AMLA 13

Chapter 13

The duke smiled contentedly.

“But if it’s alright… may I think it over a bit more?”

“Think it over?”

At the word ‘think’, the duke’s smile stiffened. He raised one eyebrow, a hint of discomfort showing on his face.

“Yes. I’d like to get to know both gentlemen a bit more before deciding. I want to find the right connection.”

“……”

“If I marry the one I get along with best, wouldn’t that lead to better results in the future?”

The silent duke suddenly burst into hearty laughter, having understood what she meant.

In truth, the duke didn’t care which of his sons got married.

It would be nice if Kainis, the heir of the Spencer Duchy, married her—but it didn’t really matter if it was Dustin instead.

After all, both Dustin and Kainis were his sons and members of the Spencer family.

What mattered more was whether he could achieve what he wanted.

“Haha! So you’re saying you’ll choose one of my sons.”

“Yes.”

‘Right. This is the best path.’

She had just told the duke that she would marry one of his sons and, in return, help him achieve his goals.

And she’d also bought herself time to choose between them.

‘All I need to do now is escape this game before then.’

“What do you think, Count?”

At the duke’s question, the count looked worried.

Only after she smiled at him, as if to say “it’s fine,” did he give a small nod.

“Let’s watch and see.”

“Let’s do that. The young people should handle it themselves.”

The duke laughed heartily, looking quite pleased. Though he appeared to be stepping back, he had actually made his stance very clear:

Marry one of the sons of the Spencer family.

And at that moment—

Beep beep beep beep.

System

Quest Success!
Spencer Duke’s trust +5.
You have obtained [Real-Time Map (One-Time Use)] as a reward. Check your inventory.

Her first quest success.

“It’s getting late, so we’ll take our leave now.”

Once dinner was over, the guests naturally stood and made their way to the entrance of the mansion.

“Then, we’ll be going first.”

“Yes. Lady Luchellonia, please feel free to visit anytime. Think of us as family.”

The duke smiled as if he were already her father-in-law.

“Yes.”

‘As if I’d come.’

She didn’t say it out loud, but inwardly scoffed while showing a polite smile.

“Felice, I’ll visit you at your mansion next time.”

Dustin, who stood behind the duke, waved at her with a cheerful smile.

Their friendly display drew the attention of others.

“Is that any way to speak?”

Kainis’ cold, low voice rang out.

“What? Felice already said it’s fine. You don’t need to get involved.”

“You said that on your own.”

“Felice, you said it was fine, didn’t you?”

“I said it wasn’t polite, Dustin.”

“Well, you always speak so stiffly. I wonder what kind of girl would like that.”

Dustin’s clearly mocking tone made the atmosphere tenser.

“Quiet.”

“Hyung (brother), do you like Felice? Why?”

Dustin asked curiously, clearly enjoying himself.

Kainis didn’t reply—he simply stared at Dustin in silence.

“……What, do you actually like her?”

Dustin let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“You don’t need to know.”

‘What is with this atmosphere?’

And seriously, what kind of answer was that?

Kainis’ indirect confession caught her off guard.

This shouldn’t be happening.

A creeping sense of dread flooded her.

She wanted to get in the carriage and leave—now.

“Oh? So it’s true? Kainis actually has feelings for a woman…”

Dustin grinned teasingly at Kainis—but then turned his gaze toward her.

And in that moment—

Ding.

System

Dustin Spencer’s Affection +5
Dustin Spencer’s Route has been unlocked.
Once unlocked, routes cannot be reversed.

Try increasing his affection level. What ending might await you?

Currently unlocked routes:

• Kainis Spencer

• Troy Bairon

• Dustin Spencer

‘What the hell…’

So now affection rises just from Kainis pushing back?

This can’t be happening…

Her mouth hung open in disbelief.

Kainis walked past Dustin and stopped in front of her.

“I’ll visit again next time.”

“See you later, Felice!”

Dustin waved again, determined not to lose.

That competitive look in both of them—

She didn’t want to imagine it, but it was possible the obsession of both men had already begun.

“Everyone’s seriously lost their minds.”

After falling asleep in denial last night, she woke up early and immediately recalled the nightmare from the day before.

Just thinking about the Spencer brothers growling at each other over her made her skin crawl again.

“This can’t go on. I really need to learn magic.”

At this rate of unexpected developments, she had no idea when her life might be in danger.

“Once affection hits 90, kidnappings happen frequently.”

And since she couldn’t communicate well with Hyunjae now, she had to find a way to protect herself on her own.

“First, I’ll go see the count.”

Originally, she would have learned magic at the Tower after meeting Rian, but there was no way she’d willingly go to Rian right now.

So she’d use the future Tower Master who lived in the same house.

After changing from her nightgown into an indoor dress, she headed to the count’s office.

Knock knock.

“Young lady, how can I help you?”

It wasn’t the count, but the head butler who greeted her at the office.

“I came to see my father. Where is he?”

“The count has gone to the Magic Tower.”

“Really? Will he be back today?”

With the use of the gate, it only took one or two hours to reach the Magic Tower—close enough for a day trip.

“No, he said he’d be back before the weekend banquet. He has a lot of work.”

“That’s too long…”

When the count returned, they’d be attending Troy’s birthday banquet.

‘If someone’s affection rises again there…?’

It felt like a waste of time to wait idly for the count to return. She had to find a way to protect herself as soon as possible.

As she wandered the mansion in thought, she spotted the library.

“Fine. Whatever. I’ll self-study.”

With no better option, she headed into the library without hesitation.

“Young lady, welcome.”

The librarian standing at the entrance bowed politely.

“Hi. I want to find some basic magic books.”

The librarian’s eyes widened.

‘Right, noble ladies in this world don’t study magic.’

Here, noblewomen typically avoided learning magic.

The biggest reason was that noble families didn’t want sorceress daughters-in-law—it was a societal stigma.

That’s why even though Felice had the next Tower Master as her father, she never studied magic.

“Magic?”

“Yeah. Magic books. Can you find some for me?”

“Of course. Just a moment.”

“Bring the easiest ones!”

Soon she heard the sound of ladders being dragged, and the librarian came back lugging four thick books, huffing and puffing.

“These are the basics?”

“Yes. This is Intro to Magic Volumes 1 through 4.”

The stack of books came up to her knees.

She sighed without meaning to.

‘Right. If it were easy, everyone would be a mage.’

Biting her lip, she stared at the books with determined eyes.

“I’ll read here for now.”

“Then I’ll move the books to that table over there.”

The librarian guided her to a sunny spot deep in the library. Felice sat down and clenched her fist.

She rotated her neck once, then opened the cover of the book with a serious expression.

Those who possess mana have it flowing through their body like blood.
To shape and manipulate this mana, the first step is to feel its flow within your body.

“What the heck is this… Mana flow?”

She tried to follow the breathing technique described in the book to sense the mana in her body—but unlike in the game, it didn’t come easily.

‘Back then, when I held Rian’s hand, it worked instantly…’

Was that a protagonist buff?

“Oh, right…”

She suddenly remembered something Hyunjae had told her in their last chat—how to activate the system.

Glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, she whispered in the smallest voice:

“Magic activate-poof.”