Regardless of her relationship with Magnus, Serena had no particular reason to stay with the Lavernia family and the Marquis’s household.

If she ends up living well with Magnus for a long time, she could just stay by Magnus’s side.

If Magnus tells her to leave later, she could just leave.

By then, she would surely have accumulated a lot of money, so she wouldn’t have any complaints.

Magnus said his feelings would never change, but Serena had been hurt too many times to readily believe that.

Yes, she had been hurt too much.

That day, Serena looked at her own wounds for the first time.

It was in an even worse state than a tattered rag dripping blood from all over.

That’s how Serena was.

She realized for the first time that day that her body was already so covered in wounds that she couldn’t feel the pain even if a few more appeared.

Magnus is kind.

He offers her his embrace and whispers to her gently.

Nevertheless, she dislikes hate a bit for not being able to fully trust it.

“I think I can… treat Mother.”

Serena doesn’t trust people.

People’s affection always requires something in return.

Magnus, to be honest, was unexpected for her.

He was kind even though he had everything and didn’t need anything in return right away.

‘This is because of the Marchioness.’

Serena pulled her head out while still in their embrace.

“Then Mother won’t get sick because of me… and won’t collapse or pass away, so at that time… I mean… I was wondering if I could leave home……”

Serena had been observing Irdin Lavernia for quite a long time.

The Marchioness was very precious to him. He wasn’t very interested in anything else besides her.

He seemed to be interested in a worthy heir, of course.

But to Serena, at least in Serena’s judgment, she had no particular value.

She was already married. So she wasn’t valuable for political marriages or such.

That’s why Irdin Lavernia wasn’t very interested in Serena.

So Serena didn’t particularly care about him either.

Fortunately, she had memories from her past life, so she could do everything on her own.

Most things could be resolved by talking to the butler, and what couldn’t be, she could somehow manage on her own.

“……”

“……”

“Ah, of course, after other doctors have determined that it’s completely cured……”

Serena doesn’t know kindness.

She didn’t know parental affection or love.

Being held in their arms, she knows it’s a warm temperature and that it’s tickling somewhere around her chest, but she doesn’t clearly understand why.

To her, kindness is like that.

Because she lived her life thinking everything was barter.

Even emotions were tradable items to her.

“May I ask why you want to leave?”

“…Well, you hate me, don’t you?”

“…Did you not hear what I just said?”

Irdin Lavernia felt like this must be what it feels like when the ground crumbles beneath your feet.

He felt like he was suddenly falling into a hole someone had dug in the ground he was standing on.

“I heard you say you love me, but… why?”

“Then why do you say such things……”

“Well, isn’t it because if I leave again, it would be strange for the family’s honor, and above all, you’re worried that Mother might get sicker… right…?”

Serena asked cautiously.

‘Is this what it means to be devastated?’

He was literally devastated.

It was beyond devastation. If this isn’t called devastation, what else could be called devastation?

“…No.”

“You hate me, don’t you?”

“No.”

“…You don’t?”

“Why do you think I hate you?”

“Well, I have no value and I’ve only been causing trouble for a while, haven’t I?”

Is there an abyss below the abyss?

He couldn’t even begin to figure out how to untangle this twisted skein and ended up closing his mouth.

It was because Serena, who was speaking calmly, was faintly smiling.

Because his wife’s pale expression was indicating that something was wrong.

It was because she was acting as if she wasn’t hurt even while saying such things with her own mouth.

Those things, those small and trivial actions, accumulated and slashed at his heart.

“I won’t cause any more trouble. So I hope you get well soon.”

Serena slipped her body out from between the two who had slightly loosened their grip.

“I’ll stay for dinner and tell you about what I’ve been doing.”

The child spoke as if she was performing a set task or answering a questionnaire.

The child who had become an adult was now refusing even to stay close.

As if she had never existed in the first place.

“…Yes, it seems we have a lot to talk about.”

“Is that so?”

Serena tilted her head slightly at Charlotte Lavernia’s words, frowned for a moment, and then smiled faintly.

That mask-like smile was the smile they had seen for a very long time.

From when Serena Lavernia was very young.

* * *

For Irdin Lavernia, Serena Lavernia had been a source of headaches until recently.

In the past, he thought of her as a child who matured too quickly, sometimes an extremely adult-like child, and at times of trouble, an incomprehensible child.

And after the incidents, he thought of her as a troublemaker, a bundle of problems, and sometimes even wondered if something was wrong with her head.

Nevertheless, he never thought of abandoning her.

Of course, he was angry when he saw Charlotte unable to sleep at night and waiting for her in cold weather, eventually collapsing and her illness worsening due to the trouble Serena caused.

If he could, he wanted to lock her up somewhere and never let her out again.

But Charlotte stopped him. He couldn’t do it. He had never had a proper conversation with her since she was born.

The child didn’t talk, and due to his sick wife and busy work, Irdin Lavernia didn’t ask the child who didn’t talk.

They were both taciturn, so there was no reason or point of contact to talk.

“…So now I’m preparing for business and will soon enter the commercial market. And regarding the reason for canceling the divorce with Magnus……”

So now, he thought it wasn’t his imagination that this felt less like a conversation with his daughter and more like listening to a subordinate’s report to a superior.

Glancing to the side, he saw that Charlotte also seemed at a loss for words.

On the right, he could see Slay pondering whether to speak or not with trembling pupils.

For reference, Irdin Lavernia felt the same way.

“So now, while developing prosthetic limbs based on magical engineering, I’m also looking into medicine for Mother’s condition……”

Marquis Lavernia felt like he was about to lose his mind as Serena briefly summarized the key points.

Of course, there were parts he didn’t fully understand as the content was not ordinary.

But he didn’t expect the dinner conversation to continue in this report-like format.

“…That’s all. Do you have any questions?”

Finally finishing her speech, Serena opened a question time.

This was common during Serena’s meal times.

She often had many things to report to the professor, and the professor, using the excuse of not having much time, would have her report during meal times.

Serena asked this while starting to fill her plate with food and eat.

It’s elegant and not gluttonous, but fast.

Charlotte, seeing Serena like this for the first time, had a bewildered look on her face.

“Mother!”

Bang–!

At that moment, the dining room door swung open. Serena, who was on her third plate, looked up.

It was Nocturne Lavernia.