Free Web NovelChapter 20: Chapter 20: A Necessary Investment
Chapter 20: A Necessary Investment
—CELIA—
"Please remain still, my lady."
"I have remained still for the past ten minutes."
"You moved your shoulder again."
"That was involuntary. I am breathing."
The older maid standing behind me sighed with the patience of someone who had long accepted suffering as part of her profession.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror while three different women worked around me with terrifying precision. One carefully arranged my hair while another adjusted the sleeves of my dress for what felt like the twentieth time despite them already looking perfectly fine.
Meanwhile, Ren stood quietly near the windows a respectable distance away, with hands folded neatly behind his back as though he had already adapted perfectly to noble household etiquette overnight.
Honestly impressive.
"You are smiling again," I accused him immediately after catching the faint curve of amusement near his lips through the mirror.
Ren straightened at once. "My apologies, my lady."
"That is not an apology voice. That is a ’I-am-clearly-enjoying-this’ voice."
One of the younger maids covered a laugh while pretending to focus very seriously on folding ribbons nearby.
Ren lowered his head politely, though I could still see amusement lingering in his expression.
"I merely find it reassuring," he said carefully, "that even daughters of dukes experience difficulties in the morning."
I gasped softly.
"Ren," I said with genuine betrayal, "you have known me for barely two days and already you mock me."
"I would never dare."
"You absolutely dare." freewebnovёl.ƈom
The older maid finally stepped back after securing the last pin into my hair. "There. Finished."
I looked toward the mirror properly again.
Ah.
Lady Aria Valen had returned.
Elegant dress. Perfectly styled hair. Composed appearance. The very image of noble refinement.
Which was unfortunate because internally I still felt like a sleep-deprived woman surviving entirely through panic and bad decisions.
I rose from my seat carefully while smoothing my skirts.
"Excellent," I declared. "I once again resemble a functioning aristocrat."
"You always resemble one, my lady," the older maid replied automatically.
"That is because all of you work harder than I do."
No one argued against that.
Honestly, fair enough.
I walked toward the breakfast table near the windows while the servants quietly resumed organizing the room around us. Ren stepped aside slightly to allow me space before pulling out the chair for me with surprising smoothness.
I blinked at him.
"...You are adapting alarmingly fast."
A faint flush appeared near his ears. "The butler instructed me extensively this morning."
"Ah. Training."
"He seemed deeply concerned about my survival."
"That means he likes you."
"I believed it meant the opposite."
I laughed softly before reaching for a piece of bread.
Morning sunlight poured warmly through the windows, illuminating the room in soft gold. Outside, I could see servants already moving through the estate grounds while distant birdsong drifted faintly through the air.
Honestly...
This world truly was beautiful.
Although dangerous, maybe deeply problematic, and filled with emotionally unstable male leads.
But beautiful.
As I ate quietly, my thoughts slowly drifted back toward yesterday.
I still felt strangely proud of myself for escaping that corridor successfully.
I had practically delivered the heroine directly into Kaelen’s path myself.
If my calculations were correct, he had absolutely fallen in love already.
The man looked one breeze away from writing poetry.
Which meant one major threat had likely stabilized itself.
Sebastian would eventually fall for Cynthia exactly as the story intended, and I would peacefully disappear from the narrative before things became catastrophic.
Wonderful.
Unfortunately, three problems still remained.
Knight Commander Matthias Sinclair.
Crown Prince Damien Ashford.
And Archmage Ezekiel Rowe.
Just thinking about those three gave me stress.
Matthias observed people too carefully.
Damien was dangerously charming.
And Ezekiel...
That man genuinely felt like the kind of person who would read minds for entertainment.
Absolutely not.
I needed protection.
Real protection.
Because while avoiding the plot sounded excellent in theory, this world was still dangerous regardless of romance complications.
There were monsters, political conflicts, and...
...magic.
And based on the original novel, noble society itself already functioned like a battlefield wearing expensive perfume.
I slowly paused mid-bite.
Wait.
Magic.
Right.
Magic existed here.
My eyes widened slightly.
Why had I not thought about that earlier?
If magic existed in this world...
Then shouldn’t I learn it?
I straightened in my seat immediately.
Ren blinked at the sudden movement. "My lady?"
"Magic," I said.
He stared.
"...Magic?"
"Yes. This world contains magic. Therefore I should acquire some."
The servants nearby exchanged confused glances.
The older maid cautiously spoke first. "My lady... you already know basic magical education."
"I do?"
"Yes."
I paused.
Right.
Original Aria probably received noble education already.
Unfortunately, I personally remembered absolutely none of it because my brain remained busy trying not to die.
"That does not count," I declared firmly. "I require practical knowledge."
Ren tilted his head slightly. "For what purpose?"
"For survival."
The room became silent.
I realized how alarming that sounded only afterward.
"I mean generally," I corrected quickly. "Hypothetical survival."
That somehow sounded worse.
The younger maid looked worried. "Has something happened, my lady?"
"No. But things could happen."
"Such as?"
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it again.
I could hardly say, ’Well according to a romance novel written by my sister, there is a strong possibility of future execution.’
So instead, I smiled weakly.
"I simply believe self-defense is important."
That at least was honest.
Ren studied me quietly for a moment before speaking carefully. "You wish to learn combat magic?"
"Combat, defense, escape methods, emergency survival, possibly dramatic magical intimidation..."
The older maid looked increasingly distressed.
"My lady," she said gently, "most noble ladies do not study such things extensively."
"Yes," I replied. "And many noble ladies also die tragically in novels."
Silence filled the room.
Ren blinked slowly.
"...Novels?"
"I-I mean...metaphorical novels."
That recovery felt weak even to me.
I quickly stood before anyone questioned me further.
"Regardless," I continued with dignity, "I have decided that improving my magical knowledge is now a priority."
The servants still looked confused, but the older maid eventually nodded thoughtfully.
"If Your Ladyship truly wishes to study more seriously," she said, "perhaps you should visit Libracia."
I immediately turned toward her.
"...Libracia?"
"The Grand Magical Library Academy," Ren explained softly before the maid could continue. "Most advanced magical texts and magical scholars gather there."
My eyes widened immediately.
A magic academy library?
That sounded exactly like the type of place important plot events happened.
Which also meant, dangerous male lead territory.
I narrowed my eyes thoughtfully.
Actually...
That was not necessarily bad.
If I learned magic properly, I could protect myself regardless of what happened later.
And if I became strong enough, perhaps I would no longer need to fear the story at all.
A strange excitement slowly stirred inside me.
The excitement of finally gaining control over my own survival is fascinating!
I looked toward Ren immediately.
"We are going."
He blinked. "To Libracia?"
"Yes."
"My lady... immediately?"
"Knowledge waits for no woman."
The older maid sighed deeply. "At the very least, please finish your breakfast first."
I paused and awkwardly sat back down.
"...Very well," I said solemnly. "But after breakfast, we pursue magical excellence."
Ren looked at me for several long seconds before unexpectedly smiling again.
"Very well, my lady."
