Ingram’s Lantern - Chapter 0

The Princess and the Wizard

“I dreamed of dying last night.”

Said the beautiful Princess Rosaniche. It was a plain and serene tone.

The wizard who was reading a book next to her responded without glancing.

“You must have had a hellish dream.”

If a royal official heard it, it would have been a statement that would have cost him his neck.

But instead of reproaching him for his rudeness, the princess just covered her mouth and laughed.

“It’s not a good word to be used in the palace.”

With an indifferent attitude, the wizard turned the pages and added.

“Or maybe it’s your ‘prophetic dream’. Go and tell your people. They’ll surely like that the oracle has finally come down.”

What he pointed to was anecdotes like legends passed down to the royal family of Caldrinz. It was the belief that a girl with platinum hair, which was rarely born over several generations, was the reincarnation of the founder Ingram and possessed the mysterious power of foresight.

The princess’s hair color was a dazzling gold color that was different from her father’s black hair. The shimmering hair was neatly braided and was hanging her shoulder.

The princess shrugged.

“It’s just words that our ancestors made up to give authority to the lineage of the royal family. Just because many people believe it, doesn’t make it true.”

“I know. That’s why I mentioned the possibility of it being just a hellish dream first.”

“You’re really cold. Can’t you listen seriously? I even invited you to the garden to spend time with you.”

“Right. Even at this moment, you are still taking away my precious time.”

The princess smiled bitterly at the wizard’s venomous remarks. Even after searching through the Caldrinz Empire, no, all over the northern part of the country, this young wizard is the only one who can treat her like this.

The two were drinking tea in the royal family’s glass garden. There were no people around because they all had been dismissed. Afternoon sunlight from the high ceiling drew a grid of light on the floor. This garden full of flowers and exotic plants, which was in full bloom throughout the year, was also her favorite place in the palace.

The princess coughed, then she picked up the teacup and opened her mouth.

“Anyway, to continue with last night’s story, When I woke up, I was looking down at myself. It wasn’t a reflection in a mirror, it was my self.”

The graceful eyebrows that trace the memory were slightly furrowed.

“I felt strange. Instinctively, I knew my soul had escaped my body. It was dark around and I could hear the sound of waves. There was no one beside me except you.”

“That is a terrifying experience. I’m even more afraid because I will most likely be named as the perpetrator of the princess if that happens.”

The wizard said so in a fearless tone. It was a blatant attitude that did not even seem to hide his annoyance, but the royal princess rejoiced and joined hands.

“Oh my. I’d love to see that, too. Is there anything more precious to see in the world than the supreme wizard of the ivory tower being captured by the Royal Guards?”

The big-eyed, talking face was attractive enough for anyone to fall in love with, but the wizard only frowned.

“You enjoy my troubles.”

“That’s a given. You’re always expressionless. When I see your face, it makes me want to take off that mask.”

“I’m not using masks or the like. Skinning your face will only reveal the flesh and bones. There will be no murder of you, so I will not be brought to court.”

“Are you confident in the future?”

The wizard replied immediately.

“Because only fact-based judgment leads to a conviction.”

Then the two people stopped talking. The wizard fell into reading again, and the princess held the teacup in her hand and closed her eyes gently. The sorcerer loved silence, and the princess loved spending time with him, so the tea time of the two was mostly quiet.

Even though it would be a scandal for the royal family just by having an unmarried princess in one place with a young man, the man’s status was adequate to cover all suspicions. He also served as a court wizard and a tutor for the princess, invited by Caldrogen himself from the Ivory Tower.

The princess gently opened her eyes and looked at the wizard’s neat face. Black hair as if melting the night sky, smooth forehead, sharp jawline, and intellectually shining gray irises under the lowered lashes…

Even his regular action of sitting upright and turning over the book pages was so refined without any fault. The mouth, which was slightly opened due to concentration, was also attractive, but the princess never heard a beautiful word come out from that mouth.

Suddenly, the wizard noticed the princess’s gaze and raised his head. He asked with a puzzled face.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

The princess stared at him with a playful expression with one hand on her chin and said.

“I was hoping that I have the foresight you were talking about.”

“Is that so.”

“If I had the power to see the future the way I wanted to, I would have checked if you would loved me.”

The wizard’s jaw hardened. He closed the book and stood up.

“……If you’re going to bring it up again, I’ll go.”

The princess commanded the wizard who was about to leave.

“Kiltz Iscadion. Don’t go.”

A faint, mournful voice stopped him, but he was not driven by sympathy. He just couldn’t resist the noble status of the woman. The wizard clenched his teeth in disgust.

The princess, who stood up after him, carefully touched his dress. Then she said to the wizard who has his back turned to her.

“Look at me.”

The wizard turned to her with a firm face.

Rosaniche was shorter than the average woman, so he had to bow his head and look down at this little princess.

He chewed out his words.

“Don’t command me to kneel.”

“Sure. You are not even a royal knight.”

The princess looked up at the wizard with her red lips slightly closed like a peony.

How many times has she thought of wanting to be a part of his world?

…However, there was no her in the world that the wizard drew. The wizard’s eyes never looked back at her, his inquisitive mind was directed toward many things, but she was not one of those things which had caught his attention.

“You are not a Royal knight… but the almighty Ivory tower’s wizard. And I, on the other hand was just an ordinary person who is nothing.”

The wizard laughed.

“Did you just call yourself ordinary? A lineage of the supreme power in the North, worshipped as the reincarnation of Ingram? I’ve never taught you such a mentality.”

“I’m not talking about my identity or how I was evaluate by the people. I want to be something that would be an interest to you… because you always like… special things.”

The princess dyed her cheeks red and lowered her long eyelashes like bird feathers, but the wizard only looked down at her with cold eyes.

Silence fell on their shoulders. Before the wizard can leave, the princess grabbed his collar.

“I’m talking about my dream.”

She whispered.

“In my dream, I was facing death. But it wasn’t scary, because you were by my side. Furthermore, your eyes were watching me like two moons illuminating in the dark… So I was thankful.”

It was reminiscent of what happened in the past.

“After that, the insubstantial I, only followed your back. You are in the dark. Even if you can’t see anything. You kept on moving forward. Toward the sea where the stars fell. What was the end of the trip like?”

The princess’s gaze remained on the wizard’s face, but her transparent, rosy eyes seemed to seek something deeper. Something that the wizard cannot understand.

Then the beautiful Rosaniche asked.

“Kiltz, you are a wizard who knows everything. So please answer me. It doesn’t matter if it’s after I die. Will the time come when you will love me too, even if it’s only for a day or even if it’s just for a moment?”

The wizard did not answer.