“Currently, Your Highness has awakened to magical power. You’ve passed the most basic stage of becoming a magician.”

In Leticia’s mind, she recalled Astrid saying that if she burned one more time, she could become the kind of magician the Magic Tower coveted.

Reflexively, she looked down at her right hand that had been burned, but couldn’t tell what had changed.

“I don’t really understand…”

“That’s to be expected. Right now, Your Highness’s magical power is being absorbed by Lady Astrid. Both Your Highness and Lady Astrid are of the water element.”

Even hearing this, she couldn’t feel anything. There wasn’t any sensation of something being drained either.

Hilda carefully continued speaking.

“If Your Highness stays close, Lady Astrid might wake up. However, for Your Highness… having your magical power absorbed by Lady Astrid might not be the best thing.”

At Hilda’s words, Leticia asked.

“Will I die or lose years of my life or something like that?”

“No, absolutely not. If it were that dangerous, they wouldn’t have put you next to Lady Astrid so suddenly without any explanation.”

Actually, Leticia wouldn’t have minded even if it were that dangerous, but Hilda hurriedly denied it. Then she quickly explained.

“It’s just that while your magic is being absorbed, you’ll appear like a normal person who hasn’t awakened to magic. Once Lady Astrid wakes up, your magic will return to normal.”

“Then why isn’t that a good thing?”

“Because during that time, the Magic Tower won’t be able to find Your Highness.”

Hilda hesitated before saying.

“If the Magic Tower finds Your Highness, they will take you away at any cost. Your Highness is worth that much. Which means…”

“….”

“It could nullify the deal between the Herta Emperor and His Grace the Grand Duke. It means you would no longer be a hostage.”

It was similar to what Astrid had said.

Leticia stared down at her hand holding Astrid’s. Then she said.

“It means I don’t have to wait for the day I die by His Grace’s hand.”

“That’s right. Until Her Grace wakes up, he won’t lay a hand on Your Highness… but after she wakes up, you might suffer a terrible fate without even a chance to escape.”

So Hilda was subtly suggesting that she should escape now. Even providing a specific method using the Magic Tower.

“But if I escape, what about Lady Astrid?”

“…His Grace will find a way somehow. Like finding another newly awakened water-attribute magician like Your Highness.”

“They haven’t found one until now, right? Is it really that easy?”

“It wasn’t enough to just be water-attribute. They needed someone who had similar magical properties to Astrid, had stronger magic than her, and was a young magician who had just awakened and was still dispersing magic.”

While finding a young magician with similar magical properties might somehow be possible, finding one with stronger magic than Astrid was nearly impossible and had been abandoned as a method.

After all, Astrid was the most talented magician born in nearly a hundred years.

That is, until Leticia awakened.

“…Wouldn’t it be better to worry about yourself rather than that?”

Leticia just smiled at Hilda’s words. Then she flopped back down and pressed herself close to Astrid’s side.

“No thanks. I’ll just stay here. Hilda, let’s pretend this conversation never happened.”

***

“Ah, while I’m staying here, is it alright if I keep my maid with me?”

The prince’s voice, mixed with a bright smile as if nothing was wrong, could be heard from outside the door.

Ferik, who had been listening to their entire conversation from outside the bedroom, found his inexplicably heavy heart puzzling.

Originally, there should have been no emotional response or change. Even after hearing those words.

But for some reason, since the tower collapsed, it felt as if emotions had faintly revived in his unwavering heart, as if cracks had formed.

Though weak enough to ignore like before, it was definitely different from the previous complete absence.

Ferik wondered if this was the emotion called guilt. Although it wouldn’t change his choice, still, at least something…

“I should treat him well.”

Whether for the calculated reason of keeping them from running away, or because of the faint stirring of guilt in his heart.

Of course, Yen, who had been listening to both the bedroom conversation and Ferik’s muttering from behind, internally cursed the Grand Duke who thought merely treating him well was enough in response to the prince’s sacrificial choice.

At any rate, since treating him well was obviously better than treating them poorly, Yen didn’t oppose Ferik’s decision.

This was the same for everyone under Ferik’s command.

There was absolutely no need to stop someone who wanted to treat well the small, pretty baby who had been toddling around Basilinte’s main castle.

Even those who hated imperial citizens and the Herta Imperial family weren’t the type to hate a baby who didn’t even reach their waist.

It definitely wasn’t because the prince had been looking at them with sparkling eyes as ‘the good, just, and wonderful people of Basilinte.’

Definitely not.

And so the hostage prince dragged from the Herta Imperial family, faced a major life change due to the Grand Duke’s determination to treat him ‘well.’

It was a situation the person in question hadn’t particularly wanted.

***

For Leticia, who was rolling around in Astrid’s embrace inside the room, the meaning behind the numerous gifts the Grand Duke was giving her was questionable.

“I’m just staying in bed, so why do I need fitted shoes? Same with the coat. Why do I need a coat when I’m not going outside?”

Aina, who was more excited about organizing the gifts than Leticia, responded.

“Gifts are about the thought, Your Highness. And you could go out a bit. If you ask His Grace, he’d carry both Her Grace and Your Highness together, so why stay only in bed?”

Once, she had even been forcibly taken for a garden walk, carried along with Astrid and blankets by the Grand Duke, with the reasoning that a person isn’t a plant and might wither away from not getting enough sunlight.

The knights and servants watching like they were seeing something strange was one thing, but it had been exhausting having to watch both sides when Chamuka fought with the Grand Duke saying he wanted to be carried too.

Leticia just wanted to spend time alone with the sleeping Astrid.

She liked the Grand Duke’s family, but separately from that, being with them was… tiring!

“Try thinking less, Your Highness. You’re tired because you keep being mindful of others and thinking too much.”

“Wouldn’t you do the same if you were me, Aina?”

“No. If it were me, I’d enjoy it thoroughly. When someone who’s practically the king of this land is desperate to treat me well, why would I think about future consequences instead of enjoying the present?”

“That’s not me!”

Aina shook her head at Leticia, who was clutching her head in distress at the current treatment while still firmly holding Astrid’s hand.

“You should try being a bit more materialistic, Your Highness. Stop being so accommodating. Who knows? Maybe if you’re less agreeable, they won’t fuss over you quite so much?”

“Should I really…?”

“What do you mean ‘should I?’ You can’t even let go of Her Grace’s hand now. Your Highness, you’re hopeless at being materialistic.”

“I could act.”

Aina thought ‘Yeah right’ internally while smiling brightly on the outside.

“Then can you ask His Grace later to build a palace in the garden exactly like the one in your homeland because you miss it?”

“Be reasonable. Isn’t that too much?”

“He probably won’t follow through anyway. And if you’re only asking for something within his means to give, that’s hardly being greedy.”

“No. It’s scarier because I think he would do it…”

The Grand Duke wasn’t someone who understood the concept of empty words.

His serious observation of whether Leticia was doing ‘well’ in everything was burdensome. The Grand Duke would investigate if there was any discomfort even if Leticia just furrowed her brows.

Aina clicked her tongue while watching Leticia suffocate from the pressure.

“You’re already wrong the moment you worry about that.”