"Allari," Haniel called me softly as he was about to exit our office. "Shall we go to the greenhouse?"

Our fellow mages, especially Emma and Servan, turned to us with hawk eyes like some kind of paparazzi hungry for a scoop. These idiots...

"W-What are you gonna do in the greenhouse?" Servan perspired profusely. "I know you are a full-fledged adult but aren't you going too fast?"

I shook my head in dismay. What nonsense.

"I didn't know you were so ambitious." My brother furtively spoke. "I did say that he is a hotshot, but to think you're already securing your future by getting lovey-dovey with Haniel... Nice, sister!"

"What nice? That's not something you should be praising." Clio pointed out as he walked past us.

"S-Shut up! We're all trying to survive here!" Servan reasoned out with a childish pout.

Emma, who was blatantly eavesdropping from a distance, gasped dramatically. "You and Haniel?!"

Before I could even rebut, the two of them got caught up in their delusions. I saw no point in correcting them, so I quietly left the office and went to Haniel, who was waiting for me outside.

He saw Emma and Servan whispering among themselves, but paid no attention to it at all.

I silently scrawled on my sketchpad.

They've got the wrong idea about us.

"Heh," A little smile crossed his lips. "Let them misunderstand, then. That works in my favor."

He looked at me in the corner of his eye. His lips waned into a thin smile, lazy yet full of contentment. After that, he just went silent.

Those deep purple eyes are like large pools of poison. They're so intoxicating to stare into.

It has been days since Haniel broached the subject regarding the coffin he always carries with him, which actually stores the body of Rumi inside.

After constantly observing the prominent mage, I've come to realize two notable things about him.

First, that Haniel is a taciturn person by nature. He does not speak unless the situation requires him to, and he's habitually silent around anyone.

Second, that he's a natural airhead who gets easily distracted. During training, I often see him getting sidetracked. While practicing his magic, I saw him gaping at the sky, following clouds with his eyes.

He's got such a unique personality.

"Let us begin." Haniel settled himself on the tea table as soon as we arrived at the greenhouse.

Today, we agreed to spare some time and discuss about all the things we know so far. I consented into giving him information, because I saw no point in hiding anything from him about myself.

He already knows that I'm a transmigrator. What is there to hide? Might as well tell him everything.

"So," Haniel paused while rubbing his chin in deep thought. "This eastern princess died and assumed the role of the villainess, but in the original story, that two-faced woman was the one who died?"

I nodded enthusiastically to the mage's reiteration, referring to Princess Himari and Lady Camellia.

"If that's the case, then I can only surmise that the novel does not care who plays the role of who, as long as the plot progresses as planned. Strange."

His face slightly lit up, like he realized something.

"Wait. Before anything else," Haniel rested his face on the back of his hand. "Can we still consider the count's daughter as the protagonist of the story?"

I was taken aback by his question.

"Since roles can be switched and minor plot points can be manipulated, can we assume that the role of the main character has already been passed to someone else? If so, then where and who is it?"

I shamelessly wrote down on my papers.

Could it be me? Am I the main character now?

"Nah," He quickly dismissed the idea. Somehow, his answer pisses me off. "Seeing how you keep on dying miserably, you can't be the main character."

A vein popped on the side of my forehead. This twat didn't even think about it. Also, did he really have to say it like that?! I wanna smack him!

"Do not be upset," Haniel smiled sweetly then patted me. "In my story, you are the heroine."

Like hell I'd want to be your leading lady!

Oh, wait. I think I left out the most important part.

Lilith.

Should I tell him? Would Haniel believe me?

After much contemplation, I decided to just spit it out. Using my sketchpad, I wrote the story of how I encountered Ingrid when she was possessed by the devil. The whole time, Haniel quietly read it.

His face was devoid of any emotion, so I had no way of knowing what he was thinking right now.

"How curious." He tilted his head in amusement when he was finished reading. "Lilith, huh?"

I nervously wrote down on my sketchpad.

Do you believe me?

"Of course," He smiled. "Just as I have faith in the gods, I also believe that the devil exists, Callista."

My heart almost melted. He believes me!

You don't seem surprised.

"Rather than her existence, I'm more surprised by the fact that she decided to show up now." Haniel stared blankly at nowhere. "Lilith is a fallen god, the devil incarnate, and the main reason why the gods blessed mages with magic in the first place.

"Lilith was thrown into the mortal world with her powers sealed, but the gods feared that she might resurrect so they granted magic to chosen humans. That way, they can slay her anytime she returns to life. Thus, my ancestors were born."

Wow, that's some heavy lore. To be honest, I've never paid much attention to the world-building of this novel since I was too busy saving my ass.

