Episode 36
“Young Lady.”
“……”
“You’re seriously sleeping here now… Young Lady!”
Elicia, who showed no sign of waking up, was met with Lizbeth’s stern voice.
“Mm….”
Elicia slowly opened her eyes, having been dozing with her head against Eden’s.
Then, rubbing her eyes with a calm expression, she said, “Is it time for the shift already?”
“……”
Lizbeth narrowed her eyes.
Elicia often behaved in ways that were far from what one would expect of a noble lady—at least in front of her.
It couldn’t be from a lack of education.
More likely, this was Elicia’s true nature.
“I’m truly at a loss for words. Sleeping on the same bed with a boy, at this hour?”
“You making a fuss over us like that is more…”
“Young Lady.”
“Alright, alright. I’m getting up.”
Elicia, now pressing her swollen cheeks gently, reached out to softly stroke Eden’s hair as he lay next to her.
Eden was in such a deep sleep that the voices didn’t stir him at all.
Even in his sleep, Eden leaned his head toward Elicia’s touch.
The way his round head clung to her was so adorable that Elicia let out a deflated chuckle.
She was no stranger to the clinginess of others—especially children.
She might not have had the capacity to embrace many people, but perhaps Eden and Lizbeth were exceptions she could handle, even with her small heart.
‘At least until Delphir comes to take Eden…’
The faint smile she wore faded completely.
The more she thought about Eden’s recent words—that he didn’t want to recover his memories—the more uneasy she felt.
Would Eden really go with Delphir when the time came?
The dread of an answer already known pressed down on her.
That anxiety would remain deeply rooted in her heart until Delphir finally appeared.
When Elicia returned to her room, her eyes fell on a ring made of iron.
It was the one she had asked Rachel to obtain for her a few days ago.
As always, Rachel had flawlessly carried out Elicia’s request.
Elicia admired Rachel’s unwavering loyalty only briefly before picking up the ring from her desk.
At a glance, it looked like a worthless trinket.
But that was purely its outward appearance.
Elicia slipped the ring onto her thumb.
It was far too big for her finger.
Even if it wasn’t meant for her, the size worried her.
While she was still pondering what to do, a gentle warmth began to spread from her thumb throughout her body.
Size aside, at least it wasn’t a fake.
Having confirmed it was genuine, she quickly removed the ring, worried about wasting mana.
The warmth vanished as if it had never been there.
‘This thing costs five months of my dignity fund?’
Its shabby appearance made it hard to believe. If she hadn’t known mana was infused in the ring, she’d have thought she’d been ripped off.
But in this world, iron accessories and weapons were never treated lightly.
Iron was the best metal for containing mana among all existing ores.
The logic stemmed from the idea that mana flowing through blood could best be stored in iron, which shared similar properties with blood.
It was said this concept was originally invented by one of the former lords of the Mage Tower.
Though groundbreaking, it had never been widely adopted due to opposition from mages.
They wanted to protect their exclusivity.
As a result, magical tools had to be purchased at exorbitant prices directly from the Mage Tower. Of course, mages sometimes secretly made them for their families.
The few magical items available on the market were usually single-use only.
In Elicia’s case, she had to avoid both the Duke of Partine and the Mage Tower’s attention, so she had to rely on the black market.
Thankfully, Rachel had already secured a secret route for her.
‘Stingy bastards. It wouldn’t kill them to mass-produce these.’
Later, after taking a bath before bed, Elicia muttered to herself as she lay down.
She thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, having already taken a long nap earlier in the day in the annex.
But that was just her assumption.
The moment her head hit the pillow, her eyes closed, and before she could even feel puzzled by how fast it happened, she was fast asleep.
The next morning, Elicia was informed by Rachel that the Duke of Partine had once again left the mansion.
It wasn’t surprising.
The duke being away from home was practically routine.
What shocked Elicia was something else entirely.
“The Duke dismissed all your instructors without warning…”
Rachel seemed worried something might have happened to Elicia.
“…Now that you mention it, I guess he did.”
Her tone suggested she had heard it somewhere.
But the truth was, Elicia hadn’t been told anything by the duke.
He had unilaterally fired her instructors without consulting her.
