Chapter 76

Surviving Winter (9)

There is a saying that if you want to see the bottom of a person, give him power. Tanya has lived and sympathized with those words hundreds of times.

Until the eldest daughter, Arwen Rothtaylor, became the family’s successor, the Rothtaylor mansion had always been peaceful.

As the next head of the family, everyone in the mansion only looked at Arwen, but she never became arrogant or intimidated.

When I look at Arwen, who never lost her noble elegance and had no interest in anything other than honing herself, I think this is what elegance is, unwavering by the few pieces of power she holds in her hands.

Ed Rothtaylor, who lived as the second son of the mansion, under the influence of Arwen’s perfect glow.

Until then, he was a human being with nothing unusual about him.

However, what kind of person was Ed, who ruled the Rosstaylor mansion as the successor to Arwen Rosstaylor after her death?

The appearance of a tyrant who had a small amount of power as a successor and acted as if heaven and earth were all his own... is the true image of Ed Rothtaylor that Tanya saw.

How despairing it was that the heir to take charge of the family was a man so dishonest that he was corrupted by a little power. I could never leave it alone.

That’s why Tanya had to defeat Ed.

In order to carry out my will, I had to use any trick to prevent Ed from becoming the head of the family.

Will you kill him?

If everything had been resolved with a single blow of a dagger, I wouldn’t have had to worry so much.

How heavy was the name of the heir to the Ross Taylor family?

It was obvious to anyone that if a dagger was driven into Ed’s chest, Tanya would not be safe either, and before that, Tanya at the time was a young girl who had just opened her eyes to magical powers.

It is too much to ask for a strong young man who boldly stabs the dagger in his hand or a scheming trick that will drive him to death without anyone knowing.

In the end, there is only one path for Tanya.

All I can do is grit my teeth, train myself, and wait for my time in the dark shadows.

All you have to do is stay up all night to study, learn etiquette, train your magic, and endure again and again until the sun rises.

Ed didn’t even stab his younger brother, who was born with the same blood.

But what was Tanya’s life like when she had to spend years living under such pathetic people?

I gritted my teeth and lived my life acting like a good younger brother.

I endured it among the people in the mansion who were in pain. Although I could sympathize with their appeals... I lived as a helpless person who had no power to solve their problems.

Although he has a habit of talking about his noble lineage, he has never once raised his voice properly.

–

After a long day, Tanya lay down on the bed in the private room of the Ofilis Building and took a deep breath.

So much happened in just one day. There are so many unknown things.

Still, there is still more work to be done.

I lived half my life oppressed by my tyrant-like brother.

What value did you find in a life of refining yourself as the next head of the family, not knowing if you could become one or not?

When people ask that, Tanya just quietly repeats it.

I lived and pretended to be dead.

I had no doubt that if I lived like that, the time of opportunity would surely come.

Now that Ed has been excommunicated, all that remains is to prove himself.

For Tanya, the student council president election coming up next semester seemed like a unique opportunity.

“Before that... I’ll have to do well on the placement test... Three days later, at the entrance to Mt. Orn... I guess it was a gathering... Umm, what to prepare...” The

end of those words became blurred as I couldn’t overcome the fatigue and quickly fell asleep. Because it was thrown away.

It was the first sound sleep I had in quite a while.

*

“Please introduce me to a man.”

To Belle, the maid, the connections outside of Ofilis Hall are quite important.

Most of them are people I have known since my days as a senior maid, so they treat me comfortably, and they are also an important source of external information for Belle, who rarely goes outside of the Ofilis Building.

Among them, Anis, Jenica’s best friend, is one of the welcome people who often visits Belle. Most of the business was to ask for various opinions about Yenika’s love life.

This is because Belle was Jenica’s maid when she was using Ofilis House, so she knows her well and has a good sense of perspective, so she can quickly grasp the essence of human relationships.

When Anis visited this time, I was secretly hoping that there would be some progress between Yenika and Ed.

As Belle is also human, it is inevitable that she will be curious about Yenika’s love life. For Anis to actively come to Belle and ask for her opinion, I was ready to listen, thinking that something really big had happened... But...

“If possible, I’d like it to be someone who’s handsome, tall, and good-looking.”

Anis spoke confidently as if she didn’t care about Yenika.

“You mean suddenly?”

“Mr. Bell, since you worked as a maid at the Ofilis building for a long time, don’t you think you know a lot of guys who seem to be a bit smart but don’t have lovers?”

“You can’t recklessly reveal the private lives of new recruits, but...”

“You don’t have to divulge anything. Just introduce me to men you’re okay with.”

Ofilis Rose Garden in the early morning.

By chance, it was Belle who was cutting off the stems of roses on the side of the passage to prevent the new freshmen from getting pricked by the thorns.

It’s not surprising that Anis looks strangely tired, as if she hasn’t had a good night’s sleep.

This is because students are always burdened with all kinds of burdens. She is a girl who is single-handedly responsible for Assistant Professor Claire’s lab as the chief assistant while juggling various scholarship duties and studies.

It is a workload that cannot be handled with even a decent amount of intelligence and time management skills.

“But Lady Anis is also surprising. I didn’t think she would care much about things like love.”

“I can date, too. I don’t mind if I’m a bit unlucky, so if possible, please introduce me to a guy who is tall and looks handsome at first glance.”

