Surprised that Lestia would even ask if she could sleep in her bed, Lysian couldn’t help but shout.
“Of course. This is your room. Only you can use that bed.”
Lestia shrank again from the bleak atmosphere.
“I’m sorry I made you mad.”
Lysian touched his forehead as if frustrated, then, he came closer to Lestia.
“Come here.”
Lysian picked Lestia up again.
“What…?”
“You won’t climb up on the bed if I don’t do this.”
With Lestia in his arms, Lysian walked towards the bed.
The girl in his arms was too thin and light, Lysian couldn’t help but frown.
How could she be so light when she was only three years younger than him….
Who would have thought she was eleven? She looked like a nine-year-old at most.
When he thought about how Lestia had lived in this body, being abused by that drunkard, he became furious.
He asked,
“Don’t you hate your uncle?”
“Huh?”
‘Tell me if you want him dead or disappear. Just name it. I’ll get rid of him if you give me your words.’
That was what Lysian wanted to say.
But Lestia couldn’t catch the deep intention of his question.
“Sometimes, I really did hate him a lot…. When I was little, I could only depend on my uncle. He was very good to me until I was five. He didn’t drink much until then….”
“…so you want me to make him disappear, right?”
Lysian asked again.
But Lestia did not give the answer that he wanted.
“I just want my uncle to stop drinking and live a happy life.”
“You’re uselessly nice.”
In the end, Lysian had no choice but to carefully place Lestia on the bed, delaying her uncle’s disposal for the time being.
“…”
In his mind, he still thought, ‘If you change your mind, tell me anytime.’
Originally, Lysian was going to stop here and go back to his room.
However, Lestia’s emaciated body, falling from his arms, once again bothered him.
And it didn’t suit her………..
He put her on the bed, got her a pillow, and even covered her with a blanket.
Then, suddenly, his eyes met Lestia’s.
Lestia stammered, seemingly surprised by Lysian’s kindness.
“Thank you. You don’t have to do this much for me……….”
After hearing her words, Lysian thought that he didn’t do anything much, but for Lestia…
“God damn it.”
“Did I do something wrong again?”
“No, I made a slip of my tongue. What do you think? How’s your bed?”
Lestia replied to Lysian’s question in a slightly cheerful voice.
“The bed is really …fluffy. I really don’t know if I’m allowed to sleep here.”
“Anyway.”
Lysian spoke again to Lestia, who still had doubts about the situation.
“Listen to me carefully. This is your room.”
“Yes…..?”
“You’re the only one who can use it from now on. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes!”
“So, by tomorrow, try to use everything here.
“What….?”
“Answer.”
“Yes…….”
Lestia nodded eagerly, her big eyes flickering.
“Then go to bed.”
Lysian said briefly and turned off the lights.
In an instant, darkness covered the spacious room.
Lestia let out a small scream of surprise as it was unfamiliar and scary to be alone in such a large and dark space.
“Ah…!”
Lysian asked immediately.
“Why? Are you scared?”
“…….. It’s a little …….”
“Still, it has to be dark to get a good night’s sleep.”
“Yes…….”
Lysian stared at Lestia, who was nodding firmly, deliberately not showing any sign of being afraid, and then he made a white butterfly in his hand.
When the butterfly fluttered away from Lysian’s hand it multiplied from one to many and scattered in all directions.
The white butterflies flew around the room like fireflies dancing in the forest at night, illuminating the dark room softly.
“Is this ……?”
“It’s magic.”
With a wave of his hand, Lysian sent a few butterflies flying towards Lestia.
The beautiful butterflies flew in circles, fluttering by Lestia’s side.
Lestia began to wonder if she should touch it.
Seeing the look on her face, Lysian couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You can touch it. It’s not hot. It’s just light.”
At Lysian’s words, Lestia finally reached for the butterflies. Then, one butterfly fluttered and landed on her palm.
“It’s fascinating….It’s so beautiful.”
Lestia finally smiled.
It was a clear, childlike smile that she had never shown before she left her uncle’s cottage and came to Verchester mansion.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Lestia pulled her hand away, startled, as if she remembered something.
She remembered what Joel said about the magic neutralization stone.
“If you use magic like this…Shouldn’t you have to use the neutral stone?”
Lysian shook his head.
“If I use only this much, I don’t need it.”
The butterfly sat back on Lestia’s hand again.
“I’ll leave it here until tomorrow morning. What do you think? It’s not scary now, is it?”
Lestia hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said,
“Yes. Thank you very much.”
As she expressed her gratitude, Lestia smiled brightly.
