Having completed his tasks, Nikan let out a deep sigh and stood in front of his son's room.
Naturally, the best room in the Agnes Ducal Residence was used by the head of the family, Nikan himself.
The next best was occupied by the heir, Wood. His room, excluding the bedroom, included a playroom, a reception room, and a dressing room, occupying nearly half of the floor.
Thus, reaching Wood's bedroom required a long walk from the central staircase. Passing through the long corridor and opening the door, a bedroom appeared with a vivid and strong color scheme, quite different from Vivian's room.
Click.
With a complicated expression, Nikan entered his son's room. Wood lay on the bed with red curtains drawn around it.
"My lord."
Hans, who had been checking on Wood, greeted him. Nikan waved off his greeting.
"How is Wood?"
"There's no major issue. However, for the magic-related aspects, it's advisable to consult a magician proficient in this field."
"Right. If you're done with the examination, you may rest now."
Hans respectfully nodded to Nikan's words and left the bedroom.
Silence enveloped the room. Nikan pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down heavily, his head throbbing incessantly.
'He must be suffering from the aftereffects of magic outburst.'
Though his life was spared, the enormous water storm he caused would surely have left sharp scars on his body. If magic flow gets twisted, it's as good as the end for a magician.
Nikan held his face in his hands, feeling dreadful.
"Why did you do it, Wood...?"
Was he so averse to Navia that he took such a risk?
An intense sense of doubt weighed heavily on him.
He had never been wrong. Nor had he ever failed. His only 'failure' in life was having a daughter afflicted with magic reversal disease.
Now, he doubted his decisions.
Was it right to keep Navia, given how things had turned out?
'Should I get rid of her?'
It wasn't difficult to disguise the death of an adopted daughter as an accident or natural causes.
He looked out the window. The sky, bright before the water storm, was now quickly filling with clouds.
"It looks like rain."
The overcast sky suggested heavy rain the next day. Faking a carriage accident was easier on rainy days.
'Should I just get rid of Navia?'
Her pure and radiant silver hair. Her white, smooth skin. And those red eyes, the crowning touch amidst the delicate colors.
She would surely become a stunning beauty in another ten years, overwhelming all onlookers.
If one were to nickname Navia's beauty, 'A beauty that overwhelms the nation' would be fitting. Her looks not only ranked objectively high but also, according to covertly acquired information, matched the tastes of Prince Ares.
Though tired, Nikan watched over Wood, occasionally dozing on the sofa. He had magicians continuously infuse magic to prevent any lingering effects of the magic outburst, all the while dealing with a recent embezzlement issue in the household.
* * *
A day passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, both Wood and Navia remained unconscious. Nikan, sleeping fitfully on the sofa in Wood's room, was awakened by his son's voice.
"Uh... Ah... Dad?"
Nikan's mind snapped to attention.
"Wood!"
Wood, grimacing as if in pain, was trying to sit up. Nikan quickly went to his son and held him.
"Are you alright? Any pain?"
Wood looked around, puzzled about why he was in the bedroom.
"You collapsed from a magic outburst. How did you even cause that water storm? It's fortunate it ended like this..."
Nikan's heart ached seeing his son's still pale face.
His young son had almost died. Regardless of the circumstances, that fact was what mattered most to Nikan.
Wood, with a puzzled expression, furrowed his brow. "A magical outburst...?"
He had caused a water storm?
'I don't remember such a thing...'
He got up like the dawn and called for a servant to take him to the cabin where Navia was being held.
A slight tremor of fear flashed through his memory, remembering the early morning air, the eerie silence just before dawn, making the forest feel even more melancholic.
Then, he noticed Navia escaping through the cabin's opening.
And then... what was it?
"I can't remember."
The memory remained vivid in his mind until the moment he had restrained Navia.
The intense desire to extinguish the crimson eyes that gazed at him as though they could snuff out his life, he remembered that emotion vividly.
However, strange memories were intertwined within.
A blue-tinged spark had sprung up so intensely that it appeared pure white...
Amidst it, the crimson...
Chills ran down his entire body.
Was it because of his own red hair that he had loved the color red so much?
Until just now.
Wood was gasping for breath amidst the red curtains that filled the room.
Red.
Red was frightening.
The red that had eerily flown in amidst the white light was terrifying.
"Ahh!"
He screamed, tearing the canopy of the bed apart.
"Wood!"
Nikan grabbed Wood in surprise, but he pushed him away roughly.
Wood, with eyes half-lidded, tore through the curtains and trampled them. He eradicated the red instinctively, not understanding why he was doing it.
Then, suddenly, a voice echoed in his ears.
He also didn't remember saying this.
But he knew exactly who the voice belonged to.
Wood mumbled dazedly, his face blank as if he were possessed.
"It's all because of her... she made me like this! It's her fault!"
In Wood's distraught expression, an unacknowledged fear mingled on his cold face.
Nikan watched his son's unstable state for a moment before comforting Wood with a troubled expression.
"Alright, your father will find a way to fix everything. Don't worry."
He then called for the physicians to attend to Wood's condition and left the bedroom.
Nikan unconsciously walked in the direction of his study but then turned his gaze toward Navia's room.
In the meantime, Linden had come closer and was assisting him.
"What about Navia?"
"She's still asleep."
"Alright..."
Nikan's thoughts were complicated.
If he proceeded with Navia's engagement as planned, Agnes would rule the empire for at least a hundred years.
They could stand at the pinnacle forever, leading the lineage even beyond his generation when Wood would eventually lead the clan...
The emotion that had crossed Wood's face when he mentioned Navia was undoubtedly fear.
Fear.
Why would he feel such an emotion for a girl who was nothing extraordinary?
'Probably because of the magical outburst.'
Nikan concluded and spoke to Lyndon.
"We need to prepare for the visit to the royal palace."
"Yes, sir. However... Mr. Spencer has requested an audience and is waiting in the reception room."
'Ah, was today the day when the teacher's vacation ended?'
But Navia had not awakened yet, and he had to go to the palace.
"Tell him we'll discuss it tomorrow."
"It's... a matter that needs your immediate attention," Lyndon said hesitantly.
Nikan sighed and nodded in acknowledgment.
"Fine..."
Setting aside a bit of time for a conversation wasn't difficult, but he didn't appreciate being bothered.
If someone made trivial remarks, it might infuriate him.
As he headed to the reception room, he saw Edward impeccably dressed.
"Teacher Spencer, what do you want?"
Nikan, tired and without a hint of leisure, skipped formalities and got straight to the point.
Edward, unfazed by Nikan's demeanor, spoke.
"I have something important to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
Nikan asked flatly.
Edward expected Nikan's attitude to change soon.
"I've discovered a cure for magical reflux disease."
