Chapter 29
Trajectory
“The strongest shield of the land, Duke Deirton, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Nanesha of House Lintzhug.”
“Hello, Duke Deirton. I am Yuri Larraen of House Larraen.”
Nanesha and Yuri greeted Cedric as well.
Daimond always called Nanesha “Naneshi-ah,” dragging out her name. Because of that, when I was little, I honestly thought her name was Nanesia.
Nanesia—Nanesha Lintzhug of House Lintzhug, a founding meritorious family—was the very image of a perfect lady.
From a young age, Nanesha handled flawless etiquette more easily than breathing, and she possessed deep cultivation across many fields. She had distinct talent in art and literature. Whatever she touched became a piece of art that dazzled the eyes.
Since she was a child of a count’s family that governed territory near the capital and was close in age to Daimond, it was almost inevitable that she would be chosen as Daimond’s friend.
When I was young, I often saw Nanesha—the stunningly beautiful older sister—whenever she visited to see Daimond. Whenever she noticed me, she smiled. Even as a child, I thought that smile was unbearably lovely.
Nanesha was also kind. So kind it bordered on illness—she worried about the entire world. That warmth extended to me as well. That kindness likely played a large part in her decision to come as both a Ministry of Finance official and a magical engineering envoy.
Cedric offered everyone seats.
Cedric and I sat together on one sofa, while the guests sat on the sofa opposite us. Lady Knox brought out refreshing lemon tea.
Even after sitting down, Daimond kept staring at me with a look that said he had countless questions.
I was afraid of what kind of wild imaginings might be running through his head, but I pretended not to notice his gaze.
Eventually, Daimond stopped glaring at me and suddenly began glaring intensely at Cedric instead.
To be more honest, despite the polite words coming from his mouth, Daimond was outright staring down Cedric.
It seemed that Daimond’s imagination—second to none in the Kingdom of Rundra—had conjured up an entirely unnecessary enemy.
Cedric behaved as though he hadn’t noticed Daimond’s stare at all. The Duke of Deirton sipped his tea with his usual composed expression.
The conversation flowed normally. Cedric, Daimond, and Nanesha did most of the talking—questions about whether the journey had been difficult, anecdotes from their travels through Roneis and Ron, and the typical topics shared between people meeting for the first time.
Nothing strayed from aristocratic conversational norms.
I tried to act as naturally as possible, but the heat made my head throb, making it difficult to focus on the conversation.
At least it was some small comfort that my acquaintances from the northern Kingdom of Rundra weren’t as weak to the heat as I was.
They had deliberately arranged their itinerary to pass through Owen just to see me. If they had suffered badly from the heat because of that, my heart would have been terribly uneasy.
Cedric seemed concerned that Yuri wasn’t participating in the conversation. He kept glancing at Yuri from time to time.
If I hadn’t been suffering from the heat, I would have told them beforehand that Yuri was the type who found everything bothersome except for one single thing.
That would have spared the courteous host from worrying unnecessarily.
Just then, Yuri spoke.
“Princess Daisy, why do you look like that?”
Yuri Larraen Rue—the man who found everything in the world bothersome—had taken an interest in me?!
For a moment, I panicked, wondering if Yuri had also suffered from the heat. Did heatstroke make people’s heads burn up like this?
Everyone’s attention turned toward me. Only Cedric, who knew why my face looked pale, kept his gaze fixed on Yuri.
I opened my mouth cautiously.
“I actually suffered from the heat and have been struggling a bit. But the doctor said it isn’t serious. If I just endure a little longer, autumn will come…”
I added the explanation, worried that those from Rundra might not understand heat exhaustion. But I couldn’t finish my sentence—because Yuri stood up and approached me.
Silence fell over the small sitting room.
This time, everyone’s gaze shifted to Yuri. Slowly, he extended his hand toward me. It looked like he was asking for my hand, so out of habit, I placed mine in his.
Yuri’s lips curved upward.
He smiled.
Silently—but dazzlingly.
A magical trajectory fell from the heavens.
A cluster of light—pale blue, or perhaps pure white—fluttered through the air. Small lights brushed against my hair, then my shoulders. Trails of light lingered behind them, stretching softly.
From the moment Yuri extended his hand to the moment the remnants of magic descended in glowing arcs, everything felt as though it were happening in slow motion.
I could feel the stifling heat around us refreshing and clearing. The temperature around me was gradually lowering.
“Is this… magic?”
Magic always leaves traces. The form of those traces differs slightly for each mage, but Yuri’s magic left particularly beautiful trajectories. Just by seeing them, you could recognize his magic instantly.
I opened my palm wide and slowly moved it through the air. The cooled air slipped between my fingers, forming a gentle breeze. The pounding in my head began to clear.
“How did you do it?”
“I changed the nature of the mana lingering around you.”
“Wow.”
He spoke as though it were nothing difficult. Even at my admiration, he merely shrugged.
“I’ve really been suffering because of the heat. Yuri, thank you so much.”
A smile naturally formed on my face at the comfort I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Yuri explained that since he had altered the nature of the space around me, the temperature would remain stable even if I moved elsewhere. I thanked him again. Even if it was no great effort for him, it brought me immense peace.
Just like that, weeks of suffering were resolved thanks to Yuri. I heard Daimond remark that all it took was the heat passing, and Nanesha explaining how sensitive I was to heat.
When I turned my gaze, I met Cedric’s eyes directly. I smiled at him—the man who had taken care of me throughout my struggle with the heat—to reassure him that I was comfortable now.
“I’m feeling much better, Duke. Isn’t that good?”
“Yes. That’s very good.”
Cedric’s expression remained neat and courteous as ever. But somehow, his expression felt a little unfamiliar.
The day after Yuri cast his magic, I woke up to find that even the faint headache that lingered had completely vanished.
That morning, Daimond arrived early at the ducal residence and handed me a piece of paper.
It was a list of tourist spots in Arsen, the capital of Owen. On the small sheet of paper, the names of locations and the reasons to visit each were written in neat handwriting.
As I read down the list, I noticed that the final entry was written rather messily.
“Why isn’t there a reason written for this place?”
“That’s the commoners’ market.”
Daimond answered without even looking at the paper. He had been absorbed in an Owen-style puzzle game the entire time, moving small wooden pieces around inside a framed board.
“Is visiting a market part of sightseeing in Arsen?”
“No. You talked yesterday about imperial supremacists. I was wondering whether they’re really that easy to encounter just by walking through the market. You won’t go there with me. Someone might recognize you.”
Yesterday, after arriving in Owen, Daimond and I had dinner alone.
We told others it was simply siblings catching up, but in truth, it was so we could talk about imperial supremacism.
I first told Daimond about what happened near Larra’s tailor shop and the alley in front of the restaurant. Then I relayed what Sir Diego had said.
Daimond already knew about the concept of imperial supremacism. However, he hadn’t realized that people who held such beliefs were actually mocking foreigners within Owen itself.
“Even if they didn’t know who you were, Daisy, those people in the alley mocked you while thinking you were a noble. There are more of them than you’d expect, and you might encounter them easily in daily life.”
I thought the same.
“Brother. I don’t think that even if imperial supremacists hold extreme views, a conquest war like the one a hundred years ago will happen again.”
I continued cautiously. This was a subject that required care.
“Other countries aren’t as weak or naive as they were back then. We’ve raised far more mages, and Roneis has advanced magical engineering. But…”
War was a distant concept. Still, that didn’t mean there were no immediate problems.
“But our people from Rundra still have to live in Owen. Right?”
“That’s right.”
“I feel the same way.”
Daimond spoke in a tone similar to mine, then continued.
