Chapter 44
At some point, Jayna had heard from Izren that swordsmen, once they reached a certain level of skill through regular sword training, began to practice infusing magic into their blades.
Of course, it wasn’t as if Logian had never trained in swordsmanship before—but compared to Michael, a genius magician, and himself, who was of dragon blood, his affinity for magic was clearly much weaker.
Yet Logian stood before the storming sea as if it didn’t faze him at all.
“Lord Michael, I think you might be going too far this time…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. What’s the worst that could happen—he dies?”
Michael’s indifferent tone made it sound as though he actually wanted Logian to die.
Worried, Jayna grabbed his sleeve and said,
“Do you even know how old His Highness Prince Logian is?”
“Of course. When my aunt was his age, she sliced an entire mountain in two.”
“That’s only because she’s Princess Ellia!”
“My aunt wasn’t born a hero, either. And back then, she was mocked for being a princess who dared to practice swordsmanship. That boy’s had it too easy. He needs to get roughed up a bit.”
Jayna sighed softly, and Michael continued,
“He’s the son of Princess Ellia, isn’t he? Let’s see what he’s capable of.”
“Even if they’re mother and son, they’re completely different people. And besides, Lord Logian is the type who gets most uncomfortable under others’ expectations.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
Jayna looked at him in surprise. Unexpectedly, Michael’s face was serious.
“If he can’t overcome even that, then he’s not qualified to protect anyone. That’s what the ring symbolizes.”
Murmuring that to himself, Michael suddenly brightened up again and pulled Jayna by the shoulder with a grin.
“Come on, let’s have our own fun. Enough about him.”
Inside the seaside villa, servants stood ready and waiting.
“Dinner tonight is supposed to be barbecue.”
After changing clothes, Jayna and Michael stepped outside and looked at the food laid out on the outdoor table—sausages and vegetables sizzling on the grill, and perfectly cooked steak.
The sun had already set, the moon was casting its light over the dark sky, and a cool breeze from the sea brushed against them. Jayna closed her eyes, savoring the wind that came from the dark night sea.
“He actually managed to make the storm appear only over that part of the sea…”
Though it wasn’t visible from here, thunder and lightning were raging only over the waters where Logian was training.
“Lord Michael’s magic really is incredible…”
Jayna was once again reminded that the title of “genius” attached to his name was no exaggeration.
“By the way, kiddo, how’s your teacher? When the Tower Master suddenly asked me to find you a harpsichord instructor, I told my aunt, and she sent one of her lady-in-waiting’s relatives.”
Lost in thought, Jayna turned her head to look at him. Michael had an uneasy expression.
“If I’d had more time, I’d have done a background check and found someone reliable. Just hiring by résumé makes me uncomfortable.”
He grumbled, looking down at her. Knowing that his irritation came from concern for her, Jayna smiled brightly.
“Yes, of course. They’re a very kind person.”
“That’s a relief.”
Chatting idly as they finished dinner, the two returned to their rooms for the night.
Back in her room, Jayna climbed into the hammock hung along one wall. The bed was fine, but lying in the hammock felt like floating gently in midair—it was so relaxing.
“I wonder if Lord Logian’s training is going well.”
She opened the window. Far off in the distance, she could see Logian still training without rest. If Michael saw him now, he would probably smirk and say it was a miracle the boy hadn’t died yet.
“He didn’t even eat dinner…”
Jayna watched him anxiously for a while, then quietly drew the curtains.
The next morning.
When Jayna came downstairs for breakfast, she found Logian already sitting at the table, resting his chin on one hand. She remembered that she had gone to bed quite late, yet he’d still been out by the waves training at the time.
“Your Highness, what time did you come in last night?”
“I did come in… eventually.”
Logian’s face looked drowsy, as though he hadn’t slept much. His usually bright eyes were half-lidded, giving him a strangely alluring air.
“It was a bit late.”
His low voice sent a faint shiver through the morning air. Jayna looked at him silently, and noticing her worried gaze, Logian smiled faintly and stood up.
“Anyway, there’s something I want to show you.”
“Something to show me?”
