WSNTM 20

20. I Miss You

Riley’s mind raced.

Who was this woman? With a fairly high degree of certainty, she concluded that the stranger was probably someone entangled in Gibnen’s complicated romantic history. Riley was well aware of the countless rumors surrounding him, so the situation itself wasn’t all that shocking.

“What do you think this place is, barging in like that? Have you completely lost your fear?”

On top of that, the woman had a sharp tongue. Her rough speech didn’t suit her beautiful appearance at all—it was the kind of language one might hear over beer at a pub. It rubbed Riley the wrong way.

Whoever she was, Riley had no reason to tolerate a nameless woman causing a scene here.

“I don’t know who you are, but I have no reason to leave. Please stop.”

…Besides, I have nowhere to go.

She deliberately swallowed the rest of her words.

The woman narrowed her eyes.

“You’re saying you’re staying here?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll regret it. Your life will go straight to hell.”

“……And who are you, to be so rude?”

Just as the woman was about to introduce herself, the door opened and someone entered the mansion. The servants moved in perfect unison, lining up neatly to welcome the master of the house.

“Welcome back, Master.”

The timing couldn’t have been more dramatic.

“I wondered what all the commotion was.”

He stiffened when he saw the woman standing with Riley.

“Why are you here?”

“Why else? I had documents that needed your approval, but the so-called Master of the Mage Tower decided to go gallivanting around on romantic escapades and disappear for four days. What choice did I have but to come here myself?”

What was this vicious exchange? It didn’t sound like lovers arguing. If anything, the woman—whom Riley had suspected might be romantically involved with Gibnen—looked like she utterly despised him. Gibnen, for his part, clearly felt the same.

Now that she looked closer, the two of them… both had silver hair and ash-gray eyes. They looked strangely alike.

Don’t tell me—

“By the way, you’ve done something awfully interesting this time. Setting up house before you’re even married? That doesn’t sound like you, Brother. You must’ve been in quite a hurry…”

“Stop meddling in my marriage and worry about your own future.”

“And who are you to lecture me? You’re the biggest contributor to our family’s endless scandals.”

“Eighty percent of those are rumors.”

“So twenty percent are true, then. And this time it’s legendary. Stealing a woman who already had a partner? A woman who was even discussing marriage with the owner of a rival company?”

At that, Gibnen burst into laughter and leaned against the wall.

“If I want something, I take it.”

“You’re shameless.”

“News to you?”

“I don’t care who you date, but couldn’t you at least do it quietly?”

“I’m not the loud one. People make it loud. I want peace more than anyone.”

“Then what was that stunt at the reception?”

At that moment, Riley was certain.

This wasn’t a conversation between lovers. The razor-sharp back-and-forth felt more like a duel of swords and shields. Yes—this was clearly a sibling quarrel.

“A romantic elopement with your lover? Marching straight through the central hall in front of everyone and heading to a hotel? That’s just attention-seeking, isn’t it?”

Livne’s words made Riley feel a stab of guilt. Ah, well, it wasn’t actually planned elopement—there had been unavoidable circumstances—but no explanation would convince her.

They say siblings often don’t get along. That seemed to be true here. To be honest, these two looked even worse than Claire and Riley, in a different way.

Neither side ever backed down. The elegance with which they exchanged such vicious words was almost suffocating.

“Um…”

Riley carefully inserted herself between them. Only then did the bickering siblings fall silent.

Gibnen rubbed his tired face and introduced her.

“This is Livne Rianster—my twin sister.”

“Leave out the ‘sister,’ will you?”

“A sister is a sister. Should I call you my older sister instead?”

Ignoring him, Livne extended her hand to Riley.

“Livne Rianster.”

Flustered, Riley clasped her hand tightly.

“I—I’m Riley Eardalin.”

“Yes, nice to meet you. Actually, not nice at all. Leave this place. Don’t stay and regret it later.”

Riley was certain now—Livne didn’t like her.

That was only natural. The gap between their families was vast, and from Livne’s perspective, this marriage was something Gibnen had pushed through unilaterally. Add the recent scandal on top of that… there was no way Riley could leave a good impression.

