“BwEeehHhehehRrhgghh—”

  The sound of a young girl retching was something Demund had never expected to hear in his life, but here he was. He patted Laveny’s back gently.

  The girl slowly looked up from the trashcan, tears in her eyes. “Errrghh…wait. I think I bwaAggghhh—”

  He certainly wasn’t torturing the girl. But this time, she’d been too talented for her own good.

  “Take it slowly,” Demund reminded. “I think this might be too much for you. Let’s rest—”

  Laveny waved his worry away. “N-no,” she spat, wiping her mouth with a tissue. “I’m just starting to get the hang of—”

  Her eyes widened, and she dove into the trashcan once more. It was not a pleasant sight or sound. Demund pursed his lips. Was it dangerous to circulate forcefully? He’d remembered hearing about precautions, but Shaden had been too talented for it to matter. In the real world, he’d fainted once. But there had been no lasting effects.

  “I think we should stop—” Demund began, his worries starting to grow.

  “Nrgghh. No stopping,” Laveny muttered. “I’m doing something revolutionary here…”

  She swayed to the side and then caught herself. “See?” she said. “I’m fine.”

  Then she fainted.

  “Woah!”

  Demund managed to catch her before her face hit the ground. She was lighter than he expected. He held a finger to her neck.

  She was alive, thankfully. But now he didn’t know what to do. Wait for her to wake up? It had been fine for him, but would it be for her?

  A whirring sound made him look sideways. It was the robot that had brought Aia a tablet. It made a smiling face on its electronic head.

  “Oh. Here to help?” Demund asked.

  The robot nodded. Its arms protracted, and a scanner-like apparatus appeared from within its hand. Silently, it scanned Laveny’s body with numerous lasers that were too many to count. After a few moments, it retracted its arms.

  “Well?” Demund asked. The robot’s face shifted into words.

  [Physical Condition - Excellent.]

  “What do you mean by excellent?” Demund demanded. The robot made a sad face. Then a bunch of other words began to appear.

  [No Apparent Problems. Currently Sleeping.]

  “So she doesn’t need to go to the hospital?”

  The robot shook its head.

  [Advised Action - Place Subject In A Comfortable Place.]

  “Her chair?”

  The robot shook its head.

  “Her room?”

  The robot nodded. With a twist of its head, it headed towards a door that opened automatically. But it wasn’t the main entrance door. It was another hidden door to the side of the room that had been a normal wall a few seconds ago. The robot motioned him to follow.

  “Nice,” Demund whistled. Carefully holding Laveny in his arms, he walked towards the entrance.

  The bedroom was glowing with warm light. What struck Demund the most was how clear it was. There were no desks, drawers, or closets; the only furniture was a large bed. The walls and floor were padded to keep out sound, and the only color aside from the all-encompassing creamy white was the light blue of Laveny’s dolphin doll, Dolgo, that sat on her bed. It was a neat room…just not what he’d imagined for an 11-year-old. It was a room for the sole purpose of sleeping.

  Demund carefully laid Laveny on the bed and placed her head on the pillow. If there had been a slight strain in her face before, it was all gone now.

  He felt for her emotions again. Behind her worriless appearance was a weight he could not fathom. He could not see beyond the tension. Had he been Shaden, he would have alleviated the pressure. But Demund knew he would buckle underneath what was before him. It would be like poking a hole in a giant dam: he would be washed away.

  Laveny’s mental fortitude was something he could not compare to.

  “And yet, she’s still a child,” he muttered. Mentally, she was likely one of the best. Emotionally…likely not. It would explain the bottled-up—no, constrained feelings.

  It couldn’t possibly be healthy.

  It reminded him of Eilae. But Eilae was much better at hiding her emotions. Laveny had simply contained them within layers of…willpower. Resolve? He couldn’t quite read the compact clouds of mana.

  Demund felt sorry for her. He could see why she’d acted selfishly.

  Raised in a lab before Deion had rescued her. She had no parents or relatives.

  Did she not have other friends? He scowled at the thought of her being used as a tool for world peace. Maybe it was necessary. But it was cruel.

