I asked as if to confirm.
“But the family might think differently from the two of you.”
“Absolutely not!”
“If they dare to make me do something like that, I’d rather abandon the family.”
The two were outraged and even said that if such a thing happened, they would remove themselves from the family registry.
No, do they hate each other that much?
I didn’t quite understand, but thinking there must be some reason, I tried to calm them down, but it only made me sweat nervously.
“Anyway, no matter what, for me and this guy, even if the sky splits in two, that kind of thing will never happen.”
“That’s right.”
“Even if the sky splits ten times, it won’t happen.”
“Then for me, a hundred times.”
“I…”
“Ah, alright. I clearly understand that it’s absolutely not going to happen between you two.”
I barely managed to calm them, but then they started competing again about how much they hated each other, swearing on the sky, so I had to urgently stop them.
Even as I said that, I honestly couldn’t understand.
‘Is it because they’re royalty? Their standards must be incredibly high.’
Princess Esteban was exceptionally beautiful, even from a woman’s perspective.
Of course, she was still too young to be called a beauty now, but if she grew up like this, she would surely become one of the top beauties.
Not just her face, unlike the generally dull-colored hair of the empire’s people, she had a dark gray hair that boldly asserted itself.
Should I say once is not enough, I looked twice?
If someone rejects such a person, I wondered just how beautiful Lei’s ideal type must be.
Anyway, after calming them down like that, I was about to ask how they ended up here.
At that moment, I heard voices calling me from outside the maze.
It seemed the young ladies who were worried because I had been away too long had come looking for me.
“I’m here! Inside the maze!”
The maze was complicated, but the garden was right beyond the wall, so there was no need to raise their voices.
As they tried to come in, worried they might get lost looking for me, I shouted that I would come out, so they should stay still, then turned to the two.
‘Should I take these two with me too?’
Lei probably followed Princess Esteban, but she came because she wanted a friend…
While pondering whether to suggest it, the two shook their heads first.
“We snuck out.”
“Me too. I think we should go back.”
They looked genuinely troubled, so it was hard to encourage them further.
When I asked if they had a way back since they sneaked out, they replied not to worry because they came by carriage.
“See you next time.”
Lei held my hand tightly and whispered.
Maybe because she was worried about leaving those who snuck out behind, she hesitated to leave quickly.
But since the young ladies beyond the wall were worried, I had no choice but to say goodbye.
Princess Esteban also held my remaining hand tightly and whispered, “See you next time. I hope you call me Ari next time, Seiana.”
“Why should Seiana see you?”
Lei snapped back at her words, but Princess Esteban ignored it as if she didn’t hear.
Then she pushed me forward, telling me to hurry and go.
Lei waved her hand at my hesitation, and after a brief pause, I left the maze.
***
Aries, who was waving gracefully, stopped smiling the moment Seiana’s figure disappeared behind the maze wall.
The first thing she did was kick toward her opponent.
Her pointed shoe flew toward Raimund’s shin, but he sneered and dodged lightly.
Aries, disappointed by missing the kick by a hair, was about to swing again when Raimund grabbed her like a cat by the scruff of the neck and lifted her up.
“You’re really vicious.”
“It’s milder than just kicking someone out of the blue, right?”
“You’re doing it on purpose even though you could use other methods.”
Aries flailed her limbs in the air with a dissatisfied look.
She was unhappy with Raimund for the way he subdued her body.
The ability to levitate or pull people or objects in the air was a power of Aries’s, controlling attraction and repulsion forces.
Since Raymund humiliated her using the power she was most confident in, she called him vicious.
Normally, those with special abilities couldn’t handle powers other than what they were given.
Aries, who controls attraction and repulsion, couldn’t teleport or breathe fire, for example.
But Raymund could.
His ability was domination.
Maybe because he was royalty, Raymund could use all abilities of those with powers as if they were his own.
Aries, still dangling in the air with a pouty face, stuck out her lips.
“It’s unfair. If I had spatial control abilities, I’d visit Seiana every day.”
