Part 1

-SORA’S POV-

The past night I wasn’t able to sleep at all, I was too anxious. Today was the day that four years ago was decided to be the day when me and Raphael will meet again.

[AHHHH! This is all too sudden! He was only three years old yet father and mother signed us up for marriage! I don’t even know anything about him!]

Indeed that day we both accepted but, did any of us truly wanted it?

It was true that I was interested in meeting him thanks to all the stuff that father told me about him from the letters that his friend Arthur sent him, but other than that I had no further plans. It was father who set us up like that.

[In any case this is for the sake of the family so let’s go on with it…]

We were now residing in a city called Fortenova. A city near the sea specialized in trading and fishing, but that's not the reason we are here. This city is special for our family since mother has many connections here that helps her conducting business on a worldwide scale. Basically shipping goods and sending them to other continents. Because of that, we come to this city at least once a year. This time we also came for a second reason : my meeting with Raphael.

West Migur, Raphael’s city, is a day and a half away from Fortenova by carriage. Obviously time could vary depending on the road but even by taking the longest road, the trip could only be of a maximum of two days.

Father decided that Raphael and whoever accompanies him would stay here for two days and two nights. In origin it would have only been a day and one night but, because he read from the letters that Raphael began magic training with a master, he got curious and decided to see for himself his progress.

[To be honest I don't really know what to think of all this. He seemed to be nice the first time I met him. Also because of his premature awakening I got both curious and worried about him...So why am I feeling so stressed about this?]

While thinking this I was getting ready. Dressing up elegant but not enough to hurt the eye, after all we are just meeting up, a little bit of makeup to cover the bags under my eyes and at last fixing my hair. I decided to style them in something sober: I let them fall down on my shoulders and only on the left side of my face I braided them with a small red hair bow to match my eyes.

It was stated in the letter that they would be coming around lunchtime and because of that mother wanted to organize a big banquet. Thankfully father stepped in and decided for something more sober in regards to the dinner that they offered us four years ago. Raphael’s family is not rich or noble but they greeted with the best they could, the effort was palpable, so, as father said, “we should not flaunt our wealth in their faces when we were so heartfully greeted” and the banquet turned into a slightly richer lunch.

The villa was tumoril. Maids cleaning every single spot, from the entrance to our rooms. Chefs preparing the recipes and checking the stock of food. The older butlers were instructing the younger ones on how to rightfully greet guests. The gardens were fixing up the flower garden and the hedges maze. Basically it was chaos.

I closed myself in my room in search for peace but the only thing I did was looking anxiously outside of the window waiting for their carriage to come into view

It was almost noon when a brown and red wooden carriage pulled by two beautiful black horses stopped in front of our gate.

-RAPHAEL’S POV-

“Wake up father”

“Uhh?...*yawn* have we arrived already?”

With his eyes still half closed, father lazily answered my call. It had been a day and a half since we started our carriage trip and he used it as a way to regain his loss of sleep. He was not the best of companions for a trip. Thankfully both the coachman and the guard escorting us kept me good company.

We were now entering inside Fortenova, the city chosen as the meeting place on the dinner four years ago. Here, because of Sora’s mother business, the Evergard family has a villa used mostly for work related matters and vacation. It was my first time visiting another city.

We were travelling on a brown and red carriage pulled by two black horses. Father chose this carriage especially for it’s interiors filled with comfy cushions, even though the costs went up by quite a bit. The guard was one of father’s subordinates, one named Erik, supposedly one of the top three in father’s group. He was the stereotypical soldier. Wide shoulders, iron-like body, strong arms and a handgrip as strong as a clamp. He carried a broadsword on one side of his hips and a short one on the other. Luckily for us there was no occasion when their use was needed.

“How am I supposed to know it when I have never even visited once? We just entered the city gates”

“Ohh I see, I see. Let me speak to the coachman for a second”

While saying this father opened a little door that connected the inside of the carriage to the outside where the coachman was sitting.

“Haha cut him some slack. Your old man’s pretty damn busy with that little sis of yours. Haha totally different from you though!”

“Yeah I get that a lot!”

“Just a couple of minutes and we are there Raph-”

Said father still facing the little door.

“-, are you worried, anxious, restless?”

“Mhh, no. Why would I?”

He had a face that expressed both shock and perplexity.

“Oh, mhh, well she is your fiancé and you haven’t seen each other for four years so...”

