Candice was sitting in her magnificent executive office chair, swivel-shifting around, contemplating what to do with the council member who had smuggled magical research materials overseas.
One of the communication ports she had hidden in a drawer began to beep.
There was no way that Bernie, who had just returned, would have contacted her through the communication port, so the only thing left was the communication port connecting to Ophelia.
Candice hurriedly opened the drawer and activated the communication port. The space where her large, bespectacled figure had once been reflected suddenly revealed the face of a familiar friend.
"Oh, Duchess! You've been calling me so often. What's the matter this time?"
"I sent you a letter a few days ago, didn't you get it? It seems you still don't know. Well, it'll take some time to get there."
Ophelia spoke with a slightly excited expression from beyond the mirror. Candice asked back with a puzzled look.
“You don’t know what?”
"That's the thing. I met Aila! She came home yesterday... and when I woke up, I was so scared it wasn't a dream. So I ran to her room as soon as I woke up. But it wasn't a dream."
Ophelia answered in the aforementioned voice.
"Wow, really? That's so great! Now I really don't have to worry about anything."
Candice spoke with joy at the surprising news. Knowing how much her friends and her husbands had suffered over the past decade, she felt it as if it were her own.
But at her words, Ophelia's face darkened. It was a completely unexpected reaction.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
"That's... Aila... has a bit of a problem. That's why I need your help. Can you meet her in person and convince her? You're the only one I can trust."
Ophelia bit her lower lip nervously, saying she was a little uneasy about sending such an important matter by letter.
And Candice, who understood her friend's words, instantly erased her playfulness and turned serious.
“You need Isidor Hailing’s help... Did that son of a bitch put a curse on Aila?”
Ophelia's older brother, Isidore Hailing, was a scholar among scholars who diligently studied magical theory, although he did not have much innate magical ability.
Well, most people didn't know about his excellence because he hated standing out so much.
And the field in which he excelled the most was the theory of anti-curses.
“...”
Ophelia didn't answer her question, but Candice realized that her silence meant affirmation. She seemed reluctant to even mention the curse on her daughter.
'That makes sense.'
After 12 years, she finally found her daughter, but the sworn enemy who kidnapped her has now placed a curse on her.
"Don't worry. It's almost time to get out of work anyway, so I'll see him right away. It's his nephew's business, so even the most reluctant person will roll up their sleeves and get involved."
“...Yes, thank you.”
Ophelia ended the call with a sad look on her face, and Candice, unable to contain her anger at Byron's wickedness, screamed, "Ugh!"
How can a person be so evil?
'Ugh, no. Let's calm down.'
Candice took a deep breath and tried to control her anger.
She couldn't go to see Isidore in this state of confusion. After all, she was the leader of this country.
It was when she barely managed to control her rising anger and came out.
“Oh, Director! A letter just arrived for you.”
Candice's secretary handed her a freshly arrived envelope. It was in the handwriting of a familiar friend.
‘...I guess this is the letter Ophelia was talking about.’
After leaving a word of thanks to the secretary, she boarded the carriage heading to Isidore's house and opened her friend's letter.
The letter was uneventful. It simply said that Aila had been found and that she and her husband would be returning home in a few days.
But that short letter fully captured the excitement Ophelia had felt as she wrote it. Her usually neat handwriting was floating through the air.
So it seemed to be more in contrast to the bitter expression on her face when she cut off communication.
It seemed that when she wrote the letter, she had no idea that a terrible curse was placed on Ayla.
As Candice folded the letter and stuffed it into her coat pocket, her appetite suddenly soured, and the carriage arrived at its destination and stopped.
'But I'm his younger sister's best friend, so I won't be treated coldly, right?'
Candice scratched the back of her head as she got out of the carriage. She knew Isidore through his magical theory research, but they weren't close enough for her to come without contacting him.
And fortunately, Isidore's family welcomed her. Of course, this wasn't just because she was Ophelia's friend, but also because all of their children attended the National Academy of Magic.
So to speak, this was a sudden home visit by the director of the academy.
“What brings you here?”
Isidore, who had a face similar to Ophelia's but always wore a cold expression, asked in a blunt voice.
