CHAPTER 006
Shortly after, my mother visited my room.
If my father had been home, wouldn’t Levi have brought him along as well?
"Oh my, what is all this?"
Mother was genuinely shocked to see my golden magic wand.
Considering we didn't have such a treasure in our mansion, it was understandable.
With eyes wide open, she kept touching the wand.
"Why didn't you tell us you received something so wonderful?"
"Well..."
"Were you worried we'd be interested in it?"
That's pretty close...
But I couldn't answer that way. I had to think of an excuse that wouldn't upset her.
What should I say?
While I kept silent, my mother squinted at me.
"How could you be so unfair? Did you hide it because you thought we'd want it?"
"That's not it. I just wanted to keep one thing a secret-"
"Secrets among family?"
Oh no. My mother was getting more agitated.
"If it weren’t for Levi, I wouldn't have known anything!"
At this point, whatever I said wouldn’t make a difference.
I knew what to do in this situation.
"And you still haven't brought the young lady from the Croft family, as I asked. If I were you, I’d have introduced my family long ago."
"I'm sorry, Mother."
Even if it’s just lip service, apologize first.
Don’t say anything that might sound like an excuse!
'If you've done something wrong, just say sorry!'
I’ve prolonged conversations by explaining my reasons only to get scolded even more.
Reflecting on my past life, my mindset was the same back then.
'It's not like that, senior-'
'Why add excuses when you could just say sorry?'
I repeatedly experienced more scolding when trying to explain myself, forming this mindset.
Oh, it's still frustrating to think about!
But matching the mood of an angry person definitely shortened the lecture.
So I just pretended to be sorry. Even if I wasn’t really that sorry!
I didn’t know how I ended up in the same situation in both my past and current life.
"Bella is too busy, so it's hard to find a time. But I’ll ask again!"
A vague, indefinite response.
My parents mentioning Bella wasn’t new, but it was a bit weird, right?
Still, since I reacted this way, my mother’s lecture didn’t last too long.
"Right, we shouldn't upset family. We’ll be waiting."
"Ah, is it over already?"
With those words and Levi's punch-provoking remark, they left my room.
"Finally over..."
I staggered to the table and sat on the chair.
"But this time, it was bearable!"
It was a relief.
Although I felt wronged by having to suppress my feelings, it was better than suffering through endless repetitive conversations.
And now, my parents were pleasant enough!
Maybe because of my past life, but they seemed much better now.
In my past life, I had a family, but... No, I shouldn’t think about it.
Recalling my past life’s family wasn’t a pleasant thing.
I decided not to think about it and shook my head.
No more thinking about that old life!
At that moment, the communication orb on the table began to glow.
"Oh!"
It was the one Lewis had given me.
He found it inconvenient not to reach me on days when I wasn’t meeting Bella.
'You keep it. I'll contact you directly.'
It was my first time receiving a call on it.
"Marquis?"
I activated it and heard Lewis' voice on the other end.
- Where are you? Are you with Bella?
"Ah, I'm at home today."
His voice didn’t sound good, indicating he was in very poor condition.
I didn’t want to meet Lewis in such a state.
There’s nothing scarier than meeting the Master of the Magic Tower in a bad mood!
But after my mother’s outburst, staying at home wasn’t pleasant either.
- Can you come to the Duke's mansion now?
"Yes, I can."
Sure, let’s go out. I'd rather face the inferno!
And so, I found myself at the terrifying Croft mansion again today.
"Sorry, Bella. The Marquis contacted me unexpectedly."
"It's alright. Lewis must have been in a hurry."
As Bella suspected, Lewis immediately reached out to me as soon as he saw me.
"Hand."
Anyone would think he left it with me.
Still, I obediently extended my hand.
The frown on Lewis' face relaxed as he held my hand.
"It’s been a mess since dawn."
Poor guy! His smile was still chilling, indicating he wasn’t fully calmed.
Sealing his magical power would stop the noise.
Only Charlotte could seal Lewis' power.
Which means he’ll suffer this stress until she appears...
How nerve-wracking it must be.
I checked the time and asked Lewis.
"It’s lunchtime, right?"