But contrary to her expectations, Livne gave a completely different reason.

“Get away from that bastard while you’re still sane. Don’t let him ruin your life.”

“…Excuse me?”

“That guy—he looks normal on the outside, but he’s not. He’s seriously insane. I swear, I’ve never met anyone crazier in my life. Maybe it’s because he was praised as a ‘genius’ from childhood, but there’s something fundamentally wrong with him. I just don’t get it. What’s so good about him? And people say he’s popular? That’s because they don’t know him. Sure, our family’s respectable, but he isn’t. Any woman who dates him is the most pitiful person in the world.”

She unleashed this tirade without batting an eye—right in front of the man himself.

What was even more astonishing was how calm Gibnen looked, as if he were used to this. To him, this seemed utterly routine.

“I’m telling you because you don’t know any better.”

“You’re meddling.”

Gibnen scoffed.

“If you’re done talking, then you’re done here, right?”

“Done? Hardly.”

She flung a stack of documents at him. Instead of falling, the papers floated in the air around his face.

“It’s a report on expanding academy departments and constructing a new building, so read it carefully, Tower Master. Hm? I don’t care about your dating life or marriage, but at least do your job properly.”

“You were the one who told me to leave academy matters entirely to you.”

“And what was I supposed to do when those damned old men insisted on your approval? I’m a student there right now, you know. I’m busy with my own studies. Why do I have to deal with this just because I’m your sibling? Isn’t it because you keep running off everywhere?”

“If you can’t even secure the council’s support, the academy’s future is bleak. If the position’s too much for you, say the word. There are plenty of candidates who could replace you.”

“…You bastard.”

“Again, news to you?”

“Ughhh!”

Trembling with rage, Livne turned sharply and blasted the door apart with magic as she left.

The massive iron door vanished without a trace. As a gaping hole opened in the mansion, Gibnen clicked his tongue and used magic to clean up the debris.

“At this rate, I should really start charging her for doors. The repair costs will bankrupt me.”

What kind of terrifying siblings were these…?

After temporarily sealing the doorway, Gibnen finally turned to Riley, who stood frozen stiff.

“Are you okay? You look pale.”

…You just watched someone blow a door into nothingness. Who wouldn’t be terrified?

“She has a foul mouth, but she’s not a bad person. Don’t worry.”

She destroyed a door in one move…

Riley could only blink wordlessly.

There was an unexpected obstacle to her marriage with Gibnen Rianster.

A terrifying future sister-in-law.

‘…If I fall out of favor, will I end up like that too?’

If the sister was that extreme, then what about the father-in-law? The rest of the family?

A chill ran down Riley’s spine.

…This marriage will be okay, right?

After her harrowing encounter with her future sister-in-law, Riley’s daily life proceeded fairly smoothly.

Perhaps because Livne had a history of smashing doors and storming off, she didn’t show her face again.

By the fifth day, Riley finally managed to ease her fear that Livne might return to scold her about the marriage.

Once Gibnen returned to work, he became genuinely busy.

Extremely busy.

Even so, he sent messenger birds whenever he found time, updating her on his days. Sometimes he joked about quitting his position as Tower Master and moving to the countryside to farm. Other times, he’d go out for business meetings and come back with gifts—clothes, dresses, shoes, delicious desserts.

She could eat whatever she wanted and do whatever she liked. Still, the servants felt sorry that she stayed cooped up inside the mansion.

And Riley herself was beginning to feel the limits of an indoor life.

‘How can life be this boring?’

Compared to the days when she’d been confined indoors with even her outings restricted, this was a privileged complaint.

Time passed painfully slowly when she did nothing but eat and rest. Each day felt endless.

The past month had been filled with etiquette lessons, leaving her no time to be bored. Now, even with the private tutor Gibnen had hired, she only had lessons three times a week, each lasting no more than three hours.

Apparently, private tutors here had legally regulated working hours.

So aside from those three weekly hours, all she did was eat, sleep, relieve herself, and occasionally read books. Boredom was inevitable.

At least the servants were kind and willing to keep her company.