Her smile was somehow so dazzling that Lysian couldn’t help but feel happy.
“Don’t need to thank me, just go to bed. It’s getting too late.”
Lysian turned off all the lights in the room and quietly closed the door and walked out.
Click.
The door closed.
Lestia lay on her bed, staring blankly at the small butterflies fluttering around the room.
Everything that happened to her today was as magical as those butterflies.
‘I wish I could use magic too.’
If she knew magic, she would be a real Verchester. Lestia thought.
It would be amazing that she really met her real family.
Her thoughts raced from one to the next, fear and excitement were entangled.
‘No, Joel said I’m Verchester even if I can’t use magic.’
Recalling those words, Lestia suppressed her anxious mind.
Then, before she knew it, she closed her eyes, and darkness fell.
However, she wasn’t as scared as she was earlier.
Even in her dreams, she felt as if she were being protected by glittering butterflies as they flew around her.
Lestia fell into the deepest sleep she had in a long time.
“A sister overnight?”
Lysian stepped out of the Lestia’s room and walked down the dark hallway.
“It’s better than having another cheeky brother.”
Recalling Lestia’s smile made Lysian’s lips curl up.
But Lysian was not aware of this fact.
****
The Verchester’s residence was bustling early in the morning.
This was because there was a mountain of things to prepare for the youngest Lady who had suddenly appeared.
There hasn’t been a little girl in the house in a very long time. So there was a lot to figure out.
They had to find out what kind of food the young lady liked, what kind of colors of clothes would suit her, what kind of trinkets and toys were popular among the imperial noble girls these days, and whether all of them would be suitable for her.
All of this had to be done in a short amount of time, so the servants were hard at work from last night until this morning.
“It seems only yesterday that the funeral of the former Duke ended, but there’s a lot to do again.”
“I know. There’s no time to rest. We have one more person to serve.”
Some of the servants frowned with fatigue.
“But Dora says the Young Lady loved the room on the second floor.”
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
The servants chatted, relieving their fatigue.
Even if the labor was hard, it was a good thing that they had created a space where that little girl, who apparently suffered in the outside world, could rest.
“By the way, is she really the daughter of the former Duke?”
One of the servants, who was chatting, secretly indicated a question.
“What are you talking about? You saw the Young Lady. Her mouth looks a lot like the Duke’s.”
“Didn’t the former Duke never get close to any woman after his wife died?”
“How would we know that? Maybe he didn’t bring his women to the mansion.”
“But her hair and eye’s color are completely different. And….”
The lack of magic was a big question.
Because magic was so much like a fingerprint of the Verchesters.
“Of course she’s his daughter! She’s the one and only Lady of Verchester who was recognized by Duke Gerard. If you have time to gossip, you should clean up!”
Dora suddenly appeared and chased away all the servants who were gossiping loudly.
“My God!”
Meanwhile, the kitchen was in great distress.
“Master Lysian has asked me to be extra careful with the food the young lady is served.”
“It seems that the Young Lady ate a lot of meat last night. Let’s fill her up with meat for breakfast!”
“No, she’s in her growth spurt, she shouldn’t eat only meat. We need to make sure she has access to nutritious food.”
“You idiots! You should make delicious desserts. They say if the dessert is good, they remember it as a good meal!”
Everyone was in their own misery, busy thinking and moving.
Meanwhile, Lestia continued to marvel from the moment she opened her eyes.
“Wow………..”
The room, bathed in dazzling sunlight, was more comfortable than it was last night.
Lestia didn’t feel like getting up because of the fluffy bed.
However, she made an effort to get herself out of bed.
“Don’t get lazy. Lysian told me to use all the things in the room.”
Lestia cautiously slipped her feet into her rabbit-fur slippers again.
Then she slowly began to look around the room.
The paintings on the wall caught her eyes.
It was certainly nice to just look at the paintings, painstakingly painted by famous artists.
But she wasn’t sure how she should use them. She had never done anything like appreciating famous paintings.
“Is there anything I can use?”
Looking around intently, Lestia decided to sit down on one of the chairs in front of her.
She sat down carefully.
It was very awkward, but she liked the cushions and the hard backrest.
“And this is it, the desk…”
In front of the chair, there was a desk and a bookshelf.
Lestia involuntarily reached for a book on the bookshelf and immediately stopped.
“Idiot. I can’t even read. What am I going to do with a book?”
It was harder than she thought to follow Lysian’s instruction: “Try to use everything.”
It was then.
Knock. Knock.
Someone was knocking on the door.
