Mia sat with a tense expression in front of a middle-aged woman. The large room was filled with old books, a long desk, and various magical tools. It was the royal palace's library.
The woman, wearing a monocle and a stern expression, looked sharply at Mia as she continued speaking.
"His current Majesty, King Minophon, is from the Ruby bloodline. And Grand Duke Julius, the next king, hails from the Peridot bloodline."
"Ah, right…"
Mia recalled the peridot ring she had been given, and the pale green jewel embedded in Julius's forehead—and in his eyes.
"In Sibareth, the throne is not inherited but rotates among the bloodlines. Grand Duke Julius was selected as the next king due to his exceptional intellect and ability. Now then, Lady Mia—could you recite the order of the twelve bloodlines?"
"First is Garnet, second is Amethyst, third is Aquamarine, fourth is Diamond, fifth is Emerald, sixth is Pearl… seventh is… um…"
The woman's eyes narrowed. Mia frantically searched her memory.
"Right! Ruby! And eighth is Peridot, ninth is Sapphire, tenth is Opal, eleventh is Topaz, and twelfth is Turquoise!"
"Well done. Now let's move to your next lesson."
As the woman closed her book and left the room, Mia let out a long sigh. The lesson that had started in the morning had finally ended. She had studied Sibareth's history, society, and the twelve bloodlines.
She had also learned that only people from those bloodlines could be nobles or royals. Humans were considered commoners or slaves, and beastfolk were used solely as slaves. Mia recalled the way some of the high-ranking nobles had looked at her—as though she were an insect—and laughed bitterly to herself.
So that's why they were so outraged—a mere human dares to reach for the queen's throne.
Sibareth had two neighboring countries: the fairy kingdom of Muria and the desert kingdom of Naizman. Leca had said he was from Naizman. Then could Mithys have been from Muria?
With that thought, Mia headed to her magic class.
"Today, we'll begin with materialization."
The instructor was a middle-aged man with a blue gem embedded in his forehead. Sapphire bloodline? Mia suddenly remembered something and blurted out a question.
"When will we learn teleportation?"
The instructor blinked in surprise.
"You wish to learn that?"
"...Yes."
"That's far beyond your current level. Teleportation is an advanced skill and requires extensive training."
She could still hear Shamanaz's mocking voice: You can't even do that yet?
"Do the royals just know how to do it from birth?"
"Hmm… there are individual differences. Now, Lady Mia, close your eyes and picture an object. A small one, please."
Mia closed her eyes.
"Focus your mind—especially between your eyebrows—and silently recite: Ye'hra, Aha, Betche."
A small cup materialized in the instructor's hand. Mia tried to visualize a cup as well. One began to form, transparent and distorted, but it soon flickered and vanished.
"It will take some practice. That's enough for today."
But Mia kept at it. For a full hour, she trained, sweat pouring down her face. In the end, she managed to produce a properly formed cup.
"The larger the object, the more mana it consumes."
Mia nodded, exhausted. To think this is all I can do so far… How much more will I have to learn? After this class, she would need to attend physical training.
She realized now that not checking the full terms of her deal with Mithys had been a mistake. This was no different from her life back in the U.S.—working hard from morning to night.
And now, the client, Mithys, had vanished entirely. All this was starting to look like a scam.
What should I do now…?
Maybe I should just run off with the gemstone at some point. But I don't even know how to get back to the U.S. And if Sibareth sends someone after me...
The very thought sent chills down her spine. She felt like a rat caught in a trap. It reminded her of those articles she'd seen—people who got scammed into overseas jobs, ended up working like slaves with no pay, and couldn't escape.
I should've looked into it more thoroughly.
But it was too late to regret it now. She had no choice but to wait and see. If she endured long enough, surely an opportunity would come.
Mia trained all day, from morning until night, and finally collapsed into bed, completely drained.
The next morning.
As soon as Mia opened her eyes, she saw a stranger standing beside her. It was a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties, with brown hair and a proud expression. Judging by the absence of any gemstone on her forehead, she seemed to be human, like Mia.
"Who... are you?"
Rubbing her eyes, Mia asked groggily. The woman gave a graceful bow.
