Chapter 15.1

Edith giggled, “No, I mean you’re like a cold pillow.”

“Who are you calling a pillow? Let go. Get off me!”

“Nope. You’re mine.”

Everything seemed perfect.

Lucion’s health was visibly improving, and their bond grew closer with each passing day.

Everything was going well.

‘So it’s going to be okay.’

Edith smiled, her cheeks burning as she tried to squash the unease bubbling inside her.

✦ ✦ ✦

“Ah!”

As dawn broke, Edith jolted awake with a sharp gasp.

“Again…”

She wiped away the cold sweat beading on her forehead.

It was that dream again.

In the dream, Edith stood dazed, surrounded by countless bodies at her feet. The world around her was drained of color, turned into a lifeless gray…

Was it because of this strange nightmare she’d been having for months now? Or was it the growing power inside her?

Every time Edith closed her eyes, the nightmares plagued her.

As much as she wanted to brush them off, she couldn’t shake the gnawing fear that they might be visions of the future.

‘I need to find a solution soon.’

For now, Lucion’s presence was helping her cool down, but it wasn’t enough.

It wasn’t a permanent fix.

Most of all…

“I have no idea how to absorb the Ice Flower…”

Growing more anxious, Edith spent every spare moment in the library.

If she couldn’t figure out how to control her powers, then at the very least, she needed to learn more about the Ice Flower itself.

‘Since the Ice Flower is a divine artifact, there must be some records about it.’

She was flipping through a book she’d borrowed from the temple—courtesy of the duke’s connections—when it happened.

“Ah!”

The tattoo engraved on her chest suddenly burned, like she’d been scorched by fire. Edith dropped the book, clutching at her chest.

“What’s happening to me?”

“Hmm, maybe that has something to do with me?”

Tap, tap. Someone lightly tapped her shoulder.

The burning sensation instantly began to fade.

“Huh?”

“Hello there. We meet again, miss. Or should I call you ‘little madam’ now?”

A strikingly handsome man, with blazing red hair, piercing golden eyes, and elegant features, stood before her, greeting her like an old acquaintance.

It was their first time meeting face-to-face, but his voice was unmistakably familiar.

Memories she thought she’d forgotten rose to the surface.

“…The Master of the Magic Tower.”

“Sharp, aren’t you? You’ve never seen my face, though.”

“You didn’t bother disguising your voice.”

Agni arched a brow, intrigued.

He had noticed it before, but her composure was remarkable for her age.

Most people would have trembled in fear upon seeing him, but not her. She didn’t even blink.

Agni liked that about her.

“Why don’t we start with proper introductions, then? My name is Agni.”

“Agni?”

Edith blinked. She didn’t know the name, yet somehow, it felt familiar.

“…The Red Dragon?”

The words slipped out before she could stop them, and her hands flew to her mouth in shock.

Agni’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“You know who I am?”

“Y-you’re the mighty dragon,” Edith stammered, hastily adding to her response.

She wasn’t lying.

Dragons were mythical creatures, revered by many.

Moreover, the name “Agni” could only belong to the Red Dragon.

However, Edith’s knowledge of him came from a different source entirely.

He was one of Helena’s—the heroine’s—most reliable allies and a frequent figure in the story.

But she hadn’t expected him to also be the Master of the Magic Tower.

“Naturally. My name isn’t something that’s easily forgotten.”

Misunderstanding her reaction completely, Agni grinned smugly. Edith forced an awkward smile.

“So, what brings you here, Master Agni?”

“Oh, I’ve come to take your heart.”

His pretty smile clashed with his unsettling words, and it took Edith a moment to process what he’d said.

“…Pardon?”

“It was originally mine, you see.”

Tap. He lightly tapped the tattoo on Edith’s chest with a sharp claw.

“So I’d like it back.”

Danger. Run. Alarms blared in her mind.

Edith tried to swat Agni’s hand away, but her body refused to move.

Her face turned pale as an intense wave of heat surged through her from the point of contact.

The sensation was so unfamiliar, so terrifying, that Edith squeezed her eyes shut.

“Huh?”

But that was it. Nothing else happened.

When Edith cautiously opened her eyes, she saw Agni tilting his head in confusion.

“What the—?”

Agni frowned, moving his hand again, but still, nothing changed.

The smug confidence on Agni’s face slowly shifted into awkward discomfort.

“Welp. This is unexpected,” he admitted, shrugging as he looked at Edith, who now watched him warily, like a cat ready to bolt.

With a snap of his fingers, the magic holding her in place disappeared. Edith quickly stumbled back, putting some much-needed distance between them.

“Sorry about that. Looks like I can’t take it after all.”

“…My heart?”

“The fragment of mine that’s lodged in your heart, technically. But it’s too deeply fused now. If I tried to rip it out, you’d probably die.”

“R-rip it out…?”

“Oh, relax. I’m not actually going to rip your heart out. I’m a gentlemanly dragon, after all,” he said with a mischievous wink.

But to Edith, the contrast between his playful tone and unnerving words only caused her skin to pebble with goosebumps.