The next morning, Aila was admiring the flowers in the greenhouse with her maids. Lisa had suggested they take a walk, saying she felt it was too much to stay indoors.
But because the weather had gotten quite cold, she didn't want to go outside, so she ended up drinking tea surrounded by flowers in the glass greenhouse on the balcony.
"So, you were all washing dishes together until that late? Lisa, you too?"
At Lisa's words, Aila opened her mouth with a slightly surprised expression.
She already knew that Laura had been called in last night to sort through the mountain of dishes, but she had no idea Lisa was there.
“Yes. We’re all going through this together, so I can’t just relax.”
Lisa answered with a shy smile.
After all, she was a noblewoman and the daughter of the benefactor who had helped her find Aila, so there was an atmosphere of respect and consideration for her among the employees.
So last night, Lisa was not called and was an exception, but she went to the kitchen to find something to do on her own.
“Still, it’s a rare opportunity to rest early... but I’m not getting enough rest.”
“Hey, no. I’m not that tired.”
While Aila and Lisa were having a friendly conversation, Laura was glaring at Lisa with a look that seemed to say that she couldn't stand her annoyance.
She seemed jealous because it seemed like Lisa was getting special treatment, and she also seemed to hate seeing her pretending to be nice all by herself.
"Lisa isn't pretending to be nice; she's genuinely nice. She thinks everyone else is just as hypocritical as I am."
Aila snorted and put a sweet cookie in her mouth, feeling as if she could see right through Laura's mind.
The candy melted softly in her mouth, making it taste even more delicious than usual. It was thanks to the deep sleep she'd had for the first time in a long while since learning that her uncle, Isidore, was a curse expert.
It was while Aila was enjoying her refreshments.
“Excuse me, Miss.”
The Duke's butler, Lester, spoke to Ayla.
“Yeah, why?”
“...The room you lived in as a child is still there. Would you like to take a look?”
The tone was calm and polite, no different from usual, but somehow, it seemed like there was a desperate feeling in the question.
“You mean my room when I was little?”
Aila asked, her eyes wide with a hint of surprise. Of course, she wasn't really surprised.
Lester had made the same suggestion in her past life. Startled and unsure of what to do, Aila absentmindedly agreed and looked around the room, unaware that it was the one she'd used as a baby.
“Yes. I don’t know if you remember anything since you were so young, but I thought it would be good to visit anyway...”
“Is that so, then?”
Since she hadn't even started formal etiquette and successor classes, she had nothing to do, and she was also curious about what her room was like when she was young.
Although she said she saw it before the return, it had been quite some time, and her memory had faded. At the time, Aila visited without knowing anything, so she only glanced at it while watching the butler's expression, leaving only regret.
As Aila rose from her seat as if to follow the butler, he, unable to hide his joy, led her to the room he had used as a child.
“This way, Miss.”
Lester opened the door politely and said.
She entered the room with a slightly trembling heart.
Laura tried to follow in, but Lisa grabbed her arm and stopped her, giving her a look that suggested she should just leave her alone.
A look of discontent flashed across Laura's face for a moment, but thanks to it, Aila was able to freely explore her childhood room without worrying about Laura's reaction.
The room, where a crib, a mobile, and cute stuffed animals welcomed her, was spotless, as if it had been meticulously cleaned recently.
If it weren't for the faded furniture, she doesn't think she would have been able to feel any traces of time.
‘...I don’t remember a single thing.’
Aila looked around frantically, trying to think of something, but nothing came to mind.
It was only natural. There was no way she could have any memories of the time when she was just learning to walk.
But even though she couldn't remember anything... She felt strangely affectionate.
Although the furniture and structure of her younger brother Noah's room were not much different, this room somehow felt as if even the air flowing through it was filled with a sweet longing.
As she looked around the room, feeling a strange tingling sensation, she stopped when she found something that caught her eye.
'Surely not this...'
Her name and date were carved into the wooden pillar. There were traces of her height being measured every few months, starting around the time she was a year old.
'I was this small...?'
With her ridiculously short stature, which seemed less than half her current height, Aila was overcome with a strange sense of loneliness.
How heartbreaking it is that she, who was so small, never returned to this room even once until she grew so big.
‘...Who gave it to me?’
Mother? Father? Or... the nanny whose family was slaughtered by Byron?
Aila closed her eyes tightly and imagined the moments when this mark was carved into the pillar.
A chubby child leaning against a pillar and measuring her height, her father writing on the pillar, and her mother smiling happily while looking at the scene.
Imagining such scenes strangely brought tears to her eyes, but Aila held them back. Laura might find it strange.
Perhaps what actually happened in this room was different from what she imagined. It was a long time ago, and she didn't remember it.
But there were also some clear facts.
When these traces appeared, she and her parents were... happy. And Byron destroyed that happiness.
‘...I can’t forgive you.’
With her desire for revenge against Byron burning brightly once again, Aila left her childhood room.
As she came out of the room, Lester, who had been waiting impatiently, approached her.
“The room... did you see it well, Miss?”
“Yeah. Thank you for letting me see the room. It was really... refreshing.”
A pleasant wrinkle formed at the corners of the butler's eyes as Aila smiled and expressed her heartfelt gratitude to him.
“Let’s go with this candidate, Director.”
"No, Director. The candidate I recommended is more knowledgeable than that candidate!"
Republic of Tamora, National Magic Academy.
Candice Eposher was pressing her temples as if her head were aching.
This was because the current professors, divided into factions, had been harassing Candice for days, each putting forward their own recommended candidates for the vacant professorship.
“...Yes, everyone, please step back. I need some time to think.”
“But, Director!”
“If you keep doing that, I’ll pull you out as I please!”
When Candice gritted her teeth and shouted with a fierce expression, the professors had no choice but to back out of the director's office.
"Oh, really! It's good that they kicked out the professors who were eating up research funds, but hiring new ones is also a lot of work, really."
She tousled her hair and vented her frustration. On a day like today, she just wanted to throw it all away and go back to some quiet rural village to farm.
Just then, a very welcome notification sound began to emanate. It was coming from a communication port she had hidden in a drawer.
"Who is it? Bernie? Ophelia? Whoever it is, I hope it's interesting news."
Candice quickly opened her desk drawer, her heart pounding. It was a call from Ophelia.
“Hey, buddy! What’s up?”
She activated the communication device with a cheerful expression and greeted me happily.
But the face reflected in the communication port wasn't her friend Ophelia. It was a face that closely resembled hers, though.
“It's me, Director.”
"...Ah."
She thought he was her friend and made a big fuss when she got the call, but he turned out to be her friend's older brother.
It would have been something that would have made a normal person want to hide in a hole, but Candice shamelessly accepted Isidore's call as if nothing had happened.
"What brings you here, Dr. Hailing? I thought you were Ophelia..."
“Ah, if it’s Ophelia...”
“I’m here, Candy!”
Ophelia peeked out from behind Isidore's stern face. It seemed the siblings were together.
“I’m contacting you because I have a favor to ask.”
"A favor? Is it something related to Aila? If so, I'll grant you anything."
When Isidore opened his mouth in a stiff voice, Candice shrugged her shoulders and smiled as if telling him to just speak.
“Yes. It has to do with that child, but... it might sound a bit far-fetched.”
He began to speak with a dark expression.
"So... you're asking me to look up Dr. Hailing's records from when you were a freshman at the Academy. It's been a full 30 years."
“...Yes. If that guy is the one who placed the curse on Aila, shouldn’t we catch her? That way, it’ll be easier to lift the curse.”
At Isidore's words, Candice pouted and fell into thought. It wasn't that she was particularly dissatisfied; it was just a habit she had whenever she was deep in thought.
His words were not wrong. If there was anything that could possibly help lift Aila's curse, it was time to look for it.
However...
'...I wonder if there are any records left of the incident that the Academy covered up 30 years ago.'
After she took over as director, there was no covering up or downplaying of the incident... nothing like that. It wasn't to her taste.
But before that, it was a common occurrence. How many events disappeared without even a record?
But she couldn't give such a disheartening answer to her friend, who couldn't even sleep well because she was worried about her daughter.
"I'll find out and get back to you. Ophelia, just trust me!"
Candice thumped her skinny chest and screamed.
The communication port was cut off with the scene of Ophelia waving her hand in thanks behind Isidore, who still had a stern expression.
‘...If there are no records, we should at least look for the professors who worked during that time.’
Candice smiled, cracking her knuckles and neck.
A foreign student from the Peles Empire who quit 30 years ago.
