She bought and disposed of every one she saw on the black market, and if she found a place where it grew, she burned it all down.

‘Black magic is just a myth. It’s probably safe to assume the only threat is that plant.’

While black magic might be more dangerous than the poison plant, that was only if the myths were true.

There was less known about black magic than white magic. In ancient texts, it was only mentioned that it was a corrupt power against the will of the gods and that it conflicted with white magic.

With so little information, black magic was likely just a tale born from people’s fears.

Adelia wasn’t the type to worry about powers whose existence was uncertain.

“There’s no threat to my safety. I can handle things well enough on my own, so feel free to assign knights for their experience.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

After that, Lucian asked a few more questions.

Most were about what she needed or wanted to adapt to life in the imperial palace.

Adelia was surprised by his unexpectedly meticulous nature.

While they were talking, they heard the sound of people running in the corridor.

“Huh?”

Adelia pricked up her ears and looked towards the corridor from where the sound came.

Careful footsteps were a basic skill for a servant. Such noise was certainly not suitable for the etiquette-laden imperial palace.

She listened curiously to the source of the sound.

“That’s…”

Lucian knew what the noise was. He frowned and sighed softly.

The noise grew louder until, finally, the door burst open.

“Brother! You’re getting married!”

It was Prince Lawrence’s noisy entrance.

Seeing his brother barge in so rudely, Lucian felt dismayed.

He stood up abruptly and walked firmly towards the prince.

Crossing his arms, he spoke in a low and firm voice.

“Lawrence. Have you forgotten this is a guest room?”

Startled by Lucian’s rebuking tone, the prince stepped back.

At 12 years old, the prince was still small in stature. Naturally, he would be intimidated by the towering Lucian.

“That’s…”

“We clearly need to increase your etiquette lessons. You’re even less mature than Ariana.”

Knowing he would be scolded regardless of what he said, the prince shrank back.

He had just heard about his brother’s marriage because he was on an expedition.

He had come running without any notice and now realized it was a guest room. Realizing his mistake, the prince silently bowed his head deeply.

‘Ah… They’re both so cute.’

Seeing Lucian scolding firmly with a stern voice and Lawrence with his tail between his legs made her burst into laughter.

Adelia got up from her seat, trying to contain her smile.

“Hello, Your Highness. I’m Adelia Vitara.”

Hearing her greeting, the prince looked up.

His gaze moved from her feet to her head.

The prince’s eyes widened as he pointed at her.

“Brother! Are you marrying this woman?”

Without greeting her, the prince asked the crown prince directly.

The corners of her mouth twitched as she struggled to maintain her smile.

Adelia’s hands under the table trembled slightly.

‘Ah, this little brat.’

Though he looked exactly like the crown prince, his actions were completely opposite.

Just as she was about to interject, she heard the crown prince sigh deeply.

He looked sternly at the prince.

“Lawrence. What kind of manners are those? Greet her properly.”

Lucian emphasized the word ‘properly’ in his speech.

The prince flinched under Lucian’s imposing presence.

“…Hello.”

The prince narrowed his eyes and bowed his head slightly.

His greeting seemed reluctant at best.

It was debatable if such a slight nod could be considered polite, but Adelia decided it was enough for now.

She silently responded with a smile. At that moment, the prince’s face turned red and he shuddered.

He quickly turned his head towards Lucian.

“Do you know how shocked I was? I just came back from an expedition for a few days and heard you were getting married! Why are you marrying her… I mean, this person!”

“First of all. Your opinion on my marriage doesn’t matter. And I’m doing it because it’s worth it. Haven’t you heard from Father yet?”

“About what?”

The prince seemed clueless, living up to his nickname as the imperial family’s troublemaker. Acting impulsively was a habit of his.

“She’s a white mage.”

“Just a white ma… Huh?”

The prince, who had been standing arrogantly with his arms crossed, turned towards her with his mouth agape.

A white mage.

The prince rubbed his eyes and looked at her again.

At first, he thought she looked frail, but being a white mage changed everything.

Having followed swordmasters around since he was young, he had a tendency to respect those who were superior to him.

“Are you really… Are you a white mage?”

His attitude became polite all of a sudden.

Adelia nodded and extended her hand.

A gentle golden aura emanated from her hand and spread around the prince.

