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Chapter 15
Elbadin noticed the change in Noah’s expression and asked,
“What’s the matter?”
“…….”
However, Noah couldn’t answer easily. He just stared at Lucilea without blinking.
“…….”
“…….”
A brief silence passed.
Noah, who had been staring at Lucilea with an odd look in his eyes, slowly withdrew his hand from her forehead.
Only then could Lucilea breathe easily. The strange energy flowing from Noah’s fingertips had made it difficult for her to catch her breath.
Noah glanced at Lucilea, who was panting beside him, and then turned his head toward Elbadin.
“……There’s no need to worry. It’s not some strange magic; it’s a transformation spell.”
“Transformation spell?”
“Yeah. It’s magic that changes hair color, eye color, or sometimes both.”
Elbadin’s gaze shifted toward Lucilea.
Lucilea, pretending not to notice, looked out the window.
“Can it be undone?”
“Huh? No? I can’t do it.”
Noah replied with a bright smile.
Lucilea, surprised by his words, turned to look at him.
‘Can’t do it? You can’t?’
So, my true identity won’t be revealed?!
Noah continued speaking.
“You know, if I can’t do it, neither can the head of the magic tower. Don’t bother sending busy people back and forth.”
“……Is it like a curse?”
“Something similar, but not exactly.”
“Similar?”
“Someone set it up at the risk of their life. Magic tied to life can only be undone either by sacrificing life or meeting the caster’s specific conditions.”
“……What kind of conditions?”
Noah shrugged.
“I wouldn’t know either.”
“…….”
Noah looked at Lucilea and asked,
“When you looked in a mirror, you must have seen your true form, right?”
“…….”
Lucilea avoided his gaze, and Noah laughed.
“Look at this little rascal. She knew and pretended not to? That’s why she didn’t give me her hand when I asked.”
“…….”
Elbadin asked,
“Was there a reason you hid the fact that magic was placed on you?”
“…….”
Lucilea cautiously opened her mouth after gauging Elbadin’s reaction.
“In Mile Village, people said I was a child raised by a witch. Eventually, they just started calling me a witch.”
She fiddled with her clasped fingers as she recounted how she had been treated in Mile Village.
“If people realized that the way I saw myself in mirrors was different from how they saw me… I thought they’d treat me like a real witch. So I thought it was better to stay quiet. After all, no one else could see my reflection in the mirror anyway.”
“…….”
“I really didn’t lie because I wanted to. I was scared… I was scared that I might be kicked out of the grand duke’s mansion.”
“…….”
Lucilea hung her head low.
Although she used the people of Mile Village as an excuse, it was true that fear had driven her actions.
‘I can’t exactly say I lied because they might find out I’m your daughter.’
Trying to lie when she normally wouldn’t made her chest ache.
‘Why am I even in this situation? How I wish I had been born into an ordinary family. Who would have expected me to end up in a family like this, with a father like this?’
Placed in such a situation, she felt both frustrated and angry, unable to call Elbadin—the man sitting across from her—her father. Her nose stung with a sudden rush of emotion.
‘Hmph. I didn’t say anything, but it’s exhausting and painful…’
After Lucilea’s trembling voice subsided, silence settled over the office for a while.
Then, Noah cleared his throat, breaking the quiet.
“Ah, I… I understand this little one’s feelings quite well.”
“…….”
After a moment of hesitation, Noah spoke carefully.
“But, little one, when you look in the mirror, that reflection inside the mirror—”
“That’s enough. Just put magic on the necklace.”
Elbadin cut Noah off. Then Noah suddenly clapped his hands, as if he just remembered something.
“Right. There’s something more important!”
In a kinder tone, Noah spoke to Lucilea as if comforting her.
“Now, now, little one. To commemorate our first lesson tomorrow, I’ll put magic on the necklace you chose.”
“……Yes.”
Lucilea nodded weakly.
“Do you know how prestigious this is? Do you know how expensive enchanted necklaces can be?”
