Guinevere resolved never to teach William magic again in this life.

After all, if he didn’t know magic in the first place, he wouldn’t use time reversal magic.

“Don’t waste your time and just go to the knight faculty to learn swordsmanship.”

“Mother, if that’s the case, I’d rather learn alchemy.”

“Can’t you learn alchemy sufficiently through self-study anyway?”

William looked surprised. He didn’t seem to have expected Guinevere to know.

‘At this time, had he just started self-studying?’

Still, the barrier he had set up at the dog hole was quite advanced.

“With your current level, you’d just keep skipping grades at the academy and graduate early. Why bother? Instead, keep learning alchemy through self-study like now and receive knight training. Go and graduate at the top of your class.”

“…”

“You’re not going to say you can’t, are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

William felt bewildered. He had thought his mother would insist on him applying to the magic department no matter what.

She did urge him to join the knight faculty, but that didn’t mean she didn’t acknowledge his alchemy.

He thought that perhaps for the first time, he felt recognized by his mother.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s just… I will. I’ll go to the knight faculty…”

“William, that’s great. Shall we become knights together?”

Larisa smiled brightly and tugged at William’s hand. Then, taking Guinevere’s hand with her other hand, she said,

“I’ll work hard and become a knight who protects you, Mother!”

‘Is this why everyone goes on about daughters?’

Guinevere unconsciously smiled contentedly.

William had never been cute since birth. It was the first time she saw a child who was actually childlike.

*

On the way back to his room, William still felt dazed. Guinevere’s words kept coming back to him.

‘With your current level, you’d just keep skipping grades at the academy and graduate early. Why bother?’

Not only did his mother know he was secretly learning alchemy, but she even gauged his skill level. It was quite shocking.

Guinevere Rodante was a woman who showed not an ounce of interest in her child. That was the public evaluation, and that’s what he thought too.

‘I guess it wasn’t to that extent… She must care a bit since I’m her only son, right?’

William scratched his head, feeling awkward. Although he was forced to aim for the knight faculty, it was a hundred, no, a thousand times better than being forced into the magic department.

“When William becomes a knight, he’ll surely be very cool.”

“You think so?”

“Of course. Yah, yah!”

Larisa picked up a tree branch and made motions as if swinging a sword in the air. Even though it was just flailing movements, it was very cute.

“Lara would be cool if she became a knight too.”

William said, wiping his nose. It was the first time he used a nickname.

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry, even the boss of the back alley pickpocket gang, called Larisa ‘Lara’, so wasn’t it funny that only he was being formal?

“Huh? What did you just say?”

“Hm?”

“Did you say ‘Lara’?”

“Hmm. So, so what?”

Then Larisa clapped her hands and said,

“Wow! Does this mean we’ve become closer now?”

‘We weren’t close before?’

William felt hurt.

“Hey, then can I call William by a nickname too?”

“…Sure.”

The reason for his delayed response was that no one had ever called him by a nickname before.

William felt that this little Larisa was changing his life entirely.

“Then I’ll call you Willy!”

“Why? Don’t people usually call me Bill or Liam?”

“But Willy is much, much cuter!”

Larisa said proudly. But looking at William’s expression, it didn’t seem to please him much. Larisa whispered carefully.

“I’ll call you William in front of others. Shall we make Willy our secret nickname just between us?”

Then William grinned and replied.

“Okay.”

The thought of others calling him Willy made him want to beat them up right away, but what did it matter what Larisa called him when they were alone?

William was fine with it.

Then, startled, William’s expression hardened.

‘…Isn’t this dangerous? She’s only 7 years old?’

Why on earth was he casually imagining being alone with a 7-year-old child?

William felt extremely self-loathing.

‘Get a grip, man. Larisa is 7 years old. She’s a very small and precious child that needs to be protected!’

He desperately tried to avoid self-hatred by blaming Guinevere.

‘This is all because of Mother. Why did she bring her here saying she’d marry her to me!’

If Guinevere hadn’t said such things, Larisa would have been just a scruffy little pickpocket from the slums to him.

So this inappropriate feeling was all Guinevere’s fault. That’s how he rationalized it.

*

Larisa pressed her mother’s keepsake that she had retrieved from Jeje. The portrait inside the locket looked exactly like her mother’s face.

“Mom…”

I miss you.

She knew that the person in this portrait wasn’t her mom.