“You’re not the kind of person who goes around meeting men that much, right...? Or, have you ever had dating experience in the first place...?”

“And... I have to supervise the placement test with Ed next week... I don’t know what kind of face I should show...” After

saying that, Anise lowered her head and said nothing.

Belle said nothing. I sighed deeply, rested my chin, and thought for a moment.

There was silence for a long time in a corner of the rose garden, where sparrows were chirping in the morning sunlight.

“It might not be as big a deal as you thought. On the contrary, it might have a positive effect...?”

Eventually, the conclusion that Belle came up with was unexpected.

“Yes?”

“If you think about Lady Jenica... she can’t remain like a pure white canvas forever, right?”

After careful consideration, I came up with a way to end the story without hurting anyone.

There was one person who might get in trouble, but for the moment, there was nothing we could do. Belle sent a deep apology to Ed in her heart.

” As you know well, Miss Anis, isn’t Miss Yenica a person who is always friendly and sincere toward others? That’s probably a good thing... but sometimes people break down more easily than you think if they don’t let go of their negative emotions.”

Belle sat down next to Anis and continued the story slowly.

“Maybe this will be a good opportunity for Lady Yenica. It’s about getting angry, saying unpleasant things, and complaining. It may be difficult right now, but it’s surprisingly helpful to let out your emotions in that way.” ”

Is that so...?”

“More than anything, one of the emotions that stimulates that area the most is jealousy. Lady Yenica is a truly selfless person, so she must have had little experience harboring deep feelings of jealousy toward others. And if you are confused by those emotions, your mind will most likely become weak. You must be having a very hard time.”

Isn’t that exactly what Anis was worried about? Just as Anis was about to point out that nothing had been resolved, Bell struck first.

“Wasn’t the problem that Lady Yenika was too perfect in the first place?”

Anise was once again speechless as Belle spoke, penetrating the essence of the problem.

“Now, repeat after me. Protective instinct.”

A conversation she once had with Clara came to mind... Anise’s mouth fell open.

Belle already knew from the beginning.

It’s obvious that Yenika is the place to go when her mind becomes confused and difficult.

Belle is. I sat quietly and gently patted Anis on the back.

Anise suddenly relaxed at the sight of her encouraging me that there was no need to feel so guilty.

*

“What is it? When did you come here?”

“...”

I brought the magic engineering supplies near the entrance to the library. I was in the process of covering it with a tent to prevent

snow from accumulating on top. It was time to prepare the materials for building the warehouse. Just

because you have reached a certain level of skill in the production field, you should not neglect training.

Above all, the space inside the cabin itself should not be neglected. I feel the need to expand a little.

Most of the engineering training will be done in the library, but I thought it would be good to be able to make simple daily necessities or do simple processes in a cabin. I

drilled a hole in one of the outer walls to create a warehouse space and created a warehouse space on the other side. I’m thinking about opening up some space and turning it into a living room area. I’m worried that if I do that, the workload will be too much, but... I’ll have to look at the vacation schedule and figure out how to do it.

Anyway, it was quite cold when I returned to camp while thinking about the production schedule. When I came out with a blanket roughly draped over my shoulders, I saw Yenika sitting in front of a crackling bonfire, holding her knees. She

didn’t feel as lively as usual, so her expression was as dark as expected.

“It’s cold. Would you like a cup of tea?”

When he said that, he nodded slightly and placed his chin on his knees. Normally, he would have already been chatting and telling personal stories, but I could tell that something had happened just by looking at Yenikagan.

I could tell that something had happened.

After pouring the last remaining herbs into the glass, scooping up the tea leaves and organizing them, he took two glasses with him. He sat

down next to Yenika and held out one of the glasses, and he took the fairly large mug with both small hands.

Then, he quietly sipped the tea. They sat side by side in front of the bonfire and rested.

“It’s snowing again. It’s already piled up quite a bit, but it seems to come once every two days.”

The place where light snow falls calmly is already full of passengers.

They say evergreen trees don’t lose their color even in winter, but there’s nothing you can do in front of the pure white snow. .

Since the whole world has been dyed white, only the clear light of the crackling flame is more noticeable.

When I glance at Yenika from the corner of my eye, she is still hugging her knees and just following a few tea leaves floating in the mug.

So far . It is not common for Yenika to be openly shy.

This is because she knows very well how embarrassed the people around her, who has always been bright and innocent, become timid.

“If you have any concerns, you can tell me.”

When she said that, Yenika flipped out. He lifted his head and looked at me... He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped.

Then he spoke with eyes that looked particularly sad.

“I’m sorry. “I can’t say it.”

“Then you don’t have to say it.”

What we sometimes forget is that Yenika is also a person with limitations. The way she

lowers her head, hugs her knees, and looks depressed is like a small animal cornered. ... It often triggers an unknown protective instinct.

I roughly raised my hand and wrapped my arms around Yenika’s other shoulder... and patted her. Sharing the warmth of the thick blanket was a bonus.

Just in case she got startled and distanced herself. I was worried, but Yenika lifted her head up like a mole and was about to say something for a moment, then pursed her mouth again. I felt drained because she was gloomy. Soon,

Yenika buried the side of her head on my shoulder.

We stayed silent for a while like that. I looked at the bonfire.

Winter continues.

It’s too cold to endure with just a blanket and a bonfire.

Still, spring is lightly approaching.