Chapter 10
He looked as if Diana had committed adultery—completely shocked.
How shameless could he be? He was the one who had actually committed adultery. It was utterly absurd.
Rueri shot him a sharp glare. Though it was their first time meeting, a strange sense of hostility glimmered in his eyes.
While Diana was puzzled by the look in his eyes, Calypso had already stepped right up to her.
“Lady. Who is this man?”
He asked with a slight frown, his gaze still fixed on the hands Diana and Rueri were holding.
Only then did Diana realize she hadn’t let go of Rueri’s hand.
Feeling embarrassed, she let go and replied calmly to Calypso.
“This is my magic teacher.”
“Magic?”
His expression said, ‘What do you mean, magic, all of a sudden?’ Calypso did know that Diana had dabbled in magic before.
But he had no idea that she had enough talent for it to be considered significant—enough to possibly enter the Mage Tower.
Naturally, the idea of her learning magic now wouldn’t sit well with him. He was surely dreaming of Alicia’s future, not Diana’s.
He obviously wouldn’t want Diana, backed by her marquiss family’s power, to grow even stronger.
“Yes. As you know, I’ve lost my sight, so I can’t even read books anymore. I thought I’d try learning magic instead.”
“…Hmph.”
Calypso slowly looked Rueri up and down. Rueri stood with his arms crossed, not bothering with the slightest courtesy.
“Rueri, this is… my husband.”
For some reason, Diana didn’t want to introduce Calypso as her husband to Rueri. But she had no choice.
She forced out the words, her voice strained.
“Hey there.”
Rueri casually lifted one hand in a half-hearted greeting. Perhaps because he was from the Mage Tower, he didn’t seem to care much for social status.
And clearly, he didn’t like Calypso.
Calypso, too, furrowed his brows slightly at his attitude.
“…Hello.”
He gave a curt reply, clearly displeased, as he looked Rueri up and down. But Rueri didn’t back down at all.
It felt like sparks were flying between their eyes.
Diana looked at Calypso with an expression of disbelief.
All this just because she held someone’s hand? It was laughable how wary he was of Rueri. This from the man who had lain with a woman he once called a friend and fathered her child.
He had no right to be jealous. Trash like him.
From behind her blindfold, Diana stared at him for a long time. The blindfold was proving quite useful—it hid her emotions well.
“Mother? Father?”
Just then, Catherine, who had been walking in the garden, approached them.
She had strained her voice from reading too much that morning.
Catherine’s beautiful voice was something both she and Diana had always been proud of.
But now, thanks to Diana making her read aloud every morning, her voice was beginning to wear out.
And Diana intended to destroy it completely. That would, in turn, ruin Catherine’s future.
“Oh, Catherine.”
Diana opened her arms toward her. Eager to win Diana’s favor, Catherine rushed into her embrace.
“Mother!”
At that moment, a delightful idea popped into Diana’s head—one that would certainly humiliate this insufferable child.
“What perfect timing.”
“Huh?”
“Come say hello. This is my magic teacher.”
Catherine eyed Rueri warily, clearly cautious of the unfamiliar man.
Rueri’s blue eyes, as he looked down at Catherine, turned cold.
He smiled faintly, lifting just one corner of his lips. It was a very different expression from his usual playful one.
“Princess?”
Rueri’s tone was strangely sarcastic.
As if he were asking, ‘Are you really the princess?’
“Y-Yes?”
“You don’t look a thing like your mother. Such a cute young lady.”
His words seemed like they came from someone who knew something. Of course, that couldn’t be the case. Diana shook her head, brushing off the odd thought that passed through her mind.
Calypso’s eyes widened in alarm as he barked out,
“What an outrageous thing to say…!”
“Huh? I just said what I saw. What’s so outrageous about that?”
“I don’t care if you’re from the Mage Tower, that was still—”
“Ah, stop right there. Things like nobility or courtesy—that’s your system. It has nothing to do with the Tower, as you should well know.”
She was right. Only those with talent could become mages.
For the mages of the Tower, things like rank or status were meaningless.
Ordinary people even feared them. They wielded power beyond that of normal humans.
Calypso grit his teeth but couldn’t argue. Swallowing his frustration, he whipped his cloak around and stormed back into the mansion.
Unexpectedly, Rueri had struck a nerve in Calypso.
He was the perfect ally for Diana. Not only was he her magic teacher, but he also wasn’t bound by status.
Even his hostility toward Calypso was pleasing. Diana let a satisfied smile slip.
