Chapter 27
“U-Urgh!”
“Oh dear. I must’ve startled you.”
Aldis suddenly poked his head out.
“It felt a bit cramped to have a lesson here. Would you take my hand?”
He extended his hand toward me and waved it gently.
I took it without hesitation.
Aldis Haweyden would never harm me.
He was someone even my mother trusted.
Alright.
Aldis’ hand was cold.
When I grasped it, he gave me a warm smile as if to say “Well done,” and pulled me forward.
With a sudden whoosh, I felt myself being swept into something—and what appeared before my eyes was…
“Wow…”
In my previous life, I never got to see the Grand Canyon—but here I was, seeing something just like it.
“This is a dimensional field. A space frequently used by mages to practice magic. Laila is still too young to open one herself, but you’ll be able to soon.”
“Are you going to teach me?”
“If Laila wants it, then of course. It is the duty of those who came before to guide those who come after.”
Aldis let go of my hand.
I stomped my feet on the ground and then jumped around.
It felt just like normal earth—yet this was a dimensional space?
“What are we learning here today?”
By then, I was already enchanted by Aldis’ magic.
Whatever he was going to teach, I was ready to absorb it like a sponge.
“Today, we’ll be learning earth magic.”
“Earth?”
“Yes. Depending on how it’s used, the earth can be a predator or a nurturing habitat. It’s up to the mage to draw the picture.”
“A picture…”
“The power to manifest what’s in your mind—that’s magic, Laila. You’re going to be an architect.”
I’d read similar descriptions in magic books.
Magic was described as a way for the caster to express their will.
“That’s why even black mages are no different from other mages. They simply wield black mana.”
“Then what’s the difference between them and regular mages?”
“To be precise, black mages’ mana comes from dense darkness. Regular mages’ mana originates from light. That’s the distinction.”
So the magic itself is the same—just used differently depending on the caster?
Okay. That’s not too hard to grasp.
“You’re not yet an architect who can create something from nothing, Laila. So today, we’ll use the earth right here.”
Aldis smiled faintly.
He let me freely draw on the ground, stack up dirt, and feel it with my hands.
And after quite some time, I began to understand how to shape the earth.
I witnessed the miracle of earth moving according to the design I had imagined.
“Wow…!”
A huge mound of earth rose up and formed a towering sandcastle.
“Is that the castle we live in now?”
I shook my head.
No, this wasn’t anything that grand.
It was something I had imagined at least once in my previous life.
Me at the beach, building a sandcastle, surrounded by my happily smiling family.
Something I always dreamed of having…
“An illusion.”
A dream that could never come true—yes, it was an illusion.
And yet, I finally brought it to life now.
“It’s not an illusion.”
That’s right. It’s not anymore.
Because now, I have parents by my side who will give me anything I want.
I nodded.
Magic was truly amazing.
My first lesson with Aldis was a joyful and heartwarming experience.
I returned to my room through Radi’s beak.
Just as I picked up the book I had tossed earlier, the door flew open.
“Young Lady!! Where on earth have you been?!”
Kara asked, nearly in tears.
“Huh? I was in my room…”
“I even looked under the bed, and you weren’t there…!”
Kara sniffled. Her face was flushed, clearly startled.
“Were you worried?”
“Yes! Of course I was…”
Having someone worry about your absence—it’s such a comforting feeling.
I hugged Kara’s legs tightly.
“Nothing happened, Kara. Next time, I’ll let you know before I go. Promise!”
Kara patted my back and kissed my forehead.
“You promised, okay?”
“Yup!”
Only then did Kara smile.
“You little troublemaker.”
She muttered affectionately.
Is this what it means to have bad luck from the morning?
Or is it simply a royal trait to show up unannounced?
Rorobante’s peaceful morning was shattered by Fidelro Bendelheim.
While Aints Bendelheim was an expected, albeit unpleasant guest, Fidelro arrived without even a hint of warning.
Both Baldwin and I, still with pillow creases on our cheeks from our post-lunch nap, had to hurry out to greet him.
