The Proposal of the Starry Mage.
***
As the sky turned orange with dusk,
Someone knocked on the door of Damian’s study, where he was finishing paperwork after an afternoon training session.
It was Isaac Wind, the vice-commander of the Red Hawk Knights and the eldest son of Count Wind.
“Commander, are you busy?”
“What is it?”
Without looking away from his documents, Damian casually asked.
His face, tinged by the sunset streaming through the elongated window, was truly captivating. Silver hair intertwined with moonlight, delicate golden eyes beneath refined eyebrows, and crimson lips beneath a graceful nose—his appearance alone captured the hearts of many women and the admiration of men.
“I heard interesting news that a letter has arrived for Colin, and I’ve come to deliver it personally.”
Isaac took out a lavender envelope from his pocket and handed it to Damian.
Interrupting his reading briefly, Damian raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the name on the envelope.
“…Arasilla Hugo?”
“Yes, isn’t she a famous star mage of theMagic tower? This is from hem.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea. Please check it quickly to see why she sent a letter.”
At Isaac’s urging, Damian unfolded the letter with a troubled expression.
Written in a remarkably elegant hand on luxurious paper was…
“To Vandermeer Knight,
It seems we are soon to be married. Shall we meet face-to-face before the ceremony? I have something important to tell you. Let’s meet when you have time. For your information, I am available three days starting from now.
– Arasilla Hugo, Viscount Hugo.”
A bewildered laughter escaped Damian.
“What does she say?”
“She’s insane.”
“What is this ? Really?”
Damian tossed the letter onto his desk. Unable to resist his curiosity, Isaac sneakily glanced at the letter.
“Wow! Commander, are you getting married?!”
“Isaac.”
“I’m sorry, I’ll be quiet.”
At Damian’s cold summons, Isaac shut his mouth and lowered his head.
But seeing Damian pick up his documents again, Isaac’s lips parted slightly.
“Aren’t you going to reply?”
“Why bother? It doesn’t seem like something she wrote in her right mind.”
“But still, she’s the Viscount Hugo’s daughter. For a smooth social life… Oh, come to think of it, their second daughter isn’t very active in social circles.”
In other words, ignoring Arasilla’s letter wouldn’t cause any strange rumors in high society.
Of course, Damian hadn’t calculated that far when deciding to ignore Arasilla’s letter.
“But her personality is a bit reckless and peculiar. Are you sure it’s okay to leave such a mage alone?”
“Isaac, are you afraid of the mage now?”
“No, not at all! I’m not afraid!”
Under Damian’s sharp question, Isaac stiffened with tension.
To show fear of a mage in front of Damian, the youngest Empire Sword Master, was not only unacceptable but also embarrassing as a knight.
“Then be careful.”
“Yes, understood!”
“Go Off now.”
“Yes, good luck!”
Isaac quickly left the room, feeling a mixture of relief and embarrassment.
Isaac crisply bowed and bid farewell before leaving the study.
Damian glanced at the letter once again and lightly clicked his tongue.
“It seems the saying that there are hardly any sane mages among them was true.”
Unlike knights who trained their bodies outside, mages were often confined to gloomy towers, immersed in somber research. Occasionally, a rogue mage would lose control, causing accidents or even rebellion.
“Even as a rare female noble mage, she’s not much different.”
Damian rose from his seat and tossed the letter into the fireplace. The paper quickly turned to ash.
And so, Damian promptly forgot about the letter from some star mage.
***
Three days later,
The Red Hawk Knights’ training ground was unusually bustling and noisy.
This was because of a certain woman standing near the entrance, wearing a yellow dress that suited the spring season and holding a parasol.
Due to her undeniable presence, everyone gathered around, unable to start their training and instead chattering excitedly.
Isaac, who couldn’t ignore the scene, stepped forward.
“May I ask why a noble lady is here?”
“I came to meet Vandermeer Knight. I sent him a letter in advance, but where is he?”
Interrupting Audrey’s attempt to answer, Arasilla stated her purpose directly.
Even from a distance, she seemed beautiful, but up close, she surpassed imagination. Without realizing it, Isaac swallowed nervously, then snapped back to attention.
“The commander hasn’t arrived yet. I’m sorry, but if you’re here, it might disrupt the training…”
“Oh dear, is the commander very lazy? Or perhaps he’s the type who sleeps in a lot.”
Arasilla casually cut off Isaac’s attempt to escort her, her lips curling into a playful smile.
Witnessing such audacity from a noblewoman towards their commander, Isaac was momentarily speechless.
“…Please refrain from making disrespectful remarks towards the commander.”
“Was he offended? Well, compared to the fact that he ignored my letter and made me come all the way here, it’s nothing.”
Her words left Isaac stunned, and he glanced at Arasilla again in surprise.
Judging by her mention of the letter, the star mage who sent the strange letter to his superior a few days ago must be her.
As Arasilla rarely appeared in social circles, Isaac, who was seeing her for the first time, felt bewildered.
