Chapter 34

“Then, I’ll leave Rafaella in your care.”  

Lia spoke to Paula and Helen, who had come early in the morning.  

“Miss Lia, don’t worry.”  

“We will take good care of the young lady while you’re away.”  

During her short absence, Paula and Helen were to look after Rafaella.  

Rafaella liked them very much, as they had treated her without prejudice from the beginning.  

‘If it’s Paula and Helen, I can trust them and go.’  

Since Lia only packed spare clothes and a notebook for magical herbs, her luggage was light.  

Holding a bag in one hand and Rafaella’s hand in the other, Lia descended to the first floor.  

When she reached the central entrance hall, the Duchess Dowager, Johann, and a knight she had never seen before were waiting for her.  

“Have you prepared everything without missing anything?”  

The Duchess Dowager approached Lia and looked at her bag as she asked.  

“Yes.”  

“Let me introduce you to the knight who will serve as your escort and coachman during your trip to the north.”  

At Johann’s words, Lia turned her head to look at the knight standing beside him.  

He was a young man with a tall and neat appearance, though shorter than Johann, with brown hair and blue eyes.  

His freckles gave him a slightly mischievous impression.  

“This is Sir Harry from our knight order.”  

“Greetings. I am Harry, a knight of the Blumhart family, tasked with escorting and driving for you, Miss Lia.”  

“Hello, I’m Lia, Rafaella’s mother.”  

To think they assigned an escort even though she was only taking a brief trip to the north.  

After exchanging introductions with the knight, Lia followed them outside the central entrance.  

In front of the mansion, a luxurious and sturdy four-wheeled carriage for distinguished guests was waiting.  

“This carriage is equipped with speed magic stones, so you’ll reach the north much faster than when you came here.”  

“Thank you.”  

“You’re going to gather herbs for Penelope. This much is only natural.”  

Isabella held Lia’s hand as she spoke.  

“Raffy. Listen to Grandma and Dad, and get along well with Paula and Helen, alright?”  

Lia crouched to face Rafaella, who stood beside her.  

“…Okay!”  

“I’ll just pick some flowers and be back soon, so wait a little.”  

Lia hugged her daughter lightly, then reluctantly walked toward the carriage.  

Harry was already seated in the coachman’s seat, and all Lia had to do now was board the carriage.  

As she hesitated, wondering how to climb into the high carriage alone, Johann escorted her.  

‘This is so embarrassing.’  

“As I mentioned before, don’t worry about Rafaella. We’ll take good care of her.”  

Johann’s reassuring words marked the closing of the carriage door.  

Lia leaned out of the carriage window and waved to her daughter until Rafaella was no longer in sight.  

Traveling to the north in a comfortable carriage felt very different from the time she had hitchhiked on a freight wagon and squeezed into a cramped stagecoach to reach the Capital.  

It felt strange.  

She had only thought about changing Rafaella’s life; she never imagined she would end up riding in such a fine carriage herself.  

‘…Well, since I’m here, I might as well make the most of it.’  

Eating the sandwich Paula had given her for breakfast, she gazed at the rapidly passing scenery of the Capital.  

The speed magic stones were indeed expensive, as the difference was noticeable.  

‘The scenery is passing so quickly; I might get motion sickness if I’m not careful.’  

Even though she would reach the north quickly, she still worried about leaving young Rafaella alone.  

However, this time, she felt a bit more trust in her husband.  

When Lia had mentioned a few days ago that she would briefly visit the north to gather herbs to heal Penelope, his reaction had been somewhat different.  

“You’re leaving Rafaella behind, then.”  

“Yes, so….”  

“Don’t worry. What happened with Marco won’t happen again.”  

Before she could ask him to take care of Rafaella, he had spoken firmly.  

“I now fully understand what kind of danger children face when their parents fail to protect them.”  

Johann had a determined expression, as if he would never let such a thing happen again.  

For some reason, his demeanor made her smile.  

‘…Though I held it back.’  

She gave him a few pieces of advice for Rafaella, noticing the slight change in him.  

‘They say the bond formed through raising a child is stronger than the bond formed by giving birth. Perhaps this man is slowly learning the bond of raising a child.’  

It seemed like coming to entrust Rafaella to him earlier than she had in the previous timeline was a good decision.  

***

Shortly after Lia left, a carriage bearing the Blumhart family crest entered the ducal mansion.  

The new butler and head maid from the Blumhart estate had arrived.  

The new butler, Alfred, had a softer demeanor than his predecessor, Robert, and greeted Isabella, Johann, and Rafaella politely.  

“Welcome. Please take good care of the mansion.”  

“I will do my utmost to ensure the Burns family is not disgraced.”  

Alfred bowed deeply to the Duchess Dowager, his expression resolute.  