“We barely know each other, we had only a few occasions to talk and the marriage is a family matter”

After I said that, father went silent while looking at my face, trying to see any sign of emotion, but it was useless. I had no feelings for that girl nor I intended to fall in love or have any kind of relationship. The marriage was strictly “political” one could say, at least from my side.

“HA! Your son’s tougher than he looks haha. Little guy, are you sure you dont wanna join the military? You’d be a perfect little soldier and I’d make the other monkeys in the regiment treat you good!”

Erik was as loud as ever. We knew each other for just a day and a half and that was already the third time that he asked me to join the military. He was a good guy, a cheerful one, full of energy… but way too loud for my tastes.

“As I am right now I plan to keep studying magic but I’ll consider the offer Erik-san”

“HA! Seems like another refusal hahaha!”

A little while later the carriage stopped and our door opened revealing a silver plated gate taller than the carriage itself. Behind it, a beautiful entrance adorned with flowers and refined hedges gave the enormous villa in the background a scent of royalty.

“My Lords, we have reached the Evergard’s mansion”

Outside of the gate one maid and a butler were waiting for us. As soon as we stepped out of the carriage we were greeted with a deep bow.

“We humbly welcome you to our Lord’s mansion. Please leave your luggage to us and let us guide you inside. Our Lords are waiting for you inside”

What little luggage we had was taken from inside the carriage and brought into the villa along with us, guided by a different maid from the previous one.

Inside everyone was waiting for us.

Part 2

- SORA’S POV-

The whole place went really quiet really fast as soon as we saw the carriage stop outside the villa. The staff members got ready to welcome the guests and warn the kitchen staff to get ready. On the other hand, me, Youm and father got ready to greet them near the entrance. Mother was busy with her business so she would greet them in the evening.

Three people entered the door following a butler. One was Arthur, he looked the same as I remembered him, the only slight change were the eyebags under his eyes. I heard they recently had a daughter so it was probably because of that. The other man was someone I had never seen. A big man wearing some light armor and carrying two swords. Probably he was a guard. The last one was a kid, Raphael. If I didn't know he would be coming I would have probably never guessed that that kid was him. He has changed so much since the last time I saw him. First of all, his physique. Four years ago we were basically the same height but now, he had become way taller than me. Also his whole body changed, it was wider, especially his shoulders. From what I remembered he was kind of slim, it felt like he had no real muscle back then, but now one could clearly see the shape of his shoulder through his clothes. Speaking of clothes, his style changed, it may be because he was very little at that time but now his clothes made him look more mature. He was wearing a pair of brown semi-elegant shoes featuring a small heel. As for pants he was wearing a pair black and brown plaid trousers with a light brown belt. Tucked in the trousers he had a black shirt with pearl white buttons and an open collar showcasing his collarbones. Over the shirt he had a brown light jacket giving him a touch of elegance. It was a style totally different from the ones I used to see around my hometown but it was really suiting him.

One more thing that really changed in him was his face. First a scar had appeared. A long red cut going from his left eyebrow down to his left cheek. That scar gave him a kind of dangerous vibe. Also his hair was a bit longer than last time.

All these new features made him look a lot more mature than the kids I knew. Just by looking at him one would realize that he was no ordinary kid.

“Oh ho, Arthur, Raphael-kun welcome! Did you have a pleasurable trip?-”

The first to speak was father who greeted them by extending his hand towards them with a handshake.

“- I don’t think we know each other. I am Elodor, welcome to our mansion”

“It is an honour to make your acquaintance Elodor-sama. I hope a low commoner such as myself doesn't bother the atmosphere too much, it would be mortifying if because of my presence the gathering of your two families would be ruined. My name is Erik Bellador second in rank in Bluscale’s-san unit and here as a bodyguard of the travel”

“Oh nonsense. Please belittle you so much, you are more than welcome here so please be at ease!”

The big man followed father’s words with a big bow, almost touching the floor with his head. Me and Youm lightly bowed to our guests after father finished talking. Arthur replied to our bow with a smile while Raphael and the guard bowed.

As soon as the greetings were finished our whole group moved towards the dining room. At the head of the group there were father and Arthur talking with each other, followed by Raphael then me and Youm. To close the group the guard.

Inside the dining room a big circular table had been set with already decided positions, and of course father decided to put me close to Rapahel. Luckily this time he was between me and Youm so at least it wasn't as awkward as last time.