Catherine looked after the departing duke, unsure if she should follow.
Just as she was about to leave, Diana stopped her.
“Catherine.”
“Yes?”
“Wait a moment.”
She turned to Rueri.
“Could you teach this child magic as well?”
“What?”
Rueri tilted his head slightly at her request. Then he flashed a broad grin.
“Sure, why not.”
“M-magic?”
Catherine stammered in surprise.
Before her regression, Diana never considered letting Catherine touch magic.
But now that she knew the girl wasn’t her real daughter, she intended to use it to her advantage.
“Magic can be so convenient, you know. Even if you don’t join the Tower or become a royal mage, it’s still useful.”
“But…”
“You’re the only child of the Grand Duke of Ernst, Catherine.”
Catherine’s eyes wavered.
“When you inherit your father’s title, how helpful would it be if you were a mage?”
Her purple eyes darkened, like wilting lilacs. Driven by ambition, Catherine began to waver.
So foolish—she really thought she was the true daughter of nobility.
“If you promise to learn magic with me, I’ll reconsider that matter with Young Lord Sawyer.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. I just want to help you, Catherine. And I want to spend time with you. With my beloved daughter.”
Catherine’s eyes sparkled. Maybe she really did have a gift for magic—she hadn’t tried it yet.
“Alright then.”
In the end, Catherine accepted Diana’s offer. She was still young—too young to realize how naïve her thoughts were.
“Shall we try it now?”
Rueri asked Diana. She stared at the hesitant Catherine, then shook her head.
“I think we’ve taken up too much of Rueri’s time already.”
If it weren’t for Calypso and Catherine, they could’ve made more progress. It was a shame, but it was already past lunchtime.
“Hmm?”
“Let’s try it next week—with Catherine.”
Diana watched Catherine’s face through the blindfold. Her expression seemed to brighten. She must have thought she’d bought herself some time.
That girl would surely run to Alicia to try and find a solution.
And whatever trick she came up with, Rueri would not miss it.
How humiliating it would be—for her and her mother both.
“Sure. Let’s do that.”
Rueri readily agreed. Just as he turned to leave, he suddenly paused and whispered softly into Diana’s ear.
“I wanted to have a lesson with you alone.”
“…What?”
“Too bad. Maybe next time!”
Diana’s face turned bright red. Rueri grinned and walked away. He was impossible to read.
What a tease. Diana fanned her burning cheeks and returned to the mansion with Catherine.
As she was going up the stairs with Belinda and Shane toward her room, Alicia came down from above.
Alicia’s face twisted momentarily. She wanted to walk past her, but with the servants nearby, she couldn’t be too rude.
Wearing her usual mask-like smile, Alicia greeted Diana cheerfully.
“Your Highness, where are you coming from?”
Just then, Diana thought of something truly entertaining to tell Alicia—something that had just happened.
“Oh, I was in the garden. But something interesting happened, Alicia.”
“What was it?”
“I never knew Calypso could be so jealous.”
Diana couldn’t hold back her laughter. Alicia’s eyebrows twitched at the mention of Calypso.
Jealousy? That was absurd. He loved her. Still, hiding her disbelief, Alicia asked again.
“Jealous?”
“Mm-hmm. I invited a magic teacher to help me learn. Turns out, he’s quite young.”
Watching Alicia’s twitching expression was a delight.
“I succeeded at something I’d been failing at, and then Calypso showed up.”
“And then?”
“His voice sounded angry.”
“He got angry?”
Alicia’s lips parted in disbelief.
‘What is this idiot babbling about?’ Calypso was hers! Her red eyes gleamed with filthy jealousy.
“The Duke isn’t one to anger easily. You must be mistaken, Your Highness.”
Already overtaken by jealousy, Alicia’s lips trembled.
“No, they even had an argument, my teacher and him.”
“An argument…?”
“Mm-hmm. I thought it was a quiet love, but I guess it was more passionate than I realized.”
Diana slowly climbed the stairs, leaving a trembling Alicia behind.
“He really surprised me. Well, I’m heading up now, okay?”
Alicia pressed her lips tightly. Anger surged.
But all she could do was glare at the blind Diana’s back with fury.
“Just you wait, Diana.”
She whispered to herself, curling her lips into a bitter smile.
“I’ll take everything from you.”
This empty heart that could never be filled—she would fill it by destroying Diana.
Glaring after Diana, who walked away so elegantly, Alicia’s hatred only grew sharper and more vicious.
