Crossed Paths
The conversation continued for another ten minutes. After hearing a rough summary of both the misunderstandings and the truth, Luan made a single request.
“…If that’s enough for you, then fine.”
When the choice was passed to them, Alissa—who had been watching the situation with an oddly cautious expression—crossed her arms and nodded.
“Well… I guess that’s enough for me too. I was the root cause, but it’s not like I was the one who actually spread the rumor about myself.”
Right now, Alissa felt genuinely sorry for Scadia. She didn’t know the full story, but it was clear that Scadia hadn’t intentionally tried to tie her and Luan together to create gossip. Getting slapped hard enough to make both cheeks swell was more than sufficient punishment—it was practically overkill.
“What about you, Deborah?”
“Ah! I-I’m fine too! There weren’t any rumors that really hurt me anyway.”
“Is that so? Then this matter is officially closed.”
Having gathered everyone’s opinions, Luan reached his conclusion and stared directly at Scadia. His eyes were filled with complicated emotions—anger and resentment over the troublesome rumors she had spread, along with pity and sympathy for a girl still trapped by her past. All of it was driving Scadia insane.
Don’t look at me with those eyes.
Even if the entire world laughed at her and pitied her, at the very least Luan shouldn’t. She wanted to pour out every vicious word in her heart, but her frozen, ice-cold heart wouldn’t allow it. All she could do was clench her fists tightly to suppress the malice.
When she hung her head low, Luan seemed to understand that she didn’t want to face him anymore. He stood up from the sofa.
“Let’s all go.”
“Y-yeah!”
“Sigh… Then what about the rest of the rumors?”
Each of them muttered something as they followed Luan out of the reception room. Even then, Scadia remained seated, quietly staring down at the table.
She picked up a single photograph.
“I should have been more careful.”
She had been certain that Luan would never find out. In a situation like this, she assumed he would have no one to turn to and no way to do so. She never imagined the imperial princess would move personally. Unbeknownst to her, the relationship between Luan and Isis had improved noticeably.
“In the end, I couldn’t save her.”
Because of her failure, Deborah would eventually be betrayed by Luan and fall into despair. Just thinking about the wound she would suffer made the deep scar engraved in her heart from long ago begin to throb violently.
Crack!
The thick layer of ice encasing her heart fractured, worsening the injury. Scadia clutched her chest.
“It’s fine. I’m okay.”
Repeating the words like a mantra, the seizure slowly subsided. But the wound that had already opened sent sharp pain through her with every heartbeat, forcing memories of that day to resurface. It seemed it would take time before the cracks fully disappeared.
Luan…
Her heart unraveled the memories it had sealed away.
“Luan!”
“Scadia!”
After the incident in the snowy mountains, the two who hadn’t seen each other in a long time happily embraced.
“Have you been well?”
“Yeah! What about you, Luan?”
“I’ve been learning swordsmanship lately! I’m going to get stronger so I can protect you and my sister!”
Luan smiled brightly and turned to look at Isis, who had come out to greet them with him. His eyes were full of affection and admiration.
“Swordsmanship?”
“Last time I couldn’t do anything. So I’m training! Oh, by the way, sis. I’m stuck on the third form right now—”
After answering Scadia, Luan suddenly seemed to remember something and began bombarding Isis with questions about swordsmanship. The conversation between the two was the kind a mage like Scadia couldn’t understand.
Isis, who had been answering him, glanced at her watch and calmed Luan down.
“Luan, let’s head to the dining hall first. We can talk on the way, okay?”
“Okay! Sis! Scadia, let’s go! The chef said he prepared something delicious.”
“…I’m looking forward to it.”
The three of them moved to the dining hall. Even on the way, Luan’s mouth didn’t stop. He kept talking about swordsmanship. His passion for growth had even pushed aside his affection for Scadia.
Isis sincerely answered his questions to support his growth. That didn’t change even after they reached the dining hall. In the end, Scadia was left out, only able to listen to a conversation she couldn’t understand.
I should study swordsmanship too.
Even if she didn’t move her body, if she accumulated knowledge, she would be able to answer Luan’s questions. Instead of sulking over being excluded, Scadia decided to adapt and move forward.
