There was still plenty of time before dinner. I told Alisa that I would come back down shortly and headed to my bedroom. My heart, which had been feeling heavy, felt a bit lighter.

I sat at the edge of the bed, holding the envelope with both hands. It was simply delightful to see the school’s seal after so long. After brushing my hand over the seal for no particular reason, I slowly opened the envelope and took out the letter. The familiar handwriting brought even more joy.

“Dear Hazel,

I’m sorry for the delayed reply. I only returned to the academy recently because I was held up in a country I visited for diplomatic purposes. Please understand.”

This kind of delay was common. Not only patients but also people around them often requested the healer to stay a little longer. That’s why my mentor disliked being sent on diplomatic missions, but when His Majesty issued an order ‘citing friendship in a cowardly way,’ there was no choice but to go. My mentor would complain about him being a ‘nasty fellow’ upon returning. The memories brought a smile to my face.

“I received your letter well. I’m quite curious about the story that’s difficult to convey in writing. I hope you can visit the academy and share it with me someday.

The story about the child you discovered is very intriguing, especially since there are no visible external features. Usually, like you, they are born with a unique color not found in ordinary people. It is rare, but sometimes the color might disappear as they grow. That’s what happened to me.”

I had always thought his naturally white hair was due to old age. It was the first time I heard this story. I decided I must ask him what color it originally was when I next saw him, and I turned the letter to the back.

“There are two ways to verify the child’s abilities: resonating with magic and extracting magic. At the academy, we only grant admission to children whose magic is confirmed through both methods. This is because there are occasionally ordinary people with magic, but they can only resonate with it and are not strong enough to extract magic to heal others.

The extraction method is simple. You just need to guide the magic to one side. In a resonant state, use your power to guide the child’s magic to their fingertips. If the child’s power is strong enough, at some point, the magic will overflow and come out.

Once the child meets with me accompanied by a guardian and signs the documents, the admission process is complete. However, the guardian must be a relative. Of course, in exceptional cases like yours, Hazel, we apply different methods, but I will inform you about this gradually.”

During my time at the academy, I was the only one without a family. Even those without immediate family had at least distant relatives, and I heard that orphans like me were rarely admitted to the academy. A look at the actual history of the academy confirmed this.

In the present day, many people accepted the healer’s unusual appearance without much thought, but in the distant past, before the academy was well established, things were different.

Back then, having an unusual appearance often made people wary or turned you into a target for ridicule. I had almost faced danger myself because of my hair color. In such situations, hiding to survive or concealing one’s distinctive features was necessary. While hair could be hidden with a hat or cloth, eye color couldn’t be masked, so I often avoided eye contact.

Nobles with wealth and power could protect their slightly different children, but commoners could not. Inevitably, the lineage of healers continued mainly among high-status individuals, and as the proportion of nobles increased, the academy appeared even more prestigious.

According to my mentor, for Rose to enroll, she needed to visit the school with Larian. It was quite a long journey, and I was a bit worried about whether Larian could handle it physically, but if I accompanied them, it shouldn’t have been a major issue.

“Before officially attending classes, the child must go through a preliminary student period, so send her whenever you can. However, it would be best if it’s before this winter.

More importantly, Hazel, there is something I must ask of you. It’s about Duke Lawrence.”

I was calculating the dates, trying to decide when would be a good time to depart. Suddenly, the unexpected mention of that name made my heart pound. What reason would my mentor have had to talk about Leopold?

“I thought he was holding up well, but after reading the recent newspapers, I wondered if I might have been wrong. Honestly, I didn’t want to interfere in your matters with him like this. But, as you know, I can’t help being a healer.”

My hands trembled as I read each word. I needed to turn the page, but I didn’t want to see what was next. Tense, I got up and paced around for a while. That damned, awkward heartbeat seemed to echo clearly in my ears again.

Then, exhaling a sigh, I sat back down. I needed to muster the courage to face the moment when worries became reality. Surely, there would be something I could do…

“To get straight to the point, Leo was unwell. Of course, he insisted that you must never be told, but how could I pretend not to know? I had watched that child for a very long time. He was tough and cold, yet pitiable and unfortunate. Sometimes, I thought that if I were him, I would have gone mad long ago.

In my heart, I wanted to go to the Lawrence estate immediately, but I had been away from the academy for so long that there was a mountain of work to do. You must have seen the article about the teachers’ dissatisfaction. So, for the time being, I absolutely could not leave here.

Hazel, I’m not a particularly romantic person. But I am someone who believes that such romance exists somewhere in the world. And when it unfolds before my eyes, I’m the kind of bystander who wants to watch it with a smile.

I can’t know the history between you two, but I can vouch for Leo’s sincerity towards you. Please, don’t turn away from that child. This is a request I’m making for your sake as well.

It’s still a while off, but I hope both of you can visit the academy together in the spring. I’ll be waiting.

With affection, Isabel.”

Even when Alisa finished preparing the meal by herself and called me loudly, I was still sitting there, holding the letter in my hand, lost in thought.

Honestly, I didn’t want to think about anything at all.

***

Snow fell and melted repeatedly, accumulating in the White Forest. The footprints of the Ice Land natives remained hard to find. The only traces left on the ground were those of the Lawrence knights.

They had set traps and left food to lure the natives, but perhaps the repeated attempts had made the natives wary, and they were not easily caught.

In the past, he would have dismissed all the knights and ventured out alone. Such primitive instincts were more effective against a race like that, and just the threat was enough to easily drive them off.

However, Leopold knew he could no longer use such methods. If he was not careful, it wouldn’t be the natives but himself who might lose his life. He wasn’t particularly attached to life, but there were still many things he hadn’t finished for Hazel.

The mansion where she would stay in the capital was just having its framework completed, and the division of assets was still underway. He had assembled an elite guard, including Jayden and Lanette, and was in the process of carefully selecting people to serve Hazel, ensuring they were trustworthy. Of course, he planned to appeal to His Majesty to award these things to Hazel in recognition of her contributions, making it impossible for her to refuse.

Once every meticulously prepared plan was perfectly executed, he intended to willingly follow the will of the gods, but it wasn’t time yet.

“Your Grace, we’ve captured a native child. What should we do?”

Although they had captured many natives and imprisoned them, this was the first time they had caught a child. After a moment’s hesitation, he gave his orders.

“Lock them up with the other hostages and make sure they are well-fed.”

“Yes, understood.”

Peter, as usual, responded politely without any questions and withdrew. Leopold appreciated this quality in his butler; unlike the bothersome knights, Peter never asked why Hazel hadn’t returned to the mansion.

Moreover, he was perceptive enough to bring him the letter from Alisa before Leopold even asked for it. He even added that Emily had already given her permission, so he could read it comfortably.

‘We laughed so much, you wouldn’t believe it. Even the healer laughed out loud!’

‘She said farming was a new experience and fun. Even though it’s hard, she’s always smiling. Sometimes, I wonder if she really likes farm work.’

‘Thanks to the healer, the village is full of life. Everyone says they wish she could stay here forever, and it seems the healer doesn’t mind either.’

The face that had once cried in his arms now haunted him with guilt every day, but the Hazel in the letters seemed to be doing very well.

Even though there wasn’t much content, in those short lines, Leopold realized once again that only his absence could truly bring Hazel happiness.