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Chapter 43: How to Catch Two Rabbits

Aracila returned to the Mage Tower after about ten days.

It hadn’t been that long of a break, but stepping back into her personal laboratory made her feel like she could finally breathe again.

Being cooped up in a mansion like some noblewoman simply did not suit her temperament.

Even the pungent scent of magic potions smelled sweet to her now, and even her persistently irritating colleagues felt oddly welcome.

Some of them feigned concern while subtly trying to get under her skin, but Aracila shut them down effortlessly with three simple words: “Shut up,” “Get lost,” and “So what?”

Then, she was summoned by the Tower Master and headed upstairs.

As she walked alone down the quiet corridor, an unwelcome face appeared around the corner.

“Well, well, Aracila. Long time no see.”

The man was unkempt, with dark circles under his eyes—Travis.

He was a fellow Mage Tower member who had joined at the same time as Aracila, though he was quite a bit older.

With a lazy posture, he approached her and blocked her path.

“Is everything settled at home? You’re not taking more time off? I see that now that you’re married, you’re prioritizing your household over work, just like any other woman.”

A sneer curled on Travis’s lips.

He was one of the strongest contenders for the next Tower Master, just like Aracila.

Perhaps that was why.

The moment he found any excuse to criticize her, he seized it. If they happened to cross paths, he never failed to pick a fight.

No matter how many times she saw it, his behavior remained just as petty and pathetic.

Aracila didn’t bother hiding her irritation as she calmly opened her mouth to speak.

“Travis.”

“Hm?”

“Your breath stinks. Could you step back before you talk?”

“W-what…?!”

Travis flinched, his face turning red. He had eaten lunch but hadn’t brushed his teeth afterward.

Judging by his disheveled state, he probably hadn’t even washed his face.

Aracila sighed and offered an insincere apology.

“If that was too blunt, I’m sorry. Actually, no—I’m not sorry.”

“You…!”

“And for the record, it’s not because I’m a woman that I care about my home. Married people—regardless of gender—have a certain level of responsibility toward their household. Got it?”

Tilting her chin up slightly, Aracila swept her gaze over Travis and added,

“Then again, with that narrow little mind of yours, I doubt you’d understand.”

“Are you looking down on me right now?”

“Funny how that’s the only thing you seem to pick up on.”

Aracila waved her hand dismissively, as if telling him not to bother her, and turned away.

But Travis refused to back down and doggedly followed after her.

“How long do you think you can keep acting like you’re better than everyone? Do you even know what I did while you were gone?!”

“What, did you finally learn how to walk?”

“Hey! You arrogant little—! Do you have any idea how much your reputation in the Tower has plummeted because of this? Do you know how many people are saying this is exactly why married women can’t be proper mages?!”

“Uh-huh. And I don’t care.”

People had been saying things like that about her since the moment she decided to marry.

Aracila was far too busy to waste time worrying about their opinions.

“The Tower doesn’t need people like you, who abandon their work for their family! Do you think you can still become the next Tower Master after this? Taking ten whole days off just because of some household issues—does that even make sense?!”

Travis’s loud voice echoed through the hallway.

Aracila abruptly stopped walking and turned to face him.

“Travis, get a grip. You don’t get to decide who is or isn’t needed in the Tower. And I never abandoned my work for my family. Even if I took ten years off, I’d still surpass you in no time, so how about you stop embarrassing yourself?”

Her doll-like face remained expressionless as she stared at him.

Travis, unconsciously tense, flinched at her gaze.

Then Aracila crossed her arms and let out a quiet laugh.

“At this rate, if I take a hundred-day vacation, you might just pass out from joy.”

“…!”

Travis opened his mouth to argue, but Aracila had already turned away.

She didn’t bother listening to whatever noise he was making behind her.

When she reached the Tower Master’s office, she knocked on the door, and permission to enter was granted.

“Hohoho, judging by your expression, did something happen on your way here?”

Floating leisurely in midair, Philip—the Tower Master—chuckled as he observed his student’s sharp expression.

He settled onto the sofa and asked,

“Well, what brings me the pleasure of your visit?”

Aracila shook her head lightly and took a seat across from him.

“I don’t think it’s anything. Why did you call for me?”

“Ah, I had something important to discuss. Is everything settled at home?”

“Yes. There won’t be any more breaks.”

“Hoho. That’s good, Aracila. In that case, why not start a new research project or take on a mission?”

Philip’s tone was lighthearted, as if it were just a casual suggestion.

But Aracila immediately caught the subtle nuance hidden beneath his words.

Philip wasn’t the type to make unnecessary remarks.

He usually let his students pursue their own paths without interference—unless there was a problem concerning their position.

Whenever that happened, he would subtly nudge them into taking action.

“…Why? Did someone complain about me again?”

“Aracila.”

“They’re upset because I took a break for personal reasons, huh? But I took time off after finishing my assigned tasks. I didn’t inconvenience anyone.”

According to the Tower’s internal regulations, any mage who completed a research project or mission was automatically granted a vacation.

Since Aracila had successfully completed the floating stone research, she was fully entitled to ten days off.