Nothing really important happened during the launch. Father spoke with Arthur most of the time. Their topic was their children. How much Raphael grew, how Youm improved his ability in magic, how much I had advanced in my studies, how Arthur’s daughter was growing,....Me, Raphael and Youm only spoke a little between each other but our conversation regarding Raphael’s scar was listened by the whole table. Apparently he got attacked by a pack of silver teeth wolves and one managed to wound his eye.

The launch lasted a couple of hours, after that both Arthur and the guard decided to visit their rooms and relax with a bath after the journey. The only one that remained there was Raphael since he asked me and Youm to show him around the house. But before we could leave father got in the way.

“Raphael-kun, do you mind sharing with me a little bit of your time? I would really like to ask you a couple of questions”

“Of course sir. I’m sorry Sora-san, Youm-san would you mind postponing our tour of the house to a-”

“Oh don’t worry Raphael-kun, Sora would you mind coming with us? And Youm please show around the house to Arthur and Bellador-san?”

As soon as he asked, Youm promptly nodded and left the room. As always father’s words are absolute. I nodded too.

Father led us to his office and made us sit on one of the two sofas facing each other divided only by a small glass table. Me and Raphael sat one one and father sat on the other facing us.

“I will go straight to the point-”

Said father while looking Raphael directly into his eyes with his usual serious look. Yet something was different than usual, in father’s expression I could notice a hint of curiosity that is rare to see.

“-would you mind telling me what really happened with the wolves?”

“There is no escaping you uh Elodor-san? How did you find out?”

“Just a hunch. I feel like you are not that type to just rely on someone else...am I wrong?”

“Absolutely not. So basically what happened is…”

As Raphael kept telling the real story of that scar I got more and more shocked. I knew he was talented since he had awakened at a young age and father took a liking to him. But I could never imagine that he had such amazing potential, not only that but the ruthlessness he showcased to the wolves was something in total contrast with the image I had of him.

When he finished his story father let out a little laugh.

“Hahaha, so you killed a whole pack of monsters and found yourself a master. Haha I’m really eager to see your growth in person, would tomorrow morning be ok for you to show me something?”

“Yes, I see no problem with that”

“Good good, soo Sora, what do you think about it? It is since he started telling the story that you look like you have something to say!”

The words blurted out of my mouth almost unconsciously.

“H-h-how can you be so reckless to be fighting a whole pack of monsters. One is already plenty scary but a whole pack of them?! What if you got badly injured and you couldn't be cured? You are way too reckless for your own good!”

I was almost screaming at his face when I finally regained composure. I didn't know why I said all those things but listening to his story I got really worried for some reason.

“Ho hoo, looks like she has already started lecturing you my boy! Hahaha seems like you are in for some trouble haha. Sora you really are like your mom haha!”

Father was really enjoying himself pointing out my clearly lack of self-control but as I got conscious of what I had just said I wasn't able to contain my blush and decided to bury my face in my hands.

“Would you be at ease if I promised to be more careful about it in the future?”

Gently asked me Rapahel, clearly trying to calm me down but only contributing to increasing my blush. In order to spare me the embarrassment of showing him my face I simply nodded while still covering my face.

The rest of the conversation between him and father went on about his progress in magic and the method his master used to teach him disappointing father a little bit, who was fond of the traditional way of teaching.

After quite a while, father decided to let us off the hook and give us freedom to make the tour around the house but instead Raphael asked if I could show him his room since after all this time he was now getting stuffy in his clothes and wanted to take a quick bath. We decided to meet in front of his room after an hour and we parted ways.

To be honest I really needed some time to cool down my nerves and this hour came to me as a blessing.

Part 3

“It’s amazing. I have never seen a house this big! Do you even use every room?”

“Nah I’d say a good half of them would be just getting dust if it wasn’t for the maids”

“I feel like I want a maid too but it would be pretty much wasted on a house as small as ours hahaha”

While conversing I was showing around the house to Raphael. Youm should have been accompanying us but he got called out by one of his friends, so it was just the two of us.

I could have never imagined that a person could change this much just by being alone. He was completely different from the way he was when talking to father. Making jokes, talking with a relaxed tone, laughing… Those were all things I thought I would never be able to see on him. For the first time I really saw him as a kid and by that I realized how mature he really was. Being able to behave accordingly to the situation, mature and refined when needed and child-like in other occasions. I felt a hint of jealousy.

