Chapter 26
It was a peaceful weekend.
Riette rested her chin on one hand and tapped her fingers on the desk. It was a habit that surfaced whenever she felt anxious or irritated.
The sudden appearance of an unexpected event had thrown her off.
“Why do they even select a ‘Person of the Year’ anyway?”
Just as it was a golden opportunity for Riette, it was also a chance for the other kids.
If it had been something like a horseback riding or fencing competition, she’d have been confident. But of all things, it had to be dancing! She didn’t even know where to find a suitable partner.
Frowning and deep in thought, Riette suddenly jumped to her feet.
Of course—the answer was her uncle. Her own personal Solomon!
She had actually considered going to Duke Croyt’s estate the moment she opened her eyes, but hesitated because of Evan. If she happened to run into him and he found out she was stressing over this, he’d definitely tease her again.
But in a situation like this, there really was no better option.
And so, Riette’s steps naturally carried her to the Croyt estate.
As soon as she arrived and saw the butler come out to greet her, she whispered softly,
“Has Evan gone out today, by any chance?”
“No, he’s at home. Shall I call—”
“No!”
Riette waved her hand urgently.
“Is he with the Duke right now, by any chance…?”
“No, he is not.”
As expected. The Duke and Evan weren’t so close as to spend weekends together.
Carefully avoiding Evan, Riette made her way to the Duke’s study.
“Hello, Uncle.”
“Oh, Riette.”
Duke Croyt removed the glasses he was wearing and greeted her. His eyes softened into a gentle curve.
He didn’t often wear glasses—he must have been reading something intently.
Riette approached the desk and glanced over the open book. The pages were filled with tiny, densely packed letters. Some weren’t even written in the Empire’s language.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a book about spirit stones.”
The mention of “spirit” made Riette’s conscience prick. She hadn’t even touched the spirit-related book the Duke had given her last time.
Trying to mask her guilt, she asked her usual questions.
“Why the sudden interest in spirit stones?”
“There’s been rising conflict among the nations over them lately. Everyone’s scrambling to gather information, and Truto Empire is no different.”
“Are spirit stones that powerful?”
She had heard that there was only one spirit master in the entire empire, but this was her first time hearing about spirit stones.
“Nothing’s certain yet, but they say the power within them is immense.”
“Ohh… Can anyone use them, even if they’re not a spirit master?”
“No, only spirit masters can use them. That’s why His Majesty the Emperor is so desperate to find more. Luckily, our empire has one affiliated spirit master.”
I see.
So if that spirit master harnesses the power of a spirit stone, they’d gain immense strength—and the empire clearly wants that.
“But wasn’t the spirit master said to be a free-spirited person?”
“Well, anyone’s heart can change if the right conditions are met.”
The Duke closed the book. Riette’s eyes sparkled as she asked,
“So, did you find any clues about the spirit stones?”
He shook his head.
“Research only started recently among scholars. It’s still an unknown territory.”
There were so many fascinating things in this world—spirits, spirit stones, divine power, magic…
“Ah, right! Magic!”
Riette suddenly remembered the magic she’d been forgetting about.
“Uncle! I think I can use magic!”
The Duke smiled faintly, as if he didn’t quite believe her.
“You’ve heard the story about how I defeated a bear, right?”
The Duke knew everything that happened at school. Evan probably didn’t gossip, but it seemed he had a steady source from someone there.
“Of course I heard. My heart nearly stopped when I did.”
He clutched his chest, as if the memory alone still startled him.
“But the result was good, right?”
He didn’t seem eager to hear the story again, but Riette was.
She had never really talked in detail about that day to anyone. It had felt like bragging, and besides, the story was kind of long.
But with her uncle, it was different—she felt like a child again, wanting to boast about her heroic tale. Besides, she had to explain the magic part too.
“That day, something really special happened.”
Riette began recounting the memory.
“The tip of my last arrow was broken, and I thought I was really going to die. The bear’s teeth were right in front of my face.”
As the story went on, the Duke’s face grew paler, like he was suffering indigestion. But Riette, caught up in the tale, didn’t notice.
“But then, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew. Isn’t that strange? I’d been walking around that forest for hours and there wasn’t even a breeze.”
