#jeffrey stuart

Chapter 4: A Story From Long, Long Ago (Part 2)

Susanna and Jeffrey Arrive

Susanna calls out to Katarina. She and Jeffrey walk to her. Katarina hasn't seen them together since the Foundation party, but based on what Susanna told her the other day, they are working together.

Katarina asks Susanna and Jeffrey if something is wrong. Susanna tells her that's her line. She asked Raphael to ask her to go see her first thing in the morning, but she didn't show up at all. She was worried, so she and Jeffrey have been searching for her.

Katarina checks the time and realizes it is way past the meeting time. She apologizes and tells her a lot happened, while looking at Geordo, then Lucy.

Jeffrey and Susanna Learn About Lucy

Jeffrey asks her if there is something there. He has immediately followed her gaze, just like Geordo did.

Geordo tells him there is a familiar that can enter and manipulate people's bodies. Katarina is amazed at how he can say something so terrible so smoothly. 

Jeffrey and Susanna are both shocked.

Lucy looks worried, so Katarina tries to correct Geordo by saying it isn't something as dangerous as "manipulation". Geordo tells her the familiar did take over her body of its own accord at the beginning. Katarina sadly can't say anything back to that.

Jeffrey focuses his eyes in direction of Lucy. He confirms he can vaguely see some dark mist. But Susanna can't see anything at all. She is so disappointed that she can't see the familiar. Katarina guesses that focusing one's eyes won't be enough to see Lucy. Lucy looks uncomfortable with everyone staring at her.

Susanna says she didn't receive any report about a familiar. Katarina startles. Geordo notices Katarina's reaction and explains that Katarina just forgot to report it because she was enjoying herself with the familiar. He asks Susanna to take this opportunity to receive Katarina's report.

Katarina is surprised that Geordo smoothly explained things for her. The reason he provided is a bit off, but she decides to ride on his wave. Still, she doesn't expect Susanna and Jeffrey to accept that excuse so easily. 

Jeffrey tells Katarina he understands. He will listen to her report in his workroom. He allows Geordo to leave since the latter has official business to take care of outside. He will properly spread Katarina's report later. 

Geordo glances at Katarina. He turns to Jeffrey and Susanna and tells them he will leave Katarina to them. Then, he turns to Katarina and asks her to properly report everything and consult him if there is any problem. He strokes Katarina's head and leaves.

In the Workroom

Jeffrey, Susanna, Katarina, and Lucy go to the workroom. Once they arrive, Katarina recognizes Susanna's workroom. She is surprised since she thought they were heading to Jeffrey's workroom.

Jeffrey tells Katarina it is also his workroom in a way, then laughs. Susanna makes an awkward smile and explains that Jeffrey spends a lot of time in her workroom. Katarina can tell that Jeffrey and Susanna are getting along well.

Jeffrey and Susanna make preparations for tea with good coordination. Looking at them, Katarina thinks they are really getting along well, even though they usually don't look that way.

Lucy has been clinging to Katarina's back ever since Geordo told her she would be "put down". She has a stiff expression on her face and looks terrified.

Katarina regrets not properly telling everyone about Lucy. In the end, her decision didn't spare Lucy from painful feelings, and on top of this, they are in trouble.

Katarina sits on the sofa, then beckons Lucy. Lucy understands her gesture and quietly sits next to her. She really has a stiff expression.

Susanna and Jeffrey are sitting on the opposite sofa before she knew it. Jeffrey pleasantly invites Katarina to start her report.

Katarina Starts Her Report

Katarina is not sure what to report. After all, Geordo has already told them that Lucy is a familiar that can enter and manipulate bodies. She guesses she only needs to report how she met Lucy.

Katarina starts her report. She explains in simple words that:

She met Lucy at the castle several weeks ago

Lucy entered her body

Lucy gave her body back after she talked to her

She took Lucy home because she was hungry

Jeffrey looks troubled. He realizes Katarina has been with the familiar longer than he expected. Katarina guesses it must be because the report comes so late.

Katarina apologizes. Susanna guesses it is fine as long as she recognizes it was wrong of her not to report the familiar until now. Katarina confirms that she is recognizing her fault.

Susanna asks her why she didn't report the familiar immediately. Katarina replies that it was because Lucy still wasn't used to humans and didn't want to talk to anyone but her. She waited for her to be ready, and before she knew it, a lot of time had passed.

