess Elia’s happiness as well. You’re both people who care about me, after all. So please, don’t be so gloomy.”

As Jaina consoled Rosian, the image of Princess Elia’s gentle, maternal smile resurfaced vividly in her mind.

‘Will the Tower Lord try to kill Princess Elia again this time?’

Committing atrocities, causing countless tears to be shed?

As the present world and the novel’s overlapped in her mind, Jaina lowered her head.

‘I hope not…’

Previously, she had thought it was unrelated to her.

For she was fated to die soon.

She had no father.

But lately…

The thought of ‘what if’ kept surfacing.

What if her fate changed, allowing her to evade the dragon honor killing?

What if she could remain with her loved ones, and one day accept ‘Diamid’ as her father?

If such a hypothetical became reality, the first thing she would need to do is to change the Tower Lord father’s fate.

For if events unfolded as in the novel, it would bring immense sorrow to herself and those around her.

“…Miss Jaina?”

Lost in contemplation, Jaina had unconsciously bowed her head, wearing a somber expression. Belatedly realizing this, she gave an awkward smile.

In contrast, Rosian seemed at a loss.

“Ah, sorry. I was just lost in thought…”

“Are you alright? It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

“What did Your Highness do wrong?”

Though Jaina had simply sought clarification, Rosian seemed to interpret it as a reproach.

“It’s because I was conversing with you that this happened…”

“It had nothing to do with Your Highness. I was just thinking about the Tower Lord for a moment.”

“Still, I’m sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing again?”

Regardless of the reason for Jaina’s subdued mood, Rosian earnestly apologized, assuming it was his fault. Jaina found his behavior rather perplexing.

“Your Highness, you’re acting quite strangely today.”

Slowly nodding in agreement, Rosian replied:

“I don’t understand why I’m behaving this way either.”

Why did the sight of Jaina holding another man’s hand irk him so?

Why did the slightest change in her expression make his heart race?

Why was he so concerned about potentially earning her dislike?

Gazing up at the summer sky’s blazing sun, Rosian unconsciously let out a low sigh.

Observing his demeanor, Jaina exhaled a small sigh before patting his back and suggesting:

“I was on my way to the library. Would you like to join me, Your Highness?”

* * *

And so, the three of them headed towards the academy’s library together.

Upon arrival, Jaina diligently scoured the bookshelves, immediately engrossed in searching for materials, seeming to forget her companions’ presence entirely.

‘We’re completely out of her mind. This place must really appeal to her.’

‘Just like at the Magic Tower, she truly loves libraries.’

As the two men contemplated building Jaina her own personal library, she continued flipping through books tirelessly.

In truth, Jaina hadn’t harbored high expectations before coming to the academy.

No, it would be more accurate to say she had given it no thought at all.

Her primary reason for attending was to step away from the Magic Tower and organize her thoughts, after all.

But upon witnessing the academy’s vast library, her jaw dropped in awe.

‘This is no ordinary academy with a deep history. This library could rival the Magic Tower’s, if not surpass it in terms of its book collection.’

The faint scent of books. The rustling of turning pages. The serene atmosphere.

While the locations differed, the academy and Magic Tower libraries shared a similar ambiance unique to such spaces.

‘Wait…’

Initially assuming the familiarity stemmed from the shared atmosphere, Jaina soon realized it ran deeper than that.

‘It resembles the Magic Tower’s library.’

From the reading area arranged along one side of the bookshelves to the color and material of the bookcases, even the librarian’s position and the entrance decorations… Every minute detail mirrored the Magic Tower’s library, as if constructed by the same person following identical blueprints.

‘Could the Tower Lord have designed the Magic Tower’s library based on the academy’s?’

Jaina envisioned the young Diamid studying at a desk within the library.

Given the diverse subject matters beyond just magical texts found at the Magic Tower, he had undoubtedly derived joy from reading various books indiscriminately, just as she did.

‘And yet he was someone who blindly believed in his own abilities, leading others to their demise?’

A former classmate, he claimed.

Studying together at the academy.

To slander him based on unverified facts…

Closing one book, opening another.

Jaina’s pacing between the bookshelves grew increasingly hurried.

Observing her unsettled demeanor, Izren and Rosian cautiously approached her.

“Miss Jaina, what sort of book are you searching for so fervently?”

“Yes, Jaina. Wouldn’t it be faster if we helped? Fortunately, the library is quite empty at the moment.”

Mumbling to herself as she scanned the book titles, Jaina seemed to suddenly recall their presence, startled as she responded.

“Ah, sorry…”

“Did we speak too loudly?”

“Why were you so surprised? Are you alright?”

“Ah… Yes, I’m fine. You asked what book I’m looking for?”

Jaina relayed the titles Professor Peyron had provided.

Finding those books swiftly to gather information from that era was crucial if she hoped to uncover any leads within the given timeframe.

‘I’ll clear the Tower Lord’s name of these false accusations.’

Jaina was convinced Diamid had been unjustly slandered.

She knew he had been a virtuous man before the war against the Demon King. Unless there was another reason, he would have no cause to conceal a completed magic formula until now.

Meanwhile, upon hearing the book titles Jaina sought, Rosian and Izren were taken aback, though they didn’t outwardly show it.

They had realized this matter held great importance to her.

Now wasn’t the time to revel in her company or begrudge the presence of an undesirable third party.

Soon, all traces of expression vanished from their faces.

Exchanging glances – though Rosian was momentarily baffled at finding himself locking eyes with Izren – they adopted solemn demeanors and, without further words, relocated to search for the desired books.

Some time passed before…

“Phew.”

With Rosian and Izren’s assistance, Jaina swiftly obtained the books she had been seeking.