# 33
33
“Can the first day of marriage be so perfect?”
As time passed from morning to afternoon, Angelica sat in the designated library corner of the Duke's Palace, recalling what had happened in the morning.
“I couldn't believe I would be sitting next to Hugo to eat...!”
She felt dizzy after he put her shoes on, and she never expected to share a quiet and relaxing meal with him as well.
“Why is dining etiquette so perfect?”
Although it might be annoying, he would carefully cut the steak for her and ask every now and then if there was anything missing.
Perhaps his extra interest was due to a previous incident in which she had gotten her hands and mouth stained with soup, as his worried gaze followed her every movement while holding the spoon.
Because of that, she no longer knew whether the food was reaching her mouth or his nose, but the pleasant feeling of joy and anxiety made her stomach full of happiness.
“More than that, he showed me his daily schedule...”
He also made sure to remind her to eat lunch and dinner well, and added that she could say whatever she wanted if she felt like eating.
Then he sat and watched her eat the soup until she finished, smiling faintly.
Although his voice was calm as usual, a slight smile remained on his lips.
And here Angelica realized how amazing it felt to be able to see.
“Has he ever smiled like that?”
She recalled in her mind everything that had happened during her kidnapping, and she felt that those memories were now very distant, so her shoulders sagged.
“Maybe he smiled more at those times... I miss him.”
Just before the marriage, she had hoped that he would not avoid her, but now, after seeing his smile, she wanted more.
This is human nature, there are no limits to ambition and desires.
“Even if we start like this on the first day, maybe I will see his smiles gradually expand.”
Hugo was more responsible and loyal than I imagined. He seems to be striving to maintain a healthy married life, even if it is just a facade at first.
"Ah! I forgot to talk about the eyes!"
Suddenly, her gloomy thoughts were dispelled when she saw the mirror in front of her in the library.
I stared straight into her red eyes and touched them lightly.
“I should have asked him if it seemed appropriate.”
He didn't say anything, which was probably a half-sign that it was okay with her, but she wanted to hear him back.
“I will ask him in the evening.”
Now, we would sleep together in the bed in complete serenity, at least that was what she had hoped for.
She remembered the large size of the bed that suited his height, and her cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
She sighed, roused herself from inappropriate imaginings, and began to think seriously:
“Enough, I just have to read.”
The “Eye of the Sage” book was the main reason for her being kidnapped to the Selene Empire, but she actually knew nothing about its power.
How powerful is this eye that everyone is so excited about?
Angelica opened the book The Eye of the Wise: Its Vast History.
The beginning of the book was strange and boring, as new books usually are, but what was different here was that the word “I don’t know” was repeated many times between its pages.
"I don't know when or how he appeared, and I don't even know what level of magic he's mastered. I don't know anything... absolutely nothing."
The only thing that is clear is that a person who possesses the Eye of the Sage changes his eyes to become transparent.
[
There are several hypotheses as to why their pupils are transparent.
The most accepted hypothesis currently is that the reason is to use natural magical energy directly without purifying it within the body.
Ordinary magicians transform the energy of nature within their bodies in the form of “circles” in order to be able to use it, and thus they can perform magic only according to the degree to which they have transformed it.
As for “Ain Al-Hakim,” this idea does not exist in it. It uses raw natural energy, and its properties - which cannot be seen or felt - appear through changing the color of the pupil.]
"Huh? But right now my eyes are red!"
Angelica tilted her head questioningly as she flipped through the next pages. She was afraid that her eyes had lost power, but she found that there were written exceptions.
[The previous hypothesis was supported by many magical theories and became almost acceptable, but it quickly weakened.
‘Winter Cripple’, despite having all the characteristics of the Eye of the Sage, his eyes were violet in colour.
There is a rumor that says that the eye color was identical to the eyes of his beloved, and if he colored her eyes with the same color, true love would be achieved and restrictions would be imposed on the magician...
(…)
But after careful research, this rumor was proven to be baseless.]
“True love?”
She ignored what he said as nonsense, but the words of love and restrictions made her raise her head curiously.
“Exactly, my eyes are now as red as Hugo!”
Does Hugo know about this? He must know something, and the heat of shame warmed her cheeks, ear, and neck.
“This means that I express my love for Hugo with my whole body!”
Of course, she didn't care about the restrictions or anything else, but she was worried that this would be too much for him.
Angelica took a long breath, unsure whether it was worry or joy, then turned the next page.
This was followed by an explanation of the magic and inventions accomplished by magicians who possessed the “Eye of the Sage” throughout the ages.
“Hmm… It seems that most magic up to the Sixth Circle can be performed without learning it.”
Starting at 8th level, known as “Great Mage”, theories needed to be learned before execution, but most holders of the “Eye of the Sage” carried them out with ease.
[
It was found in records that some of them were able to use magic up to the ninth level with ease, which caused a great stir in academic circles, and a claim appeared that the “Eye of the Sage” could perform magic of the tenth level and above, which is known as the ability to manipulate time and space.]
“They can control time, so...”
Her eyebrows furrowed slightly at this sentence, as the subject of the dream was sometimes a matter worthy of deep thought.
“Have you really gone back in time...?”
She wished there were more books on 10th level magic.
She resolved to focus on reading the upcoming magic books carefully, then stood up.
Thanks to her reading a huge book in its entirety, the daylight that entered the room had turned into sunset.
Has a day in her life ever passed so slowly?
❈❈❈
Late at night, Hugo Bernstein finally returned to the Ducal Palace, freed from the obligations of the Emperor.
“Are you there, sir?”
He was received by a distinguished servant. He came voluntarily from the north, and was one of the most trusted people after the Emperor and his wife.
“I have prepared water for the bathroom in the fifth floor office, sir.”
Hugo nodded then stared at one place silently.
The servant quickly noticed his looks and added:
“Madam entered the bedroom three hours ago, sir.”
“Okay, what about food?”
“You didn't miss anything, everything was done.”
A slight smile appeared on Hugo's lips, and his heavy steps softened.
Even if someone had heard the sound, they would have thought that only the servant had moved.
'I didn't expect my master to pay so much attention to his wife.'
After experiencing it firsthand, he felt even more surprised and relieved.
While the servant was trying to suppress his astonishment and admiration, Hugo arrived at the office on the floor where the bedroom was located.
He picked up the prepared nightgown and headed towards the bathroom, feeling a little more realistic.
'Now she will be asleep in her room, unaware of anything.'
Angelica covered herself in her usual bed, and her heart gradually began to beat faster.
Hugo began to cool his body with cold water and then adjusted the temperature.
“She must be shivering from the cold today too...”
Even though she didn't use magic, the Duke's Palace in the capital was colder than anywhere else, which made her curl up under the blanket all yesterday.
As dawn approached, his body heat gently seeped into the blanket.
“…It’s best to warm things up a bit before leaving.”
Hugo remembered the feeling of contentment at that moment, and for some time he was immersed in a warmth that enveloped him completely.
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