Chapter 1

I knelt on the floor cleaning, my clothes and face covered in dust. But this was just the beginning; a mountain of chores awaited me.

“Don’t be lazy, Cole. Want me to help you with some magic?” Derek sat on the leather sofa, sipping whiskey and crossing his legs as he looked at me. He was my wife Elena’s younger brother, just turned 18, and had a mischievous and unruly personality.

"It's okay, I can do it myself," I replied calmly.

"Watch this!" Derek waved his finger, shaking down all the dust from the ceiling, making me cough repeatedly.

"Haha! That's so much fun!" Derek clapped and laughed.

He laughed so hard he smashed his wine glass on the floor. "Look at the mess you've made!"

Whiskey spilled all over the floor, and shards of glass stuck in my feet. I took out a rag and silently began to clean up.

"Such noise so early in the morning!" My wife, Elena, came down the stairs, her face ashen. "Why have you made yourself like this again?"

With a wave of her hand, the shards of glass flew from my hand, pieced back together, and landed steadily on the table.

"Go take a shower! You stink!" She pinched her nose and kicked me.

"It's nothing, he was just joking with me." I smiled, walked past her, and went into the bathroom to start washing myself.

This is my third year as a son-in-law of the Robert family, and almost every day since my marriage has been like this.

Three years ago, during the Battle of Ash Valley, my good brother Robert and I were surrounded by enemy forces. I was seriously wounded, and he risked his life to help me escape. Before he died, he held my hand and uttered his last wish—"You must... take good care of my sister..."

Watching Robert die in my arms, I vowed to accomplish this goal.

I married into the Robert family as an ordinary person, so that I could protect her at all times.

My injuries haven't fully healed, so I can't use magic. Until I recover, all I want is to live a peaceful life and ensure Elena's safety.

I don't care about the teasing and mockery I receive, and it doesn't matter if Elena doesn't understand.

"How boring!" Derek saw Elena angrily glaring at him with her hands on her hips, stuck out his tongue, and walked out the door to go hang out with his friends.

"I can't live like this anymore!" She grabbed her hair. "Why did I ever agree to marry you? You can't even learn a basic spell!"

"If it weren't to spite that damned Victor, why would I have so readily agreed to your request to marry into my family?" she vented her dissatisfaction.

Listening to Elena's roar outside the door, I silently lowered my head and rinsed myself with hot water. "I'm sorry, darling... I made you worry again."

"Don't call me darling! I don't want to see you!" She waved her hand, closed the door, and locked herself in the room.

Meanwhile, Derek arrived at his friend Victor's house on the magic train.

Victor, with a fawning expression, poured a full glass of fine wine. "Is your sister still not divorced?"

Victor was my wife's college classmate and had also pursued Elena. However, he believed that Elena would have to obey his arrangements after marriage and become his secretary in the Magic Association, which Elena completely disagreed with.

The two had a heated argument and broke up on the spot.

In a fit of anger, Elena agreed to my request to marry into the family, just to spite Victor.

However, three years have passed, and she has become increasingly displeased with me. Over the years, whenever she has been wronged, she would vent her anger on me.

"I really don't know why she still won't leave that good-for-nothing." Derek took the glass and drank it all in one gulp, getting himself drunk.

"Could you talk to your sister for me? I really regret missing out on her back then. But I'm a high-ranking mage in the Magic Association now, and I think I can make her happy. How about... I give you another chance to pursue your sister?" Victor secretly cast a "mind control spell."

Derek was completely defenseless against mind control magic; after all, he was just a magic apprentice.

“Great! I’ll get in touch with her for you! My sister has definitely forgiven you by now; she couldn’t stand Cole anymore.”

Derek took out his phone and carefully crafted a text message.

"Sister, did that jerk Cole upset you again? I'm at Victor's house; we're having a magic party. Do you want to come? Victor said he regrets what happened in the past and wants to pursue you again. He hopes you'll give him a chance..."

Elena was sitting on the bed, feeling down, when her phone beeped with a text message from her brother.

She clicked on it and looked at it for a while before finally signing her name remotely on the magic party invitation.

She sat at the vanity, applied her makeup using the magic mirror, then picked up her handbag and left the bedroom.

"Honey? Where are you going?" I was busy in the kitchen when I caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye.

Elena acted as if she hadn't heard me, and walked out the door on her own, leaving me standing there.

I held onto the door frame, watching her board the magic train without looking back.

"Slacking off again?" Mrs. Robert tossed the dirty laundry from the basket to me. "Wash it before Elena gets back, or she'll be upset again."

"Why haven't my documents been processed yet?" Old Mr. Robert, pipe in hand, poked his head out of the study. "It's one thing to not know magic, but can't you even do a simple task properly?"

"I'm sorry! I'm coming right away!" I breathed a sigh of relief and went back inside to get busy.