At their daughter's words, Roderick and Ophelia looked at each other with embarrassed expressions.
What parent would stand by and watch their daughter, who will barely be fourteen after her upcoming birthday, take on dangerous tasks?
But, if that daughter wants it this much... it didn’t seem like a good thing to just stop her.
“And, in fact...”
Aila swallowed with a tense expression.
She's always thought she'd discuss the curse with her parents someday. It was something she couldn't solve alone. She just didn't expect that moment to come so soon.
She opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
“...There’s a curse on my body. If Byron finds out I’m not following his orders, I...will die.”
“What does that mean?”
Ophelia, surprised by her words, asked with a trembling voice as expected.
A curse? How could such a terrible spell be placed on the body of her precious daughter, whom she would not mind putting in her eye?
"It's literally true. I think he put it there to control me. I was so young I don't even remember..."
Aila bit her lip, and Ophelia hugged her silently.
And Roderick slammed his fist on the sofa, his anger seemingly uncontrollable.
“Don’t worry, Aila. Mom... we’ll definitely lift your curse.”
Has there ever been a moment when she felt so sorry for losing her magic power?
Ophelia felt a sense of helplessness and frustration that was sinking to the bottom, but she assured her daughter in a confident voice that she would not worry.
It was also a promise to herself.
“...For the time being, there’s nothing we can do. We’ll just have to keep pretending we don’t know anything.”
Roderick opened his mouth in a pained voice.
"Sorry..."
Even though she hadn't done anything wrong, Aila cringed and apologized for no reason. She still had a habit of constantly apologizing to Byron, Laura, and everyone else around her.
“You did nothing wrong. You don’t need to apologize.”
Roderick said, gently stroking Aila's back.
"You don't have to apologize." How comforting those seemingly insignificant words were. It was truly remarkable.
And a moment of silence fell between them. They needed a moment to collect their emotions after hearing such horrific and shocking news.
It was Roderick who broke the silence.
"Then... I'll secretly assign someone to these guys and have them watch over them. It'd be better to get direct evidence than the evidence you copied down. Is that okay?"
“Yes, Father.”
“Do you have anything else to say?”
He asked with a somewhat tired expression.
"Oh, Laura. She's Cloud Air's niece. He said she was his dead brother's daughter."
So, when Aila said that they should be especially careful in front of Laura, Ophelia and Roderick looked surprised.
“...That kid?”
“Yes. She has been my servant ever since she was little.”
The couple's doubts grew when they heard that Laura had been serving her for a long time.
“No way... I heard that kid worked for the Marquis of Caenis for a long time.”
“Marquis Caenis...”
And at Roderick's foolish words, Aila repeated the name.
"Come to think of it, there was a Marquis among those who helped Byron. I don't remember his name, but I remember his face clearly. Laura left with him."
When his daughter asked if he might be the Marquis of Caenis, Roderick washed his face dry as if his head was aching.
“Ha, that guy...”
The person he's long believed to be on his side turned out to be a traitor. Marquis Caenis even feigned discord with Byron, even openly feigning hostility.
It was something that he couldn't help but be shocked by.
"I'll try to get a portrait of the Marquis of Caenis. Confirm that it's him."
Although he did not disbelieve Ayia's words, Roderick, who could not give up his last hope, spoke quietly.
“...Yes, Father.”
She nodded, as she also wanted to know for sure the identity of the Marquis.
“From now on, when we talk privately, I’ll think of a way to get Laura away from you.”
"Thank you."
Aila happily answered, since it would be much easier to move around if only Laura could be removed.
Now that she was done talking, it was time for her to return the box.
“But, what is this?”
Ophelia, who was looking into Aila's jewelry box, discovered a gift package she had hidden and asked.
“Ah, that’s...”
These were the items she bought at the souvenir shop in the Inselkov Kingdom, where she had happened to run into Winfred.
“These are the cufflinks I bought for my father... and these are for my mother.”
As Aila shyly placed the gifts she had prepared in her parents' hands, Roderick and Ophelia looked at them with expressions of emotion.
“Oh my gosh, it’s so pretty.”