Unlike the other family members, he didn't seem too happy about Candice's visit.
“Oh, that’s...”
She was usually the type to say whatever she wanted to say without hesitation, but now she felt a bit cautious. It was inevitable, given the weight of the message she was trying to convey.
“If it’s not important, let’s do it later. I have to pack my bags.”
And while she was pondering how to bring this up, Isidore opened his mouth, his face looking somewhat anxious. It was an expression quite at odds with his usual image of a calm, model student.
“...You? Where are you going?”
Candice asked urgently, her mouth wide open.
Where on earth is this heavy-assed person going? And at such a crucial time!
She didn't know where he was going, but she had to stop him right away.
"You're a friend of Ophelia's, Mrs. Chairman, so you must have heard the news. I received a letter today saying my lost first nephew has been found. I wasn't able to visit Ophelia when her second child was born either... I thought I'd take this opportunity to visit the Empire and see my nephews."
Isidore answered with an awkward smile.
She rarely saw his smiling face, but looking at it like this, doesn't it look exactly like his sister's smiling face?
That wasn't what was important right now, though.
“...Ah, I came for nothing.”
Candice muttered with a blank expression.
She had come to persuade him to visit the Peles Empire, but before she could persuade him, he was already preparing to go to the Peles Empire.
No, this visit may not be completely meaningless.
Rather than visiting his nephew without knowing that she is under a curse, it would be better to know in advance and go prepared.
“Huh? What do you mean...?”
“Actually, I was asked to do it by Ophelia.”
When Isidore, who had heard her muttering, asked with a dumbfounded face, Candice relayed the information she had heard from Ophelia.
Of course, she used an anti-eavesdropping spell to prevent anyone around her from eavesdropping.
“Maybe that’s what happened...”
When Candice finished her explanation, Isidore stared blankly into space, as if he had been quite shocked.
He doesn't know the exact circumstances because he lives in a different country from his younger sibling, and they haven't been in contact for a while.
Byron was a villain beyond imagination.
It was unfortunate that the only ones suffering from such a villain were his younger sister and her daughter.
It was really unpleasant.
“We need to leave as soon as possible.”
Isidore jumped up from his chair as if he were ready to leave at any moment, even tonight.
“Then I really have to pack my bags, so I would like you to go back now, Mrs. Chairman.”
“Uh, yeah...”
Although she was forced out of his home, Candice didn't feel any regret.
Rather, she felt relieved at having completed the mission Ophelia had given her and boarded the returning carriage.
"Hey, Binka. You didn't forget this Sunday, did you?"
At her fellow maid's question, Binka, who was washing the mop, raised her head and looked at her.
"This Sunday? What happened? I have the day off."
"Look at this. How can you forget that already? It's Judy's housewarming, don't you remember?"
When Binka asked back with a bewildered expression, her colleague answered with a sad face as if asking how that could be possible.
It was decided that they would all go together to the housewarming party of an old colleague who had worked as a maid at the palace but had gotten married and quit.
“Oh, right. Housewarming... But I'm sorry. I can't go. You know, I have to take care of my sick mother on my days off.”
“I know that, but... Judy has been so good to us all this time...! Why can’t you miss a single day?”
The fellow maid asked with a look of regret.
“Hmm, I don’t think that’ll work.”
In fact, Binka had no intention of participating in such an unproductive gathering, but she couldn't help but show a look of regret.
"So, what about the gift? We were going to pool our money together and buy a nice present. But now everyone else has paid except you."
“...That seems impossible. You know it’s tight because the medicine costs a lot.”
Binka suppressed her pent-up irritation and made a pitiful expression.
Even without that, the price of raw materials has gone up, so she's spending most of her salary on medicine. How can she afford to buy something like a gift for a maid who just quit?
Of course, it was the medicine she was taking, not her mother.
"Oh, what can I do? I hope Mom gets better soon. Then I'll go wash the bed sheets."
As the annoyingly chatty colleague moved away, Binka roughly threw the rag she was washing, causing water to splash everywhere.
'Well, I guess they see me as being on the same level as them because I'm working as a maid. I'm not the type of person to be here like this.'
