TDVIATD 3

“I’m home!”

After parting with the boys, Leah returned to her house and opened the front door.

Her mother was in the hallway, kneeling as she wiped the floor.

“Welcome back, Leah.”

“Mother!”

Leah gasped in shock.

“You mustn’t do that!”

She snatched the rag from her mother’s hands and helped her to her feet.

Her mother let out a small sigh.

“When your father isn’t here, you’re always the one taking care of the house, aren’t you? I thought I should do something as well.”

“If you slipped and hurt yourself while cleaning, it would be terrible. You mustn’t.”

“I wouldn’t fall, Leah.”

“You’d be straining yourself.”

She didn’t want her frail mother kneeling on the floor like that.

“Then I’ll at least wash the dishes—”

“Mother, you’re clumsy. You always end up breaking plates.”

The moment she said it so plainly, her mother’s brows drooped.

“It’s true that I do break them…”

“In any case, let’s go back to your room.”

Leah guided her mother there.

She was always worried—worried that her mother might suddenly collapse at any moment.

On top of that, a plague was spreading across the continent.

Every day, Leah feared what would happen if her mother were to catch it.

Her mother pouted slightly.

“You worry too much, Leah. That part of you is just like your father, isn’t it? You’re a ‘Wind’ caster, just like him.”

It was true that her father was prone to worry, and Leah knew her temperament resembled his.

Everyone in her family possessed magic, and both she and her father were wielders of Wind.

There were people in this world who could use magic.

Most were royalty or nobility, it seemed—but there were exceptions.

Her mother, with her platinum-blonde hair and violet eyes, was beautiful. Leah was said to resemble her in appearance, though she did not think herself nearly so lovely.

“I lean toward ‘Dark,’ like you, Mother.”

“Yes, the same as I. I’m grateful your body isn’t frail.”

Magic users were either aligned toward Dark or toward Light.

But exceptionally, there were those inclined toward Shadow.

Those aligned with Dark or Shadow sometimes had weak constitutions.

Her mother was exactly such a case.

Apparently, bearing magic placed a heavy burden on the body.

Fortunately, Leah herself was not physically weak.

“Forget the cleaning. Please just rest, Mother.”

Once she had settled her in her room, her mother let out a soft breath and took a book from the shelf.

“Then, though it’s a little early, shall we go to the sitting room? I’ll teach you your lessons.”

“I’ll go get Izaac!”

“Yes.”

Leah went next door to invite Izaac.

They studied together like this every day.

Both her father and mother were knowledgeable and taught them many things.

Today, they studied the history of the Empire.

“You two are such good students.”

Her mother’s lips curved gently.

“When I was your age, I used to run away from my tutor and cause him trouble. I was often scolded.”

Her mother smiled serenely, as though she would forever remain a young girl—adorable and soft.

And yet, apparently, she had once been quite mischievous.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

“Today, all my relatives are out. It’s rare.”

When they arrived at their usual meeting place, Paul told them so.

“If that’s the case…” Izaac leaned forward eagerly. “I’ve always wanted to go inside the tower. May we?”

Paul nodded.

“Sure.”

So Leah and Izaac followed Paul to the tower where he lived.

They climbed the inner staircase and entered Paul’s room at the very top.

Like the exterior, the interior was simple and unadorned.

A desk and table stood within, and the shelves were lined with books.

“There are so many books.”

There were all kinds—some even from foreign lands.

“There are more downstairs. The lower floors are a library. Since my movements are restricted, I suppose they expect me to pass the time reading. New books keep arriving.”

“I see…”

Izaac scanned the shelves.

“If you find any you like, take them with you.”

“Thank you!”

“Thanks.”

The three of them spent a while reading there.

Leah and Izaac borrowed several books, then descended from the tower with Paul.

“Paul, what’s that building?”

Izaac pointed toward a structure deeper within the grounds.

“Oh, that…”

Paul furrowed his brow.

“It’s a prohibited area. There’s a hidden passage nearby that I use when I go out. Even my relatives don’t approach that place, so I can slip away unnoticed. There’s something about it… an indescribable atmosphere. I don’t go near it either, except when I use the passage.”

“Hm…”

Izaac rested a hand against his chin.

“That makes me curious.”

He muttered it under his breath.

Leah felt the same.

When someone says a place is forbidden… it only makes you more curious…