“It’s just a cheap stone from a souvenir shop. It’s not even a gem...”
Aila awkwardly twisted her hair and avoided their gaze.
"But it's the first gift I've ever received from my daughter. I want to show it off to the world. Oh, after everything is settled, of course."
While Ophelia spoke happily, Roderick focused on the gifts still left in the box.
“Then what are those?”
At her father's question, Aila took out a purple stone beautifully carved in the shape of a flower and held it in her hand.
A talisman to pray for the health of children.
It seemed like it would suit Noah better than her.
She hasn't seen him with his eyes open yet, but she heard he has purple eyes, just like her mother.
Doesn't it seem like fate?
"I heard that in the Inselkov Kingdom, these stones are used as talismans to pray for the health of children. I'd like to give them to Noah."
"...I see."
Ophelia accepted the stone with a moved expression, deeply moved by her daughter's kindness. But Roderick was more concerned about the remaining items.
“That?”
“...It’s a secret.”
With a stern expression, Aila snapped her fingers. Then, the jewelry box before her eyes vanished in an instant.
“Then I’ll go back now. Laura might come to my bedroom.”
Now it was truly time to go back, said Aila, standing in front of the secret passage again.
“But... what is the portrait in the hallway?”
“Ah, His Highness the Crown Prince drew it for me. He must have been concerned that we couldn’t see you.”
When she asked as if she had suddenly remembered something, Ophelia answered with a bright smile.
Winfred had painted that elaborate picture. Aila, slightly surprised, bid her parents good night and entered the secret passage.
The couple left behind after their daughter passed away were thinking the same thing.
A yellow stone, the same color as Winfred's eyes, was hidden inside the box. And a portrait filled with love, every brushstroke.
The idea that maybe Aila and Winfred's relationship was more than just friendship.
However, the couple's thoughts differed; unlike Ophelia, who looked upon the children's cute affection with warmth, Roderick felt jealousy at having his daughter taken away from him.
“Sister, here it is, here.”
Bernie called out to Candice, his face covered by a newspaper. His voice was barely audible, almost a whisper.
As she approached the bench where he was sitting and sat down next to him, Bernie, wearing a fedora and a long beige coat, handed me an envelope.
It looked like they were conducting some kind of espionage operation.
No, maybe it's espionage.
Since arriving in the Republic of Tamora, Bernie has been quick to settle down in the back alleys, bringing Candice any information she needs.
Thanks to Bernie's quick thinking, they've already been able to catch and discipline two professors who were embezzling the academy's funds for personal gain.
The information they asked about today was also quite useful.
“Well, that man, a member of the Wizard Council, was selling research materials to foreign countries?”
"Wow, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I rarely would've found the leak."
Candice gave a cheerful laugh and slapped Bernie on the back, a gesture of intimacy in her own way.
“Shh! Sister, your voice is too loud! Who would overhear?”
He said, putting his index finger to his lips.
“Who’s listening? Not just anyone can come in here.”
Candice shrugged in disbelief. The conversation took place in the private garden attached to the Academy Director's office.
No one could come and go freely here except Bernie, who had shown her the secret entrance, and no one in the country was brave enough to sneak in and spy on Candice's private life.
“...Let’s get into the spy spirit! This is the first time in my life I’ve done something this impressive.”
“So that’s why you’re wearing those clothes? A fedora, a coat... Where have you seen anything like that?”
“I heard that the detectives in the popular mystery novels these days walk around like this... Hmm, hmm.”
Bernie was pretending to be nice, crossing his legs and rubbing his chin for no reason.
'It's become considerably easier compared to when we first met in the Inselkov Kingdom.'
Candice nodded with a satisfied face and looked at him.
When they first came to this country together, he was like a fool, screaming, "Why are you only telling me now that you are such an amazing person!!"
He was so adaptable that she could almost believe he was a native of the Republic of Tamora.
"Well then, I'll be heading back now. Just take care of business, Sister. If you have any more requests, please contact me anytime!"
After completing his report, Bernie gave a polite salute and swiftly returned to the secret passageway he'd entered. Candice, who chuckled happily at the sight, took the documents he'd left behind and entered the office.
