“Magic originates near the heart, then spreads outward, circulating through the body as it is refined. But in your case, the flow of magic inside you is completely tangled. That’s why it bursts out uncontrollably.”

“My magic is tangled? Then what should I do?”

“The most urgent task is to learn how to regulate it—calm the magic that’s running wild. After that, you’ll need to open its pathways and restore the flow to its proper state.”

Even as Muneme’s explanation grew longer, Selonia only felt more confused.

‘So how exactly was she supposed to calm her magic? And how was she meant to open these pathways?’

As if answering her unspoken questions, Muneme pointed to Selonia’s hands and said,

“I’ll tell you the very first step. From now on, it would be best for you to take those gloves off.”

“What do you mean, all of a sudden?”

“From what I can see, those gloves are making your magic even more chaotic. They don’t actually block magic. You must have believed they could, because to you, they are your last line of defense.”

It was something she had never even considered. It was so unthinkable that she couldn’t help but question it.

“Ever since I started wearing these gloves, my magic has never burst out on its own. How could that be a misconception?”

She couldn’t believe that the gloves weren’t blocking her magic; rather, she realized that the effect existed only because she believed they could control it.

Unable to accept this, Selonia lowered her gaze to her hands. As if she had anticipated this reaction, Muneme sighed and calmly removed one of Selonia’s gloves.

“Watch.”

Ignoring Selonia’s startled outstretched hand, Muneme slipped the glove onto her own right hand and held it out towards the teaspoon on the table. The spoon rose gently into the air and dropped into the teacup with a soft splash, stirring the liquid inside.

Seeing this, Selonia bit down hard on her lower lip in shock.

‘She’s really using magic even with the glove on…’

“In other words, even without this glove, if you believe there is an invisible glove covering your hand, you can still regulate your magic. Do you understand?”

“But I—without the glove, I—ah!”

She was about to tell him that she felt too anxious to function normally without her gloves when she suddenly felt a tingling sensation surge through her right hand, as if mocking her words. Light burst forth and shot straight towards the teacup. The clear, pale tea instantly turned to sand.

Muneme watched the transformation with interest, then opened the window and tipped the cup to shake the sand out, as if trying to erase the evidence.

“Water, fire, earth… You said you’ve manifested light and lightning as well.”

“Hah… y-yes.”

“Interesting. Very interesting.”

“What do you mean by interesting?”

“Those who can manifest all natural elements through magic are exceedingly rare. Such a talent is so uncommon that it may seem like a blessing, but it has its drawbacks.”

Muneme continued speaking while watching Selonia pull her glove back on. Her expression clearly showed her displeasure.

“If you’re born with an overwhelming amount of magic, that talent becomes a blessing. But if your magic reserves are ambiguous, the story changes. Your power ends up being divided among all the elements you can wield. Ultimately, you may find yourself with mediocre magic.”

“……”

Come to think of it, Selonia had heard that most mages specialized in one primary elemental affinity. Broadly speaking, there were elemental mages — the most common being water and fire — and rarer types such as lightning and healing. However, even healers could only perform limited magic, mostly serving to support priestly healing.

“If the prophecy is true, then you likely possess an enormous amount of magic. In that case, this talent would indeed be a blessing.”

“Does that mean I can use all forms of magic as my specialty?”

“If you learn properly, yes. But I can’t teach you. There’s nowhere you can learn it either. You’ll have to awaken it on your own.”

“…….”

The faint hope that mastering magic might empower her to protect herself was extinguished almost immediately. Not only did she not know how to control her unruly magic, she was also being instructed to awaken it. It felt impossibly distant.

Selonia decided to focus on what she could do for now.

“First, please teach me how to calm my magic. If I can’t keep wearing the gloves, I need to learn how to control it as quickly as possible.”

“You won’t learn it quickly.”

The words were so shocking that Selonia thought she must have misheard. Selonia frowned, questioning her hearing, but Muneme spoke as though stating an obvious fact.

“You can’t even feel your magic yet. First, you need to sense it. Then you must understand its flow. That alone will probably take about three months.”

“So you’re saying… even though I can’t stop wearing the gloves, it’ll take three months just to calm my magic?”

“To calm it completely? Five months.”

If she hadn’t been in the Grand Duke’s castle, but back in her home in Shayen Village, she might have screamed.

