Chapter 10

"Which one should I start with: your face, your left hand, or your right hand?"

"……"

"……Then I'll decide. How about the blisters on your right hand?"

Without a word, Nate extended his right hand, and Melissa placed her hand on it.

"Hey! You're touching it?"

Nate, startled, pulled back his right hand.

While it is possible to cast light magic without direct contact, the effect is much stronger when touching. However, touching without warning might be considered impolite.

"Hehe. Your ears are so blue. They're all red."

Josh, hearing this, looked at Nate's ears, which were red even though there should be no burn marks there.

"I'm not blushing! I just hate nobles!"

"Sure, sure."

Even as Nate shouted, he didn't leave the spot, and Josh smiled and let it slide.

"The effect is much better with direct contact, but if Nate is going to blush, I'll keep my distance."

"I'm not blushing!"

Saying that, Nate extended his right hand again. When she tentatively touched it, he didn't pull away, but his ears remained red.

Nate continued to store and cast light magic until his mana ran out, but the blisters on his right hand only became slightly smaller. Still, it was better than doing nothing, and Melissa secretly resolved to keep trying every day from tomorrow.

"Josh, it's better to wait for Nate to tell us why he hates nobles, right?"

The training in mana control, which was also Nate's treatment, was over, and before lunch, Melissa asked Josh about something that had been bothering her. Nate was not in the room at the moment.

When Melissa was part of the Johnston Dukedom, she spent her time playing the piano, which left her with little interaction with her family. The strict servants of the dukedom kept their distance, and she rarely spoke to anyone. When she did try to have a conversation, she struggled to speak and considered herself introverted. Since coming to Laughton, she had more free time, and her interactions with the servants increased, naturally improving her social skills, though she hadn't noticed the change in herself.

"Actually, I don't know the details either. Last year, during a regular inspection of the orphanage, I saw Nate lying in bed with burns. The director told me that he had been left in front of the orphanage with severe burns and was unconscious. The orphanage was struggling to care for the other orphans while Nate was bedridden, so I took him in at the lord's manor, where there were more adults to help."

"I think being left at the Laughton orphanage was a stroke of luck in an unfortunate situation."

In other orphanages, he might have been left to fend for himself.

"After his burns had healed enough for him to move around, I had him work here while monitoring his condition. Jobs like washing dishes, gardening, and stable work were not suitable for someone with burns, so being a squire apprentice was a good fit. From his behavior, it seems he wants to avoid direct interaction with nobles, but he feels he should work to repay the care he received."

I thought it was strange for a squire apprentice to say he hates nobles, but if someone who had taken care of him for free for so long ordered him to do something, he probably couldn't refuse.

"Nate is a mana user, so he is likely a noble's illegitimate child. He won't tell me even when I ask indirectly. Well, at 12 years old, he's just entering adolescence, so even without complicated circumstances, he would act like that. His willingness to let his guard down and talk to you is a good sign."

Josh smiled gently as usual. Melissa felt a bit envious, thinking that Nate could be so openly rebellious and affectionate with Josh because of his gentle nature.

The beautiful Lake Laughton, which was said to have been so stunning that the king had it featured on a banknote.

"Living by such a beautiful lake must make one's heart beautiful too."

"Are you complimenting me? Hehe, thank you. ...But even in Laughton, crimes happen. There are cunning and cruel people, and they are often the best at pretending to be good."

Josh laughed and gently reprimanded Melissa, whose words had slipped out. For Melissa, who had recently suffered a defeat at the hands of a devil in angel's clothing and had been exiled from the capital, this was a painful reminder.

From then on, her mornings were spent treating Nate's burn scars, her afternoons playing the piano, and her evenings studying. Nate became Melissa's personal squire apprentice and spent more time with her outside of treatment.

The burn scars on Nate's hand gradually disappeared from the edges, and it became clear that they were getting smaller. Though the changes were barely noticeable day to day, over several days, they became more apparent. Realizing that the scars would eventually disappear with time, Melissa's determination grew.

Nate remained quiet, but Melissa became more talkative each day. Especially during the time she cast light magic on his burn scars, she talked endlessly to Nate, who didn't respond, about the difficult parts of the pieces she was working on, her favorite pieces, and the pieces she wanted to play when her hands grew larger.

"Do you only talk about the piano?"

