~Chapter 46~
Johann entered the guest room on the second floor, exhausted from using teleportation magic twice in a short time, and collapsed onto the bed.
Normally, his insomnia would keep him from falling asleep easily, but the toll of the two teleports knocked him out the moment he lay down.
Luckily, when he opened his eyes again, the sun was just starting to rise.
He got up, quickly washed his face, and headed straight to the training grounds.
After training with the knights, he returned to his room to take a shower.
‘She’ll probably come out when it’s time for breakfast.’
While drying off, Johann glanced at the closed bedroom door.
‘How did I end up giving up my bedroom for my daughter…’
It felt strange, but he didn’t mind it.
Actually, seeing his daughter happy made him feel kind of good.
When Leah and Raphaella didn’t come out even after some time, he got up and quietly approached the bedroom door.
He opened it gently, not wanting to make a sound, and froze when he saw them sleeping peacefully.
For a moment, their figures overlapped with the younger versions of Leah and Raphaella in his mind.
He clutched his head as a headache came with the memory.
‘They were lying on a smaller bed back then…’
It looked just like the one in the cabin where he used to sleep next to Raphaella.
Actually, it was that bed.
‘Damn memories… if they’re coming back, can’t they just come all at once? Why do they only come back in bits and pieces?’
And even those fragments were only of his daughter.
Again, the image of young Raphaella was vivid, while Leah’s face remained blurry.
These memories were helping him grow attached to Raphaella faster.
They played a big part in awakening his fatherly feelings.
‘If I start remembering things about her too… then what?’
What would that mean for him?
Surprised by his own thoughts, he rushed out of the room.
Leah and Raphaella didn’t wake up until almost noon.
Samuel brought up lunch for them.
“Come and eat,” Johann said, returning from his office for lunch.
“Sorry… I went to bed late and was more tired than I thought. I didn’t even realize how much time had passed…”
Leah rubbed her eyes, still looking a bit sleepy.
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
But his eyes avoided hers, which made her curious.
Still, she didn’t ask anything.
‘Asking would just make it more awkward…’
Until Harry and Dorothea arrived, Johann kept his distance from Leah.
But he was still kind to Raphaella, so Leah decided not to think too much of it.
—
On the fifth morning after Leah returned to the duke’s estate, a letter arrived saying Harry’s Carriage would arrive in the afternoon.
The duchess had come to see Leah briefly the day after she arrived.
“You went through a lot.”
“It’s okay. I wanted to do it.”
“Johann said you went out to gather herbs even in the rain. I hope you didn’t get sick.”
Isabella touched Leah’s forehead with the back of her hand.
The gesture reminded Leah of how her grandmother used to check on her.
“Looks like you don’t have a fever. That’s a relief.”
“Actually, the duke got soaked more than I did.”
“He can handle that kind of thing. But what about the teleporting? Was it hard on you?”
“I felt a little sick, but I was fine after a while.”
“I’ve never done it myself, but I heard it’s not easy for regular people.”
Leah felt a little awkward with how much Isabella was fussing over her.
“Raphaella, keep an eye on your mom, okay? Make sure she doesn’t feel sick.”
“Okay, Grandma!”
Smiling at her granddaughter’s cheerful answer, Isabella patted Leah’s shoulder and left the room.
—
The morning Harry and Dorothea arrived in the capital, Leah was reading a fairy tale to Raphaella in Johann’s parlor.
Johann came in with a letter from Harry.
“Sir Harry will arrive at the estate around 5 p.m. today.”
“Really?” Leah looked up.
“He said he’ll park the Carriage behind the entrance to avoid attention.”
“Okay.”
“Samuel will escort you there without anyone noticing.”
At 4:30, Samuel came to get Leah.
Before leaving, Leah knelt in front of Raphaella.
“Rafi, when you see me again, you have to act like we haven’t seen each other in a while, okay?”
“Got it! Don’t worry!”
The girl gave her mom a determined nod.
Samuel led Leah through quiet hallways and staircases to the Carriage hidden out back.
Harry, who was in the driver’s seat, greeted her first.
“Lady Leah!”
“Thank you for coming, Sir Harry.”
“It’s nothing.”
Harry jumped down from the seat and greeted both Leah and Samuel.
Thump!
Startled by the noise, Dorothea opened the Carriage door, half-awake.
“Leah! It’s been a while!”
Maybe on Johann’s orders, Dorothea looked much cleaner and more presentable now.
