Chapter 67
The duchess’s deep teal eyes trembled.
“What… what do you mean?”
“I think I’m Ellie’s mana resonator. I heard mana resonators can repair each other’s broken mana circuits. And if I can freely use light-attribute magic…”
“…then Ellie’s mana circuit could move again.”
The duchess murmured under her breath and sat in silence for a while.
“…It’s like a dream.”
“It’s not a dream. So, Lady Katrin… I want to learn it. Light-attribute magic.”
The duchess reached out and gently held my front paw.
Her eyes—identical in color to Eloise’s bright teal—glimmered with moisture.
The corners of her lips lifted a little, then quivered.
“Alright. I’ll… teach you everything. Just follow me well.”
“Yes!”
Warmth spread through the soft pads of my paw.
It tickled strangely, so I wiggled my paw, and the duchess let go.
She composed herself quickly, picked up a cookie, and placed it into my mouth.
The buttery sweetness melted softly on my tongue.
“You’ve been training magic with Etienne these days, haven’t you? I suppose I can join then.”
“And during that time, Ellie can stay with the Second Prince!”
The moment I mentioned Marcel, the duchess’s right eyebrow twitched.
“Liset, are you planning to help the Empress’s scheme?”
“No! Whatever Her Majesty the Empress is thinking, I’m carrying out my own plan.”
“A plan?”
“If Ellie absolutely has to get married, I want her to marry someone who truly loves and cherishes her.”
The duchess quietly drank her tea, lost in thought.
The teacup rose slowly, then returned to its saucer without a sound.
The fragrant bitterness of tea lingered at the tip of my nose.
“He has no power, and if she marries him she’ll have to move to the cold North.”
“I heard that you also hid the fact you were a light-attribute mage to marry the Duke.”
Of course, the position of Duchess of Monclair was honorable and high, but nowhere near the treatment given to a light-attribute mage.
The reason nobles adored the original novel’s heroine—who was a commoner—wasn’t just her beauty or being the Crown Prince’s lover.
She possessed the extremely rare light attribute.
Magic of healing and life was the admiration of all mages.
Even Marianne could have lived far better if she hadn’t been tied to the Crown Prince.
“…This isn’t the same.”
“It is, if you look at it as acting for love and happiness. Monclair already has plenty of power.”
I wasn’t sure what secret weapon Marcel had, but he said that if Eloise wanted to break the engagement, everything was already prepared.
Now, groundwork needed to be laid with the Monclair family as well.
“If Ellie awakens, the Crown Prince will never let her go. And you know better than anyone—he’s not the kind of man to let Marianne go either.”
“That’s true. That bastard absolutely would. He may even bring up the concubine system.”
Of course. The duchess always saw two or three steps ahead from just one statement.
“Which is why, if Ellie wants it, it’s best to break the engagement first. And then—”
“And then?”
“If she awakens after breaking the engagement, imagine how much it’ll eat him alive.”
“Well now.”
The moisture that had trembled in the teal eyes vanished—replaced by a sharp glint.
Her elegant lips curled into a very crooked smile.
A chill ran down my back.
“…That would be delightful.”
“R-Right?”
Avoiding the duchess’s terrifying smirk, I took a bite of cake.
The soft sweetness soothed my nerves.
“But we can’t force Ellie into a marriage partner twice.”
“Marcel said something similar. That we should respect Ellie’s choice first.”
“Yes. We should stop hurting her under the excuse of doing what’s best for her.”
The duchess gave a weary smile and cut a piece of chiffon cake, placing it in her mouth.
I had worried she might push Marcel on Eloise, but thankfully, it seemed she wouldn’t.
Compared to when I first came to the Monclair mansion, this was incredible progress.
I carefully spoke.
“Ellie has been really lonely all this time.”
“…”
“Maybe… you could stop being so strict now?”
I suspected the duchess raised Eloise so rigorously because she wanted her daughter to stand proud in society and be a dignified Crown Princess.
But now Eloise would awaken, and she wouldn’t be Crown Princess—so was there any need to keep doing that?
“You really love her.”
The duchess had once opened up to me, and I believed it was true.
She pressed her lips to her teacup for a long time.
When she finally lowered it—slower than usual—she took a deep breath.
“…Yes.”
Her short answer looked both relieved and a little sorrowful.
Hope, regret, joy, pain—
many emotions swirled in her trembling eyes.
Then—
Knock knock.
“My lady, the young miss has arrived.”
The duchess stood up and personally opened the parlor door.
Eloise stared back, eyes slightly widened.
From where I sat, I only saw the duchess’s slightly trembling shoulders.
“Ah… Mother?”
The duchess raised her hand to take Eloise’s hand—but stopped before she could touch it.
Her hand fell back helplessly.
After hesitating for a long time, she turned and left the parlor without doing anything at all.
Eloise stood alone at the doorway, watching her mother’s back disappear.
I jumped down from the sofa and tapped Eloise’s shoe.
“Ellie, want to follow her?”
Eloise lifted me into her arms and quickly followed the duchess.
The maids tried to come along, but Eloise stopped them with a wave of her hand.
The duchess walked fast yet gracefully, leaving the mansion.
Keeping a distance not too close nor too far, Eloise whispered:
“Liset… what happened in there?”
“Mm… I told her you won’t be sick anymore.”
Eloise’s steps faltered. The duchess grew farther ahead.
“…I see. It’s the first time I’ve seen her cry.”
“Lady Katrin?”
“…Even if it was just one tear.”
Her voice was faint and choked. She quickened her steps again.
The duchess nearly ran through the garden. When she reached the pergola, she collapsed into a seat like she lost all strength.
We stayed back, watching her trembling shoulders.
“Ellie, Lady Katrin—”
“Liset.”
Eloise cut me off.
She watched her mother for a long time, then turned back toward the mansion.
A warm spring breeze, scented with blooming flowers, tousled her hair.
“I always thought that she hated me as much as she loved me.”
She walked slowly, step by step through the garden.
“She was strict ever since I was young, but she also gave love. A lot of it.”
“…I see.”
I nodded—if only briefly, I remembered what it felt like to be loved by a mother.
“I thought she hated me because I couldn’t awaken. Because the daughter she gave birth to became a disgrace to the family.”
Love, followed by disdain, hurts even more.
“…Was her heart still the same? Did she never actually hate me?”
“Probably. That’s why she regrets it.”
“If she was going to regret it, she shouldn’t have done it in the first place. I never wanted power or honor.”
Eloise stopped in front of a teal rosebush.
“Being Monclair’s daughter would have been enough. I didn’t need to be the Crown Princess.”
A cold droplet fell onto my head.
Looking up, I saw tear after tear falling from Eloise’s eyes.
Were they tears of resentment—or longing?
“…hic.”
A broken sob escaped between her teeth.
If it were me… just imagining it made tears sting my own eyes.
The relief of knowing she wasn’t hated, mixed with all the loneliness she had endured, came crashing in.
“Meow.”
I rubbed my head against her chest.
That must be why I wanted to help Eloise.
Because I wanted comfort too.
Eloise held me and cried for a long time before finally returning to her room.
Sophie, who had been about to prepare afternoon tea, jumped in shock when she saw us.
“My lady, Lady Liset! Did something happen?”
With both our eyes red and swollen, it wasn’t surprising she was startled.
Sophie quickly brought cold towels and pressed them to our eyes.
“Are you both alright?”
“…Yes.”
Eloise didn’t respond.
After Sophie changed the towels a couple of times, Eloise finally spoke in a hoarse voice:
“Liset… I think I’ll break the engagement.”
