Chapter 56

Lirika stumbled over her words.

"That, that is, well."

"Anyone can see it's your story. Our magical girl Lirika, it's quite impressive that you even have a novel."

"Is that really okay?!"

"Of course, it's written at the beginning that the content of this novel is not related to any real person, event, or organization."

"......"

Lirika sighed deeply and sat back down.

"Who's the author?"

"Hmm, it doesn't seem to be their real name? The name was Zisujeong. Anyway, it's not a bad thing."

Though he was teasing her, Attil seemed to dislike that Lirika was worried, so he added,

Lirika became curious.

"Really?"

"What?"

"Is it really a true story? About my novel?"

"Yes, it is. The first edition sold out in no time. The publishing house is flooded with inquiries about when the next volume will come out. They're even planning to make a play out of it, why don't you go see it? Ask Diares too."

"Ugh......"

Embarrassed but curious, Lirika groaned and nodded.

Seeing Attil's smile as he looked for something to tease her with, Lirika quickly changed the subject.

"Rather, I hope the strawberries ripen soon. It'll be fun when everyone comes. We need to get the badges and aprons ready quickly......"

Attil nodded.

"Before that, there's the hunting festival, right? The nobles who will participate should have finished arriving by now."

"Yes, I'm also making the clothes I'll wear then. Mother said so."

"Great, I'm looking forward to it."

"Yes, I'm very much looking forward to it. But you really won't tell me? If I can participate."

"Yeah."

Attil nodded. Lirika felt a bit disappointed but also excited.

"I'm really looking forward to it."

Seeing his sister's smiling face, Attil also nodded.

"Me too, I'm looking forward to it."

Hunting.

He smiled faintly.

* * *

Rat felt bewildered. Suddenly, he was captured by Her Highness and brought to the White Dragon Room.

The scrolls he had been holding were taken by Sol and disappeared.

Rat blankly looked at the glass and then around the room. The reception room of the White Dragon Room had a rather cozy charm.

The plates were subtly different in size from adult ones, and the decorations were all cute.

There were large teddy bears and paintings of strawberries and squirrels.

Perhaps it was Her Highness's taste, but there were fewer luxurious elements compared to other places.

If you said it was simple, people might raise their eyebrows, but compared to other parts of the palace, it was simple enough to make you nod slightly.

The glass was full of sweet lemonade.

After finishing the first glass, Brin poured him a second one. Lirika, who had been watching Rat closely, asked,

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Huh? Yes."

The imperial chancellor smiled tiredly. Lirika, worried, said,

"Your eyes were so sunken, and you were swaying. I thought you'd fall if you kept going, so I called you."

Lirika frowned.

"If anyone says anything, just tell them it was because of Her Highness."

"Is that okay?"

"Yeah. I learned that power is for protecting those below you."

Lirika's words made Rat smile faintly. The taste of the lemonade finally began to register in his mouth.

"Are you very busy?"

"Yes, I have a lot of work and various other things...... There are family matters......"

He spoke without thinking and then clamped his mouth shut.

Indeed, there was something about this princess that made people open up.

A serious air settled on the young girl's face.

"Then wouldn't it be better to take a vacation? What if you collapse and get seriously hurt?"

Rat opened his eyes wide behind his monocle and laughed.

Her Highness's concern was ordinary, but there was a surprising twist.

She didn't seem curious about what family matters or what work he had.

Rat nodded.

"Of course, but I prefer working. It keeps me from having unnecessary thoughts. Besides, I'm busy with the hunting festival these days, and it would be very inconvenient if I were absent."

"Ah......"

Lirika had wanted to talk about the Strawberry Alliance, but she didn't want to add to his worries, so she kept her mouth shut.

Rat slowly took off his monocle and polished the lens with his sleeve as he spoke.

"Princess, I have one question."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"About that artifact magical girl."

"Huh? Oh...... Yeah. Rat, do you want to see magic too?"

Lirika shook her head, suppressing a laugh.

"No, not that. Um, can it heal people?"

"Heal?"

"Yes, I mean......"

