Chapter 17 – I Possessed the Villain’s Daughter
It was an unfamiliar ceiling.
Blinking my eyes as I awoke, I quickly realized this wasn’t the familiar golden ceiling of Rosahil. Instead, the blue ceiling above was decorated with beautifully embossed shapes of stars and the moon. Only after sleeping here for a night did it truly hit me—I was in a new and unfamiliar place.
This was the room prepared exclusively for me at the Count of Forte’s estate.
No one had said it directly, but I had a feeling that Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle already knew I had lost my memory. They didn’t seem surprised when I didn’t know something, and they patiently explained everything to me. Uncle, in particular, personally guided me to this room and told me that it came with an attic where I could look up at the stars while lying down.
When I climbed up to the attic after hearing that, I found that there really was a huge window. The stars looked like they were about to pour down—so beautiful it almost hurt.
The traces of my former self using this room were also fascinating. As I wandered around, touching everything, I ended up falling asleep without realizing it.
Technically, this place should’ve felt strange—but the room was so cozy and comfortable that I’d slept like a baby.
Looking in the mirror, I saw that the swelling around my eyes from all the crying had gone down. I yawned and washed my face with the water the maids had brought me.
After changing my clothes, I went down to the first floor. Everyone else was already in the drawing room. They were each enjoying tea or coffee, reading books, chatting, or simply relaxing.
Just looking at them made my heart feel warm. As soon as they noticed me, they greeted me with bright expressions.
“You’re here, Lara.”
“Ah, you’ve come.”
It felt like they had all been waiting for me to arrive.
“Are you hungry, sweetheart?”
Grandma smiled gently as she spoke. With a small wave of her hand, breakfast began. Unlike dinner yesterday, where we’d all gathered in the dining room, the servants rolled in trays and served us right there in the drawing room. They pushed the tables together and laid out the food on top.
Soft white morning rolls, fresh tomatoes cut into eighths, a fruit salad that seemed freshly picked from the garden out back, soft-boiled eggs and hard-boiled ones, bacon, steamed chicken sausages, sautéed potatoes, various fruit jams, and polished silver cutlery… It was a light but elegant meal, truly befitting noble tradition. Grandpa spoke at length about the importance of tomatoes and eggs for breakfast.
Though the meal was simple, the taste was incredible. I had no idea country-grown tomatoes, potatoes, and eggs could taste so good. The tomatoes didn’t even feel like tomatoes—they were more like some new juicy, flavorful vegetable. The potatoes were soft and sweet, and there wasn’t even a hint of that unpleasant smell eggs sometimes have. When I bit into the plump chicken sausage, the juicy burst inside my mouth and danced on my tongue.
“It’s really delicious!”
I spoke with all sincerity, and both Grandma and Grandpa beamed proudly.
Once we were full, the servants cleared the food and brought out dessert. After drinking fruit juice and taking a few spoonfuls of sherbet, I could feel my whole body filling with happiness.
Warm, full, and with a soft place to sleep—humans really don’t need much more to solve most of life’s problems.
I looked around. The pickiest eater in our family is my older brother, Eddie. Even he was calmly sipping his tea with a satisfied look, which showed just how excellent the food here was.
After clearing the dishes, the servants opened all the windows to air out the room. It must’ve drizzled a bit in the early morning, because the scent of damp leaves and the aroma of autumn came wafting in.
Sitting beside me, Uncle and I began chatting casually. He was not only very knowledgeable but also had a knack for explaining even small things in an interesting way.
As I listened with growing interest, I learned something new about him.
“You went to the Imperial Academy?”
My eyes widened.
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
“Haha, it’s nothing special. It was a long time ago.”
“It’s still cool, though!”
Looking up at him with sparkling eyes, Uncle chuckled heartily.
“See the central staircase in the hall? The framed certificate hanging there is my diploma.”
“Oh, that’s what that was? We have one at home too!”
“Right. Our family has a long tradition of graduating from there.”
Only after hearing Uncle’s words did I realize what those medals and gold-framed certificates hanging by our staircase back home actually were—Imperial Academy diplomas. Then he asked,
“Lara, have you ever thought about going to the Academy?”
“The Academy? I can go to the Academy?”
I was so surprised I asked again.
Why?
At that moment, a brief silence fell over the drawing room. Even Uncle, who had brought it up, seemed to regret it.
