I Think My Fiancé Has Regressed - C92
Chapter 92: Side story – The third son of the Lagarde family (5)
“You’re the only one who can fully control your magic power at your age, Master Kael, it’s only just beginning to understand it!”
“I’m not the only one who can control magic power, Alex is fully capable of it….Kael is a very talented kid, so I knew he could do it….”
“Lady Ariana…?”
“Oh, okay, Elise…. I’m not going to make excuses….”
On one side, I could hear the voice of my sister Ariana being scolded harshly by Elise, but I had no time to look in that direction.
“Wow, woah….”
I was too busy marveling at the fact that I had actually created a proper fire spell in my hands.
This, this is a talent I have.
I had the potential to use magic of this caliber.
I basked in the afterglow for a moment then I immediately shifted my gaze to the woman who had allowed my talents to blossom.
Ariana Anastasia, the eldest daughter of the House Anastasia.
It wasn’t hard to feel gratitude and respect for her.
“If that fireball hadn’t been handled properly, it would have definitely been a big accident….”
“…Thank you, Ariana.”
“…….”
Elise, who had been scolding Arianna firmly, took one look at my expression and swallowed her words.
Ariana’s scowl quickly faded, and she handed me a pat on the back.
“Ah, yes. You’ll just have to remember to use your senses today from now on.”
“Now that I think about it, the best way to learn fire magic would be from Ariana, who obviously uses the same fire magic, but I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before now.”
“…….”
“…….”
“…Did I say something weird?”
I was immediately overcome with embarrassment as Ariana and Elise’s words suddenly disappeared.
It wasn’t until I heard Elise’s reply that I realized I’d made a mistake.
“Mr. Kael.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, but Lady Ariana, she’s not naturally capable of handling fire magic.”
“What ……?”
I asked, momentarily dumbfounded by the bluntness of Elise’s words.
For a moment, it sounded like a joke, a joke meant to make fun of me, that she couldn’t handle fire magic, even though she had taught me such a complete theory of magic.
But Elise’s expression was quite serious as she said it, and Ariana was smiling bitterly in denial.
It didn’t take me long to realize that I had made a mistake.
“…Really?”
“It’s not just fire magic. Lady Ariana was born with a constitution that can only use dark magic, so she can’t use all four elemental magics.”
“…….”
“Gee, it’s okay, Kael. It’s not like I really need fire magic to survive…! Oh, no, isn’t this going to be another one of those things where I’m going to say something to Kael…?”
“It’s fine for now, Ariana.”
Ariana, the sister who taught me how to use magic, actually has a body that can’t use magic other than dark magic and even with her condition, she was able to break my slump by carefully explaining the principles and methods of fire magic.
It was a moment that negated my entire theory that the reason Prince Alexandros liked her so much up until now must be because of her vast magical talent.
In retrospect, it was certainly a bit odd.
Why did so many of the higher spirits refuse to contract with Ariana?
Why, whenever she used magic, I always saw her using dark magic.
It was only then that she realized why.
The spirits had rejected Ariana’s contract because she was only capable of using dark magic to the exclusion of all other magic.
It wasn’t that she loved dark magic the most, but that she only studied it because it was the only thing she could use.
The moment I realized this, an indescribable, overwhelming emotion rose in my heart.
“Sis, me, I’m sorry…. Hmph….”
“Kael?! Why are you crying all of a sudden?!”
“I’m so sorry…. I’m so sorry….”
I couldn’t figure out what the hell I was supposed to say to her, so I just bowed my head and repeated the same apology over and over again.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎ ⁎ ⁎
Ever since the day I realized that Ariana was unable to use any magic other than dark magic, I felt like all of my questions were being answered one by one.
First of all, her unsophisticated and manly personality.
Perhaps, since she could only use dark magic, she spent too much time learning how to use other magic, and thus did not have enough time to learn the manners of a noble lady.
Furthermore, if she had such a great desire for magic and could only use dark magic, it was entirely possible that she would have given up and become such a personality.
Otherwise, there would be no woman with such an unrestrained personality.
Suddenly jumping up from her seat in the middle of a meal, claiming to be inspired (though less often nowadays), or using magic to escape out the window during sleeping hours were all part of it.
She only has access to one type of magic, and it happens to be the least studied: dark magic.
In order to master it, it would be most important to utilize and record every moment of inspiration.
When I thought of it that way, her somewhat selfish personality began to make sense.
…If only that sentiment had stopped at the level of understanding her.
“Ah, Kael. How’s your magic practice going these days?”
“Uh. Well, okay….”
“Do you want me to teach you how to learn wind magic or arcane magic? Arcane magic has a completely different nature than the other four, and it’s best to get a proper concept of it while you’re young if possible….”
“Later, I’ll ask you later, sis!”
“Kael?! Where are you going?!”
Judging by the fact that my face turns red and my heart starts beating like crazy just by standing in front of her, my body has already started loving her on its own.
I think it would have been easy for anyone else to fall for her.
When I think about it, Arianna treated me without any discrimination, even though I was the bastard third son of Viscount Lagarde.
I found her behavior a bit odd, but that’s just her personality.
Add to that the fact that she offered to teach me magic she barely knew how to use, and the fact that she waited for hours in the rain to fulfill a promise she had made to me.
One by one, from the moment I began to recognize her numerous acts of affection, I was forced to feel more than mere affection for her.
Of course, it was only a flame, a nostalgic feeling.
It wasn’t that I loved her any less.
If anything, my love for her had grown, and I wished her nothing but happiness in her future.
“Ariana, do you happen to be free this weekend?”
“I was hoping to have a relaxing tea with Charlotte this weekend, but what was it you asked about, Alex?”
“Well, Abba and Mama said it’s been a while since they’ve seen your face, Ariana, so I thought I’d ask if you’d be interested in stopping by the palace this weekend for a bite to eat and a break.”
“The King and Queen know so much about what I look like when I’m not in my prime, it’s a little embarrassing….”
“Well, it’s been a few years already, will you come?”
“Ha, but I also have a tea appointment with Charlotte….”
“Of course I’ll invite Charlotte, it’s a chance to meet Eamon, and I’m sure she won’t say no.”
“…Well, if that’s the case, I can’t help it! Charlotte is Eamon’s fiancée, and I, Alex’s fiancée, have no choice but to attend for Alex’s sake!”
“Thank you for agreeing, Ariana.”
Ariana’s sister’s fiancé, Prince Alexandros, seemed to shine brighter than anyone else when she spoke to him.
I was already keenly aware that there was no room for me to interrupt.
I had once thought of Prince Alexandros as a man of eccentric tastes, but that was obviously wrong.
It would be more accurate to describe him as a wise man who was the first to recognize Ariana’s charms.
Therefore, I quietly tucked away these feelings for her.
I was willing to put up with these fiery feelings for a while, as long as she was happy.
Then, one day, many years later.
The light from a room in the royal palace that had once been Ariana’s private magic laboratory was still burning late into the night, illuminating the hallways.
I entered the lab, which emitted a faint glow through the doorway, and had a similar conversation with her ever-present presence.
“Still working on your research, Miss Sophia. Why don’t you go back to bed and get some sleep?”
“Just a moment, just this once, because if I don’t do it while it’s fresh in my mind, I might forget about it later….”
“Do you realize that you said the same thing when I came by an hour ago?”
“Hey, this is the last time, for real!”
Later, I met Sofia, who had a lot of the same charms as Ariana, and I started a new love affair.
Well, that was another story.