No matter how much she argued, the marquis was not someone who could engage in dialogue. As she exuded an air of ‘I don’t want to hear your words!’, the marquis pointed at Aris, dumbfounded.

“You, you, disrespectful thing without any sense of hierarchy! How dare you show such an attitude when your father is speaking? Aion, look at your sister! To think she’s the eldest daughter of the family…”

Aris stubbornly kept looking out the window. Although she was relieved that Aion was safe, this incident made her think more and more about leaving as soon as possible.

To somewhere out there where she would be truly needed and respected.

Aris closed her eyes to avoid the scolding, which was no different from noise pollution, dreaming only of that day.

* * *

As soon as they arrived home, Aris parted ways with the marquis.

Somehow sensing that he was in the mood to scold her all day, Aris, with the intention of rebelling, shut herself in her room. If she went out and talked back a few times, he might even resort to physical violence.

She ate dinner alone in her bedroom because Marquis Eldeiz said he couldn’t stand the sight of her.

‘It doesn’t matter. I was uncomfortable at the dinner table too. This is actually better for me.’

When Aris was the Empress, they didn’t even send a single perfunctory letter asking how she was doing. They only acted affectionately when they met at imperial banquets.

At that time, Aris was happy even though she knew it was a fabricated response. They were even colder than the frigid west.

But after Aris’s status plummeted, they, like others, started treating Aris like an idiot. Only then did Aris realize that the Eldeiz marquis couple never wanted a daughter like her.

No, perhaps she had known from the beginning. She just didn’t want to believe it.

When she accidentally overheard them referring to her as ‘a stain on the family and an existence that shouldn’t have been’, one of the worlds supporting Aris crumbled miserably.

Recalling the past, Aris became melancholic and pulled the blanket over her head.

It was rather fortunate that she didn’t have to dine with her stubborn father or her mother whose only interest was her own appearance.

‘Usually, they would have pointed out that a lady shouldn’t eat so much. It’s good that I ate alone and had a satisfying meal.’

Comforting herself alone under the blanket, Aris succumbed to the overwhelming drowsiness.

‘…You did well today.’

Well done, Aristena. At least I’m fortunate to have myself on my side.

Aris closed her eyes tightly and gradually fell asleep.

The next morning dawned. As soon as Aris woke up, she received an unfamiliar object from her maid. It was a rectangular something neatly wrapped in wine-colored paper.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a package that came for you, Miss.”

“A package? Who sent it?”

“Well, there’s no sender’s name, only your name is written on it.”

Aris tilted her head and opened the package, wondering who could have sent such a thing to her.

When she removed the wrapping, the contents were revealed. But it was something she had never imagined.

‘A magic studies textbook… Who on earth sent this…?’

Aris touched the cover of the book made of sturdy material. The classic wine color felt very familiar.

She had almost forgotten, but this book had given Aris a lot of joy when she was the Empress.

A field of study she had recklessly started learning on her own hoping to be of even a little help to the country. The joy of learning was so great that she wanted to pore over it day and night, even putting aside her duties as Empress.

‘Back then, I even imagined myself becoming a magic scholar instead of an Empress…’

Aris chuckled, recalling her past frivolous dreams. At that moment, a piece of paper that had been tucked between the pages of the book fell to the floor.

“What’s this?”

Aris picked up the paper that had fallen at her feet. It was a stiff message card folded in half. She unfolded it.

[From Anonymous E.]

A very short sentence, barely qualifying as a message. Anonymous E.

‘It seems this is the person who sent the book…’

Who could it be? Aris carefully recalled her relationships at this time.

But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with an answer. There was no return address, so she couldn’t even ask who it was.

Aris stared blankly at the book. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

‘What if I became a magic scholar…?’

During her time as Empress, she had imagined this countless times while reading and studying magic textbooks. What if I had become something other than an Empress? If I had at least become someone in a profession that could help this country, wouldn’t my life have been less miserable and foolish?

For the past days, Aris had been deeply contemplating where she should go. She was troubled by the thought that if she left aimlessly, she might end up with nowhere to go.

