‘Is it because I didn’t say it out loud?’
Seeing that the teacup had reacted, even if only briefly, gave her a little courage.
Of course, the reason Eliana was hesitating to open her mouth was not a matter of courage.
In this world magic might be natural, but in her own world it was not.
She had lived in a place where shouting “Gold, appear!” did not actually make gold appear.
But now was the time to be confident.
‘I I’m not embarrassed at all. Not even a little. Be confident!’
Even so, she kept hesitating and could not do anything.
Finn urged her on.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and try something."
"Ugh…!"
"Staring at the teacup won’t accomplish anything, Lady Eliana."
Finn asked with a relaxed smile.
It was painfully obvious she was thinking, There she goes lying again.
Right. If she wanted Finn to believe her, she had to do it, even if it was embarrassing.
Eliana shut her eyes tightly and shouted with a determined face.
"Freeze, now!"
"…"
A terrifying silence followed.
Unfortunately, the teacup did not even tremble.
No, it did produce a faint ripple at the moment Eliana shouted.
But it was like—
‘That’s no different from making whoosh sounds with your mouth!’
Eliana covered her bright red face with both hands.
She wanted to die.
Well, she had already died once, but at this moment she wanted to die again.
With a miserable expression, Eliana looked like she might cry.
"What were you just doing?"
Finn finally came to her senses and stared at Eliana in disbelief.
Her expression clearly asked whether this lady had lost her mind.
Eliana was so embarrassed that she cut Finn off before she could say anything more.
"Wait, I only just became a mage recently… Right! I need a teacher. I need a teacher!"
"Lady Eliana…"
Finn shook her head as if this was hopeless.
‘No, this is so unfair! Just earlier ice shot out everywhere and froze Marquis Valkyrie’s face!’
Her thoughts poured out uncontrollably.
‘And that’s not all! When Count Mushe tried to grab me, ice pillars shot up everywhere!’
Of course, she could not reveal thoughts like that.
Eliana suddenly felt wronged.
She opened her mouth several times but could not offer a proper rebuttal.
If she truly were a mage, she would not need excuses like this. She could simply demonstrate magic right in front of them.
But she did not know how to use magic.
More precisely, she did not know how to activate it.
‘This ridiculous body! It uses magic whenever it wants, but when I actually need it, it does nothing!’
It was like someone who ran wild backstage suddenly became timid the moment they stepped onto the stage.
Frustrated, Eliana pounded her chest.
Then a brilliant idea suddenly struck her.
‘Right. There’s that method!’
Eliana smiled triumphantly and said confidently,
"If you don’t believe me, go to Mushe Castle. Everything I caused is probably still there."
"You’re trying to run away while I’m gone, aren’t you? I know exactly what you’re thinking, Lady Eliana."
Finn still did not believe her and stared at her suspiciously.
Her eyes were filled with caution at Eliana’s sudden change in attitude.
But if she just went to the castle, her reaction would be different. There were plenty of witnesses there.
Eliana grabbed Finn’s arm and said,
"No! If you still don’t believe me, you can even lock me in that room over there. I’m innocent."
"How could I lock you up, Lady Eliana?"
Finn cried out in alarm and shook off her hand.
Then again, what maid would lock up her mistress?
Of course, it would be more for protection than imprisonment, but there was no way that argument would work.
"I won’t run away."
"No."
"I mean it."
"Do you think I’ve only been fooled by you once or twice?"
Finn was more stubborn than expected.
Eliana was about to pull at her hair in frustration when Finn stopped her.
"What did your hair ever do to deserve that!"
"…"
"Do you think I’m acting like this for no reason? Last time you promised you wouldn’t run away, then tried to sneak out of the castle behind my back and got caught by the count."
"That was…"
"And that’s not all. Whenever you had the chance you lied, and when that didn’t work you threw a tantrum."
Eliana was speechless.
It seemed the original Eliana had deceived Finn several times.
‘This won’t be easy to persuade her.’
The unexpected obstacle made her head throb.
It was while the two of them were arguing like this.
The door suddenly burst open, and both Finn and Eliana naturally turned their heads toward it.
Eliana’s face immediately brightened.
The very person she had been waiting for had appeared.
