THBO 20

Chapter 20

Even for a knight who had seen every hardship war and life could offer, it seemed to be a deeply shocking sight.

“Uh… um…”

Unlike Thierry, who hemmed and hawed before finally falling silent, Cecilia maintained an untroubled expression.

Around them, people began to speak one by one, and soon the murmurs swelled into an uproar.

“Th-that can’t be…”
“Just now—”
“No. Seriously. What was he thinking?”

Some were so shaken they stuttered.
Some cut their words off halfway.
Others could only force out syllable by syllable.

Beside Thierry, who kept moving his lips without sound, Cecilia idly touched the ends of her hair.

There’s no need to be that terrified or shocked.

Alexis Lucien was not stupid.
Nor was he dull, and certainly not foolish.

Above all, he would never “fail.” He would never show a pitiful failure, never be eliminated in an evaluation.

Especially not in front of her.

“Is the Blanche graduate safe?”
“We haven’t confirmed it. Visibility is too poor right now—”
“Her safety comes first!”
“If His Highness has gone berserk…”
“If he’s gone berserk…”

Which was precisely why Blanche would be safe.

Alexis hadn’t lost control either, and the examination would conclude without incident.

Amid the frantic movement of people, Cecilia alone remained calm, slowly tilting her head.

In truth, it would be a lie to say she hadn’t been startled by that final collapse.

The magic that had gently lifted her into the air inside the carriage hardly seemed the same as the magic now reducing a derelict building to rubble.

To be even more honest, Cecilia had half-expected her presence to bring about some change in Alexis.

Instead, rather than taking the exam smoothly, Alexis had deliberately chosen to display only the most provocative and intense aspects of himself.

Why?

Cecilia turned the question over in her mind.

Had he simply not cared about her watching… or had he intentionally shown her those scenes?

And for what purpose?

“Your Highness.”

At Ulrike’s anxious voice, Cecilia instinctively formed a smile.

As the corners of her lips curved faintly, Ulrike twisted his expression awkwardly, and only then did she remember that this was hardly a situation to be smiling in.

Instead of making excuses, she asked,

“What is it?”

“Well, um… there may be some rather violent scenes coming up shortly, so… if it’s not too much trouble, Your Highness, would you mind stepping away for a bit?”

“Hm? You’re worried Alex might go berserk?”

“…Yes.”

“He didn’t.”

Her crisp denial made Ulrike narrow his eyes, as though he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

A look plainly saying, What could you possibly know? stabbed into her face.

Ah. How rude.

True, she might know less about magic than he did—but she knew the man named Alexis Lucien far better.

“Alex started by smashing his way in.”

“Your Highness.”

“He blew apart half the furniture, destroyed the stairs, wrecked all sorts of things, didn’t he? But the derelict building itself was intact. Even though it looked like it was about to collapse.”

“……”

“Put another way, he destroyed only the structurally safe parts with perfect precision so the building wouldn’t fall.”

Take the spell that shattered the spiral staircase, for example.

If the angle had been even slightly off, it would have pierced a pillar, and the whole ruin would have collapsed in an instant.

But Alexis had landed both spells squarely on the stairs—while even overpowering Blanche’s magic.

Which meant—

“He fought while calculating everything carefully the entire time. So it’s fine.”

At her conclusion, Ulrike’s expression began to twist strangely.

Both his gaze and his smile warped slightly, bending into something uncanny.

Hm. My reasoning shouldn’t be wrong.

While Cecilia maintained her calm silence, Ulrike suddenly adjusted his glasses and slowly set them properly on his nose.

Eyes seasoned with age and experience emerged, fixing fully on her.

And everything was laid bare.

Eyes widening in shock.
Focus trembling in disbelief.
A gaze that ultimately shattered.

Ulrike’s agitation was so extreme that Cecilia herself was taken aback.

She blinked a couple of times and managed an awkward smile.

“Um… Sir Ulrike? What’s wrong?”

“Y-Your… Highness…”

His voice sounded as if his throat were being strangled.

The words he forced out were rough and unstable to anyone who heard them.

Cecilia tried to suppress her unease and waited quietly for him to continue—

When suddenly, instinctively, she felt it.

A distant gaze fixed upon her.

She hadn’t even met it, yet she knew its color.

The hue of a sunset fading after dusk,
the color of grapes ripening richly in the sunlight,
the violet of tiny flowers swaying among tender grass.