  He looked around the empty room. What was this—a room for a robot? What was Deion thinking? And he’d been telling Laveny to trust him just before. This was wrong. Something about all of this was very, very—

  “Please, Demund. Don’t look so troubled.”

  Demund jerked his head up at the new voice. There was no one around him. Even the robot had left the room.

  “Who is it?” he asked quietly.

  “Come outside.”

  Slowly getting up, he exited the bedroom. The computer room was still dark, but a figure of a woman had appeared on the monitors that had moved to form a large screen. What struck him about the woman was how angelic she appeared—with long, golden hair evenly brushed back on each side—and how her eyes were closed. Her hands were modestly held before her; her lips held a gentle smile.

  “I think this is the first time you’ve seen me,” the woman voiced. She didn’t exactly speak as her mouth didn’t move. There was also something peculiar about the voice.

  “Are you…speaking directly into my head?” Demund asked.

  The woman nodded worryingly. “Is it uncomfortable?”

  “It’s alright.”

  The woman smiled. But it faded. “I wanted to talk before you misunderstood things.”

  “Oh…like child labor?”

  “We know it is cruel to task one child with the world’s fate,” the woman spoke, “but Laveny does it willingly. Nothing is forced.”

  “I think I was a little forced to come here.”

  “You were to be invited. However…”

  A video of a fireball exploding appeared on the screen.

  “Appropriate measures had to be taken. We couldn’t let you be imprisoned.”

  “Oh…right.”

  He’d forgotten that he was here as a kind of punishment. Demund felt a wave of heat run across his face.

  “You worry that Laveny is not enjoying her childhood to the fullest,” the woman went on, “but it would be crueler for her to be treated normally. Her childhood has molded her into seeking assurance, particularly in her genius.”

  “Uh, wait. In simple terms?”

  “She despairs in incompetence. If she does not constantly achieve something, it breaks her apart from the inside.”

  Demund blinked. “How serious is it?”

  “More than you can imagine. Laveny…she is too smart for her own good. She doesn’t let it show, does she?”

  The woman on the screen made a sad smile. “There is a reason why this place is vacant. Laveny does not see a point in talking. If anything, it is greatly frustrating to her. She forces herself to talk.”

  “Even with me?”

  “You have something she does not. That alone makes your words worth listening to.”

  Magic. It wasn’t something you could learn without help.

  “How about Kenna?”

  “Kenna is a caretaker. Laveny understands that.”

  No wonder they didn’t talk much. No wonder Kenna talked to him all the time. Also, Aia Laia was a chatty person; it was natural that Laveny would dislike her.

  “Her room. Did she want it to be like that?”

  The woman nodded. “When she is not sleeping, she is always learning. Her bedroom exists only to provide her with the best sleep. Sad, isn’t it? She does not idle. She finds comfort in progress. Doing nothing is unbearable for her.”

  Demund looked back at the bedroom door. The lights had turned off but the wall hadn’t been shut.

  “Is the best thing I can do…to teach her?” he asked.

  The woman nodded.

  “Will she ever be satisfied?”

  The woman shook her head. “However, time changes many things.”

  Slowly, she raised a hand and pointed it towards him. “You know how to touch the heart, don’t you?”

  Demund’s eyes widened.

  “What?”

  A shiver went down his spine. Suddenly, he feared the voice in his head.

  “How do you know that?”

  The woman waved her hands in alarm. “I’m very sorry—I didn’t mean to startle you. But just as you can sense SAP, I can as well. It is why I came to talk with you. You sensed Laveny’s heart, did you not?”

  “I did,” Demund admitted, calming down.

  “And you saw how confined she makes herself be.”

  “...yes.”

  Worry covered the woman’s face. “She doesn’t understand her loneliness. I…I wish her to have a friend. She has rejected others, but you have something she does not. You can be her friend.”

  “Am I not a little too old?” Demund snorted.

