Chapter 13
“Friends… you mean?”
“Yes. How about the three of us becoming a trio?”
Erkina smiled warmly.
Ilyas’s eyes widened. He looked flustered, on the verge of tears.
“I thought Princess hated me… so I assumed you didn’t want me to take the knightly oath…”
“Oh, no. Why would I hate you?”
“But you talk easily with him, share secret messages in letters I can’t read, and even call him a friend… yet I helped him even when he beat me…”
He must have felt genuinely hurt.
Still, Erkina hadn’t expected this reaction.
Even with time reversed, human nature seemed unchanged—or maybe this was his original self?
In any case, a crying boy was still awkward.
“If you don’t want to… then we don’t have to be friends.”
“No! I want to be friends! I must be friends!”
Ilyas wiped his tears and declared boldly, even making the servant refilling snacks smile in amusement.
Meanwhile, Caligo, who had been scribbling something, handed over a note.
『I don’t want to be friends with him.』
Ilyas saw it.
He glared at the paper on the table as if he wanted to burn it with his eyes.
“What did Caligo say?”
Was he surprisingly perceptive? Displeasure radiated from his voice.
“He said… he wants to be friends.”
Caligo’s resistance was pacified by shoving a large candy—his favorite—into his mouth.
Ilyas stared at the scene obsessively, even enough for Erkina to notice as she turned her head.
Was he caught lying?
“It’s… really true,” Erkina said awkwardly, tilting her head.
Suddenly, Ilyas raised his hand.
“Princess!”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Please teach me that cipher too.”
“…Huh?”
Then an even more astonishing thing came from him:
“Just now, you asked for jealousy, didn’t you? I can’t bear that you only exchange notes with him.”
That wasn’t meant for him.
In the parlor, it felt like a proxy war among the little beasts.
The green-eyed knight and the blue-eyed magician eyed each other warily, speaking sparingly.
But it wasn’t the tension Erkina had hoped for.
Words like jealousy or passion didn’t exist here.
“Tower Master, I heard you became the Princess’s magic instructor,” the Marquis spoke first.
“Rumors travel fast,” Jerthermion replied.
“But you serve the First Prince, don’t you?”
“You’re mistaken. The tower answers to no one, myself included as its master. Anyone can sponsor it or request research on magical tools.”
The Marquis of Verden narrowed his eyes.
“And yet, haven’t you received much from the First Prince?”
“Do you mean my position as a baronet? That’s merely like knights being granted minor noble treatment upon commission.”
There was a time when even that seemed essential, a time when he had desperately tried to climb the social ladder, thinking even counts were necessary.
“And I am the magic instructor personally chosen by Erkina, teaching with the Emperor’s approval.”
As he spoke the last sentence, his gaze fell on Mernelia.
It was a silent challenge.
“And yet, you try to push me out by force?”
It was partly resentment.
“Impossible. Who would want to oppose the Empire’s strongest magician?”
“Likewise. No sane magician would fight one of the few swordsmen capable of forging blades in the Empire.”
Was that praise or warning?
Even without aggressive intent, the tension between them was palpable, like stepping between two forces and being flattened.
“Ah, Marquis.”
Mernelia cleared her throat. She looked pale, as if the full force of their energy had struck her directly.
“Forgive me, Princess. Are you alright?”
The Marquis of Verden quickly supported her.
Seeing his kind, gentle demeanor, Mernelia exhaled deeply.
“I’m fine. Thank you, Marquis.”
Jerthermion’s eyes narrowed.
For the first time, he felt an inferiority he recognized as jealousy.
The innate elegance and manners of a noble—no magician from the slums could ever wear them.
“If you’re finished, I’ll be going. You two can enjoy your cordial time.”
“Wait, Tower Master! There’s a misunderstanding here…”
Jerthermion, about to storm outside, paused.
A portrait hung near the door. A red-haired mother and daughter smiled at each other, strikingly alike.
Seeing the girl’s smile, Jerthermion’s hand tensed. He slowly turned back.
“By the way, the First Prince summoned me today.”
“See, Marquis? How could anyone cooperate with him…”
“He asked if I understood the meaning of a royal using magic.”
Mernelia’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected the young nephew—barely ten years old—to be treated seriously by Paleroad.
If they planned to use rumors as a pretext against Erkina, they would have had her secretly taught by a different magician.
“What did you answer?” she asked sharply.
Jerthermion’s lips curled. Perhaps petty revenge toward Mernelia, or maybe twisted by jealousy.
“I said that a strong magician can disturb a weaker magician’s power.”
“You! Completely hopeless! What did Erkina do to you!”
Mernelia lunged at Jerthermion. He allowed her to grab his collar, feeling her breath.
The scent of lilac still lingered, but the fluttering feeling from before was gone.
“Princess, what do you think I’ll do from now on?”
He had already given the answer that morning.
Erkina looked at the boy making strange claims and finally spoke.
“This is an ancient script. It’s not a cipher.”
“Ancient script?”
“Yes. It’s learned to study magic. Most magical records are written in ancient script.”
“Oh…”
Ilyas’s face turned deep red. He realized his earlier words had been foolish, and he hadn’t recognized the script either.
But there was no need to feel ashamed—knights don’t need to learn magic. Their effort is best spent creating sword energy rather than studying magic.
“So…”
“If you want to exchange secret notes with Caligo, learn the ancient script.”
Erkina said matter-of-factly. Ilyas wouldn’t actually learn it; she just wanted to prevent more trouble.
Still, his green eyes sparkled beautifully.
“Indeed! Princess, you are wise!”
Such unfounded praise.
What on earth was going through Ilyas’s mind?
Erkina recalled the Ilyas she once knew: nothing but hatred and disdain.
No other words could describe him then, so it was impossible to reconcile this playful, friendly behavior with the boy she remembered.
And yet… that odd feeling of guilt washed over Erkina.
