Even though they had played until late at night, Kalia still wanted to play more, blinking her eyes in an attempt to keep them open.

Seeing her nodding off, Leticia smiled and whispered.

“I’ll stay beside you while you sleep. We can play together again tomorrow morning.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Soon, Kalia’s blinking golden eyes closed completely.

Leticia carried Kalia and laid her on the bed. Then she turned off all the lights except for one dim lamp.

In the darkened room, Leticia said to Tan.

“This bed, would you like to use it, Tan?”

Besides the child’s bed, there was another bed in young Kalia’s room that an adult could sleep in.

When Leticia pointed to that bed and asked, Tan shook his head.

“I won’t sleep. If you’re sleepy, Leti can use it.”

“You’re still growing. Is it okay not to sleep at night?”

To Leticia’s concern, Tan replied primly.

“I’m naturally nocturnal.”

“Humans are diurnal.”

“Most of my habits were formed when I was a beast.”

What nonsense.

The years he had lived as a human now exceeded twice the time he had lived as a beast, so such an excuse couldn’t possibly work.

“Don’t lie. When you slept with me, you slept well at night.”

“That’s because Leti put me to sleep. I always listen to Leti, you know.”

“Then I’ll put you to sleep now too. Come here.”

Tan seemed to consider it, then approached Leticia.

Finally, lying down next to Leticia, Tan said.

“But I won’t sleep.”

“Yes, yes. Then just close your eyes.”

“I really won’t sleep.”

“Whatever you say.”

The light, playful conversation gradually died down.

Leticia deliberately slowed her speech and mumbled.

“I’m a bit sleepy, so I’ll sleep first. Tan, you should sleep a little, too…”

Then she closed her eyes and breathed evenly, pretending to be asleep.

Leticia lay there pretending to sleep for a long time, gauging Tan’s presence.

For quite some time,e even after Tan’s breathing had become regular.

Only after waiting so long that she accidentally dozed off briefly did Leticia finally rise.

She approached the table with the water bottle, as if she had woken up thirsty. Then, looking around, she quickly wrapped a glass in her clothes and broke it silently.

When she placed her hand on a sharp piece, her palm was cut and blood flowed.

She quietly scattered glass fragments on the soft carpet to provide an excuse for her cut hand. Then, clutching her wounded hand, she approached Kalia.

She collected blood in her uninjured hand and quickly refined it into magical power. Just as she was about to feed the transparent blood magic to Kalia—

“What are you doing there, Leti?”

At Tan’s voice, Leticia quickly turned around.

Tan was sitting up on the bed, looking directly at Leticia.

“Ah, I was trying to drink water but broke the glass. I was checking if any pieces had flown this far.”

Her voice flowed naturally without the slightest tremor.

Leticia frowned as she held out her injured hand.

“I accidentally cut myself a little, so I think I need to treat it…”

“That wasn’t an accident.”

Tan got up from the bed and approached Leticia. He took her hand and, examining the wound, said.

“You broke it on purpose. You cut yourself on purpose.”

“What? That’s not possible. I just happened to drop the glass…”

“I saw everything from the beginning.”

How she deliberately wrapped the glass in cloth to break it silently, how she deliberately scattered the pieces on the floor, how she was trying to feed blood to Kalia.

After saying all this, Tan whispered to the pale, frozen Leticia.

“I told you I really wouldn’t sleep.”

***

Dawn that day.

Astrid’s eyes sharpened when she saw Leticia’s hand as she came to relieve Tan.

This was despite the fact that the wound wasn’t visible, as Tan had applied medicine and wrapped it with bandages during the night.

The subsequent scolding was directed at Tan, and Tan told Astrid everything he had seen.

Along with the simple logic that one needed to give an opportunity to catch someone in the act.

After hearing everything Tan said, Astrid asked Leticia.

“Is it because of Kalia?”

Leticia shook her head, with a face pale from not having slept at all.

Normally, upon seeing such a state, Astrid would have immediately wrapped Leticia in a blanket, put her to bed, and worried over her for a long time. But now, with a cold face, she first ordered Tan.

“Take Kalia to my room.”

“Yes.”

Tan carried the sleeping Kalia, blanket and all, and left. His gaze remained on Leticia until the last moment.

After sending the young ones away, Astrid decided to get rid of Ferik, who had followed her.

For one thing, she was annoyed by Ferik’s stare, which was fixed on Leticia’s bandaged hand.

“He won’t die from a little hand injury, Ferik. Get out.”

“The wound is too large compared to the baby’s body.”

Does he really think he’s as small as a baby just because she always calls him that?

“Then go out and bring some medicine.”

Astrid, who considered Ferik as merely a handsome fool she kept around, didn’t bother to correct his nonsense and instead roughly diverted the conversation to drive him out.

Thus, only master and disciple remained in the room.

Astrid pulled a chair to sit opposite Leticia, who was sitting at the edge of the bed.

But her disciple, head bowed and eyes downcast, did not meet her gaze even as time passed.

Finally, after a heavy silence, Astrid spoke first.

“Leti.”

“….”

“Would you prefer to tell us yourself or wait until we find out?”

To her disciple, who still gave no answer and kept his head bowed, Astrid added a condition.

“But while we wait, you won’t be able to see Kalia.”

Though she couldn’t use magic right now, Astrid was still a mage.

Just knowing that Leticia had been regularly feeding her blood to Kalia, a series of highly plausible hypotheses had already lined up in Astrid’s mind.

And Leticia knew this fact as well.

Finally, Leticia’s resigned lips opened.

“I’m not overdoing it. I only drew a set amount of blood each day. Only as much as wouldn’t strain my body…”

The first thing that came out was an excuse.

Leticia tried not to stammer to inspire trust.

But Astrid, who was listening, could only recall Leticia’s forearm covered with dozens of needle marks.

“I wasn’t planning to continue. Just until I found another method…”

“What other method?”

Leticia’s mouth closed again.

Astrid spoke like a sigh.

“We could have looked for it together. From the beginning. Before you started drawing your blood like that. If you had just told me why you were doing this from the start—”

“I can’t.”

“Leti.”

“I don’t think I can. Even now. I really can’t. Even though I know you’ll find out soon even if I don’t tell you. But still… I, Master. I really…”

The incoherent words pouring out in desperation were unlike her disciple.

Seeing the breakdown of a child who had never once been spoiled since childhood and had only smiled prettily, Astrid momentarily lost her cold demeanor.

She unconsciously reached out to her head-bowed disciple.

“I actually thought I should tell you someday, I kept thinking that I knew I should…”

Astrid thought her disciple was crying, but the cheek her hand touched was dry.

Leticia raised her head. Her eyes, which had been wavering, were now calm, as if accepting the inescapable situation.

Astrid realized anew.

Her disciple never cries, clings, or throws tantrums. He never blames circumstances or points fingers at others.

Her disciple’s way of expressing sadness has always been guilt and self-blame.

Even when it’s not his responsibility, not his fault, as if it were.

“Kalia has awakened ‘fire’.”

With just her disciple’s brief words, Astrid instantly sensed her daughter’s death.