Chapter 31: An Ideal Match for the Cousin.

The queen cheerfully selected jewels for the two girls, who were too nervous to even lift their faces.

For Marie, she chose something opulent adorned with large, magnificent gems.

For Amelia, she settled on something delicately crafted and exquisitely beautiful.

They spent a long, leisurely time deciding on hairstyles that would complement the dresses, and then the queen invited them to stay for tea, saying they should chat a little more.

She asked in great detail about Amelia’s first meeting with Sarju, about Amelia herself, her daily life, and the progress of their research.

Amelia answered desperately, carefully choosing her words under the barrage of questions.

Marie faced the same onslaught.

After the satisfied queen finally left, both girls were so drained from the extreme tension that they couldn’t move for a while.

“I was nervous the first time too. It brings back memories.”

Sophia smiled nostalgically, reminiscing about her own past.

“Amelia, I’m really glad you’re here with me.”

Marie seemed to mean it from the bottom of her heart; she repeated it several times.

At first she had worried that Amelia was overdoing things, but lately she had begun saying things like “Amelia should come too” on her own initiative.

The queen, Sophia, and even Marie all knew that Amelia was only pretending to be engaged for the duration of the engagement announcement party—yet they treated her exactly like a real fiancée, leaving Amelia bewildered.

Unbeknownst to Amelia, Marie had already thought to herself that if escape was impossible anyway, it might be better to get caught sooner rather than later.

After Marie excused herself to greet Julius and leave, Amelia decided to stop by and see Sarju before returning.

He had told her she didn’t need to come today, but she felt it would be rude to visit the royal castle and not at least greet him.

Besides, the unexpected encounter with the queen had left her a little exhausted. Seeing Sarju would surely restore some of her energy.

With that thought, she headed to the library—only to hear a cute, unfamiliar voice.

“Um… in this case, is ‘growth promotion’ enough on its own?”

Surprised by the voice she didn’t recognize, Amelia looked over.

Beside Sarju sat a young lady, earnestly studying with an open book in front of her.

She appeared slightly younger than Amelia—perhaps a year or so.

She had lovely strawberry-red hair and was an adorably charming girl.

Sarju had paused his own research to give her instruction in magic.

His specialty: earth magic.

So this girl must be an earth magic user.

On the very day he had said she didn’t need to come, another woman was sitting beside him.

And not just any woman—a delicate, lovely girl who wielded earth magic.

The realization struck Amelia like a blow; she froze in place.

She found herself hating the idea of another woman being at Sarju’s side.

She wanted to be the only one supporting his research, the only one by his side.

(What am I thinking…? I have no right to feel that way…)

“Amelia?”

Noticing her standing frozen, Sarju called out.

The girl beside him noticed too and hurriedly stood up.

“Is everything over there? Mother must have barged in on you. Sorry about that.”

“N-no, not at all… She treated me very kindly.”

While glancing at the girl beside him, Amelia managed to reply.

Sarju’s demeanor was the same as always—in fact, he even looked pleased.

Unsure what expression to make, Amelia lowered her gaze.

“I’m glad you came. There’s someone I wanted you to meet.”

Yet Sarju said exactly that, then introduced the girl standing beside him.

“This is Miina. Kaido’s little sister.”

“Pleased to meet you, Amelia-sama. Thank you for always taking care of my brother.”

The girl—Miina—bowed politely as she introduced herself.

“Eh? Kaido-sama’s…?”

Now that it was pointed out, her vivid red hair was exactly the same shade as Sarju’s escort knight, Kaido.

If she was Kaido’s sister, then Amelia was the one who should be grateful for all the care taken.

She hurriedly bowed in return.

“I’m the one who’s always causing trouble for Kaido-sama…”

“My brother says that’s just his job,” Miina replied with a bright, adorable smile.

“Miina is the second daughter of Count Ededd. She’s one year younger than you, Amelia. She’s scheduled to enroll in the Magic Academy next year.”

Kaido only escorted Sarju within the academy grounds; he wasn’t seen at the royal castle.

So why was his sister here studying with Sarju?

Unaware of Amelia’s confusion, Sarju continued speaking about Miina.

“The Ededd Count’s territory is close to the capital, but Miina prefers places rich in nature and wants to live in such an area in the future. And she’s an earth magic user.”

He added that he hadn’t expected to find someone so ideally suited so nearby.

(…An ideal woman?)

She had never expected to hear such words from him.

She hadn’t wanted to hear them.

Instinctively, she pressed a hand to her chest and looked away.

But Sarju’s next words were completely unexpected.

“How would she be as a fiancée for your cousin?”

“…My… cousin?”

Amelia’s eyes widened.

“Unfortunately, developing the new water magic will take a little more time. In the meantime, it would be troublesome if your father settled on a fiancé for you. So I’ve been looking for a suitable young lady who meets the conditions.”

Indeed—though also from a count’s house, Miina’s brother was Sarju’s personal escort knight and a central noble.

Yet she wished to live in a nature-rich rural area and possessed earth magic.

Her cousin was one year younger than Amelia and would enroll in the Magic Academy next year.

He was earnest and kind; he would never do anything like Lease had done. There had never been any talk of him having someone he liked.

“She does seem… ideal, yes.”

When Amelia managed to reply, Miina’s face lit up brightly.

“I’m honored to hear you say so, Amelia-sama. I’ll work hard under Sarju-sama’s guidance to improve my earth magic even more.”

Her cousin was also scheduled to attend Julius and Marie’s engagement announcement party.

Sarju wanted to introduce the two there.

He said they should meet first to see if they were compatible, but Miina already seemed enthusiastic.

She was a very charming girl.

Amelia found herself thinking that it might be nice if things worked out.

If there were no issues after meeting, the discussion might progress to formal talks between the families.

Eventually, the new water magic would be completed.

Once it came into widespread use, even if a child born between them inherited only water magic, no one would be disappointed.

She would absolutely never allow such disappointment to happen.

“Sarju-sama… thank you for everything.”

He had said it would be troublesome if her fiancé were decided.

Those words alone were more than enough to make her happy.

From now on, she would work hard so she could continue being useful to him.