My Fiancé
The man’s arm tightened around my neck as he dragged me backward. In his other hand, swirling with concentrated mana, even the simplest spell would be enough to kill me. I was certain of it.
Yet despite the blatant threat, Mitia clicked her tongue and let out a long sigh.
“Werner… or should I say, our little youngest… Why have you been acting like this lately?”
“Whatever I do and wherever I go is my business, isn’t it, sister?”
“You used to be such a sweet child when you were little. Then puberty hit and…”
“Why don’t you go home and look after your own kids instead?”
Werner kept his hold on me as he leaped toward the window. He leaned against the railing, flashing a crooked grin. At first glance it looked playful, full of mischief… but to my eyes, it seemed unbearably sad. It was as if he were forcing a smiling mask over a face that was actually crying.
But the one who looked even more heartbroken was none other than Media.
“If you reflect on your actions now, I’m willing to let this end lightly. Come back immediately.”
“Do you and the others even have what it takes to stop me?”
“What?”
Werner raised his right hand. An extraordinary amount of mana gathered in his palm. Only then did Media rush toward us in alarm, but Werner had already leaped out the window with me still clutched in his arms.
“Mist of the veil, spread wide and cover all.”
Suddenly my vision blurred. A thick haze had swallowed everything. Then I heard a furious shout that told me the fog wasn’t obscuring only my sight.
“Hey, Werner! What the hell is this?!”
“It’s a new spell I developed! If you can find me through the mist that blankets the entire city, then by all means, try!”
The fog was so dense I couldn’t even see his face. The only thing I could feel were his hands supporting my shoulders and legs. He lifted me and began running somewhere.
About five minutes later, the creak of a door opening revealed a modest room. It was smaller than the attic in the mansion where I lived, or even the attics in the other heroes’ estates. Clothes and papers were scattered everywhere, and on the table sat a single picture.
“Sir Werner…?”
“I told you not to call me that. It’s embarrassing.”
“I have no value as a hostage… so if you could just let me—”
“Earth, gather and strike.”
Before I could finish speaking, a heavy impact slammed into my forehead. The jolt cleared my mind instantly. I clutched my brow without thinking and swallowed dryly.
“…That hurt.”
“Why wouldn’t you have value as a hostage?”
“Because I’m just a half-breed who’s neither one thing nor the other… I’m not as strong as my father, and I’m not talented at magic like my mother.”
“What? Who the hell spouted that garbage?”
“Other people…”
“Wow, what the fuck do those bastards expect from a six-year-old? Did they want you to hunt a dragon by yourself or something?”
Werner clicked his tongue in clear irritation. Though his face was twisted in a deep frown, I could tell he was genuinely worried about me. He wasn’t as thorough as the rumors claimed, nor as cold. The public’s opinion of him was wildly contradictory.
The greatest magical genius in history.
The perfect model of a mage.
A flawless prodigy in talent, character, and personality.
And also… the cold, ruthless hunting dog of the imperial family.
But while he was indeed a genius of magic, he was neither cold nor ruthless, and he showed no particular loyalty to the imperial family. If you removed those traits from “cold, ruthless hunting dog of the imperial family,” nothing remained.
“Hey, you want something to drink? Coffee? Cocoa? Or should I make you some black tea?”
“…Cocoa, please.”
“Right, now where did I put the kettle…”
Werner opened the cupboard and began searching. The moment he did, various odds and ends tumbled down onto his head. With a loud crash, he started rubbing the bump that had formed.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just sit still.”
He dug the kettle out of the wreckage, filled it with water, and set it to boil. While I waited for the water to heat, I took a better look around the room. It was a tiny, musty single-room dwelling. Dusty furniture and household items lay scattered about. If there had been any maids or servants, they would never have allowed such a mess.
“Um… are there no maids or servants here?”
“This place is already too cramped for me to live alone. What would I need servants for?”
