Experiencing a surge of impulses nearly overflowing was, at most, a matter of this week.

It was the first day of the Spirit Magic course, crammed into just one week for some reason.

Hong Yeonhwa slumped down and absently fiddled with a crystal orb.

She had already confirmed that her affinity for spirits was nearly non-existent.

There was a slight affinity with a single fire spirit, but it wasn't at any significant level.

Moreover, it hadn’t even been a couple of months since she last underwent a precise aptitude test. The possibility of any special aptitudes emerging in that short time was virtually zero, so she simply continued her lackadaisical behavior.

It was as she was engaged in casual chatter and magic training with Baek Ahrin and other friends, with no expectations whatsoever.

Suddenly, a corner of her vision flickered.

"What is it?"

The flickering blue light was soon painted over with yellow and light green. It didn’t stop there; red and brown also joined in.

There was a sudden change in her vision, and an aura that was somewhat similar to, yet different from, magical or elemental power reached her senses.

It was the presence of a spirit. While her affinity was terrible, she wasn’t incapable of sensing spirits that had manifested in the world.

Curious, she turned her head, merely assuming that the professor had summoned a spirit.

And then.

"...Huh..."

In that moment, her mind felt as if it had stopped abruptly.

The scene unfolding before her eyes felt surreal.

A pure blue lake, completely devoid of impurities, with a thin veil of white mist spread across the surrounding grassy field.

The sky stretched on past the horizon, with a procession of clouds suspended beneath it.

The blue hues of the earth and sky.

At the center of that colorful palette was Lee Hayul, enveloped in five different colors.

Sitting with his back to the lake and sky, spirits landed on and lifted from his shoulders, arms, and head.

Each time, a color would deepen and then fade, only for another color to take its place, deepening and fading again...

As if wrapped in a gentle light from a game of colors, his already captivating features became even more pronounced.

A small, compact build that seemed perfect for holding tightly in one’s arms.

Fine black hair that had a particularly sweet fragrance.

Delicate eyelashes and gentle, puppy-like eyes.

Dark circles beneath his eyes hinted at fragility, while the fluttering sleeve of one arm made him appear all the more vulnerable.

Behind him fluttered a blue cloth, reminiscent of the robes of a celestial maiden from a fairy tale, adding a dreamlike quality.

In this picturesque setting, the gaze of around a hundred people was solely fixed on him. He drew attention in a way that made it impossible to look away.

There was no distinction between male or female. There was no need to consider individual aesthetic preferences.

Beauty.

Only that word was etched into everyone’s minds.

Seemingly oblivious to the multitude of eyes on him, Lee Hayul absentmindedly tilted his head, then raised a hand wrapped in a black sleeve.

The contrast between the black sleeve covering his fingers and half of his forearm and the exposed, white skin beneath it.

And there, a red glow settled at his fingertips.

A fire spirit.

Fire, though essential to human survival, is also a dangerous element that can easily take life.

But the fire spirit, embodying fire as its origin and essence, did nothing more than rub against his arm in an affectionate gesture, as if showing its cuteness.

A display of affection, perhaps. Realizing this, the absent-minded Lee Hayul suddenly wore a faint smile as he carefully stroked the spirit.

“......”

Hong Yeonhwa’s eyes trembled as she stared at him in a trance. Her open mouth looked as if it might drool.

• Crackle...

An internal flame flickered. It was nothing new. As long as she lived, the flame would never cease to burn.

• Crackle...

But this flicker was different.

Normally, her flame was intense, to the point where it appeared threatening. When fed with extreme emotions, it became vicious and threatening enough to burn everything around her.

The flame during the last visit was... uncharacteristically calm and cold.

Now?

It wasn’t intense.

It wasn’t vicious or threatening.

It wasn’t calm or cold either.

Now it flickered in a sticky way, almost clinging to the ground, as if it would devour whatever it enveloped before burning everything around her.

A sticky impulse. Or perhaps, a craving.

The flame... Hong Yeonhwa wanted to devour it.

That sight so clear in her view.

That beautiful figure wrapped in a dreamlike atmosphere—she wanted to devour it, hold it tight in her arms, and crush it.

Warm, sweet-smelling, soft, tender, making cute sounds, and giving her crumpled candies as a reward with those small hands, always swaying their tail to tempt her, then tilting their head innocently as if they didn’t know anything, bringing her gifts they made stitch by stitch with those small hands despite their limited time and physical discomfort, returning from somewhere all battered and fragile...

“It’s... all your fault. It’s not my fault. It’s all Hayul’s fault. Do you know how much I held back? Not knowing, you kept coming to me, apologizing, looking teary-eyed, clinging... You just kept... kept...”

“Yeah, yeah! I get it, so stop! I understand, okay? Just stop!”

The mutterings continued. Though her voice was small and quiet in the large office, the sticky and gloomy desires it contained overflowed.

Choi Jiyeon, unable to listen anymore, stopped her mutterings with a startled exclamation.

At first, it was full of that characteristic embarrassment, as if she was wearing rose-colored glasses. But at some point, something started to feel strange...

She had to act before hearing something she truly shouldn’t. However, it seemed a little too late.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Choi Jiyeon touched her own face. The skin beneath her fingers felt unnervingly cold.

She glanced up. Her gaze met with Ariel’s, who had been waiting behind the sofa.

“......”

Ariel, who usually wore an expression of stern stillness, now looked not only cold but almost pale with shock...

And there, in Hong Yeonhwa’s murky eyes, light returned.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Why do you look like that? Are you sick?”