Rat's eyes met Lirika's directly. She thought his pupils seemed to elongate vertically.

"Like Sir Laub."

It was a very soft whisper. Lirika blinked in surprise.

'When was Laub sick?'

"No, I've never tried it."

Rat smiled bitterly at her answer.

"I see."

He put his glasses back on. Lirika, lifting her glass, suddenly thought,

'Ah! Could it be?!'

Was he talking about the necklace Laub had?

'It would be a sickness if he said it was a sickness.'

A person with thick blood had said they were sick. If Laub was in the Wolf family, was there someone in the Sandar family too?

Or was Rat sick?

'I definitely made it for His Majesty......'

She wanted to tell Rat, "I made it for His Majesty," but she couldn't.

Lirika held back and asked carefully,

"Who's sick? Is it Rat......?"

Rat shook his head.

"No, it's not me."

He sighed.

"They say everyone in Sandar is cold and rational. But......"

He sighed softly.

"Everyone is helpless when it comes to their children."

Lirika asked in surprise,

"Rat, are you married?"

Rat laughed.

"No, I'm unmarried."

"Sorry......"

"No."

Rat chuckled. After laughing, he wiped his face.

It had been a long time since he had laughed.

"Spending time with Her Highness feels like golden sugar powder is sprinkling down."

"Is that a compliment?"

"It's a great compliment."

Rat's words made Lirika giggle. Rat looked at her face. It had been so long since he felt this relaxed.

Recently, the atmosphere in his family had been so dark that he hadn't laughed in a long time. Especially his brother......

Thinking about it made him sigh again. After thinking, Rat said,

"Princess, will you attend the hunting festival?"

"Yeah."

"Make sure to bring the artifact."

He said it with a gentle smile, and Lirika, looking at Rat carefully, nodded.

"Yeah, and I won't let Sir Laub out of my sight."

"Excellent."

Rat stood up.

"Excuse me, but I must take my leave now. If I stay any longer, I might fall asleep."

"You can sleep here."

"No, I can't."

Rat laughed.

"Anyway, now that you've passed the Partha, you can."

Brin nodded as if agreeing and returned the scrolls to Rat.

"Thanks to you, I had a good rest. I'll take my leave now."

After seeing Rat off, Lirika returned to the single-person rocking chair.

She waved her hand, and the maids left. Lirika called Laub and Brin closer.

"Hey, who's sick in Sandar?"

Laub and Brin looked at each other and then at Lirika.

Laub said,

"I haven't heard anything."

Brin, resting her hand on her cheek, said thoughtfully,

"If the chancellor mentioned it was a close family matter, it must be the Duke of Sandar. That is, the chancellor's brother. I know he has two children."

"Two children?"

"One you know."

"Huh? Oh, Pai?"

"Yes, and the other is the young lord of Sandar—Sir Ferres. But I haven't heard that either of them is sick."

"I see......"

Could Pai not responding be because he's sick?

'I should ask Attil later.'

Since Attil said he would visit, she decided not to act rashly.

Lirika looked at Laub's necklace.

'Since I can't always carry the item, it's better to practice using magic just in case.'

It's convenient and good to use the artifact as an excuse in situations like this.

'I should thank His Majesty.'

"Yeah, thanks for telling me. I need to think about it. And Brin."

"Yes, Princess."

"Can you get that book for me......?"

Brin nodded immediately, understanding what book she meant.

"Of course."

"Thanks."

Lirika raised her hand to signal that they could leave. The two moved away. Brin asked,

"Should I open the window? The wind is refreshing today."

"Yeah, that's good."

Brin opened the balcony door of the reception room, and the lace curtains fluttered softly. Lirika took out a notebook and pen from the backrest.

'Let's write down what I need to do next, so......'

The rocking chair swayed pleasantly back and forth. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind could be heard.

Thud

The pen slipped from Lirika's hand, but Laub quickly caught it before it hit the floor.

Brin glanced at Lirika's face and brought a thin blanket to cover her.

The lace curtains waved like waves.

"The beginning of magic is invocation."

