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Charles watched Iana riding away on horseback from the castle walls.
As she grew more distant, a sense of disappointment washed over him.
"Honestly, how can she still have such an awkward riding posture?"
Mule, staring at Iana, clicked his tongue with a displeased expression.
"Are you saying that for me to hear?"
Charles retorted, his gaze still fixed on Iana.
"If you're going to teach her how to ride, you should teach her properly. Your mind is elsewhere, that's why Iana's riding posture is like that."
As Mule grumbled, Charles, reading his mind, chuckled.
"You're the one who assigned Iana's post outside the Ducal Palace, Mule. Why are you sulking and complaining now?"
"Who's sulking? Really..."
"If you were so worried and disappointed, you should have held a mage appointment ceremony for Iana and not sent her outside the Ducal Palace."
"Your Highness."
Mule's voice, which had been playful until a moment ago, turned serious.
"How about raising Iana to Archmage?"
"Not just a High Mage, but an Archmage?"
Surprised by the unexpected remark, Charles looked at Mule with a slightly astonished expression.
"In terms of magical power, Iana has already surpassed me. But I postponed the appointment ceremony because it didn't seem right to appoint her as a High Mage just because she's young and a woman."
"..."
"Mages are ranked solely by their magical power. I hope this principle will prevail in Ervin."
There were no women among the Archmages of the Rubena Empire.
Charles believed that the reason was that men were born with stronger magical power.
At least, until he met Iana.
But there was one thing that bothered Charles.
"The problem is the agreement with Marquess Rechelles. Didn't I sign a secret agreement not to publicly announce that Iana has magical power?"
"It just means we don't announce it to the outside world. We can appoint her as an Archmage of the territory, not of the Empire."
Mule emphasized the word "outside."
To become an Archmage of the Rubena Empire, the approval of the Council of nine archmages was required.
But an Archmage of the territory could be appointed if recommended by another Archmage of the territory and approved by the Monarch.
Of course, this only meant being recognized as an Archmage within the territory.
"Marquess Rechelles made that suggestion because they were afraid Iana might take their position as an Archmage of the Empire. If she becomes an Archmage of the territory, there won't be a problem."
After thinking for a moment at Mule's words, Charles said as if he had made up his mind.
"Let's do that. According to the principle."
✦ ✦ ✦
Iana arrived at the entrance of the village after riding for about two hours.
The 3rd District of Ervin.
Houses with orange roofs were clustered together, with a large clock tower and a jewelry workshop in the middle.
The area was surrounded by walls.
Thump, thump, thump.
As Iana and her party rode inside, women who appeared to be jewelers whispered as they watched them.
"It's here!"
Soon after, Johan stopped in front of a house with a small fence.
"Wow! The house is so pretty."
Iana dismounted skillfully and exclaimed in admiration.
It was a charming log house with a small flower bed.
It was just like the house she had seen in fairy tales when she was young.
"Ru can be left at the jewelry workshop on the way to the wall. The Archmage made a special request."
At Johan's words, she took Ru out of the rabbit cage and placed them on the ground.
"That's a relief. I was wondering what to do with Ru."
The two of them opened the arched wooden door and entered the house.
It was a simple house with a bedroom, a living room, and a small kitchen.
"If you have any questions about the village, Mrs. Rita, who lives next door, will tell you."
Johan opened the window and pointed to the house next door.
"Mrs. Rita?"
Iana murmured as if trying to memorize the name.
"Mrs. Rita's husband was a soldier of the Ducal Palace. He died last year in a monster attack."
Johan's face darkened.
"Oh, I see."
"Most of the jewelers living in this village have lost their husbands or parents because of monsters. Your Highness created the jewelry workshop for the territory residents who have difficulty making a living on their own."
Johan pointed to the back as he spoke.
"There's Mrs. Rita coming."
A young woman with an elegant appearance was walking, holding the hand of a girl with red hair who looked about 4 years old.
"Wow! A Petal Rabbit!"
The girl ran towards Ru. Ru didn't seem to dislike the child and didn't run away.
Iana and Johan came out of the house and greeted Rita.
"Hello, Mage. I'm Rita, and that child is my daughter Annie. Please tell me if you need anything or have any questions."