“Oh right, when I first came here I saw something like a maze in the garden...is that real?”

We had almost finished our tour of the house. It took an unexpectedly long time since Raphael kept getting distracted by the rooms themselves, especially the library. He spent a good hour euphorically jumping from book to book and section to section, just like a rabbit in a carrot field. We looked at everything inside the house, from the kitchen to the gym, from father’s office to the storage room. He wanted to see everything. His curiosity was something extraordinarily bottomless. He would ask me the most random questions out of nowhere, like “How do you deliver water around a house this big?” or “Why is the storage room so far away from the kitchen?” and a lot more. Questions that sound really weird coming from the mouth of a six years old boy but strange enough he didn't feel any shame nor he backed off when I clearly made an annoyed face.

“Well yes, it is real. It’s not huge but it’s a fairly nice hedge maze”

“Ho hooo now I’m curious! Guess I’ll go see it tomorrow…”

“Why not now?”

“Uhm? What do you mean ‘why not now’? Didn’t Elodor-san say that around this hour your mother would come home, Sora-san?”

“Oh, right..I totally forgot. But what does it have to do with the maze?”

“Uhm? I’m a guest so I should greet the owner and express my gratitude, am I wrong?”

He was making a perplexed face as if what he was saying was the most normal thing in the world. It actually was, but hearing that coming from a six year old who just five minutes ago couldn't shut up with his questions was quite the shock.

“Oh mhh, no you are not wrong, it’s just tha..”

“Also there is a lot more noise coming from the kitchen and I can clearly smell meat, so that means that dinner is set to happen soon enough. That said, I would like to prepare myself to meet Elodor-san and Reyla-san, so if you don’t mind I’ll probably ask you to be my guide again when the time comes!”

“Oh right, right, of course”

“Sweet! Then I’ll see you at dinner, Sora-san!”

And while saying that he simply turned around and went in the direction of his bedroom without any help or indications. He had already memorized the house. I watched his back as he walked away, slowly gaining consciousness of the silence that was now surrounding me. He felt like a wave. He came bringing great noise and change, and left without leaving trace. The silence left behind was proof of him. Never had I hated silence to such a big extent.

[Why does it stings so much? he is noisy, pestering with his stupid questions and overlyexcited about everything...then why? Why did I enjoy spending time with him?!]

Dinner went as smoothly as lunch, if not smoother. They talked about Arthur’s wife's condition and the child, Arthur’s work and Raphael’s studies, my and Youm's progress and father’s and mother’s work. For the whole duration of the dinner my eyes were glued on Raphael. I wasn't doing it on purpose but I kept getting attracted by his behaviour. There were no flaws. The tone of his voice, the expressions he made, the respect he held towards father and mother. He was simply perfect. No wonder father took a liking to him.

Only towards the end of the dinner I could see father looking at me with a hint of displeasure. Figures! This was supposed to be the meeting between me and Raphael, a time when we both get to know each other and grow closer. Yet I wasn't able to have any meaningful conversation with him for the whole time, instead he was casually talking about swords with Youm. It’s only natural that father was disappointed. And, as I was struggling to think about a way to talk to him like Youm did, he struck me with a request.

“Say Sora-san, would you mind showing me the maze we talked about? I could really use some air right now”

He was looking at me sharply with his light blue eyes fixed on mine. His glance was strong as if he was trying to force the answer out of me.

“Oh, mhh yes, I would be glad to do so!”

He smiled and stood up. Bowed towards the table and reached forward with his hand silently asking me to grab onto it. I was speechless, I didn't know how to behave in that situation, all I could do was follow his lead. I grabbed onto his arm and followed him outside.

[Wh-wh-what is happening? Did something happen? Why did he suddenly take initiative? Also….please say something!]

Neither of us spoke a single word until we came in front of the entrance to the maze. I was blushing while still holding onto his arm when he finally broke the awkward silence.

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of harming you. I saw Elodor-san glaring at you because you weren't interacting with me as much as your brother so I tried to solve the situation. I hope you didn't mind”

He was smiling. A very genuine one, without any trace of acting behind it.

[He is doing it for me?]

“T-tha...nks”

“Haha don’t sweat it. Shall we go in?”

He was pointing at the maze with his thumb. Once again I followed him. The cheerful and laid-back tone that I heard in the afternoon was back together with a full white smile.

