***

“Young lady, the chef has prepared this dessert especially for you. Please try it.”

“Oh my, it’s delicious. Could you thank him for me?”

“Yes!”

While Violet was enjoying the tea and sweets in the warm greenhouse, Kaiden appeared, wearing only a light shirt.

“Violet, I need to talk to you.”

The maids attending to her picked up on the mood and quietly left the greenhouse. Kaiden took a seat opposite her.

“Shall I have a teacup brought to you?”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

Deliberately, Violet picked up her teacup with both hands and blew on the tea before taking a sip – an action completely at odds with noble etiquette.

Kaiden watched her for a moment before finally speaking.

“Are you settling in well here?”

Violet, making a show of it, set down her teacup with a clink and answered.

“Yes. I was a little worried at first, but everyone’s been so kind, I’ve been able to adjust quickly.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Isn’t it?”

She said with a bright smile, then picked up her fork and deliberately stabbed the cake with a loud thud. The clash of silverware against porcelain made Kaiden frown.

“We’ll have to start etiquette lessons soon.”

“I’m sorry. I’m really trying to be careful, but somehow…”

Violet hunched her shoulders and put down the fork with a sulky expression. Kaiden pushed the cake plate over to her.

“I didn’t scold you. Go ahead and eat.”

“I’m fine. More importantly, you said you had something to talk about?”

“Yes. Are you interested in magic by any chance?”

“Magic?”

“You seemed to have read a lot of books on the subject.”

“Oh, that.”

She wasn’t surprised. Given the size of the library and the sheer number of books it contained, it made sense that someone would be assigned to manage it.

Violet hadn’t put the books away herself – she had simply handed them back to the librarian and left. So it wasn’t surprising that Kaiden, who was already suspicious of her, asked about her reading habits.

In fact, Violet had a hunch that he already knew.

‘I didn’t expect him to ask me directly, though.’

Still, she wasn’t particularly interested in magic itself, so she hesitated to answer. But Kaiden asked again.

“If you’re interested in magic, would you like to learn it?”

“What?”

This time, even Violet couldn’t hide her surprise.

Magic was a high-level field of study – not something you could learn just because you wanted to. Mages were notoriously proud and selective, especially when it came to accepting students.

Whether Violet wanted to learn magic or not was a question for later. The bigger issue was that mages were unlikely to teach someone like her – someone whose talent had never even been tested.

Besides…

‘Why would he offer to teach me?’

That had not been part of their agreement. And it didn’t seem like magic was necessary to carry out the plan they had set in motion.

‘What is he thinking? Have I been too suspicious?’

When Violet remained silent, Kaiden began to explain.

“When this is all over, you’ll need a way to live, won’t you? I’ll protect you, of course, but that won’t be enough.”

“You really don’t have to go that far.”

“I make it a point to repay the loyalty of those who serve me. And you have become one of mine now, haven’t you?”

“But I may not have any talent for magic. And even if I did, it’s not certain that there would be a mage willing to teach me…”

“I’ll take care of that.”

Kaiden said, as if wondering why she was even worried.

Violet simply watched as he gave instructions to a servant.

***

“You summoned me, Your Grace?”

A short time later, a woman with lavender hair entered the living room where Kaiden and Violet were waiting. It had only been thirty minutes since Kaiden had given orders to a servant.

Violet watched the woman calmly.

Dressed in tight riding clothes, with a short bob and a tall, slender frame, she had an androgynous charm. Despite her height, her limbs were slender rather than muscular, making it unlikely that she was a knight.

Violet quickly realized that the woman must be a mage connected to the Arendt family.

“What do you want me to do?”

Kaiden gestured to Violet with a tilt of his chin.

“Violet here seems interested in learning magic.”

‘I never said I wanted to learn magic…’
Though caught off guard, Violet chose not to protest and simply smiled instead.

“Ah, so this is the young lady from the rumors.”

The woman with the purple hair bowed politely to Violet.

“Hello, Lady Amber. I’m Elly Lindberg, the resident mage of the Arendt family. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Dame Lindberg.”

“Please, just call me Elly.”

“All right, Elly.”

Elly moved closer and knelt on one knee in front of Violet.

“As you may know, magic isn’t something that just anyone can learn if they want to. Before I begin to teach you, may I first assess whether you have the talent for it?”

Violet hesitated.

‘Would it really be a good idea to learn magic’

After a moment’s thought, Violet held out her right hand to Elly.

‘You never know what might happen, so it wouldn’t hurt to learn. Besides, if I learn magic, I might find out why I became Sarah.’

Elly took Violet’s delicate hand and gently placed her fingertips on the back of Violet’s hand, bringing it to her forehead. With her eyes closed, she whispered something softly, giving off an almost reverent aura.

The intangible energy flowing from Elly’s hand wrapped around Violet’s. Violet flinched slightly at the tingling sensation on her hand, but she didn’t pull away.

A moment later, Elly opened her eyes and looked up at Violet, a strange excitement shining in her eyes.

“You’re quite remarkable.”

Kaiden asked instead.

“Is there any talent?”

“Not just a little – so much so that it makes me wonder why someone like that hasn’t learned magic until now.”

A trace of curiosity appeared on Kaiden’s otherwise impassive face.

“Then you are willing to teach?”

“Of course. In fact, if given the opportunity to teach the lady, it would be an honor for me.”

This time, Kaiden turned to Violet.

“I see. And you, Violet?”

“I like it too.”

“Violet will have to attend several classes in the future, so she can’t concentrate on magic lessons. However, it would be good if she could attend them occasionally.”

“Would it be possible to take a class today, if that’s okay?”

Violet’s suggestion made Kaiden’s expression slightly surprised, but he quickly agreed.

“If you want.”

“What about Elly?”

“I’m fine with it.”

“Then I’ll excuse myself from the room.”

When Kaiden left, leaving Elly and Violet alone, Violet began to speak carefully.

“Actually, I have something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

Elly sat across from Violet with a soft smile.

“Is there any magic that can bring someone back from the dead?”

Though it might seem like a strange question to some, Elly answered calmly without showing surprise.

“Do you mean resurrection?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“As someone dedicated to magic, I don’t normally believe in divine beings, but I can only answer that way: Life and death are realms in which only a goddess can intervene.”

In the Empire of Iod, where Violet lived, the goddess Bearos was worshipped. It was said that Bearos had two faces and was involved in both life and death.

“Of course, many mages have researched magic to resurrect the dead, but they have all failed. Likewise, magic to create life has also been unsuccessful.”

“I see. Then have you ever heard of magic that changes a person’s body?”

“Magic that changes a body?”

“Yes. Like waking up after sleeping and finding yourself in someone else’s body.”

Elly, who had been listening seriously, suddenly chuckled. It wasn’t out of mockery; rather, she found Violet endearing.

“My lady, you have a vivid imagination.”

“Yes, well, I’ve been told that a few times.”

“There is a spell to disguise yourself as another person.”

“Really?”

Violet’s eyes sparkled with interest, causing Elly to quickly wave her hands.

“But it’s only about changing your appearance. The essence of a person remains the same. I think it might be a little different from what you had in mind.”

“Yes, that seems to be the case.”

To lighten the mood, Elly clapped her hands lightly.

“That was a great question, though. You see, the most important quality for a magician is innate talent, but the second most important is curiosity. Curiosity is what leads to the invention of magic. So, shall we try a simple lesson?”

“Sounds good.”

That day, Violet and Elly learned the basics of magic. The lesson focused on sharpening the senses to sense the mana in the environment, and Elly was pleased to find that Violet was even more talented than she had first thought.

Thus, the seemingly ordinary life of the Arendt household began to take on a special quality.