"You have little magical power and a lower understanding of the magical arts than your brother. Since you are to be married off, at least act as a bridge between the two families."
The words his father addressed to Theodore di Cullu were spoken in a tone filled with contempt and sympathy.
His older brother, now an adult, did not meet his gaze, and his mother blatantly averted her eyes.
The Viscount Cullu family had no place for Theodore.
"This time, I have become engaged to Italy."
When he first met the girl who had become his fiancée, the gaze and voice from someone a head taller than him made him feel as though he was being looked down upon, churning his insides.
Perhaps it was not helped by the fact that the girl seemed to have a stern character at first glance, or that it was a political marriage between families that were not originally on good terms.
Theodore did not try to make a place for himself in the Baron Vidilva family.
"Hey, the Cullu family's..."
"Sure enough, the royal sorcerer's family is different..."
Life at the academy in the magic department had been enjoyable from the start because of his diligent studies, and his grades reflected that he knew things other students did not.
Having been treated as a misfit so far, the environment where Theodore was noticed was comfortable for him, yet it was also poisonous.
───I'm not someone who falls behind.
As his desire for self-expression and self-affirmation grew, Theodore's words and actions became rougher.
───I'm excellent, so I can be condescending and it's forgiven.
The reason he began to take a stronger stance towards his fiancée was also because he saw her as a woman with less intelligence than him, overlapping with his mother who had abandoned him.
He hated the eyes that looked down on him, thinking him foolish.
───If you're dumber than me, then bow your head!
It was only natural that he gradually began to be slandered and disliked.
His inflated ego dismissed the reality of being disliked as the result of jealousy, recognizing it as the trivial chatter of those too small to complain to his excellent self.
"Lord Theodore."
"Huh, what is it?"
"I request a study duel with you."
Thus, at the moment his fiancée said such a thing, his world stopped.
For him, studying was nothing more than a process to confirm the effort he had accumulated, and he saw people with poor results as those who did not put enough effort into self-improvement.
Italy was a perfect example—a mediocre person expected only to obey her parents and produce children for the sake of her family's survival.
"You? Me? Hahaha! Surely you don't think an idiot girl like you can win?"
"Is there anyone foolish enough to challenge a fight knowing they can't win?"
Offended by his provocative tone, Theodore glared at Italy.
"Oh, really? Then let's do it. But, if you say that, you must know what happens if you lose, right?"
"Obey, that is."
A sly grin twisted on Italy's face at his words.
"But, that condition also applies to you, doesn't it?"
However, Italy also managed a faint smile.
"Since you brought it up, if you want me to obey, I need you to bear the same condition. Otherwise, it wouldn't be worth it for me... or perhaps."
*Are you scared?* Just the movement of her mouth was enough to convey that, and that became the final blow.
"Very well, I'll accept the challenge!"
After saying so, Theodore turned his back and left, but Italy, watching his back, still wore a faint smile.
However, that smile somehow resembled that of a hunter watching a trap with prey caught in it. If Theodore had seen that smile, he would have felt a chilling sweat run down his back, as if it evoked a certain sense of gruesomeness.