Chapter 140

After discussing her possession with Caldeon over a late breakfast, Enria felt a strange fluttering in her chest. It was miraculous enough that he had believed her so readily, but his intense curiosity about her original world—insisting she tell him everything without leaving out a single detail—flustered her.

—It’s the place where you lived from birth until you became an adult. I don’t like the idea of not knowing a place like that. I need to know every detail. I want to feel as if I had lived there with you.

Recalling Caldeon’s outrageous remark, her face flushed crimson in an instant. She wondered what kind of person could say such things so casually, and what went on in his head to even think that way. In a sense, it was almost admirable.

“Enri!”

As Enria was heading upstairs after breakfast to see Hayden, Roseanne called out to her. Turning around, she saw Roseanne and Belona coming up from the first floor.

“Where have you been?” Enria asked Roseanne.

“I was seeing Lord Tearen and my brother off.”

“Ah.” Enria nodded. Since the wine party had lasted late into the night, it was only natural for them to sleep over and leave in the morning.

“I was actually just coming to find you,” Roseanne said as she reached the landing where Enria stood. Seeing Enria’s questioning look, Roseanne naturally linked arms with her and looked back at Belona, who was following behind. “Since we’ve run into each other here, I think we can just talk together.”

Belona nodded and stepped up beside Enria, linking her arm on Enria’s other side just as Roseanne had done.

“Let’s talk in the nearby drawing room.”

“…?”

Flanked by Roseanne and Belona, Enria felt as though she were being escorted under arrest. She followed them into the room, and the moment she heard Roseanne speak, her eyes nearly bugged out.

“You’re leaving?! You too, Miss Belona?!” Enria looked back and forth between the two.

Roseanne poured tea brought by a servant and handed it to Enria, shaking her head slightly. “Not together, of course. Separately. Miss Belona will be staying at the Kaznaren estate.”

“…!”

Enria’s wide eyes stretched even further. She shook her head, claiming she hadn’t understood. “Wait, Rose, you’re saying you’re going back to the Kaznaren house?”

Roseanne poured another cup and handed it to Belona as she shook her head again. It was Belona who answered as she took the cup.

“Me. It seems I will be living at the Kaznaren mansion.”

“Wow.” The exclamation escaped Enria’s lips before she could stop it.

“And I’ll be staying with Lord Tearen,” Roseanne said with a bright smile, lifting her tea to her lips.

Enria was taken aback by the sudden news and glanced between them. Roseanne explained the conversation they’d had last night with Tearen and Rahar about leaving the Grand Duchy.

“It’s not that I’m giving up on being Hayden’s magic tutor. While I wanted to stay at the castle to teach him, I also genuinely want to pass on every spell I know to him.” Roseanne added that she felt a bit guilty for moving to Tearen’s mansion so suddenly, especially after Enria and Caldeon had gone all the way to the Imperial Palace to get permission for her to stay at the Grand Duchy.

“No, you don’t have to feel guilty. Moving in with Lord Tearen is something to celebrate,” Enria said, waving her hands dismissively, though she couldn’t hide a bittersweet smile. “I just… I honestly thought you, Miss Belona, and I would be staying here at the castle together for a long time.”

“Yeah, I thought so too,” Roseanne agreed. “But I also want to be with Lord Tearen. I didn’t expect my brother and father to agree so easily, and I certainly didn’t expect Lord Tearen to ask me to move in…”

“I know how you feel. I would have made the same choice,” Enria said with a supportive smile. Roseanne thanked her warmly.

“So, it’s official then?”

“Yes. Once Rahar settles the matter of taking Miss Belona home, I plan to move into Lord Tearen’s mansion immediately.”

‘They’re basically moving in together,’ Enria thought.

She wondered if it was really okay for two young ladies to move into the homes of unmarried men so easily. However, considering she herself was living with Caldeon and knowing how much Roseanne loved Tearen, her feelings of congratulations outweighed any traditional concerns.

‘But why is Miss Belona moving there…?’ Enria’s gaze instinctively drifted toward Belona.

Belona, who had been quietly sipping her tea, set her cup down. “I feel more stable when I’m with Rahar, since he was revived through Hayden’s absolution ability.”

She explained her reason for moving to Rahar’s mansion with simple, clinical clarity. She added that since there was currently internal strife at the Magic Tower regarding the next Tower Master, staying at the Grand Duchy or moving to the Kaznaren house didn’t make much of a difference to her comfort.

“Of course, it’s a bit sad that I won’t see you and Hayden every day, but Rahar promised to bring me here often.”

“You two have become quite close, haven’t you?” Enria said with a bright smile. Belona looked momentarily flustered and denied it. Enria, however, felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking they made a good match.

“That’s why I was thinking the three of us should have regular meetings,” Roseanne suggested.

Enria’s eyes widened. “Regular meetings?”

“Yes. I discussed it briefly with Miss Belona. Since we’ll be living in different places, our time together will naturally decrease. If we set a regular schedule, we’ll be sure to see each other.”

“Ah.” Enria nodded. She and Roseanne had both become very close with Belona, so she was all for it.

“How about twice a week? What do you think, Miss Belona?” Roseanne asked.

“Once a week is too long, and three times might be a bit much. Twice sounds perfect to me,” Belona answered first.

Enria agreed. “Twice a week isn’t too burdensome. I like it.”

“Then twice a week it is! What should be the theme of our meetings? We don’t strictly need one since it’s just us, but we should have a formal justification.”

“Let’s make it ‘Helping with Hayden’s upbringing,'” Belona said calmly. “We might not be much help since we’re unmarried, but I’m sure Hayden will be happy to see us.”

“Absolutely. Hayden loves his ‘aunts’ so much. He’ll be heartbroken when he finds out you two are leaving,” Enria said.

A faint smile touched Belona’s lips. “I really like Hayden too. That’s why I’m so eager to participate in Roseanne’s regular meetings.” She added that she usually disliked and felt uncomfortable in groups. “That’s why I never made close friends even while living at the Magic Tower.”

“I know. I heard quite a bit about the ‘Tower Master’s successor’s lover,'” Roseanne said, mentioning that her sources at the Tower had told her about Belona’s reclusive nature. She emphasized that since the three of them had become friends, they should cherish this connection.

Enria, knowing Roseanne hadn’t initially been thrilled about Rahar and Belona’s connection, found it admirable that Roseanne was making such an effort to value Belona as a friend.

“I hope this connection continues as well. I expect I’ll be quite indebted to your brother in the future,” Belona said with a soft smile as she lifted her tea. Roseanne smiled back.

Noticing the subtle tension between them, Enria realized they weren’t entirely comfortable with each other yet. She hoped that one day, Belona and Rahar could join them as a couple on a double date. It was a selfish wish, perhaps, but she felt Rahar could truly heal Belona’s wounds. She didn’t want Belona to suffer over Groen anymore.

“My Light attribute will certainly help with Hayden’s training. Only the Light attribute has the power to temporarily bind the ‘Black Mana’ feet,” Belona said. She suggested that while teaching Hayden, they should expose him to his weakness—the Light attribute—early on, so he could develop the ability to overcome it himself.

Enria’s face paled slightly with embarrassment.

‘I mean… he’s a fragment of a God. He doesn’t really need to learn it the hard way…’

Despite knowing the truth, Enria couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud. She just blinked slowly, the words trapped in her throat.