Chapter 55 : Three years pass faster than you think

Four magic circles are drawn in the air.

Fire, wind, water, light.

Magic of different attributes flows out from each circle and gathers into one point.

Normally, the magic would repel each other and explode.

Not to mention, mixing not just two but four—if it failed, my mansion would be blown away at the very least.

The caster’s life would be a bonus casualty.

And yet, I wasn’t worried at all.

Well, that’s because I was watching the repelling magics slowly converge into one.

“Suppressing power with power…”

There’s no such thing as harmony or elegant fusion here.

It’s just a brute-force method of holding the form of a sphere by pressing mana against mana.

The four trembling colors of magic looked like pitiful creatures trapped in a small round prison, desperate to escape.

“What kind of ridiculous thought is that?”

Maybe it’s the mild spring weather softening my mood, but I’ve gotten unnecessarily sentimental.

Anyway, this attempt—which was more of an experiment—was nearing its end.

All that’s left is to suppress the vibration and calm it down.

“…Mmm. Unni, what should I do now?”

“Eh?”

Just like that, at the most important finishing stage, Serena looked over at me.

You got this far and don’t know what to do next?

Did you seriously not prepare a plan or anything?

“No matter how I try, it just keeps shaking. Help me out a bit.”

As she said, the orb in Serena’s hands was trembling nonstop.

Serena could probably suppress it by force… but you can’t write that kind of thing in a research paper.

“Honestly… didn’t I tell you to make proper preparations before trying stuff like this?”

“Sorry. Sorry.”

In the end, I agreed to help and gave Serena some advice.

Tch.

As if smiling would get you forgiven for everything.

How did she know?

*

Time really does fly.

To some, it may feel cruel, but in the end, it’s something we all have to accept.

All we can hope from the years gone by is that they remain in our memories long enough to be remembered fondly.

And so, sometimes, I too find myself reminiscing about the happy moments within those three fleeting years.

Of course, seeing our Serena grow up so wonderfully is even better than those memories.

“She really did grow up beautifully. Whoever raised her must’ve done a great job.”

When we first met, she barely reached my chest, but in such a short time, she’s grown tall enough to look me straight in the eye.

I’m still a little taller—for now—but she’ll surpass me soon enough.

And thanks to good nutrition and care, her figure developed well, giving her more of a womanly image.

Especially her chest—it’s so well-developed that even at sixteen, she’s almost on par with me.

For the record, it’s not that I’m small—Serena’s development is just that good.

“Unni, I finished organizing the documents you asked for.”

And as she matured, she began helping with my work, growing into someone admirable in her own right.

I always knew she was smart, but to think I could already entrust her with managing the estate and business.

Thanks to her, I haven’t been worn out by work at all lately.

“Thanks. You were just practicing magic too—why not take a break?”

“I’m fine. And besides, I only managed to finish because you helped me at the end.”

As she handed me the documents, Serena smiled sweetly.

Honestly.

Not only is she pretty and diligent, but even her heart is kind.

“Seriously, what would I do without our Serena?”

Just thinking about the future when I’d have to marry off a girl like this made my heart heavy, even as I felt proud.

Prince Reyzen has grown up nicely too, but still… something feels missing.

Though he’s probably the closest to being husband material.

“…Then should I not get married and just live with you forever?”

But when I made a joke, Serena suddenly sat on my thigh.

She didn’t put any weight on it, so it didn’t hurt—but wasn’t her face a bit too close?

“I think that wouldn’t be too bad. Don’t you think it’d be nice too?”

For a moment, my heart fluttered at her seductive smile.

But just for a moment—by now, I was used to her physical affection.

I gave her a light flick on the forehead as a gentle scolding.

“You don’t say things like not marrying because of me, got it?”

“Tch. Playing hard to get again.”

No matter how mature she got, she was still a kid in some ways.

Serena puffed out her cheeks and got off my thigh.

Feels like she’s getting bolder by the day.

Maybe it’s just me, but ever since she matured enough to be called a young lady, she’s gotten more physically affectionate with me.

