Chapter 32

32

"……Why are you cooking, Vera?"

Actually, I was wondering about that too.

Vera is my maid, not the cook, right? Normally, her job was to go and fetch the food.

"Ah……."

Vera stiffened.

She seemed at a loss for words, forgetting to move her spoon as she gauged the situation.

I had already found a suitable reason and subtly turned my face away from the spoon.

I had already eaten a few more spoonfuls than usual, and my stomach was already churning.

The more Vera struggled to speak, the narrower Sharant Clowen's eyes became.

"Vera, this is the last time I'm saying this."

Sharant Clowen spoke in a smooth but not gentle voice.

"I don't like repeating myself, and I don't like it when there's no immediate response to what I say. If you irritate me one more time, you don't have to come to work anymore."

Vera shuddered at Sharant Clowen's threatening warning.

Her head, bowed heavily, looked as if she had committed a grave sin.

"I'm sorry……. There was no separate meal for the young lady in the dining room……."

"Didn't you tell the cooks?"

"……Well, they said there were no suitable ingredients to make baby food and no free hands to prepare it."

When Desar Clowen interjected with frustration, Vera answered with a tense voice.

Her voice was filled with hesitation.

I immediately understood the situation.

'So, there are many people who don't like me, huh?'

Well, it's a very old family, so it's natural that the people working here are also bloodline-oriented.

I'm not particularly disappointed by this. I'm just grateful to Vera for bringing me food.

It doesn't really matter. I've been disliked for a day or two before.

Good job, Vera. If I regain my magic later, I'll give you enough money to live off for the rest of your life.

Just take care of me for three more years.

Until I can walk, think, and chew meat on my own.

If you take care of me for three years, you'll be happy for sixty years.

Even though the food was tasteless, I yawned, feeling something in my stomach.

While I was yawning with my mouth wide open, Sharant Clowen was still looking at me with an incomprehensible expression.

What do you get by looking at me like that? The world is like that anyway. Since there's no expectation, there's no disappointment.

"Kant."

After a long silence, Sharant Clowen finally spoke.

It was a tender voice, as if calling an old friend, but Kant's expression was clearly tense.

"Yes, Young Master. I'll take care of it immediately."

"This is the second time. If I hear a similar story again, I'll consider those ears useless."

"I'll keep that in mind."

I watched the whole situation quietly and yawned again.

"Vera."

The soft voice this time was directed at Vera, who was holding me.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes with the back of my hand.

"Yes……, Young Master."

"Have you ever seen that child use magic?"

"……The young lady using magic? No, never……."

Vera slowly shook her head.

I looked at Vera, who was looking down at me with a puzzled expression, and then averted my gaze.

I felt a bit guilty.

"Never, you say?"

"Yes."

"If she was hiding it on purpose, she seems quite cunning, Father."

A smile spread across Sharant Clowen's lips.

His eyes curved, and his lips formed a reverse arc. It was a smile that seemed to tear down all human defenses as he looked at me.

'……Oh, he must be crazy.'

Not just a little crazy, but really crazy.

I looked at him quietly and then closed my eyes.

My stomach was full, and I was feeling sleepy.

I wanted to eat some apple puree, but in this situation, it would be a bit awkward to ask for it.

"Kai Shan."

"Yes, Father?"

Sharant Clowen called the child with a tender voice. Kai Shan immediately brightened and answered.

I watched the two of them intently.

It was unusual to see Sharant Clowen, known for his cold-blooded nature and the nickname 'Viper's Tongue,' being so tender.

'Family……'

I leaned my cheek against Vera's shoulder and watched the two of them.

What is family? Is it just about blood ties? How far can a person go for their family? Does Sharant Clowen know that this is his weakness?

These are things I can't understand. Especially with Sharant Clowen, it's a form I couldn't even imagine.

"Didn't you say you saw that child throw something into the fireplace before?"

I shuddered.