“You’d get tired of it quickly.”
“Me? No way… Oh, not me, but Seiana would get tired of it? Of me?”
That might be true, she muttered, then suddenly burst out laughing as if she’d come up with something.
“Aha! So that’s why you only disappear once every two or three days? Even though you don’t have busy work! Ahaha!”
Aries laughed loudly as if she’d found something to tease about.
Raymund, looking at her with a sullen expression, flicked his finger, causing her body, which was floating quietly in the air, to shake violently.
Aries tried to resist but it was useless.
Only after letting out a sharp cry did the shaking stop.
“Devil. Idiot…”
Trying to cheer herself up, she cursed every bad word she knew, but Raymund didn’t even blink.
When Seiana’s presence was completely gone from the maze, Raymund finally put Aries down.
Maybe he kept her hanging in the air as punishment for teasing him, but also to hold back her impulsive actions.
Raymund nodded lightly at Aries, who landed lightly on the ground.
The gesture was very arrogant, fitting for royalty.
Seiana couldn’t have imagined this side of him at all.
Even though he didn’t say a word, just nodded, Aries understood it meant to guide her to the carriage she came in.
Without a word, Aries started moving quietly, followed slowly by Raymund.
They passed through the maze and the back garden to a corner of the mansion’s wall, and lightly jumped over the wall using their powers.
A little further ahead, a carriage stood with no distinguishing features.
The coachman bowed his head as the two approached.
The exterior was ordinary, but the inside was a bit different.
The carriage walls were two to three times thicker than a normal carriage.
The windows were smaller and especially semi-transparent, making it almost impossible to look inside.
The carriage looked very suspicious, but this was the only kind that those with powers could ride.
If someone passing by saw them through the transparent window, they’d probably have a seizure.
As soon as the two sat down in the carriage, it slowly started moving.
Aries, sitting across from Raymund, looked at him silently before speaking.
“Are you still not feeling well?”
Raymund had been quiet partly because he didn’t want to talk to Aries but also because he wasn’t feeling well.
When Raymund used his ability, his condition rapidly worsened.
Other ability users also struggled with unfamiliar powers after inheriting their abilities, but after about a year, they got used to them and became fine…
It was unclear whether it was because his power was too strong or if his body was rejecting the ability.
So he hardly used it, but when Aries heard the story that he went to meet Seiana, he was surprised and even used teleportation, and even suspended her in the air…
He probably didn’t want to be with me, so he could have just teleported back, but instead, he’s riding my carriage back.
It seemed his body was in worse condition than Aries thought.
He didn’t want to make a fuss, so he kept his mouth shut and ignored her.’
Aries wanted to tease him one more time, but she held back, worried he might collapse.
Naturally, the carriage fell into silence.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.Listening to the steady sound of the horse’s hooves, Aries thought of Seiana.
How could such a miraculous person exist?
Thinking of Seiana’s face made her heart race.
‘This is the first time in my life I’ve wanted something so badly.’
Not just a person, but even things.
Aries, being a duchess, had never felt poverty.
Though she lost her normal life after becoming an ability user, materially she had become richer.
Even just mumbling that she wanted to eat or have something, within hours, that item would appear before her eyes.
What she didn’t have were warmth and affection—things like human kindness and love.
But since no one could give those to her, she had given up…
‘I hate saying goodbye. I want to stay with him forever…’
What should I do?’
Aries’s gaze turned sinister.
“Don’t mess around.”
Raymund broke the silence with a warning.
The two understood each other well.
That was why they could read each other’s thoughts clearly.
Aries was flustered but quickly smiled.
She knew she wasn’t the only one with such thoughts.
In response to the look that said, ‘Aren’t you just as guilty?’
Raymund scoffed.
He believed he had more self-control than Aries.
‘Going to threaten someone just because you don’t like them isn’t sane.’
If you don’t like someone, why not just avoid them?
Raymund couldn’t understand.
That was why he was cautious of Aries.
Though she seemed desperate now, she might cause trouble and put Seiana in danger again someday.