The heavy doors clicked shut behind Ansel as he stepped out of the guest chamber. His eyes were wide, his thoughts tangled in chaos. A proposal of marriage? Sponsorship by a Grand Duke? It was too much. The marble halls of the academy felt colder than usual. Professor Giovani stood just outside the chamber, arms crossed, her usual sharp eyes following him.
She said nothing.
Ansel didn't either. He simply lowered his gaze and walked away, each step echoing faintly, his thoughts louder than the world around him.
Back in his dorm room, Ansel sat curled on the small window bench, knees to chest. The vibrant academy life outside continued as if nothing had changed—but everything had. He stared blankly through the window, the world outside blurred by the storm swirling in his heart.
---
In the principal's office, Grand Duke Renald Dragonheart sipped a cup of warm tea as Principal Xavier watched him, incredulity stitched across his face.
"So... you just decided to sponsor Ansel Nighthawk out of the blue?" Xavier asked, setting down his own cup.
"Not just sponsor," Renald said calmly. "I've decided to propose his engagement to my daughter."
Xavier nearly choked. "You're out of your mind. You came here to look for talented students, not to randomly hand out marriage proposals like festival sweets!"
The Grand Duke chuckled. "I've always trusted my instincts. That boy… there's something buried in him. Something ancient."
"Buried, maybe," Xavier said, folding his hands. "But no mana, no title, no standing. The world won't accept it. Even I had hopes for the boy when he first enrolled—but it turns out he's just… a powerless dreamer."
"Then let him dream," Renald replied. "Sometimes dreams are the birthplace of legends."
The principal shook his head. "This is going to bring shame to our family."
"Perhaps," the Grand Duke said, standing and smoothing his violet coat, gold embroidery glinting in the sunlight. "But I've never regretted following my gut."
---
Outside the principal's office, Professor Giovani was waiting.
"Leaving so soon, Your Grace?" she asked.
"Yes, and thank you again for the tour. You've been most helpful."
Giovani bowed slightly. "My pleasure, Grand Duke."
Renald gave her a final nod and left, his guards falling into place behind him. Professor Giovani turned toward the office, a tight knot forming in her chest.
Moments later, she stepped into the principal's office.
"Is it true?" she asked. "You're letting the Grand Duke sponsor Ansel?"
Xavier sighed. "Yes. And not just that. He wants to marry Ansel to his daughter—Marina."
Giovani dropped her clipboard. "Marina Dragonheart? The top mage of the academy? The pride of Rafelia? This is madness."
"Madness it may be, but it's happening."
"She'll never agree. Marina's not only powerful, she's proud. She wouldn't even speak to someone like Ansel."
Xavier leaned back in his chair. "Yet here we are. The world watches, and the Dragonheart family dances on the edge of scandal."
---
In the academy courtyard, Ansel sat beneath a tree, still lost in thought. The wind rustled the leaves above him, but his mind was a storm.
Suddenly—
"Hey, dreamer!" a voice yelled.
Ansel blinked. Vulcan Ashwood stood over him, grinning. "You alive in there?"
"Huh? Oh… yeah."
"You've been spacing out like a ghost. What's going on, man? You look like someone told you your socks would be leading the next war."
Ansel looked away. "It's… complicated."
"We're friends, aren't we? You can tell me. Unless you've joined a secret cult."
Ansel cracked a small smile. "The Grand Duke. He said he's sponsoring me."
Vulcan's eyes lit up. "No way! That's huge!"
"That's not all," Ansel said, his voice a whisper.
"What?"
"He asked me to marry his daughter."
Before Vulcan could react, a loud gasp came from behind them.
"WHAT?!" Lily Eldoria shouted, storming over. "You're getting married?!"
Ansel looked like he wanted to sink into the ground. "I didn't say yes!"
Vulcan clapped him on the back. "Of course not. He's too scared of girls."
"Shut up," Ansel muttered.
Lily folded her arms, clearly annoyed. "Wait. You mean Marina Dragonheart? The top mage in senior Class A?"
Ansel nodded.
Lily groaned. "She's practically royalty. And she's terrifying. I heard even the 2nd Prince of Rafelia likes her."
Vulcan's eyebrows rose. "She's that Marina? The one who can cast three spells simultaneously?"
Lily nodded. "People call her the Prodigy of the Era."
Ansel clenched his fists. "Then why me? I'm just… nothing. A manaless nobody. Why is he doing this to me?"
Silence fell.
Vulcan scratched his head. "You ever think maybe you're not nothing?"
Lily softened. "Ansel… sometimes, people see things in us before we do. Maybe the Grand Duke sees something more."
Ansel didn't reply.
---
Meanwhile, in the distant city of Elden in the Eldoria Kingdom, a letter bearing purple wax from Rafelia arrived at the Greenal estate.
In the modest servant quarters, Alena Nighthawk sat by the window, mending a scarf, her thoughts wandering to her son.
A sudden knock broke her reverie.
"Lady Alena," a servant said breathlessly. "The Count wishes to see you. Immediately."
Alena's heart skipped. "At this hour?"
She hurried to the Count's chamber. The towering doors opened with a creak.
"Come in," Count Veron Greenal's voice rumbled.
She stepped inside and bowed. "My lord."
"Tell me, what's that boy of yours doing at the academy?"
Alena stiffened. "Did Ansel do something wrong? I… I'll take responsibility—"
"Silence."
She fell quiet.
Veron tossed a sealed letter onto the desk. "This came today. From Grand Duke Renald Dragonheart."
Alena picked up the letter, hands trembling.
"He wants to sponsor that manaless boy," Veron said, eyes cold.
Alena's breath caught.
"And he wants to marry Ansel to his daughter."
A sharp inhale came from behind the partition. The Count's first wife—sister to the King of Eldoria—had overheard.
"What in the world did I just hear?!" she shrieked.
Veron clenched his jaw. "You heard me. The prodigy of Rafelia is now engaged to a powerless disgrace."
The chamber pulsed with tension.
Alena, barely containing her shock, whispered, "Ansel… what are you getting into?"
---
And far away, in the academy under a quiet tree, Ansel sat with his friends, unaware that his fate had just begun to ripple across kingdoms.
Unaware… that the world had begun to whisper his name.