Damian, who had been staring at her petite face, suddenly lowered his head and shouted abruptly.
“Commander, are you here!”
Audrey, who checked behind him before the owner, was surprised and bowed her head. Arasilla leisurely turned around.
Beneath the lightly fluttering dress and lace-trimmed white parasol, the chest of the man in uniform came into view one after the other.
Arasilla lifted her gaze after lifting her parasol and revealed glass-like blue eyes and deep golden eyes.
“Greetings, Vandermeer Knight. I’m Arasilla Hugo. Have you hurt your hand by any chance?”
Arasilla opened her mouth to offer a boneless greeting. Damian replied calmly.
“Hello, Miss Hugo. I’m Damian Vandermeer. I haven’t been injured.”
“Oh, I came in a hurry because I thought you were injured since there was no reply. I’m glad you’re not.”
Adding a smile mixed with sarcasm, Arasilla prevented him from discussing her visit any further.
In fact, if Damian had simply responded to her letter properly, Arasilla wouldn’t have come here.
Continuing to stare at her petite face, Damian spoke to Isaac.
“What are you doing here, Isaac? It seems training time has passed.”
“I apologize, Commander.”
“Run 50 laps around the training ground as a group.”
Isaac accepted the punishment obediently. As he turned to go attend to the knights, Damian’s lips parted once again.
“Let’s move to my office, Miss.”
“Okay.”
***
Between the two seated facing each other on the elegant sofa, there was only the sound of tea cups clinking for a while.
It was Damian who spoke first.
“I apologize for not replying to your letter. I forgot because I was busy.”
“Well, if you have a poor memory, it can happen.”
“But if that’s why you came, then please leave. I have no intention of marrying you.”
After a formal apology, he immediately got to the point. Arasilla, expecting such a firm refusal, swirled her tea as if she had anticipated it.
“Do you know that there’s a marriage pact between our families?”
“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
“Of course. It hasn’t been long for me either.”
Her fingers gently set down the cup without making a sound.
A star mage who disregarded the obligations of a noble lady for the sake of magic.
Despite hearing such criticism from the public, Arasilla’s demeanor was graceful and impeccable.
“Because of that pact, we are supposed to get married.”
“I refuse.”
Even with an immediate rejection, Arasilla was not hurt. Instead, she sighed and shook her head with anticipation.
“It’s not about saying you won’t do it so simply.”
Before Damian could respond to the tone as if dealing with an unruly child,
“And why not?”
Arasilla asked, seemingly unable to understand.
“Admission as top student to the Academy of Magic, top graduation, and top position at the Mage Tower.”
“…”
“Achieved a Class 1 merit when a large-scale monster appeared in the southern region at the end of last year.”
“…”
“In addition to what will be inherited from the family, currently possessing a total personal wealth of 3 billion gold.”
Smoothly, like fresh paint, her red and plump lips flowed with self-praise. So natural and effortless it seemed, for a moment Damian thought Arasilla was talking about someone else’s accomplishments.
“Furthermore, although it’s a bit awkward to say it myself, during my time at the Academy, I was outstanding enough to be known as one of the top three goddesses.”
Arasilla swept her flowing lilac-colored hair like waves to make her face more visible.
Among all the boasting she had done earlier, the last boast had the least room for rebuttal.
Her features, resembling those painted by a brush, were so dazzling that Damian had never seen anything like it before. It was as if she had been perfectly objectified, to the point where he thought she was merely recounting someone else’s story.
“At this point, don’t you honestly want to get married?”
Arasilla smiled confidently. Not stopping there, she tried to drive the nail in.
“Marry me, Vandermeer Knight.”
With a loveless proposal, she added, “You want to push your brother aside and take the title of Viscount, don’t you? I’ll help you.”
Damian trembled visibly. A disturbance rose above his face, crafted like ice.
Internally, the successor to the Vandermeer Viscountcy had been firmly decided as Oscar. Damian hid his claws to break into that gap.
In front, leading the Red Hawk Knights as if there were no interest, and behind, eagerly seeking opportunities.
Among his close aides, how did a noblewoman he had never seen before able to know this thing?
‘Did she search about me?’
Damian’s gaze sharpened. Whether Arasilla was unaware of the wariness in his sharpened features or not, she was casual.
“It’s hard to find a wife who is as smart, beautiful, and capable as I am. You know that, right?”
“…”
Waiting for an answer with a relaxed smile, Damian’s mouth slowly opened.
“During the monster subjugation in the southern region last year, was it you, the lady, who stole all the credit we worked so hard for?”
“…What?”
Arasilla was taken aback by the unexpected response. She naturally expected him to accept her proposal.
Her face twisted immediately and said
“Wow, after saving your life, you call me a thief? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be sitting here. You’d be stuck in the dirt, pinned under a spear!”
“That’s not amusing. You ventured out expecting to gain some benefit after all the trouble we went through.”
“What did you say? Hey!”
Unable to bear it, Arasilla rose abruptly.