"I am Lily, your personal handmaid from today onward, Lady Mia."
"Oh… I see."
A personal handmaid? Was that even necessary? As Mia scratched her head and thought about it, Lily spoke coldly.
"High Commander Leca will no longer be visiting you."
"What? Why not?"
"He has returned to his official duties. High Commander Leca is… an exceptionally busy man, with responsibilities from dawn to night."
Her tone made it sound like, Do you really think someone like you is worth his time? Mia quickly asked,
"Then… does that mean I won't see Leca at all anymore?"
"Unless you have a very specific reason, no."
"...But..."
Mia started to say something but closed her mouth. It wasn't strange, really. She hadn't expected Leca to stay by her side forever, and yet…
"Yes?"
"N-no, it's nothing."
Was she imagining it, or did this fellow human somehow look down on her? Mia stood up quietly. It was clear—she had no one on her side in this country. And she already missed Leca.
But Mia shook her head. She had to get used to this life. To living without Leca. And to surviving on her own.
That day's lesson began with materialization magic. Mia had been training for four straight hours, sweat pouring down her back. But even after all that, the only thing she could materialize was a single water cup. She couldn't manage anything larger, or anything imbued with mana.
Panting and near exhaustion, Mia asked,
"Does it usually take this long to learn?"
The blue-eyed instructor stroked his beard and answered awkwardly.
"...Well, for royals, it's usually over in thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes?! They can create anything in just half an hour?!"
"Yes, that's correct."
Then why? Mithys had claimed she was half Peridot bloodline. A fairy, even. And Mia had inherited her powers. So why was she struggling this much? With a worried look, Mia asked,
"Um… do you know what kind of test the rite of passage will be?"
"I have no idea," the instructor replied honestly.
"There are other kinds of magic besides materialization, right?"
"Yes… there are the protective and summoning spells—those are used in combat."
Suddenly, Mia felt her heart race.
"Can I learn those?"
The instructor looked mildly surprised, but then nodded.
"It wouldn't hurt to try. Follow me."
He led Mia to another room on an upper floor of the palace. Inside, a young man with a deep green gemstone on his forehead was speaking to a boy.
"Rodolphe, do you have a moment?"
"What's going on? This boy's lesson just finished, actually."
The boy glanced at Mia with a curious look, then darted off.
"I'd like you to help with her magic training."
"Ho?"
The man turned to Mia, his sparkling green eyes filled with interest.
"So you're the famous girl everyone's talking about. Pleased to meet you. I'm Rodolphe."
"Nice to meet you… I'm Mia."
After the instructor left, only the two of them remained. Rodolphe grew serious and asked,
"Have you ever used magic before?"
"No, only by accident… And I've just learned a bit of materialization here."
"But you inherited Mithys's attributes, yes? Are you aware…?"
"Aware of what?"
"One who enters the waters in which a fairy has molted shall not only inherit their power—but gain new abilities, fused with their own."
Mia was startled. She had never heard that before. Rodolphe gave her a knowing smile.
"Then let's run a quick test. Alright…"
He conjured a small wooden box in midair.
"Now, with your mind, focus on breaking this. Silently chant: Coupe, Kipe, Kepe."
Mia did as he instructed. At first, nothing happened. Rodolphe spoke calmly.
"It's natural for the first try to fail. Let's try again."
This time, Mia focused more deeply. And then—
POP! POP! POP! BOOM!!
What the—?! It wasn't just the small wooden box that broke. The wooden chair in front of her, and the long desk behind it, all exploded into splinters. Smoke curled upward from the pile of firewood that used to be furniture.
Mia was shocked. Rodolphe was even more so.
"Th-this is…"
"I—I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"
Rodolphe stared at her in disbelief. He had never seen mana like this before. Normally, when royal children took this test, the box would just singe a little.
Who is this girl…?
"Did I cause a huge accident?"
Seeing Mia's guilty expression, Rodolphe forced a smile.
There's no point telling her the truth right now. I'll just play it cool for now.
"Not at all, Lady Mia! Let's move on to the next step, shall we?"
As Mia obediently followed his directions and resumed her practice, Rodolphe watched her with a faint smile.
This is about to get very interesting…