Since then, it had been raining incessantly, from morning until night, without respite.

I couldn’t venture into the fields to gather herbs, nor could I attend to the leaves that needed drying in the sun, left scattered in a basket. I tried extracting juice from the leaves a few times, but the thought of Leopold, who always stood there, kept haunting me, and eventually, I gave up. I simply waited for the weather to clear.

Although I hadn’t discussed it in detail, Alisa seemed to have picked up on the situation. She was particularly careful not to mention anything about Leopold, but it seemed difficult for her to prevent words from slipping out unconsciously.

“Healer, the other day, Uncle John brought the tea leaves the Duke requested… Ah, I mean, he bought new tea leaves, and they’re supposed to be quite rare…”

“You can just say it. It’s okay.”

The tea leaves she handed me were one of the specialties from the Lawrence estate. The northern region wasn’t suitable for growing tea leaves, so they weren’t cultivated extensively. Instead, the first leaves that sprouted from the Canua trees at the edge of the White Forest in late spring were picked and roasted for a strong brew. The grassy smell was particularly strong, and the smoke from the logs used for roasting infused the tea with a smoky flavor. While it couldn’t be described as excellent, it had a distinct character that made it memorable.

Leopold had no interest in food, but he kept Canua tea close and drank it often, so I gradually came to like it as well. Initially, I found it absurd to ‘savor’ such a taste, but I recalled drinking it with the thought that an adult should be able to endure at least this much, and a small smile played on my lips.

“Alisa, this tea is hard to drink. It’s rare because it’s produced in small quantities, not because it tastes good. Still, I’ll brew some for you to try.”

She nodded curiously and sat patiently at the table like a hungry child. However, as soon as the brewed water was poured, she wrinkled her nose at the peculiar aroma that filled the house.

“Is it really that bad already?”

I handed her the cup with a smile. Alisa took a sip with a slightly tense expression and then set the cup down immediately.

“Wow. I can’t do this.”

Her reaction reminded me of myself in the past. I must have always drunk it with that same expression.

If the tea had arrived before he left, we might have enjoyed such trivial conversations together at least once. Or maybe not. Trying to create one more precious memory might have just made it more painful.

“Stefan said he likes tea, right? I should take some to him.”

“Great idea! Look at the amount. You won’t be able to finish it all by yourself in a year, healer.”

Alisa’s face brightened at the thought of not having to waste the precious tea leaves. There were ten large square tin cases, each the size of a mug, bearing the Lawrence family crest, so it was understandable.

“…Indeed.”

How much did he plan to drink to order so much? Was he envisioning a future with me? Would I be forced to reminisce about him until I finished it all…?

“The rain seems to have eased a bit, so I think I’ll go now. Stefan should be home, right?”

I wondered how many I should take as I asked. Alisa quickly closed the opened tin case, seemingly put off by the scent. I questioned whether it was appropriate to drink this tea at home.

“Probably. He should be playing with Ben and the kids. He never seems to tire, probably because he’s so fit. Matt always collapses and runs away.”

Alisa clicked her tongue and laughed.

“Stefan is a former mercenary, so his body is well-trained. But Matt helps you a lot during lessons, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, he does. He’s so kind that he never refuses when I ask him for anything.”

She often chattered about the incidents that occurred while taking care of the kids during dinner, and Matt was always part of those stories. From taking crying children out to soothe them, to helping with anything that required a bit of strength, he always stepped up. Even though he had regained more than normal health, Alisa grumbled this morning that Matt still treated her as if she were a patient.

In fact, Matt occasionally asked me about Alisa’s health and how to give her potions if I wasn’t around. Leopold once chuckled, saying it was hard not to notice since Matt was so obvious about it.

“Isn’t it because it’s you, Alisa? Matt likes you.”

I agreed wholeheartedly and added my opinion without thinking. But Alisa looked at me with her mouth agape.

“…What?”

“Oh… You didn’t know… Um, let’s pretend you didn’t hear that…”

I was taken aback by the unexpected reaction and found myself unable to speak properly. Thinking it best to leave quickly, I forced an awkward smile.

