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Iana changed into the brown training clothes Mule had given her and headed to the training grounds.
Darkness had settled over the grand estate.
However, the magic stones placed along the paths emitted bright light.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Mule was playing with Khan in the middle of the training ground. Khan snuggled into Mule's arms, unable to contain his joy.
Iana quickly approached them. Khan perked his ears and seemed confused, whining as he moved between Iana and Mule.
Iana asked worriedly about Khan's strange behavior.
"Why is Khan acting like this?"
"This guy senses me through magic. But since our magic levels are similar, he's confused."
"My magic is similar to the Grand Mage's?"
Iana's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yes. But magic is like a raw gemstone. To turn it into a jewel, you need to polish it, just as magic must be refined to be used."
"But dogs can recognize people by their scent too, right?"
Mule, looking sympathetic, took a strawberry from his pocket and gave it to Khan.
"During the recent battle, Khan's magic grew stronger, and he lost his sense of smell."
"His sense of smell too?"
"I heard Khan rushed at you. His senses have changed, and he must be confused. So, he mistook you for me because your magic levels are the same."
"So that's why he came at me."
"He thinks of me as his mother. During this sensitive time, being kept away from his mother made him attack those who blocked him."
Feeling sorry for Khan, who couldn't even smell, Iana looked at him with concern.
Then Mule continued in a calm voice.
"How you interpret the lines between life's events can make everything either a misfortune or a blessing."
"..."
"If you think Khan lost his sense of smell as his magic grew stronger, it's not necessarily a misfortune."
It was a warm comfort.
Despite being thoroughly used as a family scapegoat, the reassurance that she still possessed magic.
Iana felt a surge of emotion and turned her head, fearing she might cry.
"You can't start crying already."
Mule said, pulling out a bottle of alcohol hidden in his inner pocket.
"Pardon?"
"You'll be running around the training grounds until your tears dry up."
Iana, still emotional, asked with a slightly flustered face.
"Didn't you say you'd teach me how to control my magic?"
"I need to break your spirit a bit before we can control it. Start running now."
"Now?"
"Indeed. I don't show respect to anyone, not even if the emperor's grandfather comes to my disciples. If you don't like it, find another Grand Mage."
"How long should I run, Grand Mage?"
Mule pointed to a large tree at the end of the training ground.
"Until the moon sets by that tree."
Woof! Woof!
Khan's barking echoed through the training ground.
'What is he talking about?'
Iana, puzzled, watched Mule play with Khan before starting to run around the training ground.
"Let's drink the moon! Let's drink! What's life, anyway?"
Mule sat down, drinking from his bottle and singing.
Tick-tock.
After about five laps around the training ground, Iana, gasping heavily, asked with difficulty.
"Grand... Grand Mage, how much... more... do I have to run?"
"The moon hasn't set yet."
Mule replied lazily while lying down.
"I'm... too tired... Can I... take a break?"
"No. You can't."
Iana, struggling to catch her breath, gritted her teeth and resumed running.
She endured it, determined to learn how to control her magic and become a mage as soon as possible.
Tick-tock.
Who knows how much time had passed?
"Huff, huff!"
Soaked in sweat, Iana lost count of how many laps she had run.
Outside the training ground, Rosso and Johan watched her with worried faces.
Despite her determination, her legs eventually gave out.
"I can't... run anymore."
Iana collapsed in front of Mule, panting heavily.
"No matter what... you say, I can't... run anymore."
Mule approached and looked down at her.
"Iana, remember this moment."
"It's so hard, I don't even want to remember."
Iana waved her hand vigorously, but Mule continued in a serious tone.
"Remember this moment when you didn't just endure but firmly said you couldn't do it."
"Pardon?"
"Submission and obedience are poison for a mage who must develop their own magic style."
Rolling her eyes, Iana asked.
"So you're saying if I had said I couldn't run, I wouldn't have had to run?"
"How foolish. How many laps did you run? It's freezing!"
Mule clicked his tongue and shivered.
Blushing, Iana protested.
"Then you could have given me a hint!"
"Iana, greet a bear warmly if you meet one on a mountain path. Consider it your friend."
Mule teased and left with Khan.
Iana, frustrated, shouted.
"Grand Mage!"
"Countess, are you alright?"
As Mule disappeared from the training ground, Rosso and Johan rushed over.
Iana, feeling utterly wronged, held her legs and cried.
"No, I'm not okay. My legs feel like they're about to break. Mage."
Rosso helped her up and consoled her.
"I went through this too. Consider it a kind of initiation for Ervin's mages."
"Really?"
"Of course, I didn't run even half as much as the Countess did."
Rosso boasted, and Johan added cheerfully.
"I don't think I ran this much either."
Iana, feeling indignant, held her legs.
"Oh, my legs!"
Woof! Woof!
In the distance, Khan's barking and Iana's lament echoed throughout the grand estate.
The moonlight illuminated the training ground with a serene glow.
The next morning, the inner courtyard of the Dietrian estate was bustling.
A large, gold-adorned carriage and wagons loaded with gifts for the emperor were ready. Guards on horseback stood by.
Riel stood with a small bag, looking around as if searching for someone, indifferent to the disapproving looks from the staff.
‘One maid is missing.’
Just as Riel expected, one young maid was missing.
At that moment, Carion approached, talking to the butler.
"I'll be staying in the capital for a few days. If anything urgent happens, send someone to the townhouse in the capital."
"Yes, sir."
Carion stopped and instructed the butler.
"And if Iana returns while I'm away, confine her to her room. Understood?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes. As you command."
"What are you doing standing there?"
Carion, locking eyes with Riel, gestured to the golden carriage and spoke gruffly.
Riel climbed into the carriage slowly, as if to show off.
"She's riding in the carriage with him."
The maids whispered, looking at Riel with shocked expressions.
‘See? I'm different from you.’
Riel smiled faintly at the maids through the carriage window.
For a maid to ride in the family carriage instead of a luggage cart during a journey without the mistress was unheard of.
As Carion boarded, the carriage rattled and moved.
It sped through the city and arrived in front of a boutique an hour later.
Madame Marie's Boutique.
It was a boutique that sold expensive dresses only wealthy noble families could afford.
Carion entered the boutique with Riel.
"Welcome, Count Dietrian."
Madame Marie, recognizing Carion, greeted him respectfully.
Though there were other staff, Madame Marie personally attended to Carion, treating him as a special guest.
"Pick out a dress suitable for this lady."
"Yes, Count."
Madame Marie noticed Riel's attire and inferred her status but remained silent due to Carion.
"Try this dress on."
Madame Marie selected a red dress with a deep neckline for Riel.
A provocative outfit that identified her as a mistress.
"I'll take this one."
Riel boldly picked a pearl-adorned ivory dress.
With its high price and elegance, it symbolized modesty and sophistication, favored by noblewomen.
"That dress is already ordered by someone else…"
‘That's a lie.’
Ignoring Madame Marie, Riel took the dress and went into the fitting room.
Moments later, Riel emerged, dressed in the ivory dress with the help of an attendant.
The dress covered her from neck to wrist in lace, which clung to her body, emphasizing her sensual curves.
Its restrained design gave her an even more alluring air.
"…!"
Even Madame Marie seemed surprised by Riel's unexpected beauty.
"How do I look?"
Riel asked Carion confidently.
"Not bad."
Carion, reclining on a sofa, smiled lazily.
Just then,
Bang.
The boutique door burst open, and Chloe entered, looking shocked, and shouted.
"Carion, how could you do this to me?"
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