Chapter 26
“I only reminded him again that you’ll be leaving soon. You didn’t give Eli the exact schedule, after all.”
“That was my mistake.”
“And just in case, I need to go to the Grand Ducal Castle myself.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The spatial movement magic I use is a bit unusual. I can only move to places I’ve seen with my own eyes.”
To use spatial movement, one had to calculate dimensional coordinates—and that was no easy task.
Who would have thought math would be involved here of all things?
‘Calculus? Geometry and vectors? When was the last time I dealt with those?’
She managed to force herself to recall basic functions, but anything beyond that was absolutely impossible.
She’d been a humanities person to begin with, and the moment she graduated high school, she dropped math entirely. There was no way she’d remember it now—and just thinking about studying it again made her teeth grind.
“That doesn’t align with my common sense.”
“Simply put, I can’t calculate dimensional coordinates. That’s why I use teleportation magic in a nonstandard way.”
“Hm…?”
Thermion tilted his head, clearly unable to understand. Even with his level of magical knowledge, this was something he’d never heard before.
“As long as I go to the Grand Ducal Castle in person once, I’ll be able to teleport there anytime. If something goes wrong, we may need to escape—so I should visit while I have the chance.”
Of course, Ailesia was confident she could win against anyone. This was nothing more than insurance for Eleonora’s safety.
‘And while I’m at it, I can look around the Grand Ducal Castle.’
There was someone she absolutely had to meet to confirm details never revealed in the original story.
Grand Madam Iolene—the former Archduchess, and legally Thermion’s mother.
She was the most magnanimous figure in the original work, the one who didn’t reject the suddenly appearing Thermion and instead registered him as the family’s second son.
‘She was also the decisive reason Eli collapsed at the very end.’
Iolene met a solemn death in the final stages of the original story, making Hwirin wail in grief once more.
After the Second Prince—the male lead—died, the curse he carried transferred to Eleonora. Iolene poured all of her life force and mana into erasing her granddaughter’s curse, succeeding completely.
“My child, Eli. Don’t be sad.”
“G-Grandmother! No!”
“This is retribution… for sending your father and uncle away so early. I’m sorry.”
“That’s not true! If you’re sorry, then stay with me!”
“I love you. Be happy.”
“Grandmother!”
That cursed thing—just thinking about it was exhausting. This time, it had been cut off at the source. There would be no problems.
‘She’s Eli’s precious family. I have to protect her.’
She was pulled out of her thoughts by Thermion’s voice, which sounded as though he had accepted her reasoning.
“Well, then Eli’s safety will be guaranteed.”
“Huh? Ah—yes, that’s right.”
“I understand. We were planning to go together anyway.”
Having made his decision, Thermion didn’t raise any further objections.
He had already witnessed Ailesia’s abilities, and had developed a vague but firm belief that she would never harm Eleonora—or himself.
“Still, the road is rough. I’m worried, especially about food and lodging.”
“Oh, that? I’ve actually been thinking about something. Want to hear it?”
When Ailesia whispered something into his ear, Thermion’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Is that even possible?”
“Well, we’ll find out whether it works or not.”
Thermion let out a short, incredulous laugh. Considering her confidence—and everything she’d shown so far—there was no need to press her further.
“…I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Good. Hey, little one—shouldn’t we head back soon?”
“Yes!”
Eleonora came trotting over, her entire body covered in fur. Considering she’d been buried among the large wolves, it was hardly surprising.
“You said you’d go for a walk with Uncle, but you only played with the wolves. Did you have fun?”
“Uncle went on a date with Teacher!”
“…We just talked a bit. Honestly—look at all this fur.”
For some reason, Thermion changed the subject with a faint blush. He knelt on one knee and carefully picked the fur off Eleonora’s clothes one strand at a time.
“Want help?”
“It’s fine.”
Using magic would’ve cleaned her instantly, but Ailesia stepped back a few paces instead, choosing to simply watch the uncle and niece. Just looking at them made her chest feel warm.
