~Chapter 34~
“Then, please take good care of Raphaella.”
Leah said this to Pola and Helen, who came by early in the morning.
“Don’t worry, Lady Leah.”
“We’ll take good care of the young lady while you’re gone.”
While Leah was away, Pola and Helen were going to watch over Raphaella.
Raphaella really liked them since they had always treated her kindly and without judgment.
‘If it’s Pola and Helen, I can trust them.’
She didn’t pack much—just a change of clothes and her notebook for magic medicine—so her luggage was light.
With a bag in one hand and Raphaella’s hand in the other, Leah walked down to the first floor.
When they reached the central entrance hall, the duchess, Johann, and a knight she hadn’t seen before were already waiting for her.
“Did you pack everything?”
The duchess walked over and glanced at Leah’s bag.
“Yes.”
“Let me introduce the knight who’ll be guarding you and also driving the carriage.”
At Johann’s words, Leah turned to look at the knight standing next to him.
He was a tall, neat young man—not as tall as her husband, but still tall—with brown hair and blue eyes.
His face had freckles, which made him look a bit playful.
“He’s Sir Harry, from our knight order.”
“Hello, Lady Leah. I’m Harry, a knight from House Blumhardt. I’ll be acting as your guard and coachman.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Leah, Raphaella’s mom.”
So even for a short trip to the North, they’re assigning a guard?
After exchanging greetings, Leah followed them outside.
A luxurious, sturdy-looking four-wheeled carriage was waiting in front of the mansion.
“This carriage has speed-enhancing magic stones, so you’ll get to the North much faster than it took to get here.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re going to collect herbs for Penelope, so of course we’d prepare something like this.”
Isabella held Leah’s hand warmly as she said this.
“Rafi, be a good girl. Listen to grandma and daddy, and get along with Pola and Helen, okay?”
Leah knelt to speak to Raphaella.
“…Okay!”
“I’m just picking some flowers and coming right back. Wait just a little, alright?”
Leah gave her daughter a hug, then forced herself to step away and head to the carriage.
Harry was already in the coach seat, waiting.
As Leah wondered how to climb into the tall carriage on her own, Johann stepped in to help her up.
Ugh, kind of embarrassing.
“Like I said before, don’t worry about Raphaella. We’ll take good care of her.”
Johann’s reassuring words were the last thing she heard before the carriage door shut.
From the window, Leah leaned out and kept waving to her daughter until Raphaella was out of sight.
Compared to when she’d squeezed into a cramped, shared stagecoach to get to the capital, this comfortable, luxurious carriage ride to the North felt… weird.
She had only thought about changing Raphaella’s life—she never expected she’d end up riding in such a nice carriage herself.
…Well, no harm in enjoying it now that I’ve got it.
She took a bite of the sandwich Pola had packed for her and looked out at the quickly passing city scenery.
Speed magic stones really were expensive for a reason.
The view’s flying by so fast it’s almost making me dizzy.
Still, even though the trip would be quick, she was worried about leaving Raphaella behind.
But… this time, she kind of trusted her husband.
When she’d told him she was going north to find herbs to help Penelope, his reaction had been different than usual.
—
“You’re going to leave Raphaella behind, right?”
“Yes, so about that…”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let something like what happened with Marco happen again.”
Before she even asked, he firmly said it first.
“I’ve realized what happens to a child when their parents neglect them. I understand now.”
Johann looked determined, like he’d never let that happen again.
It made Leah smile a little.
…Though she didn’t show it on the
outside.
She gave him a few parenting tips for Raphaella.
They say raising a child builds stronger bonds than just giving birth… Maybe he’s starting to feel that bond now.
She felt good about deciding to leave Raphaella with him earlier than she had in her past life.
—
Shortly after Leah left, a carriage bearing the Blumhardt family crest arrived at the duchy.
Inside were a new butler and head maid, sent from the Blumhardt estate.
The new butler, Alfred, had a gentler face than Robert, the previous one. He politely greeted Isabella, Johann, and Raphaella.
“Welcome. Please take good care of the estate.”
“I’ll do my best to not bring shame to House Burns.”
