That night, the Rachels family in Marcel's office.
Vera stood at the door with a terrified expression.
Crash-.
Angry, Marcel threw the items on his desk at the informants.
"Can't you even catch a mere maid and let things get this far?"
"I thought she would definitely head to the Dietrian Count's residence, so I was keeping watch, but I never expected her to come in a tailor's carriage..."
"Is that something you should be saying right now?"
Thud-.
Marcel threw the letter from the head maid of the Dietrian family at the informant's face.
It contained the information that Riel was spreading false rumors while claiming to be a witness.
The scandal that Iana was having an affair with Duke Ervin and that the Rachels family was forcing a divorce for a remarriage with the royal family.
The informant picked up the letter from the floor and said,
"If the Marquis allows it, I can go to the Count's residence right now and bring that maid back..."
"..."
"I will quietly dispose of her."
Marcel fell into thought for a moment.
An affair involving royalty.
Even if it was just a rumor, it was a situation that the royal family had to intervene in since it involved royalty.
Especially since it was linked to Duke Ervin, who had fallen out of favor with the Emperor, he couldn't see even a step ahead.
If Karion hastily threatened Riel before the audience, it could lead to a major disaster for them.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Riel, that girl intentionally dragged the royal family into this. So I can't move recklessly..."
Marcel immediately gave orders to the informants.
"Send someone to Ervin to relay this news. As quickly as possible."
* * *
For four days, the Duke Ervin's castle was bustling.
Charles and the knights helped rebuild the village that had been attacked by the Krikan band, while Muel and several mages searched for the monster's habitat.
Fortunately, the Krikan band had not appeared during that time.
Iana, with her injured hand, was alone in the spire library, organizing how to control her magic.
Hmm-.
At that moment, a sigh from Kan was heard from under the desk.
When Iana lowered her head, she saw Lu tugging at Kan's ear as if asking to play.
But Kan seemed to think it was a trivial gesture and did not react much.
"Lu, you shouldn't do that. Kan was guarding the Duke's castle until dawn yesterday."
Iana placed Lu on the desk and gently patted Kan.
As her magic grew, she was now able to touch Kan.
The problem was that she couldn't control her magic and use it when she wanted.
"Great Mage, how do you control magic?"
"That's something you need to figure out on your own."
She wanted to quickly contribute to the magic-deprived Ervin.
But Muel did not provide an answer.
She looked through books and asked the mages, but the methods varied.
After the fire flickering phenomenon appeared, some caught frogs, others searched for four-leaf clovers, and others could grasp their magic like grabbing a rope while doing laundry.
"Ha..."
Iana bumped her head against the desk in frustration.
"What's wrong?"
Turning her head toward the sound, she saw Rosso approaching with a smile.
"Great Mage, I want to control my magic as soon as possible, but I don't know how."
"Don't think too urgently. You're doing quite well already. Right, Lu?"
Rosso patted Lu's head affectionately.
"It would be nice if the Great Mage could teach me..."
"'Enlightenment is given, but teaching is not' is the Great Mage's educational principle."
"I see."
Iana replied in a dejected voice to Rosso's words.
"By the way, my mind is a bit scattered. The Duke is looking for you."
"The Duke?"
"He said he is waiting in the training yard's backyard, so hurry and go. I'll take care of these two."
Rosso picked up Lu, who was trying to follow Iana.
"Then, I'll leave it to you."
As Iana stood up and moved toward the door, Rosso suddenly spoke up.
"Magic is like the heart."
"What?"
Iana stopped in her tracks and turned back.
"If you think about how you have controlled your heart, you will find a way to control your magic."
"The heart?"
She muttered with a thoughtful expression.
"It should be realized on your own, but sometimes great realizations come from very small teachings."
Rosso smiled proudly.
"Thank you, Rosso the Mage."
Iana greeted him and headed straight to the training yard's backyard. As she walked, she repeated Rosso's words in her mind.
'The heart and magic are the same.'
When she reached the training yard, she saw Charles in front of her, looking up at the sky with his eyes closed.
It was hard to tell if he was lost in thought or taking a break.
But somehow, he looked peaceful.
Iana quietly approached and stood beside him, closing her eyes and looking up at the sky as well.
