The tranquil mansion of thedy.
After lunch, I was enjoying tea time, dipping rustic scorched rice in my teacup and nodding contentedly.
“Ah… There’s nothing better than scorched rice for overindulgence.”
Wiestive drink like Gas Whal Myung Su in this world.
Having binged at Friends of the Forest after a long time, my stomach hadn’t settled. But eating scorched rice made me feelfortable.
Scorched rice was better than Americano, indeed.
As I ced the steaming cup of scorched rice on the table and enjoyed the cool breeze.
“Ricardo.”
Thedy, sniffing the appealing aroma, looked at the teacup of scorched rice and asked.“What are you eating?”
“It’s scorched rice.”
“Scorched rice…?”
“Ah. Maybe ‘burnt water’ would be more urate?”
“Burnt water?”
“Think of it as a drink old men enjoy.”
“Are you an old man?”
“No?”
Thedy leaned closer to the table and repeatedly sniffed the scorched rice.
Curious about the brownish liquid in front of her.
Like a curious cat, she brought her cheek close to the table and rolled her eyes as she asked.
“Is it tasty?”
“No. It’s just toasty.”
“Hmm…”
Thedy cautiously nced at me before slowly reaching for the scorched rice on the table.
Seeing her adorably sneaking a taste, I pretended not to notice, looking out the window, and murmured to myself with a hidden smile, “The weather’s nice.”
“Whooo…”
With the sound of stirring and thedy’s breath blowing to cool the tea.
Then came the sound of a small, cute sip.
“Oh…!”
Tasting scorched rice for the first time, thedy’s eyes widened adorably.
She seemed to like thismoner’s food.
Smiling at thedy’s surprisingly undistinguished pte, I watched her.
“Is it tasty?”
“Eek…?!”
Caught sneaking a taste, thedy quickly withdrew from the teacup, feigning ignorance.
“I didn’t eat it!”
Turning a defiant face to the window, she pretended not to understand, but under my steady gaze, she pouted and fiddled with the cup.
“It was just a little.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Were you going to?”
“When have I ever scolded you for eating something?”
“Yes, you have.”
“…That’s true.”
Seeing her respond so dejectedly, I smiled and made eye contact with thedy.
“So, it was tasty?”
“Yes. It has a peculiar taste, very toasty and makes you feel healthy. It’s not about the taste, it’s oddly appealing.”
“Oh… Thedy is aging.”
“No! I’m young!”
“Everyone says that.”
“Chit…”
Pouting from my tease, thedy slid her cup towards me.
“Wanna trade? This is cocoa.”
“You have no conscience, do you?”
“I left a sip for you.”
“One sip is too little. Besides, that’s more like half a sip.”
“If you close your eyes, it’ll feel like one sip.”
“…”
“Can’t we?”
Seeing thedy’s sulking face, I shook my head and gave in to her insistence. Scorched rice was easy to make after all.
It wasn’t a difficult food, and the ingredients weren’t expensive, so I nodded at thedy eyeing the scorched rice.
“Alright.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe… Thank you.”
Despite being a noble, this viiness liked scorched rice. Her unusual pte amused me.
“No matter how I think about it, you don’t seem like a noble.”
“I am a noble.”
“No, I mean your taste. You eat everything that’s given to you.”
“No, not everything. Carrots, bell peppers, eggnts…”
Watching thedy count on her fingers the foods she disliked made me chuckle.
Most nobles preferred elegant andvish foods, but thedy was far removed from such tastes, at least when it came to food.
Also, I was touched by the bashful thank you from a viiness.
Thedy never used to say thank you.
-I’m not… grateful!
-Meat… I want meat.
-It’s the butler’s duty, of course.
Time seems to tame even the wildest of spirits.
Before the incident, thedy was like a rabid dog. Harsh as it sounds, she always had something to gripe about back then.
-I don’t want to eat!
-Please, eat.
-I said I won’t. Bell peppers and eggnts don’t go together!
After the incident forced her to eat only my cooking, sheined and grumbled a lot.
In some ways, that time helped bring us closer.
Sometimes, peace is found in unexpected ces.
Back in her academy days, thedy was very assertive. While still assertive, it’s less extreme now.
She used to mockmoners, dismiss anyone she deemed inferior, treated others arrogantly, and was very aware of her own superiority.
After losing her leg in the ck magic incident, much of her former harshness faded, but who knows what would happen if it all came back.
The Olivia I knew might be different from the Olivia others saw.
In the novel, thedy was aplete madwoman.
The ultimate viiness, aggressive and never losing an argument.
Like Darbav, she was kind to her people but immensely cold to others, as depicted in the novel.
The only difference in the novel was that there was no one on the viiness’s side.
Anyway, whether now or then, I liked thedy’s personality, so it didn’t matter to me.
“Tasty…!”
I smiled at thedy who clenched her fist and sparkled with newfound enjoyment.
Looks like I’ll have to make more.
Heading to the kitchen to prepare more scorched rice, I left thedy smiling and sipping her tea.
*
In front of the student council office at the Royal Academy.
Student council members were entering the office one by one to discuss incidents that urred before the new semester even started.
The second-year representative.
The third-year representative.
Treasurer. Secretary. The disciplinarymittee members, all qualifying students were entering the student council office.
And outside that door, a green-haired young man waited anxiously for someone.
“Why aren’t theying…”
Ruin muttered anxiously, gnawing on his fingernails. Even though he arrived first, the person he awaited was nowhere in sight.
Since that day, Ruin had been mentally strained as he could no longer use his unique magic.
It was the magic that set him apart, his unique talent.
Now that his ability to efficiently create fire magic was gone, Ruin felt like a nk te.
While he could still use magic, his learning had slowed significantly. Having dedicated his life to studying and mastering me magic, the absence of his ability ‘Fire Script’ equated to ruin.
Ruin’s self-esteem plummeted.
And the only person who could help him was just one.
She couldn’t solve the fundamental problem, but she could ease the burden on his heart. Only one person. Only Yuria.
Ruin awaited Yuria.
He wanted to confess his mistakes and exin his situation.
Feeling stressed and needing constion, Ruin stood by the student council office door, waiting.
About ten minutes passed.
A familiar silhouette appeared in the distance, catching Ruin’s eye.
‘Yuria!’
Ruin smiled.
Yuria, descending the stairs, was as beautiful as ever. She seemed like she’d offer him a gentle smile and express her concern as if it were her own trouble.
Removing his back from the wall, Ruin walked towards Yuria.
Quickening his steps anxiously.
With an awkward smile, he approached Yuria and spoke in a trembling voice as she stood before him.
“Yuria. I missed….”
Without even looking at Ruin, Yuria spoke.
In a cold, hard voice devoid of emotion.
“Don’t talk to me.”
“What…?”
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
‘Thunk.’ Brushing past his shoulder, Yuria walked away without looking back.
Tears trembled in Ruin’s eyes as he attempted to follow her.
He wanted to speak with her.
To admit his mistakes.
To apologize, hoping Yuria would forgive him. Desperately, Ruin tried to follow.
But.
“Senior.”
His junior didn’t allow it.
“You’ve done quite an interesting thing.”
“What?”
“Yuria senior told me. What you did.”
Histania Hanna was smiling sweetly at Ruin.
Her dry smile and firm expression delivered words that were foreign from the voice he knew.
Her eyes, no longer submissive or timid, gazed at him with a chilling intensity that made him shiver with a mistaken impression of anger.
Hanna gave a hollowugh and spoke to Ruin.
“Really, you stand out inparison, don’t you?”
Hanna’s words stabbed deeper into Ruin than anything else.
End of Chapter