Chapter 82
He wanted to go see her right away—but there was no way to approach.
Showing the Emperor the moment he struck Arpina had been a fatal mistake. Because of that, Boreoti had taken his daughter away from him.
‘My wife… no.’
His wife treated their eldest daughter as if she were already dead. If he ordered her to make contact, who knew what would happen.
“……”
After a brief silence, the count rang the bell.
‘Come to think of it, those two used to get along fairly well, didn’t they?’
A servant waiting outside opened the door and entered. Count Tonide spoke.
“What is Argentia doing right now?”
“She went to the training grounds an hour ago for mana practice.”
“Tell her to come here at once.”
A scene flickered in Count Tonide’s mind—
His second daughter, kind and innocent, who had always followed her clumsy, inadequate older sister around, calling to her affectionately.
“Phew.”
Arpina wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“That’s the last of it…”
It was finally the day to return to the capital.
It had already been well over a month since she arrived in the South. Her luggage had doubled in size since she came, and she’d ended up buying an extra bag.
When she came down to the first-floor parlor carrying her packed bags, Sonia—who had finished preparing first—waved at her.
Next to Sonia were three large bags.
“You and I both ended up with way too much stuff.”
“That just means we gained a lot while we were here.”
At Arpina’s words, Sonia blinked in surprise.
“…What’s with that look?”
“Nothing. Just—what a nice thing to say.”
Sonia grinned.
“You’ve really changed, haven’t you?”
Who could have changed her so much?
Sonia hid a smirk behind her hand.
“Oh, I know. It’s all thanks to your fiancé-to-be, Del, right?”
“Don’t tease me…”
Though she grumbled, a smile had already bloomed on Arpina’s face.
By now, Sonia was used to her friend’s new demeanor and watched her with a fond expression.
“Change for the better is always good, right?”
“Of course.”
The old Arpina had been pessimistic about everything—quiet, withdrawn, uncomfortable with showing any emotion in front of others.
Her thoughts and judgments were always rooted in negativity and doubt.
She had little self-esteem and could never trust that anyone’s affection toward her was genuine.
‘But ever since she started…’
Ah.
‘…Ever since she started practice dating Del, she’s really changed.’
She still had a long way to go, but the way Arpina was learning to like herself—that was a huge step forward.
‘For that alone, I should be grateful to Del.’
Of course, she’d sooner die than admit that out loud.
Soon, the carriage that would take them to the capital arrived.
“Take care, both of you.”
“Thank you for everything while we were here.”
“Goodbye, ma’am! Stay well!”
They boarded the carriage, waving to the kind housekeeper who saw them off. The tall horses began to move.
Until they reached the city gate, Arpina kept her eyes fixed on the scenery of the South.
“It was fun, wasn’t it?”
Sonia smiled at her warmly.
Arpina nodded.
“It was fulfilling—and fun.”
“Me too.”
“Next time, let’s come just for fun, not for work.”
“Wow, you’re the one suggesting that?”
Sonia looked delighted, grinning from ear to ear.
When the carriage passed through the capital gate, it stopped briefly for inspection.
It was standard procedure—sometimes, traveling through the teleportation gate left minor damage on carriages or goods.
“Hmm, all good.”
After a careful check, the coachman nodded and set off again.
After a month and a half, they were back in the capital.
The heat lingered, but compared to the South, it was noticeably milder.
So to Arpina and Sonia, fresh from the southern warmth, the capital’s air actually felt cool.
“Oh, you’re back!”
“You’re home already?”
As soon as they entered the boarding house, the other Pride scholars in the living room welcomed them.
Arpina and Sonia handed out souvenirs from the South—within minutes, the living room was filled with cheerful chatter.
“Sonia, I’m going to my room for a bit.”
“Okay.”
Still handing out southern fruit confections, Sonia waved her off.
Inside her room, Arpina first checked the pile of mail that had arrived while she was away.
“Lawyer, lawyer, accountant, patent office…”
Her hand suddenly froze.
A bluish envelope, tinged faintly with silver.
Arpina’s gaze turned cold as she read the sender’s name.
Tonide.
Argenta Tonide.
The moment she saw the name, all the positivity she had built up over the past month seemed to drain away.
“……”
Arpina closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them again.
She took a deep, slow breath—once, twice—calmly, deliberately.
‘Calm down. No need to get worked up.’
She recalled the moments she’d shared with Del—
The glittering sunlight, the meals they’d shared, the bustling lights of the southern night market, the sound of waves lapping against the sand late at night.
The warmth of the hand that had held hers.
The slight dampness of their palms.
That smile, so gentle, turned toward her.
‘…It’s okay.’
Her heartbeat steadied.
After some thought, Arpina decided not to open the letter.
‘The Duke of Boreoti said if I ever got letters from home, I could give them to him instead…’
If it had been from her father, she would have handed it over without hesitation.