A young man stared at Eliana with wide eyes.
He clearly had not expected a guest.
Dark green hair.
A pomade style that exposed his forehead.
Beneath it were wary dark green eyes.
His features were sharp, yet strongly resembled Finn’s.
He was so tall that she had to look up at him, and his clothes were stained with unfamiliar reddish marks.
When he entered, a faint metallic smell drifted through the air.
"Brother, hurry and close the door!"
Finn fussed as she pulled him inside.
Since she had called him brother, it could only be him. Finn had only one brother.
Naturally, he must be Pon.
The man who worked under Hera and would eventually lead Eliana to her.
‘Those stains on his clothes look like blood… He must have just returned from hunting monsters.’
Eliana watched him with shining eyes.
Pon, however, stared back at her with suspicion.
Although he worked for Hera and handled all sorts of dirty work behind the scenes, publicly he was known as the leader of a mercenary company.
"Who are you?"
Pon gestured toward Eliana, who was clearly dressed in expensive clothes.
Apparently, Pon and Eliana had never met before.
That made sense. Eliana had spent her life inside the castle.
His gaze was closer to hostility than friendliness.
His attitude was openly disrespectful, as if this situation were a nuisance.
Eliana had been staring at him eagerly, but his indifferent look made her expression stiffen as well.
At that moment—
Finn slapped him on the back and scolded him.
"Why are your eyes so fierce again? Lower them!"
"I asked who she is."
"It’s Lady Eliana."
"What? Then why is she in our house?"
Only then did Pon realize the woman before him was Eliana Mushe, and his expression turned bewildered.
Meanwhile, Finn clapped her hands as if pleased.
"Brother, perfect timing. I’m going to Mushe Castle for a moment, so watch the lady for me."
She quickly grabbed her bag and gave her instructions.
Pon hurriedly grabbed her arm, startled by the sudden prospect of being left alone with a noble lady.
"Wait, Finn!"
"Don’t even think about going anywhere, Lady Eliana!"
But Finn slipped out of his grasp, gave her warning, and hurried out of the house.
"Sigh…"
Pon let out a deep sigh like someone forced to take on an annoying task.
He dragged a chair over and sat by the door.
Apparently he intended to guard it so Eliana could not escape.
‘Even if you didn’t do that, I wasn’t planning to run away.’
Eliana smiled calmly and drank her tea.
It had cooled a little, but it still tasted good.
It did not take long before Finn returned.
Grabbing Eliana’s hand with excitement, she shouted,
"My goodness! Our lady is a mage! And an ice mage at that!"
"Do you believe me now?"
"The castle is in complete chaos. The count is shouting for them to find you immediately."
Finn spoke with a mixture of satisfaction and delight, unable to hide her excitement.
Eliana puffed out her chest slightly.
"See? What did I tell you? I’m really strong."
"Yes, yes. I believe you."
At that moment, Pon who had been standing at a distance suddenly changed expression.
The dull look he had worn until now disappeared, replaced by clear interest.
Considering she was an ice mage among the natural magic users, his reaction was only natural.
Especially since Hera had been searching for a noblewoman she could make use of.
Eliana’s ability would certainly catch attention.
Finn was enthusiastically recounting Eliana’s chaos at the castle like a heroic tale when—
"It seems returning to the castle would be dangerous."
Pon finally joined the conversation.
Hearing that, Finn spoke in a resolute tone.
"Lady Eliana, let’s leave. I’ll accompany you."
"That’s impossible. How would we hide while avoiding the count’s eyes? Lady Eliana, may I make a suggestion?"
Pon asked politely.
Eliana immediately accepted.
"Go ahead."
"One of my clients helps people like you. If they hear your circumstances, they will surely agree to become your guardian."
"Is that true, brother?"
Finn asked eagerly.
‘Perfect.’
If Pon was talking about a guardian, it could only be Hera.
Inside, Eliana cheered, but outwardly she answered with a sorrowful expression.
"Yes. That would be better than hiding. Please arrange it."
"Of course. I will set up a meeting soon."
"Lady Eliana, that’s such a relief."
Finn smiled warmly as if she were the one being helped, and Pon also looked satisfied.
But the happiest person here was Eliana.
Everything was going exactly according to plan.