An unwelcome hypothesis flashed through Nikan's mind.
"Over there."
Nikan called out to a servant with a stern expression.
A servant couldn't be here at this time. So, the reason for this servant's presence was clear.
A witness.
"What caused Wood to be trapped in the water pillar?"
"Ah... Lord Wood summoned the water pillar and got trapped in it himself. Lady Navia told us."
The servant said this, glancing back at Navia standing behind.
Nikan's gaze also shifted to Navia, soaked in water like Wood.
Navia, seemingly cold, was trembling with pale blue lips but looked at Wood with concern.
The blocked approach to the first floor east corridor.
The drenched state of Wood and Navia, and the space where Wood's magic was felt.
The situation was clear without further questioning.
'I just heard that the brainwashing was weakening and I had to rush here!'
"Ha..."
Nikan held his throbbing head.
To make matters worse, the Empress had sent an invitation requesting Navia's portrait.
If the adopted daughter suddenly changed at this time, the suspicious Empress would definitely find fault.
'It seems the foundation of the brainwashing isn't completely disrupted.'
Nikan's eyes grew meaningful.
"Navia, you seem wet. What happened?"
Navia, called by Nikan, flinched her shoulders.
"That is..."
"It's okay, go on."
Navia lowered her head as if in deep thought.
Her fearful eyes quickly turned cold and dry.
'This is a test.'
As Navia sank into deeper thoughts, her expression faded to near nothingness.
A habit that appeared when she was fully focused.
'He's testing to see if I'm still brainwashed.'
Nikan was taking this opportunity to test Navia's loyalty, even in his son's critical condition.
'Detestable human.'
This was the true face of the nobility.
Of course, Nikan was also a skilled manipulator. He wasn't the head of one of the most powerful ducal families for nothing.
He distinguished chess pieces for long-term use from those for short-term sacrifice, adept at manipulating them appropriately.
'I am a long-term chess piece.'
That's why he had been brainwashing her for a long time.
Edward had confessed the truth to Navia just before she was sent to the barbarian king.
"Don't you see? I am a mind control magician, and you are brainwashed."
"But I am fully conscious!"
"That's because I started with very weak suggestions when you were seven."
Mind control magic, if used strongly, could shatter the subject's mind, making their eyes dull.
Navia, having been under a gradually intensifying spell, maintained clear eyes.
'So, I didn't realize I was under suggestion until the sixth time.'
Edward said finally.
"Strong desires become weaknesses. But, it's a late advice now."
Navia raised her head.
Pretending to be what Nikan wanted was too easy.
She vividly remembered her own appearance without a mirror.
What her expression was like.
How much she breathed out.
How droopy her eyes were.
'After all, I have data accumulated over eight times.'
"I asked my brother to show me magic."
Why would a child, nearly burnt to death yesterday, ask Wood to show magic?
Moreover, the place was controlled by Nikan's orders.
An utterly clumsy excuse. Hence, it was 'childlike.'
Nikan's eyes softened with satisfaction. Navia's response met his standards.
'But my real aim isn't to reassure you.'
She saw Wood, gasping for air after being drenched in water.
Navia, like an innocent sister worried about her brother, ran to him and grabbed his arm.
"Are you okay, brother?"
Then Wood, with a murderous look, forcefully pushed Navia away.
Bang!
"You did this!"
Now feeling safe, Wood lunged at Navia.
"You monster! Die!"
"Aah!"
Navia defended herself against Wood's punches with her arms and smiled faintly.
'Ah, thankfully Wood is so foolish.'
The servants, noticing Wood's murderous intent, hesitated to intervene.
Nikan grabbed Wood.
"What nonsense is this!"
Then Wood shook off Nikan's hand and pointed accusingly at Navia.
"She tried to kill me! She trapped me in a pillar of water!"
"This guy...!"
'...Wait.'
"Trapped you in a pillar of water?"
Wood looked resentfully at his father for not punishing Navia immediately and shouted in frustration.
"She stole magic! If not, how could I have been trapped in a water pillar! Father, you won't just let her go, will you?!"
Nikan's expression changed dramatically.
Stolen magic? The only people capable of such a thing were magicians with Copycat abilities.
'Could Navia be a Copycat magician?'
There are rules to magic.
1. Every magician awakens to one ability.
2. Magic is passed down to children probabilistically.
In that sense, Copycat magic, capable of copying any magic, was a unique ability.
Of course, there were limits.
Typically, the best one could do was copy 30% of another's ability.
Even so, being able to use any type of magic was a tremendous privilege and advantage.
If Navia were a Copycat magician, she would be too valuable to send to the Empress, a significant hidden card.
Nikan immediately checked Navia for magical power.
'...There's nothing?'
Contrary to his expectations, he felt no magic.
Then, Navia spoke.
"I think I saw a blue light when... my brother used magic... and then suddenly he was trapped in a water pillar."
It was a sign of a magical outburst that sometimes appeared when a magician exceeded their ability limit.
'Tch! I should have known.'
A Copycat magician, that would have been too good to be true.
"Wood! I've repeatedly warned you about magic outbursts!"
Wood was infuriated, feeling unjustly accused.
"There was no blue light! She's lying! Father, punish her immediately..."
"Enough!"
If Navia had used magic, there would have been traces of magical power in the space.
But except for Wood's magic, there was none.
In other words, Wood was lying.
Nikan was annoyed at his unworthy son trying any means to win against Navia.
He spoke gently to Navia, trying to reassure her in her anxiety.
"I'm sorry, Navia. Your brother will be strictly reprimanded. Go rest now."
Navia nodded cautiously.
Wood then exploded in anger.
"She did it! Why don't you believe me!"
Wood, his face reddened with anger, met Navia's gaze.
Smirk.
"...I'll kill you! Let me go!"
Navia ignored the murderous words hurled at her and turned to leave.
'Such an overreaction for just this.'
The household's turmoil was just beginning.
Navia calmly walked out from the east wing to the lobby on the first floor.
Silence enveloped everything.
No one offered her a towel, even though she was soaked and pale.
It must have been a pitiful and ridiculous sight.
'But I don't care.'
She had no intention of proving her worth here anymore.
She moved on, focusing only on the new power she had acquired, indifferent to people's stares.
However, the silence wasn't the contempt Navia thought it was.
The servants of Agnes, a house of one of the three great dukes, had seen many noble guests, including the Emperor and Empress Diana.
Thus, their standards were incredibly high. They wouldn't bat an eye at ordinary etiquette.
But Navia's appearance now was truly remarkable.
Despite the wet shoes, her walk was unhurried, her gaze natural, and her fingertips made the wet hem of her skirt look like a velvet dress; not a single part was unrefined.