That aside, the story remains nondescript at this point. Nothing's happening yet, so I'm absolutely clueless. Why is the second arc set in the tower? Who are the key supporting characters this time?

What exactly is going to unfold in this place?

When I raised these queries to Haniel, he also fell into cogitation. After a while, his eyes widened.

"Oh?" The black-haired mage smiled at his own eureka moment. "I might know the answer."

I looked at him with anticipating eyes.

"It's mere speculation, though." Haniel purred, his eyes twinkling. "For now, allow me confirm it with my father. I also promised to have tea with him."

My jaw dropped. I immediately jotted down.

You have a father?!

"That is a strange question, Callista." He chuckled, weirded out. "How do you think I was born?"

My cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Well, since you're a wizard, I thought you might have been born from a tree branch or what...

"Heh," Haniel gave me a lazy grin. "Is that your way of saying that I look like a tree? How mean."

His silly words earned quiet giggles from me.

When he saw me laughing, his face softened.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I was born the human way." He brushed his long hair with his fingers. "In fact, you've already met my father."

I shot him a puzzled look.

"It's my master, Sir Ion." Haniel affirmed.

Okay, this is completely news to me. When Sir Ion assigned me to look for Haniel, he never mentioned him as his son, only his apprentice!

"We aren't blood-related." He added as if he heard my inner thoughts. "The count adopted me when I was young. He saw my magic flair and potential."

Oh, so he was adopted by the count.

Wait. Why does that story sound familiar?

I was about to ask him something when I noticed that Haniel had already dozed off. Perhaps the languor has taken over his body completely.

He looks so defenseless, I thought to myself.

Haniel, with his ebony black hair and while clad in a dark robe, seemed out of place in the radiant picturesque of the greenhouse where plants and flowers bloomed with life. Still, his charismatic face made up for the unappealing combination.

His delectable lips were slightly parted, breathing in gradually like a musician following a rhythm.

I might come off as perverse, but it's impossible to take your eyes off this beautiful man. His small face, slightly tilted, was resting on the back of his hand as support, like a dark prince taking a nap.

Suddenly, his hand slid from his face.

Out of reflex, I lunged forward and stretched my hand subconsciously to stop his head from falling.

Whew. That was close!

Still, due to the spontaneous impact, Haniel woke up from slumber. His lids slowly lifted, revealing his cavernous purple eyes, staring straight at me.

And, for the first time ever, his cheeks flushed.

Haniel, who was normally impervious towards everything, blushed when he realized that my hand was holding his face, but he kept mum.

"Heh," Still blushing, he chuckled nervously. "That surprised me. Why are you cupping my face, hm?"

I have no idea what came to me, but I didn't move an inch and kept my eyes on his face. At that time, Haniel just seemed so endearing and innocent.

When he got no response to me, Haniel became even more flustered. His eyes were shaking.

"Callista," He breathed my name. "Are you teasing me right now? At this rate, I'll misunderstand."

I tried to hold back my smile, but I failed.

"So you are teasing me," He sighed in defeat. To my surprise, Haniel rubbed his face against my hand then smiled. "Quite the mean one, huh?"

Well, damn if that wasn't adorable.

He was the first one who broke our eye contact. The black-haired mage looked in the corner of his eye, and his face lit like he caught sight of something... or more like, someone. Who?

Before I could even look at that side, Haniel held my face then pulled me closer to him, making it seem like he was leaning in for an intimate kiss.

I blinked twice. Huh?

"The love of your life is here." Haniel whispered to me, our lips so close. "This is payback for making my heart flutter and not taking responsibility."

With that, he planted a soft kiss on my cheek.

Unlike Haniel, I didn't turn red at all. I'm a grown ass woman who has been intimate with a lover before. A mere kiss on the cheek wouldn't get me flustered, more so if it's not from a man I like.

However, the way his lips delicately traced itself on my cheek was so pure and innocent, almost like a butterfly landing on a single flower petal.

And, out of my control, it made my heart pound.

"Hmm. Not blushing at all, huh?" Haniel smiled childishly, both of his eyes shut in glee. "Too bad."

At that moment, it came without a warning.

The usual phenomenon that I've been waiting for weeks, and the only way I am capable of knowing the contents of the novel. A premonition came.

That was the exact moment I realized my role in this arc. With a single page, all my existing questions about Allari were finally answered.

"Callista?" Haniel called softly. "What's wrong?"

In the original storyline, Allari must have been a significant extra. After all, she was Haniel's lover and the one who even took his life later on.

Haniel, I gave him a somber smile. I'm sorry.

Allari was, in fact, the traitor in the tower.

---

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Yours Truly,
Aomine-san