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Chapter 10
“Keep frowning like that and you’ll get wrinkles. With a handsome face like yours, you should take better care of it.”
“You really don’t need to worry about that.”
“Oh? So you’re not denying that you’re handsome?”
“……”
They said beautiful people always knew they were good-looking, and apparently he was no exception.
After chuckling to herself for a moment, Ailesia continued.
“So should we just tell everyone I’m a mage?”
“……For now, yes.”
“Won’t there be some kind of verification?”
“The knights traveling with us and I personally witnessed your abilities. And if necessary, we can simply measure your mana with a magic tool.”
“Would that really be enough?”
“The retainers won’t object if it’s to that extent.”
It seemed he had calmed himself already, because Theremion’s tone had returned to its usual composed state.
“Alright. Anything else I should know?”
“No.”
“Really? Then I should probably get some proper rest.”
Snap!
The moment Ailesia flicked her fingers, a large blanket appeared out of thin air.
In an instant, she wrapped both herself and Eleanor tightly inside it, giving the girl one side of her embrace.
It was as though she had been waiting for Theremion to finish speaking.
“You’re already going to sleep?”
Despite the dumbfounded look he gave her, Ailesia answered playfully.
“Of course. You have to sleep early if you want to grow tall.”
“And when exactly did you become the adult here?”
“Not me—you, Your Grace. You’ve still got a long way to go before your growth period ends, don’t you?”
“……Have a good night.”
For some reason, his voice sounded oddly dejected. Even his shoulders seemed to droop slightly.
‘Does he hate going to bed early or something?’
Lying down, she tilted her head in confusion.
A moment later, her eyes met Theremion’s while he was speaking with the knights.
Just as he had done several times already, he frowned slightly before quickly turning his face away.
‘He’s picky.’
Our young Grand Duke really does have a strange personality. Then again, I suppose he’s still the protagonist’s uncle.
No matter how much of a fan she might be, adapting to him was going to take a little more time.
Two days later, a massive mansion appeared before Ailesia’s eyes.
It was the Letis family’s townhouse, located on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.
‘They probably came here because of Eli.’
The northern Grand Duchy was already in the middle of winter, and before long, brutal cold waves would arrive. It wasn’t exactly an ideal environment for a young child like Eleanor.
After passing through the mansion gates and arriving at the main building, she found servants and knights lined up in perfect rows.
‘Well, it’s certainly a sight to behold.’
As the carriage stopped, Theremion—who had been riding beside it on horseback—knocked on the door. It was a signal for them to come out.
“Hold on tight, Eli.”
“Yes.”
Ailesia lifted Eleanor with one arm and glided smoothly out of the carriage as though sliding through the air itself.
It was a trick using flight magic.
“W-Whoa?”
“The Young Lady…!”
“Who is that woman?”
Whispers spread among the servants.
A completely unfamiliar woman had emerged from the carriage carrying the young Grand Duchess in her arms—of course they would be confused.
The knights, dressed in black formal uniforms, maintained their rigid posture, but their expressions twitched ever so slightly.
Every single one of them looked like they wanted to say something.
“Welcome back, Your Grace and Young Lady!”
“Welcome back!”
At the shout of the man standing at the front, everyone else echoed loudly and bowed in unison.
The knights also placed their fists over their chests and lowered their chins sharply.
“Welcome home, Your Grace. Young Lady, you must have suffered greatly.”
The man who had led the greeting stepped forward politely.
Neatly tailored formalwear. A face that appeared to be in his early forties.
After taking in both his appearance and clothing, Ailesia’s eyebrow twitched faintly.
‘Ah. So it’s you.’
Baron Bayton, the head butler of this estate.
The very man responsible for Eleanor wandering alone through an unknown forest—the traitor of the Grand Duke’s household.
The second button she needed to rip away had finally appeared.
The reactions of the retainers gathered inside the conference room were mostly similar.
Most of them, including Baron Bayton, maintained calm expressions, yet their eyes kept drifting toward Ailesia.
One broad-shouldered man sat there with his arms crossed and an expressionless face, completely unconcerned with what others thought.
