Navia looked at her wrist with wide eyes, where a black crescent moon was emitting a dangerous, dark light.
Just as she thought, "What is this?", the water pillar imprisoning her was suddenly sucked into the moon.
Wood was shocked, exclaiming, "What, what's this? This can't be happening!"
As the water pillar completely vanished, Navia, freed from her watery prison, collapsed onto the ground, gasping and coughing.
She looked down at the black moon with a dazed expression.
She could feel an unfamiliar, powerful force emanating from the moon, which had absorbed Wood's water magic.
It was as if the moon was whispering to her, "You can return this magic to him."
She realized that the black moon had 'stolen' Wood's magic.
Clenching and unclenching her fist, Navia felt the strange power within her.
She wasn't a magician, but she could use the stolen magic.
Navia opened her mouth, saying, "Brother."
Wood, still in shock from the disappearing water pillar, suddenly regained his senses, his pupils dilating with an unknown anxiety.
He felt an instinctual sense of danger.
He realized that the magic had disappeared because of her, an opponent he couldn't possibly defeat.
‘I'm definitely going to die!’ he thought.
Ignoring the warning from his instincts, he yelled angrily, "Shut up! Who's your brother!"
He gritted his teeth and shouted even louder, trying to intimidate her, hoping she would be scared enough.
Slowly, Navia stood up, her wet silver hair framing her red eyes that fixed precisely on Wood.
A cruelly beautiful smile played on her lips.
"Violence must be met with greater violence, you know?" she said, echoing her father's teachings.
Then, suddenly, a water pillar just like the one before enclosed Wood.
Wood, choking, had initially underestimated Navia and now found himself trapped in his own creation, struggling to escape the water pillar just as Navia had.
Navia laughed brightly, "How does it feel to be in the water? I found it quite revolting."
With an indifferent gaze, she estimated the time it would take for the water pillar to disappear.
Maintaining the pillar required continuous magical power, which Navia, not being a magician, couldn't sustain indefinitely.
Therefore, the pillar would last only as long as the magic she had absorbed from Wood before disappearing.
‘Well, he won't die, at least,’ she thought.
The situation had escalated beyond a concealable accident, but it presented an opportunity to be exploited.
"Stay trapped, brother," she said with a sly smile, then hurried off toward the lobby.
Entering the lobby, Navia was immediately the center of attention, with many eyes of the Ducal household upon her.
The more attention, the better.
"Brother Wood is in danger!" she exclaimed.
At the mention of Wood, the reaction was immediate.
"What? What do you mean?" they asked.
Pointing towards the entrance of the eastern wing from where she had emerged, she said, "Brother is trapped in water!"
Meanwhile, Nikan was in his office, was frowning as he read an invitation in his hand.
It was from the Empress, inviting him to a tea party five days later to admire the winter interior decorations done by her new hired tapestrier.
Nikan burst out laughing.
Did she think he would be curious to see the tapestrier's work, having heard that he had laid spotted fur patterns in the Empress's palace like a young bourgeois's house?
「I heard the Duke’s foster daughter’s appearance is outstanding. I am also curious about the family that gave birth to such a pretty daughter.」
The invitation was a ploy to see Navia's family portrait, suspecting something was amiss about her identity.
"Does she think I don't know her ulterior motives?" he mused.
Nikan had long anticipated such an event and had prepared a portrait for Navia and her family.
It was when a sneer towards the Empress formed on his lips.
Knock knock.
The butler Lyndon entered and announced, "Master, Lord Spencer has requested to see you."
Nikan lifted his head at the butler's words and checked the time.
'Hm? It's earlier than usual.'
Navia had finished basic studies and recently started advanced lessons.
It was essential to teach her politics, economics, history, etc., for managing her skillfully in the royal court.
Brainwashing her into obedience to Agnis was also a necessity.
'She's already being completely tamed step by step with mind control magic.'
Mind control magic was a common ability in the royal family but occasionally appeared in others.
One such person was Edward.
As Nikan folded the letter, he said, "Let him in."
Click.
Edward, not typical of a 26-year-old young man, greeted with a dry attitude.
"I see Duke Agnis."
Nikan highly regarded his unpretentious manner.
'This matter must appear as merely employing the best tutor to perfectly raise my foster daughter.'
Thus, Edward's presence couldn't stand out too much, but a single, competent, young, and handsome man naturally attracted attention.
Nikan ensured Edward moved through less noticeable areas.
He even had him use a secret passage instead of the lobby to come to the office, thus differing his path from Navia's.
"Come in, sit here."
When the two sat across a table, Nikan asked, "So, how is Navia's progress?"
Edward, rubbing the contract ring, opened his lips.
"Was there something yesterday that caused great mental shock to Lady Navia?"
Nikan's eyes showed a hint of caution.
"Why do you ask?"
Edward laid out a clever lie.
"The brainwashing weakened. That's why I ended today's lesson early."
Nikan barely managed to keep his expression from crumbling.
'It must be because of yesterday's fire.'
Annoyed that his son, of all people, was interfering at this crucial time for his great undertaking.
He rubbed his forehead and sighed, "Then what should we do?"
"It's not a difficult task. She just needs to stabilize mentally."
He had given Navia the third floor yesterday, and now, he had to do something else, which he wasn't thrilled about.
'Maybe buying her new clothes and jewelry will do.'
He also planned to bestow a luxurious feast.
He could easily imagine Navia's reaction to the delicacies filling the wide table under the golden and crystal chandelier.
'Handling these low-borns who've never experienced luxury is so easy.'
"Indeed, it's not a difficult task."
Bang!
Suddenly, the usually solemn and composed butler burst into the room urgently.
"Master, there's trouble! Young Master is trapped in a water pillar!"
"What are you talking about! Trapped in a water pillar?"
"You must come to the first floor immediately! It might be dangerous for Young Master!"
Forgetting about Edward, Nikan hastily followed Lyndon.
However, the direction was odd.
Lyndon was heading to the eastern wing of the first floor.
'I had restricted access to the eastern wing at this time.'
Wood was no exception.
"Here it is!"
At the butler's direction, there was Wood, vomiting water.
Nikan yelled in alarm, "Wood!"
He urgently asked Hans, who had already arrived, "Wood? Is Wood alright?"
"He's fine, thanks to getting out of the water in time."
Relieved, Nikan noted that Wood seemed soaked but conscious.
'But why did Wood suddenly get trapped in a water pillar?'
Moreover, he felt a strong trace of magic at this location.
It was… his son's magic.
