Chapter 5

Once Elina agreed, the Duchess wanted to take her immediately. After hurriedly packing and saying goodbye to everyone at the orphanage, Elina boarded the luxurious carriage with the Duchess’s help.

The Duchess’s maid, Seria, explained that the elegant lady taking her away was the Duchess, so she should address her as “Your Grace.”

Elina practiced the unfamiliar title in her mouth several times before turning to look out the window again.

Before she knew it, the carriage had entered the Grand Ducal estate. Elina, mouth agape, watched the trees fly past until she arrived at the mansion’s entrance and was helped out of the carriage.

“Help the child down.”

At the Duchess’s words, the coachman came and lifted her gently to the ground. As she landed, Elina noticed, over the coachman’s shoulder, a handsome boy running toward them and fixed her gaze on him.

Unlike herself, dressed in a plain cotton dress, the boy wore clothes made of fine fabric and was clearly from a noble family.

“Mother!”

“Terence. Our Young Master.”

Terence, his black hair flying, ran to the Duchess and hugged her, making her laugh with joy as she embraced him.

Still in his mother’s arms, Terence couldn’t take his eyes off Elina and spoke with an eager voice.

“Who is she? Is she my little sister?”

“Do you still want a sibling?”

For some reason, Terence had recently been asking for a sibling. Seeing a girl suddenly appear, he must have thought his wish had come true, and his violet eyes sparkled like the sun as he looked at Elina.

Priscilla gently shook her head, chuckling, and took Terence’s hand, leading him to Elina.

“Terence, greet her. This is Elina.”

“Hello…”

Elina, standing awkwardly, bent her knees and greeted first. Even at her young age, she knew she should bow to someone of higher status.

She’d learned that after the Emperor, the Grand Duke was the highest in rank, and the young master before her would one day become Grand Duke—a status so high she couldn’t even imagine.

“Hello, Elina.”

His clear violet eyes were full of curiosity about her. Embarrassed to be clinging to his mother, Terence quickly let go and reached out to Elina.

“Can you look after Elina while I visit your father for a moment?”

Priscilla hoped the two children would become friends, and Terence nodded eagerly. He grabbed Elina’s hand and, with a playful smile, led her away.

“I’ll show you around. Come with me.”

“Um… okay.”

Elina found his grip awkward but somehow pleasant, and followed him with a fluttering heart.

As she listened to Terence’s stories while he showed her around the Grand Ducal castle, she learned that he was two years older, eleven, and had wished for a sibling as a birthday present.

“Father said it would be hard for mother, but I told him even a puppy sibling would do. I didn’t expect to get my birthday present so soon!”

Terence spun Elina around excitedly, clearly delighted. Worried he was misunderstanding, Elina cautiously grabbed his arm and stammered.

“But, I’m not your little sister. Her Grace said she’d sponsor me, that’s why I’m here.”

“Really? Why is mother sponsoring you?”

“Well… I know a little magic. So she decided to sponsor me…”

Even as she explained, Elina grew nervous. What if the young master disliked her and asked the Duchess to cancel the sponsorship?

But Terence’s violet eyes only sparkled more as he looked at Elina.

“You can use magic at such a young age? Amazing! I don’t have a drop of magical talent.”

At least he was talented with the sword. Muttering to himself, Terence held Elina’s hand tightly and pleaded.

“What kind of magic? Can you show me?”

“It’s nothing special…”

Elina scratched her head shyly, then created a magic sphere as she had at the orphanage. The glowing ball floated and moved at her gesture, and Terence gasped in wonder at the sight.

“That’s really pretty. Just like you!”

Blushing at his innocent admiration, Elina watched as Terence waved his hand in the air, still amazed, then gripped her hand again.

“So you’ll be living here now?”

“I… think so.”

Her cautious nod made Terence’s expression brighten even more.

Whether he was happy to have another child to play with or truly thought of her as a new sister, Elina could at least tell he didn’t dislike her being here.

