Bang!

‘Bothered? What nonsense is that?’

After parting with Barbarossa, I entered my private study and began reading books frantically. It was the Kingdom’s Noble Genealogy Yearbook I had selected earlier.

People who married at 9 years old.

People who married at 10 years old.

The younger the age of marriage, the more likely it was that their parents had died early. They had welcomed new guardians through marriage. There were even cases listed in the noble yearbook where marriage was chosen instead of adoption.

A noble girl who became an orphan at 11 and had no relatives to protect her married a marquis twenty years her senior, but this marriage was fake.

When the woman became an adult, the original husband personally found her a new husband and cleanly divorced her.

The dowry for the second marriage was the same one she had brought to her first marriage at 11.

This way, the girl’s relatives couldn’t touch the inheritance left by her parents. A legal husband was a better guardian than blood relatives.

In fact, the noble yearbook only blandly listed who married whom and when, and the circumstances surrounding these marriages had to be referenced from history books.

“This person became a lord at 9 and welcomed a 10-year-old wife. They say that because they married so young, the two lived like close siblings for life. Both when they were young and when they grew old. Just like real siblings.”

“You must love me.”

“No matter how we married, spouses love each other, right?”

I shook my head vigorously, trying to erase the voices echoing in my mind.

‘Spouses must love each other? What nonsense is that!’

Look. Darius said that married couples naturally come to love each other.

But there were so many real cases of people getting along well without romance.

It’s because they immerse themselves in the roles of husband and wife that they seek love. As long as there’s a bond between people, that’s family!

“Anette.”

Sylphid looked at me with eyes full of pity.

“If Darius brings up love again, I’ll shut him up with this.”

“Anette.”

“Why are you looking at me like ‘you’re desperately denying something that’s obviously true’?”

Sylphid removed the noble yearbook I was clutching like a sacred object. No, my case study!

“I’m not interested in human history. I know that better than you. What I’m curious about is when you’re going to study spirits. Have you forgotten your promise to me?”

I gasped. Ah, right! I did promise!

The power of the Spirit King that I had used liberally to reform Barbarossa all came with a price.

Sylphid was now looking at me like a parent who had just discovered their child’s pile of summer homework hidden under the bed the day before school starts.

Darius and everything else were no longer important.

“Who said I forgot! I was going to do it all when the time came! Ah, I was actually going to do it today, but being forced made me not want to!”

“Again! Again! You’re a smart kid, but whenever it’s time to study, you always do this. Is this for my sake? It’s all for your own good!”

“What do you mean I always do this? I really was going to do it, but Sylphid brought it up and made me lose the mood! Wow, you’re a genius at ruining the atmosphere.”

There was a downside to having the Wind Spirit King as a parent figure.

He could nag me in surround sound from both sides, even if I covered my ears.

“Stop wasting your abilities on nagging!”

“I’m saying this all for your sake, so listen to someone who’s lived longer than you! Don’t struggle later when you’re grown up!”

What good will it do if I study spirits diligently? Will I be able to nag more effectively like you?

“This is why I don’t want to do it!”

For a while, I completely forgot about my original worries as Sylphid chased me around nagging. What’s the use of saying anything? In the end, I lost.

“Ignore the sounds from outside. Close your eyes and focus on the sound coming from within you. Meditation begins there. When you can hear all sounds while not hearing any sounds, you will be able to find the spirit power within you.”

As Grandfather Spirit King started the lesson despite my refusal, I ended up sitting straight with my eyes closed. And I tried to concentrate.

Sylphid kept instructing me to find the power flowing inside me.

“Try to maintain a peaceful, unwavering mind. Wind is invisible. Imagine a vast prairie and the flow of air that moves it. That is wind.”

Hmm, wind pouring over a prairie.

“The wind coming down from the mountain range will carry a cold air, bringing new tidings to the beings on the ground. The wind that crossed the river will be laden with moisture.”

A peaceful yet dynamic scene.

I imagined that nature, and imagined, and imagined, and in the end…

Snore.

Nod, nod.

“Don’t sleep!”

“Tch, I wasn’t sleeping! You told me to concentrate without making any noise!”

I wiped the drool I nearly spilled and brazenly lied that I was just about to move on to a higher level.

Telling me to let go of tension and keep breathing steadily. How could a person not fall asleep? What’s with all this incomprehensible muttering? Of course people fall asleep.

