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The next day dawned.

Yesterday, when I returned from school to the mansion, it was already night.

Wendy had been in a deep sleep since then and hadn’t woken up yet.

Probably magic exhaustion.

With her stamina, she’ll probably be out until tomorrow.

I sank into the chair in my office.

Then, I glanced at the books on the desk one by one.

They were ancient magic-related books I borrowed from the Wall of Truth yesterday.

“Time for practice.”

I closed my eyes.

First, magic detection.

Magic, the energy that exists in all things and the fuel for miracles.

I imagined it.

I visualized the magic around me.

As I supplemented it with the knowledge I gained through greed, the concept of magic became clearer within me.

I closed my eyes.

Then, the magic around me began to glow.

The desk in front of me, the pen, the wallet, the clock, the books—everything emitted a faint glow of magic.

It was magic.

Among them, I focused on the faint light surrounding the books.

‘Got it.’

I connected my body’s magic to the books.

The magic felt warm.

It was rooted in every corner of the objects, like veins.

And those veins connected to me.

Now, I decided to try lifting one of the books in front of me.

Using only the magic surrounding the book.

At first, I was clumsy, but I was gradually getting used to the sensation of handling magic.

“……Ugh.”

But I couldn’t lift the book.

It was heavy.

It felt unstable, like trying to lift a heavy object with a single thin thread.

The reason was obvious.

The magic the book possessed was far too insufficient.

“I need more magic….”

To move objects with magic like an ordinary magician, the magic the object possesses alone isn’t enough.

That’s why you use the magic within your body.

The human body is like a fountain of magic that continuously rises as long as the heart beats.

I decided to change my approach.

I didn’t necessarily have to use the book’s magic to move it.

I took a deep breath.

I tensed every nerve in my body.

It was as if my body had become a transparent mirror reflecting the world.

The motif of Moon Magic is the mirror.

I became the mirror and reflected the outlines of the objects around me.

In an instant, magic began to gather.

For a brief moment, warm blood surged within me.

I didn’t miss that moment.

“…!”

The book floated up.

But only for a very short time.

Thud!

The book fell weakly to the floor.

I had used up all the magic I had gathered just to lift the book.

As my concentration wavered, a slight fatigue set in.

“Hoo…”

There was progress.

For the first time, I had used a proper magic spell.

Though all I did was lift a thick book.

I also learned my limits.

Since neither Tristan’s body nor my mind had ever handled magic before, precise control was difficult.

So, the amount of magic I could handle was also limited.

Well, I’ll just have to gradually increase it.

The more you polish a mirror, the brighter it shines.

I’ll polish myself to reflect the magic that exists in all things.

I focused my mind again.

Like when I felt the magic around me earlier.

Then, my senses expanded.

Even if I couldn’t see it, I could feel the magic.

If I keep practicing magic detection, the amount of magic I can handle will also increase.

I checked the remaining days.

[351 days until service begins]

There’s still time.

I’ll train this body as much as I can until then.

I looked in the mirror.

The more I looked, the more the fat noble, Tristan, looked vicious.

In any story, a character like this would almost certainly be a villain.

But I had glimpsed Tristan’s past in the Trial Space.

Probably his past before he fell.

Back then, he was a surprisingly handsome boy.

Well, his father, William, was quite handsome too.

It would be strange if his son, Tristan, wasn’t good-looking.

“Annoying, but what can I do….”

Now that I knew that, there was no choice.

I had caught a glimpse of hope that I could completely change Tristan into a new character, so all that was left was action.

I stretched and left the room.

*

“Next?”

“Hmm… the next candidate is Marquis Wallace. He has a territory in Szaal and is 30 years old this year.”

“Too old. Rejected.”

Bella spoke with half her face buried in the bed.

“What about Count Spread?”

“Too ugly. Rejected.”

“Then, what about Viscount Vibes?”

“Too poor. Rejected.”

“Then… Baron Rihan? He’s not too old, not bad-looking, and his family’s finances are solid.”

“Too short. Rejected.”

“My lady….”

When Bella looked up, a woman with a cold expression was standing there.

“You can call me Bella when it’s just the two of us. We’re friends, after all.”

“It’s work hours. My job is to be your bodyguard knight, so I must use honorifics.”

“Right… that’s our Blanshe.”

The woman called Blanshe swept her neatly tied black hair back.

Then, her icy blue eyes, as cold as ice, were revealed beneath her long eyelashes.

“I’ve now listed all the suitors who have proposed to you, my lady. Is there no man among them who catches your fancy?”

“Then they’re all rejected.”

Bella rolled over in bed, disinterested.

Recently, the number of nobles proposing to her had increased sharply.

Of course, it started when rumors spread that her engagement to Tristan had been called off.

They were the same people who had been too afraid to even speak to her while Tristan was around.

Now that they thought they had a chance, they sent letters and gifts several times a day.

For Bella Izakhel, it was an exhausting affair.

Partly due to her personality, but replying to each one and rejecting their proposals was draining.

Yesterday was the limit.

Bella didn’t want to get out of bed.

Today, she wouldn’t reply to anyone.

As she resolved herself, Bella suddenly thought.

‘But it’s so strange….’

She should have been happy to escape that evil man’s grasp.

Yet, ironically, she found herself missing the time when she was his fiancée.

Bella muttered without thinking.

“Sigh… how is it that they’re all worse than that man….”

“That man, you say?”

Oops.

She could feel Blanshe’s gaze from above.

Avoiding that gaze, Bella feigned ignorance.

“…Did you mishear?”

“No. You clearly said ‘that man.’”

“Your ears are sharp, our Blanshe.”

“If I may infer, ‘that man’ refers to your former fiancé, Count Tristan Ruelberta. Am I correct?”

“……You already know, so why ask? Our mischievous Blanshe.”

“I disagree.”

“…What do you mean, disagree?”

“He’s not even close to being that man.”

Bella sat up in bed and faced Blanshe.

Her bodyguard knight, the tall woman known as the Iron-Blooded Blanshe, looked down at her with an expressionless face.

“…Why not?”

“Don’t you already know, my lady?”

“I’m not sure. Care to explain? Our Blanshe.”

Blanshe answered Bella, who was giggling, with an unshaken demeanor.

“Count Tristan has a bad reputation. He’s always angry, bullies his servants, and believes everything in the world can be bought with money. Moreover….”

Blanshe hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“The Ruelberta family is the most dangerous in this country. It would be best for you to keep your distance from him.”

“Hmm….”

It was a valid argument.

No, Bella already knew this.

The Ruelberta family already wielded power far beyond what a single noble family should possess.

And Bella had seen the depths of Tristan’s darkness firsthand, so she knew the danger.

Bella buried herself in the bed again.

‘But…….’

The Tristan she had seen recently was different.

No, his arrogant personality was still the same.

In fact, on the day they went to Paradise, he had abandoned her and returned to the mansion.

He hadn’t even replied to the letter she sent in protest.

It was clearly strange.

He no longer obsessed over her and seemed to have no lingering feelings.

‘You were so infatuated with me before… was your love only this much?’

It felt like her pride was being crushed.

Yes! This must also be part of Tristan’s plan.

Not only did he insult the Izakhel family, but he also seemed to be testing her pride in this way.

Truly a genius of evil deeds.

Bella squirmed in bed, feeling like she had been played.

Because of that, she completely missed Blanshe’s dangerous gaze.

 

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