Surprised that Lestia would even ask if she could sleep in her bed, Lysian couldn’t help but shout.
“Of course. This is your room. Only you can use that bed.”
Lestia shrank again from the bleak atmosphere.
“I’m sorry I made you mad.”
Lysian touched his forehead as if frustrated, then, he came closer to Lestia.
“Come here.”
Lysian picked Lestia up again.
“What…?”
“You won’t climb up on the bed if I don’t do this.”
With Lestia in his arms, Lysian walked towards the bed.
The girl in his arms was too thin and light, Lysian couldn’t help but frown.
How could she be so light when she was only three years younger than him….
Who would have thought she was eleven? She looked like a nine-year-old at most.
When he thought about how Lestia had lived in this body, being abused by that drunkard, he became furious.
He asked,
“Don’t you hate your uncle?”
“Huh?”
‘Tell me if you want him dead or disappear. Just name it. I’ll get rid of him if you give me your words.’
That was what Lysian wanted to say.
But Lestia couldn’t catch the deep intention of his question.
“Sometimes, I really did hate him a lot…. When I was little, I could only depend on my uncle. He was very good to me until I was five. He didn’t drink much until then….”
“…so you want me to make him disappear, right?”
Lysian asked again.
But Lestia did not give the answer that he wanted.
“I just want my uncle to stop drinking and live a happy life.”
“You’re uselessly nice.”
In the end, Lysian had no choice but to carefully place Lestia on the bed, delaying her uncle’s disposal for the time being.
“…”
In his mind, he still thought, ‘If you change your mind, tell me anytime.’
Originally, Lysian was going to stop here and go back to his room.
However, Lestia’s emaciated body, falling from his arms, once again bothered him.
And it didn’t suit her………..
He put her on the bed, got her a pillow, and even covered her with a blanket.
Then, suddenly, his eyes met Lestia’s.
Lestia stammered, seemingly surprised by Lysian’s kindness.
“Thank you. You don’t have to do this much for me……….”
After hearing her words, Lysian thought that he didn’t do anything much, but for Lestia…
“God damn it.”
“Did I do something wrong again?”
“No, I made a slip of my tongue. What do you think? How’s your bed?”
Lestia replied to Lysian’s question in a slightly cheerful voice.
“The bed is really …fluffy. I really don’t know if I’m allowed to sleep here.”
“Anyway.”
Lysian spoke again to Lestia, who still had doubts about the situation.
“Listen to me carefully. This is your room.”
“Yes…..?”
“You’re the only one who can use it from now on. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes!”
“So, by tomorrow, try to use everything here.
“What….?”
“Answer.”
“Yes…….”
Lestia nodded eagerly, her big eyes flickering.
“Then go to bed.”
Lysian said briefly and turned off the lights.
In an instant, darkness covered the spacious room.
Lestia let out a small scream of surprise as it was unfamiliar and scary to be alone in such a large and dark space.
“Ah…!”
Lysian asked immediately.
“Why? Are you scared?”
“…….. It’s a little …….”
“Still, it has to be dark to get a good night’s sleep.”
“Yes…….”
Lysian stared at Lestia, who was nodding firmly, deliberately not showing any sign of being afraid, and then he made a white butterfly in his hand.
When the butterfly fluttered away from Lysian’s hand it multiplied from one to many and scattered in all directions.
The white butterflies flew around the room like fireflies dancing in the forest at night, illuminating the dark room softly.
“Is this ……?”
“It’s magic.”
With a wave of his hand, Lysian sent a few butterflies flying towards Lestia.
The beautiful butterflies flew in circles, fluttering by Lestia’s side.
Lestia began to wonder if she should touch it.
Seeing the look on her face, Lysian couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You can touch it. It’s not hot. It’s just light.”
At Lysian’s words, Lestia finally reached for the butterflies. Then, one butterfly fluttered and landed on her palm.
“It’s fascinating….It’s so beautiful.”
Lestia finally smiled.
It was a clear, childlike smile that she had never shown before she left her uncle’s cottage and came to Verchester mansion.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Lestia pulled her hand away, startled, as if she remembered something.
She remembered what Joel said about the magic neutralization stone.
“If you use magic like this…Shouldn’t you have to use the neutral stone?”
Lysian shook his head.
“If I use only this much, I don’t need it.”
The butterfly sat back on Lestia’s hand again.
“I’ll leave it here until tomorrow morning. What do you think? It’s not scary now, is it?”
Lestia hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said,
“Yes. Thank you very much.”
As she expressed her gratitude, Lestia smiled brightly.