After two months in Laughton, when the burn scars on Nate's right palm had disappeared and the treatment moved to his left palm, Nate finally spoke to Melissa, seemingly exasperated by her one-sided piano talk.

"Nate! You should use proper honorifics when speaking to a lady!"

Nate grimaced when reprimanded by Rose. Though only his mouth, which was still scarred from the burns, was visible, Melissa had become adept at reading his facial expressions.

"Is there nothing else to talk about?"

"That's rude to comment on the content of a lady's conversation!"

Rose continued to scold Nate, but her tone was gentle. Ten years older than Melissa, Rose had become brighter and more cheerful since coming to Laughton. The strict hierarchy and discipline of the Johnston Dukedom's main residence were not a good fit for her, and the more lenient environment of the Laughton lord's manor suited her better. Melissa was happy to see Rose looking bright and cheerful, and Rose was equally happy to see Melissa becoming more cheerful each day.

"What else should I talk about besides the piano?"

"……"

Nate's ears turned red, and he fell silent, but after a while, he spoke.

"I want to know the name of that song."

"That song?"

"The one that goes 'Hoo-hoo-hoon! Hoo-hoo-hoon!'"

Melissa couldn't help but laugh, realizing that Nate's ears were red because he was embarrassed to sing the tune.

You're so cute.

At that moment, Melissa first became aware of Nate as a potential romantic interest.

"It's called 'Farewell.' It's an old song, and no one knows who wrote it or the origin of its title."

She stopped herself from saying, "You asked about something other than the piano," remembering that she had played this song when Nate was secretly wiping away tears while listening to her piano playing shortly after they arrived in Laughton.

"My mother used to hum it too... My mother also liked this song. We have that in common."

That afternoon, she played "Farewell."

From the next day, they started talking a little more. They talked about the fish they saw in the lake, rumors of wild boars in the mountains, Josh's heroic tales from his younger days as told by the servants, the story of the butler and his wife's courtship, and how popular Rose was with the men of Laughton.

Neither of them mentioned anything about their lives before coming to Laughton. Melissa intentionally avoided topics that would make her feel down, and over time, she stopped thinking about her family except for her mother, and only spoke about happy things without even realizing it.

The time she spent talking to Nate in the mornings became as important to her as her piano practice.

Gradually, the burn scars on his left palm, the back of his right hand, and the back of his left hand disappeared. By the time the scars on both hands were completely gone and Nate had learned to use honorifics and become a full squire under Rose's tutelage, Melissa had mastered perfect mana control and could suppress her naturally leaking mana. This happened at the end of autumn, eight months after they arrived in Laughton.

"Here."

After dinner, Melissa, who was resting in her room, received a bag tied with a ribbon the color of Lake Laughton from Nate. Even though he had learned to use honorifics, he reverted to casual speech when they were alone, and Melissa secretly allowed it without telling Rose.

"Wow, it's so cute! I don't want to eat it, but how long can I keep it?"

The bag contained cookies shaped like a piano, with the keys made of chocolate.

"If you want more, I can make them again, so eat them soon."

"Really? Did you make these, Nate?"

Nate's ears were red, and he covered his mouth with the back of his right hand. Even though she couldn't see his face, Melissa could tell he was blushing.

"I used to help at a nearby bakery. I could only make cookies, but I can guarantee the taste."

Melissa, feeling embarrassed by Nate's shyness, looked down at the cookies and found one that said "Thank you" instead of having keys. Nate must have been embarrassed to give her this one.

She deliberately took it out so Nate could see and took a bite.

"These are the best I've ever had... Better than the cookies served at the dukedom!"

Nate's mouth curved upward.

"Your hands are healed, so maybe you should change to being a cook? There are desserts too, so you can learn to make cakes."

"Being a squire is fine. ...I want to be Melissa's squire."

Melissa felt a warmth in her heart, as if a flame had suddenly appeared. The next day, the treatment would move to her face, and she was anxious about whether she could touch Nate's face without making his ears and cheeks turn red.

"Are you going back to the capital?"

Nate's words reminded her that she had been practicing mana control to return to the capital. She had been so focused on treating Nate that she had forgotten her original purpose.

Do I really need to go back to the Johnston Dukedom?

When she was in the capital, Melissa had struggled to regain her family's love, feeling