Not that it’s a bad thing—in fact, I should be grateful.

But I can’t help feeling that the level of boldness keeps increasing.

“Unni, sorry to bother you, but can you help me change clothes?”

There was a time when she called me into her room and waited in her underwear, asking me to help her try on a new outfit.

“Can I sleep with you tonight? It’s been a while, and it’d be nice.”

She once came into my room in the middle of the night, carrying her pillow.

Of course, I always let her.

What was I supposed to do?

Back in the day, she would’ve refused and said no, but now she’s the one initiating things.

How am I supposed to hold back?

“She used to be so shy when she was little. That’s probably why…”

You could say the regret of not being able to be affectionate due to embarrassment in her childhood is now exploding all at once.

Still, her boldness sometimes catches me off guard.

It’s not that I hate it or anything, but I just don’t know how to respond sometimes.

“Unni, you haven’t even gotten any marriage proposals yet, let alone gotten married. Don’t you feel anxious at all?”

Maybe she was still sulking because I brushed her off, because Serena, now sitting on the sofa, brought up a sensitive topic.

Ord has been nagging me a lot about that lately, and now you’re joining in too?

Just hearing those words makes my brow furrow from sheer annoyance.

“Not at all.”

If I were an ordinary noble, maybe I’d be focusing on producing an heir as soon as possible.

But I used to be a high school girl living in the 21st century, remember?

Even though I know marriage is something expected for the sake of the family, being forced into it doesn’t sit well with who I used to be.

And I definitely don’t want to bring in some random guy just because I’m in a rush.

Honestly, I never even thought about marriage until I saw Serena getting closer to Prince Reyzen.

“If I don’t have anyone I like, why would I get married? I still enjoy being single and plan to stay that way as long as I can.”

“If Ord heard you say that, he’d probably blow a fuse.”

“Which is why I never say this in front of him.”

If he did hear it, that day would be the end of peace for my eardrums.

“Anyway, do you think you can write a thesis based on what we did today?”

Trying to change the topic, I asked about the experiment we did this morning.

Next year, Serena will be old enough to enter the Academy.

It’s a place filled with the children of nobles and all sorts of eccentric individuals, so even though there’s still a year to go, it’s best to start preparing early.

And if she submits a thesis before admission, it could determine whether she enters as the top student or not.

Serena wouldn’t even need to go through all that to stand out, but since I’d done it myself, she said she wanted to try too.

“Hmm… well, to be honest, I think today’s attempt was a failure.”

Of course, creating a new theory isn’t an easy thing.

Even though I encouraged her, deep down I’d already decided she wouldn’t be able to pull it off.

And for good reason— even if it succeeded, it’s not a method anyone could use unless they had endless mana like Serena.

“See? I told you. Mixing four different types of magic is just too much.”

“But the book said, ‘The path no one has taken may become my own.’”

“That author wouldn’t have chosen such an absurd path like you did, Serena.”

Maybe she didn’t like what I said, because Serena started glaring at me.

“You could’ve at least said I tried hard. Did you really want to crush your little sister’s spirit that badly?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Fine. You made me feel bad, so take responsibility.”

Without even asking for my opinion, she carried on with her own plan and then suddenly stood up from her seat.

“…Uh, so… what exactly do you want me to do?”

I was a bit curious about how she expected me to take responsibility, but then Serena bent down and brought her face close to mine, turning her head slightly.

Thanks to that perfect 45-degree angle—supposedly the most flattering angle for a face—there was certainly something nice to look at.

But she didn’t say what she wanted; she just stood there silently.

I could pretty much guess, though.

“You’re really going to pretend you don’t know? Come on, hurry up.”

“…Sigh. Honestly.”

What am I supposed to do with this spoiled brat?

Smooch.

I gave her a light kiss as if to say I had no choice, and Serena’s face instantly lit up.

If there’s something that doesn’t change no matter how much someone grows up, it’s probably her way of seeking affection—and that smiling face.

Thinking that she’ll still be like that even in the distant future is reassuring… but also a little sad.

Because in the end, she’s someone who will eventually leave my arms.