Rita seemed to be a kind and polite woman.
"I'm Iana Lewis. Please take care of me."
As Iana greeted her, Annie suddenly burst into laughter.
"Iana? Your name is round and round. Your face is also round and round."
"Annie, how can you be so rude to the Mage?"
Rita, flustered to the point of her face turning red, stopped Annie.
"It's okay."
"Then I'll prepare a meal for the mages. It'll be hard for you to cook right away today."
Rita carried Annie, who was resisting going, on her back and returned home.
At the sight, Iana, Johan, and the magic trainee who was helping with the luggage burst out laughing.
✦ ✦ ✦
Before long, the sun was setting.
Iana was busy cleaning even after Johan and the magic trainees had left.
Neigh.
Andre didn't like the state of the cleaning and didn't want to go into the stable.
As a result, the water in the canteen was empty before she knew it.
"I need to fetch water."
Iana took the canteen and headed towards the well that Rita had told her about.
Having cleaned the stable every morning, she could now fetch water without difficulty.
As she was about to turn the corner with the canteen, she saw women gathered under the fence of the jewelry workshop, talking.
'Should I greet them first?'
Just as Iana was about to approach the women and greet them.
The women's voices pierced her ears.
"I wonder if that mage was really kicked out of the Ducal Palace? I don't think Your Highness is that heartless..."
Another woman next to her added.
"Aden, Your Highness's brother, the monk, came a while ago. In the end, the imperial family opposed it, so she was abandoned."
"As a woman, I feel sorry for her. Still, it's a bit much for Your Highness to be with a woman with a previous divorce."
The women gathered nodded vigorously as if agreeing with the words. Then they went back into the jewelry workshop.
Iana took the canteen and started walking again.
The village, which had felt friendly, now seemed unfamiliar, and somehow the canteen also felt heavier.
'I thought many things had changed since coming to Ervin, but...'
She could now use magical power, ride a horse, and do chores without difficulty.
But the fear of being abandoned didn't disappear easily. Enough to be swayed by the words of the village women who didn't know the truth.
"You think I'm ending the relationship for your sake, but aren't you just trying to avoid the situation where you might be abandoned?"
Charles's words were right.
To be more precise, it was more painful to be in a state of anxiety, not knowing when she would be abandoned, than to be abandoned.
Her magical power had increased dramatically, but her heart seemed to be as weak as it was in her previous life, which made her upset.
Then, she noticed large footprints leading to her house.
Iana stopped walking abruptly.
Familiar footprints.
'Could it be?'
Iana tried hard to deny it, not wanting to have vain expectations.
Even so, she walked along the familiar footprints as if in a desperate ritual.
Her small footprints overlapped the large footprints.
It was that moment.
Iana's expectations became a reality.
The owner of the footprints was Charles.
He was playing with Ru in the yard, just like he had done in the Ducal Palace.
The sense of relief that a familiar presence gave in an unfamiliar place.
Iana felt an uncontrollable surge of emotion.
Their eyes met.
Charles smiled brightly at her.
"Are you coming back from the well?"
Iana put down the canteen and asked with a face that was as nonchalant as possible.
"How did you get here?"
"I came to check your homework."
"Homework?"
She stared blankly, not knowing what he meant.
"Didn't I give you a book to read about Monarch studies? Did you forget?"
Charles glanced at her playfully.
"What? I spent all day cleaning the house and organizing my luggage. I didn't have time to read."
Iana made excuses with an aggrieved face.
Charles approached her and said.
"Then there's nothing I can do. I'll have to come back tomorrow to check again."
"What? You're coming again tomorrow?"
Iana's eyes widened in surprise.
"Why, do you not want me to come? I have no choice but to come in order to fulfill my responsibility for assigning the homework."
Iana looked around and changed the subject.
"But did you come alone without an escort?"
"No. The escort knights are at the entrance of the village. If I came all the way here with them, I thought I would just end up greeting the village territory residents and leaving."
Charles came closer to her.
Iana remembered Charles kissing her yesterday and took a step back.
"Homework is just an excuse, I came because I missed you."
"......!"
