Chapter 55

***

It was June, five years ago when she had advised keeping the mansion and the Magic Tower at bay. Since then, over half of the servants who were working at the time had quit and left the mansion. Most of them only remember the shocking fact that ‘the lady had left the house,’ with no knowledge of the detailed circumstances.

So, could it be alright now to invite a magician to the mansion?

“Understood. I will send a request and a letter to Master Owen of the Magic Tower. He should be the first to review it.”

His letter swiftly reached the Magic Tower, and it took less than half a day for the Tower to assign someone and send them to the mansion.

***

“Trainee, Jeremiah.”

The Duke gazed intently at his son who had bowed before him.

He knew that this child did not like him, but he never expected that in their first meeting after several years, the son would introduce himself merely as a ‘trainee.’

“Trainee…”

Surprised, the Duke repeated the term in a low voice.

The boy then lifted his head and smiled with his handsome face, resembling Claude. More precisely, he resembled Beatrice.

“I have not yet received the title of a magician. However, I will do my utmost to resolve your daughter’s matter, Your Grace.”

The ordinary term ‘Your Grace,’ emphasized deliberately, seemed to directly convey his feelings towards his father.

“Welcome back home. I have been waiting for you all this time, Jeremiah Baldwin.”

The Duke also embedded his feelings into his ordinary words. All were sincere, yet it seemed they did not reach the other.

As evident by the lack of response and his son just passing by him.

“It’s been a long time, brother.”

Jeremiah then bowed his head to Ronny, who was standing beside the Duke. The brothers, only a year apart, did not have many memories of each other.

“Uh, ah!”

Ronny, seemingly quite nervous, could only respond like that and then fell silent.

In contrast, Jeremiah calmly led the conversation.

“I heard about the new guest, but I don’t see her.”

“…You knew about Melody?!”

“Gathering information about the client is a matter of course.”

“Am, amazing…”

“Even if it wasn’t for that, the fact that someone raised by slave traders is in the duke’s house is quite well-known.”

When Jeremiah first heard about it, he laughed out loud, finding it fitting for the dignity of the family he knew.

“Melody is asleep.”

“Asleep?”

“Yes, she’s hardly been sleeping lately. Worrying about Loretta.”

Ronny’s face also showed signs of fatigue as he spoke.

“The newly arrived youngest member seems to be quite… beloved.”

Jeremiah responded, then passed by Ronny’s side, murmuring to himself.

“If I had been sold as a slave, I wouldn’t have had to come here…”

Ronny, who happened to overhear this comment, was startled and turned his head.

Jeremiah, whose gaze met Ronny’s again, was wearing a kind smile.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Ronny concluded that such a polite and well-mannered child couldn’t possibly have made such a frightening remark.

“I must have heard it wrong.”@@novelbin@@

“Sometimes that happens when you’re tired.”

Soon, Higgins approached Jeremiah.

“Young master, I will guide you.”

“Thank you, Higgins.”

As Jeremiah nodded slightly in response, Ronny quickly intervened between the two.

“Wait, I will guide you! After all, I am Jeremiah’s brother.”

Before Jeremiah could even reply with ‘Please do,’ Ronny hastily grabbed his arm and started pulling him into the mansion.

Ronny’s steps were unusually light for the first time in a while.

He was happy to see Jeremiah after such a long time, but the greatest joy lay elsewhere.

‘Now Loretta will be okay.’

Jeremiah, the magician the Duke’s family boasts of, would surely solve everything splendidly.

Ronny felt there was nothing left for him to worry about.

***

In the mansion’s hallway, Ronny clung to Jeremiah’s side persistently.

“Should I take you to Loretta? Or do you need some rest? Shall I take you to your room? Oh, right. Have you eaten?”

“Brother.”

“Yes! What! What do you want to do first?”

Seeing him approaching with wide-open eyes, it seemed he was very engrossed in playing the part of the mansion’s owner.

‘He’s being overprotected in the mansion…’

Jeremiah thought that about Ronny, but he didn’t openly show any hostility.