She gritted her teeth and took out the bottle of medicine she had hidden in her bosom.
One of the communication ports she had hidden in a drawer began to beep.
There was no way that Bernie, who had just returned, would have contacted her through the communication port, so the only thing left was the communication port connecting to Ophelia.
Candice hurriedly opened the drawer and activated the communication port. The space where her large, bespectacled figure had once been reflected suddenly revealed the face of a familiar friend.
"Oh, Duchess! You've been calling me so often. What's the matter this time?"
"I sent you a letter a few days ago, didn't you get it? It seems you still don't know. Well, it'll take some time to get there."
Ophelia spoke with a slightly excited expression from beyond the mirror. Candice asked back with a puzzled look.
“You don’t know what?”
"That's the thing. I met Aila! She came home yesterday... and when I woke up, I was so scared it wasn't a dream. So I ran to her room as soon as I woke up. But it wasn't a dream."
Ophelia answered in the aforementioned voice.
"Wow, really? That's so great! Now I really don't have to worry about anything."
Candice spoke with joy at the surprising news. Knowing how much her friends and her husbands had suffered over the past decade, she felt it as if it were her own.
But at her words, Ophelia's face darkened. It was a completely unexpected reaction.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
"That's... Aila... has a bit of a problem. That's why I need your help. Can you meet her in person and convince her? You're the only one I can trust."
Ophelia bit her lower lip nervously, saying she was a little uneasy about sending such an important matter by letter.
And Candice, who understood her friend's words, instantly erased her playfulness and turned serious.
“You need Isidor Hailing’s help... Did that son of a bitch put a curse on Aila?”
Ophelia's older brother, Isidore Hailing, was a scholar among scholars who diligently studied magical theory, although he did not have much innate magical ability.
Well, most people didn't know about his excellence because he hated standing out so much.
And the field in which he excelled the most was the theory of anti-curses.
“...”
Ophelia didn't answer her question, but Candice realized that her silence meant affirmation. She seemed reluctant to even mention the curse on her daughter.
'That makes sense.'
After 12 years, she finally found her daughter, but the sworn enemy who kidnapped her has now placed a curse on her.
"Don't worry. It's almost time to get out of work anyway, so I'll see him right away. It's his nephew's business, so even the most reluctant person will roll up their sleeves and get involved."
“...Yes, thank you.”
Ophelia ended the call with a sad look on her face, and Candice, unable to contain her anger at Byron's wickedness, screamed, "Ugh!"
How can a person be so evil?
'Ugh, no. Let's calm down.'
Candice took a deep breath and tried to control her anger.
She couldn't go to see Isidore in this state of confusion. After all, she was the leader of this country.
It was when she barely managed to control her rising anger and came out.
“Oh, Director! A letter just arrived for you.”
Candice's secretary handed her a freshly arrived envelope. It was in the handwriting of a familiar friend.
‘...I guess this is the letter Ophelia was talking about.’
After leaving a word of thanks to the secretary, she boarded the carriage heading to Isidore's house and opened her friend's letter.
The letter was uneventful. It simply said that Aila had been found and that she and her husband would be returning home in a few days.
But that short letter fully captured the excitement Ophelia had felt as she wrote it. Her usually neat handwriting was floating through the air.
So it seemed to be more in contrast to the bitter expression on her face when she cut off communication.
It seemed that when she wrote the letter, she had no idea that a terrible curse was placed on Ayla.
As Candice folded the letter and stuffed it into her coat pocket, her appetite suddenly soured, and the carriage arrived at its destination and stopped.
'But I'm his younger sister's best friend, so I won't be treated coldly, right?'
Candice scratched the back of her head as she got out of the carriage. She knew Isidore through his magical theory research, but they weren't close enough for her to come without contacting him.
And fortunately, Isidore's family welcomed her. Of course, this wasn't just because she was Ophelia's friend, but also because all of their children attended the National Academy of Magic.
So to speak, this was a sudden home visit by the director of the academy.
“What brings you here?”
Isidore, who had a face similar to Ophelia's but always wore a cold expression, asked in a blunt voice.
Unlike the other family members, he didn't seem too happy about Candice's visit.
