Trean was about to say something when the front door swung wide open.

“I’m home!”

Fazel suddenly entered. He froze for a moment when he saw Trean and Suran talking so close together.

“Ah, did I interrupt something?”

Fazel looked at Trean’s expression, then bowed his head to Suran and tried to head upstairs.

“Then please continue your conversation.”

“Ugh, seriously!”

Trean grabbed his hair and called out to Fazel.

“Fazel, Suran!”

He decided to be direct.

“Let’s move in together. I’ll buy a new house, so let’s live there.”

Since things had come to this, Trean spoke to Suran with the momentum to get it done quickly.

“I’m fine with it.”

Fazel agreed. Suran looked flustered and asked Trean.

“Why are you asking us mother and son to live with you?”

Trean looked at Suran with narrowed eyes.

“Suran, you’re only dense about your own matters, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean what! I’m proposing!”

Trean ended up speaking even more bluntly.

“Baron Suran Onyuran. You don’t know I like you, right? Everyone in the territory knows except you!”

Suran stood there dazed for a moment. Then she looked at Trean in shock.

“Trean, you like me?”

“Of course!”

“Since when?”

“I’ve liked you since our Academy days.”

Trean poured out the feelings he’d held for so long. Suran tried to calm her heart that seemed ready to explode.

“When you suddenly became Duke Zieten’s mistress and distanced yourself from me, I had no choice but to give up those feelings.”

When fate brought them together again at the imperial palace, Suran was no longer the duke’s mistress. However, Trean’s younger brother had caused trouble and died, so he couldn’t propose to Suran while paying off debts.

“You know what happened after that. I wasn’t in a position to get married. But now I’ve settled everything and can get a house, so I want to marry you and live together.”

Suran’s face flushed after hearing Trean’s sincere feelings. The sudden confession was bewildering, but she didn’t dislike it.

Rather, she wondered if it was okay to accept this.

“Are you really okay with it? You know my past.”

“It wasn’t a past you chose.”

He looked at Fazel and smiled.

“I’ll even get a smart son. That’s great.”

Trean looked at Suran’s hand.

“Can I hold your hand?”

Suran willingly extended her hand. Trean held the hand he’d wanted to hold for so long and smiled.

“Then you’re accepting my proposal.”

“Actually.”

Suran raised her other hand and touched his scar.

“I loved you too.”

“Ah.”

Trean nodded.

“You did in the past.”

“I still have lingering feelings now.”

“I didn’t know that.”

Trean looked slightly surprised, then sent a tender gaze.

“Let’s not be separated by fate anymore.”

Trean said that and pulled Suran into an embrace. Fazel watched them, then quietly went upstairs.

He changed clothes and watched Suran and Trean talking, then closed the door and came out.

It seemed better to let the two of them be together.

‘I want to see her too.’

Strangely, he wanted to see Louelle.

* * *

Marlene glanced at me.

“Master Trean’s students suddenly increased a lot.”

“Mm, that’s right.”

“What are you thinking?”

His students had increased because of my influence. It was natural for Marlene to question my sudden actions.

“Well, I’m trying to get Master Trean married.”

I said simply. Besides that, the main reason was related to Fazel’s fate, but I couldn’t say that.

“I thought so. Miss always works for Master Fazel’s sake. You wanted Lady Suran, whom Master Fazel cherishes, to be happy, right?”

“That’s right.”

If Fazel’s surroundings become happy and the people he loves increase, there won’t be a tragic choice like in the original story.

I picked up my teacup.

They said Fazel would arrive today. I’ll probably see him during class tomorrow.

I want to see him now.

But he just got back from winter camp, so he must be tired. I firmly suppressed my desire to run to him and looked at the documents.

While organizing documents, Melka came in.

“Miss, you have a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

I wasn’t expecting anyone to visit today.

When I looked puzzled, Melka smiled.

“Could it be?”

I went to where Melka guided me and flung open the reception room door.

Sunlight poured into the reception room. The sunlight coming through the curtain-free window rested on a boy.

Sparkling silver hair, shining golden eyes. Looking at him made me feel hazy. It seemed like a dream.

Fazel had returned, taller than before and having become a boy with stronger features.

I slowly approached him.

I couldn’t believe he’d come to see me.

I’d always been the one to go.

Unless there was business, he rarely came to the castle.

I looked at him and spoke in a trembling voice.

“You’re back.”

Fazel raised his head.

“Louelle, I’m back from winter camp.”

He stood up from his seat and firmly grasped my hand.

“Thanks to the letters you sent, I wasn’t lonely. Thank you so much.”

He held out a bouquet that had been beside him.

“I made this from flowers that bloomed in the garden.”

Then he smiled warmly.

“I kept thinking about how I didn’t prepare a gift for your birthday, so I brought something I could make.”

It was a belated birthday present.

I looked at him and smiled.

“The year has passed.”

“I know.”

“It’s late.”

I hadn’t expected to receive a gift from him in this way.