Such gentle colors—and yet the gaze itself was utterly…

Cecilia finally lost her composure and staggered back a step.

Tension raced down her spine, her fingertips curling inward.

Her mouth went dry and her heart pounded violently. Afraid their eyes might meet, she couldn’t even bring herself to look toward the dueling ground.

She must have looked pitiful.

Like prey standing before a predator.

Not wanting to show her trembling hands, she clenched the hem of her dress.

She straightened her already upright posture even more, then at last summoned the courage to lift her head—

Only to be trapped within a violet prison that had been watching her all along.

Forgetting Thierry and Ulrike at her side, she faced him, chewing over the unpleasant emotions rising within her.

What do you want from me?

She nearly asked aloud.

I thought you wanted a kind, gentle sister—was I mistaken?

Her lips almost parted; she hurriedly closed them again, biting the tip of her tongue. A sharp sting made her frown ever so slightly.

She didn’t know how Alexis interpreted her distorted expression.

Only that mischief flickered briefly within those purple eyes.

She truly, desperately wanted to understand that faint trace of a smile.

And at the same time, she didn’t want to understand it at all.

“Alex.”

In the brief instant she spoke his name, a flash exploded.

Not metaphorically—literally. Her vision was bleached white once again.

Is he insane? What is he doing? Have some consideration—my eyes!

Curses erupted from all around, scraping mercilessly against her ears.

With her eyes tightly shut, Cecilia endured the pale, washed-out moments behind her eyelids—

Until the light finally subsided.

Until darkness and color once again filled the white world.

Before she could even open her eyes, someone pulled her into an embrace.

The familiar warmth surrounding her, the familiar scent at her nose—there was no need to ask who it was.

Something settled heavily on her shoulder.

The moment she realized it was a man’s chin, she also became aware of his rough breathing brushing her ear.

Half clenching her teeth, Cecilia opened her eyes and looked down at the arms wrapped around her waist.

“Alex.”

“Yes, Sister?”

Alexis chuckled softly, and the low, gentle sound of his laughter tingled against her inner ear.

She hesitantly lifted one hand and placed it on her brother’s hair.

Anticipating a gentle caress, he let out a pleased, purring breath like a cat.

What are you expecting?

With a touch of spite, Cecilia lightly tugged a strand of his hair.

“Ah.”

“Let go.”

“……”

“And Blanche?”

“She’s hanging from the ceiling. She likes flying, so she’s probably enjoying herself.”

Apparently finding the position with his chin on her shoulder uncomfortable, Alexis lifted his head and instead rested it atop her own.

The arm wrapped tightly around her waist now circled her shoulders.

Cecilia almost raked him with her nails—but restrained herself.

Even when she slapped at his arm, he didn’t release the strange embrace, and in the end she had to jab his side sharply with her elbow.

Only after two solid strikes did he let go, without even a groan.

Wearing a dissatisfied expression.

“Let Blanche down.”

“Could you wait just ten minutes?”

“No.”

At her firm refusal, Alexis let out a soft sigh.

About ten seconds after he snapped his fingers, Blanche reappeared, her face beet-red.

“Alexis Lucien, you underhanded bas—”

“Blanche.”

Still pressed close to her brother, Cecilia seriously considered whether she should tug Blanche’s hair as well.

Under her stern gaze, the brown-haired woman wilted.

“But, sis—!”

“Mind your manners.”

“I’d rather shave my head than show manners to him!”

“Shall I do the honors?”

Alexis offered cheerfully—and Cecilia elbowed him in the waist.

That must have hurt a bit.

Letting out another short groan, he grumbled for a moment, then seized the opportunity to pull her into a tight embrace again.

Burying his face completely in her hair made Cecilia’s feelings turn oddly complicated.

Is this how prey feels when caught by a beast?

Though Thierry’s explanation had never been completed, she could easily guess what would have followed.

Asking how the combat style had changed—from a “duel” into what.

…Her brother, newly returned after so long, was adept at hiding his true intentions.

He cornered Blanche with ease, and once he seized something, he clung with relentless persistence.

Above all, the vanguard mages of the Mage Tower were said to hunt their own kind—

Those tragic souls who, tainted by madness, had ultimately lost their minds.

And in the Mage Tower, Alexis had clearly—

“Sister.”

“What?”

Still holding her from behind, Alexis slid his hand forward into her view.

The palm of his hand—utterly white—felt strangely contradictory.

“Give me a reward.”