The Second Confession Event

Thud! Crash!

“Ouch!”

I materialized out of thin air—a few inches above the ground to be exact—and promptly crashed to the hard ground. I groaned in pain as I sat up.

“Thank goodness it works…” I muttered while breaking out in cold sweat.

It was the first time I ever used teleportation magic, although I’d learned the theory during magic class. The teacher warned us to never attempt the magic under unfavorable situation, since it was highly dangerous. We could’ve materialized far above the ground, or deep underground, or even stuck somewhere within a wall. I had to admit that I was being reckless, but fortunately my gamble paid off.

“This is…” I looked around.

The place was brightly lit from the sunlight and filled with lush plants of various species. The glass walls allowed me to see right outside the building, where people dressed in uniform walked around the place. In other words, it was the greenhouse within the Magic Academy’s ground.

“Thankfully no one is inside right now.” I muttered as I rose to my feet.

When I thought of a safe place, where my father and brother couldn’t easily find me, the first place that popped up in my mind was the academy. Among all the facilities and hiding place that the academy could provide, there was only one place where I truly felt connected with—the greenhouse. As a child of farming village, I was most comfortable being around plants and working with the dirt, something that most noble students would avoid.

“Now then…” I sat down on a nearby wooden bench and hung my head. “…what should I do?”

Even though I escaped their grasp for the time being, I couldn’t run away from my family forever. On paper, they were still my guardians and I was still a minor. I briefly entertained the idea of running away to the neighboring kingdom and starting a new life there, but quickly scrapped it. Without a single coin to my name, I would just end up living in poverty and forced to sell myself. But if I stayed in this kingdom, I wouldn’t stand a chance against the powerful ducal family. Given enough time, my father could force the academy to hand me over and quickly marry me off to the crown prince—

“Ah, that’s right!” My head snapped up. “If I ask Suoh-sama for help, then maybe…!”

Then I realized that it would spark a civil war between the royal family and the ducal family and quickly abandoned the idea.

“Haa…what should I do? Why am I so powerless?” I mumbled bitterly.

I possessed the greatest amount of magic power in the kingdom’s history, and yet there was nothing I could do to change my situation. How convenient would it be if I could turn back time and redo everything—

Ker-chak!

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

The sound of the greenhouse’s door unlocked, as well as the following voice, jolted me back to reality. I quickly hid behind the nearest bushes and held my breath. The sound of footsteps echoed closer and closer, until I was certain that someone was heading toward my direction.

“Hmm…I’m sure she’s around here somewhere…” That person muttered to himself.

I instantly perked up when I recognized that voice.

“Akari, are you here—?”

“Hijiri-sama?!”

I suddenly jumped out of the bushes, scaring Hijiri half to death.

“Whoa!”

“A-Ack, I’m so sorry!”

After Hijiri somewhat calmed down, we both sat down on the bench.

“Akari, what happened to you? You weren’t at class today, and when the worried teacher contacted your house, they said you went to the academy as usual. Everyone is in uproar that maybe you were kidnapped on your way here.” Hijiri explained.

“Urk…I should’ve left a message for the academy…” I mumbled, regretting my carelessness.

Then I began recounting what happened this morning. I didn’t hide any detail, since Hijiri already knew my origin and he was affiliated with the Magic Tower, making him a neutral party between the royal family and the nobility. By the time I finished talking, my voice was cracking and tears pooled in my eyes.

“I see…it must be hard for you, Akari.” Hijiri took out his handkerchief and gently wiped my eyes. “I have no idea that the duke is capable of doing such a horrible thing.”

“Yes…me neither.” I hung my head. “I keep thinking of what I should do now, but nothing come to mind, until you came here—”

At that point, I realized something.

“Hijiri-sama, how did you know that I’m here?” I turned to look at him.

“Ah.” Hijiri made a face like he accidently let slip something important, but he eventually explained it to me. “I’m going to need you to keep my explanation a secret, okay?”

I nodded, prompting Hijiri to continue talking.

“You know that the academy is protected by a magic barrier, right? Normally, a mage from the Magic Tower is tasked to maintain the barrier, but since I’m enrolled here, I took over the role.”