‘A place where I can be respected…’

As she silently gazed at the book filled with distant memories and frivolous dreams, Aris gradually smiled with courage.

She had decided on a place to go.

If it’s there, I can achieve what I want. After all, I want to become a useful person.

* * *

After meticulously planning, Aris finally decided on the day to leave.

And on the night before that day, Aris wandered the darkened corridors of the mansion to find her brother’s room. Slightly raising the lamp in her hand, she knocked on Aion’s door.

The mansion had been dark for a long time, but his room always had the lights on until late. Soon, Aion’s door opened.

“…Sister?”

Aion’s eyes widened when he saw Aris.

“What brings you here at this hour? Don’t tell me… you saw a ghost again?”

The two naturally entered the room together. At Aion’s words, spoken with a rather displeased look, Aris let out a small laugh.

“Oh, come on. How old do you think I am to make such jokes?”

“Sixteen. Just a few months ago, you came running saying you saw a ghost while taking a night walk.”

Aris was at a loss for words. Sixteen? For a moment, she thought it wasn’t about her. She had been twenty-four when she died…

“If not for that reason, then why did you come?”

“Just… I have something to tell you. You were studying? Is it very difficult?”

“No, well… It’s manageable.”

Aris looked at Aion, who answered grumpily as if bothered, and then spread her arms. Aion jumped in surprise when she was suddenly hugging by her sister tightly.

“What, why are you doing this? Have you gone mad, Sister? Don’t tell me you’ve caught the plague and want to infect me because you can’t go alone?”

“You’re really too much.”

“Why are you being so scary?”

Aris let out a cheerful laugh at Aion’s terrified reaction. Yes, you were always this playful and interesting child. Aris patted Aion’s back.

“I’m leaving tomorrow.”

At this, Aion froze. But soon he snorted.

“Sister, stop with the unfunny jokes and just go to sleep. Please let go of me.”

“It’s not a joke. You’ll really regret it if I leave right now, okay? Because I’ll be gone when morning comes.”

“…What on earth are you saying? Are you serious?”

This time, Aion asked in a much more serious voice. Aris rested her chin on her brother’s shoulder, which felt both unfamiliar and nostalgic.

“Yes… I’m leaving home at dawn. I’m only telling you, not Father and Mother. Aion, keep it a secret that I came to see you before leaving.”

“…Alright.”

“Huh? Is that all you have to say? You’re not even asking why?”

Aris pushed her brother away from her embrace, dumbfounded by his overly brief response. Could it be that he was secretly pleased or indifferent?

However, Aion’s expression, when she faced him, wasn’t good at all. With reddened eyes, he chuckled like a sigh.

“You told me. That you wanted to find your place.”

Aris’s eyes widened, not expecting her words to come back to her. Aion continued speaking.

“I’ve been noticing something strange. You’ve been acting differently from usual, trying new things… I guess it was because you had something else you wanted, other than this fixed life.”

“……”

“I’ll support you. Whatever you’re trying to do. Oh, but I have one request, don’t think about becoming a burden to me!”

“What?”

“Well, you might already have trouble with marriage prospects since you refused the engagement talks with His Highness the Crown Prince. Don’t come back after a few years and become a burden to me in that state.”

Aris laughed, finding it absurd. However, Aion didn’t laugh along and added in a subdued voice.

“So… if you’re going to leave home, live satisfactorily. Even more than Father, live like that.”

“…Yes, I will.”

Aris smiled faintly and hugged Aion again. This time, he didn’t resist.

“…Sister, let me ask just one thing. What are you going to do out there?”

“I… I’m going to become a scholar. A magic scholar under the Magic Department. That’s what I truly want to do.”

After saying goodbye around the time when the dim light of dawn was breaking, Aris left the mansion with her  travel bag.

Her destination was the Magic Department, located further south from the capital. Although it could be considered part of the west geographically, it was a place removed from regional sentiments or political conflicts.

Aris was determined to fulfill her dream there.

This life would be different from her past one.