The Heilon was a representative family defending the northern territory for a long time. The Lord of Heilon family was Duke Abel Heilon and he was known for being very tough and merciless, just like the man in charge of the front line.

Yeah, this was also the setting that I wrote.

And now, I was forced by my parents and my older siblings to go to the northern territory which was ruled by that ruthless Duke Abel Heilon.

“I dug my own grave….”

As soon as I arrived at the northern territory, the first place that I went to was the castle of Duke of Heilon. Like the owner characters, it gave a tremendous sense of pressure. On the outside, it was similar to the Demon Castle in the story. It was really huge and had towering spires and walls that looked as hard as a mountain range.

“ha.. my life” From here alone, I could guess that this new job would not be easy. I think I would get a heavy amount of work. No, maybe before that, I might be kicked out because they didn’t need a kid.

In the story, Duke Abel Heilon was an important supporting role. More precisely, he was the helper of the male protagonist, Sigren. He was quite popular among readers as a great middle-aged character that helped the main character at every important moment. At the beginning of the book, he was described as in his late 30s. But, now, since it was six years before the beginning of the book, he roughly was in his early 30s.

If there were a problem, Abel was no doubt would always be in favor of the main characters. But the truth was, his personality was just shit. And now, when he was much younger than in the original timeline of the story, he was literally in his wildest era.

I wondered whether this Fiona who was going to be the villain could handle that horrible character.

“Come this way.”

The knight who guided me inside the castle stopped. I looked up at the door in front of me. It was really huge. I was sure where this door led me; it should be the entrance to the room where I was going to meet the Duke.

“Open the door.” The knight gave an order to the two soldiers who appeared to be the door guards. As the two soldiers were pushing the huge door, it opened slowly with a heavy sound. I blinked at the slowly unfolding scene.

The inside room’s interior was made of carved hard stones; overall it was really amazing but felt cold. There was a young man sitting in a huge chair in the middle of the room, a young-looking man with hair as white as snow and eyes as blue as a piece of ice. The face itself was beautiful and had a sharp-mind impression. Surprisingly, the face gave the feeling of an intelligent staff officer rather than a strong warrior. However, he indeed gave the terrifying pressure as someone who governed the rough northern area.

I gulped down my saliva.

That man was Abel Heilon, the character who later became the teacher of the male lead, Sigren. As soon as he met my eyes, he frowned.

“I’ve definitely heard a new mage is coming to apply.”

The words that followed were so cold that it gave me goosebumps on the nape of my neck and arms.

“What the hell is this skinny little thing?”

Well, the dark future days were waiting for me.

***

“I’m Fiona Green.” In spite of the harsh response I got, I greeted him with the utmost courtesy.

Abel without changing his expression turned his head to a man who appeared to be the close aide to him. “Jeron, what the hell is going on here?”

That ‘Jeron’ man was a young man whose face was like in his mid-20s. He looked at me once with a puzzled look on his face and turned to Abel again. “I’ve heard that Count Green sent a mage who was his immediate blood, but….”

Well, that was not totally incorrect. I am a direct blood relative, although an illegitimate child, and I do know how to use magic.

Abel gritted his teeth. “Are you saying that the answer to the last order is this little kid?”

Abel then rose from the chair, his thick cloak was fluttered. The way he looked at me became darker. His blue eyes made me felt like I was trapped in winter.

“At least, now, I can see, he thinks we’re ridiculous. After this damn war, I will get rid of that Green family”

Oh, I’m screwed, father! The strongest Duke in the north must be very angry!

But, honestly, I didn’t care that much about what would happen to the Green family in the future. Rather, the main problem was I had to face Abel who is on the verge of anger.

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Ugh, stop staring at me.

The echoes of Abel’s shoes hitting the floor as he was walking slowly towards me were giving me a great amount of pressure. Abel stopped in front of me. He was really tall and since I was so skinny and much smaller than my peers because of the lack of proper meals, I was very small in front of him. I had to lift my head to look at him. I looked straight to his eyes.

“hey, kid.” His facial expression was so cold.

Wait, I’m sure I said my name before, and I think it’s a nice name.

“let’s hear your explanation. Why did Count Green send a little kid like you here? Does he not have talented people over there?”

Well, I didn’t owe any loyalty to anyone. So, I would just give him an honest answer. “The first brother, Cain Del, should be in the family, and the second sister, Jane, is about to get married. Then, the third brother, Jen, is about to get engaged.”

But, somehow I felt like a child who was snitching. I swallowed my saliva lightly and then said, “And so, I, the youngest of the family came to you”

“huh.” Abel clicked his tongue as if he had no words for the facts that I said. “I see, they’re looking down on this war.”

He looked at me with his haughty gaze. “Anyway, I’ve got the idea why, kid. You must have made up your mind to come all the way here. But, go back home”

Then he continued with a heavy expression, “A child like you is not needed here.”

As I guessed earlier, I got kicked out, and it was five minutes after I got here. It was pretty fast.

Abel, who gave his command, turned around without regret. For him, there was no time to invest in a useless thing. And I was a useless thing for him.

I felt no sense of warmth in that cold appearance. But, well, I didn’t care about his look. I had nowhere to go. Went to Count Green, the one who sent me to the battlefield? I was treated so badly when I was there. My room was the old attic with no warmth, and the meal I ate was the leftovers from their meal. Even if I were to go back to that mansion right away, I was sure he’d kick me out because why would he waste the chance he waited so long to get? And actually, in the original story, Fiona who had not yet been known of her talent was kicked out of the Green family and went over the street. Fortunately, later she found a place to stay. However, the scars left by the world at this time were an important factor in Fiona becoming a villain.

Now, since I knew Fiona had a great talent sleeping in her body and skilled mages were treated well, I think I could have a better option; prove my talent early and build extensive knowledge in advance. I think this option was far better than being driven to the streets.

After all, the war still would end with the appearance of the male lead. Until then, the best option to avoid my future despair was, I would bear up and save money, then go down to the countryside, and live in peace.

So the first thing I had to do was get permission to stay here as a mage. Then, all I had to do was out of Abel’s sight until the male lead appeared.

After I calculated all the things in my head, I looked at Abel’s back without any regret and calmly said.

“Wait a minute, Duke. I have something to tell you.”

Abel stopped walking, and turned around, glanced down at me. “What?”

“I couldn’t follow that order”

Abel frowned while looking at me. If I were an ordinary 13-year-old kid, I might have cried.

“What?”

I looked up straight at Abel. “I’m not going back. But I’m not going to be stubbornly asking you to allow me to stay here. Just give me one shot.”

Abel’s pupils were briefly shaken. “What are you talking about?”

“An opportunity to prove my worth?”

Abel’s face was changed as he was interested in the idea I brought up. Well, of course, it was amazing that a girl who looked like an ordinary 13-year-old could say something like that.

He spoke with a rough voice as if to scare me. “A little girl like you? Are you trying to do chores? But, I’ve already had many excellent servants in this place. If it was not that, I wonder how you are going to prove it”

It was not a difficult question. Besides, I had some knowledge of how to deal with Abel. Never look arrogant, but do not look sloppy. I clenched my fists and said in a steady voice.

“Just for once, let me go on the battlefield as a mage. I’ll show you that I can be of sufficient help in this war.”