Chapter 3

Dionysis's POV

She was looking at me with those wide, pleading eyes—the kind that could make even a hardened war general throw down his sword and surrender. And she was supposed to be the villainess? Saints above.

My throat went dry as her fingers tightened around my sleeve. No student had ever dared to touch me like that before. Well, no sane one, at least. Heat rushed to my ears, and I jerked my gaze away before she noticed.

“Would you… be so kind as to remove your hand, my lady?” I managed to croak out, though it sounded far less dignified than I’d hoped.

The moment she let go, I had to remind myself to breathe. This wasn’t like her. The Iris I knew would’ve thrown a tantrum halfway through the first lesson—not begged for more. And that flame she conjured… It wasn’t just decent. It was flawless. I’d seen seasoned mages produce worse on their first try.

For the first time, a flicker of something unfamiliar stirred in me. Anticipation? Curiosity? Whatever it was, it made my pulse quicken.

“Then… how about you try conjuring a ball of flame,” I heard myself say, more calmly than I felt. “It’s technically more difficult than a simple flame, because of its shape. But if your imagination is strong, it might just work.”

She lit up instantly, like a spark catching kindling. I couldn’t help but stare as she lifted both hands, eyes shut in fierce concentration. What in the world happened to the useless little brat I knew yesterday?

She shut her eyes, hands stretched out, the morning air around us growing still. At first, I expected the usual—an unstable flicker, maybe a wobbly ember if we were lucky. But then… I felt it.

The air shifted.

Mana surged through the field like a pulse, sharp and hot. My breath caught as glowing threads of light swirled around her hands, twisting together in perfect unison. No way.

A spark formed. Then it grew. And grew. And—dear heavens above—it kept growing.

Before I knew it, she was standing there with a ball of flame the size of a carriage floating calmly between her palms, golden sparks dancing in the air like falling stars.

My brain froze. This wasn’t basic-level magic. This wasn’t even intermediate. This was… something else entirely.

“WHAT IN THE—!” I choked, stumbling a step back. I’d trained dozens of students, but I’d never seen anyone channel that much mana with such ridiculous ease.

She opened her eyes, blinking innocently at the blazing inferno she’d just casually created—as if she’d just baked a pie and not a miniature sun.

She was either a prodigy… or I was about to die a very stupid death.

The flame didn’t stop.

What had started as a neat little sphere quickly swelled, its heat rolling through the training field in suffocating waves. My cloak whipped around me from the sheer pressure of the mana she was pulling in.

I blinked. Once. Twice. No, I wasn’t hallucinating. That ball of flame was still growing.

“Wait—wait, what are you—?!” My words tangled over themselves as the sphere expanded to the size of a wagon, then a carriage, then bigger. It floated between her palms like an obedient pet. Her palms didn’t even shake.

And then—she tilted her head, all wide-eyed and innocent, as if she wasn’t standing there holding an elemental nuke.

“Is this enough?” she asked sweetly.

My soul left my body.

I swear, I felt my life flash before my eyes. My knees nearly buckled as I staggered back, gripping the edge of a stone pillar like it might save me.

“ENOUGH?! MY LADY, YOU SUMMONED A— A— GOOD LORD, PUT THAT THING DOWN BEFORE YOU BURN THE ENTIRE ESTATE!!”

How was she smiling? How was she so calm? I’d spent years mastering this spell, and she’d just—just—willed the sun into existence.

My heart clenched. She wasn’t just casting—she was staring at that thing like it was the most beautiful sight in the world. The more she gazed, the bigger it got… as if her wonder itself was feeding the flame. Has she never seen magic before?!

“Iris!” I yelled, panic clawing at my throat. “SNAP OUT OF IT! IMAGINE IT DISSIPATING—NOW! SLOWLY! BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT!”

With a start, she looked at me before nodding, then fixed her gaze back on that blasted ball with fierce concentration. And just like that—just as fast as it had appeared—it vanished. I let out a shaky breath I hadn’t even realized I was holding and collapsed to my knees in relief.

And yet… even as my heart pounded like a drum, my eyes stayed on her. She had looked mesmerizing—the way the mana whipped through her hair, golden strands catching the furious light of that monstrous flame. She’d looked like someone born of fire itself.

Who… was she? And why had I never seen her potential before? It was as if the girl who could barely spark a flame yesterday had become someone else entirely overnight.

Iris dropped onto the grass with a soft thump, and panic shot through me. I rushed toward her, half-expecting her to have passed out after conjuring something like that. But to my surprise, she didn’t look hurt at all. In fact… she laughed.

A light, breathless laugh bubbled out of her, her arms sprawled across the grass like she owned the entire world. I stared as the sound filled the training grounds, bright and wild—like sunlight breaking through a storm. And before I even realized it, the corners of my mouth tugged upward. Cute…

Then, a chill crawled down my spine. I felt a presence in front of me.

My smile froze as I slowly looked up.

Someone stood there, completely speechless—his mouth hanging open, eyes locked on Iris like she was something out of a legend.....

The Crown Prince.