“What?! That’s a great honor, Hijiri-sama! How amazing!” I exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

Hijiri scratched his cheek in embarrassment. “No, it’s no big deal…anyway, thanks to that, I’m able to sense any fluctuation in the barrier. When you trespassed into the academy using teleportation magic, the barrier reacted and alerted me. I was able to pinpoint your location here, but I was being careful since I didn’t know who was powerful enough to use teleportation magic.”

“Huh?” I tilted my head. “But you called my name earlier…”

“It’s because I’m familiar with your magical signature, Akari. Putting it aside,” Hijiri quickly changed the topic. “If you’re worrying over what to do, then how about you join the Magic Tower?”

It took me a few seconds to fully understand what Hijiri was saying.

“W-What?! Me?! Joining the Magic Tower?!” I pointed at myself in disbelief.

The Magic Tower was an organization solely comprised of elite mages and its influence was powerful enough to rival the royal family. They had their own set of rules and authority, making their most powerful mages comparable to high-ranking nobles, regardless of their original status. Many mages dreamed of joining the Magic Tower and eventually becoming the head of Magic Tower—the Tower Master.

Hijiri nodded. “I’m sure they’ll welcome you with open arms. After all, you possessed the greatest amount of magic power, and you’re a natural genius at using magic. I mean, look at you. It hasn’t even been a year since you first studied magic, and now you’re capable of using teleportation magic—something that took me five years to master!”

I cast my gaze down, suddenly feeling embarrassed by his frank compliments. “N-No, I just got lucky I could use teleportation, and I’m not sure I can do it again if I’m asked to…” I mumbled, oblivious to the darkness in Hijiri’s eyes when I spoke. “You’re the genius mage here, Hijiri-sama. Everyone acknowledge your abilities, since you’re the youngest mage to join the Magic Tower. Compared to you, I’m nothing…”

“That’s not true, Akari.” Hijiri reached out and lifted my chin, making me look straight at him. “I believe you have the potential to become a great mage. I, the genius mage, guarantee it, so you should believe in yourself as well.” He declared confidently.

A rush of embarrassment mixed with hope flowed into my chest. My cheeks inevitably reddened as I hurriedly cast my gaze down.

“Do…Do you think I can really do it?” I stammered.

“Yes, of course. You’ll be the greatest asset to the Magic Tower.” Hijiri smiled, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

I took a deep breath. “T-Then, I will—”

BANG!

“Akari! Are you there?!”

I was interrupted by the loud sound of someone barging into the greenhouse, as well as a familiar voice calling my name in panic.

“S-Suoh-sama?!” I quickly jumped to my feet, too distracted to notice Hijiri softly clicking his tongue.

“Akari! Thank goodness you’re safe!”

Suoh headed straight to me and swept me into his embrace. Normally I’d be too embarrassed by his affection, but this time I just closed my eyes and let myself be spoiled by his warmth. Then I remembered the conversation I just had with Hijiri.

“W-Wait, Suoh-sama. Please let me go!” I squirmed around, trying to distance myself.

“No, I’m not letting you go.” However, Suoh stubbornly hugged me tighter. “You don’t know just how worried I was when you suddenly disappeared. Please let me hug you a little bit longer, Akari.”

“Urk…” Realizing that I was the cause of this situation, I ceased my struggle and obediently let him hug me until he was satisfied.

“Now, are you alright, Akari? Are you hurt anywhere?” After letting me go, Suoh began inspecting me with hawk-like eyes.

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine. Suoh-sama, what are you doing here? How did you know I’m here?”

“Oh, the Duke told me that you went missing since this morning, so I couldn’t stay quiet. I’ve sent the knights to help find you, until I received another report from Hijiri that you suddenly appeared in the greenhouse.”

“Ah…is that so…?” Hearing Tatsuo being mentioned brought my mood down. I lowered my gaze and bit my lips, willing myself not to cry anymore.

“Akari, what actually happened this morning? Where did you disappear to?” Suoh asked me.

“T-That’s…I…” I glanced at Hijiri, wordlessly begging him to help me. I wasn’t ready to recount the whole story again, not without bursting into tears.

