If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 22

A person with spirit affinity can become an official spirit mage by going through the process of awakening and then contracting with a spirit.

So spirit affinity is like the preliminaries, while awakening and contracting are the main event.

Since awakening happens more easily at a younger age, even someone with excellent spirit affinity like Merlin might become an ordinary adult without ever knowing they had the talent to be a spirit mage – nine out of ten cases end up this way.

Considering how rare spirit affinity is as a talent, you can imagine how difficult it is to become a spirit mage.

‘Even Windermere Lord Yeongshik was said to be the first spirit mage to appear on the entire continent in 100 years.’

I was planning to help Merlin achieve awakening.

‘I already know how awakening should be done.’

In the future, the Crown Prince gained great benefits in many ways after Windermere Lord Yeongshik became an earth spirit mage.

The Crown Prince, having realized the usefulness of spirit mages, ordered research to see if more spirit mages could be artificially created.

Though the original purpose of the research wasn’t achieved, several research findings discovered by scholars who received the Crown Prince’s massive support were quite valuable.

‘How do I know about those research results?’

The Crown Prince publicized the research results to boast about his achievements, and the contents were so shocking that I couldn’t forget them.

‘Windermere Yeongshik awakened and contracted at the moment he was nearly buried alive in a landslide…’

The research involved putting children with spirit affinity, who had been painstakingly found, into extreme situations and then observing whether they awakened.

‘They dropped a child with wind attribute spirit affinity from a cliff, and set fire to a room where a child with fire attribute spirit affinity was staying.’

Even though it was a thoroughly controlled situation, it was cruel to do to young children.

Fortunately or unfortunately, those children failed to awaken.

‘Instead, they did obtain the result that frequent exposure to specific attributes strengthens spirit affinity.’

The stronger the spirit affinity, the higher the probability of awakening and the stronger the spirit one could contract with.

‘Therefore, if Merlin frequently comes into contact with water, her awakening probability will increase! Kukuk.’

I smiled brightly while hiding my wicked intentions.

Then I checked Merlin’s nearly empty teacup and asked.

“Merlin, would you like another cup of tea?”

“No, I’ve had enough now.”

Merlin, who had already drunk two cups of tea since coming to the Ducal Palace, shook her head with a drowsy, relaxed expression.

‘Tch, last time she drank up to three cups.’

I should prepare more delicious tea.

I felt disappointed inside as I struggled to put down the teapot with a grunt.

There were still many things I had prepared left.

‘Then, step 2.’

“Merlin, this is a gift!”

When I held out a gift box the size of my palm, Merlin looked troubled and declined.

“Oh my, you gave me one last time too, and now another gift? I’m fine without it.”

Having already predicted Merlin would react this way, I made a sad face and pretended to be dejected.

“This hairpin is exactly the same as mine, and I want to wear matching hairpins with Merlin.”

As I alternately touched the navy ribbon tied to the gift box and the blue hairpin I had worn in advance, Merlin finally gave in.

“Next time I’ll prepare a gift to bring. Until then, no more gifts for Miela. Understood?”

I smiled and nodded at Merlin, who spoke with what was for her a firm expression.

“Yes!”

Only then did Merlin carefully unwrap the gift and put on the hairpin.

It wasn’t exactly a well-matched combination since the clothes she happened to wear today were in dark pink tones.

Merlin lowered her head slightly so I could get a good look at her wearing the hairpin and said.

“It’s really pretty. I love it so much. Especially the fact that it’s the same hairpin as Miela’s.”

“Hehe.”

I smiled with satisfaction at the blue hairpin sitting on Merlin’s hair.

“But Miela seems to like blue. The handkerchief you gave me last time was blue too.”

“Mm, my actual favorite color is different, but blue suits Merlin well.”

Water means blue, and blue means water, doesn’t it?

So blue is also a kind of water.

‘I must surround her with blue from head to toe!’

Though it was a compliment full of intentions for spirit mage awakening, Merlin just smiled innocently.

‘And next!’

Having finished giving today’s blue item gift, I suggested a walk to Merlin.

“Let’s go for a walk!”

“Sure, shall we go to the garden we went to last time? You know, the one with the fountain that Miela likes because the angel sculpture is pretty.”

Kind Merlin accepted my suggestion this time too.

“Yes!”

She even pinpointed exactly the location I wanted.

As I smiled with satisfaction at how smoothly everything was going, Merlin smiled back.

“Miela, your eyes become like half-moons when you smile, and it’s really pretty.”

Merlin gently touched around my eyes with careful fingers.

“Merlin is just pretty.”

I obediently accepted Merlin’s touch and returned the compliment.

“Oh my.”

Merlin let out an exclamation with an ambiguous expression.

Merlin, whose self-esteem was somewhat low due to Kate Dellion’s persistent undermining, was particularly shy about direct compliments.

“So cute.”

“What? What did you say, Miela? I didn’t hear clearly.”

“I said you’re cute.”

I briefly considered deflecting, but it was true that Merlin was cute.

When I said it cheekily, Merlin laughed as if she’d heard an amusing joke.

“Miela is much cuter though.”

“Then let’s say we’re both cute.”

At my shameless answer, Merlin wrinkled her nose as if she couldn’t win and nodded.

After reaching that smooth agreement, I took Merlin’s hand and headed to the garden.

When we got close enough to see the water droplets spraying from the fountain, Lionel and Lester, who should have been in class at this time, were sitting on a picnic mat spread out in one corner of the garden.

“Oh, it’s my brothers?”

At my words, spoken like a murmur to myself while tilting my head, the two looked toward us as if they’d been waiting.

“Hello, Miela, Lady Ravis.”

“Brother and I were spending time together alone for the first time in a while. Hahaha.”

Lionel’s greeting was quite natural, but Lester’s words were choppy, breaking off at every syllable.

Even from the moment he heard my voice and turned his head this way, it felt creaky.

‘Were they doing this on purpose?’

It was awkward enough to make me suspicious of the two’s purpose for having this out-of-place picnic.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t spent time with these two lately.’

I’d been busy meeting Merlin recently during the time I usually spent with Lionel or Lester.

Looking closely, there were enough sandwiches on the picnic mat for me and Merlin to eat as well, and there were four teacups.

It seemed like a subtle protest from my sister-complex brothers asking to be included too.

“Are you planning to hold one teacup in each hand to drink?”

At my teasing words, Lester embarrassedly hid two teacups.

But Lionel was confident.

“Of course not, there must have been a miscommunication with the kitchen.”

Lionel shamelessly made an obviously evasive excuse and invited us.

“We happen to have extra sandwiches and teacups, would you like to join us? Miela, Lady Ravis.”

I glanced at Merlin to gauge her reaction.

I thought Merlin, who was shy and considerate of others, might feel burdened.

Fortunately, Merlin didn’t seem particularly reluctant either.

Since I had been feeling like I’d been neglecting the two of them anyway, and if Merlin was okay with it, I was planning to spend time together, so I readily agreed.

“Alright!”

It was perfect timing since the two of them had set up their spot right near the fountain.

As I approached the picnic mat, Lionel and Lester each pointed to the seat next to them.

“Miela, sit here.”

“Come over here!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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