IWMHWD 57

Chapter 57: Daughter of My Father
December 27, 2023

Neither of them said a word on the way back to the mansion.

When the carriage stopped and they disembarked, Leonard once again lifted Cordelia into his arms. She struggled, insisting that she could walk on her own. Of course, Leonard ignored her and carried her straight into the mansion.

The servants’ eyes widened in shock at the sight.

“Master, what… what happened to Lady Cordelia?”

“Call the physician.”

“Yes, right away.”

Sensing the sunken state of his master’s mood, Alex didn’t ask any further questions and immediately left to summon the doctor.

Leonard carried Cordelia all the way to her room. After placing her gently on the bed, he said curtly,

“Rest. Don’t think about anything.”

With that, he turned and walked away. Cordelia called after him, looking at his back.

“Master.”

“What is it?”

“Thank you. For everything.”

Leonard didn’t look back or respond. He only clenched his fists tightly, then immediately left the room.

His chest burned with a suffocating frustration he couldn’t explain.

When he imagined her being struck by her father, anger flared within him like wildfire. It was a rage he couldn’t even comprehend himself.

He regretted letting Marquis Vasquez go so easily.

“Phew…”

He exhaled deeply and headed straight to his office. Digging through the stack of documents on his desk, he pulled out the file on Vasquez he had previously instructed Baron to compile.

The thick packet contained nearly everything about Vasquez, but the pain Cordelia had suffered was reduced to a mere single line.

[According to an insider, he showed extreme disregard for his daughter, Cordelia Vasquez.]

Leonard couldn’t take his eyes off that sentence.

“My own father sold me into hell for a few coins! He told me never to come back even if I became a corpse. So what was I supposed to do? What do you think happens to a girl born into a ruined house? Do you even know?!”

Why had he brushed off her words back then?

Leonard crumpled the page in his hand. He pulled a bell cord beside his desk, and Alex soon entered.

“You called, Master?”

“Cordelia?”

“She’s receiving treatment from the physician. The ankle injury isn’t serious—he said she’ll be fine with about a month of proper rest. As for the bruise on her cheek…”

Alex glanced cautiously at Leonard, gauging his reaction.

“He said a few cold compresses will help it fade naturally.”

“I see. Good work.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Vasquez…”

Leonard still struggled to contain his fury when saying that name. After a short breath, he continued.

“Marquis Vasquez is said to be in Yevo Delim. Find out exactly where he’s staying.”

“Marquis Vasquez is in the capital? That’s… Understood. I’ll look into it right away.”

Though Alex seemed surprised, one look at his master’s grim expression had him bowing and hurrying off.

Two days had passed since the Saracen banquet.

Though the redness in her cheek had faded, Cordelia’s swollen ankle still made it difficult for her to walk on her own. Thankfully, Leonard’s healing magic had eased most of the pain.

Cordelia hadn’t stepped outside the mansion since that day. And it wasn’t just because her foot hurt.

The physical pain was fleeting. What truly unsettled her was the presence of her father.

“Why did Father come to the capital?”

“Cordelia.”

“Is he trying to use me being your student to make some demand? Or maybe he’s planning to spread some awful rumor…”

“Cordelia.”

Leonard’s low voice stopped her. Her anxious eyes turned to him.

“Whatever reason Vasquez came to the capital for, he can’t do anything to us.”

“…”

“You seem to forget quite often that your teacher is Atilei.”

“I’m more afraid because you’re Atilei. You have so much more to lose compared to Vasquez.”

Cordelia’s expression twisted. The blood running through her veins felt shameful—and at times, even hateful. What she despised most was the man who passed that blood onto her.

The anger and anxiety she normally kept suppressed had exploded ever since she saw her father. With a nervous look, she dug her nails into her palm.

“What could I possibly lose because of Vasquez? My life? Or maybe even my position as heir?”

“…That won’t happen.”

“Exactly. You know it too. That won’t happen. So all your worries are completely pointless.”

Though his words came off as a rebuke, Cordelia felt a small wave of relief settle her churning heart.

“So stop overthinking things and just study. If your brain keeps hardening like this, you’ll be writing with a chisel instead of a pen.”

