Episode 51
Train Ride (1)
“You know, she’s really living well. I didn’t expect Temia to be doing that great.”
“She didn’t look sick or anything?”
“Nope. To be honest… I’ve never seen her that full of life before. Of course, knowing her, she puts her all into everything, so maybe it’s not that surprising. Still, maybe it’s the change in scenery, but she did seem a little unfamiliar… different.”
“Then that’s good enough. Let’s head back. Even if we make a proper visit next time, today was enough. I heard the fireworks here are beautiful—how about we watch them before we leave?”
They couldn’t help but feel that if they had interfered any further, it might have only gotten in Temia’s way.
From what they’d seen, she seemed to be doing well. Even if things looked tough, she seemed to be enjoying herself in her own way, discovering what she wanted to do, and experiencing the world on her own terms.
She used to be the youngest, with her world confined to servants and family inside her room. Now, she was out there, yelling in a crowd of strangers and selling things with her own hands. It was hard to watch, yet somehow admirable—she was doing everything she could to stand on her own feet.
She hadn’t told them anything. She’d just left behind a letter saying she wanted to see the world—and disappeared. But even so, they truly hoped that she was seeing and learning much on her journey… and finding happiness in the process.
And so, the three of them made their way to other stalls around the Founding Festival, hoping their youngest sibling was enjoying the festival just as much as they were.
Meanwhile, unlike Tenebris, who had run off from her duties, Theodor had stayed behind to handle work alone at the estate, true to his word. With a deep sigh, he mourned his own situation. Still, the thought that his eldest sister, Tenebris, must also be stuck in the royal palace brought him a sliver of comfort. If only he knew the truth, he’d be writhing in regret—but with the siblings being so notoriously tight-lipped, that truth would likely never reach him.
The aftermath of the festival wasn’t something that faded overnight.
Temia often found herself zoning out, lost in thought about that day.
The memory of that summer night, holding Lowell’s hand and leaning on his shoulder, lingered in her mind like a stubborn dream.
‘Ugh, seriously! What was I thinking? Did I lose my mind for a second or something?’
Wishing it had all been a dream, Temia smacked her forehead against the wall. A dull thud echoed through the room, and a faint pain spread across her brow.
But instead of fading, the image of Lowell became clearer and more vivid. That gentle smile at the corners of his lips, those unusually warm and sparkling red eyes. The warmth at her fingertips had been unexpectedly comforting.
Because of this maddening magician who kept barging into her thoughts without warning, Temia now had to toss and turn every night just to fall asleep. And even after she finally drifted off, he often appeared in her dreams, wandering around her mind, leaving her flustered and confused.
‘Are we… close now? It feels like we’ve gotten closer since then, but it’s not exactly a coworker kind of closeness… It’s not like we were ever on super friendly terms to begin with, but now…’
Temia, who only had one real friend—Kylie—struggled to define what kind of relationship she had with him. Sure, her goal of getting closer to him had worked… but was it in the way she had intended? She still hadn’t gotten the information she was looking for—about his background or the hints about his future violent behavior.
But at the very least, it no longer felt like they were “just business partners.”
They’d gone to the festival hand-in-hand, danced to music, exchanged gifts…
‘Well… if I imagine Kylie in his place, I guess that could happen between friends too. So… are we “friends” now?’
Still, calling him a friend didn’t feel quite right either.
‘He still gives me those weird looks sometimes…’
It wasn’t just her feelings—Lowell’s oddly suspicious behavior lately was also confusing. Did something at the festival bother him too? Aside from his changed attitude toward her, nothing seemed different. She couldn’t tell if he liked her or disliked her. Her thoughts swung wildly back and forth a thousand times a day.
“Lady Temia! You’ve been scrubbing the same spot over and over again! At this rate, that area’s going to get worn out!”
Temia, who had spaced out while cleaning a shelf, didn’t notice as Lerry, the little bird, flew circles around her in concern.
“Umm… Lady Temia? Oh no! Can it be? You’re not hearing me? But that can’t be it… You’ve been zoning out like this a lot lately. Hmmm… Could this be seasonal fatigue? Or maybe you overworked yourself and now you’re unwell…?”
