episode_0110

After arriving at Felix’s territory by royal carriage, chaos ensued for a while.

The lord’s son, Ian Felix, was a source of inexplicable pride for the people of the territory.

Good looks were an easy way to win favor regardless of who you were, and his father, Garon Felix, was a lord who cared deeply for his people’s livelihoods. There was no reason to dislike him—only to like him.

Not only was he a stunningly handsome man who had even drawn the attention of a duke’s daughter, but he was also a capable adventurer with a solid reputation. The fact that he was their future lord alone gave the people of Felix territory a strong sense of belonging.

Since Arina had cleared a high-level dungeon with Ian—just the two of them—she had unknowingly become the talk of the town.

At the time, they had only been temporary allies for the sake of the dungeon, but a beautiful man and woman traveling together naturally sparked all sorts of imaginations.

Of course, Ian himself had harbored some ulterior motives, so the only one who hadn’t seen this coming was Arina.

“Ugh… Yes, thank you.”

Arina, who had been showered with congratulatory greetings and gifts from people she had only briefly met before, was starting to feel drained by the endless attention.

Even though they hadn’t officially announced anything, the people here already seemed convinced that Arina would become Ian’s wife.

But from the locals’ perspective, the nature of their relationship was obvious even without words.

The last time she had visited, she had worn a cold, indifferent expression the entire time. Now, her face was bright and full of life.

Her once-carelessly tied hair and shabby, thrown-together clothes had transformed into a neat, distinctly feminine style.

It was enough to convince them: The young master has finally made that mage woman his own.

“Let me take some of that.”

Ian reached out for the luggage.

“It’s fine. A little magic makes it light.”

“Still, appearances matter. If I let my woman carry all the bags while I walk around empty-handed, what would people say?”

Just as Ian stretched out his arm to take some of the load, Millaine—who had disappeared upon arrival—suddenly reappeared, dropping a pile of gifts between them.

“Whew. Carrying all this is gonna be a pain.”

“Where’d you go?”

“To see some friends. Everyone thinks only you and Ian are getting married. I had to spread the news myself so people would acknowledge me. Plus, a little payback.”

Arina wasn’t the only one who had suffered in love. Millaine’s romantic struggles had been just as grueling. Falling for a man already infatuated with another woman was no easy feat.

Being told to wake up was the least of it. Even her closest friend had scolded her, saying she should give up because it was hopeless.

But she had endured all the humiliation and mockery, refusing to break, and ultimately won his love. It was nothing short of an achievement.

The shocked reactions when she announced her marriage to Ian had been the greatest joy of her life.

“Arina. Can you move this stuff to Ian’s house for me?”

“…Why should I carry your things?”

Using magic to transport objects was simple, but Millaine’s presumptuous attitude made Arina’s eyebrow twitch.

“I have to go on a date with Ian in front of everyone and announce our marriage.”

“Am I the only one getting married? I also—”

“Tsk! A concubine talking back to the legal wife?”

“You’re pushing it just because I’m letting you—”

“Right. Treating Arina like a servant is— Millaine, wait—”

Before Arina could finish, Millaine had already whisked Ian away.

“That damn girl…”

Arina’s fist trembled at the blatant disregard.

She’d let it slide this time. Millaine had achieved her long-awaited dream, so it was understandable she’d be excited.

But if she pulled this again…

‘I’ll have to firmly establish the hierarchy.’

Legal wife or not, status meant nothing in the face of violence.

Just as Arina was grinding her teeth, committing today’s events to memory—

“Wow, here you are!”

A lively voice rang out as a golden-haired girl popped up in front of her.

“Wh-Who are you…?”

Arina leaned back, though she could already guess from the girl’s appearance.

“Ah, right! Nice to meet you. I’m Lucia Felix, Ian Felix’s little sister!”

The girl introduced herself as Lucia. Arina had heard she was a late-born child, but the age gap between her and Ian was more noticeable than expected.

