Duchess Felicia paid no attention to her son’s expression; instead, she ran her hands over her newly shortened hair with satisfaction. The rough, uneven edges of her freshly cut hair somehow gave it a unique charm.
“Are you scolding me?” Orkis asked dryly.
“My son, you’ve gotten better at joking,” the duchess replied, laughing so hard she clutched her stomach. Her silver hair, now much shorter, fluttered down like snowflakes over her shaking shoulders.
“How old are you now that I’d scold you over something like dating?”
If anything, she was proud of him.
“For someone who usually hates people, the fact that you’re even dating someone makes me feel relieved.”
The fact that Orkis had formed any kind of relationship, even one for a specific purpose, was a significant step forward.
“Honestly, I even think Countess Vallidus is too good for you.”
She wanted to chatter away about this wonderful news, but unfortunately, Duchess Felicia had to move on to the real issue.
“I heard you threatened the son of Baron Katio.”
“I merely advised him to stop being disrespectful to my partner,” Orkis corrected.
“If you want to stay close to the crown prince, you’d better quit now.”
Orkis personally visited the gathering of the young lords he usually avoided, walked over to where Lord Katio was pretending to be a gentleman, and whispered directly in his ear. Seeing that emotionless, impeccable handsome falter was quite satisfying.
“What kind of rude act did he do?”
“He sent a marriage proposal. Since the day of the forced succession trial.” Orkis left out the part about it being a daily occurrence.
“How pathetic.” The duchess crossed her legs, her foot lightly tapping, causing her dress to sway.
“Who gets married based on family status these days?” she muttered, annoyed by such outdated practices. “And what exactly did you say to threaten him?” Her foot tapped rhythmically against her dress, creating a soft sound. “You didn’t use the gold mine to threaten him, did you?”
“It wasn’t a threat, just advice…”
“Oh gosh!”
No matter what Orkis said, the duchess didn’t even pretend to listen, instead feigning surprise. Her mischievous grin was blatant.
“Kis, you’re more impressive than I thought,” she said with a chuckle as if she were a young girl reading a romance novel for the first time.
Orkis, however, realized with a sinking feeling that he had become the subject of her amusement.
“How much gold is left in the mine?”
“It’s estimated to last about three more years, at best.”
“And yet, they haven’t made any moves…”
The Katio family’s gold mine was famously referred to as a god’s treasure, a blessing from the gods to their ancestors who had devoted themselves to missionary work. The mine had produced a steady stream of gold for centuries, but now it was running dry.
“… It’s finally running out.”
The Katio family must have been feeling the pressure. Not only had the real god’s treasures appeared, but they were now in the hands of a noble lady who had almost died.
“If the imperial mint finds out, it’ll be chaos.”
There was a looming problem regarding the issuance of gold coins, which held the highest value among circulating currencies. Most of the gold produced in the empire came from the Katio family. The question of how the imperial mint would react was of great interest.
“We’ll need to prepare an alternative.” She murmured quietly to herself before glancing at Orkis.
Sensing her gaze, Orkis frowned slightly. “What is it?”
“I was just wondering who you inherited your good looks from.”
The duchess searched for traces of herself in her son’s face. A handsome face, striking enough to stand out anywhere, a tall and sturdy physique—it was clear that he had inherited her martial blood perfectly.
“I take after you, Mother.” Orkis gave the expected answer.
“Though, I wonder if the occasional sharpness in your personality comes from your father?”
“Please, stop with the insults…”
“They’re planning to induct Countess Vallidus into the Elders’ Council.”
The previously warm atmosphere between mother and son instantly turned cold.
“It has to do with your father.”
“Father recommended her…?”
“No, it’s quite the opposite.”
Duke Felicia had been opposing Seraphie’s introduction into the council, but now, he had reached his limit.
“I heard Countess Vallidus donated god’s treasures to the Magic Tower.”
That was the turning point. Seraphie had made a secret request for the light magician to be officially registered with the Magic Tower when she made the donation.
“All magicians in the empire must be registered with the Magic Tower. Countess Vallidus did the right thing.”
“But what if that light magician is currently a guest of the crown prince?”
That was the real issue.
“The crown prince is keeping a close eye on the Countess Vallidus.”
“…”
“Do you think that’s a good thing?”
The words’ definitely not’ nearly escaped Orkis’s lips. If that power-hungry man had set his sights on Seraphie, nothing good would come of it.
“Huff…” Orkis fiddled with the end of his sleeve. Before he knew it, his face was filled with worry. “What does the emperor think of all this?”
“She’s delighted, of course.”
“Damn it.”
“Watch your language, dear.”
Even the duchess, who usually remained composed, showed a hint of concern about the events to come. Though it disappeared as quickly as her eyes blinked.
“The emperor will likely use Countess Vallidus to keep someone in check.” She didn’t bother to say who.
Since the emperor had personally acknowledged the legitimacy of Seraphie’s title in front of all the nobles, Seraphie had become a symbol of significant political importance.
“For now, it might be best for her to remain under the emperor’s protection. What happens next will depend on her abilities.” The duchess paused before asking, “Kis, what do you think? Could Countess Vallidus survive this beautiful yet repulsive battlefield unscathed?”