“Achoo!”
“Oh dear—you shouldn’t catch a cold.”
“No! It’s just itchy!”
“Next time, I should bring a mask.”
Thermion checked Eleonora’s forehead, then pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her nose. She just smiled brightly, clearly delighted.
“Next time, will Uncle play with the wolves too?”
“Well… I’ll have to think about that. I don’t know if they’ll like me.”
“Whitey and Blanky like Eli, so they’ll like Uncle too!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! Teacher likes Uncle too! Uncle, do you like Teacher?”
“Cough—!”
Caught completely off guard, Thermion broke into a fit of coughing, unable to respond.
Worried, Eleonora shouted behind her.
“Teacher! Uncle caught a cold!”
“E-Eli, that’s not—cough!”
“Uncle’s cold must be really bad, Teacher!”
“…Ahahahaha!”
In the end, Ailesia clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.
She knew she probably shouldn’t—but she couldn’t stop. It felt as though centuries of pent-up frustration were finally washing away, replaced by pure joy.
An innocent niece and a shy uncle—was there a more perfect combination?
‘Yes… this is what I wanted to see.’
Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, Ailesia smiled.
A fleeting moment of happiness between Thermion and Eleonora—something priceless, beyond gold.
“Huh…?”
The uncle waved his hands frantically, his face bright red, while the teacher just laughed.
Still confused, Eleonora rolled her eyes around—then suddenly began hopping in place, laughing brightly.
“I like Uncle and Teacher! Eli likes them!”
“Woof! Woof!”
“Awooooo!”
The wolves’ howls echoed in response. It was a strange, yet heartwarming sight.
* * *
Two days later, knights were preparing to depart at the front gates of the Grand Ducal estate.
Kubera had reassembled the knights who had previously traveled with Thermion to the Chernil Forest. They had experience with long journeys, proven skill—and most importantly, they were already accustomed to Ailesia and the wolves.
As proof, those same knights casually approached Whitey and Blanky, brushing their fur and stroking their ears.
“You’ve been assigned as the personal escort for Her Grace and Miss Milenov to the Grand Ducal Castle. We will serve you with utmost dedication.”
“We’ll be counting on you!”
Two knights approached Ailesia as she waited by the carriage. Recognizing them, she smiled.
“Sir Tulk Rears, right? I won’t forget this time.”
“It’s an honor.”
“And you are? I heard your name, but not your surname.”
“Ronel Senberg. You may call me Ronel.”
“But you’re knights—I should at least show proper courtesy.”
If Thermion had heard that, he would’ve complained about why she didn’t treat him the same way. Thinking of him, Ailesia smiled unconsciously.
Her lake-blue eyes curved like crescent moons, framed by fine lashes.
“I look forward to traveling with you.”
Meeting her smiling gaze, Tulk and Ronel swallowed instinctively.
“Teacher!”
Only when they heard Eleonora’s loud voice did the dazed knights snap back to attention.
“Our little one’s here?”
“Waaah?”
When Ailesia stretched out her arms, Eleonora’s body lifted into the air.
“Got you.”
“Hehe.”
Drifting gently, Eleonora landed in Ailesia’s arms.
“Where’s Uncle?”
“He’s coming with Uncle Kubera!”
“Then we’ll board the carriage once Uncle arrives. You’re not cold, are you?”
“She’s dressed very warmly, Miss Milenov—especially that coat. It’s no ordinary garment.”
The reply came from Madam Herman, who followed behind. She bowed slightly and smiled kindly.
“That title still feels embarrassing.”
“You are now the Grand Duchess’s teacher—you’ll have to get used to it. I’ve instructed the other servants to address you the same way.”
“They could just call me by name.”
Ailesia replied a little awkwardly.
Hearing herself called “Teacher” by the people of the Grand Ducal household still didn’t feel real.
Perhaps it was repayment for the long years she had waited.
Faster than she had planned, Ailesia was becoming part of the Lettice family.
