My Nerdy Neighbor Is the Master of the Magic Tower
Chapter 39
“Oh, I’m sorry I’m late in saying this, but thank you for saving me.”
“Not at all. If you hadn’t climbed up on your own, Saintess-nim, I wouldn’t have even had the chance. I swore I would protect you… I am truly sorry.”
With a deep bow, his fine silver hair spilled forward.
‘I didn’t expect an apology in response to a thank-you.’
A flustered Cecilia stared down at the crown of the man’s head, which remained impeccably polite.
Strictly speaking, it wouldn't have been surprising if he’d questioned her qualifications as a Saintess just because she fell into a lake.
Yet, his attitude was as courteous and kind as ever.
As if he had never harbored even a single shred of doubt.
“After such an accident, I know it may be difficult to trust me, but I will ensure that no threat reaches you during this journey.”
Cecilia peered into the man’s unwavering eyes and firmly set mouth for a long moment.
They were filled with nothing but steadfast trust and gentle consideration.
If he was a ‘knight’ who cared for his ‘Saintess’ this much…
‘Maybe it’s okay to trust him?’
More than anything, Miguel was the person who had saved her.
Eventually, the fence of caution she had built around her heart after the accident lowered ever so slightly.
“Alright.”
She couldn't trust Miguel entirely until the culprit was identified, but she decided she could at least believe in the firm promise he had just given.
“I’ll trust you.”
Cecilia replied lightly, feigning a cheerful tone.
Miguel, likely having no inkling of just how significant that casually uttered word ‘trust’ was, curved his lips into a soft smile.
“Yes, I will do my utmost to live up to your trust, Saintess-nim.”
Looking incredibly pleased, he enthusiastically jumped to his feet. He immediately sought out a small errand to run.
“Then I shall first bring you something light to eat.”
“Pardon? No…!”
‘I didn’t mean for you to act as a servant.’
But he was already a fair distance away before she could stop him.
‘Oh, whatever. I’ll just rest.’
In any case, she couldn't afford to be bedridden from the first day, so she decided to focus on recovering her strength.
Leaning her head against the rough bark of a tree, Cecilia took a deep breath.
She repeated the cycle of inhaling and exhaling the crisp air a few times.
Suddenly, she felt a presence nearby.
‘He’s fast.’
Assuming it was Sir Miguel returning quickly, Cecilia pushed her eyelids open.
In that instant, a warm hand reached in and touched her forehead.
Smack!
Upon seeing who it was, Cecilia reflexively swatted the hand away.
The owner of that warmth was Lien, who had been lingering nearby the whole time.
“Ah, I’m sorry. You startled me…”
“I—I thought you were breaking out in a cold sweat, so I was going to wipe it away…”
Just as he said, a white handkerchief was clutched in Lien’s hand.
“I—I’m sorry for startling you.”
His voice, as he gripped the handkerchief tightly, trembled pitiably.
‘Was I too sharp?’
Thinking that her reaction might have deeply hurt the fragile man’s feelings, a sense of guilt began to creep in.
Cecilia narrowed her eyes slightly and shook her head.
“No, I think I just overreacted because I’m tired.”
“Are you very tired? Ah, is that why you needed help walking earlier?”
Muttering blankly, he suddenly knelt down in front of her.
“If you haven’t fully recovered your strength, I—I can help you too. No, I can help you even better.”
Lien’s large shadow loomed over her. As he leaned in close, he smelled of warm sunlight and fresh grass.
The moment her breath hitched.
“Better than that knight.”
He added in a thick, raspy voice.
Beneath the shadow of his robe, his darkened violet eyes looked almost unhinged, but she figured it must be her imagination.
She tried to pull back, but she was trapped between Lien in front and the tree behind, unable to move an inch.
As she pressed her back tightly against the tree trunk in vain, Lien reached out slowly and cautiously, like a trainer trying to soothe a wild animal.
