On the back of her hand, the magical crest of a dragon was vividly etched.
It was entirely normal for a magical crest to manifest anytime between early childhood and the age of ten. The usable magic varied depending on the crest’s shape: a dragon appeared for those who controlled fire, a mermaid for those who wielded water, and a pegasus with outstretched wings for those who commanded the wind.
Nobles possessed far greater magical power than commoners, and for prestigious aristocratic families, being able to wield powerful magic was treated as a duty.
For that very reason, Count Tenies had long harbored deep resentment toward Christiana, who still showed no sign of a crest despite being a Count’s daughter and already nine years old.
“There really isn’t anything on Big Sister’s hand, is there? Mine came out when I was five.”
Vicky casually took hold of Christiana’s right hand, staring intently at the bare back of it before bursting into laughter.
“Father, is this girl really your daughter? I have a proper dragon crest, but she has nothing.”
“Vicky!”
When Count Tenies raised his voice, Christiana felt a momentary spark of hope. She thought he was about to scold her, telling her she shouldn’t say such things.
However, Count Tenies did not reprimand Vicky at all. He merely said, “She is still nine. Until she turns ten, there is a tiny sliver of hope. But if it doesn’t appear by ten, then she truly is a useless failure.”
“Honestly, a crest will probably never show up anyway. Even if it did, I’m sure whatever magic she gets will be weak.”
Claudia and Vicky laughed out loud in unison.
“Listen to me, Christiana. You must manifest a crest by the time you turn ten. A daughter of a Count who cannot use even a single spell is a complete embarrassment.”
From that day on, every time Count Tenies ran into Christiana, he demanded to know if her crest had appeared. Whenever she answered that it hadn’t, he hurled abuse at her, blaming her with harsh words: “How long do you intend to make me wait?” and “Are you trying to drag the house of the Count through the mud?!”
Claudia was no different. Every time she glanced at Christiana’s right hand, she sneered, even dragging Joanna into her insults: “Still no crest today, I see. As expected of a lazy woman’s daughter. A sickly mother, and a daughter who can’t even cast a single spell.”
As for Vicky, she seemed to take absolute delight in showing off her magic. Every time they met, she proudly flaunted whatever new spell she had learned.
One day, Vicky aimed a fire spell at a tree standing right next to Christiana. Suddenly, a hot gust of wind rushed past Christiana’s cheek, and flames burst into life on the tree trunk. Seeing Christiana instinctively cower in fear, Vicky laughed with amusement.
“Oh, what a shame. If I’d aimed just a little to the side, you would have been burned to a crisp, Big Sister. It would’ve been such a nice way to get rid of a nuisance.”
Being showered with such vile words almost every single day, Christiana grew terrified of looking at her own right hand. Even so, when she woke up each morning, she would check the back of her hand, clinging to the hope that maybe—just maybe—it would appear today.
Yet no matter when she looked, there was nothing there.
At night, Christiana would clasp her hands together on her bed and pray to God.
Please, God… please grant me a magical crest too. …I beg of you.
(If only a crest appears, Father might not be angry with me anymore. Even if he never praises me like he praises Vicky, at least he won’t think of me as an embarrassing daughter.)
Believing in that hope, she prayed again and again, but when the next morning came, her right hand remained unchanged.
Then came her tenth birthday.
That afternoon, Christiana was summoned to Count Tenies’ study. Since morning, no one had said “Happy Birthday” to her. Yet, it wasn’t words of celebration that weighed on Christiana’s mind.
(Is he going to scold me about the magical crest again? There’s still nothing on my right hand. I wonder what he’s going to say to me…)
Christiana’s steps were heavy as she walked toward the study. When she entered the room, it wasn’t just Count Tenies who was waiting—Claudia and Vicky were there as well.
“You turn ten today.”
“Yes, Father.”
At Count Tenies’ words, Christiana gave a small nod. Count Tenies shifted his gaze to Christiana’s right hand, and upon confirming the absence of a magical crest, he let out a harsh, loud snort.
“You worthless failure! Today is the last day you will ever be treated as a daughter of the Tenies Count family. A girl without a magical crest is no daughter of mine!”