Her smile was somehow so dazzling that Lysian couldn’t help but feel happy.
“Don’t need to thank me, just go to bed. It’s getting too late.”
Lysian turned off all the lights in the room and quietly closed the door and walked out.
Click.
The door closed.
Lestia lay on her bed, staring blankly at the small butterflies fluttering around the room.
Everything that happened to her today was as magical as those butterflies.
‘I wish I could use magic too.’
If she knew magic, she would be a real Verchester. Lestia thought.
It would be amazing that she really met her real family.
Her thoughts raced from one to the next, fear and excitement were entangled.
‘No, Joel said I’m Verchester even if I can’t use magic.’
Recalling those words, Lestia suppressed her anxious mind.
Then, before she knew it, she closed her eyes, and darkness fell.
However, she wasn’t as scared as she was earlier.
Even in her dreams, she felt as if she were being protected by glittering butterflies as they flew around her.
Lestia fell into the deepest sleep she had in a long time.
“A sister overnight?”
Lysian stepped out of the Lestia’s room and walked down the dark hallway.
“It’s better than having another cheeky brother.”
Recalling Lestia’s smile made Lysian’s lips curl up.
But Lysian was not aware of this fact.
****
The Verchester’s residence was bustling early in the morning.
This was because there was a mountain of things to prepare for the youngest Lady who had suddenly appeared.
There hasn’t been a little girl in the house in a very long time. So there was a lot to figure out.
They had to find out what kind of food the young lady liked, what kind of colors of clothes would suit her, what kind of trinkets and toys were popular among the imperial noble girls these days, and whether all of them would be suitable for her.
All of this had to be done in a short amount of time, so the servants were hard at work from last night until this morning.
“It seems only yesterday that the funeral of the former Duke ended, but there’s a lot to do again.”
“I know. There’s no time to rest. We have one more person to serve.”
Some of the servants frowned with fatigue.
“But Dora says the Young Lady loved the room on the second floor.”
“Phew, that’s a relief.”
The servants chatted, relieving their fatigue.
Even if the labor was hard, it was a good thing that they had created a space where that little girl, who apparently suffered in the outside world, could rest.
“By the way, is she really the daughter of the former Duke?”
One of the servants, who was chatting, secretly indicated a question.
“What are you talking about? You saw the Young Lady. Her mouth looks a lot like the Duke’s.”
“Didn’t the former Duke never get close to any woman after his wife died?”
“How would we know that? Maybe he didn’t bring his women to the mansion.”
“But her hair and eye’s color are completely different. And….”
The lack of magic was a big question.
Because magic was so much like a fingerprint of the Verchesters.
“Of course she’s his daughter! She’s the one and only Lady of Verchester who was recognized by Duke Gerard. If you have time to gossip, you should clean up!”
Dora suddenly appeared and chased away all the servants who were gossiping loudly.
“My God!”
Meanwhile, the kitchen was in great distress.
“Master Lysian has asked me to be extra careful with the food the young lady is served.”
“It seems that the Young Lady ate a lot of meat last night. Let’s fill her up with meat for breakfast!”
“No, she’s in her growth spurt, she shouldn’t eat only meat. We need to make sure she has access to nutritious food.”
“You idiots! You should make delicious desserts. They say if the dessert is good, they remember it as a good meal!”
Everyone was in their own misery, busy thinking and moving.
Meanwhile, Lestia continued to marvel from the moment she opened her eyes.
“Wow………..”
The room, bathed in dazzling sunlight, was more comfortable than it was last night.
Lestia didn’t feel like getting up because of the fluffy bed.
However, she made an effort to get herself out of bed.
“Don’t get lazy. Lysian told me to use all the things in the room.”
Lestia cautiously slipped her feet into her rabbit-fur slippers again.
Then she slowly began to look around the room.
The paintings on the wall caught her eyes.
It was certainly nice to just look at the paintings, painstakingly painted by famous artists.
But she wasn’t sure how she should use them. She had never done anything like appreciating famous paintings.
“Is there anything I can use?”
Looking around intently, Lestia decided to sit down on one of the chairs in front of her.
She sat down carefully.
It was very awkward, but she liked the cushions and the hard backrest.
“And this is it, the desk…”
In front of the chair, there was a desk and a bookshelf.
Lestia involuntarily reached for a book on the bookshelf and immediately stopped.
“Idiot. I can’t even read. What am I going to do with a book?”
It was harder than she thought to follow Lysian’s instruction: “Try to use everything.”
It was then.
Knock. Knock.
Someone was knocking on the door.