Maybe because he thought Claude Baldwin would have noticed his true feelings. Ronny, who was obliviously smiling, seemed a bit pitiful.

“I am here on a request from the Magic Tower. First, I intend to visit the patient.”

“Great, this brother will guide you.”

Jeremiah thought to himself, ‘Convenient guide,’ and followed Ronny to Loretta’s room.

The room they arrived at was one that was not used much when Jeremiah was living in the mansion. A faint memory recalled that this room was always locked.

Stepping inside, the first things that caught his eye were the colorful toys, books, luxurious furniture, and pretty rugs.

It was very different from the austere lifestyle of the Magic Tower. No, it was different from the Duke’s house of old. He didn’t remember it being a place where money was spent so frivolously.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

At Ronny’s question, Jeremiah’s gaze fell on the small child lying on the bed.

Well, if you ask if she’s beautiful, objectively she was indeed beautiful.

There were children of Loretta’s age who came to the Magic Tower as trainees, but it was rare to see a child this cute.

“Yes, she’s beautiful.”

As he responded while intently observing Loretta, Ronny was taken aback, shaking his head with his face turning bright red.

“I wasn’t asking if she’s pretty! I was talking about how beautiful the room is.”

He pointed at the rug and the furniture, boasting, ‘I helped choose the good stuff.’

“So, if you ever want to redecorate your room, rely on this brother anytime. Even the merchants acknowledge my taste.”

“Well, brother, you grew up under the Duke’s meticulous care, seeing only the finest things, so it’s natural that you have good taste.”

Jeremiah somewhat envied his convenient eyes that only saw the beautiful things.

“Then, I’ll check on Loretta now. Quietly, that is.”

“Should I close the window? Or do you need anything? Just tell me. I’ll prepare everything for you.”

“Only silence is needed. Very quietly. As if no one is around.”

Jeremiah placed a finger on his lips and smiled.

Ronny realized after a while that this was a request for him to leave.

“I’ll wait outside the door. Let me know if you need anything.”

Finally, Ronny hesitantly stepped back, along with the maid who had been taking care of Loretta.

“All I need is quiet.”

“Then I’ll make sure no one around here makes a noise!” He excitedly went out into the hallway and shouted, ‘Everyone be quiet! Jeremiah is treating Loretta!,’ making quite a ruckus.

Jeremiah looked at the closed door, frowned slightly, and then shifted his gaze to the bed.

“…Loretta Baldwin.”

The frail face of the small child seemed both foreign and familiar. It reminded him of himself and, also,

“I will kill this child!”

The cruel words left by his mother while he was listening. His little hand gently touched the nape of the child’s neck, thin enough to be cradled in one hand.

His inner self wavered in an ugly manner, but soon the teachings of the Magic Tower suppressed the cruel instinct.

“…”

Jeremiah gently lifted the child’s tiny face and moved his palm to her forehead.

When he released a faint power, the magic smoothly flowed through the child’s body and returned to his hand.

There were no particularly noticeable symptoms biologically.

Perhaps it was a matter of the mind.

“You might even resemble that woman’s madness.”

Jeremiah performed basic healing magic on the child’s body, ensuring that not eating anything while unconscious wouldn’t cause significant problems.

“Don’t worry, little sister. I’ll make sure you recover completely.”

This act wasn’t for the child or the Duke’s family.

He was merely utilizing this situation to earn the title of a magician. If it wasn’t for that, this arrogant girl, born and raised with his mother’s affection…

…he might have wanted to eliminate her.

***

Melody woke up with a gasp when the sun was in the middle of the sky.

Sleeping in late! Even though she was a guest of the Duke’s house, sleeping lazily during the time when the nobles were active felt disrespectful to herself.

Besides, Melody had her own tasks to do.

Massaging Mrs. Higgins’ shoulders, reading small print for the maids whose eyesight was failing, and such.

The girl hurriedly finished washing up and quickly changed her clothes.

Her messy hair, like a scrub pad, was tied up neatly with a green ribbon.

‘First, I’ll check on Loretta’s condition.’

That was the most important task Melody had taken on in this mansion.