“I—it’s not that bad…”

“Isn’t it? You already forgot every defensive spell I taught you.”

Leonard consoled her in his own way—by giving her a mountain of homework so she’d have no time left to worry.

It was surprisingly effective. The workload buried her, and she was too busy floundering through assignments to dwell on her fears about her father.

Neither Leonard nor Cordelia brought up the incident again, as if they’d agreed to ignore it.

She received a letter from Rosenbler, full of concern and worry, but Cordelia simply replied with a short note: “I’m not feeling well.”

“Redo the calculation. How many times are you going to get the same thing wrong?”

“That’s weird. I swear I did it right…”

“This part here. The equation is wrong.”

“Ah! I see.”

With Baron’s correction, Cordelia sheepishly rewrote the answer using the right formula.

Baron had just returned from an investigation with Belluche. He offered her an eclair from the kitchen and whispered that she was doing very well.

Rottie sprawled out under the warm spring sunlight.

This peaceful, mundane scene gave Cordelia a strange sense of comfort.

“By the way, when is Belluche coming back?”

“He’ll be here soon. I left five days before him, so he’ll likely arrive with Sir Merban.”

“So I’ll finally get to see the famous Sir Merban.”

At the mention of Leonard’s loyal knight, Cordelia smiled. Leonard, however, didn’t look pleased.

“Why are you waiting for my knight?”

“When did I say I was waiting?”

“You just said it with your own mouth.”

“I’m not waiting for him! I’ve just heard about him a lot and got curious.”

“No need to be. He’s just one of many knights.”

“Geez, you nitpick over the weirdest things.”

Cordelia thought her teacher was just being picky and annoying—but Baron thought differently.

Baron had been by Leonard’s side since he was five years old. That made him keenly attuned to even the slightest shifts in his master’s expressions.

At first, when Leonard seemed overly protective of Cordelia, Baron figured it was just because she was his first student.

But as time passed, he had to admit that Cordelia was something more—someone quite special to Leonard.

‘No, perhaps… something deeper…’

Baron shook his head. It was still too early to make assumptions. For a mage, a first student was often a source of strong attachment. He chose to feign ignorance of his master’s growing obsession.

Just then, Alex entered quietly. He approached Leonard and whispered something in his ear.

“…He’s here.”

“Finally?”

“Yes. It seems the gold charm hanging by the door worked.”

The two exchanged words that Cordelia couldn’t understand, but she was used to that by now. Ever since coming here, most of their conversations had gone over her head.

Leonard smirked, then rose to his feet. Baron followed closely behind. Cordelia set her pen down and asked,

“Are you going somewhere?”

“I have business to take care of.”

“…Will you be back late?”

She picked her pen back up, trying to act casual—but couldn’t completely hide the hint of loneliness in her voice.

Leonard paused at the door, then turned back. He walked over and wrote something on her paper for a while.

“Here.”

“What’s this?”

“Homework. I’ll be back in three hours, so have it done by then.”

“What?!”

Cordelia looked at the paper he handed her and gasped. It was so much, even thirteen hours wouldn’t be enough, let alone three. She waved it angrily in protest.

“How am I supposed to finish all this in three hours?!”

“Why not? If you concentrate, it’s doable.”

“It’ll take three hours just to write it all!”

“So?”

She realized further complaints were pointless.

With a huff, Cordelia turned her head and began scribbling frantically in a book. Whether he left or not no longer mattered to her. Only then did Leonard finally leave the room.

Baron looked between the two with a complicated expression.

“May I ask where we’re going?”

“To meet a greedy old man.”

“…Excuse me?”

That was all Leonard said, so Baron waited until the carriage came to a stop.

With a faint jolt, the carriage halted. Baron stepped down first and helped his master disembark.

They arrived at an inn slightly removed from the bustling commercial district—frequented by wealthy merchants but considered too low-class for nobles.

As Atilei’s carriage pulled up, people immediately lowered their heads and hushed their voices. The innkeeper ran out in a fluster.

“Your Excellency, what brings you to such a humble place?”

“I heard Marquis Vasquez is staying here.”