Chapter 16 (1/2)
“Did you do something?”
Kynemeia looked around with a sulky expression.
“…No, nothing at all. You just looked like you weren’t completely awake yet.”
‘Is it because her guard isn’t down?’ No, it honestly didn’t matter whether her heart was fully open or not. It should’ve worked if there existed even the slightest crack in her heart. He had previously experimented a few times on the kids who despised him in the Magic Tower; the conditions were perfect.
Then there could only be one answer: magic doesn’t work on Kynemeia Lyonne—more specifically, she unconsciously filters out the magic that would be detrimental to her.
‘How come? How does she do it?’
New questions started to gnaw at him. Would this be possible if one were to be extremely sensitive to magic? Would something like that be truly possible? To the point that she couldn’t feel a thing? Seeing how she didn’t even realize he was using magic, it felt more like she was impervious to magic rather than sensitive.
‘Then just how…’
“Tell me truthfully.”
When he faced Kynemeia, who was raising a barrier against him afresh, the questions floating inside his mind quieted in an instant.
‘…?’ boom lovestruck
Then his heart sank to such a degree that he had to admit to himself was weird. His mind that happened to be pitch black a moment ago swiftly turned completely white as if all the darkness had taken flight.
‘…Why?’
Eian opened and closed his eyes slowly. Until now, he would always unearth the answers to his questions at all costs. No matter his target’s identity, no matter their reaction.
‘Something like this, I’ve never…’
“Eian.”
She growled. Tch, he clicked his tongue inwardly, then tried to appease her,
“It’s seriously nothing.”
“Then what was that?”
“You seemed sleepy. You can’t even fully open your eyes right now.”
Though, even with that excuse, she almost found him out earlier…
“But Mia, you seem pretty close to your uncle, judging by his usage of your nickname.”
He spoke up, seemingly diverting the topic, which earned him a stare and sigh from her before she replied.
“It’s because he’s my only family. I can’t go to the capital often, but we exchange letters regularly.”
Having fully concealed his fluster, Eian continued in a friendly tone.
“Don’t noble families tend to have a terrible relationship with each other due to power struggles?”
“That may be the case for other houses… But my uncle has no interest in those sorts of matters. Even now, his only desire is to travel far away to pen poems. He dreams of one day becoming the Althium Empire’s Yaven Veteller, you see.”
Yaven Veteller was a popular poet from the Duchy of Luke. Her uncle was so profoundly impressed by his poetry that in a bid to emulate the poet, he would immerse himself in a bath of rose water every morning, down some strong spirits, and wax lyrical about the beauty and tragedy of the world in the language of the now-extinct Vacth. Although, once he heard a professor remark ‘Your grammar is all wrong,’ he bawled a bucket of tears and snot.
The mirth that had been tickling within her finally burst out when she relayed that. Eian stared at her silently. A warm feeling bloomed on the fringes of his cold heart as if a flower was blossoming anew.
“I guess he’s good at composing poems.”
“Nope.”
She denied it firmly with a solemn expression. Then she announced that she should use this chance to inform him that one’s hobbies and proficiencies are separate things.
“Hmm.”
He gently smoothed her wayward hair while she continued chattering. ‘Seems like her hair stands up every morning.’
It was like this too the last time. Remembering her hair sticking out every which way right after waking up, Eian chuckled noiselessly. At that moment, she shifted her gaze to his sides.
“…The Magic Tower is so barbaric.”
“Out of nowhere?”
He broke into a giggle. As if seriously incensed because of the Magic Tower, she repeated,
“So barbarous.”
“Why? Because they pierced my sides to be the Rikasha?”
“Nooope!”
“Then?”
“Don’t know.”
“Tell me. What’s the reason? Hm?”
“I said I don’t know.”
Seeing her grumble for his sake like that, he felt strangely elated. Realizing that her mounting suspicion from earlier was gone without a trace, a sense of mischief began surging up inside his heart.
“I have no family. I was abandoned at seven.”
Her eyes began quivering in a flash, reflecting apology, worry, concern, sympathy, pity. Eian figured he preferred seeing her like this instead of the wariness she showed before and eventually decided that it would be fine to satisfy his curiosity another time.
“My father abandoned me in the forest with a blindfold on me.”
Even though he said that with the mischievous intent of playing around with her, it wasn’t a lie.
“Ah…”