Jeffrey is puzzled about a familiar not used to humans. After all, they are created by people and live together with them. Katarina notes that Jeffrey seems to have studied familiars.

Katarina explains that Lucy has been asleep for a long time, so she has become shy of strangers. Jeffrey curiously asks her how much time she has slept. Katarina replies that she has slept for 500 years. Jeffrey and Susanna are shocked. Katarina can understand their shock since she felt the same way when she learned about it.

Jeffrey is amazed that familiars can sleep for 500 years. They are supposed to disappear after their masters die. He wonders if Lucy's master is still alive. Katarina notes that Jeffrey even knows that familiars are not supposed to survive after their masters' deaths.

Katarina replies that Lucy's master has already passed away. But Lucy is a special familiar, so she can live by taking a little bit of energy from the earth.

Susanna's eyes sparkle. She is completely excited by this new piece of information and wants to hear more. Katarina can tell she has inadvertently pushed her magic otaku switch. Susanna is about to fire questions, but Jeffrey stops her by covering her mouth with a hand.

With the same black smile as Geordo, Jeffrey tells Susanna she must stop because they still haven't asked an important question. Then, he turns to Katarina, his hand still on Susanna's mouth.

Jeffrey's Dreadful Question

Jeffrey tells Katarina that, based on what she said:

Lucy can enter and manipulate bodies

Lucy has been sleeping for 500 years

Lucy has woken up recently

Lucy is a special familiar that doesn't live by feeding on her master's magic power but on the earth's energy. 

Jeffrey asks Katarina to confirm these points. Katarina confirms.

Considering these, Jeffrey asks Katarina if Lucy is a dark familiar.

Katarina freezes up with a snap. She can't believe Jeffrey has realized Lucy's true nature. But at the same time, the smart Jeffrey couldn't possibly miss it since even Katarina suspected Lucy to be a dark familiar based on this information.

Katarina looks at Lucy sitting quietly next to her. She is trembling now that Jeffrey has asked if she is a dark familiar. Lucy was cursed as a dark familiar and subjected to experiments because of it. Katarina doesn't want her to suffer any longer.

Katarina tries to evade the question. She wants to deceive Jeffrey one way or another. 

Jeffrey gives Katarina a sharp stare. A dark familiar is a major national issue, and deception won't be tolerated. If she purposely conceals it, then she will be charged with this crime.  

Katarina gulps. Not only his stare, but Jeffrey's words are also sharp. Katarina realizes the situation is very bad and turns pale. She might get doomed even before meeting the game's doom. But she doesn't want Lucy to feel painful feelings. Her mind is going in circles, not knowing what to do.

Lucy stares into Katarina's eyes and firmly tells her she can tell them everything about her. She doesn't want to see Katarina charged with a crime after she treated her so well. Katarina tries to object, but Lucy tells her she isn't so scared anymore after Katarina told her she believed in her and her master. She prefers Katarina to tell them the truth rather than be investigated by other people.

Lucy makes an awkward smile. Her hands are slightly trembling. Katarina can tell she isn't okay at all and is just trying to protect her.

Katarina thanks Lucy.

Katarina bows her head to Jeffrey. Lucy has given her permission, so she will tell them everything. But she wants him to promise they won't do horrible things to Lucy. She won't tell them anything if he can't promise that. Lucy is moved.

Katarina wants to protect Lucy, her precious friend. She looks straight into Jeffrey's eyes, putting a lot of determination into her gaze, like declaring she will never back down.

Jeffrey softly opens his eyes and goes back to his usual expression. He formally swears to Katarina that he, the first prince of Sorcier, won't do horrible things to the familiar called Lucy.

Katarina breathes a sigh of relief. Lucy feels relieved and awkwardly calls Katarina a soft-hearted idiot.

Katarina Tells Everything About Lucy

Katarina tells Jeffrey and Susanna everything that happened since Lucy woke up. She also tells them about the story from long, long ago that Lucy told her. During it, Jeffrey and Susanna stay silent and have dumbfounded expressions as if they are at a loss for words. Katarina guesses she must have looked the same way when Lucy told her that story.

After a long silence, Jeffrey tells Katarina that he still can't sort his head out after such an incredible story, but the literature Raphael investigated seems to point to it. Katarina notes that Jeffrey also knows about the literature that Raphael investigated. She tells him she had the same impression after she heard Lucy's story.