Sylphid sighed.

“You’re overflowing with talent but dead set against studying, and when I finally manage to sit you down after coaxing and pleading, all you do is sleep.”

“Who said I’d naturally awaken just by sitting down? Ah, you need to make sense. Listen without hearing all sounds? Are you going to keep talking nonsense? Does that make any sense? I’m asking if it makes sense!”

“What’s so difficult about that! It’s all because you haven’t been studying diligently! If you had, you would understand.”

“If a student is this talented but hasn’t shown results so far, isn’t that all the teacher’s problem? I think you’re making your lectures too convoluted.”

Even a cult leader would make more sense!

Bleh, I stuck out my tongue.

I focused on spirit training under Sylphid’s guidance to move beyond just summoning sylphs to a higher level, but whether it was impossible to fill up on the first spoonful or not, the results weren’t good.

But this teacher, despite saying things like “Spirit training is something where you don’t make progress and then one day you suddenly have an awakening…”, was about to die of frustration watching me struggle.

How am I supposed to concentrate when the teacher is fretting like that? Huh?

“The kid I taught before wasn’t like this. When I taught them one thing, they understood ten.”

“Yes, yes, then let’s end the morning training here. I need to go to Darius now.”

Knock, knock, I heard Apple’s knocking sound from outside, signaling my presence was required.

It was the sound of my release from this hopeless spirit training.

“My lady, the lord is waiting for you to attend the meeting.”

A cool breeze was felt behind Apple as she opened the door and entered. Autumn had arrived in earnest.

Autumn of harvest. Even for the poor Inkhart, hearts were warmed in spring when the bitter cold retreated and in autumn when grains were piled up in the storehouse.

“I’ll be right there, thank you.”

As I was about to pass by, I noticed Apple wearing an accessory I hadn’t seen before, so I asked.

“Apple, what’s that ribbon on your wrist?”

“I bought it recently. Is it pretty? Does it suit me?”

“Yes. It’s pretty, but why the sudden ribbon?”

Apple blushed and twisted her body.

“This is a secret… I’m seeing someone right now. We’re going on a date during the festival.”

“Who is it? Is it someone I know? Someone from our castle?”

“We’re just getting to know each other. I won’t say any more than that.”

What, how curious.

“It’s not from the mercenary group, right?”

There’s a dangerous figure there that I wouldn’t recommend as a boyfriend for someone close to me. Actually, as long as it’s not Barbarossa, I approve of whoever my precious maid wants to date.

Apple just giggled, “Hehehe,” without answering.

I guess it’s not him then. That’s fine.

As I looked at the people I encountered on my way to the meeting room, I could feel everyone’s excited mood.

“I’m going to take a vacation during the festival. I’ve been working non-stop until now just to use it at this time.”

“Lucky you. Do you have someone to meet?”

I couldn’t help but smile at the maids’ conversation.

Everyone was busy preparing for an enjoyable festival, but the actual staff were having their heads explode.

* * *

“During the Autumn Harvest Festival, Lord Darius and Lady Anette will appear before the people. The festival officially begins with the speeches of you two.”

Sir Lucian sketched out how the lord and lady should move safely among the gathered crowd as he spoke.

“I’ve arranged the security personnel into three-shift emergency standby teams.”

Festivals bring in many people. While it helps stimulate the economy, it must be a nightmare for those in charge of security.

Following his words, Rose Temery, who didn’t seem concerned about her brother’s troubles, spoke brightly.

Despite her appearance, Rose Temery was a veteran of the ‘Inkhart Autumn Festival Committee’.

“Before, when there was no lady, I gave the congratulatory speech as the lady of Inkhart territory! But this year, Anette will be by brother Darius’s side.”

If this child beside me now had been the Rose Temery who gave the congratulatory speech as Inkhart’s representative lady by Darius’s side, she would have hated me very much, but her eyes looking at me now were only full of sparkles.

“After your speech, come play with me. There will be lots of fun things.”

“The lady will be busy.”

“I didn’t ask you, brother Lucian. My lady, if you have any questions about the speech, please call me anytime.”

I gently patted Rose’s head as she linked her arm with mine.

Anyone watching might think I was the real family, not Lucian. But…

‘It’s fine because she’s cute.’

Anyway, Rose is cute, so that’s all that matters.