He said he’d give a choice. Adel slowly rolled Valentin’s words in her mouth.

Though he was not human but a demon, he couldn’t have shown greater insight into humans.

For humans, power was always authority.

‘I can’t forget.’

She was treated worse than a freeloader in Reichenau because she had no power, yet she had to endure her father’s long-standing abuse because she might have latent power.

For a time, the count had long clung to the hypothesis that Adel might awaken tremendous healing power if she felt a threat to her life.

‘It’s a bit unfair that misunderstanding came from a strange prophecy.’

According to Grita’s rambling words, there was some prophecy when she was born.

She doesn’t know the full content perfectly. Even now, it’s said that only a few people can access the original text.

‘Maybe the Padre and the Pope, and my father? Grita seems to have heard it secondhand.’

Looking back, everything was because of that prophecy.

From the time of great expectations when she just started walking, through the age of seven when she grew up receiving plenty of disbelieving looks, to the age of fifteen marked by hatred and disappointment…

The count had held onto her for an excruciatingly long time.

Finally, when it was determined that she was a useless freeloader, the count changed her treatment from something like a maid to worse than a maid.

It was unexpected that even then, he had her name engraved on a slate to use her efficiently for a marriage alliance.

‘As if he sensed that I would be sold at a high price.’

“You’re deep in thought, uh…”

Valentin gently caressed the tip of her chin. Adel woke up from her reverie.

Yes, in the end, there was only one conclusion. As he said, the more options, the better.

“For now, I’ll practice magic as you suggested.”

“A wise ch-choice. Then come to me every eve-ning from now on.”

“To you, Valentin?”

“It’s hard to do al-one. When you gather enough magic power, I’ll teach you how to handle it.”

His tone was somehow seductive.

Adel narrowed her eyes sharply, then realizing there was no other way, nodded her head.

Only Valentin could teach her how to control magic power.

“I can’t say I’m completely without self-interest.”

At his leisurely added words, Adel pressed her lips together.

As Valentin turned his head towards the door sensing a presence, there was a knock on the door.

It was Margaret.

“Your Highness. And Your Grace. The preparations for departure are complete.”

“We’ll be down short-ly, wait downstairs.”

“Yes.”

Footsteps were heard receding at Valentin’s command.

He looked at Adel regretfully, and cupped her cheek with his palm.

“I was planning to play a little lon-ger.”

“It’s alright. I’ve been resting enough in the carriage.”

“Liar. I know you couldn’t sleep a wink while the carriage was mov-ing.”

How did he know? When he had been leading the group at the very front during this journey.

“With such sensitive ears too.”

If she had endured the carriage well, she would have fallen for the temptation earlier. Valentin’s eyes seemed to reproach her like that.

As if even the reproach wasn’t sincere, he smiled brightly.

Adel, captivated by that smile, only came to her senses when Valentin’s face suddenly drew close.

He raised the corners of his mouth playfully, then finally dropped his smooth chin at an angle. Their lips brushed in an instant.

“Ah…”

The moment soft lips tangled lightly like mischief and parted, she felt the warmth left in her mouth.

The warmth was hard like candy. As she rolled it gently in her mouth and swallowed, a warm heat spread throughout her body.

The fatigue that had remained stubbornly even after bathing disappeared cleanly.

When Adel looked at him with surprised eyes, he grinned.

“You didn’t rest pro-perly. I thought you might need something to boost your energy a bit.”

“Can you do this kind of thing with magic too?”

“I told you. The source is the same. Everything that can be done with holy power is possible with the magic you use.”

To think that boosting energy and aiding recovery could be done with magic too.

Adel’s eyes filled with sparkling enthusiasm. He let out a laugh.

“So practice dili-gently.”

“I will.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow eve-ning. Don’t be late.”

“Alright.”

When she answered obediently, Valentin looked at her with somewhat strange eyes.

Then suddenly, with a face that seemed to no longer care, he left the room.

What should it be called? The magic Valentin cast? Or a clump of magic power? Anyway, the efficacy of that energy was quite remarkable.

When she hadn’t received that energy, riding in a carriage for several hours continuously made her muscles ache and her back hurt, but now she felt refreshed down to the smallest muscle.

