“How have you been? I’m doing well, thanks to the grace of Lord Rodante.”

“Are you really doing well?”

In her worried gaze, Larisa felt an unexpectedly emotional response.

“Yes, they treat me really well, like a daughter.”

Then the woman whispered softly,

“If you ever have trouble, run away anytime. What’s hiding one more person in the alley? Like your mother… hiding one person is nothing.”
Larisa nodded slightly. The woman then took the meat without hesitation and left.

However, a small question popped into Larisa’s mind.

‘Like our mother?’

Larisa thought while fiddling with the locket around her neck. Did our mother also have a story? But… she never told me once.

William, who returned home for the weekend, scolded Greneviera as soon as dinner time approached.

“Why are you doing things you never did before?”

“Things I never did?”

“Mother, you usually don’t even look at event invitations when they come.”

Is that all? They had never shared dinner together before. Suddenly changing as if someone had come back to life, they were now having dinner together every weekend, and William was having a hard time adapting.

Greneviera took a sip of wine in response to her son’s impolite question.

‘I’m doing all these bothersome things because of whom?’

It seemed that his son’s unpleasant demeanor undoubtedly resembled himself.

“Why did you suddenly bring Lara… huh.”

William swallowed an anxious sigh. He had heard about the fact that his mother took Larisa to the hunting competition.

That day, using an enormous and widespread magic, she wiped out all the game, ruining the competition.

Amidst all that, he even heard the story of giving a tiara to Lara.

When he heard that, he felt a burden and a sense of being overwhelmed.

“Why are you really doing this?”

“What do you mean.”
William felt he had no intention of responding to Greneviera’s attitude and decided to keep his mouth shut. From the beginning, insisting on having dinner together was not like Greneviera.

‘I feel nauseous.’

While William drank water in large gulps, he glanced at Larisa. Larisa was eating quite well.

‘It seems I’m the only one not adapting.’

After that, he heard the story that kind Larisa shared all the game with the poor. Originally, due to the voices of the wizards spreading throughout the entire city, it was impossible not to know.

Because of that sound, how much he had been tormented by his classmates…

‘Who is Larisa Rondante? Your sister?’

William couldn’t say it was, but he couldn’t say it wasn’t either.

‘Mother’s friend’s daughter… Her friend passed away…’

‘Then she’s a prospective bride?’

‘She’s not a prospective bride yet…’

‘Not yet? So she will be soon?’

William couldn’t answer. What could he say? She’s not a prospective bride, she’s my future wife?

‘I feel nauseous.’

William couldn’t continue the meal and put down his utensils. Then Larisa looked at him with a worried expression and said,

“William, why aren’t you eating?”

“I feel nauseous.”

“Then, how about a walk with me?”

“Sure.”
When William and Larisa went out for an evening walk alone, he felt a sense of relief. Of course, the completely transformed garden wasn’t his familiar home but someone else’s, yet it was at least a good atmosphere for a walk.

As Larisa followed William’s lead, she asked, “Is there one here too? A dog hole?”

“Yeah. If you go a bit further that way…”

“Your mother still doesn’t know, right?”

“Probably. Just in case, I cast a spell to prevent my blood detection, but there are no signs of the spell being broken.”

“Wow, that’s impressive!”

Larisa clapped her hands, even though she didn’t understand what he was talking about. Such aspects of social life were nothing to a child from a poor family.

“What about you? Are you doing well in school?”

William asked with concern. Larisa looked at William with a slightly strange expression and said, “William, you sounded like an older brother just now.”

“…Huh?”

“I don’t have any siblings, so I used to envy those with older brothers or sisters. But when you asked like that, you seemed just like my older brother.”

William, who had been lost in thought a moment ago, felt a sense of self-reproach.

‘Yeah, that’s right. It’s right to be a good older brother for Larisa…’

However, he couldn’t understand why he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

“How about you, William? Is the academy interesting?”

“Yeah.”

William, who chose knight studies as his major and alchemy as his minor, was currently one of the top-performing students at the academy.
Having proven his abilities in the first exam of the new semester, he was enjoying school life smoothly. Of course, there were occasional visits from the magic department teachers asking if he really had no talent in magic.

“I told you I don’t.”

When William glared and spoke, they backed off. Lately, there hadn’t been a day when he felt his mother’s presence.

“My mother suddenly changed… it’s a bit strange.”

“Why?”

“Everyone keeps flattering me, and it’s… it’s uncomfortable because it’s not like I’m talented or anything.”

Why was he sharing such concerns with a kid? William sighed.

“Why, William, you’re doing great.”