Chapter 46

Johann entered the guest room on the second floor and lay down on the bed, exhausted from two teleportation spells in a short span of time.  

Although he usually struggled with insomnia, the aftereffects of using teleportation magic twice caused him to fall asleep the moment he lay down.  

Fortunately, when he opened his eyes, the dawn was just breaking.  

He got up, quickly washed his face, and headed to the training grounds.  

After training with the knights of the knight order, he returned to his room to wash.  

‘She’ll probably come out when it’s time for breakfast.’

After finishing his shower, Johann glanced at the closed bedroom door.  

‘How did it come to this, where I even gave up my bedroom for my daughter?’  

He found it absurd but didn’t dislike it.  

No, seeing his daughter happy seemed to make him feel good about it.  

When Lia and Rafaella didn’t wake up even as time passed, Johann got up and approached the bedroom.  

Opening the door quietly so as not to make a sound, he stopped in his tracks when he saw them fast asleep.  

For a moment, the younger Rafaella and a more youthful Lia overlapped with the present scene in his mind.  

He lightly pressed his head, feeling a headache from the memories that had surfaced.  

‘They were lying on a smaller bed than this one.’  

That bed had been like the one in the cabin where he had once lain with Rafaella.  

No, it was that very bed.  

‘D*mn memories, if you’re going to return, do it properly. Stop poking at me bit by bit.’  

The memories that returned, though fragmentary, were all about his daughter.  

Once again, young Rafaella appeared vividly before him, while Lia remained blurry.  

These memories helped him form a deeper bond with Rafaella.  

The memories that kept surfacing played a significant role in awakening his paternal instincts.  

‘If memories of this woman also start returning little by little, then….’  

What would become of me?  

Startled by his own thoughts, Johann quickly left the room.  

***

Lia and Rafaella woke up around noon.  

Samuel brought lunch to them upstairs.  

“Come eat.”  

Johann, who had returned from his office for lunch, said.  

“Sorry, I didn’t realize how late it was since I went to bed late and was so tired….”  

Lia, still slightly drowsy, rubbed her slightly swollen eyes.  

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”  

Lia found Johann’s behavior odd, as if he was avoiding her gaze, but she didn’t ask.  

‘I feel like asking would just make things more awkward.’  

Until Harry and Dorothea arrived, Johann continued to avoid her.  

Since he remained kind to Rafaella, Lia decided not to dwell on it.  

***

On the morning of the fifth day since Lia returned to the Blumhart Ducal Estate, a messenger bird arrived, announcing that Harry’s carriage would arrive in the afternoon.  

The Duchess Dowager had briefly visited Johann’s room the day after Lia’s arrival to meet her.  

“You’ve worked so hard.”  

“No, it’s something I wanted to do.”  

“Johann mentioned that you went out to pick flowers even though it was raining quite a bit. I hope you’re not unwell.”  

Isabella placed the back of her hand on Lia’s forehead.  

Lia felt embarrassed by Isabella’s concern.  

It reminded her of the caring touch her grandmother used to give her.  

“You don’t seem to have a fever, which is a relief.”  

“I think the Duke got rained on more than I did.”  

“He can handle that much. But teleportation—wasn’t it difficult?”  

“I felt a bit nauseous, but I got used to it after some time.”  

“I’ve never experienced it myself, but I’ve heard it’s not easy for ordinary people to endure.”  

Lia felt incredibly awkward as Isabella continued to ask questions and worry about her.  

“Rafaella, make sure to keep an eye on your mom and see if she feels tired or has a fever, alright?”  

“Yes, Grandma!”  

“Then have a good rest.”  

After hearing her granddaughter’s cheerful response, Isabella lightly patted Lia’s shoulder and left the room.  

***

On the morning Harry and Dorothea arrived in the Capital, Lia was reading a fairy tale book with Rafaella in Johann’s drawing room.  

Johann, receiving Harry’s messenger bird in his office, then came to the drawing room.  

“Sir Harry is expected to arrive at the ducal estate around 5 p.m. today.”  

“Really?” 

Lia looked up.  

“He said he’d briefly park the carriage behind the entrance of the ducal estate to pick you up.”  

“Yes.”  

“Samuel will guide you there discreetly without being noticed by the other servants.”  

At 4:30 p.m., Samuel came to escort Lia.  

Before leaving, Lia made a small request to Rafaella.  

“Raffy, when you see Mom later, you have to greet me as if we haven’t seen each other in a long time. Got it?”  

“Okay! Don’t worry.”  

The child clenched her fists confidently, ready to send off her mom.  

Samuel led Lia through hallways and stairs rarely used by the servants, guiding her to the carriage parked behind the entrance.  

Harry, seated in the coachman’s seat, greeted her first.  

“Miss Lia!”  

“Sir Harry, you’ve worked hard.”  

“Not at all.”  

With his long legs, Harry easily jumped down from the coachman’s seat and lightly greeted Lia and Samuel.  

Clatter.  

Awakened by the noise outside, Dorothea, who had been napping, opened the carriage door and stepped out.  

“Lia, it’s been a while!”  

Perhaps on Johann’s orders, Dorothea, who emerged from the carriage, was dressed much more neatly than before.  

Gone was the musty-smelling robe; instead, she wore a cleaner, high-quality robe, finally looking like a proper mage.  

