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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Eccentric Mage's Proposal
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As the sky turned orange with the setting sun, someone knocked on the door of Demian’s office, where he was doing paperwork after finishing his afternoon training.
It was Isaac Wind, the Vice Commander of the Red Hawk Knights and the eldest son of the Wind Countship.
“Commander, are you busy?”
“What is it?”
Demian asked indifferently, not taking his eyes off the documents.
His face, bathed in the sunset glow streaming through the long window, was truly exquisite. His silver hair, woven like moonlight, his delicate eyes with golden irises, and his red lips beneath a sharp nose—his appearance alone was enough to captivate women and earn the admiration of men.
“I heard that Colin received an interesting letter, so I brought it to you myself.”
Isaac took a lavender-colored envelope from his pocket and offered it to Demian.
Demian paused his reading for a moment and raised an eyebrow at the name written on the cover.
“...Aracilla Hugo?”
“Yes, the famous eccentric mage from the Magic Tower. She sent it.”
“Why?”
“How would I know? Please check it quickly. Why would a mage send a letter?”
At Isaac’s urging, Demian reluctantly unfolded the letter.
The contents, written in a remarkably smooth script on luxurious paper, read...
「To Sir Vandermir.
It seems we should marry soon. Would you like to meet before the ceremony?
I also have something important to tell you. Let’s meet on a day when you’re free.
By the way, I’m available starting three days from now.
– Aracilla Hugo of the Hugo Marquisate.」
It was so preposterous that a hollow laugh escaped him.
“What does it say?”
“That she’s crazy.”
“Pardon? Really?”
Demian tossed the letter onto his desk. Isaac couldn’t contain his curiosity and peeked at the letter, leaning in.
“Gasp! Commander, are you getting married?!”
“Isaac.”
“I apologize, I’ll be quiet.”
At the chilling address, Isaac clamped his mouth shut and bowed his head.
But seeing Demian pick up the documents again, his lips slowly parted.
“Aren’t you going to reply?”
“Why bother? It doesn’t seem like it was written by a sane person.”
“Still, she’s a Lady of the Hugo Marquisate, isn’t she? For smooth social relations... Oh, now that I think about it, their second daughter doesn’t really participate in social circles.”
In other words, ignoring Aracilla’s letter wouldn’t cause any strange rumors in society.
Of course, Demian hadn’t considered that when he decided to ignore Aracilla’s letter.
“...But I hear her personality is quite audacious and unusual. Are you sure it’s okay to just leave such a mage be?”
“Isaac, are you afraid of mages?”
“No! Not at all!”
At the sharp question, Isaac’s posture stiffened.
Showing fear of a mage in front of Demian, the youngest Sword Master in the Empire, was not only unacceptable but disgraceful for a knight.
“Be careful.”
“Yes, understood!”
“You may go.”
“Yes, have a good day!”
Isaac bowed respectfully and left the office.
Demian glanced at the letter once more and lightly clicked his tongue.
‘They say most mages aren’t sane. It seems that was true.’
Unlike knights who trained their bodies by sweating profusely outdoors, mages were a peculiar lot who holed themselves up in stuffy Magic Tower rooms, engaging in gloomy research.
Then, they’d suddenly go mad, attack people, cause incidents, or even incite rebellions.
‘Even a rare noblewoman mage wasn’t any different.’
He rose from his seat and tossed the letter into the fireplace. The paper instantly burst into flames and turned to ash.
And so, Demian completely forgot about the eccentric mage’s letter.
***
Three days later.
The Red Hawk Knights’ training ground was unusually bustling and noisy.
This was due to a woman standing near the entrance, dressed in a yellow dress perfectly suited for spring and holding a parasol.
Her unique presence was impossible to ignore, so everyone couldn’t begin their training and instead gathered in small groups, murmuring.
Unable to bear the sight, Isaac stepped forward.
“My Lady, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?”
“I came to see Sir Vandermir. I sent a letter in advance, but where is he?”
Aracilla cut off Audrey, who was about to answer on her behalf, and stated her purpose directly.
She was beautiful even from afar, but up close, she was beyond imagination. Isaac unconsciously swallowed before regaining his composure.
“The Commander has not arrived yet. I apologize, but your presence here will interfere with training, so...”
“Oh dear, your superior must be quite lazy, don’t you think? Or perhaps he’s a heavy sleeper in the mornings.”
Aracilla smiled sweetly, casually cutting off Isaac’s attempt to dismiss her.
Isaac was momentarily speechless at her audacity in slandering the Commander in the middle of the knight order.
“...Please refrain from disrespectful remarks towards the Commander.”
“Are you offended? It’s alright, it’s nothing compared to your superior ignoring my letter and making me come all the way here.”
At her words, Isaac flinched and scrutinized Aracilla again.
Given her mention of the letter, it seemed the eccentric mage who had sent his superior a strange letter a few days ago was indeed the woman before him.
Aracilla rarely appeared in social circles, so Isaac, who was seeing her almost for the first time, was flustered.
He knew best that Demian had ignored her letter, so he had nothing to say.
Hesitating about what to say, he suddenly looked in one direction, then bowed his head and shouted loudly.
