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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: This Is Unbelievable
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'What is wrong with this woman?'
Demian looked up at Aracilla, who stood on the dais, feeling somewhat dumbfounded.
He hadn't expected the marriage announcement to be so radical and without preamble. He especially hadn't expected Aracilla to be the one to make it, not him.
He had naturally assumed he would be the one to do it...
Dressed in a gown like a blooming rose, she beamed, showcasing her splendid beauty.
Her appearance was dazzlingly beautiful, but that wasn't the only reason people were captivated.
'The Eccentric Mage.'
Demian, who had silently repeated her nickname, let out a soft laugh.
As if oblivious to the stunned crowd, Aracilla continued her speech.
"I'm simply too busy and capable a mage to inform each of you individually, so I've chosen this method. I hope you will all celebrate this joyous occasion for the Vandermir Ducal Family, the Hugo Marquisate, and for us. With that, I'll step down."
Aracilla descended the dais with a confident stride. Her steps led her directly in front of Demian.
"Well, what do you think? Can't back out now, can you?"
Demian let out a hollow laugh, watching her ask with a satisfied expression.
Indeed, this was an announcement that even the Vandermir Ducal Family couldn't reverse. Because it was Aracilla who had made it, not Demian.
Furthermore, the Hugo Marquisate would now insist on their marriage for the sake of their daughter's honor.
"It seems Lady Aracilla doesn't concern herself with reputation."
"There's no reason for me to be swayed by what others might say or gossip about."
"Quite typical of a mage who acts impulsively without regard for others' opinions."
At his words, referencing the common, prejudiced image of mages prevalent in society, Aracilla merely shrugged.
"If I perhaps prevented you from making a 'manly' statement earlier, then I regret it."
Despite her words, her face showed not an ounce of regret.
"It doesn't matter. And if I were to step forward, I would have preferred to do so like a knight."
"Oh dear, how terrible to be overshadowed by a mage, isn't it?"
"Let's just say I yielded."
Demian placed a hand on his chest, bowed courteously, and departed.
Paula filled the empty space. Her face slightly flushed, she gripped her friend's shoulder.
"Aracilla, since when have you been planning such a delightful announcement?"
"Since I decided to get married?"
"Wow, seriously, Aracilla Hugo. It's astonishing, truly. Though I don't seem to be the only one surprised."
Paula, accustomed to Aracilla's impulsive actions without warning, shrugged.
Just as she said, everyone in the hall was murmuring, utterly shocked.
It seemed even more so because the protagonists of this sudden marriage announcement happened to be the Eccentric Mage and the Stubborn Knight.
"At the wedding, will you catch my bouquet?"
Aracilla, having achieved what she wanted and caring little for the crowd's reaction, asked.
"Of course! That's what close friends do, and I'll get married someday too."
Though not present at the moment, Paula had an fiancé arranged by her family.
Their engagement had lasted over ten years, and it wouldn't be strange for them to marry at any time.
"...Aracilla."
Just then, a low, dark voice called Aracilla. It was Frederick, his face pale with shock.
"Could we talk for a moment?"
"Uh, sure."
"Just the two of us, I mean."
Frederick glanced at Paula. Paula, taking the hint, waved her hand, telling them to go ahead.
The two stepped out into the garden beyond the banquet hall. Under a pergola bathed in the night's quiet and moonlight, they faced each other.
"Thank you, Frederick. Thanks to you, I was able to announce my marriage to everyone."
The surroundings were dim, so Aracilla, still unaware of how grave Frederick's expression was, offered a natural thank you.
Frederick's lips trembled. Just then, under the moonlight that fell upon him, his profoundly shocked face became clearer.
"...Are you really marrying Sir Vandermir?"
"Huh? Yeah."
"Why...? He's a knight. When on earth did you two become... that close?"
When he asked in a voice filled with disbelief, Aracilla put her hands behind her back and replied calmly.
"Not long ago. You know, love is supposed to find you like destiny."
"Love? Destiny...?"
Frederick began to laugh hollowly, like someone who had lost their mind. Aracilla tilted her head, wondering why he was acting so suddenly.
"...You were always a celibate, weren't you?"
"Yeah, but Sir Demian changed my mind."
Strictly speaking, it was a premonition dream that changed it, but Aracilla had never told anyone else about this ability.
'Because I'd likely be treated like a madwoman.'
So she always covered it up with convenient excuses and her magical talent.
"...Do you remember, Aracilla?"
Frederick, barely suppressing his agitation, spoke in a choked voice. His red eyes shone with fervent longing through the golden strands of hair that fell around his face.
"We promised to marry each other if we weren't married by forty. I still remember that promise..."
"When did I? I never did such a thing?"
...
At Aracilla's baffled denial, Frederick's face was painted with despair.
Speechless for a moment, he finally managed to squeeze out his voice.
"...When I said that, you said 'okay'..."
"Really? I must have been out of my mind. What kind of joke was that?"
Aracilla had been a celibate since her early years at the academy. She must have been even more immature when she made that 'joke.'
"But personally, I think a knight's wife is better than a Crown Princess. It's much freer."
...
"Oh, not that you're bad or anything. It's just that we've never seen each other as anything more than friends, anyway."
Frederick was as comfortable and good a friend as Paula.
