episode_0011

Several weeks had passed since the princess’s tantrum(?).

During that time, I had defined the direction and goal of my magic.

The direction, of course, was to improve mana control and focus.

The goal was to manifest numerous instruments and restore each musical pitch.

To achieve this, I continued basic mana control training while theoretically devouring books on memory and multi-mana manipulation.

Naturally, it wasn’t smooth sailing.

No, honestly—it’s giving me a headache.

“Lady Lierre. Have you changed your mind yet?” “No.” “Eeeeek!!!”

I was already suffering from studying complicated material when a certain golden-haired retriever latched onto me.

The princess clung to me stubbornly whenever she got the chance.

“Please don’t be like this. They say Lady Lierre should walk the path of demonic arts!” “It’s fine.” “Eeeek…! Wh-what about money? I swear I’ll financially support you!” “Oh.”

Honestly, that one was tempting.

‘Not bad.’

Truthfully, my goal is also royalties.

I weighed my options for a moment.

‘Royal support boosted by the princess’s influence vs. royalties from masterpieces.’

The calculation was over in an instant.

“It’s still a no.” “Wh-why…!” “I think I can earn more this way.” “No way…!”

At my confident response, the princess collapsed in defeat.

And then I patted and comforted her.

Just how many times have I witnessed this scene now?

‘Hold on, the princess is three years older than me.’

Shouldn’t the older one carry herself with more dignity?

Me comforting the despondent princess like this…

‘Big sister and little sister roles swapped…?’

Surprisingly, the princess also had fast recovery speed.

“Lady Lierre! This time, you’re really going to be tempted!” “What is it this time? A magical potion?” “Close!”

She pulled out a strangely shaped elixir from her pocket.

—Plop.

That looks exactly like something out of a martial arts novel.

“Here! This is a rare offering from the East!” “Oh. That’s impressive.”

So it really is from the East.

“What’s it called?” “What was it again… Daehwandan?” “Please put it away right now.”

If I took that, I’d have a 99% chance of dying.

‘What are you trying to feed a seven-year-old?!’

An icy chill ran down my spine.

Unaware of my thoughts, the princess fell into despair once again.

“Eeeek…! E-even the Sword Saint and the Hero coveted this elixir!” “Then give it to them. I’ll pass.” “Eeeek…! Y-you’ve grown so cold lately!” “Me? Cough, no way.”

Oh no.

Turns out, rejecting the princess every day for weeks has unknowingly brought out my more T-side moments.

But what can I do?

‘What can’t be done just can’t be done.’

I repeated words I’d lost count of saying.

“Your Highness. I have no intention of becoming a professional mage.” “…Really, really not even a little?” “No. Not even a little.”

The same answer as always.

But today, the princess’s reaction was slightly different.

“…I see. I was wrong.”

The princess responded in a subdued voice.

—Whoosh.

She spun around and spoke in a tone I’d never heard—completely devoid of emotion.

“I won’t bring this up again.” “Uh, yes. Thank you?” “…….”

And without another word, she left.

‘…Huh?’

Something set off alarms in my gut, but I couldn’t tell what.

‘This feels really intense.’

Is this the famed “women’s intuition”?!

But what could a mere noble girl like me possibly do about Her Highness being displeased?

‘Just focus on what I was doing.’

I decided to get back to my studies.

From that day on,

The princess changed again.

“Rachel. I don’t quite understand this part.” “Rachel. Is this how it’s done?” “Rachel. What happens if I connect this to that?”

First, she became incredibly proactive in lessons.

Of course, she was already proactive before,

But now…

How should I put it?

Right.

She was like a high school senior one month away from the national exam.

That desperate.

But the changes didn’t stop there.

—Eeeek… Eeeek… —Ugh… Grr…

In the past, when struggling with magic,

She would sneak glances at me for help.

—Eeeeeek…!

But now, she gritted her teeth and pushed herself until she succeeded.

Over and over.

Until when?

—Drip.

Until nosebleeds ran.

No,

Even with a nosebleed, she wouldn’t stop lessons.

At first, seeing blood drip from Her Highness’s nose,

The flustered teacher tried to pause the lesson.

But the princess shut it down with one sentence.

“Don’t mind it. Solving this problem is more urgent for me.”

‘Wow.’

Honestly, I found her passion awe-inspiring.

Just how much must she love magic,

And how strong must her sense of duty to the royal family be, to push herself like this?

‘What was I even doing at her age?’

Probably playing at the playground with other kids…

But one thing was certain—the princess had found a “goal” of her own.

How did I know?

Because of her eyes.

Her eyes…

I’d seen them enough to recognize.

Steady and clear,

Looking not at the immediate but slightly beyond,

Eyes burning with the resolve to succeed no matter what.

The same eyes I once had,

Standing before a piano.

At this point, I couldn’t help but root for her.

‘I don’t know what Her Highness’s goal is.’

But that goal—I hope she achieves it.