Relieved by his reaction, Elina finally relaxed and sighed.

Terence kept shaking her small hand, smiling at her.

“Welcome to our home.”

His gentle eyes were warmer than any kindness Elina had ever known. She soon melted into life at the Grand Ducal castle, spending happy childhood days.

All the servants were kind to her, and Terence’s father, Grand Duke Callium, doted on her like a youngest daughter. Duchess Priscilla gave her a large and beautiful room, and Terence looked after her like a proper older brother.

The tutors summoned to teach her magic and etiquette never spared their praise, and learning was always a joy. After lessons, she would join Terence, who waited for her in the garden, and they would play together.

Elina could hardly believe her luck and lived each day in happiness, though she always kept a vague fear in her heart that such happiness might vanish like a mirage.

Regardless of her worries, time flew by. Always a little frail from lack of nutrition, Elina’s body grew rapidly day by day.

And, as happens with children after puberty, Terence and Elina grew a bit distant as they matured.

Though they still cared for each other, Terence joined the Imperial Knight Order at a young age, and time apart made them drift naturally. Elina, too, became busy preparing to enter the Magic Academy.

It was around then that their relationship became complicated.

“I can’t do this anymore!”

Struggling with a book filled with dense writing, Elina clutched her head and leaned back. She had been wrestling with her studies for hours, and the sun was already high in the sky.

She had recently realized that the saying “magic has no limits” also meant there was no end to studying it.

Wondering how many more books she needed to master before the Academy entrance exam, Elina sighed deeply and got up.

She hadn’t eaten all day and was hungry. Heading to the dining room for a snack, Elina spotted a familiar figure by a sunny window and hurried over.

She dashed down the stairs, barely acknowledging the servants’ greetings with a wave, and headed to the garden. Her tied-up golden hair swayed with every step.

Hearing her footsteps, the man paused and smiled gracefully.

“Elina!”

“Huff, Young Master Terence!”

She must have spent too much time studying, as even a little movement left her breathless. Bent over, hands on her knees, Terence approached and gently helped her up.

“Still calling me ‘Young Master’ after all this time? I’ve been asking you to use my name for six years now.”

“But…”

As a child, she’d used his name freely, but now, having learned proper manners, she couldn’t do so.

Trying to protest, she stood up and was surprised to see how much he’d grown in just a few months.

The boyish look was gone, replaced by the air of a young man. He’d always grown quickly, but now she had to look up to meet his eyes.

He was much bigger, and his face, tanned from training, emphasized his strong jawline and masculinity. Feeling awkward, Elina stepped back and stared at him, mouth agape.

“You’ve… grown a lot.”

“A bit, right? I even got a new uniform. His Majesty keeps teasing me about how tall I’ll get.”

His refreshing smile was like a summer breeze.

Elina swallowed nervously, shook her head, and smiled back.

The awkwardness she felt at his growth quickly faded, replaced by the joy of seeing him again.

“Their Graces must be pleased. Did you get leave?”

“No, Mother and Father said they had something to discuss, so I stopped by.”

“Oh… then you’ll be leaving again today?”

“Would you rather I didn’t? Should I stay?”

He joked, lips curling up, but Elina was too sad to play along. She grabbed his sleeve and nodded earnestly.

“Yes. I wish you wouldn’t go. It’s been so long—I’ll miss you.”

“…Well, I’ll say hello quickly and come back, so, yes. Let’s do that.” 

“Yes. See you later.”

At Elina’s words, Terence somehow brushed his face with an embarrassed look. He suddenly began to stammer, half comforting Elina, then hurriedly crossed the garden and entered the castle.

Elina, not noticing his flushed ears and nape due to his sudden actions, pouted as she headed to the dining room.

“Is it something urgent?”

Still, maybe she could see him once more before he left. Maybe she missed people because she’d been cooped up studying in her room for so long, and it wasn’t the first time Terence had dropped by only to leave quickly, but today she felt especially restless.