In the desert night, a clear voice echoed.

Two people were sitting and standing, having a conversation. They were wearing robes, so their faces were not visible. The person standing asked,

"Magic is about fulfilling desires. But to do that, one must first learn the form. Why is that?"

The person sitting was also wearing a white robe, but it was simpler than the one standing.

"Because humans don't know their true desires."

"Exactly. Therefore, we reduce the form of invocation through words and language."

The conversation continued.

"Then what is the end of magic?"

"Invocation."

"Exactly. It starts from the primitive, takes on a form, and when it reaches the advanced stage, it discards the form."

The standing person's voice continued softly. A bright magic circle appeared in the dark sky.

It was so beautiful that admiration flowed naturally.

"Therefore, a magician must not deceive themselves. They must look at both their ugly and bright sides. What happens to a magician who deceives themselves?"

"They use twisted magic."

The standing person stood up. Both turned to look at her.

"Do you understand? Last magician."

"!!"

Lirika was startled awake. She must have kicked the air in her sleep.

"Lirika, did you have a bad dream?"

"Uh, Mother?"

Surprised, Lirika tried to get up, but Ludia stopped her. Behind her mother, who was sitting by the bed, the bright moon hung.

Her golden hair shone like the golden threads of a goddess.

When did she come to the bedroom?

Moreover, it was the middle of the night. Her worries vanished as her mother's face drew closer.

"Did I wake you up?"

"No, I was woken up by people looking at me in my dream......"

"That must have been scary."

Smiling, a white arm reached out and hugged her tightly. Hugged by her mother, Lirika sighed. Her heart, which had been pounding from the surprise, calmed down.

"Mother, you smell so good......"

Without realizing it, she pouted. Ludia smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Our Lirika is the cutest in the world. Now, go back to sleep. Mother must have woken you up. Sleep."

They lay down side by side on the bed and looked at each other.

Lirika asked,

"Mother, are you going hunting at the hunting festival?"

"Of course."

"Take care of yourself."

Thinking of what Rat had said, Lirika whispered. Ludia smiled.

"I always take care. Altair is with me, so don't worry. Rather, you should be careful. Being a magician, I'm somewhat relieved, but......"

Ludia stroked Lirika's cheek. Her plump cheek was soft and squishy.

"Lirika, I can't live without you. You are my hope. So always take care of yourself. Got it?"

"Yes."

Nodding seriously, Lirika asked softly,

"But Mother."

"Yeah~"

"Mother, I'm very happy, but what's suddenly happening in my bedroom?"

"Can't I come in?"

"Huh? No, it's not that......"

Lirika tilted her head, finding it strange to be asked.

"Is something happening with His Majesty?"

"What do I know, that worm."

'Ah.'

Seeing her mother pout, Lirika nodded. With such a beautiful mother, His Majesty must have done something wrong.

"His Majesty must have done something wrong."

"Right? Mother only has Lirika. Stay a little longer, and in six years, we'll get divorced. Divorced."

Ludia hugged Lirika tightly. Lirika giggled and hugged her mother back.

Ludia, still hugging her, asked after a moment,

"Lirika."

"Yes."

"Um, just wondering. Would you like to have a father?"

Lirika tried to lift her head to look at her mother but couldn't because of the tight hug. Ludia said,

"Just be honest."

"Um, well......"

Lirika remembered calling Altair "Father." Her cheeks turned red.

"Well, if he was here...... I would like it......"

"I see."

"Bu, but that doesn't mean Mother is insufficient. I really enjoy being with just you and Mother."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Then......"

Ludia smiled and looked down at her daughter.

"Then, Mother?"

"Hmm?"

"Mother, how about you?"

Ludia paused in thought. She didn't need a man, but if there was a good man to be Lirika's father, it might be okay.

"Maybe it would be okay?"

"I see."

Lirika nodded. Ludia patted the blanket and said,

"Now, really go to sleep. It's late. I'll sing you a lullaby."

"Yes."

Lirika listened to the sweet song. The patting of her mother's hand felt good. She soon slipped back into sleep.