Chapter 17 (Part 1)

Grace, who had finished a quick bath, fiddled with the cuffs of her uniform sleeves absentmindedly.  

She couldn’t bring herself to step into the Marquis’ office.  

So, when the door suddenly creaked open, she was so startled that she almost let out a silent scream.  

“If you’ve come, come in. What are you doing standing there?”  

Grace awkwardly smiled as her eyes met those of the knight who had opened the door.  

Surprised by the unexpected behavior of the young lady he served, the knight also gave an awkward smile and stepped aside.  

Grace bowed her head in greeting and hesitantly stepped inside.  

“So, what’s your relationship with that man from yesterday?”  

Her father, Nicholas, asked the question with sharp eyes, which made Grace respond as if the question itself was odd.  

“That man? Who are you talking about?”  

“Are you trying to feign ignorance?”  

At Nicholas’ question, Grace snorted and replied,  

“What’s the big deal? I’ll just marry him.”  

“W-What did you just say?”  

“Your Lordship worried because your grown daughter came home in a man’s arms, isn’t that it?”  

Grace’s words, laced with rebellion and addressed to him as ‘Your Lordship,’ left Nicholas clutching his neck in disbelief.  

His blood pressure seemed to rise to its peak at his grown daughter’s unexpected defiance.  

The aide standing nearby flinched but was stopped by Nicholas raising his hand, signaling him not to move. After letting out a sigh, Nicholas said,  

“My dear daughter, Gracie. That man is a Fernandez, is he not?”  

At his words, Grace tilted her head as if to say, “So what?” Her innocent-looking eyes added to her feigned naivety.  

With a face as shameless as she could muster, Grace replied,  

“What’s wrong with a Fernandez? He’s the next Grand Mage, isn’t he?”  

Nicholas pressed his temples as if to ward off a headache and called her name in a warning tone.  

“Grace Lowell.”  

At his words, Grace tilted her head again.  

As if she truly didn’t understand why her father was upset, she spoke in a calm voice,  

“Marrying a Fernandez doesn’t mean I’m betraying Lowell, nor would a Fernandez, as someone married into Lowell, attack it. So, what’s the problem?”  

Nicholas was left speechless, his face showing signs of dizziness, as his daughter’s words poured out without any consideration.  

Seeing her father’s expression, Grace spoke in a concerned voice,  

“Father, you should exercise more. If you keep holding a pen all day, your blood pressure will rise even over trivial matters like this.”  

Nicholas trembled, pointing a finger at her, unsure where to even begin correcting her.  

“You, you, you!”  

It wasn’t as though she was deliberately trying to provoke him, but her innocent-looking eyes only made his blood pressure rise further.  

And yet, Grace delivered another infuriating remark.  

“What? It’s true that you don’t exercise, isn’t it?”  

With a face that showed she genuinely didn’t understand why he was acting this way, Grace glanced at the clock and bowed before saying,  

“It’s almost time for me to go to work, so I’ll be off now. Head Butler, please take good care of Father.”  

As if she bore no responsibility for the current situation, Grace left the room briskly after delivering her cheerful reply.  

Nicholas’ anguished yell echoed behind her, but Grace’s expression remained light. She wondered why she hadn’t done this sooner.  

‘Father might be a bit upset, but so what?’  

After all, if she marries, Lowell will become Fernandez. Or perhaps, it could be the other way around.  

That’s for her and Leonardo to decide, and it wasn’t something her parents needed to interfere with.  

‘They said they wouldn’t force me into a political marriage, so they can’t say much now.’  

Besides, all she had done was come home once in a drunken state, carried by a man.  

If that was enough to provoke talk of marriage, then they should have been ready to hear such words in return.  

Even if not, what did it matter?  

‘Anyway, once it’s known that I’ve become a Master, I’ll probably receive a title…’  

If necessary, she could request a new family name as well.  

The current Emperor valued talent, so even if she didn’t explicitly ask for a title or a new surname, it would likely be granted.  

That’s usually how it went.  

‘Mother also had two surnames when she was unmarried.’  

One from her family and another bestowed by the Emperor. Now, of course, she was Lowell after marrying.  

There was no rule saying Grace couldn’t do the same. If it was given, she’d take it; if not, she could always demand it.  