  The woman smiled. “Laveny describes her intelligence as being 245 years old. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

  Demund observed the woman. Since she wasn’t physically here, there was a limit to how much he could determine her true intentions. She didn’t seem to be lying.

  “And you?”

  “I am her friend, yes. But with you, she’ll have another. I think that’s a healthy thing, is it not?”

  The woman emerged from the screen and held Demund’s hands. Her unfathomable eyes gazed into his.

  “Please.”

  He understood then. Not what, but why.

  Demund blinked, and he was alone in the room, the dim blue light of the screens softly illuminating the floor. He looked around him. It was quiet—as if no one had been there in the first place.

  “Oh.”

  He’d forgotten to ask the woman her name.

  Demund looked down at his hands.

  It was a feeling—an intuition he’d received. It was less about saving the world and more about saving one person. Laveny would save the world. But she could not save herself.

  But why him?

  Surely there were better people out there. Smarter, more talented people. Was his magic the only reason Laveny would listen to him? Surely not, right?

  The woman knew that he could influence emotions. But so far, he’d never done it in this world; he’d only sensed them. How had she known?

  He sighed. If she could give him hallucinations and directly make him understand, she could probably read his thoughts as well. It wasn’t the best feeling, but he could see the necessity of it. The Veurbois screened their servants for betrayal all the time. It was only natural that people near the potential savior of the world would be monitored as well.

  “Are you there?” Demund coughed. There was no answer. Somehow, he knew that she wouldn’t talk to him without special circumstances. He focused around himself. No mana. The presence was gone.

  Lost in thought, he slowly paced around the room. Staying here would not be short, it seemed. What about his friends? And his parents?

  “.........”

  As Shaden, he had the responsibility of being the Heir of Skotos, so he was used to traveling around and saying goodbye to friends. New places brought new friends. It would be the same here, in the waking world.

  Demund squeezed his eyes shut. No, it was different. Shaden was talented wherever he went. Even then, it hadn’t been a fun, smooth ride. To be honest, he was never good with new situations. Shaden had managed, and it had made him forget…but he was an introvert. Without Riley or Rhyne, he’d never have made it this far.

  And Enariss. He wanted to see her and tell her about his experiences.

  He opened his eyes. He would stay until he saw Enariss and Jothan…and decide what to do then. So, less than two months. He’d wait until the predicted ‘outbreak.’

  Collecting himself, he headed for the exit—but it was closed. He looked for a handle or button. There were none. A short while passed before he gave up on opening the door.

  He looked at the most comfortable spot to rest—Laveny’s chair. Sighing, he sat down—

  And got launched to the side. With a yelp, he managed to roll and get up in one smooth motion.

  “What in the—”

  The chair seemed to express annoyance, rotating side to side as if shaking its head. Demund couldn’t help but let out a dumb laugh.

  “You shouldn’t touch other people’s things.”

  Demund looked up to see Laveny standing at the entrance of her bedroom. She was hugging her dolphin doll.

  “Are you alright?”

  “My head spins, but I’m fine,” Laveny muttered. She rubbed her eyes. “I’m starting to understand.”

  “Please don’t force it,” Demund told her. “You could hurt yourself.”

  Circulating was like exercising. Normally, a person wouldn’t have to worry about ripping their muscle apart doing calisthenics. But just as hysterical strength existed, a genius such as Laveny could theoretically pull her spirit apart. If she was smart…she wouldn’t go that far, would she?

  “I’ll come up with better exercises, so try not to do anything out of the ordinary,” Demund told her. “I heard that if you damage your mana, it’s hard to recover.”

  Laveny yawned. “I can tell as much. But a little is fine….right?”

  “Yes, a little is fine.”

  “Okay.”

  She stumbled towards her chair and sat down. Immediately, the computers hummed to life. What appeared on the screens was all sorts of information that scrolled by too quickly for him to read it all. Laveny’s eyes darted around, absorbing it all.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  “What are you looking at?” Demund asked.

  “Somatics and cellular arrangements,” Laveny answered. “Since circulating happens inside the body, there should be an ideal pathway through which mana can flow. I think I can design something.”

