From a position where I was anxious about when and how the marriage might fall apart, “confirming the family meeting” was certainly good news.

However, for Riley, arranging a gathering with both families’ members approached as a big burden. It was already burdensome to have to bring along her uncle and his wife, whom she didn’t even want to call parents or family, as her “parents”, but on top of that, the other party was the head of the Lianster family.

How many people would truly not be nervous meeting the Empire’s foremost noble?

“……When is it?”

“Two weeks from now.”

“That’s sooner than I thought.”

“We have to move quickly. The longer we delay these things, the more we lose.”

So we really are getting married, to this man.

‘Will I be able to do well?’

When we first agreed to the marriage, I was so frantic that I didn’t think deeply about it, but now that the family meeting date was set, various worries came to mind.

Just because the family meeting is confirmed doesn’t mean the marriage is confirmed. In fact, if you think about it, the biggest obstacle in this marriage would be the family meeting itself.

‘Even if the Duke of Lianster was friends with my father, marriage is a realistic and separate issue. If he doesn’t like me and my family, if he opposes it so strongly, this marriage… will fall through.’

Of course, Givnen said he had finished preparations to go through guardianship procedures in case the marriage fell through, but since that process is so complicated and takes so long, my uncle might sell me off somewhere in the meantime.

Like how he hastily arranged an engagement with Count Ermeints.

“Are you worried?”

“…To be honest, a little.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. The marriage will proceed smoothly according to plan, without any hitches.”

‘Will your family like me?’

Riley couldn’t bring herself to say these words out loud and turned her head away.

It was a question she wanted to avoid, and she was afraid to hear the answer.

The Horizon Academy entrance exam and now the family meeting.

Just a few days ago, her life had been proceeding in an endlessly boring fashion, but how did it suddenly become so complicated and nerve-wracking?

‘I have to do well, I must.’

In order to absolutely not lose this man, this marriage.

Arpegio’s intensive training officially began.

As he had instructed, Riley opened the door to the mana storage room and entered exactly at 6 PM.

Sack had mentioned that he hated anything that disrupted his schedule, which repeated mechanically each day without wasting a minute or second, and especially warned to be punctual.

Thanks to this, though Riley arrived at Horizon at 5:40 PM, she had to wait another 20 minutes until 6 PM before she could meet him.

However, he did not pay any attention to Riley.

Even as an awkward situation unfolded with her standing there watching him, he went about his work as if Riley did not exist. He cleaned around the mana storage, checked the mana wave graphs, and noted any lacking or unusual parts.

‘He’s really busy.’

Honestly, judging by appearances alone, she had thought he would be quite idle. It was a kind of prejudice.

Unlike other departments, there were no busy workers to be seen here, only Arpegio alone, and all there was were bookshelves filled with old tomes, a simple table and two chairs for meals, and a massive mana storage device – so on the surface it looked like there was nothing to do at all.

However, the work he was responsible for was quite complex and meticulous. He checked the wave graphs connected to the mana storage every minute, and if even the slightest anomaly showed, he began analyzing.

She freshly realized why he looked like a beggar. He ate scraps of bread for meals while analyzing graphs. As if embarrassed to eat alone, he called out to Riley.

“Hey, there’s food in that box over there, so grab some and eat.”

“Okay.”

Riley went to where Arpegio pointed and opened the box.

The chilled box was full of food and drinks. Of course, most were simple meals like bread or soup, and even the drinks were all alcohol.

Riley roughly grabbed a sandwich and crouched in a corner to have a late meal. The sandwich was cold but very delicious.

After finishing the simple meal, Arpegio dragged Riley to the library. He picked out a few dusty books and tossed them to her.

“Read them all, and memorize them all.”

“All of this?”

“Why? Three books a day is the minimum requirement. Did you think you could slack off when you need to catch up to others’ ten years in just a month, in your state?”

“No.”

“If you’re going to complain, get out. I have no intention of taking it easy, and I don’t need weaklings.”

I had no intention of slacking off. Riley nodded with grim determination as she received the books.

“I’ll do it.”

Towards her, who was opening the book with burning determination, Arpegio said in a sighing voice.