Aracilla, remembering that he had helped her even in her premonition dream, offered a friendly smile.
However, what Frederick truly desired was not that. Not the kind of goodwill shared between friends, but...
"So that promise only ever mattered to me..."
"Huh? What did you say?"
Frederick, who had muttered gloomily, clenched his fist and fled the spot as if escaping.
"Huh? Frederick!"
Aracilla stared in bewilderment at her friend's retreating back, who had left without a word.
'What's wrong with him?'
Was he that surprised by my marriage announcement? Or rather, he seemed angry...
It was a completely incomprehensible reaction, but Aracilla took it lightly.
'He'll probably get over it if I send him a gift later.'
* * *
Aracilla Hugo and Demian Vandermir's surprise marriage announcement spectacularly adorned the morning newspapers the next day.
"A Union of the Century? The Marriage of the Youngest Sword Master and the Genius Mage."
Aracilla, who had arrived early at the Magic Tower, read the newspaper spread out on her desk with a serious expression.
"Senior, is it true you're getting married?!"
"Are you really marrying a knight...?"
Just then, Sally and Rudy burst through the door, asking one after another. They had rushed over, utterly flabbergasted by the news that their respected senior was marrying the Knight Commander.
"Did you all read the article?"
"Yes!"
"Then you know what the problem is now, right?"
Aracilla, wearing her non-prescription gold-rimmed glasses, had a very serious expression. Sally and Rudy, tensing up alongside her, gulped.
"What on earth is going on? Is it a fake scandal?"
"That damned Knights Order trying to tarnish your reputation...!"
"No, the marriage is real. The problem is that in every article, my name comes after his."
Aracilla pointed to the several morning newspapers sprawled across her desk.
In most of the article titles, Demian's name came first, and Aracilla's name came second.
"This is subtly hurting my pride, you know? If it were family against family, maybe, but as individuals, aren't I more famous and distinguished?"
"Of course you are! But isn't it because your fiancé is the Knight Commander?"
After all, Aracilla was still just a mage affiliated with the Magic Tower, while Demian was the leader of a Knight Order.
Aracilla, roughly convinced by Rudy's explanation, muttered.
"Still, I'll have to insist my name comes first on the wedding invitations."
"That's a great idea! ...Wait, no, Senior, are you *really* marrying a knight?!"
"Yeah, I won't see a face like that twice in my life."
Ignoring her juniors who were stomping their feet in agitation, Aracilla repeated the excuse she had given countless times, as if breathing.
To the two of them, it sounded like a firm resolve regarding the marriage.
The two juniors, knowing she was the type to see things through once she set her mind to them, grew dejected.
'No, this is wrong. There's no stopping this...'
"Senior, are you going to quit the Magic Tower now...?"
Sally fiddled with her fingers and asked with an anxious expression. Aracilla had heard this very question from her family last night.
"What are you talking about, Sally? Why would I quit the Magic Tower?"
"But... all married female mages quit the Magic Tower."
"I won't quit. Why should I quit for something as trivial as marriage?"
She gave her juniors the same answer she had given her family.
"You really mean it...?"
"Of course. As I've said countless times, I'm going to become the Magic Tower Master. I'll never be satisfied with just four stars."
At their senior's ambition, unchanged from before, their faces brightened slightly.
And Aracilla had to endure questions from her Magic Tower colleagues all morning about whether she was truly marrying a knight.
Some of them were spitefully sarcastic, but she replied without caring.
"Anyone with less than four stars, shut your mouths."
At that, the only people left who could speak were the older Magic Tower executives.
Aracilla spoke courteously to them.
"If you wish to utter outdated remarks based on rigid thinking and prejudice, please pay 10 gold per word."
By afternoon, no one dared to bring up the topic of marriage in front of her.
In the now quite pleasant working environment, Aracilla left work earlier than usual.
Since the marriage had been officially announced, she intended to discuss the next steps at Demian's mansion.
"Welcome, Lady Aracilla. Would you mind waiting in the drawing-room for a moment?"
The white-haired butler bowed respectfully. Aracilla assented without a second thought.
"Alright."
"Please come this way..."
Just then.
"Sir Vandermir is such an idiot!"
A woman came running down the stairs, on the verge of tears. Aracilla, who had been about to follow the butler, stopped and turned her head.
Her eyes met those of a small woman with reddish-blonde hair.
'Have I seen her somewhere before?'
As she tilted her head, finding the woman oddly familiar, the woman's expression suddenly turned fierce, and she stomped towards Aracilla.
She practically charged, bumping forcefully into Aracilla's shoulder, then spoke in a sharp, shrill voice.
"Did you just deliberately bump into me?"
'What is she talking about? She's the one who bumped into *me*.' Aracilla, dumbfounded, replied calmly.
"I'm sorry, but I can barely see you from my vantage point."
The woman was that small, and conversely, Aracilla was taller than average.
The woman's face flushed crimson, and she stomped her foot as if provoked.
"Ugh...! Have you said all you need to say? You're always trying to snatch the man I like!"
'What kind of nonsense is this now?' Aracilla, with a concerned look, placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.
"Do you often hear that you have severe delusions? Because that's a medical condition."
At her words, the woman's face twisted further, as if even more provoked.