“Let me explain, Your Highness.” Hijiri caught my signal and stepped forward.

With impassioned voice, he narrated the whole story exactly the way I told him earlier. By the time Hijiri was finished, a frown was etched on Suoh’s forehead.

“To think that the duke was capable of such atrocity…” He muttered.

I nodded with a gloomy face. “Hijiri-sama said the same thing earlier. Therefore, Suoh-sama…”

I gathered my courage and looked straight at the crown prince.

“…I’m very sorry, but I cannot accept your proposal.”

“ “…!” ”

Both Suoh and Hijiri seemed equally shocked.

“…may I know the reason?” Suoh asked after a few seconds.

“I…do not plan on returning to my father—to Himemiya Family.” I clasped my hands tightly. “I’m going to throw away the Himemiya name and…and join the Magic Tower as one of their aspiring mages.”

“What?!” Suoh whirled toward Hijiri with a scowl on his face, as if the latter had just committed a great betrayal. “What is the meaning of this, Hijiri?!”

“Suoh-sama, please don’t get angry at Hijiri-sama!” I quickly defended him. “He extended the offer when I have nowhere else to go! If I can become a member of Magic Tower, I’ll cut all ties with the Himemiya Family! Since I won’t be a duke’s daughter anymore, I will no longer have any rights to stand beside you, Suoh-sama. That’s why I can’t accept your proposal.”

Suoh fell silent for a moment, which felt like an eternity to me, who was waiting for his response anxiously. Then he let out a deep sigh.

“Akari…” Suoh approached me and took my hands. His eyes were gazing pleadingly at me. “Do you really hate the idea of marrying me so much?”

“H-Huh?!” I was flabbergasted by the unexpected question. “N-No, of course not! Suoh-sama is the most wonderful partner I can ever ask for! Which is why—”

“Then, why won’t you rely on me?” Suoh interrupted with a sullen tone.

“Rely…?”

“Akari, if you marry me, the royal family will be able to protect you and punish the duke for his crimes as well.”

“B-But it will lead to a civil war…!”

“No, I won’t let that happen. With you in our protection, we will have the perfect justification to condemn the duke and make him pay for his crimes. You do want to avenge your mother’s death, right?”

“Mom…” Being reminded of my mom brought a sharp pain to my chest. I nodded strongly and said, “That’s right, I want Otou-sama to repent for killing my mom and other innocent people. I won’t let him get away with this!”

“Good, that’s the spirit!” Suoh grinned. “If you marry me, you won’t have to lose your status as the duke’s daughter. You’ll be seen as the tragic heroine who lost your mother and be forced into the nobility by your father’s greed, only to be saved by the prince who fell in love with you. Once this story spread, no one will be able to criticize you for being the crown princess.”

“Suoh-sama, I…”

Despite everything that he said, I still hesitated in agreeing to his proposal. My heart felt uneasy whenever I imagined being married to Suoh, perhaps owing to my commoner mentality. I just couldn’t picture myself standing next to him in public as his fiancée. Something kept telling me that it would never happen in my lifetime.

“Akari, if my position is making you uneasy, then please think of me as just another man.” Suoh suddenly knelt down before me, his hand firmly clasped mine. “Please allow me the chance to protect the most important woman in my life. You are my precious treasure, and I’m willing to cast away my life to protect you. I know that I’ll regret it for the rest of my life if I let go of your hand.”

He brought his forehead to my hand, just like a devoted knight swearing an oath to his princess.

“Akari, I love you. Let me ask you again, will you marry me?”

His earnest words resounded in my heart, blowing away all of my anxiety and uneasiness. This time, I smiled softly at him as I made up my mind.

“Yes, Suoh-sama. I will gladly marry you.”

Suoh’s head snapped up as he stared at me in surprise. Then a big smile bloomed on his face and he quickly swept me into his arms.

“Thank you, Akari! You’ve just made me the happiest man in the world!” He swung me around as he laughed happily.

“No, I should be the one thanking you, Suoh-sama. Thank you for not giving up on me.” I beamed at him.

I was so caught up in our happy moment that I didn’t realize Hijiri slipping out from the greenhouse, his expression full of disappointment.