It felt as if she had been reborn.

Even the motion sickness that had persistently bothered her for the first few days was no longer felt.

Seeing her face noticeably more comfortable, Valentin shared energy with her every evening.

“That blue jewel embedded in the dagger.”

Adel looked up, startled.

After struggling for days to try to feel magic power, she had finally managed to imbue a very faint light into the magic stone.

Just then, Margaret brought up the jewel as if by magic, so she couldn’t help but flinch.

As she stared blankly, Margaret continued nonchalantly.

“Sometimes it seems to sparkle when it’s dark, so it’s fascinating.”

“…Ah.”

“Even now, it looks somewhat bluish, as if it’s emitting light on its own.”

Adel laughed nervously, saying “Is that so?”

Tensing up in preparation for Margaret to press further, she pondered excuses, but Margaret soon lost interest in the jewel.

It seemed it had been a casual remark without any particular intention from the start.

Margaret quickly forgot about the jewel completely and began glancing at the carriage window.

“Your Grace, aren’t you hungry?”

“A little. But it seems we still have quite a way to go before reaching the walls of Ingrida…”

“Well, I wonder. Sigh, I’m not even sure if we can get there today. It seems we’re just passing through the Ziclo Mountains…”

“If it’s not possible, we’ll have to march through the night again.”

Even though it was a forest road, the Talia Highway was well-maintained, so there was no major problem in riding horses all night.

How much further did they go? The carriage gradually slowed down. Adel woke up groggily.

She couldn’t believe she had even dozed off.

It seemed she had become accustomed to the shaking carriage and the presence of soldiers and knights guarding it without gaps.

“What’s happening?”

“I’m not sure, we’re suddenly slowing down. Could we be nearing a village?”

Margaret put her needlework down in the basket and pressed her nose against the window.

But it was still too dark to be near a village, and the trees were still dense. Then, there was a knock on the window.

“Your Grace. Are you alright at the moment?”

Adel opened the window slightly. Even though it was early spring, the chilly night air rushed into the carriage.

“What’s the matter, Donovan?”

“There are trees and rocks fallen ahead blocking the road. It seems to be the aftermath of a landslide or earthquake, but it looks like we’ll have to wait a while until it’s cleared.”

“Will we depart again right after clearing that?”

“Yes. It seems so. As we’re getting closer to the capital, everyone’s opinion is leaning towards pushing a bit harder despite the trouble. We’re starting to miss comfortable beds and properly seasoned food.”

“Is that so…”

Seeing her gloomy expression, Donovan carefully asked.

“Are you worried?”

“I’m just concerned that everyone might be pushing themselves too hard. We’ve been riding non-stop for two full days since we last rested at an inn…”

“Ah. Isn’t there someone else Your Grace is worried about?”

Klaus, who had approached unnoticed, grinned teasingly.

Judging by the armfuls of firewood he was carrying, it seemed they were planning to light fires nearby and prepare some simple food while waiting.

Fires were already starting to rise here and there, slightly off the highway.

“The Grand Duke is perfectly fine. He even volunteered to go on a patrol of the surroundings.”

“A patrol?”

“About two knights followed as escorts. I suppose he wanted to take a look around, as this is still land where demons appear.”

She looked out at the dark forest road.

Though she knew Valentin was no ordinary human, the forest where one couldn’t see an inch ahead felt somewhat eerie.

“Don’t worry. He was originally incredibly fit, but since he woke up again, how should I put it… It feels like he’s far surpassed human limits in a good way? Anyway, he’ll be back soon.”

She nodded in agreement, but soon couldn’t overcome her anxiety and got out of the carriage.

It seemed there would be no “lesson” this evening anyway, so she thought to help with something. Carrying firewood, or tending to the horses…

Margaret frowned sternly whenever she did this, but the memory of years of volunteering for menial tasks wasn’t so easily erased.

A pot full of water was hung over the bonfire. Soon, Donovan scooped out a cup of the boiling water, floated some dried herbs in it, and handed it to her.

“Please drink this. It will warm your body and aid recovery.”

“Come to think of it, it’s amazing.”