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Even though there was no blood relation between her and Roan, they shared a similar chilly demeanor.

If elegance could be personified, it would feel like her. Born as the only daughter of the Duke of Verdi, she had faced emotional struggles but never had to lift a finger. She had reigned as the queen of the social scene, and even to someone like me, who was not well-versed in etiquette, her gestures and steps seemed flawless.

“It’s been a while, Duchess.”

Indeed, it had been a long time since Delis and Alexandra had last seen each other. Roan had mentioned that they hadn’t met since the wedding.

But ‘Duchess’? It felt like a cold and distant title for family members.

“It seems my presence is not very welcome.”

Alexandra smiled gracefully.

“No, that’s not it at all.”

Ha ha. If Roan were here, I’d feel a bit more at ease dealing with her. Unfortunately, it was daytime, and Roan was at the palace.

“Don’t worry too much. After all, in this mansion as vast as a palace, it will be hard to run into each other.”

There seemed to be a hint of disdain on her face as she referred to the mansion as a palace.

“Um, Mother.”

I called out to her as she was about to turn away. I didn’t have a specific reason. Her profile turned slightly towards me, looking somewhat puzzled.

Was this the wrong way to address her? But calling her the Duchess also felt odd, and referring to her by name seemed inappropriate.

“Have you eaten?”

“…”

“You must be hungry after such a long journey.”

Alexandra stared at me as if trying to see through me before she spoke.

“Have you had a change of heart? The way you used to speak was like a fighting c*ck.”

To be precise, it wasn’t a change of heart but a change of soul.

It was amusing to think that Alexandra had viewed the previous Delis as a fighting c*ck.

“I haven’t eaten, so let’s have dinner together.”

“Sure. Roan should be back by then.”

“…Alright. See you later.”

There was something that flickered and disappeared in Alexandra’s eyes at the mention of Roan’s name, but at that moment, I didn’t recognize what it was.

After a brief, if brief, encounter with Alexandra, I returned to my room and fell into deep thought.

‘It feels like a calm storm has passed.’

Meeting Alexandra for the first time, she was as elegant as I had expected, and not as hostile as I had feared.

She did have a chilly side.

Life as a woman here was certainly not equal. It was a life where one had to live solely for their husband and children. And they were raised and brainwashed to believe that this was the natural order. If I had been born and raised in this world, I couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t think the same.

I had expected a noblewoman who couldn’t have children, watching her husband’s illegitimate child for half her life without divorcing, to be filled with bitterness.

It was a more mundane meeting than I had thought. After meeting her, whom I had been tense about for so long, I felt a bit relieved.

I was sitting in the rocking chair, enjoying a moment of peace when I heard a scream from somewhere. Startled, I quickly got up from my lethargy and rushed downstairs to find Alexandra, looking a bit pale, sitting down. It seemed she had been the one to scream.

In a slightly trembling voice, she asked,

“…What are those flying things?”

“And who is this human?”

Before her were equally startled fairies, who seemed confused and cautious about the stranger who had screamed at them.

“Everyone, calm down.”

Standing in the middle of the standoff, I spoke as if I was meditating.

“I forgot to introduce you. These are Frina, Cindy, and Seirin. They are fairies.”

“…Fairies? Are they monsters?”

“They are not!”

“We are a different species from you humans!”

The fairies, who had calmed down, strongly objected to her words. I introduced her to the fairies as well.

“Everyone, this is Roan’s mother.”

“Mother?”

“Roan’s?”

“They don’t look alike at all.”

Seirin’s comment was apt since Alexandra had blonde hair and green eyes, making her look more like me in terms of coloring.

It took about five minutes of explaining that fairies were not dangerous and that Alexandra wouldn’t harm them before both sides seemed to somewhat understand.

When I mentioned that there were not only fairies but also dwarf in the mansion, Alexandra looked slightly dazed. It was a rare expression for her.

“We have had many guests since I was away.”

Regaining her composure, she spoke in that familiar cold voice. Hm. Every time…

‘She reminds me of Roan.’

No matter how distant they were, they had lived together as family.

Thinking about that, I suddenly recalled his tragic past from the novel.

Family. The thought of it might have made Roan’s expression turn icy if he had heard it.

「For an illegitimate child, your abilities are outstanding.」

「A monstrous child.」

Though I never had family myself, perhaps that made my pain less acute than his.

Having no one to begin with is different from being seen as worse than nonexistent despite being there.

From the moment I got to know Roan, I realized that having family could hurt more deeply than having none at all.

Were all the wounds he received truly healed?

No, they must still linger as scars. My chest ached with the thought.

I wanted to tell him. And I wanted to show him. Also… I wanted to tell myself. The warmth of a true family.

Someday, I hoped that the word ‘family’ would not be a source of pain for him but a moment when warmth spread deep in his heart.

I fervently wished for that.

***

I had forgotten something due to the sudden encounter with Alexandra.

Today was the first day of my magic lessons. I had sent a letter yesterday expressing my desire to learn magic and received a reply that lessons would start immediately today.

Seeing Jafflin, who had come to visit, I made a slightly awkward face.

“How have you been?”

“Yes, Prince.”

“Duchess.”

“Pardon?”

“I am now the Duchess’s teacher.”

I knew that. So what? Seeing my expression, Jafflin smiled.

It was a smile that seemed to expect something. What was he getting at?

“You must call me ‘Master.'”

What? I looked at him as if he was joking, but Jafflin smiled firmly, indicating he was serious.

“Ma-s-ter?”

“Yes, Ma-s-ter. This is the first time I’ve ever decided to teach someone. Shouldn’t you show the same level of determination? Don’t you think I deserve some respect?”

I could sense his sincere desire to be addressed as ‘Master.’ Hmm, should I just do it since he wants it so badly? The thought of goodwill towards humanity began to emerge, leading me to a decision.

“If you show me respect, I will also treat you as a proper student.”

Treat me as a proper student?

“What does that mean?”

“For example, allowing you to visit the palace under the pretext of studying magic. That way, you might occasionally catch glimpses of your husband, who spends all day at the palace.”

What? Seeing my eyes light up, Jafflin smiled temptingly.

“So, do you want to be treated well?”

“Yes!”

I want the best treatment possible.

“Teacher, let’s start studying right away.”

To hell with titles. Jafflin, seeing me immediately treat him with respect, continued smiling.

“Alright, student.”

Jafflin then placed a thick book in front of me that looked intimidating at first glance.

“First, you need to memorize everything in here.”

…?? Just looking at it would take more than a month.

Adding insult to injury, he emphasized that it was just the basics, awakening my inner rage.

I stared at the title quietly. The starry, night-sky-colored cover with a sparkling title caught my eye.

“Lena….”

I murmured the title softly. Lena was the language needed for magic, wasn’t it? I was briefly intrigued by learning this first.

But just like you wouldn’t try to memorize every word in a dictionary, I wondered why I needed to memorize everything here. I was about to ask a rational question based on my reasoning when I noticed Jafflin’s serious and somewhat bewildered expression.

“Why do you look like that?”

“Student.”

“Yes.”

“Have you studied this language before?”

He muttered, “It can’t be.” I looked at the cover he pointed to again.

“Oh…?”

This wasn’t in Imperial script. It was a language I had never seen before. Yet, I knew it was ‘Lena.’ Did I unconsciously translate it?

I remembered when I could understand the fairies’ language. At the time, I thought it was just a possession perk and dismissed it lightly. But it seemed to be a real perk.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories