FWDA 45

Chapter 45

“A letter from Jaina?”

Rozian, who had been reading with a pleased expression, jumped slightly and looked up.

“How did you know?”

He quickly checked whether Elia could see the sender’s name on the letter—but no, she couldn’t.

“Well…”

It’s written all over your face.
You only ever look like that when it’s about her.

“Rozian, what is it that you like about Jaina?”
“Everything.”
“Still, if you had to choose something?”

At Elia’s question, Rozian fell into thought for a moment.

That shiny back of her head was cute, her pale and soft cheeks were cute, her expressionless yet adorable features were nice too…
But if he had to put it into words—

“Her eyes are like a winter lake.”

So he had picked up something from those poetry classes, despite always complaining and skipping them.

Elia smiled as she watched Rozian’s face light up with excitement.

“A winter lake is frozen, right? Jaina doesn’t show much emotion either. She’s always calm, mature for her age… But a winter lake is frozen so you can’t see through it. Jaina, though—she’s clear. That’s what’s strange. That’s why I want to keep looking at her.”

A soft smile spread across Rozian’s face as he thought of Jaina.

“This piece is supposed to be lively, but you’re playing it so gloomily.”

Charlotte tilted her head as she listened to Jaina’s playing.

“People say a performer reflects their mood, but this is excessive… No, the atmosphere aside, there’s a bigger problem.”

Charlotte frowned in clear displeasure and sat down beside Jaina.

“You’re playing too slowly. Let me show you how it should be done.”

She seized Jaina’s hand and struck the keys forcefully.

“Ah…”

Even as Jaina winced in pain, Charlotte didn’t care.

And her harassment didn’t end there.
Since she had already sent Izren out of the room, claiming he was a distraction, her abuse was worse than usual today.

“If you’re going to play like this, why even bother having sheet music? What you’re doing is composing, not performing.”

Charlotte grabbed Jaina’s small hand and yanked it hard.

“Why are your hands so slow?”

Compared to Charlotte’s, Jaina’s hands were only half as long—a major obstacle for performance.
Shorter fingers made it difficult to move quickly across the keys.
But Jaina was only ten years old—still growing. Naturally, her hands were smaller.
Even knowing this, Charlotte blamed her.

“Then can’t I play something easier for small hands?”
“Silence. It’s that kind of laziness that keeps you from improving.”

Charlotte picked up the switch she’d brought in advance and ordered Jaina to hold out her palm.

Then she struck it mercilessly.

Smack!
Smack! Smack!

Each blow from the adult woman left red, stinging welts on the child’s delicate hand.

Normally expressionless, Jaina’s face now twisted in pain.

“Your biggest problem is discipline. You have none. That’s why, even under a teacher as good as me, you never improve.”
“…I’m sorry.”

Charlotte clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“Tsk, tsk. This is what comes from poor upbringing. I heard you live alone—an orphan, right? If Lord Diamid took pity on you and gave you a home, you should be more grateful. What do you think you’re doing?”
“…”

Jaina said nothing, which only encouraged Charlotte to keep going.

“Your harpsichord playing isn’t the only issue. Your entire life’s a mess. Even that squire outside—he’s a problem too. Are all the people around you like that?”

At that moment, Izren, who had been standing outside the door, could no longer contain his anger and was about to barge in—

“Your words are too harsh.”

Jaina, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.

“You can say whatever you want about me, but the person outside is the Tower Master’s squire. Are you saying the Tower Master’s judgment is wrong, Teacher?”

“Oh, so he’s a squire of the Tower Master? That explains why a nonhuman is in the Tower. Then what about you, Student? What’s your relationship with the Tower Master? For him to assign a teacher for you personally, it seems like you’re not just anyone.”

It was an instinct born of jealousy—the intuition of someone in love.

That the Tower Master himself had sought a harpsichord teacher.
That the student in question had the same hair and eye color as him.

‘Would he really have done that for just any child?’