Unlike her mother’s disheveled white hair, the woman in the portrait looked almost noble. Moreover, the eye color was different. Her mom had red eyes like Larisa, but the woman in the portrait had green eyes.

Still, whenever Larisa missed her mom, she would look at the portrait in the locket.

‘It’s probably Mom’s mom, my grandmother?’

This locket was something her mother never sold, no matter how hard and poor their life was.

It wasn’t like she kept it on her person all the time, but still, she never sold it even when they were starving, so it must have been that precious.

Therefore, Larisa also hid the keepsake in a secret space in the house that no one knew about.

Actually, it wasn’t that no one knew; she had shown it to Jeje once. Jeje was like family to her.

At just 7 years old, Larisa had already learned a harsh reality from this incident.

‘Really precious things shouldn’t be shown to anyone.’

Larisa put on the locket and made a firm resolution.

Then her mother’s voice came to mind.

‘Larisa. Make a good impression on Lady Guinevere. But don’t just do as you’re told. Always listen to the voice in your heart and strive to live the life you want.’

Until her last moment, her mother was only worried about Larisa. Larisa decided to keep her mother’s last words for her sake.

‘The life I want, for that I need to know what Lady Guinevere meant by the price! It would be terrible if the price is something like my heart!’

Larisa went to find Guinevere with quick steps. After knocking firmly on the door of Guinevere’s study, Larisa called out loudly.

“Mother! I’m here! It’s Larisa!”

“What… Larisa?”

Guinevere opened the door with a bewildered face.

Larisa might not know, but there was an unwritten rule in Guinevere’s mansion: anyone who disturbed Guinevere’s research would never be able to walk out.

‘But throwing Larisa, who doesn’t even know how to use levitation magic, out the window would be too cruel.’

“Why are you here?”

“Mother, thank you so much for feeding me and letting me stay. I’ll definitely repay this kindness later!”

Guinevere smiled warmly and said,

“You should.”

“So, I’ll be going now.”

“What?”

“I’m going back home now.”

Guinevere asked with a dumb expression.

“What? No, why?”

“I think if I owe any more, I won’t be able to repay it.”

Larisa used debt as an excuse, but it was somewhat true. Considering the clothes, food, and lodging she had received so far, she might not be able to repay it all even as an adult.

Guinevere hastily said,

“Wait, what do you mean by owing? I brought you here after making a promise with your mother. You need to be under my protection until you become an adult.”

“But you didn’t tell me what the price for that is.”

‘Oh my… What kind of child…’

Could it be that this child also had the memories of the 50 years that disappeared? Is that why she’s so unlike a child? Guinevere had this ridiculous thought for a moment, but then she came to her senses, remembering that even William himself, who actually turned back time, had lost all his memories.

It was impossible unless one had immense magical power protecting their mind like herself. Guinevere sighed and said,

“The price is just… nothing much. It’s something you can certainly handle.”

“Then please tell me.”

“…”

“I said, please tell me.”

“…Th-that’s…”

Guinevere bit her lip. As Guinevere’s worry deepened, Larisa’s lips also pressed together stubbornly.

Larisa didn’t just come to leave home recklessly either. She just came to check what that ‘price’ was because it bothered her.

She was certain that the deal between the two of them wasn’t ordinary.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll just go back.”

‘This… I have no choice but to tell her.’

Guinevere’s expression hardened. When the cold beauty Guinevere hardened her face, she immediately looked grim, but Guinevere was just speaking seriously.

“The price is… for you to bear my son’s child.”

Indeed! It was an extraordinary price. Larisa asked with a frightened face.

“Wh-what are you going to do with the child?”

For a moment, all sorts of rumors came to mind again. Taking out the heart of a newborn baby… But at the same time, William’s words that a crooked old woman has more magical power than a baby also came to mind.

Then, little by little, the fear disappeared. Gathering courage to look at Guinevere’s face, she saw that Guinevere too was speaking quietly with a wistful look in her eyes.

“I will make that child happier than anyone else.”

It was a firm yet gentle voice.

“So happy that they won’t want to turn back time for even a moment. Because they will be the grandchild of me, Guinevere Rodante.”

Larisa felt Guinevere’s sincerity. But what was strange was…

“B-but why me of all people…”

“That’s because you and William are destined for each other.”

Did she read the stars or something? Larisa gulped.

“Destined?”