As we walked side by side inside the hedge maze he was giving his all into carrying out a casual conversation. Talking about how good the food was, how he couldn't wait to taste the liquor, how he envied Youm for the swords he had. He was behaving as if we had been friends for the longest. Totally different from me who had to muster up all her courage to just answer back to him.

The center of the maze had a little white wooden bench where we sat. He then stopped talking for a good ten minutes. All his attention shifted from me to the starry sky that was shining upon the maze. His eyes were completely still. Contemplating that work of art.

I could only look at him, wondering what was going on in that head of his. His eyes were sparkling with curiosity and stupor. I really was taken aback by that childish display of his, but the contrast between that and the seriousness he was displaying now and during dinner was something I couldn't get out of my mind. It might have been his influence or perhaps it was pure interest, but I got curious.

“Say Raphael-san, why are you looking at the sky?”

He answered without even turning his head towards me. His eyes still fixed on those little lights in the sky.

“‘Why’ you ask...Must there be a reason to do something?”

“Eh?”

“I mean, the sky is beautiful, right? And it’s always there, still, yet never boring. So why would I need a reason to look at something beautiful?”

“Because it’s...beautiful? Just that? There is no hidden meaning, no curiosity?”

“Hahaha that sounds strange doesn't it? It’s true indeed that I’m curious about everything. I want to know how things work, how to do things, how people behave...basically the more I know the more I become curious, funny right? But not always there is a reason behind my actions. Say what do you want to do?”

“Eh?! What do you mean?”

“Hahaha chill! I mean like, do you have a dream? A goal or something?”

“Oh, ah. I-I can't think of anything here on the spot”

“That so? Mhh too bad, I was curious!...You see, my dream is to travel the world!”

“Travel the world?”

“Yes, travel the whole world, visit every land, swim in every lake, walk in every forest, climb every mountain and sail in every sea. Why? Simple, the world is beautiful. There is so much to see and so little time at our disposal. This dream fulfills both my search driven by curiosity and my thirst for beauty. It feels like this world was made for me to explore hahaha”

He paused and looked at me intensely. He wasn't expecting an answer or any sign of emotion from my face yet it felt like he was trying to read me.

“Do you dislike beautiful things Sora-san?”

“Oh no no no, I like them”

“But you take them for granted. Take this sky for example. It has been here for all those years, for more than a thousand years, so you would expect it to also be here tomorrow. Everyone thinks it's obvious that the sky will be here tomorrow, so they overlook it. Yet how can everyone be so sure that the sky won't change, how can they be sure that the sky won't lose its light and it’s beauty. Also, how can they be so sure that they’ll be here tomorrow to witness such a beautiful sky. People die, that’s a fact. Others leave for them to never be seen again and the beauty of their faces can only be witnessed in memories. So why not look at the beauty that’s in front of us?”

“It’s really sad if you put it like that…”

“You think so? I believe this is simply life. We are mortals…we are bound to die, nothing you can do about it. So I see no reason to overlook the things we like. That’s why I savour everything that catches my attention like this starry night, or this perfectly trimmed hedge maze, the maniacally ordered library on the second floor and your beautiful crimson eyes right in front of me”

I couldn't speak. His words had mesmerized me. I was simply staring at the reflection of my own eyes in his light blue eyes shining thanks to the star’s light. I was paralyzed. What he said was not complicated, rather it was the simplest desire coming from deep within him. Yet my mind had difficulty processing everything. It was like a rusted lock finally being opened.

[For this whole time he was asking questions and doing this thing just because….He had no ulterior motive behind all of his actions….just his desire to see, experience and know everything….Ha! We couldn't be more far apart than this!]

When he finally stopped looking at me was when he stood up from the bench and lightly stretched his back, extending his arms towards the sky. For some reason unknown to me I still had my eyes fixed on him, until he turned around and looked at me again.

“I think I’ll ask Elodor-san if I can borrow a book to read before going to bed. There are a couple I’m very interested in! That said, I’ll be heading inside. Thank you for keeping me company Sora-san”

“Do-d-d-don’t mind it. I should be the one thanking you!”

“Mhh? And why is that?”

His face clearly showed how perplexed he was. Not that I was any better, I didn't know the reason why I thanked him myself.

“N-n-no reason!”

I said almost screaming and blushing at the same time. In response he let out a little laugh and gave me a smile with a smug look on his face.