Deep in my heart,

I sincerely wished for it.

And so, months passed.

As usual, I was buried in magic books at the library, studying theory.

—Tap, tap.

“Oh, Your Highness.”

The princess, who rarely sought me out during personal time,

Had somehow come all the way to the library for me.

At that moment.

—Shiver.

‘Wh-what was that sensation just now.’

An intense chill crawled down my spine.

‘Now that I look, Her Highness’s eyes seem kinda off…?’

As I was lost in thought—

—Thud.

The princess placed something in front of me.

No, threw might be the better word.

That item was…

—A white handkerchief.

My brain short-circuited.

“Uh, Your Highness. So this is…” “A duel. Lady Lierre.”

While I was stammering, the princess delivered the finishing blow.

“Time is this same hour tomorrow. The location is the training facility inside the Magic Tower.” “W-wait, Your Highness? Just a moment—” “The winner will fulfill one wish for the loser. No objections permitted.” “P-please wait! I’m sure there’s some mistake…?” “No.”

With my mind half-fled from terror,

The princess, as though rejecting all arguments,

Calmly delivered my death sentence(?).

“There is no mistake.” “Th-then wh-why…?” “If you wish to know the reason.”

Turning her back to leave, the princess added:

“Win the duel. Then I’ll tell you.”

With those final words,

The princess departed quietly yet swiftly.

Of course, every eye in the library immediately turned to me.

—Murmur murmur.

“Unbelievable. Her Highness challenging someone to a duel…” “What did she even do to earn a duel request from the princess…?” “She looks cute, but secretly has a witch’s personality, right?” “Shh. She’ll hear.”

‘Too late…!’

I inwardly wept rivers.

‘Your Highness, it’s great you found motivation…’

But did it really have to be ME?!!

I stared at the sky and screamed internally.

‘I don’t even know a single combat spell…!’

No, more fundamentally, I never learned proper magic—

Too busy practicing mana control.

Ahaha.

Turns out, life outside home is pure suffering.

‘Should’ve just listened to Mom and stayed home.’

I miss Mom.

The next day.

I essentially stayed up all night, wide-eyed.

As a result, the worst dark circles of my life had formed.

—Dead stare.

But I couldn’t afford to sleep.

Why?

‘I needed a plan…!’

No way was I going to sit around sucking my thumb and then get bombarded by Her Highness’s ruthless attacks before suffering a humiliating defeat!

All night, I racked my brain for ideas.

Feigning illness to escape,

Pretending a family emergency to escape,

Buying time to flee the Magic Tower at night…

And so on. About 87 escape plans total.

But I scrapped them all.

‘Declining a royal duel and fleeing?’

That’s straight-up treason.

So in the end, I had no choice but to prepare properly.

First, offensive spells.

Roughly, moving mana with willpower to attack.

Then, defensive spells.

Roughly, moving mana with willpower to defend.

That’s it. That was the genius plan I came up with all night.

‘…This is pathetic!!’

But it was honestly my best effort.

Trying to cram a few spell formulas now would just confuse me further.

So ultimately, the conclusion was freestyle combat.

At this point, I’d entered the ‘It’ll work out somehow’ phase.

‘It’s not like I’ll die.’

I’ll rely on my genius…!

Lost in thought, I soon arrived at the agreed duel location.

Taking a deeeeeeeep breath, I stepped inside.

“—Huuuuuu…” “—Gulp.”

Swallowing hard, I walked forward—

And there stood the princess, already waiting at the center of the arena.

‘Gulp.’

Why’s she here so early?!

Worried about making the princess wait, I hurried in.

—Pat pat pat.

The sole spectator, unsurprisingly, was Teacher Rachel.

A closer look revealed dark circles under her eyes too.

‘See? I’m not the only one losing my mind here!’

Somehow, knowing someone else looked equally drained was weirdly comforting.

The teacher exhaled deeply before announcing:

“Sigh… First, let me clarify a few rules before the duel begins.”

1. This duel is strictly a friendly match. 2. Thus, spells above Tier 3 are prohibited. 3. The winner gains the right to request one wish from the loser. (Here, she sighed especially hard.) 4. The duel continues until one side concedes. 5. In emergencies, the referee will intervene to halt the match. In such cases, it’s ruled a draw.

“…That’s all. Are both parties clear?” “Yes.” “Y-ye-ye-ye-yes.”

What’s this?

Uncontrollably, my voice trembled.

Oh.

Now that I realize, it’s not just my voice—my whole body’s shaking.

—Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh.

‘I’m so scared what do I do can I still run?’

But my panic went ignored as the teacher mercilessly declared the duel’s start.

“Well then, the duel between Her Highness Flora Loriente and Lady Serena Lierre shall now begin.”

The moment the duel started—

‘Ah.’

The princess immediately unleashed a barrage of simultaneous offensive spells.

‘Life.’

I miss Mom.

This time, for real.