His straight, white hand brushed past her hair and touched her ear. She flinched, her shoulders tensing, but he spoke in a low voice.
“I will cast a spell to help with your dizziness.”
Contrary to her nerves, his words were full of concern. Cecilia’s shoulders slumped at his usual behavior.
“I’m fine.”
Thanks to the Divine Power she had received from Sir Miguel, she felt much better.
Besides, using magic in a place with so many eyes—it would be like announcing to the world that her teacher was actually a mage.
Lowering her voice as much as possible, Cecilia whispered seriously.
“If you use magic in a place like this, people might find out your identity.”
“They won't.”
Despite her concern, he answered with utter confidence and cast the spell anyway.
It wasn’t mere bluffing; upon realizing the person approaching the Saintess was the teacher personally introduced by the Marquis, the Holy Knights quickly lost interest.
“See?”
He asked softly, his hand grazing her ear before lingering to massage her earlobe.
Her body stiffened automatically at the subtle contact.
Motion sickness is related to the vestibular system in the ear, so she could understand him touching her ear to cast the spell, but…
‘Isn’t this taking too long?’
The strange energy that had lingered like a warm breeze had long since dissipated, yet he did not withdraw his hand.
Instead, it moved slowly from her ear to her rounded cheek. It was somewhere between a cupping hold and a caress.
The sensation of that soft, warm contact was so vivid. His lingering violet eyes and his beautiful face, which seemed even closer now, were all ensnaring her.
Making it impossible to reject or doubt him.
At this rate, her dizziness wouldn't get better; it would only get worse.
Deciding to flee if she couldn't overcome it, Cecilia placed her hand on his chest. She intended to push him away. However, she froze helplessly, unable to apply any strength.
Thump, thump.
It was because she could feel his heart beating violently beneath her palm.
‘You can’t fake a heartbeat.’
If the emotions he showed her weren't a lie—if that blind gaze, as if she were the only person in the world, that sorrowful touch that seemed like he would die if they were apart even for a moment, and even that wildly reacting heart were all true… then…
‘But to trust Lien completely…’
Her mind became a chaotic mess in an instant, as if ink had been spilled over it.
Watching her unsightly agitation, he placed his hand over hers, which was still resting on his chest.
“Cecilia-nim.”
“Ye—yes?”
“Do you remember what you said to me under the great tree?”
He whispered in a low, sinking voice.
It was an unexpected topic. No, in truth, it was a conversation she had guessed he would bring up eventually.
She just hadn't expected it to be now.
「Lien.」
「Yes.」
「I think I like you. No, I do like you.」
Cecilia recalled that bright, perfect summer day.
The chirping of insects that had stubbornly survived, the sound of the wind brushing through the leaves, and the heartbeat of someone that was surely audible only to her became vivid.
It was as if she had traveled back to that very moment.
But things couldn't be the same as before. They just couldn't.
As she remembered the fear and pain of icy water pouring into her nose and mouth, of sinking endlessly into the darkness where light couldn't reach, her head cooled and the boiling impulse subsided.
“…I’m not sure. We talked about so many things.”
“You said we should talk again once the Relief Festival is over and we return to the mansion.”
‘I knew it.’
So this was the reason he suddenly brought up that day.
“That’s…”
As long as she couldn't be certain of his innocence, her plan to confess again in the field of daisies had long since vanished.
Should she change the subject? Or should she make a clumsy excuse that she meant she liked him as a person?
While she was agonizing, she fortunately spotted Sir Miguel returning in the distance.
Cecilia shook off his sweaty hand and jumped up from her seat.
“Sir Miguel is back! He went to get my snacks, so I—I should probably go.”
“Ah…”
His large hand fell pitifully to the ground. The wildflower-like smile that had been spreading across his face vanished, and he bit his beautiful lip.
Even as she passed him and moved away, she could feel his gaze following her.
But Cecilia never looked back and kept walking straight ahead.
Until she was far enough from his sight that his gaze could no longer be felt.
To be continued.
