Chapter 49
“They say that on the last day of the Olabi Festival, during the final banquet, Lady Sophia will be granted the surname of Roberti.”
They say doing things out of character can kill you. Maybe this is the day Bled finally meets his end.
I was even considering which flowers to lay on his casket, but Dane wasn’t done talking yet.
“It hasn’t been officially granted yet, but you’re allowed to use the surname Roberti in public for now.”
He really is going to die.
Finishing his message, Dane bowed and stepped back.
What on earth has gotten into him?
Bled had always refused to let Sophia call him “father,” or even take the Roberti name.
But now he wasn’t restricting her from going out, and was even letting her roam freely within the estate.
And on top of that, now he’s giving her the surname, too?
Should I be happy about this or not?
As Sophia was caught in indecision, Lorei beamed beside her and said brightly:
“Isn’t that great, my lady?”
If you say so, then I suppose it is.
After a short walk in the garden, she returned to her room to find a small basket full of cookies on the nightstand.
Peyton, hugging the basket to his chest, came as a bonus.
“Benjamin sent them!”
Benjamin occasionally sent cookies he baked to her room. Peyton loved those.
And as expected, he looked up at her with eyes asking for permission to dig in.
“You can eat them.”
“Yes!”
Since she’d been trying to cut back on snacks, most of the treats Benjamin sent ended up in Peyton’s stomach. He didn’t know, and she figured it was better that way.
With the table taken over by Peyton and a pile of incomprehensible medical books, Sophia sat on the edge of the bed.
“Isn’t it magic that heals people? Why do you need to study this?”
“Hm? Oh, this? This isn’t human-made medical literature. I wrote it myself.”
“You did, Grandpa?”
“Yep. A magical medical book, just for mages.”
Peyton proudly opened one of the books and showed her. At a glance, she could tell why she didn’t understand it—the language wasn’t ordinary.
“…What kind of script is this?”
“Ancient language. It’s easier for me to use. I lived during the time when this was the main language.”
Come to think of it, his name was in archaic form too. Maybe all mages preferred using ancient languages?
“Is it hard?”
“Ancient language? It didn’t feel that hard to me when I learned it.”
“…Hmm.”
“Wanna learn a few words?”
She nodded, curiosity sparked. Peyton scribbled some ancient words into a blank space and pointed to each as he read them out.
“Noel boretedi mel. Try it.”
“Noel… boretedi, mel. What does it mean?”
“I am an idiot!”
…Is this a joke?
Sophia frowned and glared at him, and Peyton quickly corrected himself with a laugh.
“Just kidding. It actually means ‘Be happy.’”
Even with that explanation, the suspicion didn’t completely leave her eyes. Peyton insisted it was true, and only then did Sophia start to believe him. She mumbled softly:
“It’s hard.”
“Well, no need to learn it if I’m around to translate, right?”
“Then… I want to know what Lorei’s name means.”
So that’s what she really wanted.
No wonder she’d shown interest in the ancient language. The name had been bugging her.
“Didn’t Lorei tell you his true name?”
“True name? Lorei has another name?”
“…He didn’t tell you?”
That was unexpected. For someone who had spent more time with Sophia than anyone else, Lorei hadn’t revealed his true name?
“Hmm… if he didn’t tell you, I can’t tell you the meaning either.”
“Why not?”
“It’s disrespectful to share a mage’s name if they’re hiding it.”
“…”
“Doesn’t matter how cute you look. A name is very important to a mage.”
Peyton smiled as if apologetic.
“Just ask him about his true name next time—and the meaning too.”
But… if he hadn’t told her yet, what were the chances he ever would? She’d only learned “Lorei” wasn’t even his real name through someone else.
She thought things were getting better between them, but Lorei was still hiding things.
Even after spending so much time together, even after meeting more often than anyone else, the odd distance between them remained.
Is that distance something you’re keeping, Lorei?