So this was what mountains upon mountains meant.

Clutching her cheeks, Selonia muttered in despair.

“You know that’s impossible. I’ll be found out before I even learn the method.”

“Then you’ll have no choice but to keep wearing the gloves.”

“But that’s only a temporary solution. I have to learn before spring comes.”

Once the weather had warmed up, she couldn’t continue to wear thick leather gloves. If she stopped wearing them, she would be constantly on edge, afraid that her magic might suddenly manifest itself. If she chose to continue wearing them, she would have to make up another excuse before spring arrived.

‘I have a hideous scar on my hands, so I’m hiding it,’ or something like that.

But that was only a temporary measure.

Above all, having to wear gloves for her entire life would be unbearably inconvenient. It would be wonderful if she could remove them without fear when bathing or sleeping, at least. Now that she knew the truth — that magic could be used while wearing gloves — her anxiety only deepened.

Did that mean there was currently no way to truly block her magic?

“Is there really no other way? You know a lot about herbs, Muneme. There might be a medicinal plant that can calm magic when ingested…”

She pleaded with all her heart, but Muneme’s expression made it clear that such a thing did not exist.

Was she really going to have to risk everything?

As Selonia sank into despair, Muneme, who had been lost in thought for some time, finally spoke again.

“Hm… There is one more method.”

“…There is?”

“How about asking the Grand Duke for help?”

“Kailos?”

“That’s right. While I can’t say for certain whether you’re truly of the Etheria lineage, it’s clear that you’ve inherited the progenitor’s blood quite strongly. In that case, the Grand Duke would be the fastest option.”

“….”

As the conversation drifted further beyond her understanding, Selonia could only sit there in stunned silence. What did the blood of this so-called progenitor, mentioned by both Kailos and Muneme, have to do with him? And why was Muneme telling her to take advantage of him?

Above all, she could not let Kailos find out that she was using magic.

The closer she grew to him, the more anxious she became. The mere thought of how he might react if he found out she was a witch made her feel sick. He had said he had feelings for her, but what would remain of that once the truth came to light?

While Selonia’s complexion darkened by the second, Muneme’s expression, in stark contrast, only seemed to brighten.

“How did I not think of this sooner? When there’s such an easy solution right here.”

“What on earth are you—”

“The bloodline of House Laharden possesses a power that can resonate with your magic.”

“Magic? Are you saying the Grand Duke is a mage?”

“No, it’s more specific than that. I only know about it through hearsay, so I can’t explain it in detail. But I do know that they were originally a clan of guardians.”

Seeing that Selonia was still confused, Muneme thumped her chest in frustration and snapped.

“Just accept it! It’s something from the distant past – even I can’t explain it properly. That’s why I’m trying to find that book. In any case, if you sleep with the Grand Duke, your magic will naturally stabilize over time. You wouldn’t even need to forcefully untangle your magic — it might resolve itself.”

“…What? S-Sleep with him?!”

“For magic to resonate, mucous membrane contact is required.”

Selonia clutched her burning face and cried out in a shrill voice, trying to cool herself down.

‘Mucous membrane contact? Sleeping together?’

Did that mean kissing would be necessary for it to have any effect?

With her face blazing red, she could only repeatedly shake her head. Muneme, however, looked genuinely puzzled by her reaction.

“I don’t see why that would be a problem. You’re lovers, aren’t you?”

“We’re not real lovers!”

“Not yet. But you will be soon. Do fake lovers usually go as far as getting engaged? Maybe you two should try being a little more honest about your feelings.”

Selonia was left utterly speechless.

The people of the castle had said the same thing. Muneme had said the same thing. She couldn’t understand what they all saw between her and Kailos that made them speak so identically.

All the while, she was living in constant fear that Kailos might discover that she was a witch.

‘He doesn’t know anything about my condition, If I ask him for help, I’ll have to tell him about magic. And if Kailos finds out that I’m a witch…’

She couldn’t bring herself to finish the thought.

If he reacted the same way as in her previous life and sent her to a witch trial, insisting that she be burned at the stake, she didn’t think she could endure it.

It might hurt even more than finding out that Alix had betrayed her.

A sharp, stabbing pain surged through her chest, as if something were pressing painfully against her heart. Selonia clutched her chest and bit down hard on her lip.