I Possessed the Heroine’s Teacher

I had slept for so long that I woke up with a mild headache and a soft groan. It had been so long since I had slept this much. Nowadays, I would wake up at the slightest sound, even the rustling of a piece of paper, because of the constant attacks from assassins. I woke up groggily and saw a hazy scene that I wasn’t used to.

The place where I fell asleep was a small, shabby room, but the place I woke up in was a magnificent room decorated with luxurious furniture and expensive artwork.

“Are you awake?”

I turned my head at the familiar voice. Werner was wearing a high-quality black robe with a golden lion embroidered on it, unlike the shabby clothes he wore yesterday. I could really feel that he was a magician of the Imperial Family. I was surprised that his atmosphere could change so much with just a change of clothes, but then I heard a dignified voice from outside.

“Her Majesty the Empress has arrived.”

Suddenly, the Empress? I quickly got up and straightened my clothes and hair. But Werner sighed and answered in an annoyed tone.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and the Empress entered with many maids. I knelt down involuntarily, feeling the dignity and majesty in her appearance.

“I am honored to be in the presence of the most noble woman in the Empire.”

I greeted her properly, as my father had taught me. But Werner just nodded his head, still looking annoyed. It was a scene where someone could have their head cut off for being disrespectful, but the Empress just laughed and responded to his greeting, then approached me.

“Who is this beautiful young lady?”

“I… I am Glacies Winterheart, the eldest daughter of the Winterheart Grand Duke.”

“Oh, then you’re a distant relative of His Majesty. There’s no need to be so formal.”

“But…”

I looked at Werner for help, not knowing what to do. Werner finally came over to me.

“Don’t be too nervous. Even if you commit a grave offense that would get your head chopped off, I’ll take care of it.”

“Haha, don’t be too nervous.”

Even though he said this, I couldn’t easily shake off my nervousness. The Empress looked back and forth between me and Werner, then asked Werner a question.

“It’s unusual to see a young lady in your office, Werner.”

“My office is only accessible to me and beautiful women.”

The Empress laughed and covered her mouth with her fan at Werner’s joke. Then she gestured for the people around her to leave. I didn’t understand the reason, but I seemed to be included in that group, so I tried to leave the office. But Werner stopped me.

“Don’t go.”

“But…”

“I really hate having to say things twice.”

I had no choice but to sit on the nearby sofa and try to stay as quiet as possible. The Empress turned her attention away from me and spoke to Werner.

“I heard that your uncle, the Emperor’s brother, was rude to you yesterday.”

“Yeah, there was some trouble.”

“As a member of the Imperial Family and his niece… I offer my sincere apologies.”

My head was spinning. I had heard that Werner had burned the clothes of the Emperor’s brother and hung them on the city wall, but the Empress was not reprimanding him. It was rare for a member of the Imperial Family to apologize to someone.

Werner accepted the apology awkwardly.

“Well, I wasn’t completely innocent either. But I have a request for you, Your Majesty.”

“If it’s something I can help with, I’ll do it.”

“Please don’t say anything to my older brothers and sisters…”

“If that’s your wish, I understand.”

The Empress took out a small silk pouch from her pocket. It was a silk pouch with a bulge the size of an egg, and she said with a smile,

“I brought this as a reward for your hard work and as an apology for the recent incident.”

“What is this?”

“It’s the egg of a Snow Hawk. They say that one of these eggs is worth dozens of gold bars.”

I had heard of it before. The Snow Hawk is a mythical bird that lays its eggs in trees that humans cannot reach. It is said that there are few of them, and no one knows where they live, so their price is whatever the seller asks for.

“I don’t really like birds, but if it’s a gift from Your Majesty, I’ll gladly accept it.”

“That’s good to hear. Then I’ll take my leave…”

“Farewell.”

As the Empress reached for the doorknob, I also bowed and showed my respect.

“It was an honor to be in the presence of the most noble woman in the Empire.”

The Empress waved back at me in response.

“I hope we can meet again, Glacies.”

After the Empress left, Werner came over with an annoyed look on his face and sat on the sofa opposite the one I was sitting on.

“She’s just trying to shut me up by giving me this and asking me to keep my mouth shut. What a bitch, I’m so annoyed…”

“What?”

Anyone who heard this would think it was a crime worthy of punishment, but Werner didn’t care and continued to express his annoyance with a displeased look on his face. His face was completely different from when he was with Media yesterday. It wasn’t a playful face, but an unpleasant one, as if there was dirt on his collar.

I cautiously asked about the truth behind the incident.

“What do you mean the Emperor’s brother was rude to you? I heard that you burned his clothes and hung them on the city wall…”

“That bastard was being rude to an old man, so I went to complain.”

“And?”

