Yurina told Raynard not to worry, but the truth is, there was another huge mountain to cross .

She stared at the tightly closed door of the room of the Marchioness Carthia before glancing back at Raynard who was standing next to her .

“Ray . ”

Yurina poked his arms . Raynard, who was glaring at the pa.s.sing servants, gave an awkward smile . Yurina kept doing this numerous times reminding him that he shouldn’t be too wary of the people in the mansion .

Not soon after, a maid bowed to greet them both and Raynard suddenly hid behind Yurina as he peeked at the maid .

“Do they have to come and greet me too?”

Benefactor of a gifted child, or caretaker of a frightened baby .

Somehow, she felt like she was more of the latter . She then swallowed a sigh .

“My father is officially sponsoring you . It’s only natural for the servants to treat you like a young master . Even if you are a commoner, they can no longer treat you as one since you are being supported by an aristocrat . Furthermore, you’ll be learning magic . ”

“What does magic have to do with it?”

“Once a mage graduates from the academy, they are immediately knighted regardless of their ability . Besides, Dave acknowledges you, so it’s only natural for them to treat you well . ”

“Oh . ”

Still, it didn’t change the fact that Raynard didn’t like it . So he walked in the hallways giving the people around him a scowl . Yurina patted his tightly gripped hand on her arm .

“You don’t have to glare at them like that . They’re the servants my mother hired . No one here would dare disregard you and treat you like the way you do . ”

“…… . ”

“So don’t scowl and give them a smile . At least, don’t look like that when you meet my mother . ”

After hearing her nag him about it so many times, Raynard pouted .

“Is she such a scary person? Why do you keep telling me to smile? You didn’t tell me we were meeting other people . ”

“She isn’t scary . She’s a sweet person . ”

“Then there’s no problem, right?”

Yurina answered with a light laugh .

In a way, she is scary .

After living here for 6 months, Yurina knows very well that Marchioness Carthia was a warm and gentle person .

She looked like an iris flower . That’s what Yurina always thought when she first saw her .

You’ll always find her smiling warmly . Not only towards her family, but she was kind and gentle too towards the mansion’s servants and even to outsiders .

Yurina could not find any high-handed manner that you usually see in high-ranking aristocrats .

However, in contrast to her usual personality, she had a strict character where Yurina and even her brothers who were in the academy were taught etiquette thoroughly .

If any of her children showed even a bit of discourtesy, she would scold them mercilessly .  Marchioness Carthia was different from Marquis Carthia who just goes with the flow .

This was exactly what worries Yurina .

Would she allow me to take in Ray?

Yurina told Marquis Carthia that she wanted to treat Raynard like a friend of her age rather than a patron . But unlike other patrons, Raynard was allowed to stay in the Carthia mansion .

Marquis Carthia wasn’t against Raynard being with Yurina, unlike his reluctance to sponsor him when they had no idea whether he had the talent or not .

However, from the point of view of her mother, Marchioness Carthia, she wouldn’t be pleased to know that her daughter was closely a.s.sociated with a boy her own age and a commoner at that .

If her mother decides to let him stay elsewhere, she will ruin Yurina’s plan to try to win Raynard’s favor .

Thanks to that dilemma, Yurina scratched her head and was racking her brains for words to persuade the Marchioness if she were to object .

Do I have to act like a child again?

She shook her head at imaging such a horrible sight . Soon, a maid came out of the Marchioness’ room and bowed .

“Young Lady, the mistress is waiting for you inside . ”

“Let’s go, Ray . ”

As Yurina groomed Raynard’s clothes before entering .

Raynard immediately saw the Marchioness sitting across the room and stopped for a moment . Then he went in with an awkward smile .

“Yurina”

As the two of them walked closer, the Marchioness beamed as she opened her arms to her .  She gently hugged Yurina who went stiff as a statue .

“Mother . ”

“Oh, how are you feeling? Are you in pain anywhere? You should’ve stayed in your room . After all, you must be tired from your journey home . Who knows you might just get a fever again . ”

“I wanted to see Mother . ”

At the embarra.s.sing yet affectionate scene before him, Raynard coughed .

“Mother always comes to visit me in my room . I wanted to come see you as soon as I got back but I couldn’t because it was a bit dusty . ”

The truth is, she wanted to say that she wasn’t that weak . Instead, she gave her a smile and laughed it off .

