Hansel’s Enchanted Fairytale: Fill Me Up With Magic! - Chapter 1
I. The Ugly Duckling
As usual, it was a chaotic morning.
“Hansel, it’s about time you give up and get married. How long do you plan to embarrass this family with your stubbornness?”
Hansel’s mother, Margaret, gracefully sliced her asparagus with the composure of a swan. Her platinum blonde hair remained flawless no matter how she moved, and her refined gestures showed no sign of the storm she had just unleashed. Despite the thunderous scolding from the early morning, she sat there exuding elegance.
Hansel swallowed her anger and closed her mouth tightly.
Hansel had a generally cute appearance. A round forehead, platinum blonde hair braided neatly on both sides, gentle blue eyes, a sharp nose, small lips, and skin as pale as snow.
However, her gaze was far from soft.
“What is it this time? What are you so dissatisfied with?”
When their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly in the air.
Gretel, unconcerned about the glacial atmosphere at the dining table, hummed a tune as she built a tower out of steak pieces.
Hansel slammed her fork and knife onto the ornate marble table.
“All I’ve been doing lately is staying locked up in the tower by myself. And that’s because you told me to quit school, so I can’t even return to the academy!”
“There are things in life that effort simply can’t change. You’re one of those things. Giving up is in your best interest, so do as I say.”
Margaret delicately set her fork with a piece of asparagus down on her plate. Her icy blue eyes, identical to Hansel’s, glinted coldly.
“The dean said it himself. He searched through all historical records and couldn’t find anyone as deficient as you in our family’s history. It’s not just that you can’t manifest power—they can’t even detect any potential. To put it bluntly, you’re not a mage at all. You’re just an ordinary person.”
“……”
“It means this is not where you belong.”
An ordinary person.
In a society where the power of mages derived entirely from their magical abilities, mages didn’t even look favorably upon ordinary nobles, let alone commoners. Only someone of imperial royalty might be considered a worthy match for a mage.
And this wasn’t just any mage family—it was the Arsinoe royal line of mages. Even though they had risen to the throne after the fall of another family, no mage family was more noble than the Arsinoe line.
Thus, the daughters of Arsinoe were expected to be perfect.
Roughly 20 years ago, the Herodt family collapsed, and the perpetually second-ranked Arsinoe family claimed their throne. They were second-place victors who had inherited the crown without a fight.
The label still lingered. And now, to have her eldest daughter go down in history as the greatest failure?
Hansel Arsinoe.
Others whispered that Hansel was the curse of Herodt. They claimed the last spell cast by the unjustly fallen Herodt family had targeted Arsinoe, stealing away the magical talent of their descendants.
Margaret needed to remove Hansel as soon as possible—before others could mention Herodt again.
Hansel clenched her round eyes with determination.
“The first Arsinoe wasn’t a mage either, right? But she had children, and her magic awakened. I still have potential!”
“Which is why I’m telling you to have children.”
The atmosphere at the table turned as sharp as an ice blade.
The maids froze in place, holding their breath as they gauged the tension. Then, Gretel’s cheerful voice shattered the silence.
“Does this mean I’ll finally get a brother-in-law?”
She smiled brightly at Hansel.
“That’s great! Sister, you’ve been wanting to meet a man anyway. Mother, make sure he’s handsome and strong. He should be experienced too! Maybe someone like that werewolf from the northern forest who ran away—Hansel’s been eyeing him!”
“What?! I never—!”
“Oh, don’t pretend. Hehe, I saw it! That book on your shelf, the one by Madame Virginia, Ten Billion Kisses…”
“You went into my room again?! I locked the door, and you still got in? How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?!”
“Hehe, it just opened with magic. It’s not my fault you can’t use locking spells.”
“Hey!”
“Hansel, stop it. How much longer are you going to stoop to your sister’s level and argue back like a child?”
“……”
Hansel bit her lip in frustration.
Mother’s authority was absolute. Once Margaret decided something, Hansel and Gretel simply had to comply. That was the rule of their household. Marriage was now just a matter of time.
“You’re trying to marry me off to some stranger in an unfamiliar country as if you’re banishing me. I know it.”
Magical power was transmitted through intimate connections. If a spouse’s magical power was significantly stronger, the other party could benefit from this ‘trickle-down’ effect.
But marrying a non-mage meant giving up any opportunity to share or gain magical talent, even posthumously.
‘You’re not worthy of being part of our family!’
To Hansel, being married off to an ordinary person was precisely that statement in disguise.
