“Leo!”
Kaon burst into the office, throwing the door open. The room, which had been inherited as-is from their late father’s study, was rather austere. Inside were two familiar figures. One was Joseph, and the other, of course, was the office’s owner, Leonidas.
“Young master?”
Joseph frowned in disbelief. Who would dare to enter the real lord’s office of Ferdinand without knocking? Turns out it was the lord’s own younger sibling.
Had Baroness Robert, in charge of etiquette training, witnessed this, she would’ve fainted on the spot. Joseph considered offering a word of advice but decided against it. Kaon’s furious expression told him all he needed to know.
“We can finish the report later.”
“Yes, sir.”
Joseph replied politely and withdrew. He carefully avoided meeting Kaon’s gaze, which only caught Kaon’s attention more.
“What’s that reaction? Don’t tell me you all knew about this except me?”
Kaon immediately concluded that not just Leonidas, but Joseph too had prior knowledge of this situation. It was natural for him to be even more taken aback.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t? Sharing a room with the Lady? Who else but you could’ve given that order?”
Kaon had lost what little patience he had and went straight to the point. He had been completely caught off guard by Baroness Robert’s announcement—nearly shrieked in shock.
“Ah.”
“‘Ah’? Really? That’s what you say?!”
Leonidas nodded calmly, as if she finally understood. Her composed reaction twisted Kaon’s insides even further. He clutched his hair and shouted, “Ugh!”—as if his head would explode otherwise.
“Is there a reason it can’t happen? You’re engaged, and unless something happens before you both come of age, you’ll marry. It’s not just a verbal promise—Ingelos officially entrusted the lady to Ferdinand.”
“That was part of the initial deal! We needed a mage, and they needed money!”
“Exactly. We need a mage—and we will continue to need one.”
“Why are you stating the obvious?”
Ferdinand needed a mage to serve them. Ingelos was a penniless family of mages. If you ignored the fact that the two houses were mortal enemies, the deal made perfect sense.
And the deal had been made. The proof? The lady from Ingelos was right here at Ferdinand’s estate. Kaon couldn’t understand why Leonidas was bringing up things they both already knew.
“I told you—they’re engaged. Official marriage is still a few years away.”
“That’s because we’re not of age yet…”
“If both families agree, you can marry even now. It was considered normal just a decade ago. Tedious, maybe, but not impossible.”
Leonidas, as if she had anticipated his rebuttal, calmly cut him off. Then she muttered, “If only Duke Aubert hadn’t done what he did, this wouldn’t be an issue.”
Now that she mentioned it, Kaon recalled hearing something like that. The sudden clampdown on underage marriages had been due to some vile act committed by the King’s brother, Duke Aubert.
“So what exactly are you trying to say?”
What Kaon wanted to know was why he had to share a room with the lady—not the legalities of engagement or marriage.
He didn’t have time for detours. He needed to understand first, so he could explain—or correct—a possible misunderstanding to the lady.
Seeing his urgency, Leonidas rose from her seat and walked slowly to the window, staring quietly outside.
Through the opened curtains, all of Ferdinand lay in view. The land was fertile and mild in climate, inhabited by many. To the left, however, loomed the Forest of Monsters.
Just as people thrived on rich soil, so too did monsters favor densely populated lands—for to them, people were crops.
The barrier that countless mages had cast long ago was growing weaker with time. The fact that soldiers guarding the forest were frequently calling the knights in response to anomalies was proof enough.
So many had died to the monsters. Countless lives lost in vain.
Leonidas vowed never to lose another dear person again. With a heavy sense of duty to protect Ferdinand, she endlessly sought solutions.
“Ingelos is desperate for money. Yet they don’t want to beg the king. The reason they’re being so cooperative right now is because they understand their own situation.”
So desperate were they that rather than become the king’s lapdogs, Ingelos had opted to send a mage—even to their enemy’s domain.
They even agreed to the clause that stated: If the dispatched mage fails to fulfill their duties, Ingelos will be held responsible.
“But will they be the same when they’re full and content?”
Right now, they were being cooperative because they were hungry. There was no guarantee they would stay that way.
That’s how magic research worked. A single failure could bankrupt a family, but one success could revive it.
