The world began to shake chaotically.

As her vision spun, nausea set in, followed by dizziness and a headache. Riley closed her eyes and clutched her neck. She then groaned, trying somehow to keep breathing.

Then Ren cupped Riley’s face with both hands.

“Look at me.”

“…”

“Calm down, and follow me to breathe slowly. Follow along.”

Hoo, ha. Ren slowly and deeply inhaled and exhaled repeatedly, gesturing for Riley to follow. Flustered, Riley began to slowly regulate her breathing following Ren.

About a minute passed like that. Her breathing returned to normal, her pulse regained a normal pace, and the dizziness disappeared.

As Riley calmed down a bit, Ren wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and let out a low sigh.

“How are you feeling?”

“…I’ve calmed down.”

“That’s good.”

Have I ever been this startled by a carriage before?

Riley was very flustered by this situation. Although she had lost her father in a carriage accident, she thought the trauma from that accident wouldn’t be too severe.

She felt fine seeing carriages on the streets, and even rode in carriages quite often.

This was the first time she had such an abnormal reaction to seeing a carriage.

“When a carriage jumps at you, you should either dodge, use magic, or do something. Why did you just stand there stupidly?”

“…My body suddenly froze and I couldn’t move.”

“What’s wrong with you, getting like this every time I see you? Are you just careless, or were you born with bad luck?”

“I’m sorry. This is the first time this has happened to me too…”

Ren sighed and pulled Riley by the hand, leading her to a nearby cafe. He ordered a cold drink, then handed Riley a fruit juice filled with ice.

“Drink this and calm down.”

“Thank you, I keep troubling you.”

“Yeah, at this point it almost seems intentional.”

“…It’s not like that. But how did you…?”

At Riley’s question, Ren flinched and then suddenly got angry.

“What, am I not allowed to be here?”

“That’s not what I meant… I was just surprised we ran into each other here at that moment.”

“…I come here often, you know? It’s not like you have this place exclusively. It’s a coincidence, just a coincidence.”

“Okay, okay.”

Riley, who was sipping juice through a straw, suddenly remembered something she had forgotten and jumped up in surprise.

“My wallet!”

Originally, before the carriage accident almost happened, she was chasing a thief! She had completely forgotten in her shock.

As the surprised Riley tried to hurry out, Ren grabbed her hand and tossed something to her.

“Here, your wallet.”

“How did you…?”

“I saw you chasing the thief from the beginning, I intercepted it then.”

“Ah… Thank goodness, thank you so much.”

As Riley kept nodding her head in gratitude, Ren responded indifferently.

“While this area has better security compared to other regions, it’s not a completely flawless zone. Especially naive ones like you will immediately become targets, so be careful.”

“Yes.”

“No, originally the Shadows should have handled something like this, isn’t this neglect of duty? Are they deliberately not getting involved unless it’s a dangerous situation?”

Ren clicked his tongue as if disgusted.

“Well, who would think a magician attending Horizon could die from being hit by a carriage.”

“…What do you mean by that? Do you think magicians attending Horizon won’t die from being hit by carriages? Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s extremely instinctive for magicians to use magic when in danger. They unconsciously activate magic to protect their bodies.”

“…”

“Unless you’re someone who can’t freely activate magic at will like you, unless they’re attacked by someone stronger than them, magicians rarely die from ordinary external injuries.”

“My father was an excellent magician… but he died after being hit by a carriage.”

“That’s a very unusual case.”

“Unusual?”

“Magic that protects the body is the most basic of basic magic. Protective magic that absorbs external impacts is, to be honest, something that any magician can use, but he died in a carriage accident? He must have been in a state where he couldn’t use magic, or there must have been some other circumstance. Anyway, it’s not a common case.”

Is that really true?

Come to think of it, it was strange. Previously, Givnen had blocked a bullet aimed at his head with magic.

Whether it was intentional magic or unconscious magic to protect his body, wasn’t her father said to be not just a magician, but an archmage?

If what Ren is saying is true, it’s hard to accept that her father, a talent at the archmage level, ended his life by merely being hit by a carriage.

But her father died right before her eyes, hit by a carriage. The memory of that time is still vivid…

“And you, with such tremendous magical power, why can’t you use magic?”

