Chapter 5

"Thank you for being my benefactor. Then, I must repay you..."

"No, no, I'm really, really happy just to be able to use it..."

"Rize, what do you usually eat?"

"Huh?" I asked in return.

"What do you eat every morning?"

"Um... black bread..."

I wondered what he was going to do with that information, but the magician pressed on.

"What time do you wake up in the morning?"

"Before sunrise..."

"What time do you go to bed at night?"

"After midnight..."

He looked at me with a cold, exasperated gaze.

"Sometimes, in my work, I have to protect illegal slaves..."

"Yes..."

"You look exactly like those slaves. Why is that? The Liviére Magic Tool Shop is known for its high-end, one-of-a-kind magic jewelry. Rize, why are you being pushed to your limits with magic?"

The magician's tone grew sharper.

Am I being scolded? I'm scared...

What if he hits me?

When I squeezed my eyes shut and hunched my shoulders, he softened his tone a bit.

"Answer me honestly. I suspect your family."

"My family...?"

"Today is your sister's engagement party, right? A magic tool shop rich enough to marry your sister to a prince doesn't give its younger sister a decent meal?"

"The magic academy is very expensive... In a small shop like ours, everyone has to work to make ends meet."

"Don't be ridiculous. Selling ten thousand pure magic stones a year and still calling it small?"

"I... I don't really understand money. But, my parents and I have always worked hard. We're not lazy, but we don't have money."

I couldn't understand why the magician was angry, so I clung to my defense, babbling.

"That's why my parents have pinned their hopes on my sister. If she marries into a wealthy family, we might be freed from our grueling life... So... it's a division of labor. I make magic tools, and my sister socializes. That's how the system works in our shop. Today, my sister finally got engaged, and things were about to get better."

The magician frowned deeply and shook his head solemnly.

"You are being deceived."

"Huh...?"

"Even if I tell you, you won't understand. A brainwashed person won't understand anything."

The magician sighed, almost mockingly.

I felt sad.

Why is he always angry and negating what I say?

He looked sullen and said,

"From today, you will stay with me. You don't need to go home anymore."

"Huh...?"

"I am Dior, the Duke of Rospharia."

"Wh...!?"

I let out a chicken-like squeak.

He is a regular customer at our shop.

A prodigy magician from a famous alchemy family, he was granted the title of Duke of Rospharia by the king himself for his significant contributions in the war, despite being in his teens. He is a well-known figure in the country.

Since he became a duke, our shop has received many orders from him, from horse harnesses to magical ritual items, almost all of which were our creations.

"You... you are the Duke of Rospharia..."

"Yes. And from today, you will be a member of the Rospharia household."

"Wh... What...!?"

"This is an order. If you violate it—"

"Violate...?"

"You will be executed."

Too scary!!!??

My mother's angry voice echoed in my mind.

—Listen, do you understand how unusual it is for someone your age to be granted a dukedom based solely on your magical skills? Be very careful when you make it. If there's a mistake in the emblem or anything, and the Duke of Rospharia is pointed at as a newcomer, it will be our shop's responsibility. Remember that!

I trembled.

Is the Duke so important?

Why is the Duke bringing me home?

Is he going to criticize my work?

"I... I'm sorry..."

I was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Please forgive me, I'm sorry..."

"I don't want your apologies. What's wrong?"

"Please... I'm sorry..."

"Rize?"

The Duke reached out his hand to me.

Thinking he might hit me again, I flinched reflexively.

I'm scared, I don't want this anymore, I want to go home!

"Rize, Rize!? Hey..."

The Duke's voice grew distant.

I panicked and fainted again.

***

At the Rospharia Duke's mansion, a commotion broke out that day.

"Big trouble! Big trouble, everyone!"

A boy dressed in a servant's uniform ran around the vast servants' floor.

"Master Dior brought a girl!"

The servants poked their heads out of their workrooms one by one.

What? Master? A girl?

The mansion buzzed with excitement.

The master of the Rospharia Duke's mansion, a young and childless man who had achieved unprecedented success through his remarkable achievements, was a popular figure in the social scene. Every month, invitations and gifts from noble families with eligible daughters flooded in.

The master, who had always rejected all of them, had brought a girl.

"The girl was unconscious..."

"No way, after...!?"

"I'm curious!"

Rumors spread quickly, and it didn't take long for them to grow into wild speculations.

***

I woke up to a pleasant smell wafting from somewhere.

My stomach growled immediately.

This smell... butter!

I was very sensitive to the smell of food due to hunger.

When I jumped up, a boy with a soup pot was standing next to me.

He had a cute, well-arranged face and didn't look scary at all.

"Madam, good morning."

The boy pulled out a side table and placed the soup pot in front of me.

"This is a soup made with eggs and chicken. Would you like jam or butter on your bread?"

Is he asking me?

When I was confused, the boy said, "Then," and took the bread.

"If you have no preference, I will take care of it for you."

The boy sliced the white bread neatly with a knife.

Fluffy white bread...!

He scooped up the butter, which was half-melted in the warm dish, and spread it on the bread.

Wow, it smells so good...!

He grilled it by the fireplace to give it a light char and then handed it to me.

"W-Why...?"

"This is an order from Master Dior. He said, 'Make sure she eats properly.' If you violate it—"

"Violate...?"

"You will be executed."

The Duke is scary!!!

I trembled and swallowed hard, looking at the bread on the plate.

Oh... It smells so good. The aroma of freshly baked bread and the sweet scent of melted butter...

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