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Chapter 6
After the intense reunion between the two had finally ended, only then did Ailesia properly introduce herself to Teremion.
“I am Teremion Halan von Lethis. Eleonora’s uncle.”
“Ailesia Milenov. As you probably guessed—I’m a witch.”
When she answered with a bright smile, Teremion’s brow twitched as he fell silent for a moment.
“…Are you admitting that you are a witch?”
“Whether I admit it or not, you were going to believe what you wanted anyway. Might as well just be a witch.”
The crease between Teremion’s brows deepened further.
Still maintaining a cheerful expression, Ailesia quietly reviewed what she knew about him.
‘Niece-obsessed, polite, zero resistance to adult women, and completely uncontrollable when angry.’
He wasn’t quite a tyrant-level ruler, but in the original story, Teremion was a cold-blooded man through and through.
He did not trust others easily, and his words and actions were so cold they could be considered cruel.
The only exceptions were a handful of people close to him—including his niece, Eleonora.
Especially when it involved Eleonora, he would always take a step back, no matter what.
He didn’t care about public opinion—or even about destroying himself. As long as Eleonora was happy, he would endure anything.
In a situation like this, using Eleonora as leverage was the best option.
“There seems to be a lot to discuss. How about we eat first?”
“…Pardon?”
Snap.
With a flick of Ailesia’s fingers, a large table and chairs appeared.
A ladle floated in the air, serving stew into bowls on its own, and wooden spoons arranged themselves neatly beside them.
Thirteen bowls and thirteen spoons—matching the number of knights surrounding the cabin.
“The stew I made is something Eleonora really loves. And it just happens to be lunchtime, doesn’t it?”
“Eat… now?”
Were witches always insane like this? Or had he already been enchanted like Eleonora?
Teremion was starting to question whether this was reality or a dream.
“We’re eating inside. Come in.”
“…We?”
He shook his head firmly, forcing himself to stay composed. He pretended not to see the bowls and spoons floating beside Ailesia.
“You won’t refuse to eat with your niece, will you? You are her uncle, aren’t you?”
If you don’t want to, fine. It’s your loss.
Ailesia picked up Eleonora and walked ahead.
“This is madness.”
Eleonora still wasn’t even looking at him. If he kept delaying, he would only lose more ground.
“Prepare to wait here while we eat.”
“Are you sure, Your Grace?”
One knight cautiously asked, and Teremion replied coldly.
“She wouldn’t poison the food she plans to eat herself.”
Frowning deeply, he clicked his tongue and walked toward the log cabin.
Inside the Cabin
“Thank you for the meal!”
“Was it good?”
“Yes!”
Eleonora, having finished every last drop of stew, answered brightly.
Ailesia gently wiped the child’s mouth with a handkerchief.
To anyone watching, they would look like real family.
Teremion sat across from them, arms crossed, glaring.
His own bowl was already empty. Somehow, the stew had suited his taste, which only irritated him more.
“Sorry for making you wait.”
“…It’s fine.”
His reply was short, but his tone sounded like he wanted to bite someone’s head off.
Within five minutes of sitting down, he had already finished eating—and now his gaze was sharp enough to cut.
Ailesia decided to address what she assumed he cared about most.
“First, about how I met Eleonora—”
“Before that.”
He raised a hand to stop her and looked at Eleonora.
“Ele.”
“Yes?”
“Are you hurt anywhere? Were you cold? Did you sleep well? Did you eat properly?”
His voice toward Ailesia was icy as ever—but toward Eleonora, it was unbelievably gentle.
Ailesia blinked in surprise.
Eleonora flinched slightly, then nodded.
“…Mm.”
“What did you do all this time?”
“Um… I played hide-and-seek with Wolfie, built a treehouse with Bearie, picked fruit with Deerie, and Snake-Snake even gave me rides on the lake…”
“…I see.”
Wolf, bear, deer… and “Snake-Snake”?
The serpent from the lake?
Teremion fell silent, unable to process it.
“They’re my friends.”
“…Do witches normally have such eccentric friends?”
Just then, Eleonora suddenly spoke up.
“Teacher is not a bad witch! She’s pretty and kind and super strong! Uncle is dumb!”
“A-Ailesia, don’t call your uncle dumb.”
“Hmmph.”
Ailesia patted Eleonora’s head and spoke calmly.
“I met Eleonora about two months ago. I was walking by the lake when she suddenly appeared behind me.”
“In the middle of this forest?”
“Yes. I thought I’d take her home, but she showed me this pendant.”
She pointed toward the shelf beside the bed.
Inside a small wooden box was Eleonora’s pendant.
“She said her uncle would find her if she had it. So I kept her here. I didn’t want to risk losing her.”
“If she had it, she could’ve just worn it.”
“What if she lost it while playing?”
Teremion narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“That level of magic… you could easily track it again.”
“There’s always a chance it breaks.”
“Two months is more than enough to return her home.”
“Eleonora said she wanted to stay.”
“Right, Uncle! I said I wanted to wait!”
Eleonora chimed in, but Teremion didn’t relax.
He still suspected Ailesia had manipulated her.
“Still, I’m glad you two reunited safely.”
“…For now.”
Teremion finally sat back down reluctantly.
Ailesia could only smile awkwardly.
‘This is harder than I thought.’
Whether Eleonora wanted it or not, she had chosen not to go directly to the duchy.
To change the ending properly, she needed to keep some parts of the original story intact.
“You’ve been protecting Eleonora, then.”
“Not exactly protecting. Just… living together.”
“…I see.”
Teremion stood and bowed formally.
“I apologize for my rudeness earlier. I judged you without knowing the situation.”
“Eh?”
“And thank you for taking care of Eleonora.”
A witch who made that terrifying man bow his head.
Ailesia blinked in disbelief.
As expected from the “niece-obsessed” description—it was even more extreme in reality.
“So, what now?”
“I will take Eleonora home. And I will properly compensate you.”
“Compensate?”
“If there is anything you want, tell me. I will prepare it.”
His sincerity was clear.
But Ailesia wasn’t about to let things go so smoothly.
“You’re just taking her home without even asking her?”
“Pardon?”
Teremion froze.
His calm cracked.
Ailesia tilted her head slightly and smiled.
“You didn’t even ask Eleonora if she wants to go home. If you had done your job properly as her guardian, do you think she would’ve ended up here?”
“That—!”
Teremion instinctively tried to retort—
Then closed his mouth tightly.
