n

n

n“…… Your Majesty.”

n“Oh, it’s Hikan. It’s not good to overprotect your sister like that. Why don’t you just go home?”

n“I came out because for some reason, I feel like Your Majesty will try to steal.”

n“Hmm, I can’t say no to that.”

nHikan gently pulled Dalia toward him. Dalia felt like she was being handled like a package from the courier service.

n“Have you found the Second Prince?”

n“Hmm, I’m going to find him from now on.”

n“I’ll be rooting for you. Also, thank you for bringing my sister.”

nGrind. (*t

/n: I’m not sure what is the onomatopoeia for grinding teeth hehe)

nFor some reason, it seemed like that sound came from Hikan’s teeth. The Emperor greeted with a smile.

n

n

n“Bye, Miss Dalia. Come and see me again next time.”

n“Yes! I will.”

nThe Emperor rode the carriage again and left.

nThen, Hikan only looked at Dalia. She was afraid that he might get angry with her, but Hikan just reached out to her.

nDalia held his hand. She thought that it was a much more enjoyable outing than she expected.

nAnd the next day, Dalia learned that the phonograph was originally priced at 5,000 dillon, exactly ten times the price she paid.

n* * *

nHikan’s birthday was held in a simple manner with just the two of them.

nThe employees collected money among themselves and bought gifts, but Hikan refused to refund as he did every year.

nDalia’s gift arrived in time.

nHikan went out to look at it and his expression became complicated.

n“Y, you don’t like it?”

n“……No, I like it.”

nHowever, it was an expression that certainly bothers him.

n‘Why is that?’

nDalia’s question was quickly answered by her nanny, who was surprised at the gift.

n“My goodness, Miss. How did you buy that?”

n“Huh? Why?”

n“That’s, the price……”

nThe nanny whispers to Dalia the approximate real price. Dalia’s expression turned white.

nIf it’s 490 dillon, it’s about 1 million won worth of money from her previous life. So she thought that would be enough, but it was ten times more.

n‘H, His Majesty……has paid for me instead!’

nThere seems to be some kind of conversation between the clerk and the Emperor. Dalia should have been suspicious of him from the time he spoke to her as soon as he saw the two of them coming into the store.

nThat means the whisper was……

nHikan glanced at the nanny as if he was asking why she said that. The nanny hiccups.

n“You don’t need to worry about it. His Majesty has a lot of money. This is a gift from you.”

n“……”

n‘It’s……really okay to think like that right?’

nHikan patted Dalia’s head when he saw Dalia still had a complicated expression. And he showed the light smile that can only be seen almost once a year.

n“This is what I wanted. Thank you.”

nDalia’s thoughts disappeared seeing that rare smile. She forgot all the worries and had fun with the rest of the birthday celebration.

nThis year, she finally succeeded in putting the party hat on Hikan’s head.

nThis wonderful scene must be recorded, but it was regrettable that it could not be left as a picture as there is no photography technology in this world.

nDalia took off the hat from Hikan’s head after some time as she knew that he hated it.

nHikan brushed his hair roughly and said.

n“Damn it, I’m glad nobody’s here.”

n‘Maybe this is why we don’t have a birthday party?’

nDalia thought.

nIt would be nice if only this day continued.

nShe thought so before going to sleep. But at the same time she thought that things wouldn’t go that easily.

nHikan still had one hurdle left.

n“It will start by the end of the year at the latest.”

nThe Emperor said so.

nMana Awakening. In the original, it happened when Hikan was 18. It’s already late by a year, so it wasn’t strange if it started anytime now. (*t

/n: I change Mana Blooming to Mana Awakening cuz it sounds better hehe)

nDalia fell asleep while preparing her heart for the disaster that would come one day.

n* * *

nHikan was preparing for his mana awakening. He could feel how close it was.

nThere was no need to worry until last year, but as of this year, the flow of mana in his body has increased remarkably.

nHe had about three months to spare, but it would be better to be prepared in advance.

nHe guessed that he would be the same as others, from his experiences seeing those around him. Since his temper is worse, he knew that it wouldn’t be that much less than others.

nStress is the biggest factor in mana awakening.

nSo he’s been cutting back on his workload and deliberately staying away from the annoying news these days.