The warm sunlight pouring onto her face felt ticklish.
"Are you copying me again?"
"Yes?"
At Charles's words, Iana opened her eyes wide and looked at him.
He spoke playfully with a smile.
"You need to cultivate your creativity."
His friendly tone felt unfamiliar, like a straight square appearing as a circle.
Iana didn't know how to respond and quickly changed the subject.
"Duke, may I ask why you called for me?"
"I called you because I have someone to introduce."
"Someone to introduce? Who?"
"Follow me."
Iana followed Charles.
They passed the knight's quarters behind the training yard and stopped in front of the stables.
"Here it is."
The stablekeeper, who was moving a haystack, ran out to greet them.
"Your Grace, welcome!"
As the stablekeeper opened the door, the two entered the stable.
Horses were lined up in each stall.
"Why are we here...?"
Iana tilted her head.
"It will be difficult to move around without a horse in Ervin. So I wanted to introduce you to the horse you will be riding."
"A horse?"
"That horse over there."
As Charles pointed, a large horse stood there.
With solid muscles, a flowing forelock, and a shiny black coat, it was a magnificent black horse.
"It's a picky one, so it won't let just anyone ride it. Its name is Andreas. You can just call it Andre."
"The horse's name sounds just like the prince's name!"
Andre elegantly walked over to the two.
As Andre approached, Iana felt intimidated by its size and took a step back.
"Don't worry, it's not going to attack you."
Charles extended one arm, just like when he went to meet Kan in the Dietrian Count's warehouse.
Iana gently grabbed his arm.
Sniff sniff sniff-.
Andre came closer and sniffed her scent.
From her head to her face, to her shoulders, it checked her thoroughly like a coroner.
"…!"
Frightened, she tightly closed her eyes.
"Iana, it seems it likes you."
At Charles's words, Iana slowly opened her eyes.
Purr-.
Andre made a sound and wagged its tail.
"It might be scary the first time you ride, but once you build a bond, it will be fine."
"Is it really fond of me?"
"It seems to really like you."
Just then, the entrance of the stable became noisy.
Knights who had helped with the village reconstruction came in, each leading their horses. They looked tired, their clothes soaked with sweat.
As the knights greeted Charles and passed by, he commanded a red-haired knight.
"Tron, greet Andre."
The knight cheerfully greeted Andre as instructed.
"Hello, Andre!"
Spit!
Andre stepped back and spat at the knight. The knight quickly dodged as if it was a familiar occurrence.
"Oh my!"
Iana gasped in surprise.
"It's a clean one, so it hates smells and dirt."
"What about on the battlefield? It won't be able to wash properly."
"If it gets attached, it will let you ride even if it's dirty."
"That's a relief."
"I'll teach you how to ride once your hand heals."
While all the knights were leaving, Iana quietly stared at Andre.
"Why are you doing that?"
"Because it's fascinating. I never thought I would learn to ride a horse in my life."
A mix of emotions surged within her.
In her painful past life, her room was her entire world. But now, the thought of being able to ride a horse and go anywhere filled her heart with joy.
Did Andre sense something? It approached Iana with curious eyes and nodded its head.
"This one likes to be petted like this."
Iana hesitated, raising her hand. The large Andre still felt unfamiliar and a bit scary.
"Wait, let me help you."
Charles gently placed his hand over Iana's bandaged hand. With their hands together, he carefully stroked Andre's face.
"Give it a try."
Charles removed his hand and said.
Iana gathered her courage and stroked Andre's face by herself.
"Hello, nice to meet you."
At that moment.
A senior knight stood at the stable door and spoke.
"Your Grace, someone from the Rachels family has sent word."
"From the Rachels family?"
'Is it an informant sent by my brother regarding Riel?'
As Iana was pondering this, a familiar face peeked out from behind the senior knight.
"Lady!"
"Vera! How did you get here?"
After greeting the two, Vera approached and handed over a letter.
"It seems strange rumors are being spread from the Dietrian Count's residence."
"Rumors? What kind of rumors?"
Vera looked back and forth between Iana and Charles and spoke in a low voice.
"I feel embarrassed to say this, but..."
"…?"
"There are rumors that you two are having an affair."