~Chapter 43~
“Why are you getting so serious? It’s just two young people meeting—”
“No, absolutely not.”
“Why not? Why can’t we?”
“It just can’t happen.”
Hmm, maybe it’s better to keep pretending I don’t understand.
I turned my head toward the finger foods. I wasn’t hungry, but eating something would make me look more natural.
Just as I was about to grab something and put it in my mouth—
“Relshiz!”
I turned toward the familiar voice.
“Oh, Chairman!”
It was Archmage Association Chairman Ansif who had called me. He pushed through the crowd and looked at me like I was some kind of genius.
“I heard you handled the crack in Para. I’m glad I strongly recommended you for the job.”
“Haha, thank you…”
I responded awkwardly but couldn’t help wondering. Chairman Ansif usually hates Aska. What’s he doing at Willovis?
Maybe he noticed my confusion, because he glanced around and whispered, covering his mouth.
“Actually, I came because I’m suspicious of that Aska guy.”
“Huh? You’re still doubting him?”
“Of course I am!”
Ansif downed the wine in his glass and sharply scanned the banquet hall.
“An important event like this, and he doesn’t even show up? Suspicious, right?”
“Um, well…”
I couldn’t explain the truth, so I just opened and closed my mouth like a fish. Meanwhile, Chairman Ansif went off on his own wild theory.
“If he’s messing with the timeline, it must be part of a huge, terrifying scheme! Like hiding a flower in a forest—maybe there’s a secret meeting happening here.”
“Uh, wasn’t it a leaf, not a flower?”
“Oh no… what if it’s a terrorist attack? He could use the rift to wipe out all the mages here and destroy the age of magic!”
“This party was hosted by Aska’s parents…”
“Bah! Whatever it is, something shady’s going on. That annoying guy—today, I’m going to uncover what’s behind that mask.”
With an evil grin, Chairman Ansif vanished somewhere.
“That is undoubtedly a personal grudge.”
I’ll have to warn Aska to be extra careful.
Meanwhile, I started to feel unsure about myself being here.
Was it really okay to reveal Shiz’s existence?
As I kept going back and forth in my mind, the banquet came to an end before I knew it.
“I hope you all enjoyed yourselves. Please return home safely.”
As soon as the duchess ended the event, my heart began pounding uncontrollably.
She spotted me in the crowd and smiled brightly.
“Relshiz! You stayed until the end. How lovely.”
I closed my eyes tightly.
“Actually, I came here today because…”
“Yes?”
“…I have something important to tell both of you.”
She looked puzzled.
Just then, a servant came over and whispered something.
“My lady, the young master just arrived through the back entrance.”
“Aska? I guess the front was too crowded…”
“…”
“Anyway, perfect timing! Come say hello.”
She took my hand and led me to the back of the mansion.
Just as we stepped out, Aska stepped down from a carriage at the back gate. The duchess called out brightly.
“Aska! Look, Relshiz is here!”
Our eyes met in midair. His gaze seemed to ask, “Are you ready?” I hesitated, then slowly nodded.
“Oh, right. You said you had something to tell us?”
“Yes, Duchess…”
And then, Aska helped Shiz down from the carriage. Shiz looked a little nervous, glancing around, but smiled when she saw me.
The moment the duchess saw the child—who looked just like me—her reaction was exactly what I expected.
“…Oh my.”
“Could we go upstairs to talk in detail…?”
I felt like crying.
***
Later, inside the mansion…
The servants were busy cleaning up after the banquet.
The duchess quietly led me, Aska, and Shiz to a private guest room upstairs.
“So this child is…”
“She’s my daughter.”
“Then… don’t tell me the father is…”
The duchess looked at Aska with wide eyes. I jumped to my feet in panic.
“No! It’s definitely not Aska!”
“Oh…”
I meant to reassure her, but for some reason, she looked deeply disappointed.
Why…?
At that moment, the Duke of Willovis walked in.
“You said Aska’s back?”
He walked in smiling, but froze when he saw me, Aska, and Shiz sitting together.
“Honey, what… what’s going on here?”
“Shh. Don’t make a fuss. Come sit.”
I felt like trash…
I had no choice but to recite a long, dramatic, completely made-up story.
“So… you went to the Southern Continent, met a ‘husband,’ then broke up?”
“And the child was with the father until you split, and now she’s with you?”
“Yes. I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you earlier…”
After telling that dramatic lie, I couldn’t look either of them in the eye.
Silence filled the room like a heavy weight. I closed my eyes, bracing for scolding—but then the duchess spoke gently.
“What’s her name?”
“Shiz…”
Shiz answered softly, leaning against me.
“Oh my. You named her after yourself.”
The duchess smiled warmly to soothe the nervous child.
“She looks just like you. Even if I hadn’t known, I’d recognize her as your daughter.”
She kept glancing between Shiz and me with a look of wonder.
“If she’s anything like you, she must be clever.”
The duke also looked at Shiz with a kind expression.
I couldn’t believe I’d created a scandal that could ruin my reputation, especially with how closely I was tied to the Willovis family.
I thought they’d be disappointed—but I couldn’t see a trace of that in their faces.
Maybe it was because Shiz was here.
“Um… You’re not disappointed in me?”
“Huh? Disappointed in whom?”
“In me.”
Both of them looked genuinely surprised.
“What do you mean? You must’ve had a good reason for making that choice.”
“Right. When you fall in love, nothing else really matters.”
“Of course, we’re very, very upset at the man who didn’t take responsibility…”
“Yes, very unfortunate…”
Their eyes suddenly grew a little colder.
“Can we ask what kind of person the father was?”
“Ah, well, um…”
Even Aska was quietly staring at me now. All three of them looked like they could see right through me.
I made an effort to convey “Please don’t make me answer that” using every nonverbal clue I could think of. Their faces turned pale.
“Relshiz, this might be hard to ask, but… Was it something bad?”
“No! Not at all! It’s just hard to talk about, that’s all.”
When I got flustered, the duchess quickly changed the subject.
“Well, that’s a relief. You must’ve had a hard time alone. Thank you for telling us now.”
Her kind words made my heart ache.
The Duke and Duchess of Willovis were still such good people.
They even once considered adopting me…
We’d been connected through sponsorship, and one day, they’d offered to make me part of the Willovis family.
I think I was ten back then.
If Aska hadn’t opposed it, I might be
called “Relshiz Willovis” today.
And now, the one who blocked that adoption was sitting next to me, expressionless.