nNow the next step.

nHe called in the butler to ask how they controlled the transcendents of the Pesteros in the past. But the butler’s answer was unexpected.

n“……that’s……there’s no records left.”

n“What?”

n“Because of the explosion caused by the former Duke of Pesteros……all the relevant records were burned.”

nHe ran into the first obstacle.

nAt this time, he can only contact the one he can trust, the Emperor.

nThe reply arrived shortly.

nBusy with work. Figure it out yourself.

nHe crumpled the letter.

nUnexpected stress hit him.

nStress is the most effective trigger for mana awakening. He barely managed to calm down and left only a few instructions for the butler.

nHowever……a month after Hikan’s birthday party.

nDalia blankly looked around the completely ruined study.

n‘Goodness, no matter how much I have prepared my mind.’

nThe chandelier fell to the floor and the pieces of the crystal sculpture were everywhere.

nThe bookshelf was thrown out of the window, the windows were burned, everything thrown out, and even the garden was ruined.

nThe sofa was broken with the cotton inside bursting out, and the wooden table was split in half.

nAnd in the middle, Hikan stood with an expressionless face.

n‘You don’t have to start this fast, do you?’

nDalia screamed inwardly.

n* * *

nIt was a week after the birthday party that Hikan’s abnormalities were first observed.

n“Miss, please stop the Duke.”

nThe nanny cried and complained to Dalia.

n“I feel like I’m going to get neurosis because of that horrible phonograph every day.” (*t

/n: neurosis: a relatively mild mental illness that is not caused by organic disease, involving symptoms of stress (depression, anxiety, obsessive behaviour, hypochondria) but not a radical loss of touch with reality.)

n“I, I’m sorry……”

nDalia turned her gaze away in guilt. In a way, that gift was Dalia’s fault.

nThe sound of the phonograph was really good for an hour or two as it was expensive, but Hikan left it on almost all day.

nThe noise was causing the complaints from employees to grow day by day.

n‘But……’

nDalia, who knows that Hikan has become especially sensitive these days, was cautious. Maybe she had a little bit of luck yesterday.

n“It’s not the surroundings that are noisy, my head is.”

nHikan said so with a gloomy look. It was not an atmosphere where she could say anything more.

nBy that time, Dalia had already figured out the reason.

n‘It’s almost time for the mana to start to awaken.’

nShe really thought about visiting the Emperor, but he hasn’t gone crazy yet. So Dalia decided to wait a little longer.

n‘……a hug of love?’

nShe’s thinking of cheering for him.

n“I’m sorry, nanny. I think my brother’s mana is about to awaken.”

n“……it, it must be that, right?”

nThere was fear in nanny’s eyes.

nTranscendents were still terrifying in the eyes of the ordinary people.

nPublic opinion has improved a lot since the current Emperor’s ascension, but even she is sometimes scared when Hikan is angry.

n“Yeah. Tell that to the others too. Stay away from my brother for a while. “

nShe quietly soothed the nanny.

nAnd another ten days have passed.

n“Butler, the pile of papers is crooked.”

nHikan put the paper he was reading on the desk roughly.

n“I’m sorry.”

n“Damn it, I’ve said it three times. Do I have to tell you again?”

nHikan raised his voice.

nDalia looked at him, startled. He looked at her, sighed and touched her forehead.

n“Forget it. Get out.”

nThe butler went out quietly. Hikan looked at the papers again while gritting his teeth.

nFor ten days, Hikan’s symptoms got worse. He has now turned off the phonograph, but that doesn’t mean the symptoms have improved.

n

n

nIt was rather the opposite. Now even if they can or can’t hear the music, it’s the same.

nHis annoyance got worse, and now Dalia stayed in his office all day, worried that he would hurt the employees.

nHikan was a little weak whenever he saw Dalia. But Dalia wasn’t exactly what she used to be.

nJust in case the hug of love would work, she crept up from behind to hug him.

n“Don’t touch me. Because I’m not sure if I can stand it.”

nHe spoke coldly and avoided her arm.

nDalia did not give up immediately just because she failed once.

nHowever, Hikan’s mood should not be stimulated too much. He’s holding it in because of Dalia, but she can’t let him explode.

n