I looked around, confused, but more than that, the thought of the Academy consumed my mind. I didn’t even notice how the others were reacting.
The Academy referred to an institution of higher education—similar to a university in my past life. Unlike noble children who learned through private tutors or family friends, the Academy offered a structured education system. It was a hub of advanced knowledge and a dream workplace for scholars.
There were many types: international academies, magic academies, swordsmanship academies—each divided by major and again by whether they were royal or imperial.
The one Uncle attended was the Imperial Academy in Rebecam, a scholarly city neighboring the capital of our empire.
All first-year students were required to live in the dormitory. Despite such rules, Rebecam’s Imperial Academy was considered one of the most prestigious institutions on the continent. People were desperate to get in because graduating from there was considered a great honor—like graduating from the Ivy League in my past life.
“I see… Well, I am already fourteen, so I guess I’m old enough to attend.”
Each academy had its own age range, but at Rebecam, students usually enrolled between the ages of fourteen and twenty. The course lasted four years, and one had to graduate within six years.
Lloyd had only mentioned the Academy briefly, but it turned out that not only Uncle but the rest of my family had also graduated from Rebecam. My curiosity bloomed like clouds in the sky. But when I looked up again, Uncle was smiling awkwardly and sweating a little. My father, for some reason, seemed to be glaring at him…
‘Is that just my imagination?’
Tilting my head, I changed the topic and asked,
“Then Uncle, what did you major in?”
I assumed it was something like administration or humanities, maybe even the knightly department since he was the heir to a count.
But his answer was totally unexpected.
“Elemental Studies.”
“…Elemental?”
My jaw dropped.
“Yes. I’m not as skilled as your father here, but I can handle spirits too. Of course, your father was a top student who could do just about anything.”
“Ahem.”
Dad cleared his throat awkwardly. Truly impressed, I looked back and forth between him and Uncle.
Even in this world where wizards were rare, spirit mages were even rarer. That talent had to be innate—something you were born with. I’d never even seen a spirit mage before.
“Spirits… That’s so cool!”
“Want to see?”
“Really?!”
I nodded enthusiastically, and both Dad and Uncle smiled.
Neither of them chanted any spell. In the blink of an eye, spirits appeared before my eyes.
Dad’s spirit was a water-blue color, while Uncle’s was silver. They floated mid-air, slightly transparent.
“Wow… Woah…”
All I could do was gape. The water-blue fairy wore a white dress with a sailor collar and greeted us politely. The silver-haired fairy had her hair tied up high and wore something resembling a green jumpsuit, waving her hands excitedly.
I stared in awe.
“That’s amazing. Can I summon spirits too?!”
At that, my father looked at me with an apologetic expression.
“Hmm, Lara. People are either born with the ability to summon spirits or not. We tested you when you were little, and unfortunately, it turned out you can’t.”
“…Really…”
I muttered gloomily. So I couldn’t summon those adorable, beautiful spirits. Dad and Uncle could—but not me. It made me sad. Trying to cheer me up, Uncle quickly added,
“But Lara, you might still have magical talent! Unlike with spirits, magical potential can reveal itself as you grow older. Want to check together?”
“Yes!”
His words instantly perked me up, and I nodded eagerly.
Instead of sending a servant, Uncle went up to his room himself. Probably because what he was about to bring was extremely valuable.
One of the leather pouches he returned with was filled with an unknown kind of powder.
He poured the powder onto the table.
Would crushed diamonds shine like this? Bathed in a shaft of sunlight through the window, the powder shimmered in a mesmerizing rainbow of colors. Uncle Laska gathered the powder into a small mound, then used his finger to draw in it. As he moved his hand, a five-pointed star magic circle began to form.
It wasn’t a complicated magic circle, but the sparkle of the powder made it look extravagant. Then, in the center of the star, Uncle placed a rainbow-colored stone taken from another pouch. (I later learned the powder was crushed magic stone, and the stone itself was a magical crystal.)
“All right. It’s ready.”
“Wow…!”
I felt like all I’d done today was be amazed.
“Do you learn this kind of thing at the Academy?”
“Some parts are self-taught, but yes, mostly.”
Without hesitation, I placed my hand on the magic circle. It shone with a flash. A small green light sparkled briefly at the edge of the circle, then the glow faded.
The powder and the stone still glimmered faintly, but not as much as before.
Uncle had a slightly troubled expression on his face.