“I see, I see. Didn’t try to mind your secrets princess haha. But if you really feel thankful, how about showing me around the city? Could be a nice change of pace”

For some reason being called princess by him was really pissing me off. Most of my uncles and relatives jokingly call me princess, but being called that by him was really getting on my nerves.

“Humpf. I’ll see if I feel like it!”

“Haha that’s more than enough for me. Goodnight Sora-san”

As he said that he put the previously behind his head hands into his pockets and walked away towards the exit, leaving me behind standing in front of the bench with my arms still crossed.

“Goodnight Raphael-san”

I said in a low voice that only I could hear.

That night my bed felt uncomfortable to the point that I fell asleep onto the little sofa in my bedroom, not before spending a good half an hour looking at the beautiful starry night.

Part 4

It was morning. A gentle ray of sun was sneaking through the shutters giving life to the previously dark room. I went to the bathroom and washed my face before dressing enough to be presentable during breakfast, not that I was expecting anyone to see me. I was usually the first to wake up in the morning, force of habit. Our guests were here as a means of a small vacation so I was sure that none of them would see me in my awful morning state. But, just to be sure, I dressed with the bare minimum.

As I entered the dining room I noticed one man sitting at the round table. The one whom I never wanted to see me in such a state. The one supposed to be my fiance: Raphael.

[Why him?! Out of all the people in this house, why him? He’s he going to think I’m a shabby girl? He’s he going to think I only look good when I’m properly dressed? Wait, wait, wait...first of all why am I so stuck on what he thinks of me?!]

He looked like he didn’t even notice my presence. He was peacefully eating his toast and drinking his tea while reading a book.

“W-why are you up so early?!”

“Oh good morning to you too Sora-san…-”

For the first time he lifted his head from the book and looked towards me. He had bags under his eyes. As if he didn’t care about my appearances he showed a little smile, curving the ends of his lips right before burying his eyes back into the book.

[I bet this guy didn't even sleep because of the book father gave him]

“-I’m used to waking up early because of my master so I might have picked up the habit. How about you? Slept well?”

“I always wake up first. It’s a habit I picked up in order to dedicate more time to my studies. Also yes, you could say I slept well...it seems like the same thing couldn’t be said about you”

“Oh you noticed? Haha It’s awkward to admit but I got soo hooked up with this book that I completely lost track of time”

[Figures!]

“Soo, what are you going to do all this time until father wakes up?”

I said while taking my seat a couple of chairs away from him and asking for my usual breakfast to a burtler.

“Training”

He answered with his mouth half full of toats.

“Aren't you on a vacation kind of?”

“Mhh yeah, you could say that this is a vacation. But my master would kill me if I skip even one day of training and it looks like I grew quite the attachment to my life”

“You really are strange”

He once again raised from deep within his book and looked at me with the same smug look he had in the maze the night before.

“Am I now?”

I didn't give him the satisfaction of a response. Seeing that smug look was already more than enough. The next couple of minutes passed by in silence accompanied only by the sound of him eating and the brows of the pages. As soon as he finished his toast on his plate he gulped down all of the remaining tea and closed the book. As he was ready to stand up and leave he faced toward me and said:

“Want me to keep you company?”

His smug look had now disappeared from his face but it was still annoyingly poking into my mind.

“Humpf, do as you please”

“Mhh I see. Then since I’m not needed I’ll take my leave and head over to the gym. See ya”

As he said that he stood up and thanked the burtlers before going out of the room.

[Uhhhh I really can’t seem to get a hold of how that guy acts!]

I spent the next couple of hours after breakfast inside the library trying to focus on my studies, unfortunately without any results. My mind was wandering elsewhere. Precisely a boy it was on a boy that was currently training in the gym two floors under the library.

[Ahh! It’s no use trying to study in this condition. I might as well go see what he is up to!]

Five minutes after thinking that, I was already sitting near the door of the gym looking at my father sparring with Raphael. Of course father wasn't going all out on him but still Raphael was giving him a hard time which was incredibly surprising considering that none of my father’s students were ever able to stand against him like this.

The training stopped an hour before lunch and father was visibly satisfied with Raphael’s results. On the other hand Raphael seemed unsatisfied with his own results. The words “I’m still not enough” could be easily read on his face even by a blind man, even though the progress he showed could be easily ranked off the charts for his age.

