Chapter 54

After dinner, Marievel lay on the sofa in Aidan's room.

Aidan, across from her, was working on a homework assignment due the next day.

Since the time he spent playing with Marievel had decreased, she was allowed to enter his room and stay while he studied after dinner, on the condition that she did not disturb him.

This time was usually spent only with the children. When Sophia came, Daria was also there, but now she was playing elsewhere, so it was just the two of them.

Marievel stared intently at Aidan. Sensing her gaze, Aidan put down his pen.

"——What? Do you want to say something?"

"Big brother, did you have fun at school?"

"Normal."

"Hmm."

"Is something wrong? Did you not have fun at school?"

"I did. I can meet Bella every day."

"Right."

Aidan returned his gaze to the homework in front of him.

To Marievel, it was a sheet full of difficult words that she couldn't understand.

"Everyone says you're excellent, big brother."

"They're just being nice because you're a Pencilian child."

"Is that so...?"

The way she said it suggested she didn't believe it.

Aidan looked at Marievel's face, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking from her expression.

The two years he spent at that school, where he learned basic social skills and magical knowledge, were not wasted, but for Aidan, it was neither interesting nor unpleasant, just "normal."

However, he knew how much the noble world valued magic.

If you had a normal amount of magic, it wasn't a big deal, but if you had little, it was a different story. No matter how high your family's status, you could still be discriminated against.

Regnart was a good example.

They had been friends since school and still met often. At the time, Regnart was ignored and isolated by everyone due to his low magic.

Aidan spent a lot of time with him, helping him use his limited magic efficiently to complete his assignments.

Somehow, Marievel, being a girl and having a tough personality, seemed to be fine, but...

"If there are any mean people, tell me."

"What will you do?"

"I'll make sure they can't come to school."

Hearing this, Marievel smiled for the first time.

"I took care of it myself."

The impolite frog-faced guy who proposed to her never came back to school after that.

"......Something must have been done, then."

Marievel thought she had made a mistake and hurriedly changed the subject.

If things got too big, it would be troublesome.

She had no intention of telling anyone.

"Hey, I know something. Big brother, you have the light attribute, right?"

A few days ago, she saw Aidan healing a horse with a sprained leg. It looked like he was just petting it, but magic was flowing. She could sense it because they had the same attribute.

Aidan was startled and quickly looked around.

"......Don't tell anyone about that."

Hearing this in a low, suppressed voice, Marievel was taken aback.

"Why?"

Even with her minimal magic, being a "light" child would be praised. If Aidan, with his magic, could handle the light attribute, he would receive a lot of praise.

"To protect Marie and me."

Aidan's serious gaze made Marievel a little nervous.

The color of Aidan's eyes had changed from brown to a color closer to gold.

"——I don't really understand."

"Light is easy to target, you know."

She had heard the story of his kidnapping many times. Marievel doesn't remember it, but she knows Aidan saved her. At just six years old, carrying a two-year-old and running away from kidnappers, this brother is definitely not ordinary.

"Big brother, you're strong."

"It's not just about physical strength."

Because many people try to use it, he was strictly told by Cynthia to hide it until he grew up.

"For example, if someone says to go to war because you have the power of light, what would you do?"

"Eh, no way!"

——At least until the successor education is over, I have no intention of making it public.

Cynthia said.

——Until you can properly use that power and make your own decisions without being swayed by others. Until then, it's the adults' job to act in emergencies.

Cynthia must be worried about something. As far as she knows, Pendraug is continuing efforts to prevent war. She doesn't understand what "in emergencies" refers to, but for now, she is focused on studying and training.

Cynthia told her to play more.

One more thing.

Aidan hides his light power because he is earth, and Marievel is light, so from the outside, it looks balanced.

It seems silly, but...

——Your son is earth, but with that much magic, Pencilia is safe.

——Your daughter, though she has little magic, is the rare light.

She had heard such whispers from adults many times.

She had also heard similar things from the school teachers.

The one who isn't light.

Aidan was called this by the school kids who didn't know him well.

"Well, that won't happen. Father is here."

"Right. ...I don't understand complicated things. There was a war in the past, right? Mother and big brother, even now, they look sad when they talk about it."

"——It wasn't just Uncle. Many people died."

The room's atmosphere turned dark, and Aidan sat next to Marievel.

"To prevent that from happening, Uncle Titi and Father are working hard, right? It's okay."

"Right... "

"If you're worried, Marie should study properly too. Why wars happen and how to prevent them."

Marievel pouted.

"I'm stupid, you know."

Hearing this, Aidan was startled and grabbed Marievel's shoulder.

"Who said that to you?"

Marievel tried to answer but quickly closed her mouth.

Aidan is kind and protects her from many things, but he has never been flexible. He doesn't just let things go.

Moreover, if there's something he can't do, he will seriously say that you should put in the effort to break through it. This is completely different from Marievel.

If Marievel tries to avoid making things worse, Aidan's intervention might complicate things.

She avoided his gaze and twirled her hair.

Seeing this, Aidan wondered if she was trying to hide something.

She looked a bit less energetic than usual, despite appearing normal.

Aidan sighed softly. He didn't intend to say it, but it would eventually come out.

"......Tomorrow, you know."

Tomorrow is Saturday.

"Regnart is coming, but will Marie meet him too?"

Marievel's face brightened.

"Alro is coming too?"

Aidan answered with a grim expression.

"He's coming... but he's already 12, so keep your distance."

"Distance?"

"Maintain the distance as a lady."

"That's rude, big brother. I'm always a princess in front of Alro."

That's not it.

But since Marievel's mood suddenly improved, he decided not to say anything more for now.

"Miss Marievel, it's been a while. You look beautiful today."

"Thank you, Regnart."

Marievel properly greeted Regnart and quickly moved to Alro behind him.

"Alro, it's been a while."

"Miss, it's been a while."

Alro had grown taller, bending to meet Marievel's gaze. Even so, he was still more slender than Aidan.

Looking up, she could see his black eyes hidden by his long hair, which she liked.

"Let's go!"

"Ah, that..."

"Marie! Maintain your distance!"

Aidan warned Marievel, who was pulling Alro by the hand, but she ignored him.

Marievel had a lot of sweets arranged in the garden gazebo.

She was told not to be alone in the room, so she decided to spend a leisurely tea time in the open garden.

She had the guards and Ren stay at a distance.

If adults were nearby, Alro would be too nervous to talk.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yes."

"It's been two months."

"Yes."

"——Do you want some sweets? I had them prepared because I heard Alro was coming today."

"T-This is too much for me..."

Alro is still the same.

There was a time when she thought it might not be good to force him to be with her.

So she once told him he could go back to Regnart if he wanted.

Alro's eyes welled up with tears, and he said, "Have you grown tired of me?"

"Alro, do you not mind being with me?"

When she asked, Alro always nodded.

"Spending time with you is the only joy in my life."

"——You don't have to call me 'princess' anymore."

"In my heart, you will always be a princess."

Alro still treated her like a princess, even now.