She vowed to find that record even if it meant turning the academy upside down.
But because the weather had gotten quite cold, she didn't want to go outside, so she ended up drinking tea surrounded by flowers in the glass greenhouse on the balcony.
"So, you were all washing dishes together until that late? Lisa, you too?"
At Lisa's words, Aila opened her mouth with a slightly surprised expression.
She already knew that Laura had been called in last night to sort through the mountain of dishes, but she had no idea Lisa was there.
“Yes. We’re all going through this together, so I can’t just relax.”
Lisa answered with a shy smile.
After all, she was a noblewoman and the daughter of the benefactor who had helped her find Aila, so there was an atmosphere of respect and consideration for her among the employees.
So last night, Lisa was not called and was an exception, but she went to the kitchen to find something to do on her own.
“Still, it’s a rare opportunity to rest early... but I’m not getting enough rest.”
“Hey, no. I’m not that tired.”
While Aila and Lisa were having a friendly conversation, Laura was glaring at Lisa with a look that seemed to say that she couldn't stand her annoyance.
She seemed jealous because it seemed like Lisa was getting special treatment, and she also seemed to hate seeing her pretending to be nice all by herself.
"Lisa isn't pretending to be nice; she's genuinely nice. She thinks everyone else is just as hypocritical as I am."
Aila snorted and put a sweet cookie in her mouth, feeling as if she could see right through Laura's mind.
The candy melted softly in her mouth, making it taste even more delicious than usual. It was thanks to the deep sleep she'd had for the first time in a long while since learning that her uncle, Isidore, was a curse expert.
It was while Aila was enjoying her refreshments.
“Excuse me, Miss.”
The Duke's butler, Lester, spoke to Ayla.
“Yeah, why?”
“...The room you lived in as a child is still there. Would you like to take a look?”
The tone was calm and polite, no different from usual, but somehow, it seemed like there was a desperate feeling in the question.
“You mean my room when I was little?”
Aila asked, her eyes wide with a hint of surprise. Of course, she wasn't really surprised.
Lester had made the same suggestion in her past life. Startled and unsure of what to do, Aila absentmindedly agreed and looked around the room, unaware that it was the one she'd used as a baby.
“Yes. I don’t know if you remember anything since you were so young, but I thought it would be good to visit anyway...”
“Is that so, then?”
Since she hadn't even started formal etiquette and successor classes, she had nothing to do, and she was also curious about what her room was like when she was young.
Although she said she saw it before the return, it had been quite some time, and her memory had faded. At the time, Aila visited without knowing anything, so she only glanced at it while watching the butler's expression, leaving only regret.
As Aila rose from her seat as if to follow the butler, he, unable to hide his joy, led her to the room he had used as a child.
“This way, Miss.”
Lester opened the door politely and said.
She entered the room with a slightly trembling heart.
Laura tried to follow in, but Lisa grabbed her arm and stopped her, giving her a look that suggested she should just leave her alone.
A look of discontent flashed across Laura's face for a moment, but thanks to it, Aila was able to freely explore her childhood room without worrying about Laura's reaction.
The room, where a crib, a mobile, and cute stuffed animals welcomed her, was spotless, as if it had been meticulously cleaned recently.
If it weren't for the faded furniture, she doesn't think she would have been able to feel any traces of time.
‘...I don’t remember a single thing.’
Aila looked around frantically, trying to think of something, but nothing came to mind.
It was only natural. There was no way she could have any memories of the time when she was just learning to walk.
But even though she couldn't remember anything... She felt strangely affectionate.
Although the furniture and structure of her younger brother Noah's room were not much different, this room somehow felt as if even the air flowing through it was filled with a sweet longing.
As she looked around the room, feeling a strange tingling sensation, she stopped when she found something that caught her eye.
'Surely not this...'
Her name and date were carved into the wooden pillar. There were traces of her height being measured every few months, starting around the time she was a year old.
'I was this small...?'
With her ridiculously short stature, which seemed less than half her current height, Aila was overcome with a strange sense of loneliness.
How heartbreaking it is that she, who was so small, never returned to this room even once until she grew so big.
‘...Who gave it to me?’
Mother? Father? Or... the nanny whose family was slaughtered by Byron?
Aila closed her eyes tightly and imagined the moments when this mark was carved into the pillar.