“Yurina” is a so weak .

Six months ago, “Yurina Carthia” suffered a severe fever .

After having several days of sleepless nights while nursing her daughter, the Marchioness was still uneasy even after Yurina got out of bed .

She didn’t even know that the daughter that she oh so loved with all her heart was already dead .

Yurina was getting a little uncomfortable so she tried to slip out of the Marchioness’ arms slowly .

Only then did the Marchioness notice the boy standing behind Yurina .

“Oh right, I heard the story from your father . You brought a child with you and wanted to sponsor him?”

“Yes . His name is Raynard . Ray, come here and greet Mother”

Yurina was worried that he might make another rude reaction, but fortunately, unlike the time he met Dave, he willingly bowed just as Yurina instructed .

“h.e.l.lo . ”

His words weren’t aristocratic at all .

Yurina rolled her eyes in frustration and sighed internally at the sight before her .

The Marchioness continued to smile while she scrutinized Raynard from head to toe .

Yurina saw that Raynard was about to pull up a face so she glared at him . Raynard pursed his lips then smiled softly again this time .

“So, do you like the mansion?”

The Marchioness asked softly after a brief silence . Raynard tried to maintain his composure . However, he was betrayed by his dazzling eyes that were full of glee .

“……Yeah?”

“Oh, so you like the mansion? It’s been a long time since I had such a young guest so I was bit concerned . ”

“Huh, What? ……”

Raynard was mumbling, trying to find the right words to say . He then straightened his back and held his head high as he answered,

“It’s great . It’s really great . ”

“Well, I’m really glad to hear that . I told them to prepare your room, however,  it was so sudden that it’s not ready yet . The room is still bare, you know . Soon there’ll be pieces of furniture and you can decorate it however you like, so I hope you can patiently wait . ”

“I’m still… . That’s fine . ”

“Alright . It used be a guest room so it might be a little inconvenient since it’s really basic . ”

She said with a soft “Oh“ . And let out a little exclamation .

“Oh, I’m planning on making a small lounge near your study room . I’m a bit worried that it might be a little too small but I think it would be better to make it cozy than have a big place to study and play . How about that? Is that alright?”

Raynard made a “Geh” sound as his eyes went rounder .

“You don’t really have to do that . ”

“You don’t have to worry about anything . I will do my best to provide you anything you need . Dave will be teaching you the most important thing which is magic, and I’ll going call over a tutor who’ll be teaching you the rest of the lessons . ”

“Thank…… . you . ”

Yurina was so bewildered that she couldn’t even sneak in a word or two in their conversation .

It was shocking how the Marquess didn’t send Raynard out of the mansion and instead offered these kinds of favors out of fondness . She wondered if he was still listening to any of her words .

Is she more lenient than I thought?

Perhaps the reason why Raynard was so guarded against people was because of the people he met who only held hostility towards him .

But it seemed they weren’t evil enough for him to build up a wall against this warm treatment .

He is only 12 years old .

It only occurred to her that he might have been starving for human affection .

“In any case, your clothes are too big . ”

Suddenly the Marchioness’ eyes turned towards Raynard’s sleeve . The clothes were so big that the sleeves constantly covered his fingers and rolling them up once didn’t seem it was enough .

Raynard’s ears flushed . He was fl.u.s.tered and hid his hands behind his back .

“Finding you suitable clothes should be done right away . I’ll call Mrs . Lauren to come tomorrow immediately . ”

“It’s fine . I like these clothes . ”

“Even if you like it, it’s more comfortable to wear clothes of the right size . ”

“That’s right, Ray . I was planning to buy you new outfits too . ”

Raynard gave in and reluctantly nodded to Yurina .

When the conversation ended, the Marchioness led the two children to the sofa . As soon as the three of them sat down, the maid-in-waiting brought such delicacies like snacks, milk, and tea that the children would love and set it down on the table .

Raynard was astonished as he looked at the table filled with sweet desserts and drooled at the sight . Then, he picked up the b.u.t.ter cookie and took a bite .

Later, Yurina noticed the Marchioness watching him then brushed off powder and crumbs from the side of his mouth .

“I’m sorry . ”

The Marquess shook her head and smiled warmly .

