Chapter 14

Now that she thought about it, it was such a ridiculous promise.

Even if Castor Grosvenor were to come back to life, he would never be able to create a magic that could revive the dead.

But back then, Felix had been so serious, and Elena had wanted to believe his words.

‘Then promise me. When you grow up, you’ll bring my mother back.’

She had extended her pinky finger to him. Felix quietly hooked his pinky around hers.

That day, despite the nanny’s concern that she might catch a cold, Elena had sat in the garden all day, watching the pink roses.

Felix had sat beside her, reading a book. They didn’t exchange a single word, each doing what they wanted in silence, but the time didn’t feel awkward at all.

The next day, after Felix left, the magic disappeared, and the pink roses froze in the cold.

Yet strangely, looking at the barren garden again, she didn’t feel as sad as she had before.

The time Felix had shown her magic lasted only a single day. Just one day of illusion. But the roses she had seen that day remained vivid in her memory.

Looking at the garden, where only traces of the roses remained, she realized that magic wasn’t just something that hurt people—it could also bring them happiness.

And she, too, wanted to make people happy.

Felix would probably never know.

That in a garden filled with the scent of roses, she had dreamed of magic while looking at him.

***

Felix returned to the dormitory just as the sun, setting in the west, cast a red glow across the sky.

At that time, Elena had just woken up from a long nap and was playing a tickling game with the lively Little One.

“Ha-oooh!”

Little One was drooling as he ran away from her.

The door clicked open, and Felix entered. Elena turned her head away, making every effort not to glance at him as he stepped into the room.

“Elena.”

The voice she didn’t want to hear spoke from right beside her before she even realized it.

She ignored him, holding Little One in her arms.

She knew it was petty to ignore someone standing right next to her, but she couldn’t help it.

“Aren’t you hungry, Little One?”

“Mamu.”

“Elena.”

Felix gently grabbed her arm, forcing her to face him.

His expression was subtle, so much so that she couldn’t tell what he was feeling.

He was clenching his teeth as if he were angry, but his eyes, fixed on hers, seemed uneasy.

“I was thoughtless.”

His voice was quiet, as if he were talking to himself.

“I didn’t mean what I said about why you’re attending the academy. I know you’re working hard to keep up with the practical magic classes. No one works as hard as you.”

She already knew he hadn’t meant those words. She also knew that he was now sincerely apologizing in his own way.

But his apology didn’t reach her heart.

She had thought playing with Little One had eased her feelings completely, but her heart was still tightly shut.

“What’s the point of saying that now? I’ve already heard it.”

She took his hand, which was holding her arm, and pushed it away.

“Fine, I get it. You said it because you were worried about me. Even I think my actions were ridiculous, so of course you would too. But with just one sentence, you denied all the effort I’ve put in so far.”

She tried to speak calmly without getting angry, but her breath quickened, and her voice rose.

“Wouldn’t you have done better? Of course, you would! Like you said, even if you were holding Little One, you would’ve escaped easily without becoming a hostage. But so what? You weren’t there!”

Felix didn’t argue back. He quietly listened to her vent her anger.

His expression remained serious, without a hint of displeasure. Elena continued to unleash her fury on him.

“You left! You left me and Little One behind and went ahead! If you had stayed with us, this wouldn’t have happened. So why are you mad at me?”

It was a meaningless outburst. There was no reason to blame him just because he had gone ahead.

But she was angry, and she needed someone to take it out on. Felix was the only one in front of her.

“Do you think I wanted to die? I did it because I wanted to live too. You don’t know how scared I was…”

She couldn’t forget those eyes, gleaming with madness like a beast’s.

Her wounds had healed, and there was no pain, but the cold blade that had touched her neck still felt vivid.

The shadow of death, which had loomed over her and Little One, seemed to still linger around them.

“I was so scared!”

In the end, she screamed. She hadn’t intended to cry, but tears poured out without warning.

“Hwaaaaah!”

Little One, perhaps sensing her fear, flailed and cried even louder than before.

Hearing Little One’s wails made her feel even more sorrowful, and she cried like a child herself.

Unable to calm Little One while sobbing, Felix took him from her arms and gently comforted him.

“Hush, hush.”

“You’re awful. You’re a terrible person. You’re not even my friend. How could you say that? How could you leave me? How could you…”

“I’m sorry.”

Even amidst her uncontrollable sobbing, those three words reached her ears clearly. His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it resonated.

She stopped her endless tirade and looked at him.

But her emotions didn’t settle easily; her shoulders shook, and her lips trembled.

Felix spoke again, this time in a firmer voice.

“I’m sorry, Elena. I was wrong.”

Had Felix ever apologized to her before?

Not just to her—she couldn’t recall ever seeing him apologize to anyone.

Felix, despite his self-centered personality, rarely found himself in situations where he needed to apologize. He was confident in his opinions and rarely felt the need to say sorry.

Yet here he was, apologizing to her. Not indirectly or evasively, but straightforwardly.

“I’ll never say something like that again.”

She didn’t know how to react to him, looking at her with such a serious expression.

Her emotions hadn’t calmed, and she didn’t want to dismiss his apology with empty words. But she also couldn’t berate him further when he was being more sincere than ever.

She was so shocked that she couldn’t even cry anymore.

Wiping her tear-streaked cheeks and eyes with the back of her hand, she hesitated over what to say.

“Apologize to Little One too.”

After some thought, she mumbled quietly.

Felix’s serious expression faltered slightly at the mention of Little One, which had nothing to do with their conversation.

Elena took Little One back from Felix, who had been reaching out to her, and patted his back. Little One’s squirming gradually subsided.

“It’s a good thing Little One didn’t understand what you said about not being his real mother. If he had, he would’ve been hurt.”

She gently wiped the tears from Little One’s watery eyes with her sleeve.

“He’s already anxious from being separated from his parents. Hearing something like that would’ve made him feel even more sorrowful. Whatever the reason, we’re his guardians right now.”

“Uuuh.”

As if understanding her words, Little One whimpered and buried his face in her chest.

The warm face and hands nestled against her chest had become familiar to her.

Though he couldn’t speak, Little One must have missed his parents terribly.

No matter how much they tried to care for him, it couldn’t compare to the love of his mother or father.

‘Of course, at first, I was just as bewildered, wondering why this had happened.’

But over the past few days, she had grown attached to Little One, and his presence no longer felt burdensome.

While she patted Little One’s back with genuine care, Felix, who had been watching her intently, spoke.

“I’m sorry to you too, Little One.”

Little One lifted his head to look at Felix. Felix gently ruffled Little One’s hair.

“I didn’t mean that it’s okay for anything bad to happen to you. I’ll take good care of you too. Like Elena said, we’re your guardians right now.”

“Ahh.”

Little One blinked his tearful eyes repeatedly, staring at Felix.

Perhaps trying to reassure him, Felix lifted the corners of his lips ever so slightly.

Since Felix rarely smiled, the small upward curve of one corner of his mouth looked more like a smirk. Little One, staring at that expression, buried his head back into Elena’s chest.