“…Wind?”
“Yeah, a fierce gust. The gray bear shut its eyes for a moment because of it, and that’s when I stabbed it with my bow.”
Even telling the story again made her hair stand on end.
“That’s incredible.”
“I must’ve unconsciously used magic. There’s no way such an unnatural wind would’ve come otherwise.”
Beaming with pride, Riette declared. The Duke stood up from his seat.
“Then let’s check it right now.”
“Right now?”
“You said before that you wanted to protect yourself, so I bought a magic stone that tests magical power.”
He opened a drawer in the study and took out a blue stone, smaller than a fist.
“This is a magic stone?”
He nodded.
“If you have magic, then when you squeeze this stone tightly, your power will clash with the stone’s, and it’ll shatter. If it stays the same, you don’t have magic.”
“Hmmm…”
Riette carefully took the glowing blue stone.
Her heart pounded.
‘Am I finally going to discover my hidden power…?!’
With a determined look, Riette gripped the stone tightly. Somehow, she could feel it—this was it.
Fully prepared, she gave it a firm squeeze.
“……”
Hmm…? It should’ve broken by now.
Nothing happened. She relaxed her hand and tried again.
“……”
Still no change.
“Uncle, I think this stone is broken.”
The Duke cleared his throat awkwardly. He seemed a little embarrassed.
“…Magic stones don’t break.”
“That can’t be right!”
“Sadly… it seems the wind that day was just a coincidence.”
Disappointed, Riette handed the magic stone back to the Duke.
Her face fell.
‘I was so hopeful…’
Trying to lift her spirits, the Duke changed the subject.
“Riette, the dance party is coming up, isn’t it?”
“Oh… right!”
Riette’s head shot up. That was why she had come here in the first place.
“Do you have a dance partner in mind?”
Like a private tutor hitting the exact point of concern, the Duke asked what was troubling her.
“That’s exactly why I came.”
“Can’t decide on a partner?”
“No… Who did you go with, Uncle?”
She asked, and the Duke recalled an old memory.
“It changed every year, but I usually danced with my cousin.”
“Your cousin? Did she attend the academy too?”
It was rare for girls to attend noble academies.
“No, she didn’t. It’s allowed to bring an outsider as your partner, so I asked her.”
Right, if it had to be only between students, the gender ratio wouldn’t work—outside partners made sense.
‘Then maybe I should go with an outsider too?’
At that moment, her eyes landed on the Duke. Like a lantern hiding its own light, she had completely overlooked the perfect partner right in front of her—just like Evan.
“Uncle.”
“…Sorry, Riette.”
She hadn’t even asked, but the Duke already seemed to know and gently declined.
“Why not! I’ve grown up a lot now—we even match in height!”
“Your father wouldn’t like it. And more importantly…”
“More importantly?”
“I don’t want to be hated.”
His vague response, missing a subject, made Riette tilt her head.
“Hated by who…?”
“Riette. I may not be able to be your partner, but I can teach you how to dance.”
His kind offer lifted Riette’s sulky mood.
She had been wondering whether to find a new dance teacher. Her last one had quit with a horrified expression, and the memory made her hesitate.
But with her uncle, she could ask without worry.
“Shall we try now?”
“Sure!”
In the spacious study, Riette and the Duke joined hands. With a snap of his fingers, the magic orb on the table began to play music.
Thinking about magic again, Riette felt another pang of disappointment.
If only she had magic, she could create such orbs and live a far more exciting life…!
But she only stared at the orb for a moment. Soon, she clumsily followed the Duke’s lead.
Slip—
And right from the start, she stepped on his foot.
“Ah—oops.”
“It’s fine.”
Fortunately, the Duke smiled kindly, unfazed.
But the same mistake kept happening.
Squish—
“Oh no.”
Squash—
“Eek.”
Squeeeeze—
“…Sorry.”
Each time Riette apologized awkwardly, the Duke assured her it was fine—but the sweat beading on his forehead said otherwise.
As the music ended, Riette felt just as drained as she had when fighting the bear.
“That was impressive.”
Just then, a voice rang out from behind.
Turning around, Riette saw Evan leaning against the door, arms crossed.
“You’re not trying to disable Father’s feet, are you?”