A chubby child leaning against a pillar and measuring her height, her father writing on the pillar, and her mother smiling happily while looking at the scene.
Imagining such scenes strangely brought tears to her eyes, but Aila held them back. Laura might find it strange.
Perhaps what actually happened in this room was different from what she imagined. It was a long time ago, and she didn't remember it.
But there were also some clear facts.
When these traces appeared, she and her parents were... happy. And Byron destroyed that happiness.
‘...I can’t forgive you.’
With her desire for revenge against Byron burning brightly once again, Aila left her childhood room.
As she came out of the room, Lester, who had been waiting impatiently, approached her.
“The room... did you see it well, Miss?”
“Yeah. Thank you for letting me see the room. It was really... refreshing.”
A pleasant wrinkle formed at the corners of the butler's eyes as Aila smiled and expressed her heartfelt gratitude to him.
***
“Let’s go with this candidate, Director.”
"No, Director. The candidate I recommended is more knowledgeable than that candidate!"
Republic of Tamora, National Magic Academy.
Candice Eposher was pressing her temples as if her head were aching.
This was because the current professors, divided into factions, had been harassing Candice for days, each putting forward their own recommended candidates for the vacant professorship.
“...Yes, everyone, please step back. I need some time to think.”
“But, Director!”
“If you keep doing that, I’ll pull you out as I please!”
When Candice gritted her teeth and shouted with a fierce expression, the professors had no choice but to back out of the director's office.
"Oh, really! It's good that they kicked out the professors who were eating up research funds, but hiring new ones is also a lot of work, really."
She tousled her hair and vented her frustration. On a day like today, she just wanted to throw it all away and go back to some quiet rural village to farm.
Just then, a very welcome notification sound began to emanate. It was coming from a communication port she had hidden in a drawer.
"Who is it? Bernie? Ophelia? Whoever it is, I hope it's interesting news."
Candice quickly opened her desk drawer, her heart pounding. It was a call from Ophelia.
“Hey, buddy! What’s up?”
She activated the communication device with a cheerful expression and greeted me happily.
But the face reflected in the communication port wasn't her friend Ophelia. It was a face that closely resembled hers, though.
“It's me, Director.”
"...Ah."
She thought he was her friend and made a big fuss when she got the call, but he turned out to be her friend's older brother.
It would have been something that would have made a normal person want to hide in a hole, but Candice shamelessly accepted Isidore's call as if nothing had happened.
"What brings you here, Dr. Hailing? I thought you were Ophelia..."
“Ah, if it’s Ophelia...”
“I’m here, Candy!”
Ophelia peeked out from behind Isidore's stern face. It seemed the siblings were together.
“I’m contacting you because I have a favor to ask.”
"A favor? Is it something related to Aila? If so, I'll grant you anything."
When Isidore opened his mouth in a stiff voice, Candice shrugged her shoulders and smiled as if telling him to just speak.
“Yes. It has to do with that child, but... it might sound a bit far-fetched.”
He began to speak with a dark expression.
"So... you're asking me to look up Dr. Hailing's records from when you were a freshman at the Academy. It's been a full 30 years."
“...Yes. If that guy is the one who placed the curse on Aila, shouldn’t we catch her? That way, it’ll be easier to lift the curse.”
At Isidore's words, Candice pouted and fell into thought. It wasn't that she was particularly dissatisfied; it was just a habit she had whenever she was deep in thought.
His words were not wrong. If there was anything that could possibly help lift Aila's curse, it was time to look for it.
However...
'...I wonder if there are any records left of the incident that the Academy covered up 30 years ago.'
After she took over as director, there was no covering up or downplaying of the incident... nothing like that. It wasn't to her taste.
But before that, it was a common occurrence. How many events disappeared without even a record?
But she couldn't give such a disheartening answer to her friend, who couldn't even sleep well because she was worried about her daughter.
"I'll find out and get back to you. Ophelia, just trust me!"
Candice thumped her skinny chest and screamed.
The communication port was cut off with the scene of Ophelia waving her hand in thanks behind Isidore, who still had a stern expression.
‘...If there are no records, we should at least look for the professors who worked during that time.’
Candice smiled, cracking her knuckles and neck.
A foreign student from the Peles Empire who quit 30 years ago.
She vowed to find that record even if it meant turning the academy upside down.
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