Chapter 8

Translator: Muffles

Editor: Pierce

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Duke Halos was a busy man.

The head of a prestigious family – which was one of the founders of the country – always had a lot of work to resolve. Even if it hadn’t been for the recent war, he would have a pile of papers to work on, so having the time to talk with him was already a privilege.

But it was the same case for Duke Halos when he called Elena after dinner. He had given her preferential treatment. Elena was the daughter of his benefactor; the child that would be Jane’s friend after all.

But he then heard an unexpected story from Elena.

‘What I wanted to learn was magic.’

The appearance of the girl who spoke with determined eyes was definitely different from when they first met.

Elena, whom the duke first met, seemed a little more docile and shy. But the way she talked to him today was more resolute than ever.

To convey everything she wanted in front of him…

Even nobles found it difficult to make eye contact with him. But Elena wasn’t.

It suddenly occurred to him when he saw her. Maybe, she had bigger things on her plate than he originally thought, so he willingly decided to invest.

Of course, this was all a contingency deal.

The wizards of the tower have always been on a high horse. This was because they basically hated humans.

Although it was due to the lengthy history, they weren’t able to easily move the imperial family.

The Duke didn’t know if it was the right decision to invest a huge amount of money.

Duke Halos’ lips went up.

‘If Elena had a talent…’

If his investment was successful, it would be a great advantage for Halos. The Imperial wouldn’t be able to touch them, and he even sponsored his prospective magician.

When the Duke thought of what might possibly happen, his lips formed a smile.

Then a knock was heard.

“Come in.”

Duke Halos said without moving his gaze. His expression had hardened in an instant. Unlike when he had met Elena a while ago.

The door opened, and his son, Killian, entered.

“Father.”

Killian bowed to the Duke of Halos and sat down on the sofa. Killian’s face hardened with tension. He always did.

Their father acted like the ‘Ideal Father’ when they were amidst by people. But would always show a cold heart in front of him and his brother.

When Killian confronted his father, he was terrified. Because when he was young – after their mother died – the only thing left in their father’s life was their ‘family’.

He did everything he could to revive the family.

Those who weren’t helpful to the family were mercilessly thrown out, while those that were beneficial were accepted. Even if they were evil.

And it was the same for his children.

‘Halos must be stronger than anyone else.’

It was this phrase that Killian had heard since childhood. If the Duke didn’t call it fit for the name ‘Halos’, even a child would be cast away.

So, Killian has always worked hard.

However, as Lexion grew up, his father’s gaze began to focus only on Lexion, and something changed. At this rate, Killian thought that he might lose his position.

That Lexion…

“I heard an interesting story today.”

A low voice echoed in the still silence as Killian swallowed his saliva.

“I heard that you were abusing Lexion.”

Duke Halos unnervingly smiled, but Killian couldn’t. He couldn’t even make eye contact with his father.

“Is it because of your ugly jealousy?”

Duke Halos asked. But he wasn’t exactly asking for an answer. Even if Killian didn’t answer, the Duke already knew what his silence meant.

“If you’re acting like that, it’s probably because you don’t think you are more suitable for the successor’s seat than Lexion.”

An inferior, who wasn’t beyond someone younger than him.

“I understand that.”

At his father’s words, Killian raised his head. Then, apathetically, Duke Halos’ cold gaze scanned Killian’s whole body.

“But don’t make any unnecessary fuss in my house.”

Killian sank into silence. The sound of the boy swallowing his saliva was clearly heard.

“Even if you are my son, I won’t forgive you if you damage the family name.”

***

Two days later, the Duke’s hired tutor arrived.

“Nice to meet you, ladies. My name is Yuri.”

The woman in her mid-20s mischievously smiled at Elena and Jane.

With her long brown hair tied in a ponytail, and wearing a shirt and trousers, she was charming with her frigid smile. Then she briefly introduced herself.

She was a senior graduate of the Imperial Academy.

Senior Researcher at the Imperial Research Institute.

Runner-up in the Capital Martial Arts Competition.

Hearing her achievements, Elena secretly admired her. At such a young age – with a career like this – Yuri was a so-called genius.

‘This kind of person will be teaching us.’

The tension about learning acquiring new knowledge has risen a bit.