All the minor injuries on his body healed, and he felt refreshed from the exhaustion of his expedition.

It was his first experience with white magic, and his eyes widened in amazement.

“So this is… white magic. It feels slightly different from divine power or regular magic.”

The prince examined his body curiously, fascinated by the sensation.

The minor scratches had all disappeared, but the more serious wounds remained as they were.

“But… can white magic only heal minor injuries?”

“No. It can heal everything, but scars might remain. I left the serious wounds to be seen by a priest. You are precious, and you shouldn’t have scars.”

“Ah.”

The prince nodded his head.

Seeing this, Adelia smiled happily.

The twelve-year-old prince didn’t yet have a cold demeanor.

Unlike the stiff and stern crown prince, he was lively.

He was cute, with a face exactly like the emperor’s, full of mischief.

Of course, this was just Adelia’s thought; to others, the prince, almost a little devil, was a subject of fear.

“If you’re going to marry my brother, you should be at least this capable. You said your name was Adelia?”

“Yes. You can call me Adelia comfortably. Sister Adele sounds good too.”

“Then… Sister Adele? I am Lawrence Rivera Decra.”

“Nice to meet you, Your Highness.”

Adelia smiled brightly and extended her hand.

He hesitated for a moment before lightly taking her hand.

His cheeks were slightly flushed, seemingly nervous.

‘A white mage is a legendary existence!’

The prince became infinitely gentle towards those more capable than himself.

Though his standards were so high that only the emperor and the crown prince could meet them, Adelia now meets that standard too.

To the prince, who always loved the founding myths, a white mage was the legend itself.

‘He’s nicer and cuter than I thought.’

Adelia smiled as she watched the chattering prince.

And that’s how small misunderstandings piled up.

* * *

“Ha… this is indeed the imperial palace.”

After tea time had ended, Adelia rolled around on the plush bed.

The bedding smelled of warm sunlight, and when she was lying down, it wrapped her body comfortably.

It was a much-needed rest after a long time.

Then, someone knocked on the door.

“It’s Joen, the head maid. May I enter?”

“Oh. Please come in.”

The person who entered was a woman in elegant attire.

She bowed her head slightly in greeting.

“I have been instructed to attend to you without fail during your stay. Is there anything you find uncomfortable?”

“No. The room is very nice. Baron Joen.”

“Please speak comfortably. You are to be the crown princess, aren’t you?”

“The baron is His Majesty’s nanny, so I must show respect. It’s more comfortable for me this way if you don’t mind?”

Adelia slightly narrowed her eyes and smiled.

Joen responded with a kind smile and said, ‘Oh my.’

‘It doesn’t hurt to make a good impression.’

Joen was brought in by the empress and was the crown prince’s nanny. She had the trust of both the emperor and the crown prince and could not be ignored in terms of influence within the palace.

Adelia preferred smooth interpersonal relationships. Pointless disputes were only headache-inducing and tiring.

‘I should try to get along as much as possible.’

She already had enough on her mind without wasting energy here.

She didn’t want to remain on bad terms with Joen, who often appeared in the original story.

There was also a strange sense of kinship.

‘Probably because… the baron’s son died of illness and her in a carriage accident.’

Joen was an extra destined to die.

Though she lived longer than Adelia, she would lose her son, and she would die in an accident on her way to the palace.

It was the doing of a noble faction opposing the crown prince, but it was never solved.

The crown prince fell into despair for a while after losing someone who was both his mother’s friend and his nanny.

Ha. Adelia sighed softly.

Looking at it, this novel seemed more like a killing story than a healing one.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, it’s just that I often feel dizzy because I’m frail.”

Adelia lightly pressed her forehead and grimaced.

She was just lamenting over the situation, but she decided to go with the frail lady concept.

Like in her count’s family, she needed an excuse to fend off people and have time to move freely.

Joen looked at her with a slightly pitiful face, perhaps fooled by her act.

“Should I call the imperial physician?”

“It’s not that serious.”

“That’s good then…”

Nevertheless, Joen looked worried.

It took a while to convince her she was fine before Joen’s face relaxed.

Adelia invited her to sit down, and they began their conversation in earnest.

“His Majesty has recommended you attend the dinner tonight.”

“Dinner… That would be an honor. Please tell His Majesty I will do so.”

Adelia said with a slightly surprised face.