Her old, musty robe was gone, replaced with a much nicer one that made her look like a proper mage.
“Dorothea, your robe looks so much better now.”
“Yeah, it’s nice having a rich employer.”
After greeting each other, Leah and Dorothea got into the carriage.
Harry helped them in, then Samuel returned to the mansion.
Inside the Carriage, Leah checked to make sure the dewflower was still fresh.
Thanks to the preservation magic on the pouch, it looked exactly like when it was picked.
“I checked a few times too. Still fresh every time.”
“I guess that pouch from the duke’s estate really works like magic.”
“Money does wonders. By the way, Leah… can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Would it be okay if I watched you while you made the potion?”
Dorothea scratched her nose awkwardly—she had asked before and been turned down.
“If you’re helping, I’d be honored!”
“Come on, honored?”
“
You’re a great mage, no need to be so modest.”
Dorothea scratched her head, looking shy.
“Then… Can I ask you questions if I get stuck somewhere?”
“Of course! I’ll help with whatever I can.”
As they chatted about making the potion, their carriage arrived at the duke’s mansion.
Leah and Dorothea got out with their luggage.
Johann, Isabella, the butler, the head maid, and other staff were all there to welcome them.
It was their way of showing respect to Leah for bringing back herbs for Penelope.
She felt like some kind of hero returning from a great mission.
“…Mommy!”
Raphaella ran toward her and gave the best dramatic performance she could.
She acted with sparkling eyes, like she hadn’t seen her mom in ages—so adorable that Leah almost burst out laughing.
After Raphaella’s big greeting, Isabella gave Leah a warm hug.
“You worked hard.”
She brought the butler and head maid over to greet Leah as well.
They bowed respectfully, acknowledging her as Raphaella’s birth mother.
“Alfred and Sarah are different from those shady servants you’ve met before, so don’t worry.”
Isabella patted Leah’s back, trying to reassure her.
Once all the greetings were done, Leah introduced Dorothea to Johann and Isabella.
It was the first time Dorothea and Johann met officially, so they acted like strangers.
Leah explained that Dorothea would stay for a bit to help with the potion before going to the Mage Tower.
Isabella offered her a guest room on the second floor.
“Oh, no! The annex where the mages stay is more than enough for me.”
Though she appreciated the kindness, Dorothea felt more comfortable in the annex.
The head maid led her there, and Leah went up to the third floor with Raphaella.
“Rafi, how about having dinner with Dorothea tonight?”
“You mean the mage lady?”
“Yep, you saw her earlier, right?”
“Yay!”
Raphaella was happy to be able to go anywhere with her mom now.
She clung to Leah’s hand and wouldn’t let go.
Leah didn’t want to let go either, so they hummed together while holding hands, waiting for Dorothea to join them.
Since Dorothea had just arrived and might feel awkward, dinner was served in Raphaella’s room instead of the main dining hall.
“Hello, I’m Raphaella Blumhardt.”
“Rafi, you forgot the ‘von’.”
“Oh! I’m Raphaella von Blumhardt!”
Dorothea smiled at how cute she was.
“Nice to meet you, young lady. I’m Mage Dorothea.”
Raphaella fidgeted awkwardly under such formal greetings.
“She’s not used to being treated so formally yet.”
Dorothea chuckled—she had heard a bit about the situation from Leah earlier.
“People treating her like royalty still makes her shy.”
Leah patted her daughter’s head and joined Dorothea at the table.
“Do mages live a really long time?”
Just like her mom, Raphaella had lived her whole life in Loreum Mountain, so she was fascinated by mages.
“Well, if you have a lot of mana and train hard, maybe longer than others… but it’s not easy.”
“I see! But all the wizards in fairy tales have beards. Where’s yours? Are you hiding it?”
“Oh, that’s a mage’s treasure. We keep it hidden in our hearts and only take it out for super important occasions.”
Being seven, Raphaella fired off question after question, and Dorothea answered all of them playfully.
Once her curiosity settled, she finally turned her attention to the food.
“Leah, you said we’re starting the potion tomorrow, right?”
Dorothea asked while watching Raphaella eat.
“Yes. I haven’t seen it yet, but they said the lab is set up on the second floor of the east annex.”
They needed to get started soon before Penelope’s condition got worse.
All the ingredients were ready—she just had to begin.
“Come to the lab by 9 a.m. tomorrow.”
“Got it. I’ll help however I can!”
