AME 28

Living alone in the domain of her family’s sworn enemy was, as expected, far from easy. The people here naturally disliked Ingelos, and as someone from Ingelos, they were wary of Alessia and kept their distance.

Though the situation wasn’t great, Alessia was quick-witted and had a good grasp of social dynamics. It was a skill she had developed out of necessity—among cousins who hated her, she had to read the room to avoid extra beatings or nasty words.

She quickly realized what she needed to do and cleverly used the people of Ferdinand’s prejudices against mages and Ingelos to her advantage, slowly building goodwill. Since the expectations were so low, even small acts of kindness surprised them.

As time passed, the way they looked at her gradually changed. And Alessia, too, started to feel more at ease in this land called Ferdinand.

“Alessia.”

Except for one person.

“Kaon, are you heading out now?”

“Yes. Are you stepping out as well, Alessia?”

Just as she was stepping out of her room, Alessia ran into Kaon Ferdinand, who had clearly just come out of his own room. She quickly masked the slight stiffening of her expression and clapped her hands cheerfully.

“Oh my, what a coincidence! Perfect timing. How about we go have breakfast together?”

“Let’s do that.”

She had sensed someone’s presence behind the curtain for about an hour already. It was obvious he had been waiting for her, timing his exit to coincide with hers. But Alessia pretended not to notice and played along with a smile.

Kaon Ferdinand, a beautiful boy whose head rose a full one above hers, clearly liked her. Even if it wasn’t love, it was obvious he held a strong fondness for her.

How could she be so sure? Because everything about Kaon Ferdinand screamed that he liked her.

Alessia had always been sensitive to the emotions of others, and Kaon Ferdinand was far too transparent. It was easy to see that he liked her face—a lot.

This was a great advantage. Kaon Ferdinand, the heir to Ferdinand and her fiancé, was one of the most important people she needed to win over.

And yet, before she even had to make a move, he showed interest in her first. The fact that it was all because of her face was slightly ridiculous, but regardless, it worked in her favor.

She should have been pleased, but for some reason, she wasn’t. As everything else in her new life began to feel familiar, Kaon Ferdinand remained the one thing she could not get used to.

“Is everything comfortable for you here?”

“…Yes, Kaon. Thanks to your consideration, I’ve been doing very well.”

You’re the most uncomfortable part of it all.

She suddenly wanted to say it out loud, but she held her tongue. After a slight pause, Alessia made herself smile gently as she met his eyes.

As expected, his sky-colored eyes darted away shyly. The blush spreading across his cheeks reminded her of the night of the court banquet when they danced together.

That expression made Alessia uncomfortable again. She had to struggle to smooth the frown trying to form on her face.

Her cousins had once said she was annoying for pretending to be kind when she wasn’t. She had only been obedient to get through each day safely, but then they would say she was no fun and insult her anyway.

She never used to believe it, but perhaps what they said was true.

Otherwise, why would she hate Kaon Ferdinand—the one person who had shown her more kindness than anyone else?

Still, Alessia hated Kaon Ferdinand.

Every time she saw him, the one everyone loved, who took that love for granted, who seemed to believe even she would one day fall for him, her insides twisted with discomfort.

“Isn’t it too early? The mage from the Tower is scheduled to stay in the domain until the end of the year. And here in Ferdinand, knights usually don’t participate in inspections until they’re at least seventeen.”

It was the night she volunteered to inspect the monster forest and was introduced to the knights.

His voice came softly from behind the curtain, filled with concern. His voice always turned especially gentle when he spoke to her, and his words carried sincere worry for her.

Of course you can say that, because you live without a care.

Alessia mocked him inwardly, as she always did.

You don’t have to worry about being cast aside just for resting too long.

Unlike Kaon, Alessia couldn’t afford to rest easy. She was worried about seeing a monster in real life after only reading about them, and whether she’d be able to use her ring effectively in real combat.

She hadn’t wanted to be out fighting monsters ahead of schedule. Not even a little. But she wasn’t a real mage, and unlike other mages, she lacked hands-on experience.

So she had to force herself to step forward. Behind her decision was a calculation—that showing results through actions, not just words, would win more support.

Easy for him to talk, living in comfort…

Alessia bit her lip, disgusted by her own petty resentment.

Kaon Ferdinand had only been worried about her. That transparent boy just didn’t want her to get hurt—because he liked her.

Alessia knew this. She knew how unfair and ugly her feelings toward him were.

But still, every time Kaon Ferdinand showed concern, she couldn’t help but compare their positions.

They were both born into ducal families—so why were they so different? Why did he have everything while she had nothing?

Facing Kaon Ferdinand, and seeing his concern, always made Alessia feel a wave of anger rise.

His worry felt like hypocrisy. Even knowing it was a twisted projection of her own inferiority complex, she wanted to deny everything about him.

He doesn’t even know who I really am.

