Chapter 5: Light Magic and Hidden Glances.

The music came to a stop.

Snapping back to herself, Amelia realized Sarju was still holding her hand as he asked gently,

“May I have your name?”

“Ah—forgive my rudeness. I am Amelia, daughter of Count Grond of the Renia Earldom.”

“Ah, so you’re from that Renia house—the one said to lead the entire kingdom in wheat production.”

Sarju’s expression brightened instantly.
The people around them stirred at the sight; even if they couldn’t hear the words, they had clearly witnessed how delighted he looked.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to hear about your territory sometime.”

“…Yes. If someone like me is acceptable company.”

Why would the Fourth Prince take an interest in such a remote borderland?

It puzzled her, but she reminded herself that His Majesty actively promoted farmland expansion.
Perhaps, as a member of the royal family, Prince Sarju was involved in those policies as well.

“I’d like to speak with you a little longer, but unfortunately I must return to the palace—there are matters I need to attend to. Forgive me for leaving you here.”

He apologized sincerely for not escorting her all the way to the end, but Amelia shook her head hurriedly.

“No, please don’t apologize at all. Thank you so much for bringing me this far—and for the dance. I truly enjoyed it.”

The reply might not have sounded very ladylike.
Still, she wanted him to know how much fun it had been.
At her words, Sarju offered a soft smile and raised the back of her hand to his lips in a light kiss.

“Lady Amelia. Please enjoy the rest of your evening. Until we meet again at the academy.”

With that, he departed with graceful strides.

Amelia stood frozen, hardly able to believe she had just danced with him, and watched until his figure disappeared completely from view.

The next piece of music began, pulling her back to reality.

No matter how difficult it had been to refuse a prince, she did have a fiancé.
A faint sense of guilt toward Reese crept over her.

To avoid getting in the way of the dancers, she quickly moved toward the wall—only for someone to hurry over.

“Amelia, what on earth was that?”

“…Ah, Erika.”

It was her friend Erika.

Amelia took a deep breath to steady herself, then explained everything that had happened from the moment she hesitated at the entrance until Prince Sarju had escorted her in.

“I was waiting in case my fiancé might show up. But entering alone felt so daunting… I was lingering at the door when he spoke to me.”

“…I see.”

Erika listened carefully, then nodded as though everything finally made sense.

“It sounds like it was pure coincidence, but you’re in for some trouble now. After all—even Prince Sarju, who always keeps that gentle, serene smile, looked genuinely delighted while dancing with you.”

“Was he…?”

She had been so caught up in the sheer joy of finally dancing freely that she hadn’t paid much attention to his expression.

“Oh—and he said he’d like to hear more about my territory sometime.”

“Of course he did. Prince Sarju specializes in earth magic, after all.”

“Eh?”

Amelia looked up in surprise.
Erika stared back as if to say, You didn’t even know that?

“Royals wield light magic—which means they can use every attribute—but each has their own specialty.”

“The Crown Prince specializes in offensive fire magic.
Second Prince Est focuses on supportive wind magic.
Third Prince Julius centers on healing-oriented water magic.
And Prince Sarju… is the specialist in earth magic.”

“…I had no idea.”

The very earth magic Amelia had admired and longed for so deeply.
For its foremost practitioner to show interest in her territory was an extraordinary honor, a rare privilege.

And yet she had reacted with nothing but bewilderment, completely unaware.

“I really need to learn more about… everything.”

“Yes. You really do.”

While Erika danced with her own partner, Amelia spent the rest of the evening lost in quiet self-reproach.

Because of that, she never noticed the hostile, almost envious glances directed her way from all around the room.

She remained a wallflower until the party began to wind down, then slipped out of the venue at the first opportunity.

In the end, she never did find Reese.
Since he had sent no word at all, perhaps he hadn’t attended in the first place.

The entrance exam and the welcoming party were now over.
Tomorrow, real academy life would begin.

She had been handed an enormous stack of textbooks, but their contents were almost entirely things she had already studied under private tutors.

Most of the other students were probably in the same position.

At an academy attended solely by nobles, building connections was far more important than academics.
That meant Reese’s claim of being “too busy to return home” had been utterly implausible.

(Thinking about it now… what an unnatural excuse.)

How could she have believed it so readily?
A sigh escaped at her own foolishness.

Surely Reese had some reason—any reason—for suddenly not wanting to see her.

The royal capital was vibrant and advanced; the young ladies attending the academy were all refined and beautiful.
Living among them, perhaps he had simply grown tired of his plain fiancée from the countryside and her equally plain appearance.

(If that was the case… I wish he had simply told me.)

Until now, she had believed they got along reasonably well as fiancés.
To think he had brushed her off with vague, polite excuses made her heart feel hollow.

But Reese’s dishonesty did not end there.