Chapter 38
“I understand. But if you ever change your mind, you can tell me anytime.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
Jaina bowed her head slightly as she replied.
“By the way, you weren’t too startled at the auction last time, were you?”
“It was fine since Lady Hilbenzia was with me.”
“Hilbenzia Rotien… I find it difficult to trust that woman. Be careful around her—you never know what she’s plotting. She’s a devious person.”
Jaina furrowed her delicate brows slightly.
“Anyone can be dangerous, so we should always be cautious. But Lady Hilbenzia has helped me a great deal so far. I don’t believe she would harm me. If my trust turns out to be misplaced, then I’ll accept the consequences.”
“You carry her blood, and yet… you’re nothing like Diamid or Michael.”
Princess Ellia smiled faintly.
Though she personally had a poor opinion of Hilbenzia, she couldn’t help but be pleased to see the young girl before her trying to defend someone dear to her.
At the same time, the way Jaina spoke—carefully persuasive without defying her—was far more mature than most children her age. Neither Michael nor Rozian possessed that quality.
“That little lady is better than me.”
She was the Empire’s celebrated hero, flawless in all things—or so people said. But even she had her weaknesses.
“Dealing with people… that’s always the hardest part.”
She had always disliked those who approached her with obvious flattery. So at first, Jaina’s quiet and unassuming manner had unsettled her a little.
But that soon turned into comfort.
“She’s young, but completely different from Rozian or Michael.”
Her nephew, Michael Bellafanian, had no sympathy for the weak and looked down on them with disdain.
“Auntie? Is being old something to brag about? Don’t look down on me just because you’re older, you idiot!”
Ellia recalled the shock she’d felt when she reunited with her nephew after several years.
A prodigy who had taught himself magic without a master—an arrogant, fearless child.
Her older sister had begged her to discipline him, so Ellia had agreed to spare some time.
“All swordsmen are brainless brutes with nothing but muscle! Do you really think you can handle me, a mage? My mother said if you beat me, she’ll stop nagging me!”
With red eyes blazing, Michael had charged at her like a wild animal.
So Ellia had taught him the order of dominance—exactly as one would with a beast.
“Unfortunately, that won’t be happening.”
“Eek! S-spare me! Hic sob!”
Moments later, Ellia had been holding him by the ankle, dangling him over the edge of a cliff. The boy, staring down at the sheer drop below, cried himself unconscious.
The onlookers had been horrified, calling her methods too harsh—but there had been no other way to correct such a rotten temper. Ever since that day, Michael had behaved with remarkable obedience whenever she visited.
“G-good to see you, Auntie…”
She suspected Michael had gone through a similar experience with his uncle, Diamid. His submissive demeanor was the same in both cases.
“I thought it would end with Michael…”
Unfortunately, another child had come along to test Ellia’s patience—her own son, Rozian.
Unlike his cousin, he troubled her in an entirely different way.
“Mother, why do I have to learn swordsmanship? I mean no disrespect, but swords seem like tools that only hurt others…”
When Rozian confessed he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy training, Ellia had given him some time to think. Perhaps time to reflect on his future and his duties as an imperial heir would do him good.
But then…
“Yay, I hit it!”
The boy who had said he feared hurting others was shooting insects with a toy gun the very next day.
“Maybe next time I’ll try hunting birds!”
“That’s not happening.”
Ellia scolded him sternly.
“As an imperial heir, you must bear responsibility for your privileges. I taught you swordsmanship as my son, but if that isn’t your path, then find another way to serve this country.”
“Mother, may I speak honestly?”
Rozian’s beautiful eyes curved into a bright, innocent smile.
“I just want to play and relax! I hate studying and work, Mother!”
That day, Rozian was punished by being hung upside down from a tree.
“Waaah!”
Ellia knew it was a harsh punishment. She understood that guiding him through conversation would’ve been better—but Rozian was a prince. He couldn’t behave like an ordinary child. She steeled her heart and did what she thought necessary.
Yet…
“Your Highness, is it true you were hung from a tree? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I cried yesterday, so Mother will probably leave me alone for a while.”
“Oh dear.”
“Being upside down actually made me feel taller! Hahaha. Don’t worry, I’ll still make time to see you, Lady Lily.”
It was absurd.
Honestly, her son Rozian was a complete handful.
“At least you’ve mastered court etiquette, even if it’s only to impress the young ladies. Fine, then—refine yourself further and make a good political marriage.”
“But Mother, I don’t think I could ever settle down with one woman! Cheating is bad, so maybe I just shouldn’t date anyone at all? What if I marry a princess from another country and start a war because of it?”
Michael had been hopeless. Rozian was even worse.
Lately, Jaina hadn’t seen Rozian and was curious about how he was doing, so she asked Ellia.
“He’s been busy training hard.”
Jaina tilted her head slightly.
“Training? Didn’t he used to hate swordsmanship?”
Princess Ellia sipped her warm tea and glanced at the non-human knight standing behind Jaina.
“I’d better keep quiet about that bodyguard.”
If Rozian found out, his motivation to train—born from his desire to protect Jaina—might be crushed.
“Still… how can I forge a bond between them…”
Ellia watched Jaina silently.
The daughter of Bezriche—the girl who had changed her son. Ellia was truly grateful for her and wanted to preserve that connection somehow.
But relationships were fragile things—tight one moment, snapping the next.
Michael, as a blood relative, was bound to her no matter what. But Rozian… he was just another person.
“So I’ll have to make a bond that can’t be broken easily.”
Ellia’s eyes gleamed faintly as she looked at Jaina.
When Jaina returned to the Magic Tower, she was greeted by Diamid, his face stern as ever—unyielding like a fortress wall.
She hadn’t expected to run into him after her pleasant tea time.
“Whatever he wants, I’d better avoid him.”
Jaina tried to move quietly, hoping to slip past him unnoticed.
Unfortunately, Diamid’s purpose seemed to involve her.
He stepped in front of her and said bluntly,
“I heard you received a necklace from Princess Ellia—the one with your mother’s portrait inside.”
It seemed Izren had reported the matter to him.
“That’s correct.”
Jaina answered plainly, but Diamid’s gaze pierced straight through her.
“Why is he suddenly asking about the necklace?”
For someone who normally showed zero interest in her, it was suspicious that he would bring it up out of nowhere.
Though she tried to remain composed, an uneasy feeling stirred inside her.
“…”
After a long silence, he gestured for her to follow him and stood up.
He led her to a drawing room where, seemingly in anticipation of her arrival, tea and pastries had already been set out.
Jaina’s tension rose. When it came to anything involving Bezriche, Diamid was exceedingly sensitive.
“Listen.”
Jaina looked down at the steaming cup placed before her.
“…Thank you.”
Without a word, she drank it. Not in slow sips, but by blowing gently and then taking a full mouthful once it had cooled—a habit she didn’t realize she’d inherited from her mother, Bezriche.
Diamid, watching her silently, finally spoke.
“Hand over the necklace that Princess Ellia gave you.”
It was a sudden demand.
Jaina hesitated, unable to bring herself to comply.
That necklace was the only keepsake she had left of her mother.
“Why do you want it?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“It’s my mother’s keepsake. You’re trying to take my belonging without even giving me a reason?”
Was he trying to destroy everything connected to Bezriche out of hatred?
Jaina bit her lip.
She knew the sensible thing would be to hand it over. But for once, she wanted to follow her heart, not her reason.
“No. This has nothing to do with the Tower Master—it’s mine.”
In the end, Jaina chose defiance, despite the danger.
Because giving up that necklace felt like denying her own existence.