“Doesn’t it feel stifling?” Rachel asked.

“…A little, honestly.”

“If only you could go out, but there are too many people watching our master. Especially with the scandal—it’s still noisy. Even after the correction was published, things haven’t calmed down. Reporters are camped outside, and no matter how much the guards chase them away, they cling on like leeches.”

Riley asked carefully, “Is public opinion still bad?”

“It’s better than before.”

“That’s a relief.”

“People don’t really care whether rumors are true or false. They just want something to chew on. And in that sense, our master is a perfect appetizer.”

“Why?”

“He’s pure headline material. Is there anyone in this empire who doesn’t know his name? They might not know his face, but everyone knows his name. He’s been famous since he was a child.”

“Since childhood? Why?”

“He’s the direct heir of the Rianster family and was born a mage. Mages have their magic measured at birth, you see? But Master Gibnen had so much innate magic that the testing device shattered. People even joked that he might live forever.”

Riley had heard that magic was a mage’s life energy, and those with immense magic could live over two hundred years. They aged slowly and had strong immunity. Unless deliberately killed, the more magic one had, the longer they lived.

“But that’s all in the past,” Rachel continued. “These days, it’s an era of exploiting a handful of archmages. The amount of magic they siphon off instead of taxes is unimaginable. People even joke that the Mage Tower runs on it.”

“I see.”

“But that much magic is basically a bomb. A living bomb. Mages have a separate magical bloodstream, and if it gets twisted, they die. The stronger the magic, the worse it is—the body can’t handle it and explodes. Shattered to pieces…”

Shattered to pieces?

The sheer horror of it made Riley shake her head.

“That’s terrifying.”

“That’s why mages have to be registered and managed from birth. It’d be a waste to lose such valuable talent. And if their body explodes, it doesn’t just kill them—civilians could be hurt too. That’s why birth registration and mage registration are mandatory.”

“…Mandatory.”

Riley froze.

‘Then what about me…?’

A doubt she’d long forgotten crept back in.

‘Why didn’t Father register me as a mage, even though I was born one? If it’s that dangerous? If it’s a matter of life and death?’

“What happens if a mage isn’t managed?”

“They could explode at any time. You can’t control magical flow by will alone—it takes years of training and mental discipline.”

‘…Then what about me?’

Riley was genuinely shaken—far more than when her unknown uncle had suddenly appeared.

This was a matter of life and death. Her father had skipped it? He wasn’t an ordinary man—he’d worked at Horizon. An elite mage who knew magic inside and out wouldn’t make such a mistake. No—this wasn’t something one could mistake.

So was it intentional?

That was worse.

Goosebumps spread over her body.

The fact that she’d survived this long was a miracle. And didn’t that mean she could drop dead anytime, anywhere?

“Miss, are you alright? You’re pale.”

“…Ah, it’s nothing.”

The moment she realized her body might be a ticking bomb, fear flooded in.

Riley decided to keep quiet. Rachel wouldn’t be able to answer these questions. This was something she needed to discuss with Gibnen. He claimed not to know much about her father, but he would definitely know about magic measurements and registration procedures.

‘Right. Maybe there was some reason it was omitted during the process. Father couldn’t have been insane…’

Taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart, Riley steadied herself.

The saying “ignorance is bliss” had never felt more true. The anxiety of not knowing when or how you might die—

As soon as she realized her body was like a time bomb, overwhelming fear and dread of death surged through her. She didn’t want to die shattered into pieces.

Her stomach twisted, her chest tightened, and it became hard to breathe.

The more she thought about it, the more tangled everything became.

After sending Rachel away, Riley curled up on the bed, hugging her knees.

‘…What were you hiding, Father?’

She was scared.

More than fearing what might happen to her body, she was terrified of how many unfamiliar sides of her father she would have to face from now on.

Even after dinner, Gibnen hadn’t returned home.

Judging by the past few days, he probably wouldn’t come back tonight either.

Then when would she see him again? She’d thought living together meant seeing each other every day, but nothing had changed.

‘Is he going to be very late…?’

She had so many things to ask.

“Miss, the night air is cold. Why are you standing here?”