“…”

“I’ve been thinking it’s strange all along. There have been several situations where you should have used magic to protect yourself, but you didn’t.”

“How do you know that I can’t use magic properly?”

“That magic you used before, it was tremendous but unstable. And your anxious expression, stiff body language, and so on… Putting various things together, my conclusion is that while you have a body that can use magic, you can’t freely use it at will, am I wrong?”

“…You’re accurate.”

“Why can’t you use magic properly?”

“…I’ve never properly learned magic, nor have I received management as a magician.”

“Are you saying you’re not registered as a magician?”

At Ren’s question, Riley flinched in surprise and looked around. Ren let out a chuckle as if exasperated.

“Why are you surprised, it’s not common but there are quite a few magicians like you left in blind spots around here.”

“…Still, please keep it a secret just in case.”

“I’ll keep it secret. If you were taken away by the Magic Department right in front of me, would your husband leave me alone? He’d erase me from this world without a trace.”

When Ren mentioned Givnen, Riley naturally checked the time.

I don’t know what I’m doing now when I came out to buy his gift. Time is already tight as it is.

“Thank you for saving me. I’ll definitely repay this debt. I have to go now because I have something to do.”

“You’ve been in a frenzy all day today, haven’t you?”

“…I guess so, I’ll be going now. I’ll definitely repay you next time. I’m sorry, senior.”

Riley hurriedly left the cafe to buy a gift. Watching her retreating figure intently, Ren muttered while resting his chin on his hand.

“…What exactly is she?”

She has many peculiar aspects but nothing special.

Perhaps it’s a talent to unnecessarily catch the eye often, or to unnecessarily get into trouble often. Still, if I observe carefully, there might be something to gain.

Ren got up from his seat when Riley had gone a fair distance.

Then he quietly began to follow her again.

The fact that the imperial family personally lent the palace hall for Givnen Lianster’s birthday party showed how tremendous the Lianster family’s power currently was.

In particular, the fact that all the princes fiercely competing for the right of imperial succession would attend his birthday party became a big topic, and there was much debate about which prince Givnen Lianster would support.

On the day of his birthday, the commotion reached its peak as if a hornet’s nest had been stirred.

All media outlets focused intensively on Givnen’s birthday party and those attending. When the palace gates opened, the entrance was crowded with reporters and citizens who had flocked there.

Of course, the academy was just as bustling.

Not all Blestige nobles attending the academy were invited to the party.

Only a very small number, those in close cooperation with the Lianster family or Horizon, were invited, making them envied even by other nobles.

Is it really worth all this fuss over just one individual’s birthday party?

Riley had no time to adjust to the tumultuous day before returning to the mansion with Hila to get ready.

“It’s been a while, young lady.”

“It’s been a while, Madame Blanche.”

“Is the person next to you your friend?”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Hila Durrella.”

“I see, nice to meet you. Well, since time is tight, let’s sit down quickly.”

The one in charge of the preparations was Madame Blanche, who had helped with the preparations for the previous meeting.

She brought her apprentice designers and rummaged through Riley’s dressing room like stirring up a beehive, repeatedly dressing and undressing her several times. Unlike the previous meeting, they seemed quite anxious.

It seemed they were paying extra special attention since it was a large-scale event attended by royalty.

Matching colors, hairstyles that highlight strengths without accentuating flaws, dresses that best suit the body, accessories matching the dress, shoes, gloves, makeup colors matching the outfit – the experts’ in-depth discussions continued.

Thus, Riley and Hila became dressing dolls, swept here and there.

Riley seemed tired from the continuous labor, but Hila, perhaps because this kind of experience was a first for her, couldn’t hide her excitement and was moved.

“Aren’t you tired?”

To Riley’s question, Hila replied, full of excitement.

“When else in my life would I get to wear these expensive things? I love it. I’d be happy to die just changing clothes all day long.”

“That’s good.”

“You know, today might be the most beautiful moment in my life. It’s becoming a part of my life in the most beautiful appearance! Isn’t it so exciting to have clothes and jewels more expensive than my yearly living expenses hanging on your body? It feels like I’ve escaped from the miserable reality of struggling with money. It’s thrilling and fun. Of course, I’m a bit nervous too.”

