Chapter 1: Blossoms of Duty, Promises Unkept

Winter had come to an end.
By the side of a simple path, hardened only by trodden earth, almond blossoms bloomed.
Gazing at the pink petals fluttering down, Amelia, the only daughter of the Renia Count’s family, walked to inspect the farmlands.
Her black hair stretched down to her back, her blue eyes bright.
Her limbs were slightly tanned, her petite frame lithe and healthy.
The Renia Count’s territory, far from the royal capital, was rich in farmland, and spring brought a flurry of activity.
Amelia, who could wield water magic, went from field to field to lend a hand.
Even as the daughter of a count, in this rural land far from the capital, helping with farmwork was not uncommon.
At least in the Renia family, it had become customary.
Sadly, however, water magic wasn’t particularly prized.
Watering crops was work anyone could do with effort.
What was truly needed was earth magic, which enriched the soil and brought bountiful harvests.
In fields brimming with magical energy, crops grew incomparably faster, larger, and with exquisite flavor.
The heads of the Renia family had, for generations, been earth magic mages.
But after her great-grandfather’s love marriage to a viscount’s daughter, their children were born with water attributes.
Her great-grandmother had been an exceptional water magic mage.
Though they had many children, all could only wield water magic.
It was said that this caused disputes between her great-grandparents, eventually leading to their divorce.
For a couple bound by great love, it was a painfully lonely end.
Worse still, her great-grandfather was still lamented by relatives as the head who lost the family’s earth magic.
A noble should prioritize the territory’s prosperity over personal feelings.
Amelia had been taught this lesson, through her great-grandfather’s story, countless times since childhood.
That’s how precious earth magic mages were.
Amelia, the only daughter of the Renia family, became engaged to Reese at the age of five.
Reese was the second son of the Soma Marquis family, with golden hair and green eyes, growing into strikingly handsome features.
It was, of course, a political marriage, decided by their parents.
Reese was an earth magic mage, the very talent the Renia family desperately sought.
Though a second son, securing Reese as a son-in-law reportedly required a substantial sum.
The Renia family, wealthy despite their remote, vast territory, spared no expense to reclaim earth magic, or so her father had said.
The Soma family, whose previous head had failed in business, found their interests aligned.
The plan was for Reese to marry Amelia and eventually inherit the Renia title.
Having been told since childhood that she would marry Reese, Amelia accepted it as natural.
Her relationship with Reese wasn’t bad, she thought.
They weren’t in love, but they got along well enough.
Perhaps because he was aware he’d inherit the territory, Reese often visited Renia.
The two toured the territory’s orphanage and farmlands, sometimes discussing the future.
The people of the territory admired Reese, who studied diligently, calling him “Young Master” and welcoming his visits.
At first, Amelia tagged along with him somewhat aimlessly, but over time, she grew aware of her role as the future lord’s wife.
Together, they vowed to make the territory prosper even more.
That was their promise.

That relationship changed when Reese, a year older, enrolled in the Royal Magic Academy in the capital.
As a noble, it was a duty to study magic, and at sixteen, one had to attend the academy for three years.
Being a year older, Reese entered before Amelia.
“I’ll be back in the summer. I want to see how the crops are growing,” Reese had said when he visited Renia before enrolling.
Though his home was the marquis’s territory, he spoke of “returning” to Renia without hesitation, and Amelia smiled.
“Yes, I’ll be waiting. Studying at the academy might be tough, but do your best.”
That was last spring, when she saw him off to the capital.
But Reese didn’t visit Renia that summer.
All that came was a letter saying he was too busy with studies to return.
(The academy’s studies must be really demanding.)
Receiving the letter, Amelia thought this innocently.
She wrote back right away, telling him not to worry and to focus on his studies—something like that.
But no reply came.
At the time, she assumed he was genuinely busy.
Yet even in autumn, there was no word from Reese, and despite her detailed reports on the crop yields he’d cared about, no response came.
By winter, a brief letter finally arrived, apologizing for being too busy to write.
And, of course, Reese didn’t return.