Chapter 106 - The Princess of the Green Tower
Author’s Note: Interlude - Ozwald’s Chapter
“Finally, I met the ‘Princess of the Green Tower.’ She is truly a captivating individual.”
In front of the shop, Elmelinda, who had just seen Dahlia and her companions off in their carriage, turned back to face Ozwald.
The “Princess of the Green Tower” referred to Dahlia.
Ozwald had already shared this story with his wives.
In his youth, his former wife had eloped with an employee, leaving him torn between closing the shop or ending his life. It was then that Carlo had saved him. At Carlo’s home, the Green Tower, he had met a little princess—a story that was not just a tale of the past but a debt that continued to this day.
“Yes, she looked even more beautiful than when I last saw her.”
Dahlia, whom he had met again after a month, had unexpectedly blossomed with a newfound radiance.
The younger generation often underwent dramatic transformations when fueled by passion and determination.
When they started to appear older, it was something truly dazzling to behold.
“Now, shall we head home? We made a promise to drink wine and gaze at the night sky tonight.”
“If you have work to attend to, we could always reschedule...”
“I have made it a rule to keep my promises. The only times I can postpone a promise to my wives are when lives are at stake or when there’s an urgent summons from the royal castle.”
Having said this, Ozwald’s wife smiled at him with evident joy.
Yet, he knew that such smiles were not eternal.
Ozwald was the owner of a magical tool shop catering to nobles, the head of a company with connections to the royal castle, and a baron.
He had accumulated more titles than in his youth. But whether these titles could keep people by his side was another matter entirely.
When his former wife had left him for his apprentice, it had been a bolt from the blue.
He had never imagined that the wife who had sworn love until death would abandon him, nor that the apprentice he had trusted enough to entrust the shop to would betray him.
Thanks to Carlo, he had recovered, remarried, and taken on new apprentices.
However, two more apprentices had also ended up pursuing his wives.
Was it that his wives were too captivating, or did he somehow make them appear unhappy?
No, more than anything, he felt that he himself was lacking something.
And so, he had done everything he could think of, everything within his power.
He had acted as a shop owner should, as a company head should, as a baron should. Over time, this effort had become second nature, and he had gained a reputation and praise as a successful man.
But when it came to making his wives happy and keeping them by his side forever, he still hadn’t found the answer.
This was a vulnerability he couldn’t even share with his wives.
“...Husband, are you considering the head of the Rossetti Company as your fourth wife?”
“Of course not.”
Before he realized it, he had been reflecting on the past, and Elmerinda asked him directly.
He denied it immediately, but her light-green eyes held a faint hint of doubt.
“But the head of the Rossetti Company is your type, isn’t she?”
“While she does fall within my preferences, still. I’d rather not be beaten by my friend in the afterlife or mauled by a large black dog in this one.”
“Oh my...”
Elmelinda laughed heartily.
Comparing Volf to a large black dog seemed to hit the mark.
“What about you, El? He was wearing glasses today, but you’ve seen him at the shop a few times, haven’t you?”
Ozwald asked, using his wife’s pet name and inquiring about Volf.
However, Elmelinda shook her head dismissively.
“He’s not my type. At the very least, I’d prefer someone with silver hair, silver eyes, and significantly older.”
“That’s quite a narrow range, but I’m grateful for your taste.”
Ozwald conceded, raising a white flag in response to his wife’s retort.
“By the way, Husband, he seemed quite wary of you when we saw them off earlier.”
“Yes, just a little. I couldn’t resist teasing the young man.”
“If you overdo it, you might earn his resentment.”
“Being resented by the most handsome young man in the capital... That’s exactly what I hope for. After all, I am your husband. I should at least aspire to that much.”
“Oh, Husband... You really are such a child.”
The next one to be made to laugh was himself.
Even though he was being treated like a child by a wife more than twenty years his junior, Ozwald couldn’t argue back.
“But... if the ‘Princess of the Green Tower’ were to develop feelings for you, what would you do?”
“I would consider it seriously, but that is absolutely impossible.”
The fairy crystal-made eyeglasses and the sköll bracelet that Volf wore.
There was no need to investigate how Dahlia, who lacked both magical power and skill, had managed to create them.
Still, Ozwald couldn’t help but feel like giving the insecure young man a kick in the backside.
He realized that observing Volf’s smiling face next to Dahlia might be more entertaining.
“Husband, your ‘absolutely impossible’ doesn’t seem very reliable.”
“Was it Caterina or Fiore who said that?”
“Both of them. After all, you said it was impossible to take a third wife, yet you took me in.”
“That was entirely due to your charm. I didn’t ‘take you in.’ I offered my love and asked you to become my wife.”
“Thank you. But if you desire it, I wouldn’t mind adding one more.”
Her unwavering light-green eyes were different from Dahlia’s.
Elmelinda’s gaze was filled with an irreplaceable passion for him, just like Caterina’s green eyes and Fiore’s young leaf green ones.
To desire more than this would be the act of a fool.
“No, the love I give and receive is more than enough.”
“Is that so? I... still feel like it’s not quite enough.”
In response to his wife’s bewitching smile, Ozwald smiled back from the bottom of his heart.
“Then I shall strive to give you my utmost sincerity and effort.”
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