Aqua shook her head, trying to clear the fog of frustration that had settled over her thoughts.

The more she dwelled on how Cassius refused to see her as anything other than a sister, the more her mind felt like it might literally explode.

She was honestly scared she’d get overwhelmed by her emotions again and pounce on him like some desperate sibling.

So she shoved those thoughts aside and turned her attention back to the table full of papers.

Her face immediately lit up with excitement as she pointed at the scattered documents.

"Cassius, did you write all of this?! Is this your research? Does it belong to you?!"

Cassius stepped forward, a smug look spreading across his face.

"Why yes, Aqua. It actually is mine." He gestured at the papers. "All the research you see here is something I’ve been working on for the past few weeks."

"I must have left it out yesterday and forgot to put it away."

His expression grew even more confident, almost arrogant, the kind of look that made you want to punch him.

"So, what do you think about that Aqua?"

He asked in a taunting manner.

"You’re supposed to be the genius mage of the family. The prodigy. The five-elemental Archmage everyone talks about."

He tilted his head. "How does it feel knowing that your little brother has surpassed you in theoretical magic?"

Cassius expected an argument. A protest. Maybe some embarrassment or humiliation.

After all, Aqua had been a prodigy for years, someone the entire magical community looked up to.

She had pride, dignity, a reputation to maintain.

Surely she would be irritated that her brother had surpassed her.

Surely she would want to punch him in the gut a few times just to vent her frustration.

But to his utter surprise, that didn’t happen at all.

But instead, Aqua’s face lit up even more.

She jumped around like a little girl going on a field trip.

"Oh my god! Oh my god I knew it!"

She spun in circles, practically dancing.

"I knew my brother was the one who did it! Who else could create research like this?" She puffed out her chest proudly. "Only my brother!"

She giggled to herself, whispering with a look of pure love in her eyes.

"I’m so happy. I’m so happy that my brother is a magical genius!"

Cassius blinked.

He was genuinely baffled.

"Wait, hold on." He said hesitantly. "That’s it? You’re not frustrated? Not irritated that I surpassed you?"

Aqua tilted her head, confused.

"Isn’t magic your whole thing? Doesn’t it feel weird that your brother—the wastrel everyone used to mock surpassed you just like that?"

Aqua’s expression shifted to one of offense.

"Of course not, Cassius. Why would I ever feel irritated or jealous of you?!"

She huffed, folding her arms and explained saying,

"Now, if anyone else in the world had such talent, I’d be both intrigued and jealous. That competitive fire inside me would flare up, and I’d want to beat them down. Show them I’m still at the top."

Cassius nodded. That was exactly what he had expected her to say. What he thought she should feel.

But then Aqua’s expression softened. A radiant smile spread across her face.

"But the one who surpassed me is none other than you, Cassius."

She stepped closer and placed her hand on his chest, looking up at him with a loving gaze.

"My dear little brother. The one I love so much is the who surpassed me, so how could I possibly feel any vengeful emotions at all. Instead..."

"...I just feel so proud of you right now."

Cassius’s breath caught at her sincerity.

She continued, her voice taking on a nostalgic tone.

"And you know, while I was in the capital, everyone used to talk about the wastrel of the Holyfield family. The third son who amounted to nothing."

Her face darkened.

"Every time I heard those comments, I’d get so angry. I’d fight with everyone—blast them away until they didn’t dare utter your name in front of me."

"But it still hurt so much. Knowing they talked about you like that. Knowing I couldn’t be there to protect you from their harsh words."

She bit her lip, as if the painful memories were flooding back.

Then her eyes brightened with hope as she looked up at him.

"But right now, you’ve proven them all wrong. The same boy they called a waste, who spent his time drinking and chasing women, who they said would end up in ruin has grown into the prodigy I see today."

"Someone who has surpassed his own sister, the one the entire kingdom hails as the next Supreme Mage."

Tears welled in her eyes.

"I’m just so happy, Cassius. You made all those people who said terrible things about you eat their words. You’re standing on your own two feet now."

"You don’t even need your sister anymore to protect your name."

She shook her head, smiling through her tears.

"So yes, I don’t feel any jealousy toward you. I’m just so proud. So happy that my little brother has grown into such a talented man."

She hugged him, resting her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as if it calmed her down.

Meanwhile, Cassius felt something stir in his chest.

Those words, those loving words that came from the bottom of her heart actually managed to affect him deeply.

Truth be told, he and Aqua hadn’t properly interacted much since they’d been reunited.

Of course, the old Cassius had spent plenty of time with her and he had those memories, but personally, he hadn’t gotten to know her.

Every significant meeting they’d had seemed to be an accident. A misunderstanding.

She’d catch him naked, or doing something dirty, over and over again.

She was like some harem protagonist who kept stumbling into lucky pervert situations—only Aqua was the female version, and she kept seeing her brother in embarrassing positions.

Misunderstanding after misunderstanding.

And every time, the mood would turn awkward. Cassius, influenced by the previous Cassius’s emotions, couldn’t help but feel shy during those moments.

He couldn’t take advantage of them. So he had never actually sat down and had a proper conversation with her.

And because of the poor interactions, he didn’t know exactly how to feel about her.

He was fond of her, certainly. How could anyone not be fond of such a positive, lively person? 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

She had a pleasing personality, a warmth that drew people in.

But that was about it. He didn’t feel the same depth of emotion for her that he felt for his wives.

And he wasn’t unsatisfied with that.

After all, his goal in this world was to increase the depravity he caused. Bringing his sister into his harem would definitely be a major achievement.

So he had planned to do it without thinking too much about his own feelings.