"Iana, I missed you and was worried about you."
As she grew more distant, a sense of disappointment washed over him.
"Honestly, how can she still have such an awkward riding posture?"
Mule, staring at Iana, clicked his tongue with a displeased expression.
"Are you saying that for me to hear?"
Charles retorted, his gaze still fixed on Iana.
"If you're going to teach her how to ride, you should teach her properly. Your mind is elsewhere, that's why Iana's riding posture is like that."
As Mule grumbled, Charles, reading his mind, chuckled.
"You're the one who assigned Iana's post outside the Ducal Palace, Mule. Why are you sulking and complaining now?"
"Who's sulking? Really..."
"If you were so worried and disappointed, you should have held a mage appointment ceremony for Iana and not sent her outside the Ducal Palace."
"Your Highness."
Mule's voice, which had been playful until a moment ago, turned serious.
"How about raising Iana to Archmage?"
"Not just a High Mage, but an Archmage?"
Surprised by the unexpected remark, Charles looked at Mule with a slightly astonished expression.
"In terms of magical power, Iana has already surpassed me. But I postponed the appointment ceremony because it didn't seem right to appoint her as a High Mage just because she's young and a woman."
"..."
"Mages are ranked solely by their magical power. I hope this principle will prevail in Ervin."
There were no women among the Archmages of the Rubena Empire.
Charles believed that the reason was that men were born with stronger magical power.
At least, until he met Iana.
But there was one thing that bothered Charles.
"The problem is the agreement with Marquess Rechelles. Didn't I sign a secret agreement not to publicly announce that Iana has magical power?"
"It just means we don't announce it to the outside world. We can appoint her as an Archmage of the territory, not of the Empire."
Mule emphasized the word "outside."
To become an Archmage of the Rubena Empire, the approval of the Council of nine archmages was required.
But an Archmage of the territory could be appointed if recommended by another Archmage of the territory and approved by the Monarch.
Of course, this only meant being recognized as an Archmage within the territory.
"Marquess Rechelles made that suggestion because they were afraid Iana might take their position as an Archmage of the Empire. If she becomes an Archmage of the territory, there won't be a problem."
After thinking for a moment at Mule's words, Charles said as if he had made up his mind.
"Let's do that. According to the principle."
✦ ✦ ✦
Iana arrived at the entrance of the village after riding for about two hours.
The 3rd District of Ervin.
Houses with orange roofs were clustered together, with a large clock tower and a jewelry workshop in the middle.
The area was surrounded by walls.
Thump, thump, thump.
As Iana and her party rode inside, women who appeared to be jewelers whispered as they watched them.
"It's here!"
Soon after, Johan stopped in front of a house with a small fence.
"Wow! The house is so pretty."
Iana dismounted skillfully and exclaimed in admiration.
It was a charming log house with a small flower bed.
It was just like the house she had seen in fairy tales when she was young.
"Ru can be left at the jewelry workshop on the way to the wall. The Archmage made a special request."
At Johan's words, she took Ru out of the rabbit cage and placed them on the ground.
"That's a relief. I was wondering what to do with Ru."
The two of them opened the arched wooden door and entered the house.
It was a simple house with a bedroom, a living room, and a small kitchen.
"If you have any questions about the village, Mrs. Rita, who lives next door, will tell you."
Johan opened the window and pointed to the house next door.
"Mrs. Rita?"
Iana murmured as if trying to memorize the name.
"Mrs. Rita's husband was a soldier of the Ducal Palace. He died last year in a monster attack."
Johan's face darkened.
"Oh, I see."
"Most of the jewelers living in this village have lost their husbands or parents because of monsters. Your Highness created the jewelry workshop for the territory residents who have difficulty making a living on their own."
Johan pointed to the back as he spoke.
"There's Mrs. Rita coming."
A young woman with an elegant appearance was walking, holding the hand of a girl with red hair who looked about 4 years old.
"Wow! A Petal Rabbit!"
The girl ran towards Ru. Ru didn't seem to dislike the child and didn't run away.
Iana and Johan came out of the house and greeted Rita.
"Hello, Mage. I'm Rita, and that child is my daughter Annie. Please tell me if you need anything or have any questions."