“Yeah. But you have to promise not to tell Brother Michael.”
He winked mischievously and led Jayna out to the beach.
“His Highness hasn’t eaten breakfast, shall I prepare something separately for him?”
“Why are you asking me about that brat? Let him do what he wants.”
Michael, who had come out to the beach early that morning, waved off the servant’s question and silently watched Logian and Jayna from a distance.
“I used to think his talent was being wasted, but maybe he’s got some backbone after all—must be from my aunt.”
Jayna didn’t know it, but Michael had been watching Logian’s training the entire time through magic.
He didn’t know what exactly about Jayna had changed the boy, but Logian was far more passionate than before.
He had fallen into the sea dozens—no, hundreds—of times, flailing in the waves.
But at last, despite his clumsiness, he managed to grasp the method of channeling his magic.
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
Even as the waves rocked violently beneath him, Logian managed to keep his balance. Michael snapped his fingers.
Splash!
The waves grew even rougher, throwing Logian off balance.
“Waaah!”
But somehow, Logian didn’t fall. Watching this, Michael wrinkled his nose.
“Well, I suppose if he wasn’t confident, he wouldn’t have come back to the beach. Or maybe he spent the whole night pushing himself.”
He figured Logian had brought Jayna out to show her how he could now ride the waves using wind magic.
“Hmph. I thought he’d beg for mercy, but… not bad, I’ll give him that much.”
Seeing the boy struggle to protect the “kid” made Michael think that, for all his laziness and delicate nature, Logian wasn’t such a bad person after all.
“Well, I’ll just keep working him harder myself…”
And so, Jayna’s tenth birthday trip came to an end.
When Jayna returned from the seaside, she was startled to find her room filled with enormous gift boxes.
“W-what is all this?”
“These are birthday presents from His Highness Prince Logian.”
A maid handed her a letter. Jayna opened the envelope and began to read slowly.
[I wanted to give you these on your birthday, but since it coincides with Grandfather’s, I’m sending them early in case they arrive late. Late gifts are the worst, right?]
Hearing his familiar tone in her mind, Jayna smiled softly and continued reading.
[You said there wasn’t anything you really wanted, so I wasn’t sure what to get. I just sent a bunch of things. There’s a list below—if there’s something you like, tell me. I’ll keep it in mind for your next birthday.]
When she saw the list written at the bottom, Jayna was momentarily speechless.
Silk gloves, bonnets, jewels—one extravagant item after another filled the page.
She wanted to send them all back, thinking they were too much, but she couldn’t bear to disappoint him.
As she looked uneasily between the presents and the letter, one of the maids asked,
“Is something the matter, my lady?”
“No, it’s just… the boxes are so beautiful.”
Indeed, each gift box was wrapped in a different ribbon and adorned with fresh flowers.
“I agree. Even the wrapping is lovely. His Highness must have excellent taste.”
The maids, blushing and flustered, seemed eager for Jayna to open the gifts.
“Just in case, I’ll open them carefully. If something’s too expensive, I’ll have to return it.”
“Could you help me unwrap them? I’d like to keep the decorations intact.”
“Of course, my lady!”
The maids immediately set to work, delicately removing the flowers, untying the ribbons, and opening the boxes—each time letting out gasps of awe.
“Wow…”
“Isn’t that the rare emerald said to be reserved for royalty?”
“Look at these silk gloves—they’re so soft! I’d love to wear them to a party.”
Not a single gift was ordinary. Jayna gazed blankly at the jewels, gloves, shell-crafted fans, exquisite dolls, and beautiful music boxes.
“My lady, only one box is left. Would you open this one yourself?”
Jayna came to her senses and placed her hands on the last box.
“This is…”
[And it’s nothing special, but since you seem to really like the sea, I sent a snow globe. You can’t always visit the ocean, so I hope looking at this helps you feel close to it.]
Inside the box was a snow globe depicting the same scenery she had marveled at during their seaside trip—
the sun setting below the horizon, the sea glowing red in its light.
As she gazed at it quietly, Jayna began to write a letter of thanks to Logian.
