The Inauspicious Route to my Happy Ending

The fierce Count who had dominated the battlefield during the Continental War when he was just a teenager, and then had later on shown that he was capable of dominating menial desk work and running a County, was reduced to a quivering coward in front of the one he loved.

The Continental War took place twenty-eight years ago and had lasted for nearly three years. The war started when the Zieli Empire tried to conquer the surrounding kingdoms. Those kingdoms banded together and fought against the oppressive Empire and won. The Davies Empire became broken after the war and split apart. Part of the kingdom was integrated into the Shigaron and Valron Kingdoms while the rest of it banded together and formed a new Kingdom, the Sillesta Kingdom.

The Countess left him drowning in his despair. As much as that side of her hurt him, that was one of the many reasons why he fell in love with her. She had been cold and calculating, and she had captured his heart by showcasing her cold and distant nature as she dominated the social world and the merchant world.

She had kept that nature all throughout the first year of their marriage. She had only started softening when she gave birth to the twins. Seeing that side of her had only made him fall harder in love.

* * * *

"We're here," Cedric's voice pulled Adrien out of his reading. Brayden, who had started dozing off, jolted awake.

Outside the window, a ginormous and looming stone circle appeared, drawing even more imposing as the carriage drew closer.

They were at the bottom of a hill. At the top was a temple-like structure and the Warp Portal which stood beside it. Stone steps led up the two large and imposing structures. On the other side of the stone steps was a dirt road that led up to the Warp Portal.

The carriage came to a stop. A guard with the Ceciles' Order of Knights Crest embroidered on his uniform came up to the carriage window. Cedric pulled it open to converse with the guard.

"A carriage of one?" The guard asked.

"That's correct," Cedric answered the man.

"Do you have a pass?"

Cedric showed the man the Certificate of Entry that he had pulled out of his breast pocket earlier. The guard inspected it before giving a brief nod, signaling that the ticket was genuine.

The guard moved off to the side, so that the carriage could pass. The carriage started slowly moving forward with a jerk. Adrien placed the book back into his satchel and looked out the window, excited to see the Warp Portal up close.

He was excited to see how the magic of this world worked.

. . .Magic. . .

Adrien sat ramrod straight as a thought crossed his mind. I've been so busy with learning about this world's history that I forgot all about studying magic! Maybe I should pick up a few books on the basics for Elementalism while I search for some fictional books to read.

The Count had personally taught all three of his sons the basics to Elementalism and Mana Control. They weren't the fondest of memories for the Original Adrien since he had learned that his Mana Control was weak, not to mention that his mana level seemed to be lower than most.

A mana level was a term that was used to describe how much mana one possessed. The level of one's mana was not fixed since it could increase over time as long as one put in the effort to practice everyday.

Adrien quickly forgot about his worries as a new and extraordinary scene came into view, he still had tomorrow to figure it out. The scene before them was of a twenty-by-twenty foot stone-tiled flooring with a large, circle-shaped stone statue that was hollowed-out through the center. The Warp Portal's hollowed center was large enough that a carriage could drive through it. In the four cardinal directions of the stone object were purple crystals. These crystals were Mana Crystals that had been imbued with Space Magic.

An elderly man with a long white beard and shining purple eyes came out from the temple. He walked up to the large gate and stood to the side of it. Raising his arms, a purple, shimmering light left his fingertips and flowed towards the Mana Crystal, sparking life in them. With a light thrumming sound, the Warp Portal came alive as a liquid-like surface shimmered into existence in the hollowed out space.

The carriage driver flicked the reins and the horses began pulling the carriage forward, unafraid of passing through the shimmering pool of mana. The carriage entered into the light, a slight tingling sensation swept through Adrien.

Soon, the hilltop scenery disappeared to be replaced by resplendent trees and a brick road. A stunning white marbled temple stood off to the side. Adrien briefly wondered why there were temples located near each of the Warp Portals.

"I'm glad I wasn't born with Spatial Magic," Brayden muttered under his breath.

The carriage continued on and soon, they came upon a bustling town. Passersby walked along the sidewalks, weaving in and out of stores. Sweepers rushed out into the empty spots of the road to clean up the shit that the horses left behind as they pulled their carriages to and fro.

Adrien looked out the window, trying his best to read the passing street signs, wanting to familiarize himself with the layout of the city for when he ventured back out into it in the morning to look for a bookstore.

After a few minutes, the carriage pulled down a road lined with flowering trees. At the end of the road were large structures made from gray brick. It looked like a typical view from right out of an anime and it took his breath away.

The large, pristine school was a beautiful structure that was situated on an even more beautiful plot of land that painted a serene picture. Flowering trees of various sorts lined the walkways, wrought iron benches were positioned throughout various spots lining the walkways. He couldn't see it from here but knew that there was a lake somewhere on the campus.

The four-story main lecture hall was made up of the same gray stone that the rest of the buildings were made of. Tall stone pillars lined the front of the building and the steps that led to the large wooden doors that were the main entrance. Large, inviting windows were on every floor.

The carriage turned down a road that veered to the right.

"We'll check in at the boys' dormitory," Cedric explained when he saw Adrien looking puzzled. It seemed like he was putting on the nice-brother act for the time being. Adrien was unsure of how long the act would last.

They pulled up to a three-story building that had boys walking in and out of it. Adrien was surprised that there weren't more people around, but then he realized that one did not have to reside in the dorms if they had a residence in the capital.

The three of them got out of the carriage and walked into the building. Adrien followed Cedric and Brayden to the check-in desk located in the large recreational area.

After they checked in and received the keys to their rooms, the man who checked them in sent two maids outside to retrieve their luggage. It was a good thing Nadeline had placed name tags on his suitcases.

Adrien made his way to the second floor and found his room, 12A. The room was similar in size to the one he had back at the manor. Lined up against the wall was a full-sized bed with plush white bed sheets with gold trimmings. Hanging over the windows were gold curtains.

The reason why the decorations were white and gold was because those were the colors for the royal family.

The room also contained a small sitting area, a writing desk, and an armoire. What he didn't find was a bathroom.

"Where's the bathroom?" Adrien asked the maid who was placing his luggage case onto the bed.

"The dorm has a community shower room on each floor."