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Chapter 4
Sticking out his tongue, he hid behind Aria, glaring at her while trying to hold back his frustration.
The one who mediated the fight was Daniel.
“Let’s go inside and talk. Riela shouldn’t stay out here too long.”
Using Aria and Daniel as shields, I managed to escape Leonit’s intense gaze.
As soon as we entered the reception room, Leonit, as if it were only natural, sat in the head seat, puffing up with pride.
Considering his rank, it made sense, but thinking of him as the hidden antagonist tormenting Aria, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of irritation.
“Jesse, please bring some tea.”
The maid, taking Daniel’s instruction, quietly left the room.
“…….”
“…….”
An awkward silence stretched out. Only after tea cups were passed around and a sip was taken did Daniel finally speak.
“So, why did you come?”
“Am I not allowed to come?”
“That’s not the point.”
“There’s nowhere in this empire I can’t go.”
It was then that Aria, who had been silently listening, spoke up with a cold expression.
“But showing up like this without notice is not proper etiquette.”
“What?”
“Even if it’s His Highness Leonit, you shouldn’t act recklessly like a spoiled child.”
Wow, that was brutal.
I covered my laughing mouth with my teacup and watched Leonit get verbally roasted by Aria.
His face turned bright red, and he trembled, unable to speak.
‘Serves you right!’
Looking half-pleadingly at Daniel as if asking for help, Leonit finally turned his attention to the easiest target: me.
“So, who are you?”
His body looked like a child’s, but his mind was fully mature, so I couldn’t genuinely confront him.
I stepped back slightly, lowering my gaze just as he expected, and answered politely.
“It’s an honor to meet the little sun of the empire. I am Riela Hound of the Hound Count family. I’m temporarily staying at the Maynard Duke residence due to some health issues.”
“Hmph! Honor, my foot. I’ll let it slide this time.”
Seemingly pleased with my composed bow, Leonit cleared his throat with a smug expression.
The conversation continued around Leonit. Eventually, I learned that a few days ago, he had received the heirloom sword passed down through generations from His Majesty the Emperor and had started magic lessons.
‘Magic, huh…’
In terms of talent, Daniel was superior to Leonit. He had graduated from the academy in just three years, having entered at fifteen.
However, Daniel had died suddenly just as his abilities were starting to bloom, and the academy years were only documented in a three-part side story, so there was no clear way to know the extent of his skill.
‘They could have written the side story a bit longer.’
Muttering to myself, I was interrupted by Daniel speaking to me.
“Riela, you look tired. Want to go rest in the room first?”
I looked at him, puzzled, and soon realized what he meant.
‘He’s telling me not to awkwardly watch and just go rest!’
Truly the protective older brother of the heroine. Where else could you find a brother who even looks out for his sister’s friends?
“Getting up already? You haven’t even been asked to leave yet.”
I tried to stand as Daniel suggested, but Leonit made a sharp noise, glaring at me.
This young dictator…
I had to sit back down. Even though there had been mention of respecting elders regardless of rank, in this novel, rank was everything.
“You’ve come to deliver something to the Maynard young duke. Bring it here immediately.”
Now, his tone was slightly different from before, perhaps because he was concerned about other people’s eyes.
Following Leonit’s gesture, a servant brought a small box. With a proud expression, Leonit handed it to Daniel.
“I chose this especially for the young duke. I hope it pleases you.”
Leonit strutted, glancing at Aria as if seeking approval. Of course, Aria paid him no attention.
Perhaps feeling slighted by her indifference, a shadow of displeasure appeared in Leonit’s eyes.
It was a little pitiful. Though destined to become the future antagonist, he was still a pure child.
“Thank you, Your Highness. May I open it?”
As soon as Leonit granted permission, Daniel opened the box.
“This is…”
Daniel’s eyes widened in surprise, and Leonit shyly rubbed his nose, clearing his throat.
“What is it?”
Peeking into the box myself, I gasped.
