~Chapter 63~
The next day, Leah got up earlier than usual.
It was the day she had to show how she made her magic potion in front of the wizards.
After breakfast, she handed the just-awake Raphaella over to Helen and went down to the first floor.
Samuel was already waiting for her.
“I’ll escort you, Lady Leah.”
With Samuel’s help, Leah got into the carriage, feeling her heart pounding.
“I’m not even an official wizard, and I have to do a demonstration in front of real ones… I’m so nervous I could die.”
She clasped her trembling hands together.
“You don’t need to be so nervous. Just do it like you always do,”
Samuel reassured her.
Their carriage stopped in front of a building on the outskirts of the capital.
It belonged to the Blumhardt family but had been unused until Johann ordered it to be turned into a potion lab.
Leah followed Samuel into the neat three-story building.
“We’ve hired twenty wizards in total.”
“…Twenty?”
“His Grace ordered us to distribute the cure as soon as possible,”
Samuel said with a smile.
“Twenty people watching me… I thought there’d be like six at most…”
Leah felt like her mind went blank.
“We’ve also brought in someone to oversee the team — someone you know well.”
As Samuel opened the door to the lab,
“…Huh? Dorothea!”
“Leah!”
Dorothea stood there among the younger wizards.
“What’s going on?”
Leah grabbed her friend’s hand and asked.
“The Duke himself came to ask me for a favor,”
“Wait, what?”
“He said since I worked on the potion with you from the beginning, he’d like me to supervise the cure-making process.”
Leah was shocked. He never mentioned this.
“He also said he’d pay me well, and since I’d just finished my research, I agreed.”
Dorothea held up two fingers and wiggled them playfully.
“Sorry I didn’t tell you — I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, it’s a surprise I’ll happily take!”
“…But Leah.”
Dorothea leaned in and whispered,
“Are you really not involved with the Duke?”
“Huh? What do you mean…”
“I mean, he asked me personally to be here with you during the demo — said you’d probably be nervous since it’s your first time.”
Leah was stunned.
She had no idea.
“I was gonna come anyway, even if he hadn’t asked.”
“…”
Leah’s face stiffened.
“Leah?”
Why does he keep caring so much…?
Whether it’s my illness or everything else, can’t he just act distant like he used to?
He forgot everything.
He doesn’t remember anything.
Maybe it’s just kindness to him, but to me… it means way too much.
Feeling like she was about to cry, Leah tilted her head back slightly.
She didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of everyone.
“…Did I say something wrong?”
“No, I’m just a little surprised, that’s all.”
Dorothea didn’t ask any more questions and led her to the large table where the demo would happen.
“…This place is way nicer than I expected.”
Leah had calmed herself down by then.
“His Grace ordered us to bring in only the best equipment so the cure would be top quality,”
Samuel explained from behind her.
…This is all for just one kind of potion.
Is this just how he is, or is it for me…?
She shook her head, pushing thoughts of Johann aside.
She had something important to focus on now.
Thanks to Dorothea’s presence, Leah felt more relaxed and successfully finished her demonstration in front of the twenty wizards.
“Why haven’t I ever seen someone this amazing at the academy?”
“What year did you graduate?”
Some of the wizards came over and asked her questions.
“…Oh, I never actually went to the academy,”
Leah replied, flustered.
“You mean you never even attended and still developed a potion?”
The younger wizards looked shocked.
“Is that even possible?”
One wizard clutched his head and shouted.
“I did go to the academy, and I still couldn’t do anything close to this…”
Another one mumbled, looking down.
“Which is why you should study and research harder,”
Dorothea said with a laugh as she ruffled his hair.
“Leah, you did really well,”
Dorothea patted her on the shoulder.
“Was it obvious my hands were shaking?”
“Not at all. I didn’t even notice.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You looked super calm.”
Dorothea gave her a thumbs-up.
“…Um, I have more questions.”
One of the wizards peeked his head in.
“Me too!”
