The Seed Thief

“I know you hate things like this. But… but… Er…”

Lulu bit her lip, looking at Ervandas, who was staring at her in astonishment.

When she was young, her parent, who had taken her in and raised her with love despite the persecution she faced for being different, would sometimes tell her stories.

Stories of a handsome and kind prince who helped a poor, red-haired mage who was ostracized and ridiculed. The prince in their stories would help the mage with seemingly trivial tasks. Things like cleaning, which the mage was incapable of, or cooking meals. In return, the mage would use her powerful magic to defeat the prince’s enemies.

When she was old enough to understand, Lulu realized that the stories her parent told were just clumsy attempts to comfort their young daughter, who would often come home crying after being pelted with stones by the villagers.

What reason would a prince have to seek out a mage? And the prince cleaned the house while the mage fought enemies? What was even the point of him being a prince then? It was a truly nonsensical story.

But Lulu loved that story more than any other she had heard. That absurd, illogical story.

But she had forgotten about it for a long time. The child who had found solace in those stories had grown up to become the most powerful mage on the continent, the Master of the Magic Tower.

Lulu remembered the story when the war broke out on the continent, and princes from various countries began to seek her out, their hearts filled with vain hopes.

Her parent, who was living quietly near the Magic Tower, happened to visit her and, seeing those princes, smiled wryly, recalling the clumsy stories they had made up all those years ago.

“They’re quite different from the princes in fairy tales, aren’t they, Lulu? By the way, I visited your mentor, the Forest Witch, a few days ago. I know you’re busy, but she said you should at least write to her once a month. Even though you’re the Tower Master…”

Lulu, as usual, half-listened to her parent’s nagging. And she thought. The princes in those stories were so good at cleaning. So…

A mischievous thought crossed her mind. She instructed Sharia,

“Don’t bring anyone up here unless they have silver hair, blue eyes, and a body and face so handsome they’ll make your eyes pop out.”

“What? Why those conditions?”

“I just like those kinds of people.”

Sharia looked at her, utterly bewildered. But what choice did she have? She had to obey her Master’s orders. So, the blonde men were eliminated, as were those with black or red eyes. And on the rare occasion when a silver-haired, blue-eyed man arrived, one who was even remotely good-looking, they were brought before Lulu, and she would give them an order.

“Clean.”

Naturally, most of the men who sought her out were pampered and privileged, those who had never lifted a finger to do any chores in their lives. And as if that weren’t bad enough, they made no effort to hide their dark desires. Their absurd, delusional desires to bed the Master of the Magic Tower with their handsome faces and well-built bodies.

‘Nope, you’re out.’

Lulu mercilessly tossed them out of the Magic Tower. Of course, she didn’t kill them. She would make them float just before they hit the ground. But most of them fainted halfway down.

Then, just when the visits became less frequent, she received news that Ervandas was coming. Silver hair, blue eyes, and a former member of the strict and disciplined Temple Knights. Lulu smiled. How long would this prince last?

So when Sharia brought him up, she jumped from the balcony, eager to get a good look at him. Whenever she did that, the others would scream and back away. But Ervandas rushed forward, his arms outstretched, ready to catch her.

It was absurd. A human daring to try and help her, a mage, the Tower Master, no less.

And then, the moment she saw Ervandas properly, Lulu couldn’t help but blurt out,

“He’s beautiful.”

She had never seen anyone so beautiful in her life. He was clearly exhausted from his long journey, but he seemed to radiate a brilliant light.

However, Lulu was no longer easily swayed by beauty. She had seen countless handsome men before becoming the Tower Master. She thought back to the stories of her childhood. If he were her prince…

“Clean this place for me.”

He had to prove himself first.

Ervandas didn’t clean alone. He insisted on cleaning with her. Lulu grumbled internally, thinking that the princes in fairy tales weren’t like this at all, but she didn’t send him away. This wasn’t so bad either.

He was different from the princes in the stories, nagging her about the mess, sighing as he watched her stumble out of bed, yawning, but she didn’t mind. Even as he complained, he organized everything with her convenience in mind, selecting easily digestible food for her, saying that eating heavy food right after waking up would upset her stomach.

Lulu knew that only someone with an inherently kind nature could do such things. This prince, who appeared to have a prickly personality, was actually a kind and caring person. It might seem boring, but that’s what made him even better.

‘He’ll leave eventually.’

He had come here for the sake of the suffering people. Now that he had fulfilled his duty, he would return to his own life.