“And that bastard was muttering something. I have good hearing, so I heard him say, ‘You must feel a sense of camaraderie with the commoners because you’re also of common birth.’ He was probably just muttering to himself, but I heard it.”

At that moment, I finally understood what was going on.

“So I smashed the carriage, beat them up, burned their clothes with fire magic, and hung them on the city wall.”

“If that’s what happened, you should have explained the situation to the others. They would have understood.”

Since they’re all kind people, they would have understood Werner’s actions. But Werner intentionally hid the truth. I couldn’t understand why he did that.

“Understand? They would have understood and then beaten them up themselves.”

“But why…”

“So I don’t want that.”

“What do you mean?”

“So let’s say I told them the truth and they beat up that bastard. Then they’d all be too scared to say anything to me.”

“Then no one would dare to ignore you… Ah…”

I knew from my own experience. My father and mother had purged those who called me half-vampire. But even then, I couldn’t shake off my insecurity. Because they were afraid of my father and mother, not me.

“So even though this happened, I just told them that I caused trouble. It’s easier that way.”

“But Her Majesty the Empress came to see you and apologized, which means she values you.”

“Ha! Do those people value me?”

Werner clicked his tongue and started spinning his index finger. Various magic crystals appeared around his finger.

Fire Crystal

Wood Crystal

Steel Crystal

Water Crystal

Light Crystal

Lightning Crystal

Darkness Crystal

Ice Crystal

Earth Crystal

Wind Crystal

The crystals merged into a single, bright mass of magic power, which then disappeared in an instant, like a candle flame going out.

“Without this, I’m just an orphan with no value.”

“You have value, Werner…”

“If I didn’t have this talent… would my older brothers and sisters have taken me in? They would have probably sent me to a nice orphanage.”

“Without their support, would I have been able to shine?”

“If it weren’t for magic, I would have been begging on the streets and died alone. I wouldn’t even have been given the chance to talk to a noble young lady like you.”

Werner had a sad look in his eyes. I had never seen him like this before, and he looked so pitiful and pathetic that I wanted to hug him like a shivering fox cub.

“Everyone calls me the youngest of the heroes and the greatest magician, but in the end, all they see is the ‘youngest of the heroes’ and the ‘greatest magician’. No one sees Werner Alton as a person.”

“That’s the same for me. In the end, they just treat me as the daughter of the Grand Duke or the daughter of the Vampire Queen.”

“But to your older brothers and sisters, you’re just a pretty daughter.”

That’s right, my father and mother would have loved me even if I wasn’t a noble. But Werner was different. He didn’t have a family who loved him for who he was.

He seemed to be surrounded by the most people, but in the end, when the sun set and everyone went home, he was alone. He spent every night alone, and compared to him, I was less lonely.

Werner smiled awkwardly.

“What am I saying to a kid…”

Then he handed me the Snow Hawk egg that the Empress had given him.

“Hey, isn’t your birthday coming up soon? Take this as a gift from me.”

“But this is something Her Majesty gave you…”

“It’s a bribe I got from my older brothers and sisters in exchange for keeping my mouth shut, so I can do whatever I want with it.”

I held the Snow Hawk egg close to my heart, feeling its warmth and softness. It was the first gift Werner had ever given me.

“Werner…”

“What now?”

“Someday, I’ll bring someone who sees you as Werner, not just the youngest of the heroes or the greatest magician.”

I didn’t need to say who that person was. He laughed as if he found it amusing, not realizing that the person was right in front of him.

“Sure, bring that person someday. If it’s a pretty woman, I wouldn’t mind marrying her.”

.

.

.

Winterheart Mansion.

My mother spoke to me as I was holding the egg that Werner had given me.

“Do you like that egg so much, my daughter?”

“Yes, Mother, I really like it.”

“Then what will you name the hawk when it hatches?”

I suddenly remembered how Werner put a lot of sugar in his cocoa when he made it for me.

“I want to name it Sugar.”

“… Oh, I see…”

My father saw this and came over, laughing, and patted my head. Before I met Werner, I didn’t realize that this happiness wasn’t something to be taken for granted.

“Father.”

“What’s wrong, my daughter?”

“From tomorrow on, please teach me swordsmanship.”

“Why swordsmanship?”

To be worthy of a great magician, one needed to have some level of physical strength. And I didn’t want to be pushed around by others anymore. I wanted to change myself.

“I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Our daughter has grown up… I’m so happy I could cry…”

My father really did cry, and my mother comforted him.

“And I want something.”

For the first time in my life, I decided to ask my parents for something.

“What? Our daughter wants something? Really?”

“Just say what you want, and I’ll bring you the head of a dragon.”

“Yes, mom will also send her minions to get you any treasure you want.”

My parents made a big fuss and promised to get me whatever I wanted. For the first time in my life, I spoke up about what I wanted.

“I want Werner.”