Noah boasted, and Lucilea glanced at him and spoke cautiously.
“I’ll have to return the necklace anyway if I get kicked out…”
“……Huh?”
Lucilea sniffled, and Noah turned sharply toward Elbadin, silently mouthing his concern.
‘Hey! This kid might cry! It’s not dangerous magic, right? Say you won’t kick her out! Quickly!’
Elbadin let out a small sigh.
“Don’t worry, we won’t kick you out.”
Lucilea glanced at Elbadin and asked,
“……Really?”
“Yes.”
“See! I told you, little one! A new sprout has entered the magic world, and we can’t kick her out for such a trivial reason!”
Finally, the shadow on Lucilea’s face vanished.
Elbadin stood from the sofa, walked to the window, and gave Lucilea permission to leave.
“You may leave now.”
Lucilea jumped up, having been waiting for this.
“Yes, I’ll go then!”
She quickly walked toward the door at a brisk pace.
“See you tomorrow, little one.”
Ah, she should greet her mentor properly.
Lucilea quickly turned, bowed to Noah, and said,
“See you tomorrow.”
“Mm.”
She also gave a respectful bow to Leat and hurriedly left the office.
Noah’s eyes followed her as she disappeared through the door.
The playful sparkle in his eyes had now turned into curiosity.
“What’s up with that kid?”
After Lucilea left the office, Noah asked Elbadin.
Elbadin glanced at the door briefly, then returned his gaze to the window.
Noah stood up from the sofa and walked toward Elbadin.
“What is she?”
Instead of answering, Elbadin gestured toward the documents on his desk.
Leat, standing beside him, picked up the documents and handed them to Noah.
“These are hers from earlier?”
“Yes.”
Noah perched on the edge of the desk and began flipping through the papers.
Flap, flap. The sound of turning pages filled the office.
As he lightly flipped through them, his expression gradually hardened.
The papers contained a detailed record of atrocious acts that defied his sense of logic.
“The villagers are bad enough, but this foster father… he’s completely insane.”
“…….”
Finally, he found a report filled with Mei’s curses and sprang to his feet.
“Ugh, the last one—Mei wrote that, right?”
Noah threw the papers onto the desk with all sorts of grimaces, and Leat, arranging the scattered documents, chuckled lightly.
“Apparently, seeing Lucilea inspired some sympathy in him. Usually reserved with emotions, he wrote her report brutally and plainly.”
“Looking at it, Mei isn’t as heartless as he pretends to be.”
“Like you, Noah?”
Huh? Noah shrugged.
“I’m not. I’m cold and calculating.”
“Of course not.”
Leat burst into laughter.
“In any case…”
Noah glanced at Leat and said,
“Mei hasn’t seen these papers yet, right?”
“No.”
“Then don’t show them to Mei.”
Thump, thump. Leat set the organized papers down on one side of the desk and replied,
“I intended to burn them after you had reviewed them anyway.”
“Good thinking.”
Noah returned to the sofa and sat down. After a moment of thought, he asked Elbadin,
“By the way, why did you stop me earlier?”
“What do you mean?”
“I was going to ask that little one what color her hair and eyes are in the mirror, but you stopped me. If we knew, maybe we could find out her identity.”
Elbadin paused before answering.
“She’s a child who knew about the magic but pretended not to. She understands that the magic exists to hide her true identity. Do you think a child like that would answer honestly if asked?”
Ah. Noah let out a short sigh.
“Right, she doesn’t look like an easy little kid.”
He sank back into the sofa, furrowing his brows deeply.
“Still, what kind of kid carries magic like that on her body?”
Hmmm. Noah rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
“She really is… a fugitive, isn’t she?”
“…….”
“Or maybe…”
Then Noah suddenly lifted his head and slammed his palm on the sofa armrest.
“Yes! Maybe!”
Elbadin, standing by the window, turned his body at Noah’s outburst. Noah met Elbadin’s gaze and said,
“Could she be the emperor’s illegitimate child?!”