“You don’t have to apologize . You can learn the rules of etiquette gradually . For now, don’t be so reserved . Go ahead and help yourself . ”

She wasn’t expecting to hear those words directly from her . Yurina was so surprised once again but did not she didn’t show it on her face .

After filling himself up with such delicious desserts, Raynard was escorted back to his room by a maid . Yurina, who was left behind, asked the Marchioness,

“Mother, was it really okay?”

She got the results she wanted so she could just skip it without asking . However, there was something nagging in the corner of Yurina’s mind

The Marchioness tilted her head wondering what she meant .

“I think the desserts were okay . ”

“That’s not it… I meant Ray . Can he really stay here in the mansion?”

“It sounds like your so unsure . You’re the one who wanted him to stay in this mansion . ”

“Nevertheless…”

Yurina clutched on the hem of her skirt and couldn’t speak any longer .

She was able to confidently stand tall in front of Marquis Carthia without any hint of doubt .

She knew that the Marquis had no other choice but to sponsor for Raynard because he was in fact gifted that’s why she could stand toe-to-toe with him .

But she was not facing the Marquis . Strangely, in front of her mother, she became nervous and started to shrink up like a real 10-year-old child .

“Why are you so stiff like a child who has done something wrong? Did you think your mother would scold you?”

Marchioness leaned forward and looked straight into her eyes as she cupped her cheeks .

She smiled gently with affectionate look .

“You don’t have to worry . You can do whatever you want . Just don’t get sick like before and stay healthy . That’s all you have to do . ”

Marchioness kissed Yurina lightly on her forehead . Yurina clutched her dress a little more tightly .

Yes, this is guilt .

The warmer the Marchioness treats her, the more guilt that weighs down on her heart .

That was probably the reason why even if she could keep her composure in front of the Marquis, she couldn’t the same in front of the Marchioness .

The guilt that she is not her real daughter she loved so much .

At the same time, she could see her smiling back at her . She could see her real mother’s face overlapping—a face that she would never be able to see again .

“I understand, mother . ”

Yurina forced herself to smile .

Yurina might’ve flashed a smile to the Marchioness, but it seemed like she was about to cry instead .

Yurina told Raynard not to worry, but the truth is, there was another huge mountain to cross

She stared at the tightly closed door of the room of the Marchioness Carthia before glancing back at Raynard who was standing next to her

“Ray . ”.

Yurina poked his arms . Raynard, who was glaring at the pa.s.sing servants, gave an awkward smile . Yurina kept doing this numerous times reminding him that he shouldn’t be too wary of the people in the mansion

Not soon after, a maid bowed to greet them both and Raynard suddenly hid behind Yurina as he peeked at the maid

“Do they have to come and greet me too?”.

Benefactor of a gifted child, or caretaker of a frightened baby

Somehow, she felt like she was more of the latter . She then swallowed a sigh

“My father is officially sponsoring you . It’s only natural for the servants to treat you like a young master . Even if you are a commoner, they can no longer treat you as one since you are being supported by an aristocrat . Furthermore, you’ll be learning magic . ”.

“What does magic have to do with it?”.

“Once a mage graduates from the academy, they are immediately knighted regardless of their ability . Besides, Dave acknowledges you, so it’s only natural for them to treat you well . ”.

“Oh . ”.

Still, it didn’t change the fact that Raynard didn’t like it . So he walked in the hallways giving the people around him a scowl . Yurina patted his tightly gripped hand on her arm

“You don’t have to glare at them like that . They’re the servants my mother hired . No one here would dare disregard you and treat you like the way you do . ”.

“…… . ”.

“So don’t scowl and give them a smile . At least, don’t look like that when you meet my mother . ”.

After hearing her nag him about it so many times, Raynard pouted

“Is she such a scary person? Why do you keep telling me to smile? You didn’t tell me we were meeting other people . ”.

“She isn’t scary . She’s a sweet person . ”.

“Then there’s no problem, right?”.