When I touched the flowers, magic bloomed. Light appeared around us and butterfly-shaped lights gathered.

“It’ll last a long time.”

A bouquet made directly by him, who would become a Grand Mage in the future.

It was truly a special gift.

“I’ll forgive the lateness.”

I caressed the bouquet with my hand.

The second bouquet Fazel gave me had a different meaning from the first. It was more valuable because he gave it from a pure heart.

“How was the training?”

Fazel showed his calloused hands.

“My hands are tougher than before. My skills improved too.”

“That’s amazing.”

I closed my eyes prettily. Fazel, seeing my eyes that had turned like a crescent moon, looked away slightly. His ears were red, seemingly flushed.

“Mother and Master might get married.”

Though I’d expected it, the timing was fast.

“Really?”

I asked, a bit surprised.

“Yeah, he proposed today.”

Master Trean was indeed a man of direct approaches.

“How did she react?”

“Ah, Mother said her first love was also Master Trean.”

This was information I’d never heard before.

“Really?”

“That’s what Mother said.”

“Then that’s great.”

So Suran’s first love was Trean. I didn’t know since it wasn’t even a setting in the original story.

I grinned.

“But you know, I heard Master’s students suddenly increased.”

“Right.”

“What’s your scheme?”

“I just introduced them!”

I played innocent. I couldn’t say I wanted to create a dad for Fazel.

I also couldn’t say it was to change the fate that would come to him in the distant future.

I patted his head.

“I felt bad about Master Trean’s debt.”

This wasn’t wrong either.

Fazel glanced at me but seemed to accept the reason as somewhat understandable and moved on.

“Well, I guess it’s okay for him to take other students now. You and I can practice the basics on our own.”

Fazel had become stronger after going to winter camp.

“But about those students. We’re their seniors.”

My eyes sparkled.

“Shouldn’t we show senior dignity?”

Fazel spoke like it was absurd.

“What dignity? There’s only a one-year difference. Are you going to haze them?”

“Would I do that?”

“Yeah. Wouldn’t you?”

“I should give them cool drinks while finding talent that will help the territory in the future.”

My eyes sparkled. Fazel picked up his teacup, drank some tea, then asked curiously.

“You already found one?”

“Of course.”

“What if I leave the territory?”

Fazel struck directly.

“Then you wouldn’t be talent for the territory. Fazel will live Fazel’s life.”

I answered simply.

“Though I’d be disappointed, of course.”

Fazel going to another territory.

Of course, he has his own territory too, so he’d have to manage that, but it doesn’t mean his connection to our territory would disappear.

Later, if the marriage succeeds, we’ll combine them.

I worked my brain in my own way. Then Fazel breathed a sigh of relief.

“I would have been disappointed if you weren’t disappointed.”

Fazel’s blunt words threw me into confusion.

“You would have been disappointed?”

“Something like that.”

I looked at Fazel and asked what he meant, but he only said he’d be disappointed as a friend.

I thought we’d gotten a bit closer, but we were still just friends.

* * *

Time passed and it became a bright spring day. Since there were no classes for a week starting today, I was enjoying a leisurely morning for the first time in a while.

I was holding a teacup, looking at documents, and enjoying my leisure when Marlene came in.

“Miss, it’s time.”

“I know.”

Master Trean had confessed directly and handled the marriage swiftly too.

The wedding was happening just a month and a half after the proposal.

The wedding was to be held at a wedding hall near the castle.

In Asnel territory, a city had developed near the Count’s castle. Since the wedding hall was also near the castle, I decided to attend without much thought.

Today’s protagonist was Suran.

“I need to dress down compared to Suran!”

Marlene nodded too.

“Don’t worry. I picked an appropriate dress.”

“Okay.”

Since it was a wedding in my fiancé’s household, I couldn’t dress carelessly, but I also couldn’t be more splendid than the bride.

Weddings were incredibly difficult.

The dress Marlene brought was pink with ribbons and looked adorable. Just looking at it seemed like cuteness would explode.

“Will this suit me?”

“Not yet.”

It was a design that would be awkward to wear after coming of age. I put on the dress Marlene chose and wore flat shoes.

When I came outside, sunlight poured down. Though it was a short distance to the carriage, I used a parasol.

When I opened the carriage door, Father was sitting there.

“You’re cute today.”

I grinned.

“Father looks great too.”

“My daughter is the best after all.”

We praised each other. While riding the carriage to the wedding hall, I looked at the scenery outside.

“Father, won’t you remarry?”

Father looked flustered.

“You remember Mother’s last words, right?”

Mother knew she wouldn’t live long. So she said she hoped Father wouldn’t spend his whole life longing only for her.

Mother had hoped Father would live with someone rather than living alone.

Father looked troubled.

“I listened well to Roselia’s words, but that’s still difficult.”

“Is that so?”

“Besides, if I remarry now, there could be succession issues too.”

After saying that, Father shrugged.

“I don’t know what the woman’s side might want, so I think not yet. I also don’t have anyone I love.”

Father looked at me.