TRST 38

Chapter 38

As I called out to him, Ains stared at me with a blank expression. He seemed to have something to say, but his lips were tightly shut, leaving me confused.

Feeling bewildered, I glanced at Master Belle, who was smiling at Ains, clearly amused by the situation. Ains quickly turned his head and resumed eating, acting as if nothing had happened.

I felt a bit uneasy observing Ains sitting next to me. Since he was acting nonchalantly, I found it awkward to ask why he had been looking at me.

In the end, I couldn’t bring myself to question it and continued eating.

As I enjoyed the dishes being served, I soon forgot about Ains’s gaze.

“By the way, you two,” Master Belle suddenly spoke up during the meal. I paused just before taking a bite of the dessert fruit and looked up. She was glancing between Ains and me with a gentle expression.

“Now that I think about it, I hope I didn’t impose by asking you to join us, considering your divorce. Is everything okay?”

I was taken aback by her question. Did Master Belle really forget about our divorce? Could she have come at Grandfather’s request without knowing?

Perhaps, as she mentioned, she might not have had prior information. After all, knowing about our divorce wasn’t crucial. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was aware and was pretending otherwise.

I glanced at Ains.

“As long as Cecilia is okay with it, I’m fine,” he said, turning his attention to Master Belle. Her gaze shifted to me.

“What about you, Cecilia? You agreed to let him join earlier, but I hope you didn’t feel pressured because of me…”

Seeing her slightly apologetic expression eased my earlier suspicion. I realized there was no advantage for Master Belle to pretend ignorance. She didn’t need to be connected to Ains through me and already had ties to Grandfather.

Most importantly, I wasn’t in a position to be choosy. An elder of the Magic Tower could benefit Ains, too.

“I’m fine as well,” I smiled and replied. Master Belle sighed in relief, looking very relieved.

“That’s a relief. I was worried I might have overstepped.”

She chuckled softly, and I responded with a smile.

Throughout the meal, Ains frequently glanced at me. I felt self-conscious and hesitated several times but continued eating deliberately, not wanting him to notice my discomfort.

* * *

“Shall we head to the Magic Tower as planned?” Master Belle asked as we finished our meal and stood up. Since this was the destination she had suggested, I nodded eagerly.

“Yes, I’ve been wanting to visit. I’ve never been inside the tower before.”

I couldn’t hide my excitement. When Master Cesare mentioned I could visit, I had planned to go when I had the chance, and today was that opportunity. I had no reason to decline.

I had been to the tower before, but only to obtain mana stones, so I had only visited the small area accessible to outsiders and had never entered the training tower for mages.

“I’m fine with it too. It will be my first time inside,” Ains added. I was surprised by his words; I thought he would have visited several times due to his dealings with the Magic Tower. But that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Yes, the Magic Tower is quite conservative. Typically, non-mages can’t enter unless it’s a special circumstance. Being invited by me to enter is indeed a very special case.”

Master Belle addressed Ains, and as I listened, I realized just how prestigious it was to enter the Magic Tower. Meanwhile, she shot me a mischievous glance.

“Surely, you don’t feel the same way, do you, Cecilia?”

“Yes?”

I asked again, confused by her words. Master Belle chuckled softly.

“I mentioned that the Magic Tower is conservative about allowing non-mages inside. But Cecilia, you’re learning magic from Cesare, right? Even though you’re just starting to handle mana, since you’re being taught by him, you could be considered an apprentice mage. This means you can enter the Magic Tower whenever you wish.”

“Ah.”

I sighed softly at her words. It was true; I was learning magic from Master Cesare, the very owner of the Magic Tower.

At this moment, I could barely sense mana, but I hoped that in the future, when I could wield it freely, I would truly become a mage.

Yet, it still felt surreal.

Me, a mage.

“Then let’s go.”

We left the restaurant and climbed into Master Belle’s carriage, with our own carriages following behind.

As we traveled, I began to feel unwell. Perhaps it was because we had left right after eating; I felt nauseous and uncomfortable.

“Cecilia, are you okay?”

I tried to hide my discomfort, but my breathing became uneven. Master Belle noticed and looked at me with concern, while Ains, sitting beside me, also turned his gaze in my direction.

“Are you feeling sick? Is it the aftereffects again…?”

Ains asked urgently, noticing my pale face. I shook my head, trying to dismiss his worries.

“I’m fine. It’s just… I think I’m a bit carsick.”

I felt uneasy, thinking I had caused unnecessary concern for both Master Belle and Ains.

Despite my efforts to smile and reassure them, neither of them looked away from me.

“Cecilia, give me your hand.”

Master Belle reached out cautiously. Unsure of what to do, I extended my hand, and she took it. Her hand felt warm, perhaps even warmer because mine was cold.

After taking my hand, Master Belle closed her eyes. I watched her curiously, unsure of her intentions.

She seemed to be muttering something, and soon, a light began to glow from the hand that held mine. I gasped and instinctively tried to pull away, but Master Belle held on tightly.

“Stay still!”

She warned me.

“Yes, okay.”

I had no choice but to watch her closely and relaxed my shoulders.

The light from Master Belle’s hand gradually absorbed into me, and soon, my nausea began to fade.

By the time she released my hand, I felt completely at ease.

“How do you feel? Better now?”

She asked as she released my hand.

“Yes. Was that magic?”

I inquired, my eyes wide with curiosity. Master Belle smiled gently.

“It was indeed magic. One day, you’ll be able to use it too, Cecilia.”

“Really?”

I asked, filled with hope.

“Of course. It’s not a complex spell, so once you can handle mana freely, you’ll be able to perform this kind of healing magic.”

Her words made me smile. I wished for that day to arrive soon.

First, I wanted to calm the mana that had spiraled out of control due to my illness, and then I aspired to become a mage capable of using magic like Master Belle.

“Then… are you okay now?”

Ains, who had been observing us, asked cautiously. I turned to him and saw deep concern in his eyes. He seemed genuinely worried.

It felt odd and somewhat uncomfortable for Ains to care about me like this.

He hadn’t shown any concern before. Why had he changed after our divorce?

Recalling how Ains had insisted on helping me after learning about my illness and its lingering effects stirred mixed emotions within me.

“Yes, I felt quite nauseous from the carsickness earlier, but I’m fine now.”

I replied, my voice still struggling to sound soft. Ains sighed in relief and nodded.

“If you feel unwell or if the aftereffects return, let me know immediately. I’ll help you.”

With that, Ains turned to gaze out the carriage window.

Watching his profile, I soon shifted my gaze in the opposite direction.