Chapter 16
“…What?”
Elbadin crossed his arms and looked at Noah with disdain, but Noah continued speaking unfazed.
“Golden hair and golden eyes, the traits only royals have! And isn’t the Empress killing off all the women favored by the Emperor? What if an illegitimate child was born in the meantime?”
Liat quickly chimed in.
“So you mean to say, perhaps a spell was cast to hide the hair and eye color—those traits of the imperial family?”
“Exactly!”
As expected of Liat! Smart! Noah gave him a thumbs-up in praise and carried on.
“To protect a child born from a woman he cherished, that’s plenty possible, don’t you think?”
Liat nodded, agreeing that it sounded plausible.
Meanwhile, Elbadin, who had been silently listening, leaned against the window frame and pressed his fingers to his brow.
“Refrain from speaking nonsense. If the Empress’s people hear you, they might come and drag the child away.”
At that, Noah snorted.
“Duke, ninety percent of what I say is nonsense. Telling me not to talk is the same as telling me to sew my mouth shut.”
“Noah.”
Elbadin called his name again, his tone carrying a faint warning.
Only then did Noah shrug his shoulders and reply.
“Fine, fine. But still…”
He leaned lazily against the sofa armrest.
“That kid’s mana purity is extremely high. The amount of mana too—astoundingly more than any other child their age.”
A child with such a gift, even hidden by magic to conceal their identity?
“There’s no way this kid is ordinary, right?”
“That’s still under investigation. Something will be revealed soon enough. Until then, focus on training.”
“Of course. This kind of rare mana should be nurtured.”
Noah sprawled across the sofa, arms tucked behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling with a small laugh.
“With proper teaching, once the coming-of-age ceremony is over, there won’t be a single mage who can rival them.”
Now that would be worth teaching!
A mischievous grin curled at Noah’s lips. Liat cautiously asked:
“…Was it really that impressive?”
Noah nodded.
“Yeah. Maybe even the old man in the Magic Tower should be worried.”
At those words, Elbadin’s brow furrowed slightly.
“That sounds like the perfect recipe for a mana rampage.”
Noah rubbed his chin, humming thoughtfully.
“You’re not wrong. The chances are high.”
“…”
“…”
As the subject of mana rampage came up, the mood in the office grew heavy.
With a sigh, Noah sprang up from the sofa.
“I don’t have time to be sitting around like this.”
He strode over to the wall, took down his robe, and pulled it on before glancing back at Elbadin.
“Anyway, I’ll make sure to teach them well. Who knows, maybe I’ve finally found the disciple I’ve been searching for.”
Waving his arm casually as he headed for the door, Noah called out:
“I’m off, Duke. Goodbye, Liat.”
“Take care, sir.”
“Yep.”
With that, Noah pushed the door open and left with light, cheerful steps.
Feeling a wave of fatigue, Elbadin rubbed his brow with his fingertips and turned his gaze back out the window.
Just then, he saw Serdian heading toward the east annex.
‘Looks like he stopped by the training hall.’
The cold northern wind tousled Serdian’s black hair.
‘Not every child of the Emperor is born with golden hair, Noah.’
And so Elbadin watched the boy’s retreating figure until he disappeared from view.
At the same time.
Returning to her bedroom with May, Lucillea sat blankly on the sofa, her gaze resting outside the window.
Her head and eyes were turned toward the scenery, but her focus drifted aimlessly into the void.
After the ruckus in Elbadin’s office, thoughts about the magic placed on her kept swirling in her mind.
Who was the one who cast it on me?
That question had followed her all the way from Mille Village, looping endlessly.
Who? Why? And for what purpose had such magic been used?
Could it really be my mother, the one who gave birth to me, just like I guessed?
Of course, it was a problem with no answer key. It was only a matter of probability.
If that’s true, then maybe my mother was a mage herself.
Since Elbadin had aura, her mana wasn’t related to him.
That meant her birth mother must have had mana.
But again—it was just speculation.
Honestly… I don’t have a single clear answer.
It was frustrating. She knew the original story—she knew the arcs of the main characters and what would happen in the future.
But when it comes to things related to me, I know nothing.
Not that she could just go to Elbadin and ask.
All she could do was piece together scattered clues like parts of a puzzle.
It’s fine. As long as I stay in the Duke’s estate, I’ll figure it out little by little.
No need to rush. She had only just arrived, after all.
Still, I’m glad the magic on my body can’t be undone.
That way, at least her true identity wouldn’t be exposed anytime soon.
Maybe that’s why she felt a bit relieved.
Haaah—!
Bathed in the orange tint of the setting sun, Lucillea let out a big yawn as she sat pondering on the sofa.
The fading light felt unusually warm, and the sofa’s embrace against her back and hips was overwhelmingly comfortable.
Perhaps because she was in a child’s body, just a little tension and deep thought always left her sleepy.
That’s when May came rushing over.
“You’re tired, aren’t you? Would you like to take a nap?”
Lucillea rubbed her drowsy eyes with the back of her hand and shook her head.
“Mmm, no. If I sleep now, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”
“That’s a good idea. Then, shall we take a walk instead? The sunset is beautiful when seen from the glass garden.”
May pointed at the glowing sky outside the window with a smile.
“Hmm…”
After a brief hesitation, Lucillea shook her head again.
“But May.”
“Yes, Lady Lucillea?”
Lucillea leaned against the sofa back, speaking idly.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be taking lessons.”
May’s lips curled into a gentle smile.
“Yes, I already know. Sir Noah told me.”
“Already?”
Lucillea’s eyes went wide, and May nodded.
“We had a short conversation before he went into the Duke’s office.”
“Oh.”
So that’s how it was. Lucillea nodded slowly. Then May leaned in slightly and asked:
“What did you think of him? He’ll be your teacher, after all.”
“He was strange.”
“Pardon?”
Lucillea’s answer came without a moment’s hesitation.
“He spoke rudely to the Duke, got annoyed, and grumbled all the time. Is that really okay? For a mage hired by the Duke’s household?”
She crossed her arms, swinging her legs slightly and frowning. May chuckled softly.
“Because he’s a mage from the Magic Tower.”
At that answer, Lucillea tilted her head, more confused.
“Magic Tower mages can behave like that?”
“Most mages belong to the Magic Tower. Just like we belong to the Seraphium Empire.”
“Oh, so it’s like a separate nation of its own?”
Lucillea raised her hands above her head in the shape of a crown.
“Then Teacher Noah is like a prince of the magic kingdom?”
“That’s right! My, how clever you are!”
“Aha-ha…”
Lucillea blinked quickly, smiling awkwardly.
Meanwhile, May gently smoothed the messy strands of hair over her shoulder.
“Sir Noah is here at the estate to find a disciple. And isn’t this estate the perfect place to look?”
True, many children entered after being chosen by the elite corps.
Lucillea nodded in understanding.
“So he’s not a bad person, then?”
“No, if anything—”
“If anything, what?”
“Hmm…”
May tapped her chin with her finger, tilting her head thoughtfully.
“A fool?”
“…Huh?”
A… fool?
Lucillea blinked at her in disbelief. May pressed a finger to her lips with a bright smile.
“It’s a secret, just between us. Okay?”