“Commander, you’ve arrived!”
Audrey, who had checked behind her master first, was startled and bowed her head. Aracilla slowly turned around.
In her vision, she saw the lightly fluttering hem of a dress, a white parasol with lace, and then the chest of a man in uniform.
Aracilla lowered her parasol and lifted her head. Blue eyes like glass beads met deep golden ones.
The man, so tall that she, who was already much taller than the average woman, had to look up at him, had a face as perfect and beautiful as a sculpture.
“Hello, Sir Vandermir. I’m Aracilla Hugo. Did you hurt your hand, by any chance?”
Aracilla opened her mouth, delivering a pointed greeting. Demian replied calmly.
“Greetings, Lady Hugo. I am Demian Vandermir. I am not injured.”
“Ah, I thought you might have been hurt since you didn’t reply, so I rushed here. I’m glad you’re not.”
Adding a hint of resentment to her smile, Aracilla prevented him from discussing her visit.
Indeed, if Demian had simply replied properly, Aracilla wouldn’t have had to come here.
Demian kept his gaze on her small face and spoke to Isaac.
“What are you doing here, Isaac? It seems training time has passed.”
“My apologies, Commander.”
“All of you, run 50 laps around the training ground.”
Isaac readily accepted the punishment. As he turned to gather the knights, Demian spoke again.
“Let’s move to my office, My Lady.”
“Alright.”
***
Between the two people sitting opposite each other on the antique sofa, only the clinking of teacups echoed for a while.
Then, Demian was the first to speak.
“I apologize for not replying to your letter. I was busy and forgot.”
“Well, if your memory isn’t good, that can happen.”
“However, if that’s why you’ve come, please leave. I have no intention of marrying you, My Lady.”
After a perfunctory apology, he immediately got to the point. Aracilla sipped her tea as if she had expected his firm refusal.
“Are you aware of the political marriage agreement between our family and yours?”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“I suppose so. I only found out recently myself.”
Her pristine white fingers silently set the cup down.
An eccentric mage, so obsessed with magic that she abandoned her duties as a noblewoman.
Despite such common appraisals, Aracilla’s demeanor was elegant and impeccable.
“Because of that agreement, we have to get married.”
“I refuse.”
Aracilla wasn’t hurt by his immediate rejection. Instead, she sighed and shook her head.
“This isn’t a problem you can just refuse without thinking.”
Before Demian could retort to her tone, which sounded like she was dealing with a disobedient child,
“And why do you refuse?”
Aracilla asked, as if utterly bewildered.
“I was accepted and graduated at the top of the Magic Department at the Academy, and I was the top recruit at the Magic Tower.”
“...”
“Last year, when a large number of monsters appeared in the south, I earned a first-class merit and was granted a Countship.”
“...”
“Besides what my family will inherit, my current personal assets total 3 billion gold.”
Smooth self-praise flowed from her full, red lips. It was so effortless and natural that Demian momentarily thought Aracilla was talking about someone else.
“And though it’s a bit awkward to say myself, I had an excellent appearance, earning the title of one of the ‘Three Goddesses’ during my time at the Academy.”
Aracilla smoothed back her gently flowing, lavender-colored hair to better showcase her face.
Of all the boasts she had just listed, the last one was the most irrefutable.
Her features, as if painted with a brush, were so dazzling, more vibrant than any he’d seen in a masterpiece, making him think she was remarkably self-aware.
“Honestly, isn’t that enough to make you want to marry me?”
Aracilla smiled confidently. Not stopping there, she aimed to seal the deal.
“Marry me, Sir Vandermir.”
She added, delivering a loveless proposal.
“You want to push aside your brother and claim the ducal title, don’t you? I’ll help you.”
Demian flinched significantly. Agitation flickered across his ice-sculpted face.
Internally, Oscar was firmly established as the successor of the Vandermir Ducal Family. Demian had been biding his time, hiding his claws, to wedge his way in.
Outwardly, he appeared uninterested, staying in the capital and leading the Red Hawk Knights, but secretly, he constantly sought an opportunity.
How could this noblewoman, whom he was meeting for the first time today, know a fact known only to a select few among his closest confidants?
‘...Did she investigate me?’
Demian’s eyes sharpened. Unaware of the wary expression on his chilling face, Aracilla remained calm.
“It would be hard to find a wife as intelligent, beautiful, and capable as me anywhere else. You know that, right?”
“...”
Demian, who had been staring at Aracilla as she smiled leisurely, waiting for an answer, slowly opened his mouth.
“During last year’s monster subjugation in the south, was the mage who shamelessly stole the credit for what our knights accomplished you, My Lady?”
“...What?”
Aracilla was taken aback by his completely unexpected response. She had naturally assumed he would accept her proposal.
Soon, her face contorted.
“Wow, I saved your life when you were practically dead, and you call me shameless? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be sitting here right now! You’d be buried in a coffin in the dirt!”
“That’s ridiculous. Didn’t you just wait, biding your time, only to step in when you thought you could gain an advantage?”
“What did you say? Hey!”
Unable to hold back, Aracilla sprang to her feet.
