Chapter 81
A strange sensation swept over Alessia the moment she opened her eyes. It felt as though, for a brief instant, her body had slipped outside this space.
She raised a hand, palm upward, and recited a short, condensed incantation. A feeling of release came over her, like stepping out of warm water into the cold air for the first time, and soon a flame rose above her palm.
There.
The flame was smaller than Koda’s forepaw, yet a smile spread across Alessia’s lips. She was growing steadily more accustomed to using magic without wearing the ring.
In truth, any wizard of Ingelos could perform such basic magic by the age of seven or eight, so she was at least ten years late in learning it. But being able to do it at all was a miracle to her.
Having magic flow unconsciously within one’s body and moving it intentionally were entirely different matters. Only those who could do the latter were acknowledged as true magicians. By that standard, Alessia was, at last, a magician in her own right.
She pulled the ring out of her pocket and slipped it back onto her finger. Suddenly, she recalled the first time she had laid eyes on the ruby’s iridescent glow.
“Take this with you to Ferdinand. Become engaged to the young lord of Ferdinand.”
The memory of that ring rolling toward her through a vision stained red with blood carried with it Richard’s voice echoing in her ears.
Back then, she had simply wanted to live. She wanted to escape Ingelos and, if only for a single day, live in peace.
She had been too weak, too worn down to fight against injustice. She had wanted to survive somehow, and when even that desire had nearly slipped away, the chance had come.
Alessia had seized that sole opportunity without hesitation. And as proof, she had changed her destiny. Who could have imagined that in only two years, her life would be so transformed? Not even her past self could have foreseen it.
Richard wouldn’t have known either.
A fleeting thought crossed her mind. What would Richard think, knowing the useless sister he had cast away to die was still alive? Would he regret it?
The answer came easily. Alessia shook her head. No—Richard wouldn’t think anything of it.
Richard cared only for power. Though they shared blood, to him, she had been nothing more than a test subject. He hadn’t cared for her, no more than he cared for little Nia.
Because that’s Ingelos.
The image of Richard’s emotionless face looking down at her vanished, replaced by the memory of Kaon playing tricks on Nia.
Could one even call such people family—when they were worse than enemies? Again, the answer came quickly.
In Ferdinand, the person Alessia felt most awkward with was, without question, Nia. More so than Yvonne or Baroness Robert, Nia was difficult for her.
Nia seemed to sense this, yet still the child would wait for her and always try to start a conversation.
Today was one such day. Using the excuse of wanting to see Philly, Nia called for Alessia and then asked if she’d like to take a walk together. Alessia hadn’t felt inclined, but since Philly had immediately chirped, “Yes! Yes!” she had no choice but to go along.
“Doesn’t he fly away when you take him outside?”
“No.”
“That’s so strange. Why doesn’t he?”
“Hmm….”
Perhaps Philly had been trained not to fly without his master’s command, or perhaps he was simply intelligent enough to avoid unnecessary risks.
Not knowing for sure, Alessia stayed silent. As the silence stretched, she could feel Nia sneaking glances, trying to read her mood.
Normally, Alessia would force a smile and keep the conversation going to ease the atmosphere, but with Nia, she didn’t feel the urge. It wasn’t that she disliked the child—rather, her unvarnished, true self came out when she was around Nia.
Watching her carefully, Nia turned instead to Philly, perched calmly on Alessia’s shoulder.
“What’s my name again?”
“Nia!”
“Wow, you still remember!”
At the sound of admiration, Philly lifted his chin proudly and looked at Alessia, as though expecting praise. His confident little pose made her chuckle, and she reached up to stroke his feathers. How Kaon had managed to find such an intelligent bird, she couldn’t imagine.
“Hey, Alessia. Philly came from Kaon, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
Alessia answered without hesitation. Nia must have heard it from the maids. The castle’s maids were quite fond of the young girl, especially those who had grown close to Alessia, and treated her warmly.
Nia herself seemed to have realized that she shouldn’t act haughty here in Ferdinand the way she once had. She had quickly abandoned her arrogance and blended in.