After one such visit, two months passed. Armed with knowledge, Scadia visited the Priuli family once again.
“Sis! About the fifth form of swordsmanship. When swinging the sword, the weight shift doesn’t seem to work properly. Do you know why?”
“Ah. That’s because—”
“I know!”
The moment Isis was about to answer, Scadia jumped in, thinking this was her chance. Luan tilted his head in confusion.
“Really?”
“Yeah! It’s in the Intermediate Basic Swordsmanship written by Marquis Rubiet—”
Scadia used her brilliant mind to give the optimal answer based on what was written in the swordsmanship manual. It was quite an advanced explanation, so Luan couldn’t understand it. Only Isis let out a gasp of genuine admiration.
“Scadia, you’re truly amazing. Did you study swordsmanship in just two months?”
“Yes. Since Luan is learning it, I wanted to help him.”
“Really? Luan has found himself a wonderful fiancée. How far have you gotten?”
“I’m currently reading Advanced Basic Swordsmanship.”
“Already? You’re a genius not just in magic, but in swordsmanship too?”
Isis smiled warmly and patted Scadia on the back. No matter how smart she was, she was still a child. Buoyed by the praise, Scadia showed off all kinds of knowledge to appeal to Isis. The knowledge she had accumulated to talk with Luan was being used elsewhere.
Later, after the meal when the two of them were alone, Scadia asked excitedly.
“Luan. So what should we do now?”
“…I want to go train.”
“Train? Again? Let’s play together today, okay?”
Scadia was acting unusually cute. It wasn’t easy to stick to his own will in the face of such an adorable sight. Luan, who had been strangely subdued, eventually gave in to her charms.
“Alright. But I have to train tomorrow, so keep that in mind.”
“Okay! Let’s go!”
Days like that repeated. Then, about half a year later, an incident occurred.
As always, when Scadia visited the Priuli mansion, she was watching Luan diligently swing his sword and feeling bored. She had already read most of the swordsmanship books, and she had no desire to learn magic here either. In the end, all she could do was watch Luan, but there was nothing interesting about watching him swing a sword in the same posture over and over.
Letting out a small yawn, Scadia suddenly pointed out a flaw in his stance.
“Luan. You need to twist your foot more there.”
“…Like this?”
“You twisted it too much. About fifteen degrees. No, that’s not it. Just stay like that.”
After giving advice, Scadia eventually corrected his posture herself when he couldn’t seem to get it. She chuckled and said,
“Luan, you really can’t do anything without me, can you?”
“…What?”
“If I hadn’t told you, you would’ve been struggling here for a while, right? You’re grateful, aren’t you?”
Scadia had simply wanted praise. She had said it with that intention, but to Luan—who felt he had made no real progress in half a year and was still stuck in place—it carried a completely different meaning.
Scadia, who had talent in magic and even possessed outstanding talent in swordsmanship. Secretly, Luan harbored a deep sense of inferiority toward her.
“I don’t need your help.”
“…Huh? W-what did you say?”
“I said I don’t need your help. It’s distracting, so go somewhere else. I can’t focus on swordsmanship because of you.”
“……”
Scadia’s eyes went blank for a moment. Caught off guard by a reaction completely different from what she had imagined, she soon grew angry and snorted.
“Hmph! I’m a distraction? Then try doing it alone! Just try asking me for help later! I’m leaving!”
She stomped away. Then, thinking it might be enough, she glanced back—only to see Luan once again absorbed in his sword practice as if nothing had happened. She pouted.
“He really doesn’t get it!”
She vowed not to teach him swordsmanship until he apologized first. With that determination, Scadia left the training hall and wandered the mansion alone.
That was the beginning of the rift.
Several more months passed. One day, Scadia found herself facing an empty front gate.
“What’s going on? Where’s Luan? Where’s Sister Isis?”
They had always come out together to greet her, but now there was no one around. Could their fight last time be the reason?
“No way. Just because of something like that…”
Even if Luan was truly upset enough to act this way, the mature Isis would never ostracize her like this. After thinking for a moment, Scadia took her escort knights and entered the mansion to look for Luan.
