Chapter 7.2

“When I first heard the rumor that Sylvester was chasing after some woman, I didn’t believe it. I know he’s not the type to fall in love easily, nor is he foolish enough to cling to a woman who would draw everyone’s disapproving eyes.”

“…”

“But then I realized that what I thought was nonsense wasn’t just a baseless rumor.”

“…”

“Do you know that Sylvester already has a fiancée?”

Eirn’s words, as he locked eyes with Marianne, caused her gaze to waver like a candle flame meeting the wind. The mention of Lady Lizena, the daughter of Duke Shult and Sylvester’s betrothed, pricked Marianne’s ears and heart like thorns.

The daughter of a ducal family that owned fertile southern lands, a brilliant mage with an excellent education, a woman as beautiful as southern fruits bathed in sunlight, and a person with a heart as lovely as her face. All these descriptions referred to Lizena, a woman Marianne had never met.

Eirn continued to elaborate on her virtues, emphasizing how Lizena was the complete opposite of someone like Marianne. But Marianne thought to herself that comparisons should only be made between people who were somewhat similar.

‘She sounds like someone straight out of a novel.’

The more Eirn spoke, the less real it all felt to Marianne. She felt like an unnamed extra in a story, someone who would disappear after the main characters finished their lines—a minor character with no dialogue of her own.

Marianne found herself chuckling. Pretending to listen attentively and nodding in agreement, she was amused by her own wandering thoughts. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism to avoid being hurt by Eirn’s words.

“Sylvester and Lizena have been close since childhood. They share the common talent of magic.”

“…”

“They entered and graduated from the academy together. On the battlefield, and even in the occasional catastrophic rifts that appeared, they fought side by side against the monsters and chaos. The bond, friendship, and love they built over a lifetime… you came along and destroyed it.”

Eirn’s tone, oddly gentle as he said this, only deepened Marianne’s sense of misery. She knew all too well that such kindness stemmed from considering her no more than a piece of paper to be torn apart at will.

“Not long ago, when I told Sylvester to hurry up and marry, he exploded in anger. He claimed neither he nor Lizena wanted the marriage.”

“…”

“I knew he had a difficult personality, but he always kept his mouth shut in front of me. Now, it’s as if he’s under some spell…”

Eirn trailed off. Marianne’s eyes flickered momentarily. 

Could it be that Sylvester had truly forgotten his love for Lizena because of the love spell? 

For a moment, Marianne felt as if her heart had dropped.

‘…Could it really be?’

She thought of Sylvester again and again. Gradually, her heart began to settle.

‘No.’

Marianne recalled their awkwardly intertwined hands, the shy smile that spread across his beautiful face every time their eyes met, the heartbeat she could feel echoing to her, the gray-blue eyes that sparkled with light, and the damp voice that confessed his love.

The man before her might know Sylvester, but he didn’t truly know him—not even as well as someone like herself, who had only spent a mere fortnight with him. Marianne’s lips curved upward. She couldn’t hold back her laughter, nor did she want to.

“Did the Marquis… truly love the Lady Lizena?”

Marianne asked Eirn.

“What are you trying to imply?”

Eirn’s brow furrowed at her question, and the once mild atmosphere turned sharp in an instant.

“You said Sylvester isn’t the type to love someone easily. I agree.”

“…”

“The Sylvester I’ve seen seemed like someone who had never loved anyone. And… someone who had never, not even once, been truly loved by anyone.”

Marianne said, meeting Eirn’s gaze without flinching. Her tightly clasped hands were damp with nervous sweat, but she didn’t look away from his fierce eyes, which seemed to spark like blue flames. When she wanted to avoid his piercing gaze, she bit her lip to keep herself grounded.

“And…”

Marianne closed her eyes tightly, as if to calm her trembling heart, then opened them again before continuing.

“You said he wouldn’t be foolish enough to cling to a woman who would draw everyone’s disapproving eyes. …But Sylvester, no, Sir Sylvester, doesn’t care about others’ opinions. The only ones who care about others’ opinions are you and me.”

A bitter smile tugged at Marianne’s lips. Eirn’s face turned red, likely because he felt insulted by someone he considered beneath him.

