Chapter 15
“What do you mean, magical power? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Feigning complete ignorance, I shook my head and then abruptly threw a question back at them.
“More importantly… is Lady Cecilia alright? She nearly got hit by a carriage. I’ve been so worried she might be hurt.”
“Ah.”
Only then did the Duchess falter.
A flicker of realization crossed her beautiful face, as though she had just remembered something crucial too late.
She turned to the Duke with an awkward expression.
“M-my dear?”
“Do not worry. I already sent Madam Howard.”
The Duke quickly reassured his wife.
But my expression steadily soured.
‘Did he really just say that?’
Madam Howard was exactly the person tormenting Cecilia the most.
Of course, in the original story, it had been repeatedly emphasized that the Lucert family had absolutely no idea Madam Howard was abusing Cecilia.
…Still.
Wasn’t this far too indifferent?!
“Lady Cecilia is safe, right?”
I pressed the Duke once more.
He smiled gently at me.
“Of course. She has already returned to Baron Trangier’s estate as well. She should be in her room by now.”
“……”
I stared at him with a complicated gaze before letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
‘Well… at least Cecilia is safe.’
If I could, I would separate Madam Howard from Cecilia immediately—but that was beyond my power.
What could a mere maid possibly do?
‘Then for today… I should just go home.’
First, I needed to check on Mother’s condition and carefully think through what to do next.
My best option was probably to avoid the ducal family as much as possible.
And if absolutely necessary…
Though extreme, I might even have to take Mother and flee overnight.
With those thoughts, I pushed back the blanket once more.
But then the Duchess urgently grabbed hold of me.
“W-where are you going?”
“As I said before… I’m worried my mother must be concerned.”
Mother.
The moment I deliberately emphasized that word, the Duchess’s face darkened like a sky swallowed by storm clouds.
Pretending not to notice, I gave her a bright smile.
“I think I should be heading home now.”
As I firmly drew the line, the Duchess looked at me with desperate eyes.
“Won’t you rest a little longer? You collapsed too, didn’t you?”
“I’m alright. I think I’d be more comfortable resting at home.”
“But you…!”
Unable to hold herself back any longer, the Duchess was just about to cry out—
“My dear.”
The Duke stopped her.
For a moment, he gazed steadily into her eyes before quietly shaking his head.
Then he turned back to me.
“Very well. But I shall have a carriage prepared for you.”
“That’s alright. I can walk perfectly fin—”
“Well, to my eyes, you do not seem perfectly fine at all.”
The Duke clicked his tongue briefly.
“You can barely move properly even now, can you?”
“……”
He had me there.
In the end, I obediently lowered my head.
“Then… I shall accept your kindness, Duke.”
“Good.”
Nodding, the Duke suddenly seemed to recall something and added,
“Oh, right. Thank you for saving Cecilia.”
Ah.
My eyes widened slightly.
The Duke’s sharp features softened into a gentle smile.
“I will make sure you are properly rewarded later.”
At those words, the tension that had kept my entire body stiff finally eased.
At the very least… it seemed the Duke’s family did think of Cecilia as family.
“Thank you very much.”
At last, I felt I could breathe a little easier.
After Milena left—
The Duchess, who had been staring longingly at the closed door, suddenly spun toward her husband.
“That child… isn’t she our Chesya?!”
“My dear, calm yourself first.”
“How can I possibly calm down?! Blonde hair, green eyes—and they said she awakened wind abilities!”
The corners of the Duchess’s eyes grew wet.
Biting her lip hard as though suppressing overwhelming emotion, she continued in a trembling voice,
“What if… what if we lose her again…!”
“We cannot be certain yet that she is truly Chesya.”
The Duke gently soothed his deeply agitated wife.
“If we speak carelessly now, we may only provoke the child’s resistance.”
“But—!”
“She kept speaking of her mother. Their bond seems very deep.”
Only then did the Duchess gradually quiet down.
Mother.
The word brought Milena’s expression back to mind.
That child had truly, sincerely been worried for her mother.
The Duke continued reassuring his wife.
“It will not take long to find out where she lives. The coachman is our man, and I sent knights with her as well.”
“……”
“They said she is a maid of Baron Trangier’s household. We can simply inquire there too. So do not worry.”
Elias quickly added his support.
Only then did the Duchess’s face relax slightly.
But only for a moment.
“More importantly… is Lady Cecilia alright? She nearly got hit by a carriage. I’ve been so worried she might be hurt.”
Milena’s earlier words resurfaced belatedly in all their clarity.
Come to think of it…
No one even remembered when Cecilia had left the room.
She had definitely been there at first.
“My dear…”
After hesitating for a moment, the Duchess spoke carefully.
“How is Cecilia? Is she alright?”
“Cecilia?”
“Yes… I was so shocked earlier that I don’t think I paid proper attention to her.”
Nodding slowly, the Duchess lowered her eyes.
Her golden lashes trembled like delicate fans.
“She was outside all day… honestly, that reckless girl. Running around so dangerously without a thought…”
“Do not worry too much. I was told she is fine.”
“Still…”
But the Duchess’s face remained troubled.
The Duke gently stroked her back.
“Madam Howard will take good care of her. Hmm?”
Madam Howard.
Only after hearing that name did the Duchess finally seem somewhat reassured.
“Yes… if it’s her, then I can rest easy.”
Madam Howard had raised both Elias and Cecilia from childhood as their nanny.
She was someone they trusted completely.
The Duchess’s expression brightened almost immediately, and she carefully spoke again.
“Then… that child from earlier…”
“Well, we cannot say for certain yet. We must first conduct a bloodline test, mustn’t we?”
The Mage Tower’s magitech—
A parental verification spell.
Through that, they would be able to determine whether that girl was truly their biological daughter.
“For now, meeting the child’s parents is the priority. If we are to perform the blood test, we must first travel to the capital.”
“Yes… yes, of course.”
The Duchess pressed a hand to her chest.
Her heart pounded pleasantly with anticipation.
The Duke and his son watched her with warm eyes.
Ever since losing their “real daughter,” the Duchess had withered like a flower deprived of sunlight.
But now—
For the first time in years—
Her eyes shone with hope.
“Oh, right. Elias.”
At that moment, the Duchess glanced toward her son.
“Would you go check on Cecilia as well? See whether she’s truly alright now.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Elias rose willingly to his feet.
