lina had expected the Duke to make so demands. Perhaps to supply him with magical pastries. Sell them on his behalf. Teach others how to obtain the the [Arcane Baker] class. She had expected many demands from the man, but not this one.
"I beg your pardon?" She asked, a bit stupefied.
"I'll supply you with everything you need. Magitech, ingredients, soldiers to venture into the Monster Realm for the ingredients, money to expand your bakery and workers to help in your production. You will be under the official protection of House Sinclair, and I'll personally guarantee that you will never need to set foot on Church grounds. All I ask in return is that you cut all ties with my son," the Duke repeated coldly.
lina couldn't help but let out a derisive laugh. She knew it was incredibly rude, but for a mont, she had hoped that Duke Sinclair would be an honorable nobleman. That he wouldn't be one of those who forced his decisions onto others. But it appeared that she was wrong.
"I refuse," lina replied coldly, not afraid to look the Duke straight in the eyes as she said that.
He glared. "Refuse? I'm literally offering you everything you might wish for. I believe my offer is quite generous as I am not seeking any monetary compensation from you."
"Yet you ask to give up one of the people closest to . I cannot do that," she said firmly.
"Closest to you? You've barely known him for two months. Very well, I didn't want to resort to this, but I see your youth has clouded your judgnt. If you refuse my offer, then I'll report you to the Church," the Duke said.
The temperature in the room instantly changed. lina could feel the temperature rise in the room as Sienna was reacting to her silent anger. But to be honest, this was what she would normally expect from a noble. Strike at your most vulnerable spot so you can't refuse.
But lina had no intention to yield. She had expected the Church to co after her for a good while now. Granted, with Duke Sinclair supporting them, it will be much harder for lina to fight back. It was likely that she would have to fall back on her magic. It wasn't sothing she wanted to do, but there was no way she could cut her ties with Alistair. Not when she had just gotten him back.
"I still refuse," lina said, glaring at the man. He glared back, and lina heard a low hiss co from Sienna.
"Alright, dear, that is quite enough," Duchess Sinclair suddenly spoke, frowning at her husband. "You promised not to bully her, rember?"
"Dear, I was testing if—" The Duke looked at his wife guiltily.
"Threatening her is going too far," the Duchess wagged her finger at her husband, then turned to lina. "Forgive my husband. He likes to test people's boundaries. Sotis a bit too far."
lina blinked while Sienna scrambled up on her shoulder, peering curiously at the couple. "So what does this an?"
"Nobody will drag you away to the Church if you refuse. We would very much like to see you continue your business under Backus' tutelage," the Duchess said with a kind smile.
"However, I strongly suggest you break your ties with our son! You're not suited for him—you surely realize that!" The Duke said.
"If Alistair asks to never talk to him again, then I'll leave him alone without a single objection," lina said. "But I will not stop interacting with him just because sobody else has ordered to do so. Even if it is his parents."
If looks could kill, then lina would have died on the spot. The Duke looked furious. The Duchess, on the other hand, looked amused.
"I told you it wouldn't work," she said.
"If that is everything you wanted to discuss, then I shall be on my way," lina bowed before the Duke and the Duchess.
It looked like the Duke wanted to say sothing more, but the Duchess shook her head.
"Thank you for hearing us out. I hope to taste more of your delightful pastries in the future," Duchess Sinclair smiled at lina kindly.
"Of course, Your Grace. Until next ti," lina said and left.
The mont she exited the house, lina felt her legs turn into jelly. Only the cold gazes of guards forced her to keep composure as she walked through the yard, feeling like she'll fall over at any mont.
That was so nerve-wracking! Have I just made an enemy of House Sinclair? The Duke definitely hates that much is clear, but I'm not sure about the Duchess's stance. She appears kind, but it's not like she approved of my actions either. I don't know what I'll do if they really decide to remove from the picture.
Would they pursue Master Gilbert, too? Or just force our bakery to go under? Nobles always have so many nasty tricks up their sleeves. I'd better watch my back from now on.
Sienna chittered nervously, and lina patted her gently.
"It's okay. We've gotten through many troubles. We'll get through this, too," lina said.