  “Ah.”

  He wondered if he should tell her about the mana pathway that the Guardian had taught—well, forced into him. It hadn’t done much for Shaden, but he was beginning to see its effects in the real world. Sensing mana better than before was one of them.

  But he decided to wait. He was curious what a genius could come up with.

  “.........”

  She looked eager to learn. She was eager to learn all of the time. But whether or not she enjoyed it was a different matter.

  If she learned to circulate, would it allow her to become more honest? Or would she force herself to be diligent even more?

  An idea came into his mind.

  “Want to make a bet?” he suggested.

  Laveny tore her eyes from the screens. “What kind?”

  “As you say, there are many pathways mana can take,” Demund said, “but some are more efficient than others. I’d say that whatever you come up with will be inferior to mine.”

  The girl tilted her head. “Are you sure? What will you bet?”

  “What would you like?”

  “Your time,” Laveny said, “and attention. Ignore other people when I want you to.”

  Demund grinned. “It sounds like you’re asking me out.”

  Laveny made a disgusted face. “Only for learning magic.”

  Her reaction hurt him a little, but he brushed it off. “I would like your time as well. Not too much, maybe thirty minutes a day.”

  “To do what?”

  “Be lazy,” Demund smiled. Laveny looked at him like he was crazy.

  “Okay,” she sighed. “I think I can come up with something by tomorrow. It’ll take another week to practice. What will the criteria be?”

  “Mana accumulation,” Demund said. “We can measure how much we’ve stored within a certain period. Maybe an hour.”

  “That’s reasonable.”

  Laveny returned to the screens. “A week it is, then.”

  “A week it is,” Demund agreed.

  Laveny quietly watched Demund leave the room out of the corner of her eye. When the doors closed, she stretched her body and humphed to herself.

  “What could you possibly come up with?” she muttered. Looking at Demund’s records, it was clear that he was an average kind of person. His grades were good, but that was school standards. His presentation on SAP paled in comparison to the projects she had done and was planning to do. His dreams might have taught him many things, but in the end, Demund himself was nothing special.

  Still, she would not laze around. Finding an ideal mana pathway for her body would do wonders for the future. The monitor screens flashed and shifted, and her eyes absorbed everything she required.

  “This will be easy,” she said. “What do you think?”

  “It seems like a fair battle.”

  “It’s immensely unfair for him,” Laveny humphed.

  “However, he has more time.”

  “I think you mean, he had more time.”

  “.........”

  “Alwiss?”

  “What I do know is to not underestimate him. He is different in his dreams. Comparable, maybe even greater than you.”

  “Mmmm.”

  Laveny leaned on her hand. She looked through Demund’s files one more time. With a flick of her finger, it vanished.

  “I doubt it,” she concluded. “What could he possibly know?”

  She was right. Demund’s knowledge of SAP and biology was far inferior compared to hers. It was only natural that she would be the victor.

  Laveny happily grinned to herself, thinking of how she would monopolize Demund. It wouldn’t be a loss for him either. She considered herself to be a great teacher. What Demund lost from teaching her, she would repay him with her genius.

  She hummed a little tune, certain of her victory.

  Laveny rubbed her eyes. She blinked thrice in disbelief.

  “What was your score again?” Demund asked.

  “...746.”

  They both stared at Demund’s SAP value. It was at 16,436.

  “So, subtracting the original value of 15,105 gives us…”

  Demund grinned in victory. “1,331.”

  Laveny didn't move. She simply kept staring at the measurement.

  “Laveny? Are you okay?”

  The girl shuddered. “N-no. This can’t be possible. The machine…”

  She glared at the machine. But the machine couldn’t lie. So she glared at Demund.

  “Did you…cheat?” she asked with hopeful eyes.

  Demund shook his head. “I wouldn’t know how to,” he told her.

  Alas, even if he had wanted to cheat by suppressing his mana, the machine they had used was something Laveny herself had designed—an ultra-high precision SAP measuring device. According to her, no one could fool it.

