Kaon rolled his eyes, still not seeing what the point was. “She’s a woman. A delicate princess. Moving to an unfamiliar place is one thing already, and now to be asked to stay in the same room as a big guy? She must be itching to run away.”

“That’s not too bad either.”

“What?”

“If the engagement is called off, the party who decided on it first bears the responsibility. So if the princess runs away, Ingelos will be in debt,” Leonida said bluntly, drawing the curtains closed and blocking out the light.

Kaon, who was about to get angry, paused when he looked at his sister.

‘Since when has she had such a cold, expressionless face…’

In his memories, his older sister was not sweet, but she was kind. Although she didn’t comfort him when he cried after falling down, she pulled him up by hand. On days when their parents scolded him, she casually handed him his favorite snacks.

The sister in front of him now was trying to take advantage of a tiny princess by putting her into a terrifying situation.

Kaon was well aware that Leonida was only thinking about what was best for Ferdinand, but there were just some things that he didn’t want to do on principle.

“…Are you telling me to kick her out? Make her uncomfortable?”

“Or you can make her fall in love with you so she won’t want to leave. It’s easy to become attached to someone with whom you share a room. If you think that’s more convenient, then that’s fine. Of course, if Ingelos isn’t in favor, the situation will grow messy.”

“Can you stop talking nonsense?”

“If you don’t like either option, then look for any reason to disqualify her from the role. If Ingelos makes a move, she and her family will have to be held accountable as well.”

In the end, the matter was largely dependent on whether Alessia chose to stay or to leave, and her choice would probably also depend on how she was treated in Ferdinand.

The deadline for the decision was the year they came of age, when their families would meet to discuss marriage again.

“Kaon, remember that we need a mage who works only for Ferdinand.”

Leaving behind his sister’s familiar face and unfamiliar words, Kaon stepped out of the office.

***

“Ah, really…” Kaon rubbed his face.

He had gone to Leonida for an answer but had ended up with more questions.

‘How do I explain this?’

When Baroness Robert brought it up the first time, he had been shocked into stillness. Then, just as he had realized that she wasn’t joking, he had excused himself immediately to confront his sister.

‘I don’t even remember what the princess’ face looked like then. Which is fair, because I couldn’t even look at her out of sheer embarrassment.’

That was the least of his problems. Again, explaining the situation took precedence.

Also, how honest should he even be?

“What, should I just say, ‘It is what it is, so if you don’t want to share a room, you can return to Ingelos. Don’t forget to send back another mage who’ll stay here permanently. Or just try to like me and live with it.’”

The thought of saying that in front of her made Kaon’s hair stand on end. He would be a madman to do that.

‘I can’t do that.’

Sometimes it was better not to tell the whole truth. He was determined to carry that truth to the grave, so began thinking about which excuse would be reasonable and yet not hurtful.

“Hey, you really saw the princess? Was she scary?”

Kaon’s thoughts sputtered to a halt, interrupted by the word ‘princess’.

“I saw her. Its…”

“Yes? Tell me quickly.”

A few servants were chatting near a pillar, so engrossed that they didn’t seem to notice the new presence.

“Her eyes are really, really red. It’s the first time I’ve seen such bright red eyes, and I have to admit, it was a bit creepy.”

“Can she control minds with her eyes? Like hypnosis? There was a rumor that mages did that in the past.”

“No way! Really? She’s an Ingelos, so I wouldn’t know.”

“To be safe, just don’t make eye contact. In any case, our young master has to endure the most out of all of us.”

Kaon swallowed back laughter. Leonida was clearly mistaken in thinking that he had to make an effort to drive the princess out.

All of the employees in their estate hated and feared her. Who would want to stay in such a place for a long time? Alessia would eventually grow tired of the hostility and run away—just as everyone wanted.

If she left like that, would Ferdinand be at peace? For some reason, Kaon felt that he couldn’t accept a peace such as that.