Chapter 103

It had been a few years since Riana first came to know the magic circle passed down only within the Mage Tower.

That was around the time she made her name as a magic swordsman, left the palace, and began traveling the battlefields.

She was enjoying the freedom that came from being left alone.

“There’s an old ruin out west of Roen. It’s said to be where an ancient Mage Tower once stood.”

Curious, and with no guards under her at the time, Riana entered the underground ruins alone.

At that, Bernian asked in a slightly shocked tone.

“…If it’s that ruin, isn’t it forbidden by the Roen royal family to enter?”

Riana’s reply was short and bold.

“Of course I sneaked in.”

“…”

“I was confident I wouldn’t get caught, and even if I did—so what? I’m a princess. What could they do?”

At her brazen answer, Ianheart let out a low laugh while Bernian looked dumbfounded.

“…That’s just like you.”

“Mm, thanks. …Well, thanks to that, I was able to be here like this today.”

At Ianheart’s quiet words, Riana rolled her eyes and answered awkwardly.

The mood shifted slightly, like an orchestra that suddenly halted before continuing.

Bernian, who had been dismayed by Riana’s bold tale of trespassing, now turned his gaze to Ianheart.

‘What on earth is this atmosphere supposed to be?’ — that was the gist of his look. But Ianheart simply ignored him.

And Riana in turn tried her best to ignore Ianheart’s gaze.

What wealth and glory could I possibly be aiming for…

“Ahem. Your Highness, so you discovered the magic circle there?”

In the end, Bernian was the first to speak again. As the Empire’s Grand Chancellor, he was responsible for the empire’s prosperity, after all.

Fortunately, Riana seemed glad he spoke, and she quickly answered.

“Well, it was half by chance. Finding the place was coincidence, but getting inside was only possible because I was a magic swordsman.”

“…An ancient Mage Tower site required swordsmanship to enter?”

“Well, who knows why. How could we possibly understand the minds of the ancients?”

Riana shrugged at Bernian’s doubtful question.

“More precisely, both aura and mana were required. And not just a little — at least a mid-to-high level of both.”

At those words, both Ianheart and Bernian couldn’t hide their surprise.

Even just reaching the mid-level with aura was enough for most noble families to fight over you with lavish promises.

It showed how rare such skill was — and how hard it was to attain.

The same went for mages, who were even fewer in number than knights.

And someone who mastered both — a magic swordsman — was rarer still.

Even rarer was someone who could reach such a level in both fields.

And now Riana was saying she had reached that level years ago.

“I’ve heard that Your Highness is a once-in-a-century genius, but still…”

“I was just lucky.”

Riana smiled sheepishly, answering with modesty.

Then she calmly continued.

“Anyway, that must’ve been the entrance test. A door opened, and after I got past a few traps, I found myself in a place like a library.”

There were magical traps and physical ones as well.

But none were difficult for someone with her level of skill to avoid.

And when she arrived, the library looked as if it had been burned.

Judging by the condition, the fire had been fairly recent.

Naturally, most of the countless books inside had been ruined.

“…My goodness. Who would do such a thing…”

Bernian’s face was full of regret.

A secret library of an ancient Mage Tower.

Even a fragment of its records could be of great use to the Empire.

Of course, since it was within Roen’s territory, they couldn’t just take it. But if they offered money, that foolish king would surely welcome it with open arms.

How such an intelligent and remarkable princess could have been born under such a foolish ruler…

At that moment, Riana smiled slyly.

“Fortunately, there were a few intact books. About five, I think? Naturally, I grabbed them all.”

“Your Highness…!”

Bernian, uncharacteristically moved, shot up to his feet.

Then he cleared his throat, embarrassed, and sat back down.

But his face was still filled with lingering awe and excitement.

“So the magic circle for the mana test was found in one of those books?”

“Oh, no. Not quite.”

In the center of the library-like room was a large wooden slab.

Sensing something strange about the charred slab, Riana brushed it gently.

There, faint remnants of a magic circle and a short phrase appeared.

But after she repeated examining it a few times, the slab suddenly turned to ashes and vanished.

“Then…”

Even though he already knew Riana could perform mana tests, Bernian’s expression grew tense.

He was simply too absorbed in her story.

“Luckily, I’ve got a pretty good memory. I redrew the magic circle on the spot and brought it back with me.”

There wasn’t much else to say after that.

She’d only used it to discover a few mages among her guard.

“We must be grateful that Your Highness didn’t reveal this in Roen.”

Bernian’s voice carried relief.

But Riana chuckled, shaking her head.

“I couldn’t have, even if I wanted to. Not that I had any fondness for Roen’s royal family, but the situation wasn’t right.”

“The situation?”

“The head of Roen’s Mage Tower is the queen’s cousin. And the queen herself was desperate to tear me apart.”

“Ah…”

“As you know, I wasn’t exactly treated well in the palace. So I figured it would be hard to deal with the aftermath.”

At Riana’s matter-of-fact words, Ianheart’s expression darkened.

If Riana could have seen his thoughts, her eyes would’ve widened.

Or maybe, in this case, she would’ve glared.

Bernian’s expression wasn’t good either.

After all, he was the one who’d shown interest in the mana test.

But now there was no turning back.

He was the Empire’s Grand Chancellor — his choices always had to be for the empire’s sake.

“…I am ashamed, Your Highness.”

“Mm? Oh, don’t be. His Majesty will reward me handsomely anyway. Right, Your Majesty?”

Seeing Bernian so downcast, Riana gave a playful smile and lightly grasped Ianheart’s arm.

At the same time, Ianheart’s arm flinched slightly.

A small tremor that only Riana, holding onto his firm arm, could feel.

For a moment, Ianheart froze. And Riana, startled, quickly let go.

It was a stark contrast of reactions.

“…Anyway, we’ll need a trustworthy imperial mage, and we’ll have to discuss security and how to use it.”

She continued, wrapping her right hand — the one that had trembled — with her left, before resting it on Leon’s back.

Ianheart’s eyes, unknowingly, lingered on her hand.

But Riana didn’t give him another look or touch.

Fool.

Ianheart cursed himself inwardly.

Unfortunately, while the discussion of the mana test wrapped up, Riana never once directly addressed Ianheart.

Only fleeting glances when Bernian mentioned him.

…Idiot.

Just because she responded politely to his words didn’t mean her heart was the same as before.

He’d lost points before he even had the chance to explain the past four days of avoidance.

So, while Ianheart sat in silence, Riana and Bernian continued their conversation.

Riana deliberately avoided acknowledging Ianheart, and Bernian… intentionally ignored him.

Serves him right. Who told him to avoid the princess for four whole days?

‘He avoided her, yet spent four days sulking…’

Of course, it wasn’t that Ianheart shirked his duties or lazed around.

But from a minister’s point of view, watching his lord grow harsher by the day wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Even without knowing the reason, the awkward air and the way his lord looked at the princess like a lost puppy made it clear whose fault it was.

Ignoring his emperor, Bernian concluded the matter.

“Then, I’ll draft a contract.”

“…A contract?”

“Yes. We must be thorough in matters like this. Once the preliminary draft is ready, I’ll bring it right away. Please review it and tell me if anything is lacking.”

“Uh… Sure, I suppose.”

Riana, who had thought a contract unnecessary, could only nod blankly at Bernian’s firm attitude.