Still, she could guess his intentions.
‘He probably wants me to focus entirely on Eden.’
While she understood his reasoning, the lack of any heads-up annoyed her.
“I figured it might come to this.”
Elicia stretched with a yawn. Rachel still looked confused.
Her reaction made sense—she was devoted to caring for Elicia.
Even so, Elicia had no intention of explaining further.
“That man—no, I mean, Father—gave me something to do. I won’t be in my room during the day for a while. So don’t come looking for me.”
She said it casually while washing her face, subtly signaling the end of the conversation.
Rachel’s shoulders slumped—not just from worry, but perhaps a bit of hurt at being shut out.
Elicia, on her way to the bathroom, added a quick line.
“Thanks for getting me the ring.”
And she didn’t forget to smile brightly, as if to say not to worry.
Ariel was currently tense to the max.
‘She acted like she wouldn’t say anything, but what if she snitched already?’
It was a rare lunch with Elicia.
Feeling guilty, Ariel poked at a piece of broccoli on her plate—something she usually wouldn’t even touch.
“Ariel.”
“Y-yeah?”
Elicia’s voice was as gentle and kind as always. It didn’t sound like someone angry at all.
Thanks to that, Ariel let down her guard—if only for a moment.
“You’re unusually quiet today. Is something wrong?”
Elicia’s concerned expression made Ariel’s heart sink.
She felt a mixture of guilt for discovering a secret involving the Duke of Partine and shame for being cared for by a sister who knew nothing.
Even bold Ariel couldn’t handle this kind of emotional conflict.
“N-no… It’s just, I haven’t seen you in a while, and I’ve got so much to say, I’m just trying to choose where to start!”
A cute excuse.
Elicia nearly burst out laughing and bit her tongue to hold it back.
“Really? I thought our Ariel had finally grown up and outgrown her big sister.”
“What? What does that mean?!”
Gone was the nervousness—Ariel immediately looked offended.
“You’ve been giving me space lately. I figured maybe you were being considerate because I’ve been busy. You used to barge in and beg me to play with you.”
Which she had done this time too—only this time it had escalated into tailing her like a spy.
But Elicia, pretending not to know any of that, simply praised her younger sister’s growth.
“Thanks, but… I don’t know. It also feels a little lonely?”
“You’d be lonely if I grew out of you?”
That silly girl.
Ariel, momentarily forgetting her guilt, asked brightly.
Elicia hadn’t been thrilled with Ariel’s recent passive behavior either, so this was all for the best.
“It’s not that I expect you to stay in my arms forever. Just… you’re still young. You don’t have to act so grown-up already.”
She was only two years older than Ariel, but the words didn’t sound hypocritical.
At least, not to Elicia herself.
“D-don’t worry! I’ll stay in your arms forever! I could live like a kid forever as long as I’m with you!”
Once again, Ariel’s response exceeded expectations.
Even as she said it, she was wondering if there was a drug out there that could stop her from growing up.
“Really? Then I guess I’ll have to work harder to make sure I can always live with you.”
Elicia’s softly crinkled eyes showed she meant every word.
She was the kind of older sister who wanted to give Ariel everything she wished for.
‘Though I’m not sure how Eden would feel about it…’
Having made the vow, she now felt guilty toward poor Eden. He was relying on her now, but when it came time to marry, he probably wouldn’t want to live with his wife’s family.
Still, selfishly, Elicia wanted to live with Ariel.
“Me too! I’ll work hard too! I’ll help you, Sis!”
Ariel, lost in her own fantasy, cradled her face in her hands as if refusing to wake from a dream.
Of course, the future she envisioned didn’t include the Duke of Partine.
Rachel and Roa were there—but her own father was completely absent.
And Eden was a given.
Elicia looked at Ariel, smiled gently, and said, “You’ll really help me?”
“Huh?”
Ariel was confused—Elicia almost never asked for help.
“That’s why I say no one beats my Ariel.”
Elicia rested her chin in her hand, gazing at Ariel with affectionate intensity.
Her plate was already clean, while Ariel’s still had nothing but a lonely piece of broccoli.
But just for today, Elicia decided she would let Ariel’s picky eating slide.