  “N-n-noooo!” Laveny shrieked, falling to the floor while grasping her hair. “This…isn’t possible! T-this…can’t be happening!”

  “Uh, Laveny…?”

  “S-so much time will be wasted…”

  “Er, it’s only 30 minutes a day…”

  “Noooo!” the girl whimpered. Demund thought he saw tears in her eyes.

  He scratched his cheek. A bet was a bet, but the girl was on the verge of despair.

  “I haven’t told you what we will be doing,” he said.

  “Lazing around,” she sniffed, her face in her arms. “That’s wasting time.”

  “Well…we won’t be doing nothing. Have you heard of the lumberjack analogy? The man who spent time sharpening his axe cut down more trees than the man who began chopping right away.”

  Laveny raised her teary eyes. “But I’m always sharpened. That’s part of my power.”

  “Maybe physically and mentally. What about emotionally?”

  The moment the last word left his lips, Laveny’s eyes narrowed. Wiping her eyes, she got up to meet his height—well, at least tried to.

  “I’m perfectly fine,” she said. “I don’t need therapy.”

  “It’s not really therapy. Think of it as getting to know yourself.”

  “That's therapy, and I’m perfectly aware of myself.”

  Demund raised an eyebrow.

  “W-what?”

  “I think you could use another point of view,” Demund said. “Besides, it’ll be a learning session for you as well. I’ll show you another way of using mana.”

  “You…will?”

  “Yes, but…”

  Demund smirked. “I doubt you’ll understand it.”

  “.........”

  Laveny’s eyes narrowed even more. Crossing her arms, she sighed.

  “Fine,” she muttered. “A bet is a bet. Thirty minutes, from 10:30 to 11:00. Not a millisecond earlier or later.”

  “Don’t I get to decide?”

  “No.”

  “......”

  “......”

  “It works for me,” Demund decided. “Starting today?”

  “No! We spent enough time together already. Tomorrow.”

  Demund snorted. “As you wish, my lady.”

  “Now, please.”

  The door opened, and Laveny pointed to it. Shrugging, Demund slowly began to walk towards it.

  Laveny stared at him.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Oh, I’m just—waaaasstiiing yoooouur tiiiimmmeee,” Demund said sarcastically. Laveny looked at him as if he was an insect.

  “...I’m going to take away the leg.”

  “I’ll be going now.”

  The doors shut behind him. He looked up at the camera and imagined Laveny plopping down on her seat.

  Demund couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. The genius girl was fun to tease. There was something alluring about doing the opposite of what people wanted. Well, as long as it wasn’t too serious.

  He couldn’t imagine acting the same as Shaden. Maybe a few years back, maybe when he had traveled with Lytha and Eilae. But the Veurbois didn’t seem to care for banter or jokes, much less pranks. They were perfectly dignified—and they willed themselves and their surroundings to be as such.

  Reading emotions, influencing them, and controlling them. While there were ways to mitigate or intensify feelings, there was no way to completely erase or create them. He’d been taught that in the beginning.

  But his unbelievable mastery and progress had deemed him worthy to learn the final step. Esel himself taught him now, and they were already approaching the end. He didn’t know what it was…but he couldn’t ignore the unsettling feeling that he’d gotten while learning.

  “Strange, isn’t it?” Esel observed.

  Shaden couldn’t help but think that the man was reading his every thought. But he reminded himself otherwise and nodded.

  “Yes, keep them separate. Do not let yourself be overwhelmed.”

  Shaden had learned a new technique—splitting one’s heart. While having two or more prominent emotions would usually result in disorientation, there was a way to isolate the clouds from each other. What he wanted to portray outwardly was his choice. He could be enraged—but at the same time, be completely at peace.

  Kind of like having a controllable mental disorder. It was a strange and new feeling. And now, he had to keep the balance.

  He felt an indescribable urge to obey Esel’s every command, to even give up his life for him—but his other heart let him keep his cool. It wasn’t even that difficult. He quite liked being able to completely control himself like this.

  “Do you understand?” Esel asked.

