DOTD Chapter 24

As Adrian’s ears turned red, Yzmel’s glare grew increasingly fierce.  

 

“Can you stop looking at me like I’m some kind of monster trying to devour Adrian?”  

 

Yzmel, who had been fidgeting as if ready to argue, tightly pressed his lips into a straight line.  

 

Adrian, oblivious to the tension, chimed in and responded to Bella’s words.  

 

“I’m fine with it.”  

 

“What are you fine with?!”  

 

“Marriage is fine…”  

 

“…”  

 

“And you can devour me too.”  

 

Bella clutched her forehead.  

 

‘I’m going to lose my mind.’  

 

He’s insane. It seems like there’s no one sane here.  

 

Bella desperately wished that Adrian would act like a dignified teacher in front of his disciple, just this once.  

 

“Ah, Adrian…!”  

 

Because Yzmel’s utterly devastated expression was something she’d probably see in her dreams tonight.  

 

Yzmel didn’t even realize what kind of expression he was making.  

 

Adrian’s unfamiliar behavior was shocking. The fact that this change was caused by Bella alone was even more shocking.  

 

He was too stunned to even recognize that his own expression was foreign to him. He felt incredibly strange.  

 

Memories of the past, when he had longed for Adrian’s affection and attention, flashed through his mind like a slideshow.  

 

His teacher, who treated everyone equally without favoritism, had always been consistent.  

 

Adrian didn’t particularly hate anyone, but he also didn’t show favoritism, which had been a source of comfort for Yzmel, as it meant no one could get closer to him than he was.  

 

And he had thought that, at the very least, he was a special presence to Adrian.  

 

But now, he realized that wasn’t the case.  

 

The comforting thought that Adrian was just the type to not express himself well turned out to be untrue.  

 

Adrian was exactly the person Yzmel had always known him to be, but when it came to Bella, he was almost like a completely different person. 

 

Yzmel, who had no way of knowing this, was deeply shaken.  

 

“Yzmel… Hey, Yzmel?”  

 

Bella called out to Yzmel, who was staring blankly, having completely lost his composure, but there was no response. She gave up trying to make sense of the situation.  

 

“…I can’t keep up with this teacher-obsessed guy’s train of thought.”  

 

“Let’s go, Bella.”  

 

“Are we just leaving him like this?”  

 

“Why not?”  

 

Adrian tilted his head, seemingly unbothered by the fact that his disciple was in shock because of him.  

 

“I just feel bad for Yzmel… Fine, let’s go…”  

 

By the time Yzmel came to his senses a short while later, he was left alone, with no one around.

 

🦋

 

“Do you really think it’s okay to leave him like that? It feels like we didn’t even finish the conversation…”  

 

Bella muttered, glancing back as Adrian looked down at her, his gaze steady.  

 

“Bella.”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

“Do you like Yzmel?”  

 

“What?”  

 

Bella was momentarily speechless.  

 

“If it’s something like that…”  

 

In the brief silence where she couldn’t respond, Adrian’s dark eyes seemed to grow slightly colder, sending a shiver down her spine. 

 

Bella quickly cut him off, “It’s not like that!”  

 

“It’s not, right?”  

 

At that, a rare smile appeared on Adrian’s face.  

 

Seeing his beautifully curved eyes fill her vision, Bella thought to herself,  

 

‘Both master and disciple are jealous.’  

 

Though, their jealousy was directed at different things. Either way, I’d like to be left out of it.  

 

“You’re… making a room?”  

 

“I’ve already made it.”  

 

Bella blinked in surprise, her eyes wide.  

 

“Why?”  

 

As she followed Adrian, she felt like they were getting too far from Evan, so she stopped him and asked. That’s when he mentioned it.  

 

He had built a room next to the barrier chamber.  

 

“Don’t you like it?”  

 

“It’s not that…”  

 

He didn’t have to go that far. She could guess why he did it.  

 

He couldn’t just take the divine treasure out of the barrier chamber, so he created a space where she could live as close to it as possible.  

 

The upper levels of the Golden Tower didn’t have many habitable spaces aside from the meeting room and the barrier chamber, so he had to build a new room.  

 

‘What’s noteworthy is that he didn’t even consider the option of letting her stay near Evan.’

 

Of course, Adrian wouldn’t.  

 

Realizing this, Bella let out a small, sigh-like laugh.  

 

‘Is he still wary of Evan?’  

 

It’s understandable to be cautious. But if they end up fighting again in front of me this time…  

 

Bella swallowed her unfinished thoughts.  

 

Adrian showed her the newly constructed room, which was so perfectly furnished that it was hard to believe it had just been made.  

 

It was a space equipped with everything she’d need to live comfortably without ever leaving the room.  

 

“Wow… Are you sure you just made this room?”  