“How could he… with such a lowly woman…”

“…”

“Because of you, the reputation of a family that has endured for hundreds of years is now at risk.”

Eirn’s previously composed tone gradually grew harsher.

“Who in this Empire would look up to a Knight Order Commander who indulges in such disgraceful affairs? Even the owner of this office mocks my son as a fool!”

The man, who had forgotten his dignity and was now shouting with a flushed face, seemed ridiculous to Marianne. Perhaps the old Marianne would have been terrified, trembling and unable even to nod in agreement.  

‘Maybe… I’ve become a little more like the confident Sylvester.’

Marianne thought, trying to calm her mind.

“You’re ruining Sylvester.”

Eirn’s gloomy voice echoed through the office. For a moment, Marianne felt relieved that Sylvester was under Peter’s love spell. At least the next time he found true love, it wouldn’t be this difficult. He wouldn’t have to hear such words. Once the spell was broken, everything that had happened would fade like a blurry painting.

At the same time, Marianne felt sorry for Sylvester. He didn’t have a family to hold his hand and wish for his happiness. Marianne, who also lacked such a family, understood that emptiness and loneliness all too well.

Eirn’s lengthy lecture continued. His words no longer felt sharp or frightening.

“…Do you understand what I’m saying?”

After finishing, Eirn asked Marianne.

“Yes, I understand.”

Marianne replied obediently. Eirn seemed momentarily surprised but then smiled warmly, apparently satisfied with her compliant response.

“I can arrange for you to have a better job than being a librarian, or even provide enough money to open a bookstore named after you in a city near the capital.”

“…”

“It all depends on how you conduct yourself from now on. I trust you’ll make the right choice.”

“Yes.”

Marianne nodded.

“Well then…”

“But there’s one thing I’d like to say as well.”

Marianne’s voice stopped Eirn mid-sentence. Once the spell was broken, even this conversation might vanish from Eirn’s memory. That was highly likely.  

But Marianne fervently hoped that, at the very least, the words she was about to say would remain etched in the Duke’s mind. She prayed for this more earnestly than she had ever wished for Sylvester to remember her.

“Sylvester Amadeus is not a puppet for you to control.”

A heavy silence pressed down on Marianne.

“…What?”

“Your Grace, he is not a well-trained dog that listens to your every command.”

Marianne’s words continued.  

“Please, if you truly love your son, the first thing you must do is acknowledge that he is someone who moves according to his own will.”

Marianne placed the book she had brought for errands on the table and stood up. Before leaving the office, she turned back to Eirn and added one more thing.  

“I’ve always wanted to say that to you, at least once.”

After finishing her words, Marianne bowed politely to Eirn. She thought she heard him shouting something behind her, but she didn’t care to listen.  

With her now-empty hands, she opened the door to the office.  

It was already time to leave work.

* * *

“…The spell… the spell hasn’t broken?”  

Peter, his mouth agape as if he had just heard something he never should have, asked Marianne.  

“I’m sorry I’m only telling you now.”  

“Ah, no, no. It’s not something to apologize for… It’s just… uh, hmm.”  

Peter stammered. The shock he was feeling was evident in his voice.  

“That spell… it’s supposed to break automatically after two weeks, no matter what.”  

“…”  

“Now that I think about it, Senior Mage Erina did say something in a strange tone, but I just assumed it was a side effect from erased memories. All the mages in our department have been so busy lately, too… But why? Why hasn’t the spell broken?”  

Peter’s hands, which were holding a glass of orange juice, trembled slightly. His expression resembled that of a parent hearing from a teacher that their child had done something disastrous.  

“Why? Why? Why is this happening? Could it be a sign of the world ending?”  

Peter looked at Marianne as he asked.  

“Is the fact that the spell hasn’t broken… just a minor accident?”  

“Well, yes.”  

“Then, eventually, everything will be resolved and return to normal, right?”  

“Yes! It has to!”  

Peter tried his best to appear confident as he spoke to Marianne. He barely stopped himself from adding, “Even if I look like this, I was the top student upon entering and graduating from the academy.” Marianne’s smile grew faintly bitter at his response, like the taste of coffee that had gone cold in a teacup.