Preparation
Preparation
A week had already passed since I started receiving special magic lectures from Duchess Mirea Denius.
Today, just like every other day, I was busy throwing all sorts of flirtatious lines at her, hoping that maybe, just maybe, some crumbs of benefit would fall my way.
"The magic you conjure, Duchess-nim, which looks like a black rose, feels as if it perfectly embodies an inner heart that, despite blooming as beautifully as any other rose, cannot show its true colors to anyone."
"......."
"Ah, how tragic it is. If only you didn't have the Black Flame mana, which is both a blessing and a curse, you could have bloomed into a flower more beautiful than any other, and claimed the titles of the strongest mage and the most beautiful woman on the continent...!!"
Kwajik—!
"Argh!"
Unable to watch me make a fool of myself any longer, Mirea sent a couple of black ice chunks flying, striking me square on the head.
"Honestly, you are such an impossibly disobedient man. I told you to at least take the lessons seriously."
"But I am always serious...?"
Kwajik—!
"Ugh-ack!"
I talked back for no reason and ended up getting hit in the back of the head two more times.
Besides, seeing as they were much harder and denser than the first strike, it seemed she really meant it.
Tsk... I shouldn't push my luck any further here.
I rubbed the back of my throbbing head and let out an awkward laugh.
"Hahaha... You are absolutely right. While it is true that I try to think of you, Duchess-nim, 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, and 86,400 seconds a day without a single moment of rest, I should indeed tuck those thoughts away in a corner of my mind and focus solely on magic when receiving your great knowledge."
"Hmph."
At such shameless yet strangely alluring nonsense, Mirea let out a scoff as if she were dumbfounded, then soon after, she averted her gaze and burst into an amused laugh.
"Ahahahat! Does that mean you won't even spare a glance for my daughter already?"
"⋯ Uh, um."
A question thrown with such sharpness and precision.
But the true intention was likely half playful mischief, and half a genuine attempt to test me.
So, after a brief moment of being flustered by the sudden mention of her daughter, my mouth, trained for survival, was already moving faster than my reason.
"How could that ever be? In that case, I shall divide my day into three exact parts and invest my time equally between the two of you. I will use the remaining third to hone myself, and I will boldly sacrifice my personal sleep time."
"......."
I blurted it out as an improvisation, but even to me, it was an absurd promise.
How can a human survive without sleeping? I should have thought about that much at least.
However, contrary to my anxiety, Mirea, having heard such an absurd answer, stared at me as if momentarily speechless. Watching my eyes darting around intensely as I tried to escape the situation, she let out a shallow sigh instead of picking another fight.
At the same time, she flicked her finger lightly, absorbing all the fierce Black Flame mana that had been filling the air of the training hall for the lecture back into her body.
The air in the mana training hall, which had been so full of Black Flame that it felt like being trapped inside a furnace, instantly returned to its original temperature.
"Wow... I've seen it until I'm sick of it for a whole week, but I never get tired of it."
"We'll stop here for today. It's about time for dinner, so let's head to the dining hall together."
"Indeed, my stomach clock is starting to...."
My eyes widened so much they nearly popped out without me realizing it.
Huh? What did she just say?
Did I hear that right?
She definitely just said let's go to the dining hall together, right?
"D-does that mean I can finally join you at that noble dining table...?"
I carefully asked back, barely suppressing the smile of joy that wanted to burst out on its own.
And Mirea, who had stopped walking at my question, didn't turn her head, but instead rolled her red eyes slightly over her shoulder to meet my gaze.
"Don't get the wrong idea. Before you go to the Academy, you need to practice the etiquette of noble dining in a real-life setting so you don't embarrass yourself outside, don't you? Take it as me just giving you a rehearsal for the sake of the Denius Duchy's reputation, without any other impure intentions."
"......."
Her tone was full of signs that she was deliberately pushing me away.
Even her back, as she poured out excuses with her earlobes slightly reddened, was undeniably full of flaws.
I swallowed the joy that was about to burst out, and bowed deeply like a loyal subject who had received the most ecstatic favor in the world.
"I am merely honored by the grace you have shown in allowing a lowly commoner by your side. I shall follow immediately."
"... Calling a mere meal a grace; anyone would think I hadn't been feeding you."
The first meal I shared with the mother and daughter of the ducal family was such a difficult time that I didn't even know how it ended.
Mirea and Rihel sat at both ends of the long dining table, and I, awkwardly squeezed in the middle, had to hold my fork amidst a tension so thick I didn't know if the food was going into my nose or my mouth.
The reason was simple.
Lady Rihel, sitting across from me, had been shooting fierce glares that could pierce through my forehead the entire time we ate.
It was a miracle I didn't get indigestion.
Anyway, just as the stormy dinner ended and I was about to return to my room.