But this one was from her younger sister.
‘Though honestly, I’m not even sure it’s really from Argenta…’
Arpina hated her family.
Her biological father, Count Tonide—there was no question there.
She despised him so deeply that if he were to die in some accident, she would be devastated—not because she loved him, but because it would mean she’d lost the chance to get revenge herself.
Her mother was a little better, but the memories were no kinder.
That woman had always wept while holding Arpina—not out of worry for a daughter who couldn’t use magic, but out of shame for giving birth to a failure that humiliated her.
Arpina couldn’t remember her mother’s face anymore, only the dark blue hair that always turned away from her—so much like her own.
And then, the last person she least wanted to see.
“Father’s only doing this for your own good, you know. Don’t be so difficult.”
“So what? She’s basically an orphan anyway. Every noble family does secret experiments. Even Lord Ortio does them, right?”
“…Why can’t you understand how I feel?”
“I like you, Sister. Why do you hate me?”
“You’re leaving home? Then what about our family!”
Even thinking about it made her temples throb.
“…Haah.”
Arpina pressed a hand to her forehead.
Once, she had believed those words were sincere. No—she still believed that her sister had meant every single one of them.
And that, perhaps, was the saddest part of all.
The proof was in the silence—until now, not once had she ever written to Arpina.
“Now what do I do?”
She muttered aloud, her voice weary.
Then—
Knock, knock.
“Senpai.”
Sunlight came through the door in the form of a voice.
And the fog in Arpina’s mind slowly began to lift.
Bright blond hair and clear blue eyes.
“Hello!”
The Academy’s famous personality.
The handsome lunatic. Handsome, cheerful, and just a little insane.
In short—HanLoon.
“Did everyone have a nice vacation? Here, these are some snacks from Duke Boreoti!”
Del appeared at the Pride scholars’ boarding house, arms full of desserts.
“Whoa, desserts!”
“Look! It’s those sugar candies everyone’s talking about!”
“You were in the capital too, Del?”
“Long time no see! How’ve you been?”
“Today’s like a gift festival.”
“Del, have some too. These are sweets Sonia and Arpina brought back from the South.”
“Arpina-senpai’s back?”
Del’s eyes lit up.
Since returning from the South, he had been taking his successor training seriously.
Even his sister Fedeliana—who usually treated him like a lackey—had learned to stay quiet while he studied. Sometimes she even brought her own books and read beside him.
“Take these to the boarding house for me,” the Duke had said.
Del had leapt at the errand, secretly hopeful.
‘Maybe she’s back already?’
He’d been working so hard lately that even he was impressed with himself. Maybe his mother wanted to reward him?
But no—the news was even better. Arpina was back.
When he saw Sonia in the boarding house parlor, he almost cried.
“Sonia-senpai! I’ve never been this happy to see you!”
“You’re not even gonna ask if I got back safely?”
“Well, your head’s still attached, so I figured you did.”
“Why you little—!”
Sonia tried to kick him, but Del dodged nimbly and darted up the stairs.
Before knocking on Arpina’s door, he washed his hands in the bathroom and checked himself in the mirror.
‘Good.’
Still handsome as ever.
The intense training had tired him out a bit, which gave his face a slightly mature, refined look—or so he thought.
Of course, that was pure delusion.
‘This time, she’ll notice how much more manly I’ve become. What if she says I look so grown up she can’t recognize me?’
Again—complete delusion.
Clearing his throat, Del stood before Arpina’s door.
‘My throat’s been weird lately.’
It was hoarse, scratchy for no reason.
‘I hope it’s not a cold…’
What if he passed it to her?!
He hesitated but decided it was probably just fatigue.
Knock, knock.
“Senpai.”
He wanted to call out Noona—but stopped himself. The contract said he couldn’t use that word when others might hear.
‘When we’re alone, I’ll say it as much as I want.’
The door opened quickly.
“Senpai, I—!”
But his bright voice faltered into silence.
Del, ignoring propriety, stepped into her room. Normally, it would have been unforgivable for a man to enter a lady’s room uninvited—but now wasn’t the time for manners.
“Noona…”
He gently cupped Arpina’s face.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
The Arpina he’d seen in the South had been radiant—maybe tired, but always positive and bright.
Now, all of that light seemed gone.
“……”
Arpina lowered her gaze briefly, then looked up at him again.
“A letter came.”
“Who from?”
“My younger sister.”
“Your… sister.”
Del’s brows knit together slightly.
He knew about Arpina’s family situation—but pretended not to.
Because Arpina herself had never spoken of it, and until she did, he would act as if he didn’t know.
“You have a sister.”
“She’s a year younger. Training at the Magic Tower.”
“Is it a troublesome letter?”
“I don’t want to read it—but I need to know why she sent it.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Arpina asked quietly,
“Will you read it for me?”