‘Sir Kubera Dayfold, commander of the Tigel Knights.’
He stood at the very peak of the magical knights serving the Letis family.
Even across the entire Empire, he ranked among the top five strongest knights.
Across from him sat an elderly woman with a cold, hardened expression.
‘Head maid Ingrid Hermann.’
If Baron Bayton was a button that needed to be torn away, then these two were people she absolutely had to make allies of.
‘…Though honestly, I probably don’t even need to get close to them.’
After all, if she truly decided to rampage, there wasn’t a single person in this mansion capable of stopping her.
“Then let us begin the meeting.”
At that moment, the man seated between Theremion and Madam Hermann spoke.
‘Viscount Gavin, right? Chairman of the council.’
Well-groomed brown hair and a smooth, diplomatic smile.
He was the veteran noble who constantly mediated whenever Theremion clashed with the retainers.
The original story never specified his exact age, but judging from his appearance, he looked around sixty.
‘It’s strange. I recognize everyone immediately even though I’m seeing them for the first time.’
Calming herself quietly, Ailesia waited to see how the conversation would unfold.
“We discovered Eleanor in the Chernil Forest, in the western region of the Empire.”
“Good heavens…!”
The moment Theremion spoke, gasps erupted throughout the meeting room.
“The Chernil Forest…!”
“Isn’t that the legendary forest said to house a sleeping dragon?”
“It’s over five hundred kilometers from the Imperial Capital. How could such a thing happen?”
The retainers exchanged whispers, unable to comprehend the situation.
According to Eleanor, she had fallen asleep somewhere in the mansion garden and awoken deep within the forest.
Exactly as it had happened in the original story.
“Now, now, calm yourselves for a moment. His Grace has not finished speaking yet.”
After Viscount Gavin raised a hand to settle the commotion, Theremion continued.
“Fortunately, Eleanor returned safely without injury or illness. It is all thanks to the lady seated here.”
Raising his arm, Theremion formally gestured toward Ailesia.
“Allow me to properly introduce her. This is Lady Ailesia Milenov. She is the savior of Eleanor’s life, so I expect her to be treated with all due respect as an honored guest.”
“Do you intend to keep Lady Milenov in the mansion permanently?”
Madam Hermann naturally joined the conversation.
For some reason, her gaze toward Ailesia had become noticeably sharper than before.
“Ailesia is a mage of extraordinary ability. Eleanor is also very attached to her, so I am considering appointing her as Eleanor’s tutor.”
The retainers stirred uneasily at Theremion’s declaration.
About half looked shocked, while the rest wore subtle expressions of disapproval.
Calling her a tutor was essentially the same as making her the young Grand Duchess’s teacher.
It was a position that gave someone significant influence over Eleanor, while also placing them beyond the reach of ordinary criticism from the retainers.
There was no way they would immediately welcome an outsider who had suddenly appeared and been handed such an important role.
“Ahem.”
Baron Bayton let out a light cough before addressing Theremion with a solemn expression.
“Your Grace, may I speak?”
“Go ahead.”
“As Your Grace stated, we owe Lady Milenov a tremendous debt. Naturally, it would be proper to reward her generously. However, I believe the position of the Young Lady’s tutor is an entirely separate matter.”
“And what exactly do you mean by that?”
Baron Bayton glanced briefly toward Ailesia before lowering his head respectfully.
“The Young Lady is currently the sole heir of House Letis. Even if Lady Milenov saved her life, I do not believe we can entrust the Young Lady’s education to someone whose background remains entirely unknown. Furthermore, we cannot even properly evaluate the extent of her abilities. If the goal is the Young Lady’s education, there are already many distinguished and thoroughly vetted scholars available.”
I knew this would happen.
Listening quietly, Ailesia let out a scoffing laugh.
‘Three hundred years ago or now, nobles still insult people the exact same way.’
She had never expected a warm welcome in the first place, so she wasn’t particularly offended.
‘Go ahead then. Talk all you want.’
Ailesia’s eyes gleamed coldly, like a predator staring down prey.