“Oh, that’s...”
She was usually the type to say whatever she wanted to say without hesitation, but now she felt a bit cautious. It was inevitable, given the weight of the message she was trying to convey.
“If it’s not important, let’s do it later. I have to pack my bags.”
And while she was pondering how to bring this up, Isidore opened his mouth, his face looking somewhat anxious. It was an expression quite at odds with his usual image of a calm, model student.
“...You? Where are you going?”
Candice asked urgently, her mouth wide open.
Where on earth is this heavy-assed person going? And at such a crucial time!
She didn't know where he was going, but she had to stop him right away.
"You're a friend of Ophelia's, Mrs. Chairman, so you must have heard the news. I received a letter today saying my lost first nephew has been found. I wasn't able to visit Ophelia when her second child was born either... I thought I'd take this opportunity to visit the Empire and see my nephews."
Isidore answered with an awkward smile.
She rarely saw his smiling face, but looking at it like this, doesn't it look exactly like his sister's smiling face?
That wasn't what was important right now, though.
“...Ah, I came for nothing.”
Candice muttered with a blank expression.
She had come to persuade him to visit the Peles Empire, but before she could persuade him, he was already preparing to go to the Peles Empire.
No, this visit may not be completely meaningless.
Rather than visiting his nephew without knowing that she is under a curse, it would be better to know in advance and go prepared.
“Huh? What do you mean...?”
“Actually, I was asked to do it by Ophelia.”
When Isidore, who had heard her muttering, asked with a dumbfounded face, Candice relayed the information she had heard from Ophelia.
Of course, she used an anti-eavesdropping spell to prevent anyone around her from eavesdropping.
“Maybe that’s what happened...”
When Candice finished her explanation, Isidore stared blankly into space, as if he had been quite shocked.
He doesn't know the exact circumstances because he lives in a different country from his younger sibling, and they haven't been in contact for a while.
Byron was a villain beyond imagination.
It was unfortunate that the only ones suffering from such a villain were his younger sister and her daughter.
It was really unpleasant.
“We need to leave as soon as possible.”
Isidore jumped up from his chair as if he were ready to leave at any moment, even tonight.
“Then I really have to pack my bags, so I would like you to go back now, Mrs. Chairman.”
“Uh, yeah...”
Although she was forced out of his home, Candice didn't feel any regret.
Rather, she felt relieved at having completed the mission Ophelia had given her and boarded the returning carriage.
***
"Hey, Binka. You didn't forget this Sunday, did you?"
At her fellow maid's question, Binka, who was washing the mop, raised her head and looked at her.
"This Sunday? What happened? I have the day off."
"Look at this. How can you forget that already? It's Judy's housewarming, don't you remember?"
When Binka asked back with a bewildered expression, her colleague answered with a sad face as if asking how that could be possible.
It was decided that they would all go together to the housewarming party of an old colleague who had worked as a maid at the palace but had gotten married and quit.
“Oh, right. Housewarming... But I'm sorry. I can't go. You know, I have to take care of my sick mother on my days off.”
“I know that, but... Judy has been so good to us all this time...! Why can’t you miss a single day?”
The fellow maid asked with a look of regret.
“Hmm, I don’t think that’ll work.”
In fact, Binka had no intention of participating in such an unproductive gathering, but she couldn't help but show a look of regret.
"So, what about the gift? We were going to pool our money together and buy a nice present. But now everyone else has paid except you."
“...That seems impossible. You know it’s tight because the medicine costs a lot.”
Binka suppressed her pent-up irritation and made a pitiful expression.
Even without that, the price of raw materials has gone up, so she's spending most of her salary on medicine. How can she afford to buy something like a gift for a maid who just quit?
Of course, it was the medicine she was taking, not her mother.
"Oh, what can I do? I hope Mom gets better soon. Then I'll go wash the bed sheets."
As the annoyingly chatty colleague moved away, Binka roughly threw the rag she was washing, causing water to splash everywhere.
'Well, I guess they see me as being on the same level as them because I'm working as a maid. I'm not the type of person to be here like this.'
She gritted her teeth and took out the bottle of medicine she had hidden in her bosom.
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