She seemed to be coming back to her senses, tilting her head in confusion.

Judging by the look on her face, she hadn’t even realized what she’d been muttering about. That was what made it scarier...

‘...How should I put it...’

An outpouring of emotion that defies description. If summarized briefly, it was just that she liked that child... Well... Damn it.

Choi Jiyeon shook her head. She decided to think of it in a positive light.

She made up her mind, but she didn’t act on it. With patience... she hadn’t forced herself on anyone.

Despite the severe repercussions of the flame, Hong Yeonhwa had somehow managed to hold onto her clingy emotions.

Choi Jiyeon tried to think positively about that part.

Isn’t it possible for a person to have slightly gloomy thoughts sometimes? As long as they don’t act on it, it’s hard to criticize someone for thoughts alone.

‘...Or maybe not? Should I criticize just thinking about forcing oneself on someone? And didn’t she just express that impulse?’

The more she thought, the more her head hurt...

“Sigh...”

With a deep sigh, Choi Jiyeon took a sip of tea. The tea in the cup remained warm thanks to the magic embedded within it.

If it had cooled, it might have soothed her insides. She could only wish.

With a click of her tongue, she put down the teacup and downed a glass of cold water beside it.

The cold water slid down her throat, gradually cooling the heat that had risen within her.

Likewise, her cluttered mind calmed down a bit.

‘...Hmm.’

With a somewhat clearer head, she thought of a solution.

“Should I arrange... an engagement?”

“Wh-what? An engagement?”

“Yes, an engagement.”

The feelings Hong Yeonhwa had confessed were certainly gloomy and twisted, thoughts that should never be shared with another.

But would it be a problem between a married couple? From the looks of it, she was head over heels, and from what she had heard, that kid seemed to have some interest too...

One way or another, Choi Jiyeon didn’t want to see her daughter become a criminal...

 

Late at night, after finishing her personal training and studies.

Baek Ahrin, unable to sleep, helped out with her family’s mountainous workload.

Unlike others, Baek Ahrin diligently completed and digested the education for her successor role.

Up until recently, she had been handling a significant portion of the family’s affairs.

Since entering Shio-ram, she had been a bit short on time, so she hadn’t been able to keep up as much. But whenever she had a bit of free time, she’d chip away at it little by little.

Of course, even that only involved assisting with appropriate tasks. She didn’t touch matters that required confidentiality outside of the main family residence.

As she sorted through the pile of emails, her hand froze.

Amidst the flood of work emails, there was one from her parents.

“......”

She stared at it with a blank expression, as if she had no choice but to open it.

The content was nothing special.

A typical message from parents to a child: Are you doing well at Shio-ram? How is your academic life? Is your control over your unique abilities going smoothly? Are you taking care of your health?

Despite the stiffness of the font and the blunt tone, it was a message of concern.

Though she found it absurd that they’d express worry in such a manner.

Not that she thought of it with pure annoyance.

Baek Ahrin knew well that her parents struggled with emotional expression. And she knew that their concern for her was genuine.

As she read the email, her blank expression didn’t change, but she let out a small chuckle at a cautious mention of engagement near the end.

It wasn’t an outright proposal, just a gentle suggestion that perhaps she should meet someone.

“Engagement, huh...”

Proposals for engagement. She had received so many since childhood, likely due to her prominent appearance.

She had rejected them all. The Changhae family wasn’t in any precarious position where they’d be pressured into a forced marriage. Thanks to that, Baek Ahrin could reject any proposals based on her preferences.

Her reasons were simple. Before even considering whether someone caught her interest, she just hadn’t had the time.

And that was still the case.

Baek Ahrin touched her chest. Beneath the heavy flesh, she could faintly sense the curse settled in her heart.

Cold and frigid.

Thanks to Changhae’s inheritance, her body was specialized in handling cold energy and yin.

Though she was accustomed to coldness, she still couldn’t adapt to the chilling bitterness of that damn curse.

“......”

Murmuring the word “engagement,” Baek Ahrin recalled her memories.

To her, engagement was merely a transaction.

The sending party offered their offspring as a sign of trust, while the receiving party took in that child to establish stability.

Few methods were as secure as a transaction involving kin as both collateral and reward.

Engagement was a transaction. The betrothed was the merchandise of that deal.

In that sense, Baek Ahrin herself was extremely valuable merchandise.

Special admit student.

A student with unprecedented potential, noticed by the Chancellor. A winning lottery ticket, practically guaranteed.

The Tower of Growth.

The flame that erupted with potential output comparable to Hong Yeonhwa’s.

The Shipnaha incident.

The traces of Changhae that had manifested in Lee Hayul, who was admitted to the infirmary.

“Hmm.”

She calculated roughly.

Hong Yeonhwa, with a potential to dissolve curses.

Lee Hayul, acknowledged by the Chancellor for his potential.

Lee Hayul, who had once unleashed a flame output comparable to Hong Yeonhwa.

Lee Hayul, who had traces of Changhae’s chilling aura, not lacking compared to Baek Ahrin...

“Tsk...”

The scales tipped to one side.

But she couldn’t disregard the bonds and burdens built up over time.

Furthermore, she wasn’t entirely sure if she would be valuable to Lee Hayul.

It seemed his affection was overwhelmingly on the other side, and it wasn’t as if he had any notable aversion towards her.

“......”

In that case.

If she was going to go through with it, she needed to increase her own value.

Late into the night.

Baek Ahrin’s contemplation continued for a long time.