But could she really face these people? In her past life, she would have said yes without hesitation. As [Archmage], there was nobody who could really oppose her. But as a baker's apprentice, her options were limited.
"It'd be boring to have an easy way out," lina said to her wyrm. Despite the possible troubles the future might bring, she felt invigorated. She knew that she had made the right choice.
"Brother!" Charlotte called out to Alistair, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Huh?! What is it, Charlotte?" He asked, looking at the angry face of his little sister.
"I asked which show you would like to see! Pay attention, Brother!" The girl complained, then sighed. "You're worried about lina, aren't you?"
Alistair scratched his head awkwardly. How could he not worry? His father was so eager for him to break all contact with lina. But since Alistair wasn't willing to yield, he resorted to striking at lina.
He knew that she was a strong woman. After all, it wasn't anyone who could separate realms and rewind ti. But she wasn't exactly the sa [Archmage] that he saw in his mories. He wouldn't call this lina weaker, but she was definitely softer. She didn't choose to solve issues by force anymore but rather searched for more diplomatic solutions.
"I am," Alistair admitted.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Mom is there. You know she won't let Father do anything too drastic," she consoled.
"I suppose," he said, but it was of little comfort. Mother usually would take Father's side when it ca to important matters. It was rare for her to take a stance against him.
"Your moping isn't going to help. Let's go watch a magic show! I really want to see one," Charlotte persisted.
In the end, the two of them made their way to the beach where a large stage was erected near the water. A large crowd was gathering around them while the announcer would occasionally yell, "Gather for the water magic show". Alistair decided that this might be enough to appease Charlotte's curiosity.
"Let's check out this one?" he offered.
"Sure! It looks fun," Charlotte agreed. "Can we get closer though? I can hardly see anything."
The people standing in front of them must have heard her complaints as they turned towards her.
"Is this your first magic show, Miss?" A man asked with a little girl propped on his shoulders.
"Yes," Charlotte confird.
"Go ahead to the front, then. It'd be a sha for you to just stare into our backs," the man said and allowed Charlotte and Alistair through.
More people allowed Charlotte to move closer while Alistair remained behind her.
"These people are so nice. They don't even know who we are, but they still let us through!" Charlotte whispered to Alistair.
"Of course," Alistair said, although so of the people who let them through were people from the Guild. They most definitely recognized Alistair. But the show looked like it was about to start, so he didn't comnt on the matter.
Three won dressed in scant dresses ca onto the stage, dancing in fluid motion. Alistair thought their clothes were far too revealing, especially in front of such a large crowd. He noticed that Charlotte shifted uncomfortably as she looked at their outfits which hid very little.
However, soon it beca irrelevant as they reached their hands out towards the sea and took hold of the water in it. It swirled around them as they danced, first as re patterns. Then they worked together to create various shapes. First large serpent. Then, into more draconic shape, and soon they were shifting gracefully between animals and flowers alike, all while dancing.
"Wow, how can they do that? Is there a special skill for dances like these?" Charlotte asked as she applauded along with the audience.
Alistair pondered the question for a mont, looking at their hand movents. A vision flooded his mind.
lina and Alistair were watching a similar show, but perford by elves. The elven woman, however, wore long, elegant robes that swayed along with them with each movent, adding yet another layer to the complicated dance. Elowen was standing along with them, looking proud of his brethren.
"I bet you humans can't do anything like this with magic. Not even the System can teach you this," the silver elf said smugly.
"Don't challenge . I may not be able to dance as well as they, but when it cos to magic, there is nobody better than ," lina said confidently.
"You humans rely too much on the System. You can't do anything without it. This kind of magic cannot be guided by a skill. It has to co from the heart," Elowen challenged.
"So that's how it'll be. Very well. Prepare to be proven wrong," lina said and disappeared behind the stage.
"Now, you've done it. Never tell lina that she can't do so type of magic," Alistair shook his head. He did not doubt that she would make the elf regret his word.
The vision skipped forward with lina standing on the stage in the sa dancing robes the elves used. What followed was a sight Alistair never wanted to forget.
She began to dance, but instead of water, lina used fire. Flas surrounded her as she danced. Sure, she didn't have the sa grace as the elven won, but the flas dancing around her more than made up for it. They engulfed her, then shot outwards, threatening to burn the audience, only to retreat at the last second.