The drowsiness that was creeping in suddenly vanished. I opened my eyes wide and tensed my neck.

I made eye contact with Kai Shan. I kept shaking my head, but the child just smiled brightly.

"Yes! It was something like a straw doll!"

And he threw a bomb at me.

That clueless, frustrating kid.

Sharant Clowen seemed to have some idea from what Kai Shan said.

His plate was already empty.

I tried to struggle but grabbed onto Vera's dress.

'I'm a baby……'

I'm a baby.

I'm a baby.

I brainwashed myself.

No matter what happens, I'm just a lucky baby.

'It wasn't about being caught using magic.'

I knew best how much the Clowen family hated magic. This ignorant swordsmanship family.

"Father, I need to go to that child's room."

"To the room? For what?"

"Just to check something."

His narrowed eyes scanned me.

I stiffened, feeling a chill. A danger signal flashed in my mind. The Clowen family hates magic.

Especially, they detest black magic.

And he is very sensitive to black magic.

Even when I was Hella, he would frown whenever I used black magic in the meeting room.

'Run.'

If he starts looking for evidence of black magic, he'll find it.

Especially, a straw doll is one of the basic forms of black magic that can be easily identified with a little searching.

"Lead the way, Vera."

I trembled in Vera's arms.

Vera, thinking I was scared, kept patting my back.

But just this much wasn't enough to stop my trembling.

It's a matter of life and death, but I think I'll die in the Clowen family's mansion.

Although I'm a bit short on magic stones, if I use them sparingly, they might last a year.

It would be convenient to conquer a dungeon, but it's difficult now. It would be better to hide in the forest or mountains and entrust my body to the animals.

"Are you coming with us, Father?"

"Yes, a magician in the Clowen family……"

"That's right."

A series of tsk sounds followed.

While Vera went up to the second floor to my room, I buried my face in her shoulder.

I know best how magicians have been treated so far.

Powerless and young magicians often become slaves. It's not surprising that noble families talk about 'witches.'

"Here it is."

Vera slightly opened the door and bowed.

Sharant Clowen lightly entered the room.

He tapped Vera, pointing down, and she put me down.

I crawled on the marble floor to a corner.

I had hidden the magic stones I gave to Vera well.

I pushed them into a small gap under the desk, a gap so small that only a child's wrist could fit.

While Sharant Clowen and Desar Clowen were distracted by my bed, I held a large and a small magic stone in my hands.

I retrieved the magic stones I had hidden and tied them together with a string.

With the string in my mouth, I had collected all the magic stones I had received.

"This is……"

While examining my small and precious baby bed, Sharant Clowen pulled out the black magic picture book I had hidden under the bed.

Of course, the straw doll wasn't made based on this, but it was a situation ripe for misunderstanding.

'Let's go, anywhere, to the forest.'

With three magic stones, there's no way I'll die.

"Ha!"

I took a deep breath.

I don't know how much magic power I can use with this body, but I have no choice. I don't want to die.

'Warp, warp.'

I glanced at the picture book and saw Sharant Clowen turn his head to me with a stern face.

Desar Clowen's expression was also extremely fierce.

'Warp……, work!'

I watched Sharant Clowen take a step toward me and tightened my grip on the magic stones.

The magic stones began to emit a blue light in response to my will.

'It's done.'

All I had to do was absorb the magic power and release it.

Sharant Clowen seemed to have realized what I was trying to do and drew his sword from his waist.

The sharp tip of the sword was pointed at me.

"Ugh!"

Oh, to try to kill me so quickly.

Everyone, give me strength……!

'Warp!'

I muttered a foolish thought in my head and used my last resort.

I fell backward into an embarrassing position in front of them and exerted all my strength.

I saw his surprised face, but I didn't care. I had to survive.

Thanks to my desperate struggle, my vision suddenly changed before his sword reached me.

I couldn't forget the sword tip that was right in front of my nose.