And it was laughable. The Alessia Ingelos Kaon Ferdinand liked wasn’t even real. That sweet, gentle mage was a character she created to make herself look good. That naïve boy had fallen for the act, but only because he didn’t know the truth.

If he finds out I’m not a mage…

If he learned she wasn’t a prestigious mage from Ingelos, but a fake and an outcast—would Kaon Ferdinand still like her? Of course not. The answer was obvious.

Alessia had already been discarded once by her own parents for not meeting their expectations. For failing to become the mage they dreamed of, she had lived a life worse than death. Kaon would surely turn away the same way once he learned the truth.

Knowing that, it was almost laughable. His kind concern, his flustered expressions—none of it would last. And yet Kaon Ferdinand acted like it would.

He knows nothing.

Unconsciously grinding her teeth, Alessia closed her eyes. There was no point in getting worked up over a predetermined outcome. It would be better to spend that energy figuring out how to blend into Ferdinand more easily. Kaon Ferdinand was the real problem.

Why does he have to be so kind to me?

The mages in Ingelos had called her a useless idiot. Since she couldn’t do the magic everyone else could, she must be an idiot—no question about it.

It would have been easier if Kaon Ferdinand had treated her the same. As the daughter of an enemy family, he had every reason to ignore her. That would’ve made it easier to hate him.

But Kaon kept showing her kindness. Alessia, who had always wanted to be liked but had rarely received genuine warmth, found his gestures deeply unfamiliar. So unfamiliar that she couldn’t help but look back at them again and again.

Alessia didn’t have the time for such pointless thoughts. But this boy, who seemed to have everything, kept stealing her time and attention.

And so, Alessia once again found herself hating Kaon Ferdinand—and feeling just a little more uncomfortable around him.

“Alessia?”

Ah. I messed up.

Startled, Alessia instinctively took a step back and bit the inside of her cheek hard.

“I saw a leaf in your hair and was going to brush it off… Did I startle you? I’m sorry.”

She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed Kaon approaching, and she had reacted too strongly. Worse, she’d raised her hand defensively, almost as if to block him.

It was a reflex she’d developed during her time in Ingelos. She’d been hit or attacked from behind so often that even the smallest surprises could make her flinch.

“No, it’s okay. I just overreacted. It was nothing.”

Alessia smiled, trying to shift the mood. At the same time, she studied Kaon’s reaction.

She didn’t want her troubled past to be obvious. Acting like this was practically advertising that something bad had happened to her. It wouldn’t give away too much, but still, she didn’t want to offer even a clue.

“No, I should’ve made some noise. But more importantly—are you hurt?”

Worried he might’ve noticed something, she focused—but Kaon only seemed concerned about whether she was injured. Apparently, he’d seen her stumble when she stepped back.

“…Why are you so nice to me?”

Alessia froze, realizing she had spoken her thoughts aloud. She had meant to keep them inside, but they slipped out before she could stop them.

Kaon, who had been looking down, lifted his head. Surprised by the question, his eyes flickered with confusion.

“I mean, I’m just really grateful, Kaon. You know how I came from Ingelos… I was worried about adjusting, but thanks to you, it’s been much easier. I just wondered, that’s all.”

The words were already out—she couldn’t take them back. But she could soften them. Alessia quickly added a light tone to her voice, hoping Kaon would take it lightly as well.

“Because… you work so hard at everything. I thought maybe I could help, even just a little.”

Kaon answered slowly, after thinking for a long while.

His sentence trailed off shyly, and Alessia could hear the awkwardness in his voice.

Normally, she would’ve twisted his words to mean something else. But for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to do that this time.

“No progress today either?”

“No. I still can’t sense any magic at all.”

“Then you’re just another problem to deal with.”

Suddenly, an old memory surfaced. A time when she had pushed herself to exhaustion, desperate to awaken magic. Young Alessia had skipped meals, stayed up sleepless nights, doing everything she could to feel that thing called magic.

“Why can’t you even do something so simple? It’s not like we’re asking you to cast advanced spells.”

“I can do it, Mother. Just one more chance, please. Just give me a little more time—”

“Is that all you ever say?”

But she never did feel magic. She never became a mage. Alessia, a child of Ingelos blood, failed to do what was expected and required of her.

All her efforts became meaningless. No matter how hard she worked, no one acknowledged her. Because she failed to become anything, all her effort was treated as nothing.

Her parents, unable to publicly abandon their daughter but unwilling to accept her, simply left her alone. While she withered under her cousins’ abuse, they didn’t spare a glance.

Because… you work so hard at everything.

No one had ever said that to her before. No one had ever thought that way. That’s why Kaon Ferdinand couldn’t possibly understand how long she had waited to hear those words—how hard she had tried, just to hear that once.

Why him of all people?

Her stomach churned, and her mind spun.

Alessia was thankful he wasn’t looking at her. Because if he had been, he would’ve seen the expression on her face—one that looked like she was about to cry.