“…”
“Gasp! This is serious! I’ll explain things to the master. You need to lie down and rest—come on now!”
“…”
To Lerry, it looked like Temia was polishing a hole into one side of the shelf. Her eyes were glassy, and her face flushed like she had a fever. He was sure something was wrong.
Using his magically-enhanced vision—originally enchanted by Lowell to help measure potion temperatures—Lerry checked her temperature. Sure enough, she was burning up.
But Temia, too caught up in her thoughts, just sighed without responding.
With no one to talk to, the bored little bird eventually gave up and flew around the workshop instead. Since the hectic festival period was over, the workshop was enjoying a rare moment of calm. Most of the orders placed during the festival had already been delivered, and thanks to Temia’s thorough cleaning, the workshop was now neater than ever.
Having straightened all the magical tools in a tidy row, Lerry was out of tasks. So he perched on the window, hoping to at least watch people pass by.
That simple act, however, led to an unexpected discovery.
A mailman was approaching the workshop—carrying a rather luxurious-looking envelope. Judging by the direction, the letter was surely for them. Excited, Lerry darted out the window like a shot.
“Is that for us? What kind of message is it? This is the Green Sandwich Workshop, right?”
The mailman, now familiar with the clever bird, held out his finger for Lerry to perch on. At first, he’d been shocked by the sight of a talking bird, but after a few deliveries, he’d gotten used to chatting with him.
“You never stop surprising me, little guy. Yes, there’s a letter for the workshop.”
“Of course there is! I’m my master’s greatest creation—the top-tier familiar! But where’s it from?”
“Let’s see… It says it’s from Terium Academy. And the sender is… Lindbergh Casey? Oh right! I’ve heard of him. Isn’t he the headmaster of Terium Academy?”
The moment the famous name left his mouth, the mailman hurriedly handed over the letter. Lerry stamped it with his little paw as proof of receipt and flew off with the letter in his beak, circling the mailman once in farewell before zooming back into the workshop.
The mailman guessed it was probably not an emergency—given Casey’s tendency to send casual messages now and then—but it wouldn’t hurt to check, just in case.
Lerry, now back inside, landed beside Temia, who was still dazed at the table, chin in hand. With practiced precision, he used his beak to tear open the envelope. He had full permission to check the contents of non-confidential mail—and he was quite proud of that responsibility.
After skimming the contents, his eyes lit up. He shot into the air and pecked Temia’s cheek with urgency.
“Ahem! Attention please! Lady Temia, you need to see this! You really need to pull yourself together now. This is important!”
“Huh?”
Temia blinked, tilting her head in confusion. Lerry chirped with excited energy.
“Congratulations! Looks like you’re heading out for a while! Say goodbye to boredom! Oh, and while we’re out, maybe we could enjoy a nice little trip together? The weather’s perfect, and I’m a small, adorable bird who deserves some quali—”
Unfortunately, that monologue was promptly cut short when Lowell passed by and gently pressed Lerry’s head down with his finger.
Clack, clack.
Inside the moving train, sunlight poured through the window, making Lowell frown. He pulled the curtain shut to block it out.
In that carriage were the three from the Green Sandwich Workshop—well, two people and one bird. While Temia and Lerry looked visibly excited about the trip, Lowell sat sulking, chin in hand, staring out the window.
“Ugh. Things are already busy enough back there. I don’t get why they keep summoning people back and forth like this.”
“Well, it’s only natural. It makes more sense for the less busy one to go, doesn’t it?”
Temia, swinging her legs and watching the scenery fly by, answered lightly.
She’d been feeling mentally stuck from being cooped up inside the workshop every day, so this outing came as a welcome change. And since they’d be outside, it was the perfect opportunity to observe people around the magician too—maybe even dig up some information. It was a lucky chance, and she wasn’t going to waste it.
Besides, this was an official request, so they had permission to travel. As she watched Lerry wagging his tail feathers, Temia recalled the contents of the letter that had arrived earlier…