“Mother.”
His hesitation was brief.
“By any chance.” Orkis’s voice was deeply serious. “Do you know of any places that are perfect for a secret burial?”
“Yes, why?”
“Could you recommend a few to me?”
Whether Seraphie would endure the Elders’ Council or not was one thing. But Orkis couldn’t shake the feeling that she might end up burying a few nobles along the way.
* * *
“Huff…”
Lillie glanced at her palm. All sweaty again. She had wiped it earlier, but her palm was already drenched with sweat again. It was the fifth time now, and the spots where she had wiped her hands against her clothes were noticeably darker.
“When will she come…?”
Lillie looked around the room with a racing heart. Her eyes, filled with curiosity and anticipation, darted around faster than a bee’s wings.
The air feels different. No, it was definitely different.
Lillie sniffed the air, trying to catch even the faintest scent of the room’s owner. She felt a bit ashamed of herself, thinking she seemed like a pervert. But she couldn’t help it.
This is the study of Lady Felicia! Just thinking about it again made her so excited she couldn’t help but bounce up and down in her seat. After fidgeting for a while, she eventually tired herself out and sat back down, her excitement momentarily subsiding.
It all worked out just like she said it would. The image of the blue-haired benefactor she met at the jewelry store came to mind.
“Do you want to go to the Magic Tower?”
Despite coughing like she was about to die, the woman’s calm voice was filled with an unyielding determination.
Lillie had thought that the scariest person in the world was the crown prince. But in that fleeting moment, the look in Seraphie’s eyes was even more intense and terrifying than the crown prince’s.
“…Yes.”
And so, without realizing it, she answered.
“Then do as I say.”
“W-What should I do?”
“Pretend that you can’t use magic.”
“What?’
“You’ll understand when the time comes.”
Because the crown prince was watching her from behind, Lillie couldn’t ask for more details, but she desperately wished for that ‘time’ to come.
And this morning—Lillie knew that the time had finally come.
A woman who seemed to be a maid suddenly appeared and took her somewhere. She didn’t know where she was taken, but the emperor was there.
“Show me what you can do.”
Then, the woman cut her arm with a knife, creating a wound. Startled, Lillie almost reflexively revealed her true abilities.
“Pretend that you can’t use magic.”
But the advice she had received suddenly echoed in her mind, and Lillie bit her lip, forcing her trembling hands to fail at casting magic.
“I heard you were quite skilled.”
“I haven’t learned magic properly yet, so I make a lot of mistakes. Please forgive me!”
“Didn’t the crown prince provide support for you to learn magic?”
At those words, Lillie couldn’t hide her bewilderment. Support? The crown prince hadn’t even allowed her to leave the palace freely, let alone provide support for her magic studies.
“…Tch.”
After a click of the tongue that made her heart drop—
“Take her away.”
Two magicians, who had been hiding and observing from behind, took Lillie to the Magic Tower.
“Lady Felicia will be the one to teach you.”
“Welcome to the Magic Tower, Lady Albeolus.”
Sniffle. Lillie wiped her nose, tears welling up as she recalled the miraculous moment. Don’t cry! She forced herself to hold back the tears, clenching her facial muscles.
At that moment—
“Sorry for being late.”
The long-awaited person opened the door and entered. Lillie, whose nose, mouth, and eyes were all scrunched up, quickly turned towards the source of the voice.
“I hope you didn’t wait too—”
“…”
“…”
Thud. The papers Peonia had been carrying slipped from her hands. They scattered across the floor, sliding all the way to Lillie’s feet.
“…Waaahhh!” Lillie, whose efforts to hold back her tears had been in vain, burst into loud sobs.
* * *
“I-I’m sorry for showing such an unsightly side of me.”
Only after crying for a good while did Lillie manage to calm herself down.
“It wasn’t particularly unsightly.”
“Uh, that, well…”
“Take your time.”
“T-Thank you!”
Huff. Haa. After taking a few deep breaths, Lillie opened the bag she had brought and took out a worn, tattered book.
“Since I was in my estate, I’ve read a lot of Lady Felicia’s research papers and academic works.”
“This is the most recent one…”
“I have more back in the estate! This is the first one I bought after coming to the capital.”
Peonia couldn’t help but smile as she accepted the book. From what she had heard, Lillie had only been in the capital for two months. And yet, the book was so worn that it looked like it had been read countless times.
“The ‘Study on the Characteristics and Case Studies of Magic Theories Based on National Policy Ideologies’ Lady wrote was absolutely the best!” Lillie said, her face flushed with excitement as if her throat would burst. “But at the end of the paper, you mentioned that you were planning to conduct further research on the topic…”
“I did. That research continued, and it led to the disaster of setting a part of the Magic Tower on fire.”
Peonia fumbled through the cluttered desk and found a pen and ink. “Would you like me to sign it?’
“Can you sign my hand too?” Lillie shyly extended her hand.
“…”
This was a problem. Peonia, wearing a serious expression, gently pushed Lillie’s hand back down. Despite everything, she found Lillie surprisingly likable.
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