With such thoughts in mind, Grace mounted her horse and rode toward the Knight Order.  

‘I want to see Leo.’  

She wondered what he had thought as he escorted her home while she was drunk.  

Suddenly curious about his thoughts and feelings, Grace urged her horse forward toward the Knight Order.  

When she arrived, she stared blankly at the scene before her and asked the approaching knight,  

“Dale, what on earth is all this?”  

The newly-appointed Deputy Commander, Dale Smith, took the reins from her and replied,  

“It seems the commander of the 1st Knight Order has caused some trouble.”  

“…Trouble?”  

“Yes. Something about… a tower? No, they’re building some kind of structure.”  

Dale, who added that he hadn’t heard the full details, excused himself, saying he would take the horse to the stables.  

Grace turned her head toward the 1st Knight Order again.  

As Dale had mentioned, construction was in full swing in one area. A building that hadn’t been there the day before was already taking shape.  

Walking slowly toward the construction site, Grace first encountered Caleb.  

“Oh, you’re here.”  

As if he had been expecting her, Caleb greeted her, prompting the workers to glance at them briefly.  

Of course, those curious gazes disappeared with a single glance from Caleb.  

Feigning ignorance of the workers’ curiosity, Grace approached him and gestured toward the construction site.  

“What on earth is going on here?”  

Caleb, who had been speaking with someone involved in the construction, asked her to wait a moment, then sent the person off before replying,  

“Didn’t the commander tell you? Ah, the approval came late, so perhaps you didn’t hear about it.”  

Grace nodded at his words.  

Glancing at the bustling construction site, Caleb spoke nonchalantly,  

“The commander’s project received approval. The decision came late last night, so he probably didn’t get a chance to inform you.”  

“…Project? You mean the association?”  

When Grace asked back with a face full of disbelief, Caleb nodded.  

As if he had expected this outcome all along.  

“Yes. And once the thesis presentation is complete…”  

At that point, Caleb suddenly stopped speaking.  

Curious about what he had been about to say, Grace looked at him, but he didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he wrapped up the conversation.  

“In any case, it might be a bit noisy for the next few days due to the construction, so I ask for your understanding.”  

Grace nodded absentmindedly and looked back at the construction site.  

The combination of architecture and magic made the building rise at an incredible speed—something unimaginable under normal circumstances.  

‘Is this possible because it’s Leo?’  

She was curious, but Caleb didn’t seem inclined to explain further.  

After watching the construction for a while, Grace returned to her office. For some reason, she felt strange. How should she describe it?  

‘It feels like Leo is moving ahead on his own.’  

Not that it was wrong, but he was moving so quickly that it felt like there was nothing left for her to do.  

Perhaps this sudden competitiveness arose because they had been rivals for so long.  

After pondering for a moment, Grace entered her office.  

“Commander, you have a visitor.”  

Dale, who had returned after tying up the horses, informed her, and Grace nodded.  

“Oh, really? Thank you.”  

When she opened the door to her office, a familiar figure greeted her back.  

“Leo? What are you doing here?”  

Seeing the face she had been searching for earlier at the construction site, Grace called out in a bewildered voice.  

Leonardo, who had been seated, turned to her with a bright smile.  

“Gracie, you’re finally here?”  

“Yes, I was just looking around—ah, Leo!”  

Before she could finish her sentence, Leonardo approached and kissed her cheeks repeatedly.  

Grace pushed him away, calling his name.  

In response, he asked with a sullen expression,  

“Do you dislike it when I do this?”  

Seeing his shoulders droop so suddenly, Grace felt her resolve weaken. She cleared her throat and averted her gaze.  

“It’s not that… It’s just that there are people outside.”  

Her last words were almost inaudible.  

Leonardo, dissatisfied, raised an eyebrow and grumbled,  

“Some people kiss openly in front of everyone, but I can’t even kiss you on the cheek when no one’s watching?”  

“…Honestly.”  

Who would believe that this was the same Leonardo Fernandez, famed for his sharp tongue?  

Grace thought to herself that she might never have seen this side of him if they hadn’t gotten into this kind of relationship.  

‘And someone else might have seen this side of him.’  

The thought made her unexpectedly angry.