The air froze over with an icy chill. For a moment, it seemed as though Yuri’s ice magic had reached its peak, freezing even time itself.
But no, that wasn’t the case. Hearing Yuri’s words, Ariah approached cautiously, humming in thought.
“Quite the mischievous act you’re pulling here.”
“The one being mischievous is you, flirting with someone else’s man.”
“Oh my, flirting? I’m just boldly appealing.”
Saying this, Ariah moved behind Kail, positioning herself to face Yuri.
“And what about you? Since when have you been showing off like that?”
“…I’ve always been like this.”
“You don’t have ulterior motives, do you?”
“What?”
“Since Kail is your Master, were you thinking of claiming him before anyone else found out?”
At first glance, her words could be seen as insulting. But Yuri, true to her status as the Archduke’s daughter, did not tolerate such insults.
A light smash from her waist sent a slap ringing across Ariah’s cheek. Zaaak! The intense burst echoed through the air, and Ariah gently touched her reddened cheek as she stared at Yuri.
“Hey, Yuri…!”
“Your behavior is too much for a commoner.”
“…Heh, I see. So you really don’t remember that incident, do you?”
Hearing this, Ariah slowly smiled and pulled Kail into a tight embrace.
“My Kail and I remember it well. You wouldn’t have the qualifications to know.”
“What?”
“Kail, was I the first one you hit?”
Asking this, Ariah looked toward Kail as if seeking permission. Of course, she didn’t actually need his consent—her power activated simultaneously with her words.
With a flick of her tongue forming a simple monotone, Ariah controlled Yuri with just that subtle movement.
Of course, if she issued harmful commands to Yuri, Kail might immediately snap her neck, so she couldn’t give extreme orders…
“『Speak your true feelings』”
If Kail was curious and didn’t stop the command, then it was something she could certainly do. After all, hadn’t Kail himself stopped trying to intervene upon hearing Ariah’s command?
Aria, wanting to hear the thoughts of the seemingly emotionless Ice Princess, focused on Yuri’s next words.
“…Kail, I like you.”
“Why? Because Kail is your Master?”
“Ahh, no. Because Kail is… Kail.”
“…You liked him even before knowing he was a Master?”
“I’ve liked him since we first met.”
Frowning at Yuri’s words, Ariah pressed further, suspecting there was more to it.
“Love at first sight?”
“…No. But now that I think about it, I’ve liked him since then.”
“Has she lost it…? What nonsense is this?”
Shaking her head at the illogical response, Ariah glanced at Kail’s expression and scowled.
Hearing Yuri’s confession, Kail’s lips quivered slightly. It seemed the revelation that his fiancée had liked him since they first met pleased him greatly.
It was slightly irritating, but there was nothing more to be done.
“—So, you. Thieving cat. Get lost.”
“Huh? Aaah, still not done…?”
“If you approach Kail again, I’ll freeze you to death.”
Such excessive language was uncharacteristic of Yuri. Ariah realized it was her true feelings slipping out.
Behind the mask crafted by the Northern Archduchess, hidden beneath the coldest and harshest territory of nobility, lay her raw emotions.
True to Yuli, who grew up among the rugged men of the North, her concealed emotions were just as fierce.
“Kail, don’t entertain other women who come onto you.”
“Hmm?”
“Push them away, ignore them. If it comes down to it, threaten them with that fancy Aura Blade of yours. Got it?”
Unconsciously nodding, Kail began to understand where rumors of the Duke being controlled by his wife originated.
Catching Kail’s careful gaze, Ariah quickly retracted her powers, deliberately leaving Yuri’s memories intact.
Yuri, confessing her feelings for Kail and threatening Ariah in such an un-noble manner, blushed furiously as she watched the two.
“…What just happened?”
“Hmm, some kind of force ability?”
“Was there something like that?”
Unable to believe it, Yuri stomped her feet and swiftly fled the scene.
Watching her retreating figure, Kail felt certain he shouldn’t follow her.
It was a time to leave her alone. Successfully driving off her rival, Ariah beamed and clung to Kail’s arm.
“Kail, let’s go get dessert!”
“…Alright.”
If she went somewhere noticeable, she’d recover her composure and find them eventually. With that thought, Kail headed to the dessert shop with Ariah.
* * *
Thud thud thud─!
Heavy footsteps scattered in every direction as Yuri, after running for some time, finally stopped, panting heavily.
Her heart raced uncontrollably. Leaning against the wall to catch her breath, it took a while for her breathing to return to normal.
Given her aversion to physical activity, this was inevitable for a mage.
‘My heart feels like it’s going to explode…’
Of course, her pounding heart wasn’t solely due to lack of exercise. The shame of revealing forbidden feelings only compounded her racing heartbeat.
Not wanting to become the first mage to die of embarrassment, Yuri tried to regain her composure by casting a calming spell on herself.
Despite her efforts, her mind kept replaying the recent events, each memory stirring waves of humiliation throughout her body.
“Grrr…!”
Biting her lip tightly, she rubbed her goosebump-covered arms. Still restless, she stomped her feet and paced around like an unrefined noble.
This was due to Ariah’s lingering power. Had anyone who knew her seen her, they might have mistaken her for a doppelgänger.
“I want to die…!”
After flailing about in embarrassment, she soon regained her cold, rational mage’s composure. In truth, she had already vented everything she needed to.
Once calm, things she had been avoiding began to surface.
‘…I knew Kail was a Master.’
Ariah is a commoner.
Ariah has no connection to Kail.
Ariah is an ordinary person with no special abilities.
These three premises formed Yuri’s preconceived notions. If these were true, there was no way Ariah could know Kail was a Master.
Granted, during the Academy terrorist attack, Kail had saved her with his Aura, but even Yuri, a 2-star mage at the time, hadn’t immediately realized he was a Master.
There was no way Ariah could have discovered Kail was a Master unless he revealed it to win her favor.
‘This doesn’t make sense.’
Still, the idea of Kail doing such a thing never crossed her mind. He had been pursued by Ariah even before revealing his identity as a Master.
Thus, the notion that Kail had disclosed his identity to Ariah was absurd. It didn’t add up.
Yet Ariah knew Kail was a Master. Without him ever revealing it, she somehow knew.
‘There’s something here.’
The mystery overwhelmed her shame, and her sharp intellect began dissecting it.
Soon, her remarkable intelligence formulated a theory close to the truth.
‘…So theoretically speaking─.’
Ariah used her ability to trigger some ‘incident.’ An incident large enough to require Kail, the Master, to display his full strength.
Since Masters are immune to her powers, Kail remembered the event. That’s what Ariah meant by “qualifications.”
—Moreover, despite incidents occurring at the Academy, Ariah faced no punishment.
Realizing what this implied, Yuri felt a chill run down her spine.
‘Cover-ups? At the Academy, every time an incident occurs?’
Her ability seemed capable of controlling everyone below a Master. There was no better skill for concealing incidents.
Which meant dozens of incidents at the Academy might have occurred without her knowledge.
She wasn’t a Master. She lacked the qualifications Ariah spoke of.
‘…Kail knows.’
Every time something happened at the Academy, Kail, as a Master, likely worked hard to resolve it.
Because he was a Master, it was his duty and within his power.
Because he had the qualifications.
‘While I’m not there.’
Kail was struggling alone.
That couldn’t continue. She was the Archduchess of the North, heir to the Duke Grace family.
A genius mage who reached 4-star status in her teens.
The sole Double Casting user.
‘I can’t let this go on forever.’
She had to become a Master.
Only then could she fight alongside him.
A new goal emerged—one that hadn’t existed before.