'So now, what do we do with this old man?'
What parent would stand by and watch their daughter, who will barely be fourteen after her upcoming birthday, take on dangerous tasks?
But, if that daughter wants it this much... it didn’t seem like a good thing to just stop her.
“And, in fact...”
Aila swallowed with a tense expression.
She's always thought she'd discuss the curse with her parents someday. It was something she couldn't solve alone. She just didn't expect that moment to come so soon.
She opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
“...There’s a curse on my body. If Byron finds out I’m not following his orders, I...will die.”
“What does that mean?”
Ophelia, surprised by her words, asked with a trembling voice as expected.
A curse? How could such a terrible spell be placed on the body of her precious daughter, whom she would not mind putting in her eye?
"It's literally true. I think he put it there to control me. I was so young I don't even remember..."
Aila bit her lip, and Ophelia hugged her silently.
And Roderick slammed his fist on the sofa, his anger seemingly uncontrollable.
“Don’t worry, Aila. Mom... we’ll definitely lift your curse.”
Has there ever been a moment when she felt so sorry for losing her magic power?
Ophelia felt a sense of helplessness and frustration that was sinking to the bottom, but she assured her daughter in a confident voice that she would not worry.
It was also a promise to herself.
“...For the time being, there’s nothing we can do. We’ll just have to keep pretending we don’t know anything.”
Roderick opened his mouth in a pained voice.
"Sorry..."
Even though she hadn't done anything wrong, Aila cringed and apologized for no reason. She still had a habit of constantly apologizing to Byron, Laura, and everyone else around her.
“You did nothing wrong. You don’t need to apologize.”
Roderick said, gently stroking Aila's back.
"You don't have to apologize." How comforting those seemingly insignificant words were. It was truly remarkable.
And a moment of silence fell between them. They needed a moment to collect their emotions after hearing such horrific and shocking news.
It was Roderick who broke the silence.
"Then... I'll secretly assign someone to these guys and have them watch over them. It'd be better to get direct evidence than the evidence you copied down. Is that okay?"
“Yes, Father.”
“Do you have anything else to say?”
He asked with a somewhat tired expression.
"Oh, Laura. She's Cloud Air's niece. He said she was his dead brother's daughter."
So, when Aila said that they should be especially careful in front of Laura, Ophelia and Roderick looked surprised.
“...That kid?”
“Yes. She has been my servant ever since she was little.”
The couple's doubts grew when they heard that Laura had been serving her for a long time.
“No way... I heard that kid worked for the Marquis of Caenis for a long time.”
“Marquis Caenis...”
And at Roderick's foolish words, Aila repeated the name.
"Come to think of it, there was a Marquis among those who helped Byron. I don't remember his name, but I remember his face clearly. Laura left with him."
When his daughter asked if he might be the Marquis of Caenis, Roderick washed his face dry as if his head was aching.
“Ha, that guy...”
The person he's long believed to be on his side turned out to be a traitor. Marquis Caenis even feigned discord with Byron, even openly feigning hostility.
It was something that he couldn't help but be shocked by.
"I'll try to get a portrait of the Marquis of Caenis. Confirm that it's him."
Although he did not disbelieve Ayia's words, Roderick, who could not give up his last hope, spoke quietly.
“...Yes, Father.”
She nodded, as she also wanted to know for sure the identity of the Marquis.
“From now on, when we talk privately, I’ll think of a way to get Laura away from you.”
"Thank you."
Aila happily answered, since it would be much easier to move around if only Laura could be removed.
Now that she was done talking, it was time for her to return the box.
“But, what is this?”
Ophelia, who was looking into Aila's jewelry box, discovered a gift package she had hidden and asked.
“Ah, that’s...”
These were the items she bought at the souvenir shop in the Inselkov Kingdom, where she had happened to run into Winfred.
“These are the cufflinks I bought for my father... and these are for my mother.”
As Aila shyly placed the gifts she had prepared in her parents' hands, Roderick and Ophelia looked at them with expressions of emotion.
“Oh my gosh, it’s so pretty.”
“It’s just a cheap stone from a souvenir shop. It’s not even a gem...”
