“Snow, On, and Undi.”

As she called their names one after another, the wind blew, and the papers in the room began to fly in one direction. Irene and Noel were accustomed to this situation, but the Grand Duke jumped to his feet when an intangible power surged from somewhere.

After a while, the wind subsided, and Snow, On, and Undi appeared in front of Irene. Of course, they were invisible to the eyes of Noel and the Grand Duke.

[Irene-!]

Firstly, Undi slapped himself onto Irene’s cheek.

[Oh, Undi! Don’t cling to Irene at will.]

Snow then pounded Undi and dug through Irene’s hair.

[What’s going on, contractor?]

And finally, the On in adult form grunted and looked at his surroundings.

“It’s nothing special. I have to prove your power.”

Irene was speaking to the spirits, but in the eyes of the Grand Duke, Irene looked like she was talking to herself whilst facing the empty air. But after a while, the Grand Duke couldn’t even blink.

Snowflakes and water droplets wrapped around Irene, starting to spin in a whirlwind.

It was a very mysterious and enchanting sight. The Great Kristen was enthralled.

To The Great Kristen, it was apparent that this was not magic. Although he did not learn about magic academically, he had a superficial level of knowledge. It was due to his experience on the battlefield – a history of clashing with wizards.

Even for a skilled wizard, it was impossible to cast multiple types of magic at once. 

Perhaps casting two types was doable, but going beyond that number was impossible, yet Irene effortlessly cast three different magical attributes: snow, wind, and water. Moreover, they revolved around her as if they had a mind of their own, and Irene looked at them with intimate affection.

‘Come to think of it. The former Empress was rumoured to have exuded a strangely mysterious aura.’

He had travelled around the battlefield most of her reign period, so he had never met the former Empress face-to-face. He had only caught a glimpse of her during the Victory banquet – that had been the only time. He remembered seeing her silhouette from a far distance.

‘She shone brilliantly.’

That’s how she had caught his eye despite being in the midst of a large crowd. At the time, he had thought it must have been the numerous people surrounding her, bowing and curtsying then attempting to curry her favour. Looking at Irene, he couldn’t help but realise that she had the same aura as her mother.

“…I believe you.”

The Grand Duke calmly spoke. He knew that she told the truth because most of what she said coincided with what Noel had told him in the meeting room earlier in the day.

“You have been through much trouble.”

The Grand Duke felt sorry for Irene. Although she was a mature adult, she was still a child in his eyes. -One that needed to be protected and cared for at all costs. 

Thinking about how she endured such a difficult life with such a fragile body angered him and made his heart ache.

On the other hand, Irene became restless.

[Undi! Go away!] 

[You go away, Snow!] 

[No, both of you get lost.]

After coming out, the spirits started quarrelling over Irene since they weren’t on good terms with each other, further depleting her energy.

Summoning her spirits back, Irene slouched, an expression of exhaustion clear. She barely used them for anything, yet she was already fatigued. Noticing Irene’s condition, Noel asked worriedly.

“Irene, are you okay? You look tired.”

“Oh… no, everything’s fine now.” 

“Now?”

“Yeah. The spirits are a bit energetic, and they argue a lot… So it’s difficult to control them all at once.”

Irene sheepishly smiled as she spoke because she was a little embarrassed that she could not control her contracted spirits adequately.

“It seems that the spirits adore you, Irene.” 

“Yes, you’re right, thank you.” 

“Then why don’t you try talking with them about this issue?” 

“Are you serious?” 

“Yes. I think the spirits will understand if Irene speaks to them.” 

“Well.”

Irene began to think deeply. Would the spirits who regarded each other as rivals let go of their dislike toward each other? Would they listen to her?

After a while, Irene nodded.

“All right, I’ll give it a try.”

“Go ahead.”

Noel looked at Irene’s determined expression lovingly for a moment.

“I believe in you, child.”

Not long after the Grand Duke had spoken, Irene nodded.

“Yes. I will do my best.”