Alfred bowed deeply, clearly embarrassed about what Robert had done in the past.
“…Ma’am, it’s been a while.”
Sarah, the returning head maid who had once been dismissed, greeted Isabella with teary eyes.
“You came all this way because of this foolish woman. Thank you, Sarah.”
Isabella’s voice shook as she welcomed her.
“No, it’s my fault for failing to take good care of Miss Carolina.”
“Don’t say that. I know Carolina dismissed you unfairly.”
The duchess gently held Sarah’s hands.
“I’m truly happy you came back.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
After greeting everyone, Alfred and Sarah noticed Raphaella watching them from behind Johann and bowed to her.
“Hello, young lady. I’m Alfred, the butler.”
“Hello, Miss Raphaella. I’m Sarah, the head maid.”
But hearing the words butler and head maid made bad memories pop up in Raphaella’s mind.
She whispered to Johann,
“Butlers and head maids… aren’t they bad people?”
Sadly, because of the previous staff, those titles gave her a negative impression.
“No, Raphaella. It was just those people who were bad. These ones aren’t.”
Johann felt bad seeing his daughter react that way.
“We’ll do our best. We understand if the young lady feels uncomfortable.”
“Of course. If I were her, I’d feel the same way.”
They’d already heard how Raphaella had been treated, so they weren’t surprised.
Besides, both of them came here not just to serve Isabella and Johann, but to devote themselves to Raphaella as well.
This kind of test? No big deal.
“Young lady, I—Alfred Burns—will do my very best to earn your trust.”
“I’ll try too, miss.”
Raphaella was surprised. Even though she was being distant, they were still kind and understanding.
Are they not bad people? Are they… nice?
If only mom were here. She always gives me answers when I ask.
After the greetings, Alfred and Sarah went off to start their jobs.
Johann returned to his office with Samuel, and Isabella took Raphaella’s hand to go see Penelope.
“Sarah’s back?”
“Yes, and I finally feel a little at ease.”
Penelope smiled when she heard her old head maid was back.
“Auntie Peppy, is the head maid a good person?”
“Oh, Rafi. ‘Head maid’ is just a title. The last one was loyal to your Aunt Carolina.”
Raphaella tilted her head, confused.
“Normally, the head maid should be loyal to the direct line of House Blumhardt, but that one only followed Carolina.”
“Raphaella Is still young. It’s hard to understand now.”
“But if she hears it, she’ll get it someday, right?”
“So, the Sarah and Alfred who came today—they’re loyal to House Blumhardt?”
“Of course. That’s how it’s supposed to be. The ones before were just out of line.”
Raphaella slowly nodded, still unsure but trying to understand.
“That’s why Alfred and Sarah will treat you with the utmost care, as a proper young lady of House Blumhardt.”
The duchess gently patted Raphaella’s head.
“And they’ll be kind to my mom too?”
“…Of course. She’s your mom.”
“They’ll have to work really hard if they want to earn our sweet Rafi’s trust.”
After playing with Penelope for a bit, Raphaella spent the rest of the day with Pola and Helen.
Everyone was worried since it was her first day without her mom, but thankfully, Raphaella handled it well.
Johann had to work late and missed dinner with her, but he stopped by her room to say goodnight.
“Raphaella, have sweet dreams.”
“Okay. Do you think I can dream about Mommy?”
“If you really want to, maybe you can.”
“…But why aren’t you leaving?”
Usually, he’d say goodnight and walk away, so she was confused.
“…Well, I thought maybe I’d read you a bedtime story in case you can’t fall asleep.”
He remembered Leah’s advice. He’d read
to her during playtime before, but bedtime stories still felt a bit awkward.
“Really? Yay!”
But seeing her eyes light up made him glad he offered.
He motioned to Pola to rest in the next room. Once she left, he cleared his throat and picked up a book.
“Title: The Little Princess Annika Who Became a Wizard.”
His voice softened as he began.
“Once upon a time, in a small kingdom in the west, a princess named Annika was born.”
Raphaella lay on her side, eyes sparkling as she listened.
“From the moment she was born, the princess could float in the air.”
As his gentle voice continued, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
