Chapter 44
The carriage arrived at the Teleport Magic Circle Office on the outskirts of the Notte Domain, and the children exchanged brief farewells inside the office.
“Take care.”
“Yeah. See you later.”
“Erica’s going to Quinter, right?”
“Yeah. I’ll write.”
Santiuk and Serel, heading to Roanoke, disappeared into the capsules, and Adrian, bound for the Spencer Domain, stepped into his capsule. As he waved at Ellen, Erica, and Roil from inside, he suddenly remembered something and shouted:
“That’s right! The Second Prince asked me to send his regards to Ellen!”
Before he could finish, he vanished inside the capsule. He had shouted so loudly that, fortunately, Ellen caught his voice.
“Why is Lian the one passing along the Second Prince’s regards?”
“Right?”
Ellen and Erica exchanged puzzled looks, but Adrian, who knew the answer, had already disappeared.
“Let’s go too.”
When Roil opened the capsule door, Erica hurried in without meeting his gaze.
“All set, then.”
As soon as the office head finished speaking, a dizzying light burst out from inside the capsule.
Blinking through the chaotic light, they found themselves in the familiar, worn interior of the capsule.
“Every time I come here, I think the capsule’s interior really needs remodeling,” Erica said as she stepped out.
“Yeah, right? I’ve been everywhere, and this interior feels the most worn out.”
Ellen nodded in agreement.
The office head, holding the capsule door, looked apologetic.
“Sorry about that.”
“You don’t need to apologize. We know that even fixing one thing in a capsule requires the king’s permission and cooperation from the Mage Tower,” Ellen said, shaking her head.
The three greeted the office head and headed outside. Now familiar with teleportation, they felt no aftereffects.
Outside, carriages for Quinter and Karzelga were waiting. Roil and Erica, standing in front of the two carriages, exchanged awkward yet casual greetings.
“Uh… well, take care. Come visit with Eli sometime.”
“Yeah. I’ll come along.”
Watching Roil and Erica, Ellen let out a small sigh and stepped between them.
“I’m tired. Let’s go, Erica. Roil, take care. See you by the lakeside in two days.”
She nudged Roil toward the Karzelga carriage and linked arms with Erica. Once the Quinter carriage departed with the two of them, Roil got into his own carriage.
“Erica, you said you’d treat me like a friend, right?”
Ellen poked Erica’s knee across from her.
“Phew… I wanted to, and I thought I could, but it still feels a bit awkward, right?”
Erica scratched her cheek.
“Once we meet a few more times, it’ll go back to the way it was,” Ellen said with a reassuring smile.
At Quinter, Silph and Nesh always followed Ellen’s every move. Silph wanted to stay by Erica’s side but had to linger near Ellen because of a previous order.
“Erica, I’m going to the lakeside. Want to come?”
Ellen, wrapping a cloth around her waist after leaving the dress room, asked. Erica, sitting on the sofa with her chin resting on the backrest, shook her head.
“No. Maybe next time.”
It was the seventeenth time she had said “next time.” Every time Ellen went to practice dagger techniques by the lake with Roil, she invited Erica along, but Erica always declined.
“Alright. Then I’ll be back soon.”
After preparing, Ellen left the room, and Erica followed her own way. Ellen headed to the first floor, and Erica stayed in her room. During Ellen’s time at the lake, Erica would read the book Ellen had tucked into her “pocket” or practice throwing shurikens at the training ground.
Ellen rolled sharply to avoid a flying sword.
“Left knee’s open!”
“Hey, telling me your openings now? Shouldn’t you wait until after you strike?”
Ellen sprang up, breathing heavily, complaining despite the rush and a minor scrape on her hand.
“If you tell me while attacking, I’d just block it anyway!”
Roil lightly swung the recovered sword, keeping Ellen at bay. While Ellen’s face was flushed with sweat, Roil remained unbothered, smiling lightly.
“Ugh, annoying. You’re holding a greatsword but barely moving at all.”
“Just because you use a dagger doesn’t mean I’ll match you with one,” Roil replied.
“Got it.”
Pouting, Ellen gripped her dagger tightly and lunged, but Roil, not moving his foot, lightly grazed her calf with the side of his sword.
“Your lower body keeps opening up!”
