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Chapter 51

"You're not doing something stupid, are you?"

"What kind of stupid?"

"Pointless stuff! Unnecessary stuff! Foolish stuff!"

"Don't you do it either."

"It's because you keep saying things with such deep meaning!"

"I don't know—if I see those bastards, I might lose my mind! Do you think I could stay sane?"

I couldn't bring myself to say "you'll be fine."

This kid is Czerban Caelius. The Czerban Caelius who might one day become a mad dark mage.

In the original story, Grand Duke Isaac was already dead, and it was obvious whose hands he died by.

"So if I try to grab you, dodge. You have a weapon. Or just throw the hat over your head and run."

"You're bare-handed, but you want me to use a club?"

"Do you think this is some fair fight? Just swing it. Be sneaky. Be underhanded."

Kali's words, each syllable emphasized, made me nod in bewilderment.

"What if I kill you? What if you get a concussion? What if you lose your memory?!"

The human head is so fragile—one wrong hit and it's serious!

When I shouted in shock, Kali smirked annoyingly.

"Then you'll have to take responsibility for me."

"Ah, be serious!"

"Just control your strength—what's the problem?"

"What do you mean! How do you even do that!"

Frustrated, I yelled and summoned my club.

Seeing me pull out my club, Kali seemed to really want to fight bare-handed and took a stance. I was about to say I was joking when I heard a strange "gwaa" sound from behind.

Wondering what it was, I turned around quickly—Philip was pointing at me with his index finger extended.

"You, you...! Did you just pull out a club? For real? You? I heard from the Duke that you could use your unique magic, but I didn't believe it! Algenprina Hariella's club!"

Forgetting his old-man noble speech, Philip's eyes sparkled with excitement as he ran over.

Come to think of it, the last time I saw Philip was before I regained my past-life memories, so he'd only ever seen me hate my club.

"Um, well, things changed."

"I-I used to get a death glare just for mentioning the word 'unique magic'!"

"Unique magic is something I'll have to live with forever... so I changed my mindset."

"So if I ask to see your unique magic now, you won't hit me?"

That's right. Now that Philip mentioned it, I remembered—I had hit him. Not with a fist, but I did slap his hand when he asked about my unique magic the first time we met.

"Sorry. Back then, I was really stressed about my unique magic..."

"Huh? No, I was partly to blame too. It's rude to ask about someone's unique magic when you've just met."

"Then what's your unique magic?"

Right after saying it was rude, you ask what his unique magic is? Kali, you bastard...

"Ugh! Didn't you just hear me say it's rude?"

Kali shrugged with an annoying smirk.

"So I asked—what's the problem? And your tone changed?"

Even I found his expression annoying—how must it look to Philip? Once you grab someone's collar, it's easier the second time. They were rolling on the ground again, grabbing each other's collars. I was too tired to stop them and just sighed.

Kali was the one who started with the fire, but Philip wasn't backing down either—their nerves had been blazing since morning.

"I didn't like him from the first moment I saw him! He appeared out of nowhere like he dropped from the sky!"

"So what if you don't like me? Weakling."

"You pick fights over everything! I hate everything about you!"

Still, Kali never crossed the line. If it were a stranger grabbing his collar instead of Philip, Kali would have thrown a punch first.

It was possible because it was Philip—Philip, the son of Father's close friend.

Since they were just grabbing collars and exchanging words like kids playing in the dirt, I didn't even feel like stopping them. They'd get up on their own eventually.

"I was Hariella's closest friend! Even though I had a pathetic unique magic, Hariella was the only one who ever treated me properly!"

At Philip's sudden heartfelt confession, I stared at him with wide eyes.

What did I do when I first met Philip? To be honest, I don't really remember.

Back then, I was filled with stress and depression, so I probably didn't care what Philip's unique magic was. I never knew that my indifference had comforted Philip.

What was Philip's unique magic again? I think it was something that created static electricity...

"But then he appeared out of nowhere and stuck to Hariella's side! No matter how much you're the Czerban Grand Duke's heir..."

"What?"

What did he just say? How does Philip know that?

I'd always called Caelius "Kali" in front of Philip. Kali had never once used flames in front of Philip, nor said anything about where he came from or who he was. So how did Philip know?

A wave of heat hit my skin, snapping me back to reality. Intense flames blazed through the air, and I quickly raised my club to disperse them.

"Kali!!"

"Who are you?"

A fierce voice erupted from Kali. As I rushed to separate them, powerful sparks flew around both of them.

This isn't static electricity!

Suddenly, fire and lightning erupted right in front of me. I squeezed my eyes shut against the blinding light and shielded my face with my arm—when I lowered it, the shadows had already separated the two.

"The hike ends here. All three of you, head back down."

At the familiar voice, I lowered my arm. Aisa stood before me, checking if I was hurt.

"Aisa!"

"Young lady, are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine. Kali! Philip!"

Both of them, subdued by other shadows, were surprisingly calm. The only person who could have told Philip that Kali was the Czerban Grand Duke's heir was Father.

Did Father tell him? Even if he's a friend's son... Wait, friend?

Our mother and Kali's mother were close friends. And the fathers were also friends—did that mean Joseph was friends with Kali's father too?

"For now! Let's go down. We'll talk when we get back."

It would have been less scary if Kali had thrown a tantrum—his silence and blank expression were more frightening.

"Kali."

I walked up to Kali and stood before him. Gently, I lifted his face, which stubbornly refused to meet my eyes.

"Kali, can you hear me?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go ask Father. He..."

"Just ask me. About how he knows."

I could have asked Philip directly, but that was a problem in itself—who knows what explosive statement would come out of his mouth.

"That won't be possible, Philip-nim."

Aisa stopped Philip.

"Everyone, just shut up and get down! Both of you!"

All I'd wanted was to enjoy the lake and relax, and this is what happens!

Under the shadows' not-so-subtle watch, we headed back down the mountain. It wasn't surprising that Philip, panting halfway, ended up being carried down by a shadow.

After hearing the report, Father held his head as if it hurt, while Uncle Joseph laughed and slapped Father's shoulder.

Then Joseph abruptly stopped laughing, grabbed Philip, and disappeared. Father silently ruffled Kali's hair.

"Eh? What! So what is it?! You have to tell me, right?!"

"...Was he also Father's friend?"

"Yes. The three of us were friends."

"Then it's okay if you don't tell me right away."

"Why? Aren't you curious?"

I am curious! Is it really okay to let Uncle Joseph and Philip go like that?

"Because there must be a reason you can't tell me right now. I trust the Duke and Rachel."

The moment Kali finished speaking, there was a brief silence. Father spread his arms and hugged Kali tightly, rubbing his face against the top of his head.

"Oh dear."

A heartfelt sigh escaped Father as he hugged Kali and swayed back and forth.

Stepping back from them, I stared with cold eyes at Father, who was so overcome with love for Kali he didn't know what to do.

"Hari, you'll see Joseph and Philip again at the Founding Festival, so stop glaring. You'll find out then."

So there is something after all?

"If it's the Founding Festival, that's not far off."

"Right. Not far at all."

Wait, the Founding Festival party really isn't far off. But why have I been so relaxed...?

"So you two. It's time to get a little busy. The tailor is coming tomorrow, so you'll pick out outfits with Rachel to wear to the party, and starting tomorrow, you'll learn to dance with Charlotte and Simon for a week."

"I already know how to dance."

"I wouldn't say you're perfect, would you? Since Kali is here too, you can learn together."

As Father rattled off the upcoming schedule, both Kali's and my expressions darkened simultaneously.

Ah, my carefree life at the villa. Goodbye...

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