CHAPTER 128
It looks edible.
I untied the ribbon and sniffed it, but there was no smell.
Since Bella said he wouldn't eat it if she gave it to him... should I just say I picked it up on the way and handed it over?
I went downstairs to the parlor holding two potion bottles.
Lewis was waiting for me in the parlor.
"Happy Magicians' Day! I picked this up on the way. Haha..."
"Picked it up on the way?"
Lewis looked at me as if he found it strange but took it anyway.
"Did you buy it?"
No, I told you I picked it up on the way! He clearly didn't believe me.
But before I could respond, I heard a maid's voice outside.
"Miss, the Duke is looking for you."
"The Duke?"
When I went to the Duke, she presented me with round jelly in the shape of eyeballs.
"It's a gift for Magicians' Day!"
The Duke handed me the strange-looking snack and asked,
"Is Lewis here too?"
"Yes, he's in the parlor."
"Then I'll give him one as well."
"I'll deliver it to him."
Though I'm not sure he'll like it... I swallowed my words and smiled.
And when I returned to the parlor with the Duke's gift—
"Huh?"
I was met with a child.
Just moments ago, Lewis was sitting there, but now he was gone, and there was a child in his place.
"What the..."
The child was leaning against the back of the chair, asleep.
With his head drooped, I couldn't see his face, but he was clearly a young boy.
Where did Lewis go?
While I was in shock, the door suddenly burst open, and Bella's urgent voice called out.
"Selina? Did you drink the potion?"
"The one in the bottle from earlier?"
"Yes. A potion got mixed in! It must have been during packaging. One of the rejuvenation potions is missing."
"The rejuvenation potion is missing...?"
Naturally, my gaze turned to where Lewis had been sitting.
Oh... Could it be this child?
"Oh, damn."
Bella's voice was filled with a tone of dismay.
* * *
Lewis had accidentally drunk the rejuvenation potion.
Everyone in the Croft family gathered in the parlor upon hearing this, including Michael, who was preparing to go out, and the Duke, who was contemplating who to give the eyeball jelly to.
"It's definitely Lewis."
The Duke looked at the child's face in amazement.
"I didn't recognize him because he wasn't wearing Lewis's clothes."
If he had been in his now-loose clothes, I would have recognized him right away.
Seeing his face, it was undoubtedly Lewis.
He looked about ten years old?
He really grew just like that. It was as if someone had shrunk the Lewis I knew.
I had been curious about Lewis's childhood, but I never expected to see it like this...
I couldn't just laugh it off; I was starting to worry. Especially because of what Bella had told me.
"Bella, you said you haven't developed a cure for this potion yet, right?"
"Yes, I haven't made it yet. What should we do?"
The person who made the potion was anxious! How could I not worry?
"I'll give it a try."
The Duke finally stepped in.
But it seemed more difficult than expected.
"Looks like Bella devised a unique formula. It's quite tricky. I can't undo it."
"So what do we do?"
Michael, who was just as surprised as I was, spoke up.
"Bella said the potion should wear off after an hour. Let's wait a bit longer."
We moved Lewis to his room and waited for an hour.
"It hasn't worn off."
Michael said exactly an hour later.
Lewis was still a child. His peacefully sleeping figure was cute, but...
"With the wedding so close, this is a problem."
It really was a problem. The wedding was just three days away!
I asked the Duke with a worried expression,
"He won't still be like this for the wedding, right?"
"If Bella doesn't develop the cure, that could happen."
"This can't be happening..."
What about the wedding?
"But Lewis is the Marquis. Even if he's physically a child, he has had exceptional magical abilities since he was young. He might be able to undo the magic himself."
That was a bit of relief.
At that moment, Lewis, who had been lying still, twitched.
"Oh, it looks like Lewis is waking up!"
I shouted.
Everyone's attention focused as Lewis groggily opened his eyes and looked at us.
"...Wha."
He said something, but it was too soft to hear clearly.
"What did you say?"
When I moved closer to ask, he spoke again.
"I said it's noisy..."
Oh... noisy?
A moment later, I realized just how dangerous Bella's potion could be.
"Where's my mother? Who are you people?"
Lewis looked at us with wary eyes.
"Lewis doesn't recognize us."
Right. Not only had his body regressed, but his mental age had also reverted!
"Lewis..."
"Do I know you?"
Lewis gave me a suspicious look as well.
"Lewis, how old are you now?"
"I'm eleven. Who are you people?"
Even Michael, who was speaking kindly, wasn't exempt from suspicion.
