Chapter 30 Side Story: Frederick's Perspective
1521words
But later, from some day onward, she seemed to become a completely different person.
She would still look at me with those blue eyes, but the layer of ice had melted. When I deliberately spilled ink on her robe, she would jump in anger, her pretty face flushing bright red, completely losing the dignity expected of a noble instructor. She would chase me throughout the entire academy for skipping class, waving that ridiculous staff in her hand, threatening to break my legs.
I liked Instructor Winifred this way. She was vibrant, no longer that cold doll, but a person who could get angry, feel helpless, and become incoherent with rage because of me. Teasing her and watching her exasperated reactions became the only pleasure in my dull life.
I deliberately used special magic powder to temporarily blind her eyes. It was because the day before, during the practice class, she had used vine magic to hang me up in front of so many people and spanked me with a ruler. Although I was still young at that time, as a prince, I had my dignity. I just wanted to teach her a small lesson, to let her know that I wasn't someone to be bullied easily.
But I didn't expect she would be so frightened. When she fell to the ground in panic and blindly reached out her hands grasping at the air, my heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly. In that moment, I even felt a hint of regret.
Later, our playful bickering became a daily routine. I discovered that she was genuinely good to me. She no longer forced me to learn those boring court etiquettes, but instead bought me many novel toys from outside, and would secretly take me out of the academy to explore the night markets. She would also make me a strange-tasting yet delicious dessert called "Water Lily Soup" with her own hands.
I began to get used to her presence, and even started to rely on her. But even when our relationship was at its most harmonious, I could still occasionally catch a fleeting glimpse of fear and detachment in the depths of her eyes that I couldn't understand. It was as if she was looking through me, seeing something else. This realization made me feel inexplicably irritated.
Later on, the holy knight called Arthur returned to the academy with a woman. Only then did I learn from other students' whispers that my mentor had always had feelings for him.
I secretly took a glance at Arthur, just a fool with brute strength. He's not even as handsome as I am, completely unworthy of my mentor. I felt a surge of inexplicable anger. Why? Why does he receive my mentor's favor? Fortunately, it seems my mentor doesn't truly like him either, always maintaining a distance from him. Indeed, those boring rumors, not a single one is credible.
Going down the mountain to vanquish magical beasts that time was the greatest turning point in my life. When the claws of that out-of-control magical beast swung toward me, I didn't even have time to raise my magic shield. It was her who, without hesitation, stood in front of me.
Warm blood splattered all over my face. That was the first time I felt what is called heartache. A kind of sharp pain that felt as if it would tear my entire being apart.
I desperately tried to save her life, using my most precious elixir that could resurrect the dead and regenerate flesh and bone. But that damn old man, that hypocritical Academy Head, actually took my medicine to save those so-called commoners!
How ridiculous! I never cared whether those ant-like commoners lived or died. I only wanted to bring my mentor back to life!
But my mentor was still gone. Right before my eyes, her body gradually became transparent, finally turning into black smoke that dissipated into the air. Not even a corpse was left for me.
At that moment, my world lost all its color.
Anger and resentment made me leave the academy. Following some vague guidance in my bloodline, I went to the demon realm, where I discovered my true identity. The Demon King's son, who had been ambushed, his body regressed and memories sealed.
Very well.
The boundless magical power stored within my body helped me cultivate rapidly. I easily killed those former enemies and became the new king of the demon realm. I possessed the most powerful force in the world, yet I felt incredibly empty. Because that somewhat silly mentor who would get angry with me over a single strand of hair, I seem unable to forget her.
I searched the entire continent and went through all the forbidden ancient texts, but couldn't find any way to bring her back to life. In my mind, the scene of my mentor disintegrating into dust before my eyes only became increasingly vivid.
I began to despise myself and all people in this world. If it weren't for saving them, my mentor wouldn't have died at all. Since this world took away my only light, I shall plunge the entire world into darkness.
Since it's hard to decide, let's have everyone make a choice. I found Arthur and gave him a difficult dilemma similar to the one I faced years ago. Should he save his beloved Anais whom he constantly thinks about, or choose the Academy Principal he has always respected but who is now a prisoner? Seeing the agonizing struggle on his face made me incredibly happy. Why should I be the only one to bear this pain and torment of losing a loved one? I want everyone to taste the flavor of despair.
I was truly prepared to destroy everyone.
But then she appeared again.
When that woman who called herself a moonflower fairy appeared before me, I almost thought she was a hallucination born from my excessive longing. That face, only twenty percent similar, but those eyes alone—those eyes that revealed helplessness, irritation, and a subtle tenderness when looking at me—felt so incredibly familiar.
So I tested her little by little, speaking to her in the tone she hated most, deliberately making things difficult for her, watching her become furious yet having no choice but to submit. Until on a whim, I made that bowl of water lily soup for her.
When she drank that bowl of water lily soup, and her face showed that expression mixed with shock, nostalgia, and disbelief, the familiar taste made me instantly certain that the moonlight flower spirit before me was the mentor I had been longing for and resenting for ten years.
The feeling of regaining what was lost is truly wonderful. So wonderful that I almost couldn't control the urge to embrace her. I suppressed the wild joy in my heart, deliberately teasing her, watching her panic under my intense gaze, her ear tips turning red while she pretended to remain calm.
My mentor is truly too adorable.
When the enemy threatened me with her life, I didn't hesitate to choose self-destruction of my magic core. Power, throne, revenge... the moment she reappeared, all these things became insignificant. Years ago, I couldn't save her. This time, I couldn't afford to lose her again, no matter what.
That was the first time I saw my mentor reveal such a sorrowful expression for me, that kind of pure sadness permeating from her very bones. Although the pain of my shattered magic core nearly tore me apart, I still felt a sweetness like honey seeping into my heart. She cared about me.
Just as I was prepared to calmly accept my final fate, my mentor used up all her magical power to shield me from that fatal blow. She wanted to run away with me. But I was already severely wounded, and we had nowhere to escape. I thought that being able to stay in her arms like this, to look at her face one more time, even if I died this way, I would leave without any regrets.
But she said: "Frederick, come home with me."
Home. Such a warm, yet such a luxurious word.
Fortunately, my mentor ultimately chose me. She took me, crossing the barriers of time and space, back to a new world that belonged to her.
There is no magic here, I lost all my powers, becoming a useless person who understands nothing. But none of that matters.
Because she is here.
My home is here too.
