His expression was bright. His body looked a little sturdier as well. But more than anything, he looked so cheerful. Before, he’d always had his head down, but now his face seemed to glow. Mirika couldn’t say with certainty what was different, but without a doubt, his face had brightened. It was so bright that for a moment she thought he might be wearing makeup—so bright that she wanted to ask what kind of products he was using.

What on earth?

What had happened in the last two months?

Mirika glanced at the maid standing behind Kunon—she had no idea how to interact with the boy, so she looked to his maid for help instead.

The woman sensed Mirika’s gaze and seemed to understand.

“Your Highness looks as cute as ever today! If I were a big, bearded, middle-aged man I would be totally smitten with you! I’d pursue you to the ends of the earth!”

That’s not what I wanted you to say! And what’s with that scary scenario?

“Um, did something happen these past two months, Kunon?” asked Mirika.

Her first plan was going nowhere, so Mirika tried asking directly. Plus, she was a little frightened by the way Kunon’s maid was looking at her. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what was behind that stare.

“It’s magic,” the boy replied.

“Wh-what?”

“I fell in love with magic.”

“…I…see.”

She didn’t really understand, but Kunon looked happy, so whatever it was, it must be a good thing. And most importantly, his face was so bright.

“Your Highness,” he began. “I’m sorry for always making you worry. Please let me explain myself today.”

“O-okay…”

Mirika was perplexed by this change in Kunon. But her bewilderment was only momentary.

The magic Kunon talked about and showed her was so enthralling.

He made water of different flavors. He broke it down into a fine mist and created rainbows with the light. He produced a strange kind of water with the consistency of slime that Mirika could pinch between her fingertips.

It was all so amusing and deeply interesting. Before she knew it, it had grown dark, and it was time to return to the castle.

That was the first day Mirika spent with Kunon that didn’t cause her any pain.

***

“Huh?!”

All of a sudden, Kunon let out a gasp.

“What?” asked Iko.

Kunon’s magic training had continued day in, day out since that moment three months ago when he found his purpose. The mild weather of autumn was gone, and winter had arrived.

It was a day like any other, and Kunon was fiddling with A-ori in his room, when he abruptly leaped up from his seat.

“…Wh-what happened?” Iko called out nervously as Kunon stood, frozen.

“…I saw something. Maybe,” he whispered.

Kunon stood in a daze, as if he couldn’t believe his own shocking words.

The world seemed to pause for a moment… And then time restarted.

“No way!” exclaimed Iko. “Really?! Are you kidding me?! If you’re making this up, I’ll slap you, I swear! Do you mean it?!”

“Wait, hold on! I don’t know, either! I’m not sure!”

Iko rushed to Kunon’s side with great excitement. Kunon, meanwhile, was experiencing something new and was overcome with confusion. The unexpected event had shaken them both.

“And I don’t know if I really ‘saw’ anything— Ow, ow, ow!”

“Please don’t joke about things like that! Do you want me to send you flying?!”

Iko didn’t really intend to hit him, but she did pinch his cheek as hard as she could. She had a bold personality for a maid.

“That’s not funny at all!” she said. “It is my enduring wish for you to become a gentleman of good humor, but that was in poor taste! Such jokes could land you in real trouble, Master Kunon!”

It seemed he was in for a lecture.

“No! That’s not what I meant! I think—I think I saw color!”

“Color?! You saw color?!”

“To be precise, I think I might have felt it! That’s why I don’t know if I saw it or not!”

A few moments of silence passed between them.

“…Wait, but isn’t that still amazing?” asked Iko.

“…What’s more, I don’t know if I’m perceiving things correctly…”

The burst of excitement subsided, and both of them began to calm down.

“This—this apple.”

With one hand still busy rubbing at his stinging cheek, Kunon used his other to pick up one of several apples on the table.

The apples had been put there for use in his magic experiments.

Kunon’s current obsession was with lowering temperatures—an alteration for freezing. Iko, however, would have preferred to avoid the cold indoors now that it was wintertime. But if Kunon wanted to do something, she wouldn’t deny him.

“Is this apple red?” he asked.

Iko frowned.

The apple wasn’t red. Kunon was holding a Golden Noble apple, though it would probably be more accurate to describe its color as pale green.

Would it be better to tell him the truth, or…? No, she couldn’t lie.

“It’s not red, young master.”

He was still experimenting, still testing. It was better to be honest.

It was okay if he couldn’t see now; as long as he could see eventually, it was fine.

“Is that so?”

Iko expected Kunon to be shocked—to be disappointed that he hadn’t attained his desired result. But he kept his composure.

Calmly, he reached for the next apple.

“Is this one red, then?”