"I have something to say, so follow me."
"M-me?"
"Then who else is here besides you!!"
"Oh, I'm sorry! Understood."
Lady Rihel, suddenly wanting to have a private meeting with me.
Expecting that perhaps she might share some sweet inside information before I enter the Academy, I followed her silently.
Before I knew it, we were entering the vine-covered fence of that secret garden where we had first had a proper conversation.
The sky was nearly dark as the sun had set, and the light from the mana lamps drifting through the garden mysteriously illuminated the scattered flower petals.
As soon as we arrived at our destination, Rihel, who had been walking ahead, spun around sharply.
"Now you're even joining us for meals? It wasn't enough to hog Mother's magic lessons, you really have no conscience!"
She shouted, clutching her dress hem tightly as if to express her frustration with her whole body, and stomping the floor with her heels.
The unfairness of having the motherly attention and the peace of the dining table that she should have received stolen by an uninvited guest hit me all at once.
The look of frustration in her eyes and her flushed cheeks.
Hmm... to be honest, she was just a young girl throwing a cute tantrum, to the point where it was impossible to see her as that villainess from the original work who had no blood or tears.
I clearly remember her being one year younger than me, but this isn't just a one-year difference, is it?
I bit my teeth hard to swallow the laugh that was about to leak out without me realizing it.
Because I had a bad feeling that if I laughed at her here, I might really end up roasted by Blue-Black Flame without anyone knowing.
So, I shifted the topic of conversation very naturally.
"It seems you visit this garden every time you call for me, is there perhaps some great significance to this place for you, Lady-nim?"
"⋯⋯ Hah?"
At such an out-of-the-blue personal question, Rihel, who had been on edge and pushing me, shouted with her mouth slightly open as if she were dumbfounded.
"You're not answering what I'm questioning you about, where are you changing the subject to!"
"It was just pure curiosity. It's because, more than any other flashy place in this mansion, you seem to have the most honest and comfortable expression only here, Lady-nim."
"When did I ever have a comfortable expression! Are you going to keep talking nonsense?!"
For a long time after that, Rihel struggled to return to the original topic of conversation.
But in the face of the affectionate gaze I sent to keep changing the subject, she eventually lost her momentum.
And finally, at my stubborn attitude, Rihel let out a sigh as if she had given up on everything.
"Haa... Just remember that this garden contains the pain of my childhood, that's all. I have no intention of reciting my past to you in detail."
"I see."
It was probably a place imbued with painful memories related to that damn biological father of hers.
Rihel's eyes, having finally given me an answer to my curiosity, began to sink with endless loneliness.
But that loneliness was only for a moment.
As if thinking now was her chance, she preempted me before I could spout any nonsense.
"Whatever, since the opportunity seems to have come, I'll make it clear. I also need a lot of Mother's teaching and help to reach the 5th Rank quickly, you know?"
She stepped closer and poked my chest firmly with her index finger, saying as if to warn me.
"Whatever tricks you pull in front of Mother, or whatever fake love you recite, since Mother leaves you alone, I won't pay attention to it for now! But at least don't steal my lesson time. Give up Mother to me for at least 1 hour a day!"
A very natural demand for the only successor of the ducal family.
However, in her inner thoughts, I could vaguely feel the jealousy of a young child anxious not to have her mother's love and attention stolen by a commoner man.
And perhaps because she was embarrassed by the fact even after saying it herself.
Rihel's face began to turn bright red.
"Ah, f*ck, why do I have to beg a mere commoner like this!"
As if it were shameful to even hear my answer anymore.
She covered her burning cheeks with both hands and ran away toward the garden entrance without even looking back.
Watching her disappearing back, I clicked my tongue and couldn't help but admire her.
'Wow, not only do they look exactly alike, but their behavioral patterns and reactions when embarrassed are just carbon copies.'
Is it perhaps a doppelganger made from the mother's genes or some shadow clone technique?
To think that the mother and daughter, as a pair, pretend to be villainesses on the outside with their hackles raised, yet collapse helplessly when poked with a little affection.
I really wondered if there were any other powerful people in this makjang world easier to handle than those two.
I turned my head and looked up at the orange sunset coloring over the garden fence.
"More importantly, in ten days... it's finally time to enter that hellish main stage."
I don't know when the real, true villainess Ilusia Rodpen will appear.
The center of the intense romance fantasy where the original male and female leads will get entangled whenever they get the chance.
Rodpen Academy.
I clenched my fists and steeled my resolve once again.
'Let's not be anxious.'
Mirea's knowledge obtained here at the Denius Duchy and the reliable(?) connection that is Rihel.
If I utilize these weapons to the fullest, I would surely be able to achieve my goal of living a life of luxury.
"So, let's just prepare well until the end."
I muttered one last time, left the garden behind, and headed toward my room.