“Sorry about that. I’ll be on my way now.”

I hurriedly packed two tin cases into my cloth bag and quickly headed to Stefan’s house.

Since returning from the mountain, I hadn’t spoken to him once. I should have gone earlier to apologize for my rude behavior. I sighed deeply.

“Stefan, are you home? It’s Hazel!”

The rain was loud, so I called out as loudly as I could, but there was no response from inside. In this weather, it would be difficult to go anywhere. I knocked on the door again.

“Is anyone home?”

Still, there was no answer. Just as I was about to give up and leave, the door suddenly swung open amidst the sound of laughter.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“I won!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Behind him stood Theo, Rose, and Ben in a row. As Alisa had mentioned, he seemed to be playing with the children. When I waved hello, the kids smiled brightly, pleased to see me.

“Am I interrupting?”

“No, not at all. I’m sorry to have kept you standing outside in the rain. We were playing tag—”

“I caught you! Now you’re it, Uncle!”

Theo exclaimed excitedly. It seemed he had come to the door to let me in and got caught in the process.

“Oh dear. I’m sorry, because of me…”

“No, it’s fine. It’s a good time to take a break anyway.”

He stepped aside to make room for me to enter. Hesitant to enter with my wet robe, I started to take it off, and Stefan immediately reached out to take my bag.

“Oh, thank you.”

For some reason, the kids found this amusing and giggled behind their little hands.

“You little rascals. We have a guest, so you need to be quiet. Go play upstairs.”

“What!”

“No way, Uncle is finally it!”

“Yeah, Uncle’s it now!”

The children raised their voices in unison, sounding disappointed. I spoke soothingly, charmed by their cuteness.

“Could you wait just a little bit? I’ll be back soon.”

“Oh, don’t worry about these little ones! Please stay as long as you like.”

He seemed flustered at the thought of having to send me away, but I didn’t want to take away his time with the kids.

“No, it’s fine. I wanted to apologize for last time and brought some special tea as a gift. I’ll just give it to you and leave.”

I hung my robe on a hook by the entrance and reached out to take the bag from him, but Stefan stepped back.

“Since you’ve brought it all this way, I’ll brew it for you.”

“…Alright, then.”

His insistence was oddly firm, so I agreed without thinking. Following him into the kitchen, I took out the Canua tea and placed it on the table. Recognizing the Lawrence family crest, he marveled at the tin case.

“You’ve brought something truly special.”

“What is it?”

“What is it?”

“I want some too!”

The children, who had followed us, asked curiously. Without hesitation, I opened the lid and held it out for them to smell. As expected, they wrinkled their noses and covered them. Theo even made a gagging sound and pretended to retch.

“Is it really that bad?”

I asked with a laugh, and Theo replied with a seriously annoyed expression.

“This is death!”

“What? Death?”

I burst out laughing at the outrageous description, and the children couldn’t stop giggling either. I felt as if a bit of life had returned to my previously withered spirit.

“Having kids around is nice. They’re lovely.”

“You only see them occasionally. If you had to look after them every day… Hah. They’re little devils.”

Stefan shook his head as he put the water on to boil. No matter how fit he was, playing with the kids seemed to be no easy task.

“But when is the handsome man coming back?”

Rose suddenly asked, tilting her head. Even after he left, Rose continued to train with me every day, so it was only natural she would wonder about Leopold, who had always been by my side. Initially, I was flustered and made up an excuse that he had gone far away on business, but it wasn’t a plausible explanation for long.

“He was actually on a secret mission. He succeeded and returned, so he won’t be coming back.”

“Wow…”

I whispered, and Rose’s eyes sparkled. Then Theo fished around in his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar.

“I actually knew all along.”

“What do you mean?”

I asked, genuinely curious, as Theo shrugged and began unwrapping the chocolate.

“When I first saw him, I told him to reveal his identity, and he said he couldn’t because it was a secret mission, then gave me this.”

Theo proudly popped the chocolate into his mouth and chewed contentedly.