That meant this wasn’t some villa or office of his. But something felt off. As far as I knew, he lived with Zeke and Media. Why would he abandon a spacious mansion to live in a place like this?
“I heard that Sir Werner lives with Sir Zeke and Lady Media…”
“Ah, there? I ran away from home.”
“You… ran away?”
I had never heard anything like that. I’d been told he followed Zeke like a father and Media like a mother. To think he would abandon them and run away—it was hard to believe.
“That’s their house, not mine.”
“But I heard the three of you have an incredibly close relationship.”
“Yeah, my brother and sister are kind. They always put me first.”
“Then why…”
Werner poured the boiling water into a cup, scooped in cocoa powder and sugar, stirred it, and set it down in front of me. I usually struggled with hot drinks, but when I took a cautious sip, it was cooled to the perfect warm temperature. It seemed he had used magic out of consideration for me.
“No matter how much they treat me like family… in the end, it’s only like family.”
Only then did I begin to understand what he meant. At some point, he had started feeling a distance between them. And since Zeke and Media had a daughter of their own, it was only natural he would feel even lonelier. In that sense, his position wasn’t so different from mine—a half-breed caught in the middle.
“That’s why I envy you.”
“Me…?”
I was nothing more than an awkward half-breed. I hadn’t been born with Werner’s incredible talent for magic, nor with my father’s innate monstrous strength. I couldn’t understand what there was to envy about someone as mediocre as me.
“Melchior and Melissa only have eyes for you. They’re complete daughter-obsessed fools. Actually, they’re just plain fools.”
“Pfft…”
In this world, he was probably the only person who could call both my father and mother fools. His confident attitude was strangely charming. I found myself drawn to him more and more.
“By the way, you said there are people calling you a half-breed and all that? Who are they?”
“Mostly my cousins and a few retainers…”
“Then just rip their mouths open.”
“Excuse me?”
I had expected something like “work hard to overcome it” or empty comfort like “you’re not a half-breed at all.” Instead, he advised me to tear open the mouths of anyone who spoke such nonsense.
“What’s wrong with being half-and-half?”
“But I…”
“Look at this cocoa. If you don’t mix the powder with water, it’s just powder. If you only have hot water, it’s just plain water. Only when you combine the two do you get proper cocoa. Tell those pure-blood fanatics to go drink plain water.”
Werner downed the cocoa in one go. Even though he was only fourteen, he seemed more mature than most adults. His face was handsome, and everything from his demeanor to his voice felt grown-up. It was the first time I had ever felt drawn to someone.
“Your dad asked me for a favor. Said his daughter was feeling down, so I should help cheer her up. I’m already swamped with work, though…”
“Sir Werner… aren’t you lonely?”
“Well, I’m so busy I don’t really have time for that…”
His mouth said one thing, but his eyes said another. Having spent my life lying to my always-busy parents that I was fine being alone, I could tell. He was lonely right now.
“You don’t have a family, do you, Sir Werner?”
“Why do you have to poke at someone’s sore spot like that?”
“If you could have a family… what kind of person would you want?”
“A family, huh… hmm…”
Werner rested his chin on his hand and began thinking seriously. The fact that he was taking so long suggested he had never really considered the question before.
“Someone who looks at me as me.”
“…What does that mean?”
At the time, I couldn’t understand what he meant by wanting to be seen as himself. After all, everyone looked up to him, and his comrades seemed to cherish him deeply.
“There isn’t anyone like that.”
“What if I find someone like that for you?”
“Hmm… If you bring me someone like that, I’ll grant you one wish.”
As we talked, my eyelids gradually grew heavy. After drinking warm cocoa on a cold day and being wrapped in a cozy blanket, it was only natural. Werner draped an extra blanket over me as I nodded off.
“Hey, if you’re tired, just sleep. Don’t force yourself to stay awake.”
He lifted my drowsy body and laid me on the bed. It was hard and narrow, yet it felt softer and more comforting than any bed I had ever lain on before.