The moment Charlotte saw Jaina, she knew: this girl was the Tower Master’s daughter.
They didn’t look much alike, but their presence—their aura—was unmistakably similar.

“If you’re not a mage of the Tower, what are you even doing here?”

Charlotte glared and leaned close to Jaina’s face.

Just then, Izren’s voice came from beyond the door.

“Jaina, is she bothering you again? I’m coming in.”

“You insolent half-breed—”

Before Charlotte could finish, darkness began creeping up from the floor, coiling around her ankles.

Startled by the eerie sensation crawling up her dress, Charlotte leapt up.

“Ahh! What is this?!”

Thud!

She fell to the floor in terror, staring down at the darkness.

Jaina looked down at her indifferently—like one might look at a pebble on the road.

“You don’t look well, Teacher. I think you should go rest.”

Rising calmly, Jaina opened the door and called to Izren.

“Izren, could you please escort the teacher to her room? She doesn’t seem well.”
“Of course.”

When Izren approached to help, Charlotte slapped his hand away and shouted,

“What did you just do to me?!”
“I didn’t do anything. If you’re seeing things, you really must not be feeling well, Teacher.”

“Jaina, do you think I’ll just let this go? I’ll tell Lord Diamid you used magic—and if you dare play like that again, I’ll make sure you’re severely punished!”

As Jaina tried to guide her out, Izren noticed something—
A red welt across the back of Jaina’s hand.

“Jaina…”

Startled, she quickly hid her hand behind her back.

“I’m fine. It’ll fade soon.”
“I’m telling the Tower Master.”
“I shouldn’t cause any trouble. Please, keep it a secret.”

Jaina looked up at him with her clear, calm eyes.

“I don’t know why the Tower Master assigned you to me, but I don’t want to displease him.”

Her voice was as composed as ever. Izren nodded slowly—not in agreement, but in understanding.
He finally realized why the Tower Master had placed him by her side, why he had made excuses to keep her close.

After taking Charlotte back to her quarters, Izren went straight to Diamid’s office.

[There’s something going on between the harpsichord teacher and the young lady. She keeps trying to hide it.]

Diamid’s low voice responded,

[Explain in more detail.]
[The teacher used the lessons as an excuse to keep me out of the room, so I couldn’t see everything… but—]

Izren recounted everything Charlotte had done.

“Lord Tower Master. You summoned me? Or should I say, it’s an honor to meet you for the first time?”

Charlotte entered the room, holding her dress elegantly, smiling brightly.

“Oh dear, that’s not right.”

Her reflection in the mirror didn’t look quite perfect today.

She pouted at her reflection.

“My lady, you look stunning to me.”
“It doesn’t matter what you think. I need to impress him. Stop talking and fix my hair.”

Charlotte sighed deeply.

‘At last, the Tower Master has called for me.’

When she’d first heard he was looking for a harpsichord teacher, she had been thrilled—but also puzzled.
The Tower wasn’t a place for children.
And as far as she knew, the Tower Master was unmarried.

A bad feeling had crossed her mind, but she had shaken it off. This was an opportunity she would never get again.

Teaching a noble’s daughter might have been safer for her reputation, but she had chosen the uncertain path—for one reason.

‘The Tower Master.’

Diamid was a man of few words, reclusive, rarely leaving the Tower.

But long ago, Charlotte had once seen him up close—and instantly fallen for his beauty.
He had been her first love since she was thirteen.

Defying everyone’s advice, she went to the Tower, and there she met the “child of the Tower” she’d only heard about.

They didn’t look much alike, but the girl’s eyes and aura convinced her—she was his daughter.

Charlotte secretly gathered information about Jaina from maids and mages.
Her efforts yielded little, but she learned one thing for sure—

‘She’s not acknowledged by him.’

Otherwise, there’s no way a father and daughter would be so distant.

The fact that no one in the Tower even knew of Jaina’s true identity proved it.

Concluding that Jaina was an illegitimate child, Charlotte made up her mind to use her as a stepping stone—to get closer to Diamid.