Chapter 34
Early in the morning, Kalts was preparing to leave.
For the first time in several months since coming down to this village, he was heading back to the capital.
Even though he had stepped away from central politics, he was still the centerpiece of the noble faction.
It was somewhat troublesome, but the reason he continued to maintain power was because the stronger his influence in politics, the harder it would be for the Emperor to find fault with Rahel.
Once he put on his vest, Owen, who had been waiting beside him holding the outer coat, stepped forward to assist with his attire.
Kalts draped the coat over his shoulders and gave an order.
“Take care of the villa in the meantime. And of Rahel, that child too.”
“Of course, my lord.”
With his hat on, Kalts finished dressing and headed toward the door.
Following behind him, Owen asked,
“May I ask when you intend to return?”
“Well… I’ll know once I get there, but at the earliest, probably not until the festival is over.”
“Forgive me for saying so, but… might I suggest returning a little sooner, so you may spend some time with the young lady?”
At Owen’s suggestion, Kalts paused in thought before asking,
“Are Vivian and Rahel awake yet?”
Last night, since Vivian had said she would be staying at the villa for a while, the three of them had dinner together.
Afterwards, Kalts had excused himself to give the two children time alone.
“I believe Vivian went to Miss Rahel’s room and stayed the night there. They’ve probably not woken up yet.”
Hearing this, Kalts let out a quiet laugh, then finally answered Owen’s earlier suggestion.
“They’d probably prefer the old man to step aside.”
Especially Rahel, that one.
Only then did Owen seem to understand Kalts’ meaning. He let out a small “Ah-ha” and asked,
“Have you already chosen your granddaughter-in-law, then?”
At that, Kalts faltered.
Indeed, even he could see that Rahel’s feelings toward Vivian had the potential to grow into something more than friendship.
‘Though Vivian doesn’t yet know that Rahel is actually a boy. When she learns the truth, her feelings will be what matter most.’
If the children truly wanted it, he had no intention of opposing their union over social status.
‘What matters more is…’
Outwardly, Rahel was still known as a girl.
Kalts had never really thought about how long they could keep up the ruse.
To him, Rahel was the last promise he had made to his daughter — someone he must protect until the day he died.
If keeping Rahel safe meant hiding him as a girl forever, Kalts was determined to do so.
‘Though that’s not what Rahel would want.’
But could Rahel reveal his true self and his strength without being put in danger?
‘Could I send that child out into this dangerous world?’
To Kalts, Rahel was still like an unhatched egg — fragile enough to shatter at the slightest mishap.
The thought made him frown, but he quickly shook it off.
‘No… there’s no need to worry yet.’
Nothing had been decided. There was no reason to fret beforehand.
“Let’s go.”
The two of them left the room and descended to the entrance hall.
There, lined up neatly to see their master off, were the household staff — among them Sally and Margaret.
But, as Owen had said, the two children hadn’t come down, likely still asleep.
Kalts turned away without regret. He had no intention of waking them just to receive their farewells.
But just then—
“Duke!”
A hurried voice called out as Vivian and Rahel appeared from the second floor.
Vivian rushed down the stairs, hastily running her fingers through her messy hair.
“You’ll trip.”
Kalts scolded lightly, but Vivian ignored him and stopped before him.
“Have a safe trip, Your Grace!”
Right after her, Rahel came down a little more slowly and added,
“Please travel safely, Grandfather.”
Kalts looked quietly at the two children standing before him.
What had once seemed like a perfunctory ritual to maintain the façade of being “family” felt a little different today.
“Do either of you need anything?”
“Need anything?”
“Or even something you’d like to eat.”
Rahel thought for a moment, but there was nothing he particularly wanted or needed.
He had never been lacking in material things, and above all, he wasn’t used to asking his grandfather for favors.
Seeing Rahel hesitate, Vivian quickly chimed in.
“Then I’d like a dessert!”
“Dessert?”
“Yes! I want to try the most famous, delicious dessert in the capital!”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Her cheeks flushed with excitement at his promise.
For a fleeting moment, the sight of her laughing face overlapped with the hazy image of young Isela.
Kalts chuckled softly and patted Vivian on the head.
Then he turned to Rahel standing beside her.
“And you, Rahel? You truly don’t want anything?”
Catching the faint expectation in Kalts’ eyes, Rahel hesitated, then answered,
“Then… please buy me some more books.”
“Books?”
“Yes. The kind you always bring me, Grandfather.”
By that, Rahel meant the magic tomes Kalts often purchased for him.
Since he couldn’t reveal in front of the staff that he was studying magic, he spoke vaguely.
Kalts realized Rahel had probably just said that to avoid disappointing him, rather than out of true need. Still, the thought was endearing, and he smiled.
“Very well.”
Just as he had done with Vivian, Kalts gently patted Rahel’s head.
For the first time in a long while, he felt strongly that he must return to this mansion no matter what.
At last, Kalts stepped outside and boarded the carriage. The sound of hooves faded into the distance as the doors closed.
The staff dispersed, returning to their daily tasks.
“Let’s go too, Rahel.”
Vivian and Rahel, chatting cheerfully, climbed back up to the second floor.
But their retreating figures were being watched coldly by Margaret.
After breakfast, Rahel brought Vivian to the library.
Vivian followed close behind as Rahel searched deeper into the shelves.
“What kind of book are you looking for, Rahel?”
“I want to learn about Spirit Masters.”
“Spirits? All of a sudden, why?”
“That energy you said you felt… I think it might be related to spirits.”
Vivian’s eyes widened at Rahel’s explanation.
‘So he actually thought about what I said last night.’
He could have dismissed it as an illusion, or just her being scared.
But instead, Rahel was seriously trying to find the cause.
“Then I’ll help look too!”
Together, they gathered a pile of books related to spirit masters and carried them back to a desk.
Sitting across from each other, they opened the books and began reading in silence.
After a while, Vivian found the information she had been searching for.
A Spirit Master usually forms a contract with only one spirit.
The spirit makes the contract in exchange for receiving mana from the contractor, and can only exert power proportional to the mana provided.
Once a contract is formed, the Spirit Master can hear the spirit’s voice — though it is less a voice and more a presence or energy. Through this, the Spirit Master can communicate with the spirit.
Though rare, there are cases of people who can hear the spirit’s voice even before the contract is made.
Vivian’s eyes sparkled with hope as she read.
“Rahel, you were right! It says here that sometimes people can hear spirits even before forming a contract!”
Rahel came closer as Vivian eagerly pointed at the passage.
“See, it also says the spirit takes my mana. So… if I really do become a Spirit Master, do you think my illness could be cured?”
Then she wouldn’t be a burden to Rahel anymore.
Vivian’s heart swelled with excitement.
She had heard from the maids that Rahel had never accepted their service since childhood.
‘When he was very small, a wet nurse helped him, but now he insists on doing everything himself.’
Rahel, who pushed away everyone’s touch, had taken her hand. Even though it must have been uncomfortable for him.
‘It must be because I’m sick.’
And since she had even collapsed in front of him before, he probably felt a sense of responsibility too.
Maybe, just maybe, she could lift some of that burden from him.
That thought thrilled Vivian—
—but Rahel’s face had grown dark.