  Shaden nodded. Esel released his magic, but Shaden allowed the new cloud of obedience to linger for a while longer. This wasn’t a human emotion. Rather, it was something that had been acquired many, many years ago:

  The absolute subservience of an elf. To whom, Shaden didn’t know. Perhaps the goddess of the elves, Naera, or perhaps the so-called world tree that now didn’t exist.

  “May I?” Shaden asked. Esel nodded.

  Shaden redirected the emotion into Esel. No longer was he subtly increasing the magnitude of emotions, but placing a new one forcefully in his heart. A new cloud manifested—the same one Shaden was feeling.

  “Good, very good!” Esel smiled. He didn’t seem affected. “Now, take it away.”

  Concentrating, Shaden redirected the flow of mana. It took a few seconds before he removed the last trace of the emotion.

  “Breathtaking,” Esel complimented. “Another stunning performance.”

  “All thanks to you,” Shaden exhaled. “What a scary emotion.”

  “Indeed. Remember—should you use it, you must remove it. It is prohibited in the Empire.”

  “Aren’t they all?”

  All of the emotions Esel was teaching him weren’t the usual set of feelings that a normal person might feel. These were intense, distinct ones. To note a few:

  The desperation of a starving boy.

  The willingness of a tortured prisoner.

  The elation of holding a newborn child.

  The apathy of a psychopath.

  These were some of the human ones. Emotions from the other races included:

  The frenzy of a beastman.

  The commitment of a dwarf.

  The bliss of a fairy.

  The despair of an unknown entity…

  To wield these as weapons was akin to brainwashing the target. There was a reason why Shaden was being taught by Esel himself. These emotions were passed down only to two people per generation—the successor of the Veurbois and the heir of Skotos. And Shaden had already surpassed Enen’s mastery of them. Normally, even the heir of Skotos would spend a lifetime learning everything…

  However, Shaden was not normal.

  “That will be all for today,” Esel said, getting up from his chair. “Perhaps by the end of the month, I will have taught you everything.”

  “Maybe I could travel afterwards?” Shaden suggested.

  It had been roughly two months since his birthday, and he hadn’t had a chance to explore lands outside of the province of Louverie. Well, outside of the city of Vion, really. He’d been vigorously studying the path of mana that Mernos had engraved into his spirit—not for himself, but for Demund.

  The results had been mindblowing. He hadn’t noticed a difference as Shaden, but when all the paths had been carved out for Demund—something had clicked. Mana flowed naturally; he didn’t have to even think to circulate.

  However, there were limits. Most prominent was the difference in mana between the two bodies. Next was an intricate formula that the dragon had initially inscribed on his heart (he’d removed it for Shaden) which had acted as a kind of engine. A pseudo dragon heart, the Guardian had called it. Shaden had called on the dragon for assistance, but in the end…he’d failed to replicate it as Demund.

  Dragon magic was something else, far more complex and intricate compared to human spells. To compare it, it was like trying to grow feathers—physically impossible. In this case—magically impossible.

  Maybe he could find an alternative, but that would take more practice. He had heard about magicians who formed circles around their hearts to cast the highest of spells…

  Fortunately for him, the Central Academium was located in the capital of the Empire. The greatest place one could learn magic—the epitome of all education. Compared to the other Academiums spread throughout the continent, it was far, far greater. Even a valedictorian of a regular academy might have a slim chance of getting in.

  Also, children of the Great Families got a free pass.

  “Of course you can!” Esel encouraged. “The Empire is a beautiful place. There are introductory periodicals in the study.”

  He’d look at those later. After thanking the man, Shaden went to join Eilae in the study. Hearing him enter, she looked up from her book and smiled.

  “How did it go?” she asked.

  Shaden grinned. “I think I’ll be finished by the end of the month.”

  Eilae gasped. “Really?”

  She then furrowed her eyebrows. “But I suppose I shouldn’t be so surprised at this point. You were always leagues ahead.”

  Shaden held his head like he was hurting. “Forgive my genius. I’m just too great, aren’t I?”