She hadn’t left any unfinished business behind, nor had anyone been forced to cover for her.

There was no reason for anyone to have an issue with it.

“I know that, of course. But you’ve always been so dedicated to your work that you even threw away your vacations. People aren’t used to seeing you take time off for family matters.”

“They think I’ve become lazy and weak because I got married, don’t they?”

Philip didn’t deny it.

Aracila, unable to suppress her rising frustration, slammed her hand down on the table.

“How did the people who have a problem with me taking time off manage to stay quiet when Jackson finished some insignificant research and went on a two-month trip with his lover? Or when Mike got drunk, got sick, and took three days off? Or when Robert used heartbreak as an excuse to lie around for a week?”

Aracila’s frustration burst forth like a dam breaking.

Compared to her male colleagues, who took time off for far more ridiculous reasons, she was practically a saint.

Philip waited patiently for his student to calm down. Only when Aracila seemed to regain her composure did he speak.

“Aracila, while you were away, Travis successfully invented a magical artifact that freely controls temperature.”

That conniving, talented bastard.

Aracila cursed him in her head.

So that’s why he had been acting so smug earlier.

“People believe that now that you’re married, you’ll eventually leave the Mage Tower. That your magic skills will dull like a rusted blade.”

“I haven’t even been married for six months.”

“Hoho, exactly. You haven’t changed at all, and you’ll probably divorce later anyway—so why are they getting so worked up?”

Philip took a sip of his steaming tea and continued in a calm voice.

“They want proof that you’re still the same skilled magician. They need to confirm that marriage hasn’t changed you.”

Aracila clenched her teeth at those words.

Whether single or married, she had always been in a position where she had to prove herself to others.

Did these people all have memory loss?

No matter how many times she demonstrated her abilities, they always seemed to forget after a while, acting like idiots who needed constant reminders.

“If you show that your skills remain intact despite taking time off for personal matters, that should be enough.”

“…Fine. I’ll do it.”

She squeezed her fist tightly.

Her eyes burned with determination—she would prove herself again, whether they liked it or not.

—

That evening, an invitation arrived for Aracila.

It bore the imperial seal and was regarding an upcoming hunting festival.

“We invite Lady Aracila Vandemir to attend the hunting festival as a guest.”

After glancing indifferently at the contents, Aracila changed her clothes and headed down to the dining hall.

Damian, who had arrived home earlier than her, was already waiting for dinner.

“I received an invitation to the hunting festival. I heard you were invited as well. What do you plan to do?”

“I’m busy, and I have no interest in hunting. I won’t be going.”

Despite coming from a prestigious family, Aracila hadn’t attended a hunting festival since childhood.

She simply had no interest in it. Wasting time there when she could be training her magic was out of the question.

“I see. Then I’ll go alone.”

“Are you interested in hunting?”

“No, not really. This will be my first time participating.”

Unlike Aracila, who had at least attended as a child, Damian had never been to a hunting festival before due to his family circumstances.

This would be his first one ever.

“I’m going to expand my influence within the knightly factions.”

“Alright, have a good time.”

Aracila wasn’t particularly curious about his objectives, so she ended the conversation there.

At that moment, she truly had no intention of attending the hunting festival.

Her top priority was achieving something at the Mage Tower that would be recognized by everyone, not wasting time at an event that didn’t interest her.

But the next day, Paula visited the Vandemir estate—and the situation changed.

“I heard Sir Vandemir is participating in the hunting festival. Are you finally coming to watch too, my friend?”

“No, I’m not going. Damian’s going alone.”

“What? Why?”

“I have work to do. I’m too busy.”

Before Paula could even express her shock, Aracila suddenly frowned. Something felt off.

“…Wait. Why am I invited as a guest, while Damian is invited as a participant?”

“That’s because Sir Vandemir will be competing against other men in the hunt, while you, like the rest of us, are supposed to cheer from the sidelines.”

Paula answered casually, but Aracila’s scowl deepened.

So they had sent her an invitation just to stand around and watch men hunt?

The thought made her stomach churn.

Completely oblivious to her friend’s displeasure, Paula continued,

“You should go, Aracila. If your husband participates and his wife isn’t there, people will talk. You also need to give him a handkerchief that you embroidered yourself.”

“…Me?”

Even her own mother, a renowned teacher, had given up on teaching her embroidery because it frustrated her too much.

And now she was expected to personally embroider a handkerchief?

“Who else would give one to Sir Vandemir if not you? Receiving a handkerchief from a lady is a great honor for the participants. Especially for married men—getting one from their wife is a given.”

Seeing Aracila’s expression harden, Paula playfully winked.

“And it has to be hand-embroidered by you.”

“…”

Aracila, who had no talent for embroidery and no desire to improve, fell into deep contemplation.

On the surface, she and Damian were seen as a happily married couple, so she had to give him one.

If she didn’t, she needed a solid excuse.

Should I pretend to injure my hand starting tomorrow? Or should I commission a professional embroidery workshop?

As she desperately searched for ways to avoid embroidering, a sudden thought struck her.

Wait… If I become a participant in the hunting festival too, I won’t have to give him anything, will I?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───

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