Yurina answered with a light laugh

In a way, she is scary

After living here for 6 months, Yurina knows very well that Marchioness Carthia was a warm and gentle person

She looked like an iris flower . That’s what Yurina always thought when she first saw her

You’ll always find her smiling warmly . Not only towards her family, but she was kind and gentle too towards the mansion’s servants and even to outsiders

Yurina could not find any high-handed manner that you usually see in high-ranking aristocrats

However, in contrast to her usual personality, she had a strict character where Yurina and even her brothers who were in the academy were taught etiquette thoroughly

If any of her children showed even a bit of discourtesy, she would scold them mercilessly .  Marchioness Carthia was different from Marquis Carthia who just goes with the flow

This was exactly what worries Yurina

Would she allow me to take in Ray?.

Yurina told Marquis Carthia that she wanted to treat Raynard like a friend of her age rather than a patron . But unlike other patrons, Raynard was allowed to stay in the Carthia mansion

Marquis Carthia wasn’t against Raynard being with Yurina, unlike his reluctance to sponsor him when they had no idea whether he had the talent or not

However, from the point of view of her mother, Marchioness Carthia, she wouldn’t be pleased to know that her daughter was closely a.s.sociated with a boy her own age and a commoner at that

If her mother decides to let him stay elsewhere, she will ruin Yurina’s plan to try to win Raynard’s favor

Thanks to that dilemma, Yurina scratched her head and was racking her brains for words to persuade the Marchioness if she were to object

Do I have to act like a child again?.

She shook her head at imaging such a horrible sight . Soon, a maid came out of the Marchioness’ room and bowed

“Young Lady, the mistress is waiting for you inside . ”.

“Let’s go, Ray . ”.

As Yurina groomed Raynard’s clothes before entering

Raynard immediately saw the Marchioness sitting across the room and stopped for a moment . Then he went in with an awkward smile

“Yurina”.

As the two of them walked closer, the Marchioness beamed as she opened her arms to her .  She gently hugged Yurina who went stiff as a statue

“Mother . ”.

“Oh, how are you feeling? Are you in pain anywhere? You should’ve stayed in your room . After all, you must be tired from your journey home . Who knows you might just get a fever again . ”.

“I wanted to see Mother . ”.

At the embarra.s.sing yet affectionate scene before him, Raynard coughed

“Mother always comes to visit me in my room . I wanted to come see you as soon as I got back but I couldn’t because it was a bit dusty . ”.

The truth is, she wanted to say that she wasn’t that weak . Instead, she gave her a smile and laughed it off

“Yurina” is a so weak

Six months ago, “Yurina Carthia” suffered a severe fever

After having several days of sleepless nights while nursing her daughter, the Marchioness was still uneasy even after Yurina got out of bed

She didn’t even know that the daughter that she oh so loved with all her heart was already dead

Yurina was getting a little uncomfortable so she tried to slip out of the Marchioness’ arms slowly

Only then did the Marchioness notice the boy standing behind Yurina

“Oh right, I heard the story from your father . You brought a child with you and wanted to sponsor him?”.

“Yes . His name is Raynard . Ray, come here and greet Mother”.

Yurina was worried that he might make another rude reaction, but fortunately, unlike the time he met Dave, he willingly bowed just as Yurina instructed

“h.e.l.lo . ”.

His words weren’t aristocratic at all

Yurina rolled her eyes in frustration and sighed internally at the sight before her

The Marchioness continued to smile while she scrutinized Raynard from head to toe

Yurina saw that Raynard was about to pull up a face so she glared at him . Raynard pursed his lips then smiled softly again this time

“So, do you like the mansion?”.

The Marchioness asked softly after a brief silence . Raynard tried to maintain his composure . However, he was betrayed by his dazzling eyes that were full of glee

“……Yeah?”.

“Oh, so you like the mansion? It’s been a long time since I had such a young guest so I was bit concerned . ”.

“Huh, What? ……”.

Raynard was mumbling, trying to find the right words to say . He then straightened his back and held his head high as he answered,.

“It’s great . It’s really great . ”.

“Well, I’m really glad to hear that . I told them to prepare your room, however,  it was so sudden that it’s not ready yet . The room is still bare, you know . Soon there’ll be pieces of furniture and you can decorate it however you like, so I hope you can patiently wait . ”.

“I’m still… . That’s fine . ”.

“Alright . It used be a guest room so it might be a little inconvenient since it’s really basic . ”.

She said with a soft “Oh“ . And let out a little exclamation

“Oh, I’m planning on making a small lounge near your study room . I’m a bit worried that it might be a little too small but I think it would be better to make it cozy than have a big place to study and play . How about that? Is that alright?”.