'He's completely wary of us!'
Lewis had come to the Croft estate when he was twelve. It seemed he didn't recognize any of the Croft family members.
"We are your family."
The Duke calmly explained.
"This is the Burkel estate, and I am the Duke of Burkel, your aunt."
But Lewis did not drop his guard.
"I never heard I had relatives in the Duke's family."
"Your aunt probably didn't mention it. We're your cousins."
Michael pointed to Bella and himself, but this only made Lewis more skeptical.
"You both look way older than me. How could you be younger than me?"
Even while being wary, Lewis was incredibly honest.
'He's still my guy.'
The attitude of not caring about etiquette was very much like the Lewis I knew, so it didn't feel entirely unfamiliar.
"Lewis, do you remember how to use magic?"
"I don't know. How could I use magic?"
At this age, Lewis didn't seem to think he could use magic at all.
This means undoing the magic himself might be difficult...
The Duke, who had been watching Michael's conversation, spoke up.
"If he doesn't revert by tomorrow, we'll contact the Magic Tower."
"Should we say the Marquis has reverted to childhood?"
"No. We need to protect his dignity as the Marquis."
The Duke and Michael exchanged words.
"Should we say he's sick then?"
"Just say he won't be coming to work until the wedding. They'll understand."
"Yes, Mother."
Will they really understand...?
Unlike me, who found it dubious, Michael accepted it without question. Bella's expression was equally serious.
I seemed to be the only one concerned about the validity of the excuse.
Is this really okay...?
* * *
"Lewis, do you really not remember anything?"
Bella asked Lewis.
From her expression, she seemed to feel guilty about the situation. It was rare to hear her speak so apologetically to Lewis.
"I don't remember."
Lewis answered flatly.
"You drank a potion by mistake and turned younger. It would have been better if you at least remembered."
Bella's frustrated tone made Michael shake his head.
"No, it's better that he doesn't remember. Lewis would throw a fit."
"You keep talking nonsense. Can grown-ups really tease a kid like this?"
Lewis said, feeling uneasy.
It meant he didn't believe a word we said.
Well, I suppose I wouldn't believe it either if strangers suddenly claimed to be future friends and relatives...
"You didn't believe us? Then why did you speak informally?"
"Because I felt like it."
Lewis answered Bella's question succinctly.
He managed to provoke Bella so easily!
"I feel like I've traveled back in time."
Bella clenched her fist but didn't hit him. Probably because she felt guilty.
Lewis looked around and asked,
"Where's my mother? I need to go to her."
As Lewis glanced out the window, we exchanged troubled looks.
'He wants to go home?'
'Where's his mother...'
In the end, I spoke to him on behalf of everyone.
"Lewis, you're visiting your mother's relatives right now."
"I don't remember visiting."
"You came while you were asleep. Your mother said she'd come later. These people really are your relatives."
I mixed truth with a little lie, speaking kindly.
"Oh, and the twins being younger than you is a lie. Everything else is true."
Seeing that Lewis had no intention of trusting us, I decided to say this. It seemed necessary to break his guard a bit.
"So, are you my relative too?"
"Relative?"
Wow, hearing him call me 'noona' (older sister) from Lewis was a first.
Even in this serious situation, I couldn't help but smile.
Little Lewis, this handsome boy, called me 'noona'!
'I am your fiancée, actually.' I couldn't say that, as it would make him even more wary.
So I pointed at Bella and answered.
"I'm not a relative, just a friend of this noona."
* * *
We needed to discuss the current situation, but we couldn't do it in front of Lewis.
The Duke turned to Michael and asked,
"Michael, Lewis will have to stay here tonight. Do we have clothes that might fit him?"
"Well... This used to be Lewis's room, so let's take a look."
I, the Duke, and the twins started searching the room.
Michael was the first to find something Lewis could wear. It was a small blue pajama set that looked like it would fit a child.
"Luckily, there are some clothes left!"
"It seems we didn't throw everything out."
The Duke took the clothes from Michael and asked Lewis,
"Lewis, can you bathe yourself?"
"Of course. Who can't bathe themselves at my age?"
"Then why don't you take a bath? It's almost bedtime. The bathroom is over there."
Lewis hesitated a bit but then went to the bathroom alone.
We could have had a servant help, but they would have been shocked...
While Lewis was bathing, I, the Duke, and the twins huddled together and whispered.
"Lewis will have to stay in this room. It doesn't look like he'll revert tonight."
The Duke was the first to speak.
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