Chapter 6
Yurina told Raynard not to worry, but the truth is, there was another huge mountain to cross .
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She stared at the tightly closed door of the room of the Marchioness Carthia before glancing back at Raynard who was standing next to her .
“Ray . ”
Yurina poked his arms . Raynard, who was glaring at the passing servants, gave an awkward smile . Yurina kept doing this numerous times reminding him that he shouldn’t be too wary of the people in the mansion .
Not soon after, a maid bowed to greet them both and Raynard suddenly hid behind Yurina as he peeked at the maid .
“Do they have to come and greet me too?”
Benefactor of a gifted child, or caretaker of a frightened baby .
Somehow, she felt like she was more of the latter . She then swallowed a sigh .
“My father is officially sponsoring you . It’s only natural for the servants to treat you like a young master . Even if you are a commoner, they can no longer treat you as one since you are being supported by an aristocrat . Furthermore, you’ll be learning magic . ”
“What does magic have to do with it?”
“Once a mage graduates from the academy, they are immediately knighted regardless of their ability . Besides, Dave acknowledges you, so it’s only natural for them to treat you well . ”
“Oh . ”
Still, it didn’t change the fact that Raynard didn’t like it . So he walked in the hallways giving the people around him a scowl . Yurina patted his tightly gripped hand on her arm .
“You don’t have to glare at them like that . They’re the servants my mother hired . No one here would dare disregard you and treat you like the way you do . ”
“…… . ”
“So don’t scowl and give them a smile . At least, don’t look like that when you meet my mother . ”
After hearing her nag him about it so many times, Raynard pouted .
“Is she such a scary person? Why do you keep telling me to smile? You didn’t tell me we were meeting other people . ”
“She isn’t scary . She’s a sweet person . ”
“Then there’s no problem, right?”
Yurina answered with a light laugh .
In a way, she is scary .
After living here for 6 months, Yurina knows very well that Marchioness Carthia was a warm and gentle person .
She looked like an iris flower . That’s what Yurina always thought when she first saw her .
You’ll always find her smiling warmly . Not only towards her family, but she was kind and gentle too towards the mansion’s servants and even to outsiders .
Yurina could not find any high-handed manner that you usually see in high-ranking aristocrats .
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However, in contrast to her usual personality, she had a strict character where Yurina and even her brothers who were in the academy were taught etiquette thoroughly .
If any of her children showed even a bit of discourtesy, she would scold them mercilessly . Marchioness Carthia was different from Marquis Carthia who just goes with the flow .
This was exactly what worries Yurina .
Would she allow me to take in Ray?
Yurina told Marquis Carthia that she wanted to treat Raynard like a friend of her age rather than a patron . But unlike other patrons, Raynard was allowed to stay in the Carthia mansion .
Marquis Carthia wasn’t against Raynard being with Yurina, unlike his reluctance to sponsor him when they had no idea whether he had the talent or not .
However, from the point of view of her mother, Marchioness Carthia, she wouldn’t be pleased to know that her daughter was closely associated with a boy her own age and a commoner at that .
If her mother decides to let him stay elsewhere, she will ruin Yurina’s plan to try to win Raynard’s favor .
Thanks to that dilemma, Yurina scratched her head and was racking her brains for words to persuade the Marchioness if she were to object .
Do I have to act like a child again?
She shook her head at imaging such a horrible sight . Soon, a maid came out of the Marchioness’ room and bowed .
“Young Lady, the mistress is waiting for you inside . ”
“Let’s go, Ray . ”
As Yurina groomed Raynard’s clothes before entering .
Raynard immediately saw the Marchioness sitting across the room and stopped for a moment . Then he went in with an awkward smile .
“Yurina”
As the two of them walked closer, the Marchioness beamed as she opened her arms to her . She gently hugged Yurina who went stiff as a statue .
“Mother . ”
“Oh, how are you feeling? Are you in pain anywhere? You should’ve stayed in your room . After all, you must be tired from your journey home . Who knows you might just get a fever again . ”
“I wanted to see Mother . ”
At the embarrassing yet affectionate scene before him, Raynard coughed .
“Mother always comes to visit me in my room . I wanted to come see you as soon as I got back but I couldn’t because it was a bit dusty . ”
The truth is, she wanted to say that she wasn’t that weak . Instead, she gave her a smile and laughed it off .
“Yurina” is a so weak .
Six months ago, “Yurina Carthia” suffered a severe fever .
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After having several days of sleepless nights while nursing her daughter, the Marchioness was still uneasy even after Yurina got out of bed .
She didn’t even know that the daughter that she oh so loved with all her heart was already dead .
Yurina was getting a little uncomfortable so she tried to slip out of the Marchioness’ arms slowly .
Only then did the Marchioness notice the boy standing behind Yurina .
“Oh right, I heard the story from your father . You brought a child with you and wanted to sponsor him?”
“Yes . His name is Raynard . Ray, come here and greet Mother”
Yurina was worried that he might make another rude reaction, but fortunately, unlike the time he met Dave, he willingly bowed just as Yurina instructed .
“Hello . ”
His words weren’t aristocratic at all .
Yurina rolled her eyes in frustration and sighed internally at the sight before her .
The Marchioness continued to smile while she scrutinized Raynard from head to toe .
