I AM NOT THE LOVE INTEREST!

Chapter 22: Absolutely Not

—CELIA—

"Oh well," I murmured under my breath before turning toward Ren again. "Help me look for a book. I need something that could teach me beginner-level magic."

Ren blinked once.

"...Beginner-level?"

"Yes."

"My lady," he said carefully, lowering his voice slightly, "you have already received foundational magical education as a noble."

I waved my hand immediately. "Then pretend I suffered severe academic amnesia."

That was not entirely false.

Although I still have Aria’s memories intact, but somehow, her knowledge in magic is a little blurry in my head.

He stared at me for several long seconds before finally sighing softly in surrender.

"...Very well."

I smiled proudly and wandered toward one of the nearby reading sections before finding an empty seat near a tall arched window. Sunlight spilled softly across the circular wooden table while floating lights drifted lazily overhead.

Very aesthetic.

Ten out of ten magical academia atmosphere.

I had barely settled into the chair when suddenly

FWOOOSH.

A cluster of books swooped directly toward my face.

I gasped so violently I nearly fell backward.

"AH!"

The books stopped abruptly midair only inches away from me, hovering calmly as though nothing traumatic had just occurred.

My hand immediately flew toward my chest.

"Oh my gosh–"

A quiet chuckle sounded beside me.

I slowly turned toward Ren in betrayal.

He had actually laughed.

But he quickly composed himself again, though amusement still lingered openly in his expression now.

"My apologies, my lady," he said politely. "You appeared startled."

"Because the books attacked me!"

"They did not attack you. They merely responded to your request."

I looked back toward the floating books suspiciously.

Only then did I realize they had arranged themselves neatly in front of me.

One by one, the titles became visible.

Introduction to Mana Control.

Basic Elemental Theory.

Foundations of Modern Spellcasting.

Beginner Rune Structures for Young Nobles.

I slowly blinked.

"...The library heard me?"

"Yes."

I stared at the books again.

Then back at him.

"I... I see," I said, trying to recover whatever remained of my dignity.

I cleared my throat and straightened slightly in my chair as though I had not just yelped loud enough to disturb half the reading hall.

"Well..." I continued while cautiously reaching toward the floating books.

The moment my fingers brushed against one of them, the entire stack suddenly moved.

I gasped softly as the books swiftly rearranged themselves midair before neatly stacking one after another onto the table directly in front of me.

Not a single one landed crooked.

Even the books here possessed better composure than I did.

I stared at the perfectly arranged pile for several long seconds.

"...I could never get used to this." I mumbled to myself.

Carefully, I pulled the top book toward myself and examined the cover again.

Introduction to Mana Control.

The title alone made me nervous.

I slowly opened the book and the pages smelled faintly of old parchment and ink while glowing blue symbols occasionally flickered between lines of text before fading again.

Even the textbooks were magical.

Of course they were.

I leaned forward slightly and began reading more carefully.

"Mana exists within all living beings..." I read quietly under my breath.

Thanks to Aria I could understand the letters...somehow.

"Internal circulation determines magical sensitivity..."

My brows slowly furrowed.

Actually...

This was surprisingly understandable.

Complicated.

But understandable.

I flipped another page carefully while trying to organize the information in my head.

According to the book, magic was not simply about talent. Every person possessed mana to some degree, but control, capacity, and affinity determined how effectively they could cast spells.

Some specialized in elemental magic.

Others in healing.

Others in combat enhancement, summoning, enchantments, or rune formations.

Honestly, fantasy worlds truly refused moderation.

I continued reading for several more moments before abruptly pausing.

"...Wait."

Ren glanced toward me immediately. "Yes, my lady?"

I looked up from the book slowly.

"So theoretically speaking...If someone accidentally lost control of their mana..."

He became noticeably more alert.

"...Yes?"

"...Could they explode?" I paused a d waited for his answer.

But then, Ren pinched the bridge of his nose lightly.

"No, my lady."

"Oh, thank goodness."

"Usually."

I froze.

"...Usually?"

He immediately corrected himself. "Under extreme circumstances involving unstable mana overload and improper channeling."

I stared at him blankly.

"So there is exploding."

"Rare exploding."

"That does not comfort me at all."

Ren sighed quietly while I slowly lowered my gaze back toward the book with increasing suspicion.

"This is scary..." I quietly complained to myself.

"Then stop reading, stupid."

I gasped not because of the sudden insult.

Honestly, compared to modern internet culture, that barely qualified as aggression. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

No.

The problem was what happened immediately after hearing the voice.

My chest tightened painfully and my breathing got caught in my throat.

And out of nowhere, my entire body reacted like I had just seen the love of my life walk out of a dramatic slow-motion scene in a romance drama.

Warmth rushed straight into my face so quickly that I nearly choked on air itself.

Butterflies exploded violently in my stomach.

My heart started beating so fast I genuinely wondered if I was developing a medical emergency.

What the hell?!

I turned instinctively toward the source of the voice.

And immediately froze.

Silver hair.

Sharp golden eyes.

An elegant black robe embroidered with faint silver runes glowing softly along the sleeves.

Beautiful.

Annoyingly beautiful.

The man standing several steps away looked less like a scholar and more like a divine being who accidentally wandered into civilization and decided everyone else was beneath him.

Ezekiel Rowe.

The kingdom’s archmage.

My soul nearly left my body.

Not because of him specifically, but because my body apparently had opinions I was not informed about.

I could barely catch my breath properly as heat continued rising straight toward my face.

Oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh.

WHY AM I BLUSHING?!

Then realization struck me like divine punishment.

I immediately turned back toward my books so fast I nearly injured my neck.

What the fuck?!

My hands clutched the edge of the table while my brain spiraled violently.

Was the original Aria actually in love with this guy?!

Why was my body reacting like this?!

Why did my heart suddenly sound like festival drums?!

I stared at the innocent beginner magic textbook in betrayal.

My sister never mentioned this?!

Did I skip Chapters?!

No.

Impossible.

I remembered the novel clearly.

Aria was obsessed with Kaelen.

At least... mostly obsessed.

Wait.

Mostly?

A horrifying possibility slowly crawled into my mind.

Oh no.

I slowly turned my head just enough to glance back toward him again only to realize it was a terrible mistake.

Because the moment our eyes met, I realized he was smirking at me.

SMIRKING.

Ew, Ariaaaa!

Immediately, the butterflies inside me died from embarrassment.

"There is no way," I whispered in complete rejection.

Absolutely not.