Both him and father went their own way, probably to their rooms to have a shower before lunch. The last time we would all sit together to eat since Raphael’s family would leave in the late afternoon. And as always nothing major happened during lunch except for the infinite number of praises that father threw at Raphael.

I felt like I wanted to spend more time with him, just the time we spent yesterday was not enough since the next time the two of us would meet was going to be in three more years. As I was trying to sort out my thoughts and find a way to spend some more time with him without sounding desperate or overly attached I remembered that in the maze he spoke about visiting the city. A good opportunity to look cool in his eyes by answering all of his questions about the town, spending time together and getting away from father’s sight. It was the perfect idea since father had been very persistent around me with the fact that I should spend more time with him.

As soon as the launch finished I took him aside in a nearby room.

“Oi oi oi what’s with all this secretiveness? Hahaha”

He asked, cracking an awfully big smile.

“Are you still interested in visiting the city?”

His eyes sparkled as he started vigorously nodding with his head like a little dog wags his tail.

“Then do you want to go there right now? It’s not like you have much time left here”

“Yep. No time to waste. Lead the way Miss!”

And with that we walked out of the mansion.

The city was not much different from the one Raphael came from, just a bit bigger. At best we had around three to four hours so the time to move around town was limited. As the good guide I was, I chose the places that seemed more interesting for him. First stop was the harbour. It was way bigger than the one in his town since Fortenova was a much more business oriented city. Ferries ships and business related ships were the most common around there but here and there one can spot galleons belonging to rich nobles or military ships coming from the nearby island.

After the harbour came the market district where we spent a good hour looking around the shops and the open air markets. Neither of us bought anything though. He was mostly interested in jewelry shops and bookstores. When I first saw him looking around a jewelry shop I thought he was looking for a gift for me, like a bracelet, a necklace or even better a ring. It turned out he was looking for something to give to his sister. At that time I didn't know if I was more angry with him or ashamed of me.

Our next stop was my mother's branch-business since he got interested in her work. Unfortunately our time there was short since the areas permitted to visitors were restricted, even for me...the daughter. After that we decided to take a break at a nearby bar to rest our legs. I didn't think he would, knowing his personality, but Raphael decided to pay for the both of us. Unexpectedly gentleman-like.

The place was cozy, mostly made out of treated wood. There weren't too many people, enough to hold a conversation without the need to shout to hear one another. Also he got lucky because all the waiters were maids. I started doubting that he conditioned me to choose this bar exactly for that reason.

It was a very pleasant time. Our conversation varied from the city itself to magic, from brothers and family to his curiosity for the nearby island, all of them filled with laughter and jokes while drinking a cup of coffee.

Everything was going smoothly and I was feeling like I was growing closer to him, until he suddenly got serious.

“Soo, would you mind telling me the reason why your family set you up for this marriage?”

The question came out of nowhere and like a tornado it wiped away the good mood we had just built. His face was stiff. I couldn't see his peculiar curiosity shining in his eyes, rather they were cold, motionless.

“I d-don’t know what you mean honestly”

“Come on, let’s not kid each other. We both know that this marriage was nor mine or yours idea to begin with”

“Well that's true but..”

“Honestly I’m fine with it. As I said four years ago, I won’t go against my father’s wishes. That said it would be at least courtesy to tell me the reason behind it, wouldn't it?”

I wasn't able to answer. He was right. I took for granted the fact that he accepted the marriage and overlooked the fact that other than being a non-noble affiliated kid he knew nothing of the political struggles of my father. It’s difficult for someone to accept what he’s being told without a reason to back it up, especially for Raphael because of his curiosity.

“It’s a bit of a boring story…”

“The only boring stories are the ones told by boring people. From the looks of it you are far from being boring Sora-san”

“You are unmovable uh. Uuff...If you yawn even once I’ll kick you!”

“All right, noted!”

“Are you familiar with how the marriages between nobles go?”

“Not in the slightest I regret”

“Political marriages between nobles are a common thing. It’s used by both families to create bonds and gain strength by ‘fusing’ the two houses. As far as it goes it would be important which house offers the bride and which the groom. Reality though is different. There is an unspoken rule which states that the house that offers the bride will eventually be the house inferior to the one that offers the groom. Why? I don't know the answer myself but it’s pretty much common knowledge. Because of this the bride might get treated harshly. First of all she will have to live in the house of the groom. Second: the groom basically owns her, which sometimes leads to mistreatment, violence and concubines or directly cheating. Ultimately, the woman in noble marriages is not worth that much”

“What a bunch of fucking crap!”