Sighing, Sophia tried to push thoughts of Lorei aside and picked up the book on the nightstand.
As she did, Peyton, cheeks full of cookies, asked:
“Is that the book Serita recommended?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s it about? Can I see?”
“Wash your hands first.”
“Ah.”
Noticing the cookie crumbs on his fingers, Peyton sheepishly wiped his hands with a handkerchief before taking the book from her.
Wasn’t this listed as a children’s recommendation?
[The Star is Not Alone]
Author: Eura Romansi
Seeing the familiar name, Peyton tilted his head with a smile as he flipped it open.
A girl who lived at the bottom of a well found joy in looking up at the sky through a small circle of light. Through that circle, she could see only one star.
That was the entire sky she knew.
Sounds familiar.
Just like Sophia.
One day, another girl came to fetch water from the well and found her there. Surprised, the girl helped her climb out, and the well-dwelling girl discovered a much wider world.
The rest of the book told the tale of her adventures across many lands.
With such vivid, detailed descriptions of the places visited, it made sense Sophia would enjoy it—it was a story about the world outside, which she always longed to see.
“Here. By the way, I think I know the author.”
“You know them?”
Sophia, uncharacteristically curious, asked. She really was weak when it came to things she liked.
“She’s a friend. Probably…”
Of course. The word probably immediately dropped Sophia’s interest and trust level. She turned away from him, no longer intrigued.
Feeling wronged—as if he’d been brushed off as a friendless loner—Peyton quickly added:
“No, I really do know her! She’s a mage. The author, I mean.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I just didn’t know she actually went through with writing. She did say she wanted to someday, but I didn’t think she’d actually do it.”
Mages weren’t typically good at anything outside their magic. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t surpass the average in other fields. That’s why most didn’t bother.
Peyton had chosen medicine. Ren, light-based magic.
Writing was not Eura Romansi’s strength. Plenty of people had tried to stop her.
“…She’s amazing.”
But she succeeded—brilliantly, and in a way that shut them all up.
“Oh, right. The festival starts in two days. What are you planning to do? You can go out freely now—got any plans?”
“I’m going to buy volume two of this book tomorrow.”
There were two volumes, but Serita didn’t have the second. So Sophia planned to buy it and read it with her.
“Tomorrow? Why not go on the festival day?”
“Lorei said the crowds would be crazy that day. I just want to buy what I need before that and head back.”
The Olabi Festival lasted three days, and the capital was known for its massive crowds on the main day.
On the first day, there were grand parades, famous theater performances—endless spectacles—and at night, major events were packed into every corner. The streets would be chaos.
The second day was the hunting competition held in the forest within the castle grounds. From ordinary participants to elite candidates handpicked by powerful noble families.
They competed to see who could catch the biggest, rarest beast.
The winner would be awarded ownership of Mesios Island, on the eastern fringe of the country—famous for its clean air, often used as a resort or convalescent spot.
“I only plan to watch the hunting competition.”
She didn’t know anyone competing, but Lorei always described the events of the hunt so vividly that she’d developed an interest.
And this year, with the usual winners disqualified and punished, things were bound to unfold differently from what she remembered.
It might actually be exciting to watch.
The third day was the banquet where she would officially be granted the surname, so she would be forced to attend regardless. She planned to stay inside as much as possible that day.
Preparing would already be overwhelming.
When she explained her plans, Peyton, who had been listening blankly, suddenly grinned.
“I signed up for the hunting competition.”
“…Why?”
“For the island!”
The island?
“You know, that place that’d be perfect for vacations? There’s already a villa there! Wouldn’t it be great for trips?”
“…So?”
“If I say I’m going there with you, I’ll finally get a day off too!”
“Does it work like that?”
“Totally! A rare no-work day—I’m claiming it!”
It sounded like the prize had somehow morphed into something else, but Peyton, grinning ear to ear, seemed fully committed.
Watching him, Sophia couldn’t help but wonder:
You act like you have a job, but do you even do anything?