  Eilae smiled. “Yes, yes. Now, please sit down.”

  He’d expected a different response. Maybe a scowl or a punch. Snorting, he sat down next to her.

  Now that his mastery over the gift of empathy had exceeded the others, he’d wanted to teach Eilae to make up for the time she’d lost. She’d been happy to accept. Now, they spent every day together as teacher and student.

  Just like the old days, Shaden thought. But they were different.

  She was different. He’d wanted to look into her heart, but all the traces of her distress had been…wiped away. Not even a speck.

  As if it had been erased. It was what he was learning to do.

  “Hmm. I understand it better now,” Eilae told him. “Let it enter naturally at first, right? I think I’m getting better at this.”

  “You are,” Shaden agreed. Her focus was unbelievable. As if everything distracting had been erased…

  Eilae seemed so—too faultless. Had he known nothing, he would have been happy with it. Of course, he wanted Eilae to be at peace. But this—this was unnatural. Where was the old Eilae?

  “...Shaden?”

  “I’ll be truthful, Eilae,” Shaden said softly. “I worry for you.”

  Eilae tilted her head. “Why so?”

  “...after my birthday celebration. You were in my room.”

  “Oh!”

  Eilae blushed. Her eyes looked elsewhere. “I thought you were sleeping.”

  “I woke up. Then I looked into your heart.”

  Eilae blinked. “And?”

  “You…don’t remember?”

  “No. I don’t recall dreams much, I’d say,” Eilae answered. “What was it like?”

  Shaden didn’t know what to say to those sparkling eyes of hers. That she was suffering inside? That she’d shown signs of breaking down? But the girl before her was happy, and her emotions told the same.

  “You seemed…sad,” Demund managed to say. “Like you wanted to cry.”

  “Really?”

  Eilae thoughtfully placed her chin on her hand. “Ladies cry about the smallest things. Perhaps I was upset that I nearly made a mistake during our dance.”

  “Hm.”

  “Or perhaps I was jealous of you and Lady Cona…?”

  “I see. Wait, what?”

  Eilae pursed her lips. “I’m not stating I was. I’m saying perhaps in my dream, I was.”

  “I-I see.”

  “Or maybe the incident with Lord Goita was more strenuous than I’d thought,” Eilae sighed. “You also mentioned grabbing his heart, which, in my opinion, isn’t something you should explain to a lady.”

  “R-right. I really shouldn’t have.”

  “I did appreciate it, so no worries. Shall we practice some more?”

  So they did. It was fun and relaxing. Like old times, but better.

  Shaden suppressed his emotions for Eilae. His worries and concerns—he drained them away. She was practicing with his heart, after all. It would be terrible for her to see such negative emotions. And now that those emotions were gone, he felt so very delighted to be spending the wonderful morning with Eilae.

  It wasn’t until he’d finished his session with Eilae that he realized what exactly he’d removed from himself.

  “Erasing my worry for Eilae…am I insane?”

  No…he’d had a good reason for it. To not cause Eilae to worry. But this couldn’t go on forever. He knew Eilae was hiding something. The whole family was hiding something.

  What exactly, though?

  Shaden sighed deeply. He didn’t know where to start. It also wasn’t right to brainwash people into revealing the truth. If he asked Esel, he feared that Eilae would get reprimanded because of it. They were lenient towards him, but the same couldn’t be said for the other children.

  “Oh, we aren’t physically punished,” Ailan had informed him, “but we are made to fully understand our faults. How? Naturally, with our gifts.”

  The boy hadn’t gone into detail, but Shaden could hypothesize. Just like he’d shared himself with the others, the others would as well. It had been like therapy, and he’d felt much more liberated afterwards.

  Shaden frowned. Then couldn’t the same be said about Eilae? She’d been stressed, and the others had helped her recover from it.

  “Hmm…”

  So was she fine after all?

  “.........”

  He didn’t know. Eilae always said she was fine. He spent the rest of the day contemplating the matter.

  “What do you think is better, Rose?” he asked his maid as she tucked him in for the night. “To be manipulated to be happy, or to suffer in freedom?”