People remained drawn to the mysterious powers of magic. A mage’s success outweighed even a knight’s.
“So what you’re saying is… I should share a room with the lady in case Ingelos stops cooperating?”
What kind of twisted logic was that?
Kaon asked with a look of disbelief. It just didn’t make sense.
“She’s a girl, Kaon. A lady. It must already be uncomfortable living in a foreign land. Would you like to suddenly share a room with a big, strange man? She probably wants to run away.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad.”
“What?”
“If she runs away, Ingelos would be held responsible for breaking off the engagement. They’ll owe us.”
Leonidas answered plainly, closing the curtain. The bright room instantly dimmed. Kaon, who was about to explode with anger, hesitated as he looked at his sister’s shaded face.
Since when did she wear that expression? So cold, so emotionless…
In his memories, Leonidas—though never sweet—had been kind. She didn’t comfort him when he cried, but she helped him up. On days their parents scolded him, she would silently pass him his favorite snack and walk away.
Now that same sister was pushing not only Kaon, but also a girl five years younger, into a dreadful situation to gain an advantage.
Kaon knew she wasn’t doing this for herself, but for Ferdinand. Still, there were things you couldn’t justify—even if you understood them.
“…You want me to drive her out? By making her uncomfortable?”
“Or win her over. Make her not want to leave. Sharing a room builds attachment. If that seems easier, go ahead. Though if Ingelos refuses, things could get messy.”
“Can’t you stop spouting nonsense?”
“If you dislike both options, find a flaw in the lady. If Ingelos sent someone unqualified, they’ll be held accountable too.”
In short, either make her leave or keep her here permanently. Even if she wanted to stay, if Ingelos opposed it, it would turn into a muddy legal fight—so pushing her out would be easier.
The deadline? When both came of age—the year Ferdinand and Ingelos would renegotiate the marriage.
“Kaon. We need a mage who will serve only Ferdinand. Don’t forget that.”
Leaving behind the sister who now spoke with an unfamiliar coldness, Kaon stepped out of the office.
“Ugh, seriously…”
Kaon sighed, rubbing his face with both hands. He had gotten his answer, but felt even worse than before. Visiting Leonidas had been a waste.
How am I supposed to explain this?
When Baroness Robert said, “You two will share a room,” Kaon had frozen. Once he realized she wasn’t joking, he immediately left to speak with his sister.
What expression had the lady made then? He couldn’t remember. Embarrassed and flustered, he hadn’t even looked at her.
But that wasn’t the real problem. The real problem was how to explain this to her.
To be blunt and honest, he could just say:
“That’s just how it turned out. If you don’t want to share a room, you can return to Ingelos. Just don’t forget to send us a replacement mage. Or try to like me and endure it.”
Am I insane?
Even just thinking about saying that gave him chills. He’d sound like a lunatic—worse, the kind no one would even want to deal with.
That’s not happening.
Sometimes silence is the better truth. Kaon decided he would take the truth to the grave.
“Hey! Tell us! Did you see her? What was the lady like? Was she scary?”
Then what would be a believable lie?
As he was trying to come up with a reasonable excuse that wouldn’t hurt the lady, he suddenly stopped. It was the word “lady” that caught his attention.
“I did see her. She’s not exactly scary, but…”
“But? But what? Hurry and tell us!”
Beyond a column, a group of servants were gossiping. Too busy chatting, they hadn’t noticed him nearby.
“Her eyes were red. Like, really red. Gave me chills.”
“Doesn’t she control people with her eyes? Like those old witches with red eyes?”
“Could be. She’s from Ingelos, after all.”
“You never know. Don’t make eye contact. Anyway, our poor young master.”
Kaon, unknowingly holding his breath, let out a bitter laugh.
Leonidas clearly had it all wrong. There was no need to go through all that effort to drive the lady away.
Everyone in Ferdinand already disliked her. Even the lowest servants feared and looked down on her.
Who would want to stay in a place like that? The lady would eventually give up and leave—just as everyone hoped.
But if she did leave, would Ferdinand really be at peace?
For some reason, Kaon didn’t think he could accept that peace so easily.