Since becoming the Tower Master, she had been able to obtain anything she desired. She possessed great power, and she had worked hard for it. She had never taken anything from anyone that wasn’t freely given.

But now, for the first time, Lulu wanted to use magic to manipulate someone’s heart. Because she desired something that couldn’t be obtained with power or effort. If it weren’t for her parent, who taught her to live a righteous life, and the Forest Witch, who taught her to use her powers for good, she might have already acted on her impulse.

But their teachings and their lives were intertwined with hers, and in the end, Lulu couldn’t think of any other way to keep Ervandas from leaving, except for this petty act of spite.

She felt frustrated and irritated. To be so swayed by a mere man, even though she was the Tower Master… Lulu wished he was a little more ambitious, a little greedier.

But Ervandas, after making his selfless request, hadn’t asked for anything else. He diligently completed every task she gave him, no matter how demanding, and when night fell, he would simply wish her goodnight and return to his room.

‘Other men would try to sneak into my bedroom.’

Ervandas, however, actively avoided her room, even when she pointed it out to him.

‘It’s not like he dislikes me.’

Well, he did give her a strange look, as if questioning her humanity, and kept his distance when they found a mysterious object with mushrooms growing out of it in a corner of the study.

The last day was approaching. He had kept his promise, and she had received what she had requested. He would return to his own life, a life that no longer had anything to do with her.

Lulu became anxious. This was the result. Picking a pointless fight, resorting to such pathetic tactics to keep him from leaving…

‘Stop it.’

She had enjoyed her time with Ervandas. She couldn’t ruin the ending. If she told him it was all a joke now and sent him away, wouldn’t he at least cherish the memories of his time here?

Just as Lulu forced a smile,

“…!”

Ervandas cupped her face in his hands. And then, she felt something soft press against her lips. Warm and soft, she thought fleetingly. But then, something hotter, more demanding, parted her lips and entered her mouth. Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, Lulu’s eyes widened, meeting his gaze, the blue depths now swirling with desire.

His tongue, invading her mouth, moved with a rough urgency, like a creature with a will of its own. It was a fierceness she had never seen in him before. A plundering motion that left her helpless, to surrender.

It was Ervandas. So… she trusted that he wouldn’t harm her. A trust that felt ancient, even though they had only known each other for a month.

They were so close that their breaths mingled. Lulu was a quick learner. Her tongue, initially clumsy and hesitant, began to tangle with his. Wet, sucking sounds, surprisingly passionate for their first kiss, filled their ears.

After a while, breathless, Lulu tapped his shoulder, and Ervandas finally pulled away. He whispered in her ear, his voice husky,

“You don’t have to help the people in exchange for this.”

“B-But…”

“I’ll do it for you, anytime, for the rest of our lives.”

With that, Ervandas kissed her again. Longer this time. Rougher. And then, finally, gentler.

Their fingers intertwined.

* * *

“So, you’re saying…”

Kalendas chuckled wryly, reading the letter from his younger brother, who had gone to the Magic Tower and never returned to the royal palace.

Several months ago, Ervandas, seeking the Tower Master’s help, had ended up staying there for a month, fulfilling her request.

He had been worried after sending Ervandas off, but after a month, Ervandas emerged from the Magic Tower. With the Tower Master. And accompanied by the mages of the Tower.

And then, they went on a whirlwind tour of the continent, putting an end to the senseless, drawn-out wars. Before their overwhelming power, swords were laid down, and farm tools replaced weapons.

Fields, ravaged by blood and littered with corpses, sprouted new life, and clear water filled abandoned wells. People returned to their deserted villages, rebuilt their ruined homes, and retrieved their hidden seeds, planting them in their fields with hope in their hearts.

A mild winter settled over the continent’s breadbasket, ensuring a bountiful harvest. The winter barley flourished, and the people, who had been rationing their dwindling food supplies, were greeted by plump, ripe grains when spring arrived.

Now that peace had been restored to the continent, Kalendas thought his brother would finally return to the palace. But Ervandas returned to the Magic Tower. The Tower Master also declared that she would be secluding herself for a while, refusing all visitors.

A few months later, Kalendas received a letter from his younger brother.

“A daughter… Her name is Heinel…”

Kalendas pressed his hand to his forehead. A child born between the Tower Master and a prince. This was bound to cause trouble someday. But that wasn’t important right now.

“…As long as you’re happy.”

The two of them, in love, were happy.

Wasn’t that enough?