“Siegren,” I said, worried that Jeron might get upset with him. But I could understand his anger. The Siegren I had written about was fair and just. Bringing a child onto a battlefield—this was unacceptable to him.

“What?” he snapped.

“I’m fine, so don’t fret.”

“What are you saying? Aren’t you scared?”

“You don’t understand. I have nowhere else to go… I needed somewhere to stay, and Heylon Castle needed a mage. We both need each other.”

This was the truth. It wasn’t Siegren’s place to get angry for my sake, especially because this had been something I had decided for myself.

I needed somewhere to stay until I got older and Heylon needed a strong mage. This was actually a win-win situation for everyone involved. Even if I died while fighting, I had still made the choice to enter the battlegrounds in the first place. I had known the risks I was taking. There would be no reason to blame someone else for the choices I had made.

“What about your family?” Siegren asked.

I didn’t have any reason to hide the truth, so I was honest with him. “I’m a bastard daughter. My family members were the ones who sent me here in the first place. They were hoping I would never return home.”

This should be more than enough for Siegren to realize my situation. After all, he had gone through something similar himself. He was also a child who had nobody in this world to protect him. Like me, he had to protect himself.

We both knew better than anyone else that no good deed came for free. I must have been right because Siegren finally loosened his grip on my wrist.

“You might die... Aren’t you scared?” he asked.

“If I die, it just means that I was too weak to survive. That’s not anyone’s fault but my own. Anyway, I’m here because I made the choice to be here. So you don’t need to worry about my well-being. I’m fine.”

Siegren looked at me with such intensity behind his eyes. I’m not sure why he was looking at me like that, since I had just explained everything to him. Just a few days ago, he had mocked me for being a sheltered lady. Now, he was furious that I was going to war. What a difficult male lead.

I pulled my hand free with a smile. “I’ll be back. Be careful so your wound doesn’t get infected. And eat your meals.”

He looked distraught. “Why do you care about me so much when... you won’t let me do the same for you?”

“Of course, I care about you. You’re hurt,” I said.

The boy looked more confused than ever, but he didn’t ask anything else. I could tell there was a jumbled mess of thoughts behind those gray-blue eyes. I waved my hand.

“Come back soon...” he said quietly.

With that, I shut the door. When I stepped outside, I found both Jeron and Abel waiting for me. When had he arrived?

I wondered if Abel had listened in on our conversation. He looked down at me gravely. Was he angry? Well, I supposed it would be annoying to watch two little kids wasting time arguing over petty things when things were urgent.

“I’m sorry for being so late,” I said.

Abel’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he merely sighed before picking me up. He stared at me as if he was trying to read into my mind.

“What is it? Is the situation bad?” I asked.

“You’re... Forget about it. I’ll tell you some other time,” he said. “Fiona.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do not stray from my side when we arrive at the battlefield,” said Abel.

He did not need to say it twice. He always kept me by his side when we were on the field anyway.

“Understood, sir,” I replied.

Abel adjusted his grip to hold onto me a bit more tightly and quickly walked down the hallway. Jeron followed mere footsteps behind, a quiet shadow by our side.

* * *

After defending the second rampart once more, peaceful days followed at Heylon Castle. The relationship between Siegren and I had begun to experience slight changes as well. Ever since he found out I was a mage, the boy had stopped mocking me. But he still sometimes looked at me with a confused expression. I wasn’t sure how to read his face.

Siegren’s wounds had also healed, which meant there was no longer any excuse for him to stay here with us. I didn’t know where Abel would send him. I didn’t want him to return to the fourth rampart, not with his bullies still stationed there. As someone who had decided to protect him until the main story started, it was up to me to resolve this situation.

What should I do?

“Lady Fiona,” a maid called from down the hallway.

“Yes?”

“His Grace is calling for you in his office,” she said.

“I’ll go right away.”

I turned around toward Abel’s office, wondering why he was calling me. Whenever he left for the battlefield, I would always accompany him. I guessed it was because he didn’t trust me enough to send me off on my own. But as of late, attacks on the second rampart were infrequent—which meant I spent most of my time in the castle instead. In other words, I was a bit useless these days. Perhaps he had now thought of something for me to do.

I rapped sharply on the door.

“Come in.”

I pushed open the door to find Abel at his desk, looking over some papers. “Why did you call for me, sir?”

“Sit down,” he said.

I took a seat across from him.

“Fiona.”

I was surprised to hear him call me by my name.

“The doctor tells me that the kid that you picked up has nearly recovered,” he said.

“Yes, sir...”

Abel wasn’t intent on making Siegren leave right away, was he? I still hadn’t figured out what to do with the mercenaries that bullied him.

“As you know, I do not take those I don’t know into my castle,” said Abel.

“I know.”

Abel briefly flashed a crooked smile. “So I’m wondering if you let that boy know who he was.”

He must have looked into Siegren, which meant he likely knew that the boy was an imperial prince.

“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is that he’s an orphan who has been running errands for the mercenaries,” I said.

My cover story in this world was being a bastard daughter of a regular noble family. If Abel realized I knew Siegren’s secret identity as an imperial prince, he would grow suspicious of my knowledge of this world.

Abel narrowed his eyes.

I smiled wide and tilted my head toward my shoulder to look as innocent as possible.

“Well, I suppose that boy hardly matters compared to you,” he said.

“Sorry...?” I responded, surprised by the sudden turn of the conversation. “I’m just a normal girl, sir.”

“I really can’t tell what you’re thinking, Fiona. Sometimes, you act just like a girl your age. But other times, you become more cold and calculating than anyone else in this castle. I can’t tell which version is the real you.”

“I-I think I’m pretty ordinary.”

“I don’t think anyone else does,” said Abel softly. He then looked at me curiously. “I wonder if that’s what makes you a prodigy. To be honest, I don’t know what to do with you. Should I be wary of you or should I be thankful that you’re here? Objectively, it’s nice that you’re so powerful and capable. But if your ability far surpasses the others, you could become quite dangerous.”

I flinched. Was he planning on casting me out instead of Siegren?

This wasn’t fair. I had worked so hard for his sake!

“Are you going to cast me out...?” I asked with a shaky voice.

He sighed. “No. The opposite actually— I’m keeping you. I have no wish to change that decision.”

I blinked, relieved.

So why is he telling me all this?