At times she flaunted her pride as a magician to the knights, but since she was only a child, they laughed it off. And as she used her clumsy magic to treat their injuries little by little, they had begun to look at her with affection and pride.
Through Nia, Alessia had learned how deeply one’s life could be shaped by living among others. Watching someone else change gave her a new perspective she hadn’t gained from her own experience alone.
If only Ingelos had been like this….
But Ingelos was a suffocating, closed-off castle. Its curtains were always drawn, letting in not a single ray of sunlight.
The magicians of Ingelos lived in lamplight, devoting themselves only to research and training. There was no such thing as play or joy.
Sometimes Alessia wondered: was that why they had tormented her so relentlessly—because they had no other diversions?
“Kaon likes you, doesn’t he?”
“…What?”
Lost in bitter thoughts, Alessia blurted the question back without thinking. Nia tilted her head, gazing up at her with innocent eyes.
“Doesn’t he?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Lily told me. She said that when I grow up and like someone, I’ll be like Kaon. So I asked her who Kaon likes, and she just laughed. But then I thought about it—and Kaon’s engaged to you, isn’t he? So that must mean he likes you, right?”
Perhaps because she had started studying from such a young age, Nia’s logic was surprisingly coherent. Yet at the same time, it was the kind of reasoning only a child, oblivious to adult affairs, would make.
Their betrothal was nothing more than the precursor to a political marriage. For nobles, marriage was a transaction, not an affair of the heart. Otherwise, the very concept of mistresses would never have existed.
Of course, setting that aside, Kaon did like her. Perhaps he still did, even now. Probably so.
But Alessia had no answer to give Nia. It wasn’t her place to confirm it. And who knew? Perhaps Kaon’s feelings had shifted, and he now saw her differently.
That thought pricked at her heart, but she forced herself to ignore the sting.
“It’s just… Kaon keeps looking at you all the time. And whenever you’re around, he always comes over. I told Lily, and she said that’s how it is when you like someone—that you can’t help it. She said she knows from experience.”
Nia kept chattering happily, excited to have a new topic to talk about.
Alessia stifled a sigh. She could almost see Lily’s mischievous smile. Since Nia often sought her out, Lily had probably said it just to keep her entertained. The intention was kind, but the subject—Kaon—was troublesome.
“Then that means you like Kaon too, Alessia.”
Alessia froze. Nia, speaking with absolute certainty, even nodded to herself.
“Because you always look at him whenever he’s around. I saw it. You keep staring at him.”
“…That’s not it.”
“It’s not? Then you don’t like Kaon?”
Nia blinked in confusion and asked again.
“You don’t like him? You don’t?”
Even Philly joined in, echoing the question.
It should have been easy enough just to say no. But Alessia couldn’t get the words out. In the end, she said nothing at all.
“Leo asked Ashuto and nine other territories for cooperation, and as of today, we’ve received replies from all of them. The regions are here: Gaif, Majeng, Conis, Toscana….”
Kaon began circling names on the large map spread across the board. The ten domains scattered across the kingdom shared one trait: they were all habitats for monsters.
“…And Bruehel. Joseph compiled the information, and it turns out that only three territories have faced incidents similar to ours here in Ferdinand: Gaif, Pitar, and lastly, Toscana.”
On each of those three marked regions, he added a checkmark. They were scattered with no apparent similarity in geography or location.
Alessia forced her gaze to stay fixed on the map, resisting the pull toward Kaon. Ever since Nia and Lily’s silly talk, she had been overly conscious of him.
This meeting was meant to gather her thoughts on the recent changes in monster activity. She should have been focusing on the information Kaon relayed from Leonidas, but her head was too cluttered.
All because of that nonsense they said…
Looking at Kaon had never been unusual. Normally, she would glance at him often, naturally, without a second thought. But now, with their words lingering in her ears, she felt hesitant, as though it meant something more. Even though she knew it was nonsense, she still couldn’t help it.
It was ridiculous—being unsettled by the idle chatter of her little sister. Alessia shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
Just then, a shadow fell across the table. A large hand came down to rest on her forehead.
“You’re not feeling well, are you?”