This second apple…was indeed red. Finally, Iko understood.

Of course. Kunon had never seen colors before, so he couldn’t yet match their name with their appearance.

“Yes, it is. The previous apple is called a Golden Noble, but its color is a pale green.”

“Huh? It’s called ‘golden’ even though it’s green?”

“That’s just how it is. By the way, can you tell how many apples of each color—red and green—are on the table?”

“Yeah. Three red apples, and two green Golden Nobles. Right?”

He was exactly right. In other words, he could really see color.

“Did I get it?”

“You got it! That’s amazing!”

Iko hugged Kunon with glee. Just as happy as she was, the boy let himself be hugged.

He hadn’t yet achieved his goal, but this was a major breakthrough.

“I still have a long way to go, though,” he said.

After this short celebration, Kunon collected himself.

He was now able parse the general color of the things around him. But that was all. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t “seeing.” He was just using his magic to sense his surroundings.

This was probably just Kunon’s conscious and unconscious mind doggedly reaching out, making use of the miraculous power of magic.

Miss Jenié said there were still many things about magic that remained a mystery. Apparently, some people could move objects using magic. And Kunon had heard of a phenomenon called magical perception. Whatever he had just managed was probably another type of perception.

Kunon’s goal was to achieve sight through eyes made with magic. It sounded similar in theory but was totally different in practice.

Nevertheless, this was a huge step forward. Even if he couldn’t see objects, if he could sense colors, he might be able to guess what the objects were, within reason. Especially if he was in a familiar space where he spent a lot of time.

That would certainly make life easier.

“Anyway, let’s go tell the marquess! This is incredible!”

“Mmm… No, wait. I think it’s still too early for that. It might have been a fluke. I want to wait until I’m a little better at it, so I don’t disappoint Father.”

“It’ll be fine! Have a little faith in yourself!”

Kunon, reserved and introspective by nature, was reluctant. But the ever-optimistic Iko patted him firmly on the shoulder.

“This is the result of your hard work, Master Kunon! It’s not a fluke; it’s merit! It’s because you’re capable, young master! Without a doubt! Now, let’s go! We’ll tell him together. While we’re at it, we can ask him to increase your allowance! Oh, and I’ll ask for a raise, too!”

“What, right now?! Wait a—”

Iko ignored him.

Kunon was practically dragged to the main house. Midway through the trip, Iko scooped him up and carried him under her arm.

But Kunon’s family wasn’t home. So in the end, the two of them returned to the detached house empty-handed.

***

“Color…? You’re saying he can see color?”

Arsan, head of the Gurion estate, had only just returned from business at the royal castle when Iko stopped him by the entrance. She had been waiting to share an astonishing report with him.

Arsan Gurion, still in his early thirties, was young for a marquess. He had a handsome face, with light-indigo eyes that gave off a slightly cold impression. His bright-auburn hair was neat and short. He wasn’t especially tall, nor was he so good-looking as to draw the attention of strangers on the street. But upon careful inspection, all these parts produced an impressive whole.

By not standing out in any particular way, he maintained an incredible level of balance. And that was exactly why he was able to fit in with his peers and at the same time slowly carve out a name for himself.

Now, Arsan had secured both work inside the castle and the trust of His Majesty the King.

“Yes,” Iko replied. “He doesn’t have much range yet, but it seems he can properly distinguish between colors.”

The maid continued her report as she took Arsan’s coat and jacket from him.

“That’s…incredible, isn’t it?” said the marquess.

His youngest son, Kunon, had been born blind. His condition was said to be the result of the legendary Hero’s Scar—already considered something of a fairy tale—though the true cause was unknown.

Regardless, the truth remained: Kunon could not see.

“I think so, too,” said Iko. “It seems the closer he is to something, the better he can see it, and once he touches it, he has no trouble at all.”

Things were clear once he touched them. In other words—

“Are you saying he could read a book?”

As expected of the marquess, Iko thought.

Indeed, Kunon could “read” books.

He and Iko had only discovered this after testing his ability in various ways, but Arsan deduced it immediately.

Yes, perhaps the best thing to come out of Kunon’s new perception was the ability to read.

He just had to open a book and trace the words with his fingers. In that way, he could discern the color of the ink on the page and sense the shape of the letters written there. Of course, Kunon couldn’t read yet, so he would need to learn first.

By the same method, he could make out pictures, so Kunon’s current obsession was studying picture books and encyclopedias.

“…I see…,” Arsan said with a heavy sigh of relief.

In that moment, his worries about his son’s future lessened considerably. Arsan’s body and mind were both exhausted, but his anxiety had vanished.

“Have you spoken to Tina about this?” he asked.

“No, my Lord.”

“Then let me tell her.”