The things she was going to teach Elena and Jane were: History, Socio-cultural, Economics, and Politics of the empire.

At first, Elena wondered if one person could teach so many subjects, but the moment she opened her mouth, Elena changed her mind. Yuri had a tremendous talent for education. It was easy to understand her lessons thanks to the appropriate examples and analogies that stuck in her ears.

Elena and Jane worked hard in their teacher’s class.

If there was something Elena didn’t know, she would ask questions and absorbed the knowledge through her discussions with Yuri.

“It has been two hours since we started. Let’s take a break.”

Yuri checked the time and left the room. Only Elena and Jane remained in the drawing-room which has been converted into a study room.

An awkward silence passed between the two of them. Since Elena and Jane have never talked before with just the two of them.

‘What if… Should I talk to her first? Otherwise, should I just go out?’

But the Duke of Halos brought Elena to this house to have her and Jane be friends.

‘Wow. This is awfully awkward though.’

Just as Elena was thinking about this, she heard a soft voice that seemed to roll like jaded marble.

“Excuse me….”

It was Jane.

Elena and Jane were sitting – with distance apart – on a three-seater sofa. Jane hesitated first but then immediately asked Elena to shake hands.

“I am Jane Oswald. Miss Elena, right?”

“Ah! Yes.”

When Elena answered Jane and took her hand, Jane’s eyes folded delicately.

In an instant, Elena’s heart raced.

…so precious!

“We’ll be taking classes together in the future, so I hope we can get along.”

“Likewise.”

‘If I could get to know a pretty female protagonist like her, it would be good for me.’

Jane in the original story had her emotions shriveled because of what Killian did, creating a dark atmosphere. But the present Jane hasn’t yet been hurt by him. That was why Jane has still a bright disposition.

‘She was originally like this.’

“I always stay with the Earl, so I don’t have any friends close to my age. So I want to be friends with Miss Elena.”

(Tl note: Jane is pertaining to Killian since most sons of higher aristocrats who haven’t inherited their title yet are addressed by ‘earl’.)

Elena blushed, appearing shy. The lovely Jane said that she wanted to be her friend.

“It would be an honor for me to be your friend.”

Elena’s response was plain and clear. But inside, she was crying.

‘Heuk-heuk, she is so pretty. This is the best. I will do better in the future.’

Elena was bursting into tears inside, as she continued her awkward conversation with Jane.

The topic of their conversation was irrelevant. Most of them were about the lifestyle of a commoner or the contents of their classes.

Still, Elena was obviously happy. It made her quite satisfied to see Jane talking while her cheeks were flushed with pleasure.

For a few minutes the two of them were talking, at some point, Yuri had returned. Yuri’s class was incredibly fun that it ended without even realizing the passing time. It was a pity that they only have three classes a week.

‘But the teacher has also a schedule to follow, so there’s nothing we can do about it.’

After her class, Elena separated from Jane and went to the study alone.

The study in the main building of her mansion wasn’t an ordinary study. It was grand and spacious. Vast enough to be called a library.

‘The ancestors of the Halos family loved to read books after all.’

With the help of the maids who handled the library, Elena had managed to find the books related to magic. Magic-related books were few even in this huge library.

‘Maybe it’s related to those wizards who detested humans.’

Anyway, the reason why Elena was searching for magic books was to prepare herself before her magic teacher’s arrival. Of course, magic wasn’t something that could be learned from books alone, but one could never know.

After she obtained a few books about magic, Elena also sought books about spirits as well. Because of the spirit – Lani – she met last time; she also has a lot of questions.

However, no matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find a single book about spirits.

‘…why?’

Even the maids in the study said they didn’t know.

Elena held her magic book in her arms as she walked out of the library. It was a pity that she couldn’t find any books about spirits, but it couldn’t be helped.

Instead, she just told herself: ‘I’ll ask Lani the next time I see it.’

Elena went to her room as she struggled to hide her disappointment. But she found something in the middle of the hallway leading to her room.

It was a small, fluffy tuft of hair.

‘Oh, that’s…’

Elena walked faster as she recognized it. Hearing the sound, the wad of hair turned its body, jumping onto her and crying.

[Master!]