Riley was inwardly pleased to see Hila enjoying herself, when she had worried that the preparation process might be tiring.

Come to think of it, at the last reception, she couldn’t properly enjoy it because she was only thinking about escaping and watching out for her family’s reactions, but this time, with Hila here and Rivne saying she’d be there too, it seems like she might be able to enjoy the party a bit more pleasantly.

“It’s done.”

The designers sighed and sat down one by one. They were all exhausted. The servants hurriedly brought full-length mirrors to show their transformed appearances.

“Young ladies, you both look so beautiful!”

“Wow!”

Hila genuinely marveled at her own appearance. As if she couldn’t believe it, she grabbed the full-length mirror and twirled around, then smiled from ear to ear.

“I’m so pretty, I feel like I’ve become a special person.”

“Yes, Hila. You’re really beautiful.”

“You too, Riley. I can understand for myself, but why don’t you dress up when you’re this pretty? With all these clothes!”

“…It’s just burdensome.”

“Really? If I were you, I’d wear gorgeous dresses every day. Well, everyone pursues different things. Anyway, you’re so pretty!”

While Hila was admiring herself in the mirror, Sack, who had arrived at the mansion, came out to greet them.

“Ladies, the carriage is ready. Let’s depart quickly.”

Sack was wearing a suit with a frock coat over it, topped with a fedora.

With a white handkerchief in his left chest pocket as an accent, he looked very handsome. His hair was neatly swept back, unlike usual, which suited him very well.

“Sack, you look really handsome today.”

“Thank you, young lady. Both of you look truly beautiful as well.”

Sack escorted Riley and Hila and helped them into the floating stone carriage. Then the carriage carrying them glided out of the mansion.

“Just in case, let me tell you this: there are occasionally people who act mischievously. When that happens, don’t react at all and just stay still. It’s better to remain silent rather than get involved, no matter what the other party says.”

This was what Sack said as soon as they passed the entrance to the palace. He said to enjoy the party comfortably but never to be alone, and to quietly raise a hand if they found themselves in an awkward situation.

“What if the other party gets angry, saying we’re ignoring them?”

To Hila’s question, Sack replied with a smile.

“Ignore them anyway. If you consistently don’t respond, only the side that caused the disturbance will end up in an embarrassing situation.”

Sack said it was important not to fall for the other party’s provocation.

He advised that if you respond emotionally to whatever the other person says, you become the instigator of the disturbance, so it’s best to draw the line early and turn away, or if that doesn’t seem possible, not to respond at all.

“Other than that, there’s nothing special to be cautious about, oh, and please don’t go outside the hall. The palace is so vast that surprisingly many people get lost.”

“When does the party end?”

At Riley’s question, Sack checked his watch.

“If everything goes according to plan, it should end before midnight. Ah, and young lady, you need to enter with the Master. There’s a place where you’ll be introduced right away. Until then, I’ll escort Miss Hila.”

Hila was disappointed that she had to be separated from Riley for a while, but she smiled when Sack said he would escort her.

Meanwhile, someone appeared in the distance.

His striking beautiful silver hair, neat suit topped with a long coat covering his long legs, he was slowly approaching. His tall stature seemed even taller today.

“You’re here?”

Givnen, standing in front of Riley, slowly looked her over.

“It suits you well.”

“…You look good too, handsome.”

Givnen smiled and extended his gloved hand to Riley. Riley stared at that hand for a moment before gently placing her hand on top of his. He softly wrapped his hand around hers.

“Shall we go?”

“…Yes.”

Before being Givnen’s birthday party, this was the occasion where she would be introduced to everyone as the woman who would marry him.

Perhaps that’s why she felt nervous, as if she had become a bride about to be married. Although the wedding was still far off, being officially introduced meant that it was now truly irreversible.

Though they hadn’t held the wedding ceremony yet, everyone would likely treat them as if they were in a common-law marriage. From tomorrow on, she would live not as a hidden woman, but as an official wife.

Maybe that’s why she felt strange. She kept feeling tense, as if her body was stiffening.

Riley repeatedly clenched and unclenched her free hand, trying to shake off the nervousness. She kept reminding herself that she needed to stay focused.