Yurina saw that Raynard was about to pull up a face so she glared at him . Raynard pursed his lips then smiled softly again this time .
“So, do you like the mansion?”
The Marchioness asked softly after a brief silence . Raynard tried to maintain his composure . However, he was betrayed by his dazzling eyes that were full of glee .
“……Yeah?”
“Oh, so you like the mansion? It’s been a long time since I had such a young guest so I was bit concerned . ”
“Huh, What? ……”
Raynard was mumbling, trying to find the right words to say . He then straightened his back and held his head high as he answered,
“It’s great . It’s really great . ”
“Well, I’m really glad to hear that . I told them to prepare your room, however, it was so sudden that it’s not ready yet . The room is still bare, you know . Soon there’ll be pieces of furniture and you can decorate it however you like, so I hope you can patiently wait . ”
“I’m still… . That’s fine . ”
“Alright . It used be a guest room so it might be a little inconvenient since it’s really basic . ”
She said with a soft “Oh“ . And let out a little exclamation .
“Oh, I’m planning on making a small lounge near your study room . I’m a bit worried that it might be a little too small but I think it would be better to make it cozy than have a big place to study and play . How about that? Is that alright?”
Raynard made a “Geh” sound as his eyes went rounder .
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“You don’t really have to do that . ”
“You don’t have to worry about anything . I will do my best to provide you anything you need . Dave will be teaching you the most important thing which is magic, and I’ll going call over a tutor who’ll be teaching you the rest of the lessons . ”
“Thank…… . you . ”
Yurina was so bewildered that she couldn’t even sneak in a word or two in their conversation .
It was shocking how the Marquess didn’t send Raynard out of the mansion and instead offered these kinds of favors out of fondness . She wondered if he was still listening to any of her words .
Is she more lenient than I thought?
Perhaps the reason why Raynard was so guarded against people was because of the people he met who only held hostility towards him .
But it seemed they weren’t evil enough for him to build up a wall against this warm treatment .
He is only 12 years old .
It only occurred to her that he might have been starving for human affection .
“In any case, your clothes are too big . ”
Suddenly the Marchioness’ eyes turned towards Raynard’s sleeve . The clothes were so big that the sleeves constantly covered his fingers and rolling them up once didn’t seem it was enough .
Raynard’s ears flushed . He was flustered and hid his hands behind his back .
“Finding you suitable clothes should be done right away . I’ll call Mrs . Lauren to come tomorrow immediately . ”
“It’s fine . I like these clothes . ”
“Even if you like it, it’s more comfortable to wear clothes of the right size . ”
“That’s right, Ray . I was planning to buy you new outfits too . ”
Raynard gave in and reluctantly nodded to Yurina .
When the conversation ended, the Marchioness led the two children to the sofa . As soon as the three of them sat down, the maid-in-waiting brought such delicacies like snacks, milk, and tea that the children would love and set it down on the table .
Raynard was astonished as he looked at the table filled with sweet desserts and drooled at the sight . Then, he picked up the butter cookie and took a bite .
Later, Yurina noticed the Marchioness watching him then brushed off powder and crumbs from the side of his mouth .
“I’m sorry . ”
The Marquess shook her head and smiled warmly .
“You don’t have to apologize . You can learn the rules of etiquette gradually . For now, don’t be so reserved . Go ahead and help yourself . ”
She wasn’t expecting to hear those words directly from her . Yurina was so surprised once again but did not she didn’t show it on her face .
After filling himself up with such delicious desserts, Raynard was escorted back to his room by a maid . Yurina, who was left behind, asked the Marchioness,
“Mother, was it really okay?”
She got the results she wanted so she could just skip it without asking . However, there was something nagging in the corner of Yurina’s mind
The Marchioness tilted her head wondering what she meant .
“I think the desserts were okay . ”
“That’s not it… I meant Ray . Can he really stay here in the mansion?”
“It sounds like your so unsure . You’re the one who wanted him to stay in this mansion . ”
“Nevertheless…”
Yurina clutched on the hem of her skirt and couldn’t speak any longer .
She was able to confidently stand tall in front of Marquis Carthia without any hint of doubt .
She knew that the Marquis had no other choice but to sponsor for Raynard because he was in fact gifted that’s why she could stand toe-to-toe with him .
But she was not facing the Marquis . Strangely, in front of her mother, she became nervous and started to shrink up like a real 10-year-old child .
“Why are you so stiff like a child who has done something wrong? Did you think your mother would scold you?”
Marchioness leaned forward and looked straight into her eyes as she cupped her cheeks .
She smiled gently with affectionate look .
“You don’t have to worry . You can do whatever you want . Just don’t get sick like before and stay healthy . That’s all you have to do . ”
Marchioness kissed Yurina lightly on her forehead . Yurina clutched her dress a little more tightly .
Yes, this is guilt .
The warmer the Marchioness treats her, the more guilt that weighs down on her heart .
That was probably the reason why even if she could keep her composure in front of the Marquis, she couldn’t the same in front of the Marchioness .
The guilt that she is not her real daughter she loved so much .
At the same time, she could see her smiling back at her . She could see her real mother’s face overlapping—a face that she would never be able to see again .
“I understand, mother . ”
Yurina forced herself to smile .
Yurina might’ve flashed a smile to the Marchioness, but it seemed like she was about to cry instead .