Still, her golden hair, crimson eyes, and stunning beauty—so striking that one couldn’t help but think thank goodness she’s his sister—proved she was truly Ian’s sibling.

Even back when Arina had struggled to accept her own changes, she couldn’t deny Lucia’s beauty. Had they met under different circumstances, she might have been wary.

“You’re the woman marrying my brother, right? We’re family now, so let’s speak comfortably!”

“Ah, y-yes… miss.”

“What were you doing here alone, sis? Where’s my brother?”

“…He went on a date. With the legal wife.”

“Wow, my brother’s really something. He was singing about how much he wanted to see you, but the moment he gets you, he runs off with another girl?”

Technically, he’d been dragged along, so calling it his fault wasn’t entirely fair—but Arina didn’t bother explaining.

‘He still should’ve resisted more.’

She was a little sulky herself.

“Should we head home first? I’ll guide you!”

“Yes, please.”

“But, um… There’s a lot of luggage. Can the two of us carry it all?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Arina raised her hand slightly, and the bags at her feet floated into the air.

“Magic! So the rumors about you being Riel Frost are true!”

“Of course. Honestly, I wish they weren’t.”

Before being captured by the kingdom, Riel Frost had been Arina’s identity and source of pride. But now, her feelings had changed.

The name no longer held much meaning for her—if anything, it was more of a hindrance.

How many troubles had that reputation caused her?

“Really? I think it’s great. I’m a magic academy student too.”

“The kingdom’s magic academy… You mean Lunamia?”

“Yeah! You know it! Were you a student there too?”

“No. I’ve just met a lot of Lunamia graduates at the Magic Tower.”

For a moment, Lucia’s eyes sparkled, thinking they’d found common ground—but that hope was quickly dashed.

Though her master was the Tower Lord, a beast and a rabbit could never share the same table.

Born a whale, Arina had never set foot in an academy.

“Sis, if it’s okay… could you teach me a little magic? My grades have been stuck lately… I’m barely hanging onto the middle ranks.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Really? Wow… Private lessons from Riel Frost herself? This is like a dream…”

Lucia had always been bright, but now her face shone brighter than ever.

“Is it really that exciting?”

“Of course! Learning magic directly from Riel Frost? Every magic student dreams of this!”

Riel Frost had never taken on an apprentice.

At the height of her fame, she had never lacked attention—this much was common knowledge.

If word got out that someone was learning from her, their name could spread not just through the academy, but across the entire continent.

‘Is it really that big a deal?’

From her perspective, it wasn’t something she fully understood.

Filling gaps in knowledge and guiding someone down the right path—wasn’t that just what a teacher was supposed to do?

No matter how skilled the teacher, growth ultimately depended on the student’s own ability.

That’s why even the greatest masters sought out talented disciples.

But.

An amusing thought crossed her mind.

To catch a general, first shoot his horse.

This was a good opportunity to win over Ian’s family.

She had no interest in petty squabbles over who was the legal wife or the concubine, but imagining Millaine’s face when she returned made a smirk creep onto her lips.

‘She’s been getting too full of herself lately.’

It was about time someone put her in her place.

Nodding to herself, Arina grinned.

They happened to be passing an empty clearing, so she made an offer.

“Should we practice a little here? Do you know the Igxirus Principle?”

They say geniuses are bad at teaching.

Because what comes naturally to them is beyond ordinary people, they can’t understand why others struggle—leaving them at a loss for how to explain.

But Arina would argue:

That’s just because you’re a half-baked genius.

A true genius—a born-to-be prodigy like herself—was good at teaching too.

And it wasn’t baseless confidence.

Arina had earned recognition multiple times for explaining magical theory to her fellow Tower mages.

But from her perspective now…

“No, no. The Pratellio Art isn’t done like that…”

How should she put this?

Arina, who never hesitated to speak bluntly, actually took a moment to choose her words.

But if she was to treat Lucia not as a sister-in-law, but as a fellow mage…

For her sake, shouldn’t she say it?

You’ve got no talent. Give up.

Like that.