At the very end of the performance, she created a burning fire dragon that flew over everybody and then disappeared in lina's outstretched hand. She was both powerful and beautiful.
When Alistair opened his eyes, the water magic performance was over.
"Brother, why are you staring into space? Don't tell you fell for one of those dancers?" Charlotte puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"No, I just rembered a similar performance I saw in the past," he said, smiling at the mory. He couldn't believe that he'd actually forgotten it.
"Were you thinking about lina again?" She asked.
"Busted," he said sheepishly.
Suddenly, Charlotte yelped. "Sothing's crawling up my leg!"
Panicked, he looked down and saw Sienna peering at him guiltily.
"Sienna, you can't just do that without warning," he chastised, picking up the little wyrm. She let out a dissatisfied puff of smoke.
"Oh, it's lina pet wyrm," Charlotte exhaled in relief. "But then where is—"
"Sienna!" lina yelled over the crowd. Their eyes t, and Alistair showed her the wyrm.
lina exhaled in relief, then glared at the wyrm. "You can't just run off like that! Especially not in such a dense crowd."
"You already finished talking with Father? How did it go?" Charlotte asked.
"This isn't the right place to talk about such things. Why don't we stop by the inn for a al?" Alistair suggested.
"It might be a bit busy right now," lina said.
"I'm sure Erina will find us a spot," he insisted.
In the end, lina nodded and they headed to the inn. He didn't miss the fact that she looked a bit sullen and sowhat nervous. She didn't quite dare to look at him, instead engaging in the conversation with Charlotte as she asked lina various questions about her pastries and Sunglow.
Did she perhaps cave to Father's presence? She looks uncomfortable.
The way to the inn seed far too long. He wanted to know what they had talked about. They also had to wait for a long while until Erina finally managed to find them a free spot.
Alistair didn't envy the innkeeper at the mont—the place was swarming with people, many of them already far too drunk at this hour. But Barrett was running after her, keeping any drunks away from her and keeping the order by his large presence alone.
"So, tell us, tell us! What happened?" Charlotte probed.
"You're far too noisy for a noble lady," Alistair reprimanded.
"I've already waited so long to know what happened. Tell us," she demanded, while randomly stabbing into her plate. It was a good thing that Mother didn't see her current manners.
lina looked a bit uncomfortable, searching for the right words as she patted Sienna's scales. "Well, the Duke wished for to continue making the pastries."
"That's it? I'm sure he said sothing more," Charlotte narrowed her eyes.
"Charlotte!" Alistair reprimanded, but the girl didn't show a single sign of remorse.
"He… He also wished for to cut all ties with you, Alistair," lina said, looking down into her plate.
"What?! Why would Father do that?" Charlotte exclaid.
Alistair and lina shared a look. They both knew the reason why. It was because he wanted Alistair to marry the fourth princess and currently he viewed lina as an obstacle. The question was—how far was Father willing to go to get his way?
"I rejected him," lina said plainly, taking a bite of her salad.
"That's right! I told Father not to bully you, and look at what he did. I'm going to give him such an earful later," Charlotte said.
Alistair breathed a sigh of relief. She had rejected him. He had been worried that lina might feel pressured to give in. That maybe she wasn't willing to take such a risk, not without her magic to back her up. But he realized that with or without magic, she was still the lina he knew. The lina he rembered.
He took a deep breath. He was going to ask her out to launch a flying lantern together. From the locals, he had learned that it was a romantic tradition—those who launched a lantern together were said to remain together for the rest of their lives. If he asked that of lina, then his intentions toward her would be clear. He wanted to make them clear.
"lina, would you—"
A strong tremor suddenly shook the inn, making everyone's chatter pause and Sienna hiss out.
"What was that?" Charlotte asked nervously.
Another, stronger tremor shook the inn, making the plates slide off the table and people fall out of their chairs. Alistair grabbed Charlotte, holding her close, while lina grabbed Sienna, holding the wyrm close, so other people wouldn't bump into her.
Then the alarm bell rang through the town, long and loud. It was a call to all adventurers and soldiers to take up arms.
User Comments
0 comments from readers