Chapter 5

"I have been expecting you."

In the head magician's office, a flat voice greeted me. This man was uninteresting, rarely showing any emotion. Most of the magicians working in the castle rarely showed their feelings, but the head magician was the worst. Every time I met him, it was unsettling.

Suppressing my feelings, I responded calmly.

"She is Amaryllis. She will take over Claudia's work."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Amaryllis. I have more confidence than my sister, so please rely on me more and more."

I wanted to kiss Amaryllis as she greeted me with a smile. Taking on more than Claudia, that's wonderful. Claudia always had unfinished work that piled up until the next day, but Amaryllis would handle it with ease.

"Hmm. More than Miss Claudia, you say?"

"Yes! Please leave it to me."

Amaryllis nodded with a smile. The head magician called his assistant, who was standing in the corner of the room. He was a middle-aged, average-sized man, unremarkable and dull. I hadn't even noticed he was in the room.

"Please explain to Miss Amaryllis the work Miss Claudia was doing. Your Highness—"

"I will accompany her. It's her first time, so she might feel lonely on her own."

"I see. Then, Your Highness, would you like to come along as well?"

The assistant led us to the room where the barriers were managed. Amaryllis, who seemed to be in such a place for the first time, looked around with interest.

"Amaryllis, looking around like that is dangerous."

"Ah, sorry. It's my first time."

"It's a dull place. Let's get the work done quickly and return to my office."

"I'll do my best!"

Amaryllis clenched her fists as if to muster her courage.

"This way."

"It's different from what I expected."

Upon entering the room, Amaryllis muttered. I couldn't help but laugh at her comment.

"There's nothing here. Only the magic circle and the devices."

"That's right. I heard this was a very important place, so I thought it would be more solemn."

"Only the royal family and selected individuals can enter here. That's why it's fine."

"So, I'm one of the chosen ones."

Blushing with joy, Amaryllis nodded. I called the assistant who was standing by.

"So, which device should I infuse with magic today?"

"Your Highness, please infuse the blue device with magic."

"What about the other devices?"

"If you have time, I would appreciate it. They are almost empty and will run out soon. So, the explanation to your Highness—"

"I'll do it, so it's unnecessary."

Taking Amaryllis's hand, who didn't understand what to do, I stood in front of the blue device.

"What is this?"

"This is what creates the country's barrier. It requires a vast amount of magic, so regular replenishment is necessary."

"Oh, it's an important task."

I nodded, as it was true. Then, I taught her how to infuse the blue device with magic. Amaryllis listened intently and asked several questions when she didn't understand. It was good that she asked without being embarrassed.

"Can you do it?"

"I can! No problem!"

Amaryllis gently touched the blue device. Once she understood the procedure, infusing magic wasn't that difficult. However, the feeling of magic being drawn out could be unfamiliar and make one feel unwell, especially at first.

Amaryllis quickly pulled her hand away as if it had been shocked. I was surprised by how quickly she did so.

"What's wrong?"

"Um, the feeling of being drawn out was a bit—"

"Ah, I see."

Amaryllis had lived a normal life as a lady until now. She probably had few opportunities to have her magic drawn out. She was holding her hand that had touched the device with her other hand, as if to protect it.

"You just need to get used to it. I want you to touch it for a bit longer."

I gently encouraged her, but Amaryllis shook her head, looking pale.

"Amaryllis, it might feel uncomfortable, but it's necessary."

"But—"

Even when I gently persuaded her, Amaryllis refused to touch the blue device. I explained the importance several times, but her fear seemed to outweigh her sense of duty.

"Your Highness."

"What is it?"

"I think it's natural to be scared the first time. How about letting Your Highness replenish it today and asking again in a week?"

"But—"

I grumbled, not convinced, but Amaryllis looked at me with pleading eyes, so I reluctantly agreed. Placing my hand on the blue device, I felt my magic being drawn out. The pull was stronger than usual, and I gritted my teeth.

"What's going on? It's almost empty. Is it being managed properly?"

"It's not empty. Her Majesty the Queen replenished it a few days ago, so about half is still left."

"Huh? Then why is this blue device drawing out so much magic?"

The assistant shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"It's natural because it has a large capacity. Even Her Majesty the Queen can't replenish it all at once. Claudia could, so the responsibility was transferred to her a while ago."

"…Wait a moment. So, this blue device requires a vast amount of magic?"

"Yes."

His attitude, as if urging me to infuse magic quickly, irritated me. However, I couldn't leave it as it was, so I reluctantly infused the device with magic.

I knew Claudia had outstanding magic among her peers. I glanced at Amaryllis. Did Amaryllis really have more magic than Claudia? Thinking about it, I realized I didn't know the results of a proper measurement. I had just believed the countess and her parents.

My body felt heavy as my magic was drawn out, but I finished before collapsing.

Feeling uneasy, I returned to the office with Amaryllis.

"Your Highness, are you a bit tired?"

Noticing my reduced talkativeness, she looked worried. Normally, I would have comforted her, but the doubt that had arisen made it hard to smile naturally.

"Yes, it was an unexpected magic infusion."

"I'm sorry…"

"I'm not blaming you. But, you need to do it properly next time. I have many other tasks to handle."

"I understand. Ah, can I help with other tasks today?"

"Sure. How about starting with organizing the documents?"

"Uh…?"

She looked surprised, not expecting to be given the task of organizing documents. It annoyed me even more.

Didn't you just say you would help with other tasks?

"Yes, but—"

Maybe she was hoping I would say she didn't have to do it today.

"I'm struggling without Claudia. You're supposed to be much more capable than your sister, right? I'm sure you'll be able to do it after a single explanation."

Back in the office, I told my aide to let Amaryllis handle the document organization. He explained the basics in detail, such as sorting by the requested date, separating high-priority items like bridge repairs and matters related to monsters or bandits.

After confirming that Amaryllis was listening seriously, I focused on the tasks I needed to complete today.

How much time had passed?

"Your Highness, I'm done."

Amaryllis, looking more tired than usual, called out to me with a full smile. Checking the clock, I saw it was already dark, but she had managed to organize the documents that Claudia usually handled. For her first day, it was sufficient.

"Thank you. Which ones are urgent?"

"They are stacked here."

Stacked?

Turning to where Amaryllis pointed, I saw a pile similar to what I had seen earlier.

"Didn't you just say you were done?"

"Yes, I'm done. I read them carefully, and I think all of them need to be handled urgently."

"…"

I heard the aide snicker.

I had asked her to prioritize the documents, but her response was that all of them were high priority.

Doubts about Amaryllis's abilities, far below Claudia's, swirled in my mind.