“Yeah, do it. Please.”

– Today, read and memorize all of those. And add two hours of meditation. Extend by 5 minutes each time your concentration wavers.

Reading and memorizing 3 books daily in the first week increased to 5 books daily plus meditation time by the second week.

Moreover, for meditation, time was added whenever concentration wavered, and seeing how he caught even the slightest zoning out like a ghost, I thought a genius archmage really is different in every way.

However, Riley also doggedly completed his assignments well.

At first, she wondered if it was possible to memorize 3 whole books in a day, but surprisingly, it was. She could complete the task of 5 books without a hitch.

Difficult words she had never seen before were understood without difficulty, and knowledge she had never encountered somehow felt familiar. It felt like she had seen it somewhere before.

As her comprehension improved, so did her memorization. Things were memorized automatically without even trying to memorize them.

How could this be possible? When she curiously asked Arpegio, he answered as if it was obvious.

– The core of mana circulation is the brain. Blood is supplied and circulated through the heart, but mana is supplied and circulated through the brain. Do you think mages are treated as national talents simply because they can use magic? Mages are inherently smart. Using magic composed of complex formulas freely requires tremendous brain function to begin with. As mana circulation becomes more active, the brain develops. Ah, of course, only in terms of storing information and acquiring skills. Idiots are idiots no matter what they do. It’s been proven through mages that there’s a separate brain for studying and for being stupid. And most mages are too lazy to train themselves. They’re full of idiots who can’t even utilize their innate talents. That’s why the country is in this state.

– Of course, that doesn’t mean all mages are smart. It’s just that on average, they have higher intelligence than ordinary people. Among them are occasionally mixed in mad hybrids like Givnen Lianster. There’s research showing that the more innate mana one has, the higher their intelligence. Moreover, mages can pass on the knowledge they’ve acquired over a lifetime to others. That guy Givnen inherited the knowledge and some mana from the previous Archmage, so he ascended to the Archmage position at that age. Ah, of course, his young age is too much of a disadvantage. Experience isn’t something you can learn from books or inheritance.

-Your father would have passed on knowledge and mana to you too. Your father would be more than capable of doing so. Plus, your brain function would have noticeably improved while opening your mana. Especially in memorization, you shouldn’t have any difficulties.

Though prickly and seeming bothered, Arpegio had a caring side, answering questions immediately when asked. At first she thought he was a scary person, but the more she got to know him, the more decent he seemed.

Unlike the first day when she was afraid to even speak to him, Riley now conversed well with him.

“I can’t come here the day after tomorrow.”

“Why.”

“I have a family meeting.”

At Riley’s words, Arpegio stopped moving and stared at her.

Rubbing his chin and looking her up and down, he said as if dumbfounded.

“A snot-nosed kid is getting married?”

“I’m of marriageable age. If anything, I’m late compared to average.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-five.”

At Riley’s words, Arpegio snorted.

“Snot-nosed kid. Anyone under 100 is a snot-nosed kid to me.”

“How old are you?”

“Exactly 100 this year.”

Riley was startled.

“I thought you were in your 30s.”

“Mages and ordinary people have different lifespans. The more great and magnificent a mage like me, the longer we live. We age slowly too.”

“Certainly, my father was… very youthful looking. He must have lived long?”

“No. That guy died at my age. It’s just that we age slowly, not that we’re invincible. Your father didn’t die of natural causes, right?”

Seeing Riley become gloomy at the thought of her father, Arpegio clicked his tongue.

“He should have at least walked you down the aisle at your wedding, what was the rush?”

“…That’s true.”

“So is the guy you’re marrying decent? These days there are so many bastards that it’s scary to even get married.”

“He’s a good person, too good for me.”

“Who is it?”

“Givnen.”

Arpegio, who had been picking his ear, dropped the documents he was holding in shock.

“You’re joking, right?”

“It may not suit me well, but it’s not a joke.”

“Oh my. To think the world’s most pitiful woman who’s marrying the world’s biggest bastard was so close by.”

“Shouldn’t you not describe your boss that way or you’ll get fired?”

“Nah, I’ve got an iron rice bowl.”

“I’m envious.”

