chapter 39
“No, why are you only telling me now that you have such amazing abilities!”
Helene was so stunned she let out a bitter laugh.
Looking closely, all three sisters were truly gifted prodigies.
The eldest possessed a rare divine power, the second was skilled in swordsmanship, and the youngest had such talent in magic that the Mage Tower’s master himself came to scout her.
The stepmother Helene, who had prevented these three sisters from blossoming, was truly a terrible sinner.
“Is that so… but I don’t like to be the center of attention…”
Though happy to receive praise from Jaina and April, strangely, Helene’s compliment made her feel even better.
Because she knew Helene never spoke empty words, it truly felt like she was being recognized by others.
The light emanating from Liliana’s hands as she healed the lump on April’s forehead was even more dazzling this time.
April’s wounds had completely disappeared.
It was unbelievable that these three sisters had just been nameless extras, only there to make the female protagonist Angelina stand out.
After the healing, Helene and April took Liliana’s hand and went to the mansion’s dining room.
On the long dining table was a bowl of dumpling soup.
It was the dinner April had helped prepare before Liliana arrived.
Without April’s help, Helene thought she wouldn’t have been able to prepare dinner on time. Naturally, it was April’s first time ever making dumplings.
April was so focused on shaping the dumplings that she unconsciously pouted her lips, which was so cute and funny that Helene laughed for a long time.
“If I had known this, I should have cooked with April sooner.”
April, who seemed just as unskilled as Liliana in cooking, made dumplings that were ugly and half of them had burst open, but they still tasted quite good.
Liliana scooped a spoonful of the dumpling soup.
Before she could even eat it, April couldn’t hold back and shouted,
“I made those round dumplings!”
‘Helene and April cooked together?’
Liliana nearly choked just imagining the two cooking together in the kitchen before even tasting the food.
This time, she put one of April’s round dumplings into her mouth.
It was so hot that she had to blow on it several times, but the chewy dumpling skin and the well-matched meat and vegetables inside were really delicious.
“…It’s delicious!!”
Liliana didn’t need to say more—the wrinkles on her brow already showed how tasty the dumplings were.
Liliana ate another dumpling in succession, but the two didn’t touch the dumpling soup at all.
Helene and April were watching Liliana’s reaction.
“…Is there something you want to talk about?”
Sensing an unusual atmosphere, Liliana asked.
Helene and April exchanged a glance and cautiously began to speak.
“…Something unbelievable happened today. Two wizards from the Mage Tower transformed into eagles and came to April’s room.”
“Th-The Mage Tower? Isn’t that just a legend…?”
Liliana briefly wondered if Helene and April were playing a trick on her.
The Mage Tower was nowhere on any map.
It was said to have existed centuries ago, treated as a mere legend by everyone.
“Yeah, but it really exists. One of them is the master of the Mage Tower. He’s incredibly handsome… no, beautiful! Like an elf!”
“That’s going off-topic!”
“Wait, this is all necessary for the story.”
April scolded Helene as she tried to describe the master of the Mage Tower.
‘No, this is all building up the story.’
Helene pouted her lips.
“Wh-Why would someone like that…?”
Immersed in the story, Liliana was genuinely curious.
Why would wizards from the supposedly legendary Mage Tower come to find April?
She had no idea what to expect.
“…Well.”
Helene hesitated, unsure how to start.
She worried whether Liliana, who had acted as April’s mother figure from a young age, would be willing to send April to the Mage Tower.
“…They said April has talent to become a wizard and want to raise her as one.”
Helene finished and watched Liliana’s reaction carefully.
Liliana’s reaction was hard to guess.
Would she get angry or cry if her precious little sister was going to the Mage Tower?
“Oh my! That’s wonderful!”
Liliana suddenly stood up and shouted.
Helene wasn’t the only one surprised by Liliana’s unexpected reaction.
April looked at Liliana with wide eyes.
“A wizard! April really is a genius!”
Clapping her hands, Liliana happily celebrated being right all along.
Finally, a long-cherished wish she had prayed to the Sun God for was coming true.
Liliana could read the ancient language, if not as well as April.
She had even seen April’s sketches imagining becoming a wizard and knew long ago that April wanted to be one.
But the academy to study magic was already very expensive, and the Mage Tower was even more so.
It was heartbreaking that she couldn’t support April’s dream.
But now, that dream was really coming true.
If this weren’t the dining room, Liliana would have jumped up and down with joy.
“…B-But you have to send April to the Mage Tower, are you sure it’s okay?”
At that, Liliana immediately calmed down, her face stiffened, and she seemed lost in thought.
She had imagined sending April to the academy many times, but never imagined it would be the Mage Tower, which was thought to be an ancient legend — not even marked on maps.
Liliana was confused.
“If we start preparing now…”
But it was an opportunity they couldn’t miss.
Liliana thought she should educate April about the world since she had never been anywhere but the count’s mansion, and make unforgettable memories every day.
“…But the Mage Tower master said he’s busy and needs to take her away tomorrow. They don’t know when she’ll come back…”
Helene shared the hardest part.
Liliana staggered at the sudden news. She hadn’t even properly seen Jaina off when she went to fight the giant monster.
She barely held onto the back of the chair to steady herself.
Liliana looked at April’s face.
From the ten-year-old April before her, Liliana easily recalled even younger versions of her.
The three-year-old toddler who called her ‘Nini,’ the stubborn and difficult seven-year-old, the eight-year-old, the nine-year-old—
She thought she could see all these layers of April’s past clearly.
After April’s mother died when April was two, Liliana had grown up seeing April’s face more than her own.
“…H-However, we have to do it…”
Liliana understood.
April, who learned to read at five, would surely take the fastest path.
Though she never imagined April would go alone to the Mage Tower at ten years old — a place not even on maps — if it meant fulfilling April’s dream, she had to support her no matter what.
Though tears threatened to fall, Liliana held them back with all her might.
It seemed Helene and April hadn’t even dared to touch the dumpling soup, watching Liliana’s reaction carefully.
This was supposed to be a happy mealtime.
“April, congratulations! You’re going to be a great wizard, so from now on, no more picky eating — you should eat well.”
Liliana started eating the dumpling soup again.
Without realizing it, her spoon held two dumplings.
She stuffed both dumplings into her small mouth.
Knowing how much Liliana was holding back tears by covering her mouth with dumplings, April and Helene bowed their heads and focused solely on eating the dumpling soup.