It was a magical jewelstone essential for wizards, crafted in a convenient necklace form.
The blue gemstone reflected the sunlight brilliantly, resembling Daniel’s eyes.
“It’s a top-grade magic jewel from the Kingdom of Leopold. I heard the young duke has magical talent, so I hurriedly prepared it. Do you like it?”
However, Daniel remained silent.
Leonit was the one who became flustered, seeing Daniel staring at the jewel with an unreadable expression.
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to take it.”
When Leonit reached to reclaim it, Daniel hugged the box and stepped back.
“I will treasure it, Your Highness.”
“Y-Yes. I got it specially with you in mind, so I hope you use it well.”
Leonit scoffed and turned his head. Once the initial fascination with the shining jewel waned, I could finally think clearly.
‘He came all the way from the imperial palace just to give this?’
In a way, it was an impressive determination. I glanced at Daniel, who was still staring at the jewel.
‘Does he even like receiving gifts?’
He seemed reluctant, so I didn’t dare ask.
Yet Daniel closed the box with his usual expression and smiled at me.
“Do you want it?”
What kind of question is that…
Instinctively, I looked at Leonit and swallowed hard. His glaring eyes radiated a subtle threat.
“…No?”
Apparently, that wasn’t a good answer either.
Leonit’s eyes glimmered with a hint of anger, as if to say, “You dare ignore the gift I painstakingly got for you?”
“Still, magic is amazing. Can I learn magic too?”
“Well, do you want to learn?”
I nodded.
After all, this was a fantasy novel. It would be nice to be able to use magic.
If I had talent, becoming a great mage wouldn’t be bad either.
“Do you want to try now? If you can feel mana, you can use magic.”
“Can I really?”
“Sure. There’s no reason you can’t.”
Daniel smiled widely and reached out his hand.
“You need to hold my hand to properly sense the mana.”
“No need.”
I turned to Leonit, who pouted and grumbled, clearly displeased.
‘Maybe because I’m not paying attention to him?’
It made sense. He was still sulking over Aria’s indifference.
“Riela.”
But Daniel’s firm call made me look back, and I cautiously took his hand.
“I’ll help you sense the mana. If anything feels strange, tell me immediately. Got it?”
He stressed again that I should immediately speak up if something felt off.
“Can you feel it?”
“Hmm… maybe, maybe not?”
It was ambiguous. I tilted my head in confusion, and Daniel looked slightly disappointed.
“Seems like you have no magical talent. If you did, you’d feel the mana.”
Leonit, on the other hand, seemed excited, sneering as if pleased.
‘Why does he dislike me so much? What did I even do?’
But I couldn’t go all out against a child, so I just smiled faintly and humored him.
Leonit finally left the Maynard Duke residence two hours later.
“Now that Leonit Highness is gone, what should we do?”
Aria’s lively voice returned immediately after his departure, making Leonit seem pitiful to me.
Well, I felt that way, but I had no intention of helping him.
Love is something you must fight for yourself.
“Why haven’t their parents contacted us?”
I crossed my arms and looked around the bedroom, even checking the places where items might be hidden, but found no mail.
A slight guilt and pressure made me finally look into the mirror I had avoided.
Short black hair and green eyes like budding leaves.
I could overlook the hair color, but those newly sprouted leaf-like eyes felt unfamiliar.
Even if she would die in a few years, it was still someone else’s body.
‘What if this child was already dead, and I came in afterward?’
If that were the case, my conscience might feel a bit lighter. Still, living someone else’s life could never be completely stress-free.
But I couldn’t be certain that Riela Hound had truly died once, so I had many worries about how to proceed.
To make my favorite happy, I needed to discover the nature of her illness and research treatments.
“In the novel, she figured it out on her own. She had lots of help around her too.”
I was different from the clever protagonists in the novel—my knowledge and skills were limited.
“Ugh……”
I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a sigh, when a familiar voice came from the foot of the bed.
