Chapter 151
Eila gently coaxed Piyo as she held him close.
“Piyo, this is a laboratory. Using magic recklessly is dangerous. You saw it just now, right? All the things almost came crashing down.”
“But…”
“If something heavy had fallen and hurt you, I’d have been so upset.”
Piyo flinched, then lowered his head with a sullen face. Eila softly patted his back and continued.
“And using magic doesn’t mean we become blood-related.”
At that, Piyo’s shoulders trembled slightly, tears welling up in his eyes.
“But that doesn’t mean we aren’t family either.”
Eila carefully took his hand in hers.
“I’m already your family. So what if our bloodlines are a little different? I treasure you and love you.”
“…Eila?”
Piyo looked up at her with trembling eyes. Eila smiled warmly and asked back,
“Weren’t you already thinking of me as family too, Piyo?”
At her question, Piyo hurriedly nodded.
“That’s right, I’m Eila’s family.”
He burrowed into her arms, and she gently patted his back.
It was then that Labien, who had been silently holding the artifact for some time, suddenly gasped.
“Lord Piyo!”
Lifting his head sharply, he strode right up to Piyo.
His eyes sparkled too brightly as he looked at him, bloodshot from the excitement he couldn’t contain.
“Could you perhaps tell me what kind of magic you just used?”
“Huh?”
Piyo blinked, his face puzzled.
“If you could write out the formula, it would be of great help to both Lady Eila and me.”
At those words, Piyo flinched in surprise.
Eila immediately wrapped her arm around his shoulder and narrowed her eyes at Labien.
“You want Piyo to write out formulas?”
“My apologies if I startled you. But if we can apply the magic Piyo just used, we might be able to trace the method that tampered with the artifact. This could be an extremely important clue.”
“Really?”
Eila asked cautiously, and Labien nodded after taking a deep breath.
“Yes. I never thought I’d actually witness an artifact being disrupted right before my eyes…”
He couldn’t take his gaze off Piyo, not even for a moment.
“As expected of a Black Dragon. Truly extraordinary.”
Piyo stared blankly at him, then his ears turned red. The wariness from moments earlier vanished, replaced by a shy smile at the praise.
“I was helpful?”
“Yes, immensely so.”
“Alright, I’ll write it down.”
Piyo wriggled out of Eila’s arms, eyes sparkling, and rushed to the worktable.
Grabbing a pen in his little hand, he began scribbling formulas across the paper.
Labien’s eyes widened in astonishment, and he let out exclamations one after another.
“Ohh! Such original formulas—Lord Piyo, you must truly be a genius.”
“Really? I did well?”
“Of course. Thanks to you, I think we’ve found an important lead!”
Piyo grinned proudly, clearly pleased by the stream of compliments.
“Should I write more?”
“Yes, write everything you can think of. I’ll sort through it all.”
“Okay.”
Watching quietly, Felix let out a small chuckle.
“Who would’ve thought Labien and Piyo would get along so well?”
“Right?”
Even Eila looked surprised at the unexpected pairing.
Felix furrowed his brows and asked,
“Still, is it really that significant? That Piyo used magic?”
“Yes. Judging from Labien’s reaction, it seems we’ve finally gotten a lead on what kind of formulas Rosia used. With a bit more research, we might be able to devise a countermeasure.”
At that, Felix let out a relieved sigh.
“Then the day we clear Eila’s name isn’t far off.”
A faint smile crossed Eila’s lips.
“Yes, it looks like this might end sooner than I thought.”
Their heads leaned together warmly, and Eila shut her eyes tightly.
Rosia—who had branded her a fake and stolen everything from her.
The thought of exposing her true nature and making her pay the price set Eila’s heart racing.
The Blanche Ducal Family Dining Room.
Though the dining table was laid with an assortment of dishes, the atmosphere was heavy and cold.
“When will Father arrive?”
At Cedric’s question, the attendant bowed politely.
“A message just came that he has arrived.”
Even as the words left his mouth, heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor.
The door opened, and Calios appeared. Rosia instinctively flinched and lifted her head.
But Calios didn’t glance at her even once. With a stony face, he simply sat down.
Normally, he spoke little to his sons, but he always greeted his youngest daughter, Rosia, with direct eye contact.
But now, he won’t even look at me…
Her appetite vanished instantly.
She set down her utensils weakly, her gaze fixed only on her plate.
Sensing her mood, Gerard poured her a glass of water and spoke gently.
“Drink some more. You’ve seemed exhausted lately.”
Rosia nodded without lifting her eyes.
“Thank you, brother.”
Her voice was weak, drained of spirit. Gerard watched her quietly, lips pressed shut.
The silence at the table grew heavier. Only the occasional clinking of cutlery broke the stillness.
After a long pause, Cedric sighed and finally spoke.
“…You’ve seemed very worn out these days, Rosia. You should eat something, at least to regain some strength.”
Rosia parted her lips but quickly closed them again. Her eyes flickered with hesitation, as if she wanted to say something but dared not.
Cedric gave her a sympathetic look. Then, as though struck by a thought, his face brightened.
“Come to think of it, your birthday’s coming up, isn’t it?”
All eyes turned to Cedric. He looked toward Calios as he continued.
“It’s Rosia’s first birthday as an acknowledged lady of the family. How about holding a banquet? It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Mother… We could all gather as a family and invite the Leight family too.”
“A birthday banquet?”
“Yes. For a family event, I’m sure Mother would gladly attend. Rosia, what do you think?”
Rosia glanced nervously at Calios before shrinking back and replying,
“Yes… I want to see Mother too.”
At his children’s suggestion, Calios slowly set down his glass.
Now that I think of it, it has been quite some time since I last saw Irene.
Rosia looked up at him with trembling eyes, her body tense as if bracing for a scolding.
But seeing his timid daughter, Calios felt a pang of pity.
He turned his gaze across his children—Rosia stiff with fear, Cedric watching his expression carefully, and Gerard sitting silently.
All of them were tense, watching for his reaction.
…True, it wasn’t Rosia’s fault that people’s attention turned to Eila.
For a while, he silently studied Rosia. Then, slowly, he nodded.
In her timid figure, he suddenly saw Eila overlapping. That girl too had always watched him with the same wary eyes.
A bitter smile tugged at his lips.
“That’s a good idea.”
Rosia’s eyes widened in shock as she looked up.
“Really? We can?”
Seeing her expression, Gerard chuckled softly.
“Rosia, Father just said it was a good idea. No need to look so anxious.”
“Exactly. That’s as good as agreement—don’t worry.”
Cedric shrugged as he added,
“So, who should we invite? We’ll have to include Carden Leight, right?”
At his words, Rosia blinked in alarm.
“…Senior Carden? But I thought he didn’t want to see me.”
💗💗💗☺️