“Dorothea, your robe looks so tidy.”  

“It’s nice to have a rich employer.”  

After their reunion and greetings, Lia boarded the carriage with Dorothea.  

Harry escorted them, while Samuel returned to the ducal estate.  

The moment Lia got into the carriage, she checked whether the Dewflower was still fresh.  

Thanks to the preservation magic on the pouch, the flower looked exactly as it did when it was freshly picked.  

“I checked it a few times on the way here, and it’s always been fresh.”  

“Maybe because the pouch is from the ducal estate, it’s really amazing.”  

“Money really is the best. By the way, Lia, can I ask you for a favor?”  

“Yes, go ahead.”  

“Would it be alright if I observed you making the potion with the Dewflower?”  

Dorothea scratched her nose awkwardly, recalling how she’d been refused once before.  

“If you join me, it’d be an honor!”  

“…Honor? Not at all.”  

“You’re such an amazing mage, yet you’re so humble.”  

Embarrassed, Dorothea scratched her head.  

“If I get stuck on something, may I ask for your advice?”  

“I’ll help with whatever I can.”  

As Lia and Dorothea briefly discussed the upcoming potion-making, the carriage arrived at the Blumhart Ducal Estate. 

Lia and Dorothea disembarked, each carrying their belongings.  

Johann, Isabella, along with the butler, head maid, and other servants, had come out to greet them.  

This was a gesture of respect for Lia, who had gone to collect herbs for Penelope.  

Somehow, she felt as though she were returning in triumph.  

“…Mom!”  

Rafaella ran to her, putting on an enthusiastic performance with all her might.  

Her daughter’s earnest acting, with sparkling eyes, was so adorable that Lia barely managed to hold back her laughter.  

After Rafaella’s passionate greeting ended, Isabella gently embraced Lia.  

“You’ve worked hard.”  

Isabella brought the butler and head maid, who were standing nearby, to introduce them to Lia.  

They showed great courtesy to Lia, Rafaella’s biological mother.  

“Alfred and Sarah are different from those without proper upbringing, so don’t worry.”  

Isabella lightly patted Lia’s back, reassuring her, as she seemed flustered by the unfamiliar formalities.  

Once the welcoming greetings were over, Lia introduced Dorothea to Isabella and Johann.  

Since Johann and Dorothea were officially meeting for the first time, they acted as though they were strangers.  

When Lia explained that Dorothea would stay here briefly before heading to the Mage Tower to assist with potion-making, Isabella offered to prepare a guest room on the second floor.  

“No, thank you. The annex where the mages stay will suffice.”  

As a guest of a grand noble family, Dorothea appreciated the hospitality but found it more uncomfortable than convenient, so she politely declined.  

The head maid, tasked with guiding her, took Dorothea to the eastern annex, while Lia went up to the third floor with Rafaella.  

“Raffy, I’m planning to have dinner with Dorothea tonight. What do you think?”  

“Dorothea? The mage?”  

“Yes, the one you saw earlier.”  

“Sounds good!”  

Rafaella seemed delighted that she could now officially wander around with her mom and even visit her own room. She showed no intention of letting go of Lia’s hand.  

Lia, too, didn’t want to let go of her daughter’s hand. The two of them hummed songs together while holding hands until Dorothea came to visit.  

To make Dorothea feel less out of place on her first day here, their dinner was set up not in the dining room but in Rafaella’s room.  

“Hello, I’m Rafaella Blumhart.”  

“Raffy, you forgot the ‘von.’”  

“Oh! I’m Rafaella von Blumhart.”  

Rafaella, startled, corrected herself and greeted Dorothea again.  

Dorothea couldn’t hide her smile at the sight of the charming Rafaella.  

“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Blumhart. I’m Dorothea, a mage.”  

Rafaella, receiving such a formal greeting from someone much older than her parents, seemed uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat.  

“It seems the young lady is still not used to formalities.”  

Dorothea chuckled, having heard a brief explanation of the situation from Lia at the inn.  

“She’s probably still shy about people treating her with such respect.”  

Lia patted her daughter’s head once and then went to the table where the meal was set with Dorothea.  

“Do mages live for a very, very long time?”  

Having spent her entire life on Lorem Mountain, like her mother, Rafaella was deeply fascinated by and curious about mages.  

“Well, if you have a lot of mana and train diligently, you might live longer than others, but it’s not easy.”  

“Oh, I see! But in fairy tales, mages always have beards. Why don’t you have one? Are you hiding it somewhere?”  

“A mage’s beard is like a precious treasure, so we keep it close to our hearts and only bring it out when it’s really important.”  

As a seven-year-old, Rafaella bombarded Dorothea with endless questions, her curiosity boundless.  

Dorothea skillfully responded to the child’s inquiries with wit.  

Once Rafaella’s curiosity was somewhat satisfied, she focused on the food in front of her.  

“Lia, you said you’d start making the potion tomorrow, right?”  

Watching Rafaella eat with a contented smile, Dorothea turned to Lia and asked.  

“Yes. I haven’t been there yet, but they said the potion-making lab is set up on the second floor of the eastern annex.”  

Before Penelope’s condition worsened, Lia needed to start making the potion as soon as possible.  

With all the materials already prepared, all that was left was for her to make it.  

“Come to the lab by 9 a.m. tomorrow.”  

“Alright, I’ll do my best to help!”