“Anyway, you’re out of your mind too. It’s the first time in my life I’ve heard someone describe Givnen Lianster as a ‘good guy’.”

Seeing Arpegio looking serious, Riley answered firmly.

“He is kind and attentive. He’s very considerate, and above all, he’s the most gentle and good person I’ve ever met.”

“Good grief.”

Arpegio looked at Riley as if pitying her, then suddenly started checking if she had a fever.

“No fever, is this a side effect of mana opening? How can five words that can’t possibly be associated with Givnen come out of the mouth of a sane person?”

“Five words?”

“Kind, attentive, considerate, gentle, good. Does this make sense? Are these words that can be attached to that guy? Does this make sense? Does it? Does it?”

He seemed very excited.

Though it didn’t seem like something to get so worked up about, he reacted more passionately than ever before.

“Listen well, I’ll kindly teach you, you dull-witted one.”

“……”

“The only way for you to survive is to overturn that damned family meeting.”

“…Are you telling me to break off the engagement?”

“You can’t handle that guy, and he can’t handle you either. You’re the worst of opposites.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Do you like him?”

“I don’t dislike him.”

“Not love, I see. What, if that’s the case, is this a marriage with some kind of deal?”

Riley held her tongue. She didn’t think there was any need to answer. However, Arpegio crossed his arms and looked at Riley pitifully, as if he understood.

“Well, Givnen isn’t the type to rush into marriage. I thought it might be a marriage with a deal.”

“……”

“You have no awareness of what you’ve done, do you?”

“Is marriage such a big deal?”

“Marriage to that guy can’t be anything but a big deal.”

“Why? He saved me.”

Saved?

Mulling over the word, Arpegio sighed as if he understood and placed his hand on her head.

“Does he look like a savior to you?”

“……”

“The person you believe to be your savior could be a destroyer who’s come to ruin you.”

“Why are you describing him that way? Do you dislike Givnen, Arpegio?”

“I dislike him. He dislikes me too.”

“……”

“But this isn’t a matter of like or dislike. It’s even more so because you’re Ryston’s daughter. That guy is more likely to use you than marry you because he likes you. Do you want to spend your whole life in a loveless marriage, being used until you die? He’s a selfish person who only cares about himself. He’s endlessly petty and snake-like. You’ll be tied to such a person for life.”

“We’ve agreed that he’ll divorce me if I want.”

“Oh sure, as if.”

“……”

“As if he’d let you out of his grasp. Do you think the kindness he shows you is without reason? His master’s last words? Don’t make me laugh. When Yung was alive, that guy was the one who listened least to anyone. Such a guy suddenly obeys his master’s will just because the master died? No way. He absolutely hates troublesome things. Especially cleaning up after others, he’d never do it even if he died and came back to life. But he’s doing something he normally wouldn’t? There must be something. Something very fishy.”

Riley didn’t say anything. She thought his words were worth taking to heart.

In fact, Riley had always been suspicious of Givnen’s intentions.

She could have comfortably concluded it was simply following his master’s last words, but it wasn’t so simple as to attach such a simple reason of “master’s last words” to kindness that was excessive to the point of being undeserved.

She thought there might be some other reason.

Ryan hadn’t formed any trust or attachment in their relationship, despite being blood relatives.

If blood relatives couldn’t be trusted, it didn’t make sense to completely trust and rely on Givnen, who was a complete stranger.

However, it still didn’t matter.

“I also think there’s no such thing as kindness without reason. And I’m not completely trusting and relying on Givnen.”

“Yet you still want to proceed with this marriage?”

“Yes… If he wants to use me, I’m willing to be used by him.”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

“I have nothing left to lose now.”

Even if Givnen Lianster turned out to be much worse than she thought, even if he was a villain worse than the devil. Even if he was a criminal, Riley didn’t care.

The fact that he had pulled her out of that hellish pit wouldn’t change.

“Every moment of my life was hell.”

“……”

“…A hell pretending to be heaven is better than every moment being a terrible hell.”

Arpegio sighed and muttered.

‘…How should I accept that someone who’s already struggling to survive alone wants to be used by someone who might be even more dangerous? It’s not normal, not normal at all.’