It had been a week since Yusha left, and he was still nowhere to be found. His family had begun to worry deeply about him. His father's condition was already clear, and his mother had to care for him while carrying the entire burden of the household. The poor woman was trying to manage the house with the money she earned, struggling with chores while simultaneously sending an allowance to her daughter studying at the Capital Magic Academy.
Eventually, a mother's heart could take no more, and she immediately wrote a letter to her daughter. In the letter, she explained that his father had been paralyzed by a giant, and the following morning, her brother had run away and had been missing for a week. She was both worried about her son and crushed under the weight of taking on all the responsibility alone.
In short, she had sent this letter so that Yuki would go look for her brother. For Yuki, it felt like being called back for "babysitting" right when she had two major magic proficiency exams to pass. Moreover, she didn't want to be away from her friends at school.
After reading the letter, Yuki began pacing back and forth in her room, talking to herself aloud. Truth be told, her brother had given his own right to her; he had handed over the chance to study at the Capital Magic Academy to Yuki. Her brother had never had any intention or interest in learning magic or socializing at the academy anyway. He was the antisocial type who stayed home buried in his books. Sometimes he would be forced out of his room to work in the fields, but he would always find a way to take something to read with him.
"He was a complete fool," she muttered. "Even if he gave me his right to study here, he's still a fool. He acts so childishly that he can't even think for himself. Running away from home? This idiot is older than me, yet he acts like this!"Nevertheless, Yuki hated being indebted to anyone. Without wasting any time, she decided to set out the very next day. She left her room and headed toward the administration floor.
She intended to ask the Headmistress for leave due to a family matter and then fill out an excuse petition for the make-up exams. When she reached the Headmistress's office, she saw that the door was open. The interior was pitch black; almost nothing could be seen.
Even though the door was open, she knocked out of respect, just in case, and stepped inside with curious eyes. Since the window was open, the curtains were fluttering gently. Guided by the faint light passing through the curtains, she walked step by step toward the Headmistress's desk. She was careful not to bump into anything or trip.
At that moment, the curtains billowed more violently than ever before. A sudden, powerful gust of wind lifted the curtains high, allowing the pure moonlight to illuminate the entire room. In an instant, Yuki saw everything clearly: the unconscious Headmistress and the assassin who had raised his blade, ready to strike. As soon as the assassin spotted Yuki, he lunged to finish his unfinished business. He was just about to deliver the final blow to the Headmistress...Yuki quickly intervened with wind magic. With the blast, the man was instantly flung toward the corner of the room. Yuki didn't stop; she cast a whirlwind spell, another one she had mastered. The man was lifted off his feet, and the room descended into chaos. Various objects from the office were swirling in the air along with him. Yuki planned to use the whirlwind to throw the man out of the open window.
As the man was being dragged toward the window, his hidden face was revealed. His hood fell back, and his black mask slipped off. Yuki knew this person. Those blonde locks and emerald green eyes reminded her of only one person...
IT WAS HER BROTHER!!!!!!
That same childish, foolish person who had sacrificed his own right to attend the academy for her... Had he truly turned into such a despicable human being? She couldn't fathom his purpose or what he could possibly be planning. She had no clue what was going through his head. But she was certain of one thing: that scumbag of a brother had taken advantage of her momentary distraction, jumped out the window, and vanished into the shadows. What on earth was wrong with him?Driven by the rage of letting her brother escape, Yuki rushed out into the school corridor, sprinting toward the garden that the headmistress's office overlooked.
"It's impossible for him to be okay after jumping from that height. I must be missing him in the darkness of the night," she muttered to herself. Yet, the fury and curiosity burning inside her made her run even faster.She was going to catch her brother, give him a good beating, and hand him over to justice. After running through the long school corridors until she was out of breath, she finally thought of using her magic. She now knew almost every trick of the wind magic she had mastered.
She finally made it down to the garden, but there was nothing there; everything was shrouded in darkness. It felt as if something was watching her, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. She truly felt as if someone was breathing right next to her, as if someone had approached her closely. She turned around abruptly, but there was no one. Only the trees in the school garden, their leaves rustling slightly in the dark of the night. What could it be, anyway? Hadn't her brother just run away from her? He had barely escaped with his life.
The air was cold; she only began to feel it as the shock of the incident wore off. There was nothing in sight, and she wasn't in danger. She went inside, seeking solace in a hot chocolate. Unlike the boys' dorms, the girls' dorm was in perfect order. Nearly every door had a cute ornament placed in front of it. All the girls in the dorm were very sweet and hospitable.
To Yuki, every boy who came to the magic academy was the same: their only goal was to get these beautiful young girls into bed. Yuki hated all men as usual, but there were some exceptions, of course. She had fallen in love with the most handsome boy in school, a black-haired, blue-eyed student from class 1-B. While preparing her hot chocolate in her room, she accidentally burnt her hand when she momentarily thought of Ren Jin, the school's popular boy.
She was truly crazy about him. Unlike other boys, he had a very beautiful face; it wasn't covered in acne. His skin was baby-soft and snow-white, and even his smile was something else. "Ugh, if only Ren Jin would date her!" She wanted to tear apart all the girls lingering near him. Every time she went near Ren Jin, she went mad because some girl was keeping him busy. Even though she had no problem with those girls and they were good people, she was dying of jealousy. Why didn't Ren Jin talk to her before she left? Why didn't he notice a beauty like her—the star of class 2-A with blonde hair, emerald eyes, and baby-soft skin? Even though she passed right by him, he would only say hello; one would expect him to at least strike up a conversation or ask how she was... But no chance.
She took the last sip of her hot chocolate with a surge of hope. "Yes," she thought, "I'm going to go and talk to Ren Jin tomorrow. I'll tell him that I love him. I won't be afraid; I'll say whatever I feel, I can't take it anymore." She had forgotten today's events. Just thinking about Ren Jin had calmed all her pains and fears. She lay in bed and forced herself to sleep. The more she forced it, the more her sleep fled; she tossed and turned from one side to the other. Eventually, she grew so exhausted from struggling that she finally fell asleep.When those beautiful blue eyes opened, she woke up in a cramped room filled with wooden shelves. She tried to make sense of what was happening, but she couldn't understand a thing. Even the bed she lay in reeked of sweat; they had covered her with a foul, disgusting, and filthy red blanket. Seriously, what was going on? What kind of a hellish situation was this?
She got out of bed and headed for the door. When she opened it, a long, grand corridor appeared. It had high, arched architecture. "Where on earth is this? Am I in a palace?" she muttered to herself. Yes, she truly was in a palace.