“Not now. Emily, Philip. Leah has to head back,”
Dorothea stopped them.
“I’ll come again next time.”
“You have to!”
With Dorothea and the other wizards seeing her off, Leah left with Samuel for the carriage.
“Everyone seems super interested in you,
Lady Leah.”
Leah blushed.
“Your skills must really be something.”
With praise from both Dorothea and Samuel, Leah felt shy — but also kind of proud.
Am I… actually good at this?
Back in the mountains, she never really knew how skilled she was — she was the only one studying magic potions there.
But now, being complimented by academy-trained wizards made her feel… accomplished.
Of course, it’s all thanks to Grandma teaching me so well…
After her grandma passed, Leah had always studied and created potions on her own.
Today, teaching others and knowing it would help people made her feel really happy and proud.
Looking at the curious young wizards reminded her of her own childhood.
I used to bombard Grandma with questions like that too…
She realized how fun it was to teach others.
If I manage to survive… I want to study and teach potion-making properly.
I really hope that can happen.
——
When Leah got back to the mansion, she heard that Raphaella was in sword training and went to the training grounds.
She stood at a distance, watching Raphaella and Veronica so she wouldn’t interrupt — when she saw a familiar face.
“Lady Leah!”
“Sir Harry, it’s been a while.”
“Yes! Even though we live in the same house, we hardly ever see each other.”
Harry walked up to her with a smile.
“True.”
“Sir Harry, you’re supposed to be sparring with me— Oh! Hello, Lady Leah.”
Two knights walked over behind Harry.
“Hello.”
They were new faces.
“I’m Carl, a knight of House Blumhardt.”
“And I’m Anton.”
They introduced themselves one by one.
“Are you here to watch the young lady’s lesson?”
Anton pointed toward the training ground.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Lady Veronica may have just turned twenty, but she’s an excellent teacher.”
Said Carl, who had slightly long hair tied back.
“I don’t know much about swords, but I think so too.”
“The young lady is doing really well.”
“She never gives up.”
The knights praised Raphaella.
“Really?”
“Yes. She takes after His Grace — strong stamina, great reflexes.”
“With you all saying such nice things about my daughter, I don’t even know how to
react,”
Leah smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling.
“…”
The chatting knights all froze.
Her radiant smile was just… too beautiful.
While Leah was wondering why everyone suddenly went silent—
“…Why aren’t you all training?”
Johann’s sharp voice cut in.
No one had noticed when he’d walked up, but he was suddenly standing right next to them.
“If monsters attacked right now, are you saying you could beat them barehanded?”
He sneered.
“…”
“I’ll test it. All of you — one-on-one sparring with me later.”
He took their silence however he wanted.
“Your Grace!”
“A sparring match out of nowhere…”
Only the captain could remotely go up against Johann. The rest? No chance.
Sparring with him just meant getting beat up.
“You must think you can handle it if you’re still standing here chatting.”
He jerked his chin toward the training area.
“No, sir!”
The knights, now pale with fear, quickly saluted and rushed off.
“…Is something bothering you?”
With the knights gone, Johann’s mood improved a bit.
“…No. Not really.”
Then why was I so annoyed seeing them all drooling over her?
It’s not like she’s anything to me.
“How’d the demo go?”
He changed the topic.
“Great, thanks to you.”
Leah replied a little more cheerfully than usual — she was genuinely in a good mood today.
She has this side to her too? She’s kinda cute…
“…Ahem, don’t thank me. You did all the work.”
Johann cleared his throat.
“People kept complimenting me today. It feels weird.”
Leah fanned her slightly flushed face.
“I just said what’s true.”
“I’m glad I studied hard with Grandma.”
Leah laughed softly, hiding her face in her hands.
Johann paused.
Her emerald eyes sparkled with joy, and her smile was full of genuine happiness.
…Was she always someone who could smile like that?
Seeing her smile like that made him feel better too.
And just for a moment, he thought—
I want to keep seeing her smile like this.