“Ah, my arms are only this long! What do you want me to do? If my arms were longer, I’d be a troll, not a human!”
As usual, Ellen grew frustrated, shouting while thrusting at Roil’s neck, only to be easily blocked. Her final dagger thrust always marked the unspoken signal to stop.
“I think I made the right choice learning the bow instead of the sword,” Ellen said, panting. Roil handed her a canteen, and she drank more than half in one gulp.
“Sword’s really not for me.”
Roil smirked slightly as he drank from the canteen Ellen had passed him.
“Yeah, your lady made a wise choice.”
Ellen shot him a glare.
“You’re unnecessarily honest… can’t I be like that?”
“Nope. You’re good at it,” he said proudly. Ellen laughed, clicking her tongue.
Approaching the lake, Ellen lightly washed her face, and Roil handed her a handkerchief. As she wiped, he also washed his hands and splashed water on his face.
“When will you and Erica stop being like that? She’s been at our house for over a month, and you still haven’t even seen her face once,” Ellen asked, holding out the handkerchief.
“Yeah… as long as Erica’s fine, I don’t mind. She tells me not to apologize, but she seems even more embarrassed,” Roil shrugged.
“Still, Erica’s braver than me, by far.”
Ellen looked puzzled, but Roil avoided her gaze, folding the handkerchief neatly.
As usual, Ellen and Erica were having breakfast together.
“Nothing visible again today?” Erica wiped milk from her mouth with her tongue. With only the two of them in the dining room, they ate comfortably without pretense.
“Yeah. Same as always,” Ellen nodded while spreading jam on bread.
“Hm. Seems like it should show by now,” Erica said, and Silph, sitting nearby, nodded in agreement.
As they prepared a third slice with butter and ham, Butler Albert entered the dining room. Ellen looked at him, questioning, and he leaned in to whisper into her ear.
Ellen’s eyes trembled at his words. She immediately stood up. Erica paused mid-bite, looking at her.
“Erica, let’s go to Karzelga.”
Before Erica could ask why, Ellen bit her lip and said:
“Aunt… has passed away.”
Shocked by the news, Ellen had been looking for her mother, worried for Gloria, but Gloria had already left riding her horse.
When Ellen and Erica left the estate, the carriage was already ready.
“Get a horse! How long will it take to reach there by carriage!” Ellen shouted, anxious.
“But Miss… Erica…” Albert began, but Erica answered for herself.
“I learned from Ellen. I can ride too. Lend me a horse.”
Ellen nodded.
“Let’s hurry!”
Albert signaled a nearby servant, who ran to the stables. Impatient, Ellen and Erica ran after him together, followed naturally by Silph and Nesh.
Thinking of the young lady increasingly resembling her mistress, and the friends increasingly resembling the young lady, Albert called Jenna and Marsha.
The mistress and the young lady left in haste, empty-handed. There would be no suitable clothing in the storage for a funeral, not to mention preparing for the young lady’s guest.
Unaware of the discomfort from their indoor dresses, Ellen and Erica rode hard, abandoning their horses in front of the Karzelga mansion and ran inside.
No one had prepared to greet them, but a servant, startled to see the empty entrance, hurried to open the door. Ellen and Erica ignored him, rushing straight to Diana’s room.
“Roy!”
“Roil!”
Roil lifted his head from Diana’s bed, where he had been holding her hand and burying his face. Across from him, Gloria held Diana’s other hand. Their faces were soaked in tears.
“Eli, Erica,” Roil called in a strained voice, getting up. Gloria glanced briefly at Ellen and Erica, then returned her gaze to Diana.
Ellen and Erica slowly approached Diana’s bedside.
“Aunt…”
Though they had rushed, the news of Diana’s death still didn’t sink in. Ellen knelt, taking Diana’s hand, her own trembling.
‘This is what a cold, lifeless body feels like.’ Without body heat, the chilling cold was unlike winter or ice. Ellen squeezed Diana’s hand, wishing to impart warmth—warmth that would never return to this hand. Tears silently streamed down. Just days ago, Diana had come to Quinter, had tea with Gloria, and even brought an orange tart as a gift for Ellen.
Erica approached, and Ellen shifted slightly, looking at Roil. His face was red and puffy from crying, though he wasn’t shedding tears now. Ellen held his hand briefly before letting go.