Aila awkwardly twisted her hair and avoided their gaze.
"But it's the first gift I've ever received from my daughter. I want to show it off to the world. Oh, after everything is settled, of course."
While Ophelia spoke happily, Roderick focused on the gifts still left in the box.
“Then what are those?”
At her father's question, Aila took out a purple stone beautifully carved in the shape of a flower and held it in her hand.
A talisman to pray for the health of children.
It seemed like it would suit Noah better than her.
She hasn't seen him with his eyes open yet, but she heard he has purple eyes, just like her mother.
Doesn't it seem like fate?
"I heard that in the Inselkov Kingdom, these stones are used as talismans to pray for the health of children. I'd like to give them to Noah."
"...I see."
Ophelia accepted the stone with a moved expression, deeply moved by her daughter's kindness. But Roderick was more concerned about the remaining items.
“That?”
“...It’s a secret.”
With a stern expression, Aila snapped her fingers. Then, the jewelry box before her eyes vanished in an instant.
“Then I’ll go back now. Laura might come to my bedroom.”
Now it was truly time to go back, said Aila, standing in front of the secret passage again.
“But... what is the portrait in the hallway?”
“Ah, His Highness the Crown Prince drew it for me. He must have been concerned that we couldn’t see you.”
When she asked as if she had suddenly remembered something, Ophelia answered with a bright smile.
Winfred had painted that elaborate picture. Aila, slightly surprised, bid her parents good night and entered the secret passage.
The couple left behind after their daughter passed away were thinking the same thing.
A yellow stone, the same color as Winfred's eyes, was hidden inside the box. And a portrait filled with love, every brushstroke.
The idea that maybe Aila and Winfred's relationship was more than just friendship.
However, the couple's thoughts differed; unlike Ophelia, who looked upon the children's cute affection with warmth, Roderick felt jealousy at having his daughter taken away from him.
***
“Sister, here it is, here.”
Bernie called out to Candice, his face covered by a newspaper. His voice was barely audible, almost a whisper.
As she approached the bench where he was sitting and sat down next to him, Bernie, wearing a fedora and a long beige coat, handed me an envelope.
It looked like they were conducting some kind of espionage operation.
No, maybe it's espionage.
Since arriving in the Republic of Tamora, Bernie has been quick to settle down in the back alleys, bringing Candice any information she needs.
Thanks to Bernie's quick thinking, they've already been able to catch and discipline two professors who were embezzling the academy's funds for personal gain.
The information they asked about today was also quite useful.
“Well, that man, a member of the Wizard Council, was selling research materials to foreign countries?”
"Wow, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I rarely would've found the leak."
Candice gave a cheerful laugh and slapped Bernie on the back, a gesture of intimacy in her own way.
“Shh! Sister, your voice is too loud! Who would overhear?”
He said, putting his index finger to his lips.
“Who’s listening? Not just anyone can come in here.”
Candice shrugged in disbelief. The conversation took place in the private garden attached to the Academy Director's office.
No one could come and go freely here except Bernie, who had shown her the secret entrance, and no one in the country was brave enough to sneak in and spy on Candice's private life.
“...Let’s get into the spy spirit! This is the first time in my life I’ve done something this impressive.”
“So that’s why you’re wearing those clothes? A fedora, a coat... Where have you seen anything like that?”
“I heard that the detectives in the popular mystery novels these days walk around like this... Hmm, hmm.”
Bernie was pretending to be nice, crossing his legs and rubbing his chin for no reason.
'It's become considerably easier compared to when we first met in the Inselkov Kingdom.'
Candice nodded with a satisfied face and looked at him.
When they first came to this country together, he was like a fool, screaming, "Why are you only telling me now that you are such an amazing person!!"
He was so adaptable that she could almost believe he was a native of the Republic of Tamora.
"Well then, I'll be heading back now. Just take care of business, Sister. If you have any more requests, please contact me anytime!"
After completing his report, Bernie gave a polite salute and swiftly returned to the secret passageway he'd entered. Candice, who chuckled happily at the sight, took the documents he'd left behind and entered the office.
'So now, what do we do with this old man?'
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