Chapter 18
‘What is this? Does he want my hand?’
Feeling a bit like a trained puppy, I held out my hand—and he grabbed my wrist firmly.
‘Huh? His hand… is really warm.’
Kaien’s hand was far warmer than I had expected.
With his cold and sharp impression, I had assumed his body temperature would be just as icy.
I stared blankly at the hot hand wrapped around my wrist.
His fingers were long and neat, but up close it was unmistakably the hand of a grown man.
Strong joints, prominent veins. My wrist, encircled by his large hand, looked thin and fragile like a twig.
Thump.
Suddenly, my heart began pounding wildly.
Thump, thump.
What is this? What’s wrong with me?
Am I seriously reacting like this just because a handsome man grabbed my wrist?
‘Come on, get it together! No matter how unbelievably good-looking he is, he’s still your boss!’
And it hasn’t even been that long since I was betrayed by my fiancé!
Just as I was mentally scolding myself—
‘Wait. Something… feels different.’
This wasn’t just nervous fluttering.
It felt deeper, like a pulse echoing from the very core of my veins…
A strange sensation. Unfamiliar, yet somehow not completely foreign.
I opened my eyes wide—and froze.
“…Huh?”
A brilliant sky-blue glow, like the wings of a legendary fairy.
A mysterious shimmer was blooming above my hand.
Compared to the massive magic circle I’d seen Kaien create earlier, it was tiny and faint, as if it might vanish at any moment.
But it was definitely there.
“See.”
Kaien tilted his head and looked at me.
His low, pleasant voice brushed past my ear.
“They’re not blocked.”
Uh…
Uhh?
I blinked dumbly, looking once at the blue light, then at Kaien’s face.
This… this can’t be real.
“C-couldn’t it just be some magic rubbing off from you, Duke? There’s no way this is mine.”
“Mine isn’t this weak.”
Kaien snorted.
It sounded a little arrogant, but he wasn’t wrong. The faint glow was far too fragile to be his.
‘Then this really is… mine?’
I stared blankly at the pale blue haze.
“The doctor clearly said I’d never be able to use magic again…”
“Quacks are everywhere these days.”
“B-but the doctor who diagnosed me was said to be extremely reputable.”
He had been personally recommended by the Marchioness of Roheim—Felix’s mother—when I was still considered her future daughter-in-law.
She had made such a big deal about arranging it that I still remembered, even though it had happened years ago.
“Oh? What kind of reputable doctor?”
“My former fiancé… I mean, an old acquaintance of mine had absolutely no magic power. After receiving treatment from that doctor, he suddenly became able to accept mana.”
“…Did that happen right after your mana circuits supposedly became blocked?”
“H-how did you know?”
“……”
Instead of answering, Kaien looked at me silently.
With an expression almost… pitying.
“So you’re the type who’s smart, but only halfway.”
“Excuse me?”
“Think carefully about what you just said, newbie.”
“Uh…?”
Confused, I did as he said.
Now that I thought about it, the timing really was strange.
The period when I lost my ability to use magic due to the accident was exactly when Felix suddenly awakened his mana and began rising as a promising young genius.
Back then, I had simply thought, “At least Felix gained talent in my place.”
But…
Wait.
A certain possibility crossed my mind.
No. That couldn’t be it. There was no way something that insane had happened.
I hesitated, then cautiously asked Kaien.
“Um… Duke. Is it possible to… transplant mana to another person?”
Kaien narrowed his eyes, like a teacher finally seeing a slow student catch up.
“It is possible.”
“……!”
“Though it would require black magic, which is now forbidden.”
Black magic.
I had thought of that term just a few days ago.
I’d wondered if my uncle had used black magic to manipulate me into becoming an obedient fool.
At the time, I dismissed it as a ridiculous suspicion.
But was it really just a coincidence that the same word had come up twice now?
‘But Felix’s family was practically ruined back then. They wouldn’t have had the money to commission forbidden black magic, right?’
Logically, it didn’t make sense.
Then again, what part of my life lately had been logical?
From the moment my uncle stole my family, and my fiancé cheated with my childhood friend, common sense had long since crumbled.
Grasping at straws, I asked again.
“Then… would it be possible to take back transplanted mana?”
At my cautious question, Kaien answered as easily as if I’d asked what one plus one was.
“Just don’t make contact. Then mana can’t flow between you.”
“……!”
At that moment, memories crashed into my mind.
Felix—who always found me annoying, yet would occasionally pull me into careless hugs.
And how I had felt relieved by those empty gestures, thinking he didn’t hate me completely…
Grit.
My teeth clenched as the memories flashed by.
“Ha… seriously.”
I want to kill him. I really, truly want to kill him.
The hatred toward Felix I had briefly forgotten thanks to my uncle flared up all over again.
All this time, he had been sticking close to me, steadily stealing my mana.
…And I had mistaken it for affection.
I didn’t have concrete proof yet.
But I had more than enough suspicion.
My whole body trembled with rage.
How could I creatively destroy that shameless thief?
The fire of revenge already burning inside me was suddenly doused in gasoline.
Still, I forced myself to focus and spoke to Kaien first.
“Duke… thank you.”
I meant it sincerely.
Until this moment, not a single person had ever told me I might be able to use magic again.
And certainly no one had suggested my mana might have been stolen.
Even if I had come to that conclusion on my own, the moment I voiced it, I would have been labeled a bitter woman driven mad by jealousy after being dumped.
But Duke Kreutz—the current Mage Tower Master himself—had confirmed that my suspicion was plausible.
Just that alone made me feel like I finally had someone on my side.
‘Of course, to him, it was probably just stating the obvious.’
But to me, it meant everything.
“Thanks to you, I’ve realized something important. Thank you so much!”
I really was glad I had decided to respect this man.
And I was so happy to be working by his side.
The moment I thought that sincerely—
“……!”
Kaien’s hand, still wrapped around my wrist, suddenly went rigid.
‘Huh?’
With an obviously unnatural motion, he quickly released me.
“Wh-what. It’s nothing special.”
He spoke coldly and abruptly turned his chair around.
“To me, it’s as natural as breathing.”
What’s going on?
Why is he suddenly stuttering?
‘That really doesn’t suit him!’
If I’d spoken like that, I would have sounded like a complete idiot—but thanks to his voice, it somehow still sounded cool.
But… why is he talking with his back turned to me?
And this time, I was sure.
The back of Kaien’s neck, visible above his shirt collar, was clearly flushed red.
‘What is it? His neck keeps turning red. Maybe…’
Is it too hot in here?
Just then, Kaien let out a small sigh and loosened his cravat.
My heart dropped.
‘That’s it. The room must feel stuffy to him!’
“I’m sorry, Duke!”
I jumped to my feet and hurried to pull back the curtains.
“What—what are you doing all of a sudden?”
“I’ll ventilate the room right away!”
How could I fail to notice my employer’s condition?
What a terrible mistake for a secretary!
Scolding myself, I quickly tried to cool down the office.
Getting fired for poor performance was the last thing I wanted.
Of course it was.
Getting this job was the first stroke of luck in my entire life.
Everyone gets at least one chance, they say.
And I was determined to seize this one—to reclaim my family, my magic, and the life I’d wasted serving others.
“Suddenly? Why?”
I heard Kaien’s confused voice behind me, but I ignored it and diligently opened every window in the office.