"Yes."
"Then take a rest before you go. You mentioned a duration, right?"
If the duration starts the moment we separate, it’s better to stay together as long as possible.
Thus, a new scene unfolded in the drawing room.
Lewis lay on the long sofa with his eyes closed, while Bella and I each did our own things on the opposite side.
"You're not making voodoo dolls again, are you?"
"I'm bored of that now."
"Meaning you’ve made enough to be bored of it?"
Who did you curse so much?
"Bella, I'm your lifelong friend."
"Of course."
Reassuring Bella, I returned to my tasks.
While Lewis rested, I read a book from the library.
'We should hold hands just before parting.'
Holding hands for an hour straight isn’t feasible. Especially with Bella watching.
Bella always looked uncomfortable seeing us hold hands.
She intellectually understood Lewis' situation, but her instincts didn’t.
'How long have they known each other, holding hands every time?'
That was roughly her feeling.
She disliked just watching it!
I felt incredibly embarrassed too...
I picked up a financier from the table.
Reading a book while eating a sweet treat felt so peaceful.
And there’s a handsome supporting character sleeping across from me!
When he wakes, it’s a disaster, but right now, he’s asleep, so...
This is peace.
Today, the Duke's mansion felt more comfortable than my home.
Coming out was a good idea. I’m also resting here.
If only things could always be like this.
* * *
Despite the breeze at the Duke’s mansion, my mother visited my room again in the evening.
"..."
Didn't she say she wouldn’t ask for it? Why did she bring my father too...?
"I heard from your mother. You received a gift from the Master of the Magic Tower?"
Father got straight to the point.
He wanted to see it, and his interest was evident once he did.
"You helped him and received this?"
Is this déjà vu? Father’s eyes mirrored those of Levi and Mother.
I had a bad feeling about this.
Unfortunately, my bad feeling was right.
"This is perfect timing. No need to borrow awkwardly; we can use this."
"Pardon?"
Father uttered astonishing words while admiring the wand.
"Give it to me. I’ll use it where it’s needed."
I imagined Father waving the beautifully diamond-encrusted golden wand.
Um... that doesn’t seem right?
Besides, you can't even use magic with it!
"This would fetch a good price if sold!"
"Right, Selina. Help your father out."
So they wanted to sell it for money.
But we’re not in such dire straits, are we?
"I made a small investment recently, but it didn’t go well. So we urgently need some money."
"Just like your father said. You understand, right?"
Their voices weren’t as sad as their story.
Especially Mother, who had scolded Father vehemently when he lost a fortune at the casino.
This feels like...
"We'll use it wisely for the family, so please speak to the Marquis."
"I'm sorry, but that’s difficult."
It's my only golden treasure.
I cautiously blocked Mother's hand, and both of them looked at me, puzzled.
I smiled awkwardly.
"No matter what, selling something I received as a gift is a bit... I'll give you some money I saved instead."
It's a small amount of pocket money, but I’ll give it to you!
But they weren’t pleased.
"Your father is in a tough spot? You gave us other things before."
"But this is different."
It’s of different value.
"Then can I borrow it? I’ll compensate you later."
"I'm really sorry, but no!"
I firmly declined, and they looked at each other in confusion.
At least I managed to protect the magic wand.
* * *
I didn’t feel entirely good. It was almost my first time refusing my parents' request like this.
"Are they angry?"
I asked the maid, and she suggested an idea.
"Why don’t you express your feelings to them with a small gift?"
"Should I?"
Feeling sorry for refusing, might be a good idea.
The next day, I prepared a separate gift for my parents.
"How about this? Will they like it?"
"Oh my..."
The maid was speechless, indicating how impressive it was.
My gift was a bouquet made of banknotes.
It even smelled nice!
Amidst the roses, I tucked in rolled-up banknotes, emitting a faint money scent...
Having lived with my family, I knew they’d love such a capitalist gift!
It’s better to give it during mealtime, right?
Thinking so, I waited until dinner when Father returned home and then headed to the dining room.
Though not gold, I hoped this gift would...
As I entered the dining room holding the bouquet, hoping they’d like it.
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