He was clearly getting angry. A reaction I had yet to see from him or anyone else when told about this condition.

“Yeah you get the gist of it. And the problem only gets worse because of our family condition. We are not nobles. It’s true that my father works around noble families and has a lot of connections while thanks to my mother’s business we can afford to live a very leisurable life. But nobles also look at blood . The ones without noble blood are...inferior. So I can leave you to imagine how badly a non-noble bride would be treated in a noble marriage”

He was now gnashing his teeth.

“So if you were to get married in a noble house you could basically say farewell to a decent life”

“Yeah, that's exactly my case. Since father didn't want me to go through it but still get inside the noble circle, marrying Youm into a noble house was the best choice of actions...Now you might think that this situation left me with the freedom of choosing my future husband but it’s not true. My father wouldn't ‘waste’ a marriage opportunity so instead of increasing his political power with my marriage he decided to increase his ‘combative’ power. In other words he was looking for a strong mage to marry me with. And that’s when you finally come into play. A boy who was able to use magic at the early age of three and coming from two different noble houses of two different states. Even though both your parents were stripped of the title of noble. Basically you were the perfect candidate”

As soon as I finished talking, an awkward silence fell on the table. The only sounds were the muffled voices of the other customers, the shouts of the maids and the sound the Raphael’s nails made when hitting the wooden table. He was visibly upset. Not as angry as before but his eyes still emitted an alarming glare.

“*sigh* I guess it truly is the best situation for you seeing how things are run around the nobles. I kinda feel bad for Youm though”

“Ah I don’t think that there is no need to worry. As I said, males are treated much better than females. Also father’s looking for a good family to marry him into so there shouldn't be any real problem!”

“Mhh If you say so...but I want to make one thing clear since we are on the topic right now…-”

His expression changed once again. There were no traces of anger on his face anymore but his expression was overtaken by an extreme seriousness. Cold light blue eyes that could pierce through me and a sharp glare were directed towards me. Yet his lips had a slightly upside down turn, showing a hint of sadness in that serious face standing atop of the back of his hands with the elbows leaned on the table.

“- I have no intention of engaging myself in any kind of romance”

My expression showed complete shock.

“Uh ? It’s suddenly...why?”

“I already told you the reason last night. I plan to travel and explore this world. I have no mean to know how much time this exploration will take me so I don't intend to leave an ignored wife back when I'm outside enjoying my dream”

“That can’t be the only reason!”

“Correct, but I have no intention of revealing the other. Listen, I don’t intend you to live a boring life but our marriage is practically set in stone. What I’m trying to say is basically, do what you want!”

“Do what I want?”

“Yeah, do what you want. Follow your dream, have a goal, start a business, find a man....whatever comes to mind. Honestly I feel a little bad for you because of my selfishness in my pursuit of my dream but in the end...that’s just how it is. So what I’m trying to say is that I don't want you to limit yourself because of the marriage”

I was speechless. I didn't know what or how to answer. Should have I gotten mad, sad or what? I really didn't know. I understood what he was trying to say but for some reason I couldn't accept it. Yet I stayed in silence, contemplating his words and my chaotic thoughts.

“Well it’s getting late. I think I’ll need to leave your house soon enough. Should we head back?”

“Oh yes”

The road back contained no conversation. It was ackwards. I wanted to scream at him for being so selfish yet I understood that his words made sense. He didn't want to abandon his dream because of me not abandon me because of his dream. The solution he came up with seemed the best option. But why? Why did it hurt so much to admit that he was right?

I couldn't get my mind straight and ended up laying in my bed staring at the ceiling. And while doing so I said:

“Why are you like this? You really piss me off!”

After that I proceeded on using one of my pillows as anti stress by repeatedly punching it until I had no energy left.

As the black and red carriage came it also left. The same two black horses were already ready to pull the carriage. I was there, near the entrance to give my goodbyes to our guests. Or at least that was the ‘official’ reason, actually I was there to see Raphael one more time. Maybe trying to read his face, see something I missed the other days, I didn't know. But as I looked at his back climbing the ladders and disappearing inside the carriage a thought came rushing through my head as fast as a lightning bolt.

[Instead of choosing me or your dream I will make you choose both! I will force you to let me come with you on your travels and share your dream. That's a promise!]