It was also obvious Aqua loved him, she had made that clear. So, he would simply go along with it.

But now, in this moment, everything changed.

Her sincere words—the genuine joy and happiness she felt seeing his achievements affected him deeply.

After all, someone like her should have been extremely proud of her own accomplishments.

She had worked countless hours, shed blood and tears to reach the level she had.

Because of that she should have been competitive.

She should’ve felt at least a twinge of grievance when her brother surpassed her out of nowhere.

But she showed none of that.

She abandoned all her pride, all her competitiveness, for the sake of her brother’s love.

That pure, genuine sincerity hit him right in the heart to the extent he felt slightly embarrassed.

In that moment, he also remembered what Maria had told him about Aqua—how she had a certain charming radiance that made everyone around her like her.

No matter who it was, even someone as cold as Joy, Aqua had managed to become her best friend.

That alone spoke volumes about how good she was with people.

And it seemed to be having an effect on him too.

But still, he couldn’t show any love right now. It wasn’t time yet.

He needed to make her more desperate before he made his move.

So he looked at the papers, then back down at her.

"Aqua, this might seem rude or awkward." He said, and she looked up at him. "But the truth is, I didn’t just arrive here right now."

"Ever since you entered the library, I was already here on the other side. I’ve been watching you since you sat down."

Aqua’s face flushed with shame.

"You mean you saw—"

He nodded, a wry smile on his face.

"Yes. I saw everything. You spinning around in your chair, pulling your hair in frustration, whispering to yourself about how hard it is like a manic and talking to yourself about how impossible it feels."

"I basically witnessed you look like you were about to break down on the spot."

Aqua covered her face with her hands.

"Oh no! Not that! I didn’t want anyone to see me like that, especially my own brother!"

Cassius patted her shoulder.

"It’s alright. Everyone has their moments."

Aqua felt even more embarrassed.

But then Cassius frowned as he asked,

"But can you tell me why you were so frustrated?"

He looked at her with sincere eyes.

"I mean, it was obvious you’re going through your own struggles right now and as your brother, I want to know if there’s anything I can do to help."

"Especially since..." He pointed at the papers "...the moment you saw my research, your spirits lifted. You looked like you’d found a solution to all your problems."

He placed a hand over hers.

"So tell me, Aqua. What’s going on? If I can help, I will."

Aqua slowly looked up at him, her eyes glimmering.

She hadn’t expected this. She hadn’t expected him to notice, to care, to offer his help so genuinely.

Her heart swelled.

"Cassius..."

The reason she had been holding back before was simple: she was too embarrassed to meet her brother and ask for a favor after what she had done.

But now that everything had been cleared up, now that she understood he didn’t hate her, that he’d forgiven her—

There was no need to hold back anymore.

She cleared her throat and looked up at him with a hesitant gaze, fidgeting with her fingers nervously.

"Actually, Cassius...there’s something else I need to tell you. Something important."

She paused, as if gathering strength, then continued:

"The truth is...I’m actually engaged."

She let those words hang in the air for a moment, watching his face carefully.

"I’m engaged to the son of my master. And if things continue as they are right now, I’ll marry into his family and become his bride within a few months."

She glanced up at Cassius to gauge his reaction—expecting surprise, shock, maybe even anger.

To her utter dismay, Cassius did not react at all.

He just stood there, calmly looking at her, as if she had told him the weather was nice.

She was dumbfounded.

Did he already know about this? Even if he did, shouldn’t he be angry that his sister was being taken away by another man?

Shouldn’t he say something like "I won’t allow it" or "I’ll stop it at all costs"?

Why was he so accepting? Why didn’t he care?

A grievance stirred in her heart, but she pushed it down and continued.

"The truth is, I really don’t want to get married to my master’s son, Cassius. That’s not the future I want."

Her voice brightened slightly.

"I’d much rather stay here, at your mansion, and spend time with your wives."

"It’s so much better than life back at the capital to the extent I want to spend the rest of my life here."

She was already imagining it—waking up each morning surrounded by laughter, playing games with the maids, sharing meals with Nala and Vivi, teasing Aisha until her ears twitched.

She wouldn’t miss the capital at all.

She wouldn’t even miss being a mage, not if it meant staying here.

But then her expression darkened.

"But to break off the engagement, my master gave me a condition."

She hesitated.

"I have to become a Supreme Mage."

Cassius’s expression didn’t change, but she knew he was listening.

"Only by reaching that level, the same level as him can I break the engagement."

She said it in a dark tone, as if she herself couldn’t believe she would ever be able to do it.

"You probably already know what a Supreme Mage is." She continued. "The level above Archmage. The highest realm anyone can reach. There are probably fewer than ten Supreme Mages in the entire world."

"Wherever they go, they receive absolute respect. They’re treated like precious treasures."

She shook her head.

"The reason they’re so rare is because becoming a Supreme Mage isn’t easy. No matter how talented you are, no matter how many people call you a prodigy, you need something special to achieve that status."

She raised her hand.

"Put simply, you need two things."

She extended one finger.

"First, you need to increase the over mana quality—the circuits, the flow of mana, the pathways. You basically need to improve overall efficiency and the amount of mana you can hold."

"There’s a certain level you must reach to gain the title."

She lowered her hand.

"That’s something I can’t get external help with. I need to focus on my own growth. It’s more about natural talent. And honestly, as I grow older, I’m confident I can reach that level eventually."

Still, she quickly shook her head in dismay and added,

"But that part isn’t what truly scares me."

Her expression slowly became heavier.

"The second requirement is the real problem."

Cassius rested his chin against his hand.

"And that is?"

Aqua looked directly into his eyes.

"Theoretical domain creation."