“Well, he’s royalty. We have to treat him with courtesy.”
Mom ground her teeth.
“What about Dad?”
Only Dad could calm Mom down when she’s angry…
I asked with a huge yawn.
“He had some matters to attend to in the territory. DeeDee, your hair’s a mess.”
While Mom re-tied Baldwin’s hair, the imperial carriage arrived.
If Aints had arrived in a modest but dignified carriage, Prince Fidelro’s was all about glitz and glamor.
Ugh, my eyes.
Fidelro Bendelheim.
The only prince of the Leviathan Empire, showered with love and affection.
Maybe that’s why he lacked all four basic virtues.
He was also the villain who tormented Aints.
Using the power of Leviathan, he called Aints a “mongrel prince.”
Just because Aints had no maternal family to support him.
This kid was rotten to the core.
In short: Fidelro is the root of all misfortune that Aints has to endure.
Huh, aren’t characters appearing faster than in the original story? I scratched my temple.
Meeting Fidelro came much earlier than I expected.
In the original, I thought I’d meet him after returning from the knight academy and restoring Winchester.
Everything seems to be progressing faster.
But still, Baldwin can’t inherit the title until he’s 15.
Can’t we just have peace for five more years…?
I sighed deeply.
Once today is over, I’ll need to rethink my strategy—
So that everyone can have their happy ending.
Before long, Fidelro’s carriage pulled up.
What a flashy entrance.
The coachman laid out a red carpet on the ground.
“Wow.”
So unnecessary.
Next to me, Baldwin clicked his tongue in disbelief.
Then Fidelro stepped out of the carriage.
He arrived at Rorobante with five attendants.
And with his chin arrogantly raised.
How rude. Who shows up to someone’s house like that?
Still, this was a world with a strict social hierarchy, so I followed Mom’s lead and bowed politely.
“Greetings, Prince Fidelro.”
But then, this virtue-deficient brat said:
“I am not well. How could I be, given the offense Rorobante committed against our Imperial Family?”
He raised his chin higher.
As a royal, he too had golden hair.
But unlike Aints, his eyes were a deep green.
Our DeeDee is way cuter!!!
Hmph!
“…Is that so,” Mom answered, gritting her teeth.
There was no reason for the imperial family to be so arrogant and rude from the start.
“Of course. Rorobante refused the marriage proposal my mother sent on my behalf. If that’s not an insult, then what is? A noble refusing a royal!”
What the heck is he talking about? This is the first I’ve heard of it.
I was about to snap, but Baldwin stopped me.
“We’ve never received such a message, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean? My mother clearly asked His Majesty to send a proposal to Lady Laila.”
“Then it seems His Majesty declined it. We were never informed.”
Fidelro’s face turned beet red.
He looked like he wanted to yell, but with the Emperor’s name invoked, he had no choice but to keep quiet.
Ah.
I get it now. They tried to woo the Emperor and failed—so they’re sending the kid instead?
I slowly crossed my arms.
Fidelro marched right up to me.
All eyes turned toward us. I could feel Mom’s worried gaze.
Baldwin fumbled to grab my hand.
‘Just trust me.’
That’s what it felt like he was saying.
No worries—you trust your sister now.
Mom’s eyes practically screamed, “Don’t bite, hit, or scratch him!”
Fidelro saw us holding hands and sneered.
“Quite the inseparable siblings, I see. Are you looking down on me because of Lady Rudella’s influence?”
When did we ever do that?
If anyone disrespected Fidelro and Queen Caitlyn, it was the Emperor himself.
Twisting the story to fit his narrative… Where do 10-year-olds even learn to be like this?
Clearly, a child’s upbringing is everything.
I stepped closer to Fidelro.
As he flinched and stepped back, I grabbed the hem of his sleeve.
I have something to say too, you know?
“You’re quite the impressive prince yourself, aren’t you?”
I sneered right back—just loud enough for Fidelro alone to hear.