  “That’s a difficult question,” Rose hummed. “If possible, I would choose to be happy in freedom. Between the two…wouldn’t being happy be better?”

  “Do you think so?”

  Rose nodded. She sat down next to him on his bed with a thoughtful expression.

  “However, if I knew that I had been manipulated, I don’t think I would continue to be happy. I would be living a lie, no?”

  “I guess. But what if you agreed to it?”

  “Oh, so it’s voluntary. In that case, wouldn’t it be fine?”

  Rose furrowed her eyes. “Though, I think the people around the person would be miserable. It would feel like living with a doll. They wouldn’t be the person you knew, but another who can’t really…interact?”

  Rose’s expression softened. “I had a friend who loved drinking. He would be so grumpy all the time, but when he drank, he was the happiest, kindest person that I knew. I wished him to be drunk all of the time.”

  She smiled. “I was a child back then. But he smelled too much, so I told him to drink less and be more happy.”

  “So…what happened?”

  “A servant can’t go against their master’s wishes,” Rose chuckled. “He smiled more after that. Forcefully, at first. But I think I did a good job of making him rely on beer less. A master must look after her servants, no?”

  Shaden nodded.

  “It’s good to be happy,” Rose concluded, “but not being able to be happy without a certain method is…sad, I think. It’s good to keep…multiple options?”

  She seemed to be confusing herself as well. Shaden laughed a little.

  “Thank you,” he told her. “It helped me clear my mind.”

  “Any time,” Rose smiled. “Sweet dreams, my lord.”

  After the maid had left the darkened room, Shaden stared at the ceiling, lost in thought again. Whatever the case was for Eilae, he wasn’t aware of it. She hadn’t told him. But one thing was certain:

  If she was only happy because her emotions had been manipulated—

  He’d do his best to give her what she wanted.

  Shaden yawned. It had been a busy day. He was learning to use the sword again with Lan and also practicing his horseback riding. He knew how to thanks to the Jakhar Kishaks, but the girls had wanted him to join. Practicing magic was also another part of their education, as well as reading literature, learning math, memorizing various names, etc…

  The path of learning was endless. He really wanted that trip around the Empire.

  “Hmm…”

  He still couldn’t get Eilae out of his mind. After almost an hour of serious contemplation, he decided to check on her. He didn’t even need to go near her; with his power, he could sense her from his room. It was rude, but…his worries won. Closing his eyes, he concentrated.

  Eilae’s room entered his perception. He searched deeper and found Eilae sitting on her bed. She was reading something—a piece of paper—held in her hands. An envelope with its broken seal was beside her on the bed.

  Carefully, he read her heart.

  Worry, concern, and…anticipation?

  A sudden change in Eilae’s posture caused him to release his magic. He was back with his five senses as he blinked dumbly at the ceiling.

  I really shouldn’t be spying on her, he told himself.

  “.........”

  Still, he was curious. If he wanted to, he could go look without anyone noticing.

  “.........”

  Maybe just a look?

  No, it wasn’t right. How could he do such a thing? Even if he’d already spied on her, physically observing her was another matter. Eilae would tell him if it was important, right?

  Shaden nodded to himself. It was time to sleep.

  He closed his eyes.

  An hour later, he was floating outside of his window, completely concealed in his magic. He hovered through the air and reached Eilae’s bedroom window. Making sure she was asleep, he quietly entered.

  Well, he had to check her while she was sleeping. He looked around.

  The letter was conveniently on the table next to the window.

  Well, if it was right there, it wouldn’t hurt to look.

  He picked up the letter and began to read it. As his eyes darted through the words, they grew larger and larger.

  It wasn’t anything special. Simply something most nobles went through after they came of age. Thinking about it, Eilae’s 15th birthday was in a couple of months. It made sense that these letters would be delivered.

  Still—Shaden’s jaw dropped. He read through the letter one more time. His eyes weren’t deceiving him.

  The scowl on his face became deeper.

  The letter was none other than an engagement proposal.