Raynard made a “Geh” sound as his eyes went rounder

“You don’t really have to do that . ”.

“You don’t have to worry about anything . I will do my best to provide you anything you need . Dave will be teaching you the most important thing which is magic, and I’ll going call over a tutor who’ll be teaching you the rest of the lessons . ”.

“Thank…… . you . ”.

Yurina was so bewildered that she couldn’t even sneak in a word or two in their conversation

It was shocking how the Marquess didn’t send Raynard out of the mansion and instead offered these kinds of favors out of fondness . She wondered if he was still listening to any of her words

Is she more lenient than I thought?.

Perhaps the reason why Raynard was so guarded against people was because of the people he met who only held hostility towards him

But it seemed they weren’t evil enough for him to build up a wall against this warm treatment

He is only 12 years old

It only occurred to her that he might have been starving for human affection

“In any case, your clothes are too big . ”.

Suddenly the Marchioness’ eyes turned towards Raynard’s sleeve . The clothes were so big that the sleeves constantly covered his fingers and rolling them up once didn’t seem it was enough

Raynard’s ears flushed . He was fl.u.s.tered and hid his hands behind his back

“Finding you suitable clothes should be done right away . I’ll call Mrs . Lauren to come tomorrow immediately . ”.

“It’s fine . I like these clothes . ”.

“Even if you like it, it’s more comfortable to wear clothes of the right size . ”.

“That’s right, Ray . I was planning to buy you new outfits too . ”.

Raynard gave in and reluctantly nodded to Yurina

When the conversation ended, the Marchioness led the two children to the sofa . As soon as the three of them sat down, the maid-in-waiting brought such delicacies like snacks, milk, and tea that the children would love and set it down on the table

Raynard was astonished as he looked at the table filled with sweet desserts and drooled at the sight . Then, he picked up the b.u.t.ter cookie and took a bite

Later, Yurina noticed the Marchioness watching him then brushed off powder and crumbs from the side of his mouth

“I’m sorry . ”.

The Marquess shook her head and smiled warmly

“You don’t have to apologize . You can learn the rules of etiquette gradually . For now, don’t be so reserved . Go ahead and help yourself . ”.

She wasn’t expecting to hear those words directly from her . Yurina was so surprised once again but did not she didn’t show it on her face

After filling himself up with such delicious desserts, Raynard was escorted back to his room by a maid . Yurina, who was left behind, asked the Marchioness,.

“Mother, was it really okay?”.

She got the results she wanted so she could just skip it without asking . However, there was something nagging in the corner of Yurina’s mind.

The Marchioness tilted her head wondering what she meant

“I think the desserts were okay . ”.

“That’s not it… I meant Ray . Can he really stay here in the mansion?”.

“It sounds like your so unsure . You’re the one who wanted him to stay in this mansion . ”.

“Nevertheless…”.

Yurina clutched on the hem of her skirt and couldn’t speak any longer

She was able to confidently stand tall in front of Marquis Carthia without any hint of doubt

She knew that the Marquis had no other choice but to sponsor for Raynard because he was in fact gifted that’s why she could stand toe-to-toe with him

But she was not facing the Marquis . Strangely, in front of her mother, she became nervous and started to shrink up like a real 10-year-old child

“Why are you so stiff like a child who has done something wrong? Did you think your mother would scold you?”.

Marchioness leaned forward and looked straight into her eyes as she cupped her cheeks

She smiled gently with affectionate look

“You don’t have to worry . You can do whatever you want . Just don’t get sick like before and stay healthy . That’s all you have to do . ”.

Marchioness kissed Yurina lightly on her forehead . Yurina clutched her dress a little more tightly

Yes, this is guilt

The warmer the Marchioness treats her, the more guilt that weighs down on her heart

That was probably the reason why even if she could keep her composure in front of the Marquis, she couldn’t the same in front of the Marchioness

The guilt that she is not her real daughter she loved so much

At the same time, she could see her smiling back at her . She could see her real mother’s face overlapping—a face that she would never be able to see again

“I understand, mother . ”.

Yurina forced herself to smile

Yurina might’ve flashed a smile to the Marchioness, but it seemed like she was about to cry instead