Chapter 48 : New Friends Are Always Welcome

Although Serena drank the potion made from Endrago, it’s still unclear whether her heart was actually healed.

Normally in situations like this, wouldn’t there be some kind of flashy effect, like the body glowing or something?

But there was no noticeable change — it was like drinking an ordinary beverage.

“How do you feel? Do you feel anything happening?”

“I’m not sure… but it does feel like the discomfort I used to feel in my chest whenever I used magic is gone…”

“What? Then we have to check right away!”

If it’s something in her chest, that must mean it’s related to her heart.

In that case, I need to examine it myself, thoroughly if necessary…!

“…S-sorry.”

As I tried to approach, she looked at me as if I were filth, so I gave up.

Even I would get hurt being stared at like that, you know.

Anyway, we still needed to confirm if the potion worked, so Serena stepped out into the garden and began casting magic as I had suggested.

“Wow.”

Flames roared, winds scattered, and sharp icicles sprouted from the ground.

Watching her unleash everything she knew, as if she had been waiting for this very moment, I couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.

I had told her to be careful not to damage the garden, but honestly, just watching her was nerve-wracking.

“H-hey, maybe you should stop now? We’ve confirmed it enough, right?”

I tried to stop her, but she was so engrossed with sparkling eyes that my words didn’t seem to reach her.

She’s always had boundless mana, but now with her interest fully sparked, she just wouldn’t stop.

I understood that using magic must have always been uncomfortable for her, and now she felt free.

But if she kept this up, it was only a matter of time before the flowers got caught up in it.

No matter how careful she tried to be.

“If you keep going, today’s dinner will be an all-carrot course meal, you know?”

“Ugh…!”

It was a childish threat, but it worked perfectly.

She frowned just imagining a meal filled with nothing but carrots.

“So, does your heart feel okay now?”

“Yep! It doesn’t hurt at all.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

The skill couldn’t possibly be wrong, but I still felt nervous, so hearing her say that eased my heart.

Now, with no weakness left except her hatred for carrots, raising her would be so much easier.

At least, that’s what I thought.

*

Maybe the restriction placed on Serena’s heart was some kind of lock.

Because now, she’s obsessing over magic more than ever, and it feels like I’m about to lose my mind.

“What are you going to teach me today? Huh? Huh?”

Serena, as a student, had truly impeccable dedication.

To love learning this much — if I were a professor at an academy, I would’ve fought to make her my assistant.

But a child’s stamina and enthusiasm are something even adults can’t easily keep up with.

Just ten minutes ago, I had already taught her twenty new spells, and yet here she was, begging me for more.

I need time to rest too, you know. 

Why do you have no mercy?

“L-let’s call it a day for now, okay?”

“But I can still keep going?”

Of course you can. 

You never run out of mana.

But I’m different. 

Showing all those magic demonstrations has drained my mana and my stamina to the very bottom.

Come to think of it, it’s weird. 

I get why my mana is low, but why is my stamina still fine…?

“I’m just tired. You should go rest in your room too. Ugh, my whole body aches.” 

“Wow… You really sounded like a grandma just now.” 

Hey, that’s pretty rude to say to a still-young woman. 

Still, seeing that she realized I was genuinely exhausted, she left the room, albeit with a regretful expression.

“Phew. Now I can finally get some rest. Were kids always this energetic at that age?” 

I don’t think I was this hyper when I was young. 

“That’s true, but I think Miss Serena is especially lively.” 

Ord, who had been watching us from the side, agreed with me.

“It just means she enjoys spending time with you, Master.” 

“Hmm… is that so?” 

Honestly, it seems more like she just loves using magic, but it’s still nice to hear. 

Of course, since she doesn’t express herself very well, there’s no way to know the truth for sure. 

But that shy side of her is part of what makes her so endearing.

“By the way, you said a letter arrived for me?” 

“Yes. It’s from Lady Linz of the Logjein  family.” 

“Oh, really? Let me see it.” 

I almost thought it was another annoying marriage proposal letter and nearly tossed it into the fire.

“Let’s see…” 

I unfolded the letter and quickly skimmed through the densely packed writing. 

There was a lot written down, but to summarize, it basically said she accepted the invitation I sent.

“May I ask what the letter is about?” 

“It’s nothing big. She’s coming over tomorrow with her daughter to visit.” 

“Oh. Then does that mean Miss Serena will be getting a new friend?” 

“Well, hopefully, if they get along.” 

Considering Serena’s history of throwing punches with Prince Razel, I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. 

But that incident was mostly due to misunderstandings and personality clashes, and they’ve gotten along better since then, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Well… hopefully, the same thing won’t happen again.