She found him and Isis on the terrace in the garden. Isis seemed to be about to leave and was rising from her chair.
“Luan, your sister has to go now.”
“Huh? Why? Stay a little longer. Stay with me.”
Luan was acting spoiled. His voice was thick with impatience, anxiety, and dependence.
“Father is calling me. I’m sorry.”
Isis looked down at him with a troubled frown. Then she suddenly checked her watch and changed the subject.
“Wait a moment. Come to think of it, Luan, didn’t you say Scadia was coming today? Is the timing okay? She should be here soon.”
Scadia’s arrival time was always fixed. Unless something special happened, she came at nine in the morning, so Isis’s question was reasonable. Luan awkwardly lied.
“I-it’s fine! She said she’d be late today. So you can stay a bit longer. Please, sis?”
“Really… Then just ten more minutes, okay?”
“Yes! I love you, sis!”
In the end, Isis couldn’t resist her little brother’s whining and sat back down. The peaceful conversation between the close siblings drifted through the air.
Scadia, who had been secretly watching from hiding, slowly turned away and left the terrace. When she returned to her carriage, another thirty minutes passed before Luan finally came out to greet her.
“S-Scadia, I’m sorry. Something urgent came up.”
“Was it that important?”
“Yeah! Please understand.”
Luan lied so casually. He was no longer the Luan she knew. It felt like she was looking at a stranger. But Scadia, who was already disappointed in him, didn’t bother pointing it out.
The bigger problem came after that.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As she watched Luan’s sword training like always, Scadia unconsciously asked,
“Luan. How long do you plan to keep learning swordsmanship?”
“Huh? What do you mean, how long?”
“You’ve been stuck in place for months now. Wouldn’t it be better to learn something else? How about learning magic from me instead?”
The moment she saw him value his time with Isis over their meetings, Scadia had come to one conclusion: Luan loved Isis more than her. That was why she wanted to create distance between the two somehow.
But the words that slipped out in jealousy and disappointment only provoked resistance.
“I have talent! I’m improving little by little!”
“That’s a lie. You know it too. You have no talent. At this rate, you’ll never get stronger even if you spend your whole life on it.”
Scadia’s words were like thorns. Sharp thorns that sliced through skin, tore muscle, and inflicted deep wounds.
“So you’re telling me to learn magic instead?”
“Yes. Magic is superior to swordsmanship. Besides, I’m a genius. Even if you have no talent, if I teach you, you can do it.”
That unshakable confidence—that she could do it if she tried—caused Luan’s inferiority complex to explode.
“You’re saying magic is better than swordsmanship? Then why didn’t you just find a fiancé who’s good at magic?”
“Why are you twisting my words? I just didn’t like that you were wasting your time!”
“Still, I don’t want to. I’m not learning magic.”
“Why? I keep telling you swordsmanship is pointless.”
When she asked in frustration at his pointless stubbornness, Luan gave an answer that made her mind go blank.
“…I promised my sister.”
“S-sister?”
“Yeah. I’m going to protect her. That’s why I have to get stronger.”
As if that ended the conversation, Luan looked away.
“Ahaha…”
Scadia let out a hollow laugh. Isis this, Isis that. No matter what she did, everything led back to Isis. It felt like a nightmare.
Isis. Isis. Isis.
That damn Isis. The name made her sick. Finally, Scadia exploded with the emotions she had kept buried deep inside.
Her piercing scream echoed through the training hall. Luan, who had just been about to resume training, stopped in shock.
“Do you like Isis that much? Then why didn’t you just get engaged to her? Huh? Why did you get engaged to me if you’re just going to live like that with her forever!”
“…Scadia?”
“I don’t need you anymore either. Just keep wasting your life like that forever!!”
Having poured out every emotion, Scadia huffed angrily, turned around, and stormed out of the training hall. Her escort knight immediately followed.
“My lady. Are you leaving already?”
“…Yes. Let’s go back.”
She gave a short answer to the knight’s question and climbed back into the carriage. Three months after that fight with Luan, her mother—Countess Lucina Maryland—passed away.