Chapter 13

Laila appointed Helka as the caretaker and began her life as the fiancée and pillow companion of the magician Julius.

Laila's mornings start in Julius's arms.

Julius's insomnia was cured by sleeping with Laila, but he seems to be naturally weak in the mornings. When Laila wakes up feeling the morning sun, Julius is almost always still in a deep sleep.

(He's sleeping so well again today...)

Since Verneli will come to wake him up anyway, Laila spends the time observing Julius's sleeping face. It's not because she has any guilty feelings.

Julius, who has one arm around Laila's waist, is sleeping soundly. She can see that the dark circles under his eyes are gradually fading, which gives her a great sense of relief.

Today, he has slept soundly without being troubled by excess magic until morning. His lips are curved in a smile, as if he is having a happy dream, and his face looks a bit younger than it does during the day.

As she does this, Verneli, who has finished preparing breakfast, comes to the bedroom.

Julius finally opens his eyes when Verneli calls out to him, but it takes a while for his mind to fully wake up.

"Master Julius, it's morning. Let go of Lady Laila and get ready."

"Mmm... Just a little more. Laila, you're so comfortable to hold."

Saying this, Julius, with his eyes still closed, rubbed his cheek against Laila's shoulder.

His gesture is like that of a spoiled cat, which makes Laila feel warm, but at the same time, she feels a flutter in her heart because she is being held by a man, even if he is her fiancé.

(If I keep this up, I'll be dragged back to sleep!)

Glancing at Verneli, who is standing at the entrance with a stern look, Laila shakes Julius's shoulder with her free hand.

"Master Julius. Wake up. Verneli is giving you a scary look."

"It's okay... Verneli is kind... He'll wait..."

"No, that's not the issue."

And Verneli, I wish you wouldn't look so unconcerned.

In the end, it was Helka, who came upstairs to check on Laila because she wasn't coming down, who sternly pulled Laila away from Julius.

"Master Julius, it's fine to be happy about sleeping with Lady Laila, but it's morning now, so please stop. And Verneli, you need to be firm with Master Julius, even if he is your master."

"...Sorry, Helka, Laila."

"...Hmph."

Helka, who scolds the two men regardless of their positions, is very impressive. Despite being only three years older than Laila and younger than Julius and Verneli, Helka is very mature and reliable. Still, Helka, who can scold the men and make them reflect, has become a secret role model for Laila.

(I want to be as reliable as Helka...)

While she can't imitate Helka's height, beauty, or figure, Laila's goal is to become a dignified adult woman like Helka.

Led by Helka, Laila goes down to her room on the second floor, changes clothes, and then returns to Julius's room. Today, Helka has chosen a light green dress for her, with a large bow at the back of the waist, which looks very cute.

Then, they have breakfast together in Julius's living room. Julius apparently likes his bacon well-done, and it appears on the menu almost every day.

However, Verneli, who also considers Julius's health, ensures that the menu is well-balanced with vegetables, fruits, and mushrooms.

"...I don't really like vegetables, but especially mushrooms."

"Is it the taste or the appearance?"

"Mostly the texture. I've always been bad with the squishy feel. Laila, do you have any food you don't like?"

"I can eat almost anything. ...But I don't like spicy foods. I prefer sweet flavors, even if the seasoning is light."

"I like sweet things too. The baked goods Verneli buys are all delicious."

"Right..."

At that moment, Laila thought, "Hmm."

(Come to think of it, all the snacks seem to be store-bought...)

When Laila and Julius have time, they share a teatime with cookies and cakes. However, Laila has never sensed Verneli making them in the kitchen. There's no sweet aroma of baked goods.

After breakfast, Laila touches Julius's hand to release magic appropriately, and then he goes to his room to study magic.

"What are you going to do today, Laila?"

"Well... I might read a book or walk around the mansion."

When asked by Julius, Laila thought for a moment before answering.

As the future bride living in the mansion, Laila has the important task of sleeping with Julius at night, but during the day, she is basically free.

Verneli takes care of all the household chores, and Helka takes care of Laila's personal needs.

When she has free time, Helka will talk to Laila, but when she has work from the magic research institute, she stays in her room on the first floor, leaving Laila with nothing to do.

(Maybe I'll ask Verneli to show me the distillery when he has free time today.)

The distillery is essentially a room for making pastries.

Originally, it was used by the lady of the house for distilling fruits and making jam, but it has become a place where the maids store pastries and jam.

After seeing Julius off, Laila saw Verneli's black robe on the stairs leading from the second floor to the first.

"Verneli, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"It depends on what it is."

(Really, this guy!)

Despite Laila's suitability for alleviating Julius's condition, Verneli, a Julius-firstist, doesn't seem to fully accept her as a commoner.

Even after a few days of Laila living in the mansion, his attitude remains somewhat cold, and Laila has learned to accept it.

"Then, I'll ask a question. Can you answer with yes or no? When you have time, can you show me the distillery in the basement?"

"..."

Laila expected an immediate "No," but Verneli fell silent, looking up at her from five steps below.

"...What do you intend to do in the distillery?"

"Of course, if I get permission, I want to make pastries."

Perhaps Verneli doesn't make pastries—or can't.

When she saw the distillery during the tour, it was neatly organized but unused.

Since the kitchen is Verneli's domain, she thought the distillery might be the same, but it isn't, and Julius said no homemade pastries have been made.

Verneli's lips twitched.

"...Ah, I remember. Lady Laila, you enjoy making pastries, don't you?"

"Yes. I have the confidence to make pastries that can rival even a professional maid. Since the distillery isn't used much, I want to make pastries there."

After saying this, Laila worried that she might have hurt Verneli's pride.

But after a moment of thought, Verneli looked away.

"...Are the pastries for yourself?"

"Yes, for now. ...Even if I make them, I doubt Master Julius or Verneli would eat them."

Helka might eat them with her, but Laila didn't want to provoke Verneli's anger by suggesting she feed such things to Master Julius. She just wanted to use the leftover eggs, flour, and sugar to make something simple and enjoy it as a hobby.

After a moment of silence, Verneli turned around.

"...If I'm going to show you, now is a good time. Let's go."

"Ah, okay. Thank you, Verneli."

Since Verneli seemed to be in the mood, Laila quickly followed him.

The distillery was in the basement, at the end of a corridor on the first floor.

Originally, it was under the jurisdiction of the housekeeper, who supervised the maids, not the chef, so it made sense for it to be separate from the kitchen.

The distillery, which Verneli opened, was indeed empty and unused.

(Whisks, bowls, an oven... It seems to have all the necessary equipment.)

"...A few years ago, a maid who was in charge of Master Julius's education used this room. But after she retired, it hasn't been used... It seems to have had some good equipment."

Verneli touched a fine scale under the workbench and muttered. It seemed he hadn't used it and felt guilty about storing the high-quality equipment.

"Originally, the distillery was the lady of the house's workroom. Master Julius would likely approve... It would be better if someone used it, and the equipment would be happier."

Although the poetic expression "the equipment would be happier" was uncharacteristic of Verneli, Laila nodded without comment.

"Thank you, Verneli. I'll take good care of the equipment left by the maid."

"...Please do."

When Verneli nodded and stood up, he seemed a little pleased.