Chapter 21

"It's been a while, Aunt, Annina. I am Julius Bartsek, and I have come with my fiancée, Laila Kilka. I sincerely congratulate you on your pregnancy, Annina."

"Laila Kilka. Congratulations, Annina-sama."

As Laila greeted them with some tension, Isabella and Annina exchanged glances and then began to giggle in the same manner. The two of them, mother and daughter, looked so much alike that it was clear they were blood-related.

"Oh my... It's been a while since we last met, but you've really grown into a fine young man, Julius."

"It seems you and Laila are getting along well, which puts our minds at ease."

The mother and daughter, who laughed joyfully, seemed as friendly as the other relatives, but the mother was one of the most powerful mages in the Kingdom of Rendia, and the daughter, though not as powerful as her mother, was still a formidable mage.

Then Isabella looked at Laila and smiled, hiding her mouth with a luxurious feather fan.

"Oh, yes. I have been on good terms with the Kilka Company. ...Look, this bracelet. I bought it through the Kilka Company, and it's really beautiful. Your parents are very honest people, and I'm glad I approached them with the proposal."

"Ah, thank you! I'm glad you think so."

Laila had thought that one of the accessories might have been bought from the Kilka Company, but she didn't expect them to actually wear it. Annina stared at the flustered Laila.

"...Hey, Laila."

"Yes!"

"Hehe, you don't have to be so nervous. ...Julius, who's standing there, isn't he usually laid-back but sometimes gets stubborn in strange ways?"

When asked by Annina, Laila blinked.

Getting stubborn in strange ways.

For example, that night when Laila was worried about her figure, and Julius whispered "good girl" to her—

Laila blushed as if she had been hit by a spell, and Julius looked at her curiously. However, Annina and Isabella seemed to have guessed most of it, and they smiled and nudged each other.

"Look, Mother. Julius is so quick to act."

"Oh, what are you saying, Ann. We've been telling him not to engage in premarital relations, so I'm sure he hasn't done anything like that."

"That's true. But Julius is sleeping with his adorable fiancée, so he might not be able to hold back, right?"

"Oh, yes, that's true."

"Hey, Master Julius!?"

Laila let out a small cry and hurriedly pulled on Julius's arm.

"What are you saying!?"

"Uh... Ah, sorry. Actually, when you're sleeping, I can't help but touch your cheek."

(Ah, it's just that!)

Julius confessed with an apologetic look, but the "can't hold back" information, which turned out to be completely innocent, left Laila speechless. Annina and Isabella couldn't hold back their laughter.

"Oh, you two are really adorable! It's wonderful to hear such interesting news!"

"Annina, laughing too much might affect the baby, you know?"

"Are you saying that? ...Well, never mind. Laila."

"Yes!"

"...Please take good care of Julius. Watching you two... I really think you're the right one for him."

Annina's gaze was filled with boundless affection, and Laila's heart ached a little.

The emotion that welled up in Laila's chest at that moment was probably something like jealousy or envy, but it was so complex that she couldn't even name it.

She couldn't sense any romantic feelings from Julius towards Annina. The same was true for Annina's feelings towards Julius, but Laila envied Annina for knowing Julius's childhood, and for receiving such affectionate gazes. Various emotions flooded her heart.

(But this isn't the time to dwell on it. Annina-sama said, "You're the right one.")

Laila straightened her back and bowed.

"Thank you, Annina-sama. ...I will continue to support Master Julius, so please take care of me as well."

At Laila's firm words, Annina and Isabella exchanged glances and smiled with identical faces.

Finally, the greetings to the host and the lady of the house were over, and Laila was already exhausted.

(I'm so tired... I've never been this tired at a party...)

Although she had been invited to the mansions of nobles with her father before, the old Laila had always been an afterthought, so she hadn't had to be this tense.

"Are you tired, Laila?"

Julius suddenly appeared beside her. Laila almost reflexively said, "I'm fine," but she closed her mouth and opened it again after a few seconds.

"...Yes, a little."

"Yep, I thought so. Let's take a break here. How about getting something cold to drink?"

"Okay."

Just as Laila sat down on the sofa, an energetic voice called out. Two boys, dressed in children's formal wear, were looking at Julius with shining eyes. They were Isabella's grandchildren, aged six and four, and the youngest participants at the party.

"Hey, Uncle Julius. Now that you're done with the greetings, can you show us some magic, magic?"

"We can only make little sparks so far."

"Daddy said Uncle Julius can make big sparks."

It seemed they had come to ask Julius, who was known in the Bartsek family for his strong magical power, to show them some magic. Their father hurried over to apologize, but Julius smiled gently at him.

"No, it's fine. Since you asked, I'll show you what you want."

Julius raised his right hand to chest level and turned his palm towards the ceiling. As the children and Laila watched, he made a gesture as if he were pulling something, and suddenly—

A burst of light and petals spilled from his hand, enveloping the hall in a rainbow of colors and showering the room with light.

"Wow, amazing!"

"Awesome!"

"Beautiful...!"

Not only the boys but Laila herself was captivated by the scene. The people in the hall also looked up at Julius, watching him create the magical spectacle with gentle expressions.

The illusory flowers disappeared as soon as they hit the floor, but the boys jumped around trying to catch the falling petals, much to their father's amusement.

(Beautiful... This is Master Julius's magic...)

As Laila was entranced by the illusory light falling from the ceiling, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Julius waving his other hand and pulling a pure white rose out of thin air, as if by magic.

"Wow, amazing!"

"Thank you. This is a real one."

"Really? How did you...?"

"I just took it from a vase in the corridor of our mansion."

(Our... mansion? Master Julius's mansion?)

Laila didn't understand the mechanics of magic, but it seemed that Julius had fetched the flower from his mansion, which was a half-day's carriage ride away, in an instant.

Smiling at the stunned Laila, Julius placed the rose in her hair. She already had a white rose in her hair, so it wouldn't look out of place.

After admiring the flower in Laila's hair, Julius lowered his gaze to meet her eyes. His eyes crinkled with happiness, and Laila, feeling her heart race, smiled in response.

The happy magic Julius had shown her didn't seem to be fading anytime soon.