**

The next day, even before the sun reached its peak, Lady Linz arrived at my estate by carriage.

“Welcome, madam. How have you been?” 

Even though it hadn’t even been two weeks since we last met, I felt oddly glad to see her and shook her hand warmly. 

“I’ve been well. You look much better too, Count. Last time, you looked like a man being chased.” 

“Did I really look that bad?” 

It’s true I was desperate to meet Serena quickly, but I didn’t realize it showed so clearly on my face. 

I thought I had hidden it well.

“Oh dear, I almost forgot. Let me introduce my daughter.”

As we were exchanging greetings and chatting, I finally noticed the girl clinging tightly to her mother’s side. 

She had the same blue hair and round eyes as her mother. 

If Serena liked carrying dolls, this girl seemed to love carrying a book in her arms. 

She looked so shy, gripping her skirt tightly and avoiding eye contact—it was adorable. 

No wonder Lady Linz was such a doting parent. 

But still, our Serena is even cuter.

“Go on, introduce yourself,” Lady Linz gently nudged her daughter’s back.

“Y-yes, ma’am!”

With a strong shout, the girl straightened up and lifted her head. 

Her face turned bright red as she tightly pressed her lips together—definitely a very shy kid.

“P-pleased to meet you! My name is Logjein Ziel Lilia! It’s an honor to meet you!”

A perfect 90-degree bow, like something straight out of a manners textbook. 

It’s nice that she’s so polite, but isn’t she a little too stiff?

“I’m happy to meet you too, Miss Lilia. You’re very pretty, just like your mother.” 

I only gave her a light compliment to help her relax, but.

“Ah…! Th-thank you very much…”

She actually stepped backward and hid behind Lady Linz.

“I’m sorry. My daughter really admires you, Count. She was so excited she could barely sleep last night.”

“U-Um, Mom!”

At her mother’s remark that exposed her true feelings, Lilia shot her a resentful glance.

What a relief. 

I thought she might be scared or wary of me, but to think she was actually a fan of mine.

Maybe I should give her a little special service?

“…”

But before I could move, Serena, who had been silently waiting all this time, grabbed onto my pants and tugged hard.

Ah, I had forgotten for a moment.

Only after receiving her reproachful glare did I come back to my senses. 

I decided to introduce Serena first.

“This is my younger sister, Serena. Come on, greet the lady.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Serena’s greeting was a little blunt compared to Lilia’s.

Even so, Lady Linz responded with her characteristic gentle smile.

“Nice to meet you too, Serena. You’re so cute, just like your brother.”

“…Thank you.”

Receiving such an honest compliment, Serena quietly hid behind my leg.

She was used to hearing it from me, but not so much from others.

Anyway, the first impression seemed to have gone well enough, and we decided to let the kids play together in Serena’s room.

Meanwhile, the adults moved to the reception room to have some tea and chat.

“You’re lucky to have such a lovely younger sister. If my daughter ever said she wanted a little sister like that, I could easily arrange it.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Of course. Just looking at adorable children is enough to fill your heart, isn’t it?”

Sorry, but I can’t agree with that.

Just looking at Serena? 

There’s no way I could endure that.

I have to squish her cheeks at least once a day to feel alive.

Well… if I could have another girl like Serena, that might be nice too, but still — it wouldn’t be Serena.

One is more than enough for me.

“By the way, did you hear the news? Princess Victoria was apparently in marriage talks with a prince from another country.”

“Yeah, I heard. And I also heard she called it off after finding it boring, right?”

As we gossiped about the rumors and stories we’d heard, time flew by without us noticing.

An hour had already passed.

Hmm, now that we were running out of things to chat about, what should we do next?

“…Madam, shall we go check on the kids and see what they’re up to?”

“Oh… would that be alright?”

Of course not.

Even I knew that much.

But there’s that saying, “If you don’t get caught, it’s not a crime,” right?

We’re just going to peek quietly — it should be fine.

“Don’t you want to see how adorable they look playing together?”

“Now that you mention it, I guess there’s no harm. Let’s go check just for a bit.”

As expected, she was easy to talk to.

Thus, we headed toward Serena’s room, carefully turned the doorknob, and peeked inside.

‘Are they reading a book? Well, they’re not that close yet, so it makes sense they’d be cautious.’

Inside, Serena and Lilia were sitting on the floor, staring intently at something.

It was probably the book Lilia had brought.

“Wow…”

Hearing their little exclamations made me even more curious.

What were they looking at so intently that they lost themselves like that…?

“Are you really going to put that in there?”

Huh?

What are they talking about?