He seemed deeply ashamed of Robert’s neglect of his duties as a butler and the disgrace he had brought to the Blumhart family.  

“…Madam, it’s been a long time.”  

Sarah, the former head maid who had been dismissed, greeted Isabella with tearful eyes.  

“Thank you for coming all this way despite your hardships, Sarah.”  

Isabella’s voice trembled as she welcomed her.  

“No, it was my inadequacy that failed to properly serve Lady Carolina.”  

“Don’t say that. I know well that Carolina’s shortcomings led to your dismissal.”  

The Duchess Dowager gently held Sarah’s hands.  

“I can’t express how glad I am that you’ve returned.”  

“Thank you, Madam.”  

After greeting Alfred and Sarah, Rafaella, observing them from behind Johann, gestured to him.  

When Johann lowered himself to her level, Rafaella whispered softly.  

“The new butler and head maid aren’t bad people, are they?”  

Unfortunately, due to the previous butler and head maid, Rafaella had developed a negative image of those roles.  

“No, Rafaella. The ones before were bad, but the new ones are not.”  

Johann was concerned about his daughter’s discomfort with the titles and presence of the butler and head maid.  

“We understand completely, Young Lady. It’s natural for you to feel uneasy.”  

“Indeed, if I were in your position, I would feel uncomfortable too.”  

Knowing how Carolina and Robert had treated Rafaella, Alfred and Sarah understood her feelings.  

Moreover, they had come to the ducal mansion with the intention of serving not only Isabella and Johann but also Rafaella with utmost loyalty.  

This was merely a small trial.  

“Young Lady, I, Alfred Burns, will do my best to win your trust.”  

“I will also try my best, Young Lady.”  

Despite her initial hostility, Rafaella was bewildered by the kindness of the two individuals who seemed to understand her.  

‘Are these people not bad? Are they good?’  

If Mom were here, she would know for sure.  

Mom always answered all my questions.  

After greeting Rafaella, Alfred and Sarah left to begin their duties.  

Johann returned to the office with Samuel, while Isabella took her granddaughter’s hand and headed to Penelope’s room.  

“Sarah has returned?”  

“Yes, now that Sarah is here, I feel more at ease.”  

Penelope, who had known Sarah since she was a baby, was delighted by her return.  

“Auntie Peppy, is a head maid a good person?”  

“Oh, Raffy. ‘Head maid’ is just a title. The previous head maid was loyal only to Auntie Carolina.”  

Rafaella tilted her head, confused by the explanation that the title was merely a role.  

“The old head maid should originally be loyal to the direct line of the Blumhart family, but that woman was only loyal to your great-aunt.”  

“Rafaella might be too young to understand this now.”  

“But if you remember it, you’ll understand someday, right?”  

“Hmm, so the Sarah who came today is loyal to Blumhart? And the butler too?”  

“Of course. That’s how it should be. The previous ones were arrogant.”  

Rafaella nodded, half understanding, with a puzzled expression.  

“Alfred and Sarah will treat you as the Young Lady of Blumhart with great respect.”  

The Duchess Dowager patted Rafaella’s head and spoke gently.  

“They’ll treat Mom that way too?”  

“…Of course, because she’s your mother.”  

“Sarah and Alfred really have to try their best to win our cute Raffy’s trust.”  

After playing with Penelope, Rafaella spent the rest of her time with Paula and Helen.  

Though everyone had worried about her spending her first day without her mother, Rafaella managed to get through it bravely.  

Johann, who had finished work late, couldn’t join Rafaella for dinner but came to bid her goodnight.  

“Rafaella, have sweet dreams.”  

“Yes, I want to dream about Mom. Will I be able to?”  

“If you wish for it, it might be possible.”  

“…But why aren’t you leaving?”  

Rafaella found it odd that Johann didn’t leave immediately after saying goodnight, as he usually did.  

“…Would you like me to read you a storybook if you can’t sleep?”  

Recalling Lia’s advice before she left, Johann hesitated before speaking to his daughter.  

Though he had read storybooks to Rafaella during playtime, reading to her before bed felt a bit awkward.  

“Really? I’d love that!”  

Seeing his daughter’s eyes sparkle at his words, he felt that it was worth overcoming the awkwardness.  

He gestured to Paula nearby to rest in the adjacent room.  

After Paula left, Johann cleared his throat and picked up a book.  

“The title: ‘The Little Princess Annika Who Became a Mage.’”  

His voice flowed out in a surprisingly gentle tone.  

“Once upon a time, in a small kingdom in the west, a princess named Annika was born.”  

Rafaella lay on her side, her eyes sparkling as she listened to Johann.  

“The princess could float in the air from the moment she was born.”  

Listening to his soft, deep voice, the child slowly drifted off to sleep.