CHAPTER 31………………………………..
Arsène and Ivelina took a leisurely stroll through the garden together.
Arsène kept watching her expression, but the clouded look from earlier had completely disappeared.
Since it didn’t seem like Ivelina would answer even if he asked, Arsène said nothing for the moment.
“Aren’t you busy preparing for the wedding? You might not even have enough time to study.”
“I’m fine! I can handle everything. So you don’t have to worry too much.”
Ivelina clenched her fists tightly.
Her clear, shining eyes reflected a strong determination.
Arsène smiled as if there was nothing he could do and said,
“Then don’t overexert yourself. If it gets too difficult, be sure to tell me.”
“Yes, Arsène.”
After that, they finished their walk without saying anything more.
“Have a good night, Ivelina.”
“You too, Arsène.”
Hesitating for a moment, Ivelina grabbed Arsène’s sleeve as he turned to leave.
When he looked back, she stood on her tiptoes and lightly kissed his cheek.
“…I-I’ll go inside now.”
Ivelina quickly let go of his sleeve and dashed indoors.
Standing in front of her room, Arsène blinked blankly for a moment before raising his hand to brush his cheek.
The kiss, light as a butterfly’s flutter, made him feel weightless with joy.
Until now, Ivelina had never initiated such physical affection.
A smile naturally spread across Arsène’s lips.
He tried to hold it back, but laughter kept escaping, and he couldn’t help it.
Seeing this, Noel, helping Arsène change his clothes, slyly asked,
“Something good happen? I’m curious why you’re smiling like that.”
As soon as Noel asked, Arsène quickly stiffened his expression and replied,
“That’s nothing you need to know. Now, go on out.”
“…Yes.”
Noel puckered her lips secretly and left the room.
Arsène had no intention of broadcasting Ivelina’s adorable, loving gesture.
He wanted to keep it all to himself.
Once alone, Arsène chuckled quietly to himself.
He wanted, if only in his imagination, to keep the spot where her lips had touched his cheek.
But that would undoubtedly shock Ivelina, so he restrained himself.
The smile on Arsène’s lips showed no sign of fading, even as he went to sleep.
Afterward, Ivelina kept herself busy.
She discussed the wedding concept with Noel and checked on all the necessary preparations.
At the same time, she continued her lessons with Léonard, barely feeling like she had enough hours in the day.
Léonard always gave homework after class, leaving little time for review.
The three introductory lessons had already passed long ago.
Though her body was exhausted, Ivelina felt happy and fulfilled.
“Child, aren’t you tired?”
“Not at all. Thank you for worrying about me, Mother.”
Karina, watching Ivelina move busily in her small frame, felt both sympathy and pride.
She must have been tired, yet she never showed it.
Karina wanted to offer to handle the wedding preparations herself, but Ivelina’s sparkling red eyes were filled with determination, so she refrained.
Instead, Karina sent her all sorts of nourishment and tonics to support her health.
Even though Ivelina said it wasn’t necessary, she drank the tonics regularly after Karina warned that overwork might cause her to collapse.
Thanks to that, Ivelina didn’t feel overly fatigued and could continue her tasks safely.
While she enjoyed wedding preparations, her greatest joy came from magic lessons.
“Do you remember the lesson we had last time?”
“Yes.”
“Then today, let’s review.”
Léonard nodded slightly, as if prompting her.
Taking a deep breath, Ivelina closed her eyes, brought her hands together, and moved her mana.
Silver mana flowed from her fingertips, moving exactly as she willed.
A blazing fireball formed in her hands.
Ivelina smiled brightly at Léonard, and he wore a satisfied expression.
“You’ve exceeded my expectations. Very well done.”
He clapped his hands twice.
Ivelina’s cheeks flushed red.
As she closed her hands, the flames vanished immediately.
“Now, we’ll move on to more advanced magic today.”
Ivelina opened her book, and Léonard began his explanation.
“Magic is broadly divided into offense and defense. Depending on how you control mana, you could level an entire empire.”
She moved her hands diligently.
The quill scratched across the paper, forming words.