 

Luxurious bedding and carpets, a private bathroom, and a large window with silk curtains fluttering in the breeze.  

 

A walk-in closet filled with clothes and a chest overflowing with priceless jewelry were just the icing on the cake.  

 

“Let me know if you need anything else.”  

 

Bella was about to say she probably wouldn’t need anything, but then something occurred to her, and she stopped herself to ask a question instead.  

 

“But what about going outside?”  

 

“It’s fine for a short while.”  

 

Bella had the option of staying away from the room for a long time if she went with Evan, but Adrian acted as if that wasn’t even a possibility.  

 

“How short is ‘a short while’?”

  

“About an hour.”  

 

“That’s a bit short… but I guess it’s fine. If I need to be out for longer, I’ll just go with Evan.”  

 

Bella brought up the very thing Adrian had tried to avoid.  

 

The moment Evan’s name left her lips, Adrian’s calm demeanor shifted dramatically.  

 

Adrian was usually as languid and relaxed as a big cat.  

 

But on rare occasions, his dark eyes would flash with a predatory glint, like a hunter about to strike.  

 

Like right now.  

 

“Do you trust him?”

 

Bella hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond to his sharp tone and the ambiguous question.  

 

‘It seems he really sees Evan as an enemy…’  

 

She had thought there was no real malice, since Evan’s treatment had been lenient.  

 

But that wasn’t the case. It was clear hostility, obvious to anyone.  

 

‘Has Adrian ever been this openly hostile before?’  

 

Thinking about the original story, it wasn’t all that strange. The two were destined to become enemies, after all.  

 

And their first meeting had been the worst possible start.  

 

‘It’s no wonder he doesn’t have any goodwill toward him…’  

 

Bella pondered to herself and came to a conclusion.  

 

What she didn’t anticipate was that Adrian’s animosity toward Evan might be because of her. She didn’t realize that she was the only one who could stir Adrian’s emotions like this.  

 

After organizing her thoughts, Bella carefully chose her words.  

 

“He’s a good person… But I understand why you’re wary of him. I can’t exactly tell you to trust him, either.”  

 

“Don’t like him.”  

 

The response she got was surprisingly simple, considering how carefully she had worded her answer.  

 

When she finally looked closely at Adrian, she noticed a faintly sulky expression on his face.  

 

Pfft!  

 

Bella couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. It was hard to believe that the man who ruled over countless mages could pout so childishly.  

 

“Don’t worry. I’ve been trying not to get too close to him anyway.”  

 

Despite his dislike for Evan, Adrian’s mood lightened upon seeing Bella’s smile.  

 

In an instant, his expression softened. Bella, realizing she had almost let something slip, brought up the topic again.  

 

“Oh, by the way, Yzmel brought this up earlier.”  

 

Her finger pointed to the earring on her ear.  

 

Adrian’s expression remained stoic, even though he had no idea what Yzmel and Bella had discussed the earring—whether it was positive or negative.  

 

With a poker face even more unreadable than usual, Adrian spoke. Bella perked up her ears, focusing intently on his words.  

 

“That earring…”  

 

“Yeah?”  

 

“…and your eyes that resemble it are beautiful.”  

 

“…What?”  

 

One of Bella’s eyebrows shot up.  

 

No matter her expression, Adrian continued to gaze at her with affectionate eyes.  

 

“It suits you.”  

 

“…Well, thanks, I guess.”  

 

“And…”

 

Bella tapped Adrian’s forearm, cutting him off mid-sentence. She didn’t know what was behind his sudden attitude, but one thing was clear, he was deliberately avoiding the conversation.  

 

“Don’t change the subject, Adrian. I wasn’t done talking, and it seemed like you had something important to say…”  

 

“Don’t worry about it.”  

 

“…Shouldn’t I be worried?”  

 

Bella crossed her arms and looked up at Adrian.  

 

Adrian turned his head away, avoiding her sharp gaze.  

 

Due to the previous Tower Lord’s violation of taboos, the restrictions on dark magic among mages had become even stricter.  

 

If it were revealed that Adrian had used dark magic, even in the past, it would undoubtedly cause a huge uproar.  

 

The only way for him to avoid punishment was to erase the evidence, but that would come at a great cost to Bella’s life.  

 

Therefore, he didn’t want Bella to find out about it.  

 

The silent standoff continued for a moment, and it was Bella who raised the white flag first.  

 

“Fine, I get it. I won’t ask anymore.”  

 

“Promise me.”  

 

She hesitated, as she had been planning to bring it up again when the opportunity arose.  

 

“I promise I won’t pry into it.”  

 

“…”  

 

Adrian had effectively driven a wedge to ensure Bella wouldn’t get further involved in the matter of the earring magic.