Rita seemed to be a kind and polite woman.
"I'm Iana Lewis. Please take care of me."
As Iana greeted her, Annie suddenly burst into laughter.
"Iana? Your name is round and round. Your face is also round and round."
"Annie, how can you be so rude to the Mage?"
Rita, flustered to the point of her face turning red, stopped Annie.
"It's okay."
"Then I'll prepare a meal for the mages. It'll be hard for you to cook right away today."
Rita carried Annie, who was resisting going, on her back and returned home.
At the sight, Iana, Johan, and the magic trainee who was helping with the luggage burst out laughing.
✦ ✦ ✦
Before long, the sun was setting.
Iana was busy cleaning even after Johan and the magic trainees had left.
Neigh.
Andre didn't like the state of the cleaning and didn't want to go into the stable.
As a result, the water in the canteen was empty before she knew it.
"I need to fetch water."
Iana took the canteen and headed towards the well that Rita had told her about.
Having cleaned the stable every morning, she could now fetch water without difficulty.
As she was about to turn the corner with the canteen, she saw women gathered under the fence of the jewelry workshop, talking.
'Should I greet them first?'
Just as Iana was about to approach the women and greet them.
The women's voices pierced her ears.
"I wonder if that mage was really kicked out of the Ducal Palace? I don't think Your Highness is that heartless..."
Another woman next to her added.
"Aden, Your Highness's brother, the monk, came a while ago. In the end, the imperial family opposed it, so she was abandoned."
"As a woman, I feel sorry for her. Still, it's a bit much for Your Highness to be with a woman with a previous divorce."
The women gathered nodded vigorously as if agreeing with the words. Then they went back into the jewelry workshop.
Iana took the canteen and started walking again.
The village, which had felt friendly, now seemed unfamiliar, and somehow the canteen also felt heavier.
'I thought many things had changed since coming to Ervin, but...'
She could now use magical power, ride a horse, and do chores without difficulty.
But the fear of being abandoned didn't disappear easily. Enough to be swayed by the words of the village women who didn't know the truth.
"You think I'm ending the relationship for your sake, but aren't you just trying to avoid the situation where you might be abandoned?"
Charles's words were right.
To be more precise, it was more painful to be in a state of anxiety, not knowing when she would be abandoned, than to be abandoned.
Her magical power had increased dramatically, but her heart seemed to be as weak as it was in her previous life, which made her upset.
Then, she noticed large footprints leading to her house.
Iana stopped walking abruptly.
Familiar footprints.
'Could it be?'
Iana tried hard to deny it, not wanting to have vain expectations.
Even so, she walked along the familiar footprints as if in a desperate ritual.
Her small footprints overlapped the large footprints.
It was that moment.
Iana's expectations became a reality.
The owner of the footprints was Charles.
He was playing with Ru in the yard, just like he had done in the Ducal Palace.
The sense of relief that a familiar presence gave in an unfamiliar place.
Iana felt an uncontrollable surge of emotion.
Their eyes met.
Charles smiled brightly at her.
"Are you coming back from the well?"
Iana put down the canteen and asked with a face that was as nonchalant as possible.
"How did you get here?"
"I came to check your homework."
"Homework?"
She stared blankly, not knowing what he meant.
"Didn't I give you a book to read about Monarch studies? Did you forget?"
Charles glanced at her playfully.
"What? I spent all day cleaning the house and organizing my luggage. I didn't have time to read."
Iana made excuses with an aggrieved face.
Charles approached her and said.
"Then there's nothing I can do. I'll have to come back tomorrow to check again."
"What? You're coming again tomorrow?"
Iana's eyes widened in surprise.
"Why, do you not want me to come? I have no choice but to come in order to fulfill my responsibility for assigning the homework."
Iana looked around and changed the subject.
"But did you come alone without an escort?"
"No. The escort knights are at the entrance of the village. If I came all the way here with them, I thought I would just end up greeting the village territory residents and leaving."
Charles came closer to her.
Iana remembered Charles kissing her yesterday and took a step back.
"Homework is just an excuse, I came because I missed you."
"......!"
"Iana, I missed you and was worried about you."
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