“The more precise your mana control, the wider the range and the stronger the attack. The same principle applies to defensive magic. It’s not complicated—just imagine the attack you want, and the mana will follow. For example… if you want lightning to strike the ground, imagine it. If you want a solid shield, imagine a transparent barrier wrapping your body. Of course, you can also create weapons with mana.”
Hearing the word “weapon,” Ivelina’s eyes widened.
“We can’t show offensive spells here, so I’ll demonstrate a weapon made from mana.”
Blue mana flowed from Léonard’s fingertips.
The mana gathered and solidified into a bluish sword.
“Find a weapon that suits you. I often use swords because they’re comfortable, but bows are fine too.”
The mana shifted, forming a blue bow.
“Any weapon can be imbued with attributes. It requires precision; even a small mistake will scatter the mana, so concentration is key.”
Léonard placed the blue mana bow on the string.
He released it into the air, and the mana dispersed.
“Which do you prefer, princess—a bow or a sword?”
“I… prefer a bow.”
“Very well. Then the next lesson will be practical. The location will be… the same place where we measured your mana last time. Since it’s practical, you’ll need to wear a shirt and pants, not a dress.”
“Yes, teacher.”
Her heart pounded at the word “practical.”
She had recently ordered a shirt and pants in advance, and she felt relieved.
She was already looking forward to the next lesson.
When she prepared for practical training, Arsène made a training ground for her.
He had Noel neatly clear the open area behind the mansion.
“You could have just used the previous place…”
“No. That was the knights’ training ground, and it wasn’t well maintained. Here, all the stones have been removed, so there’s no risk of tripping.”
Ivelina looked around the training ground.
The vast area, with all stones cleared, had a smooth dirt floor with no bumps.
After exploring the new training ground, Ivelina returned to the mansion with Arsène.
Karina, waiting, approached her.
“Hurry and get ready. We’re going to see your wedding dress.”
“Yes, Mother. I’ll be ready shortly.”
“All right.”
Ivelina hurried upstairs.
Lania had informed them that the fittings were complete, and instead of visiting the mansion, Karina and Ivelina would visit Lania’s atelier directly.
Of course, Arsène was an exception.
There was a superstition that the groom must not see the bride in her wedding dress until the ceremony to ensure lifelong happiness.
Though Arsène wanted to ignore it, he had no choice but to comply, just in case.
While waiting for Ivelina to come down, Karina said to Arsène,
“I’ll make sure to see her beauty on your behalf.”
“…Thank you,” Arsène replied stiffly, without a smile.
Karina smiled triumphantly.
“It’s hard to imagine how beautiful she will be.”
“….”
“It’s a shame to see it only once, but superstition is superstition.”
Karina, feigning regret, then snapped at Arsène.
“Just so you know, if you two ever part ways, you’ll be the one leaving the mansion.”
“That won’t happen, and there’s no chance. Don’t speak as if it might,” Arsène growled, clicking his tongue.
The tension between them immediately became intense.
Noel, waiting quietly, cleared her throat and spoke.
“Please stop fighting. What if the Grand Duchess sees this?”
At that, both Karina and Arsène fell silent.
Then, the sound of small hurried footsteps came, and both turned their heads toward the stairs.
Ivelina, now dressed in her going-out clothes, hurried down the stairs.
“Sorry for the wait. Did you wait long?”
“No, not too long. Go slowly so you don’t trip.”
At this, Ivelina slowed her pace slightly.
She stopped in front of Karina, who smiled warmly and buttoned her coat securely.
“Now, let’s go to the atelier.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Arsène followed them to where the carriage was waiting.
“Well, we’ll be off, Arsène.”
“Be careful. Mother, you too.”
Karina raised her eyebrows but only nodded briefly, saying nothing.
Arsène kissed the back of Ivelina’s hand briefly before stepping back.
Though his body moved back, his eyes clearly longed to follow her.
The carriage started moving slowly, and Ivelina peeked out the window, smiling brightly and waving her hand.
Arsène chuckled softly and waved back.
After a short while, Karina’s attention drew Ivelina back inside the carriage.
He remained standing there, watching the carriage shrink to a dot until it disappeared, like a rooted statue.