Lucy Learns About the Literature

Lucy asks Katarina what literature they are talking about. Katarina replies that her senpai investigated a literature that contained a story identical to hers.

Lucy can't believe the incident was documented in a literature. She asks her what was written in it. Katarina is bewildered by Lucy's frantic question. She tells her it was the same story Lucy told her, written in a simple way.

Lucy asks her if there was anything written about a black darkness, like what happened after the black darkness covered the sky. Katarina tells her there wasn't anything written about it. Lucy is dejected.

Jeffrey asks Katarina what Lucy told her. Katarina remembers that Jeffrey can't hear Lucy.

Katarina tells him that Lucy was curious about the literature. Jeffrey is surprised that Katarina didn't tell her about it. Katarina awkwardly replies that she didn't because of the last part of the second text. She glances at Lucy. Jeffrey seems to take the cue. He asks her if Lucy doesn't know about the last part. Katarina confirms. Lucy looks at them curiously. 

Katarina thinks about the literature. The first text said an honored magician created a magic they should have never created, which caused many lives to be lost, and the land to wither. After that, the magician was confined until they died.

The second text said a magician healed the hearts of everyone with a new magic they created for those with emotional scars. But greedy beings tried to obtain the magician, and the magician lost someone precious. The magician lamented the loss, and their healing magic became tainted with evil. 

Both texts come from the same period, but the second one was written in such a way that it could be hidden in a tale. Based on this, Raphael thought the second text might have been written by someone who wanted to secretly record the facts for the magician's honor. He also thought the magician might have lost control of their magic.

Katarina has experienced her dark magic going out of control. She fell into a strange state, like it wasn't her. She was controlled by something that wasn't her will. So Lucy's master, Jeanne, must have lost control of her dark magic after losing someone precious to her, which caused that terrible incident. Katarina couldn't tell Lucy that part of the story because Lucy firmly believed Jeanne could never cause that terrible incident.

Lucy asks Katarina about that "last part" they are talking about. She wants Katarina to tell her if it is something she doesn't know.

Katarina tells her it is something painful to her and that she might regret hearing it. Lucy furrows her brows. She refuses to stay like that, not knowing anything. She wants to know about it even if it is painful, even if she might regret listening to it.

Katarina can see the determination in her eyes. She feels like it wouldn't be right to deceive her. She steels her resolve and tells Lucy about the second text of the literature.

While listening, Lucy opens her eyes wide and freezes, then casts her face down. Katarina guesses that, after believing in her all this time, it must be painful for Lucy to realize that Jeanne lost control of her magic and caused the incident. She is worried that Lucy might be crying. 

After a while, Lucy slowly raises her face. Her eyes are wet, but there aren't any tears flowing. Katarina calls out to Lucy. She startles and turns her face to Katarina. 

Lucy thanks Katarina for telling her about this story. She has always wanted to know about what happened on that day, and she finally does. She is making an awkward smile. Katarina can see that Lucy is pushing herself, but she wants to respect her feelings, so she just tells her that she is glad for her.

Jeffrey asks Katarina if Lucy is alright. He has been silently watching Katarina and Lucy talking, but to him, it must have looked like Katarina talking to herself. Katarina confirms Lucy is fine.

Jeffrey feels bad about asking Lucy this just after she went through painful feelings, but he would like to ask her questions following their discussion about the literature. He asks her if it is okay. Lucy says she is fine with it. Katarina delivers Lucy's okay to Jeffrey. Jeffrey thanks Lucy.

Lucy Can Materialize

Susanna finally speaks up after having been completely silent since Jeffrey covered her mouth. She finds it inconvenient that Katarina needs to deliver Lucy's words to them. She asks Lucy if she still can't materialize despite waking up several weeks ago.

Katarina has also been wondering this, but she thought Lucy still couldn't because of her painful feelings, or because she hadn't recovered her power.

Lucy has a startled reaction after Susanna's question.

Lucy turns to Katarina and tells her it must have been troublesome for her to repeat everything she said. Katarina tells her it wasn't, but does it mean…

Lucy confirms she can materialize now. Since it has been a while since she woke up, she has gathered enough power to do it.

Katarina is glad to hear it. But she wonders why she never told her.

Lucy replies that it was because she enjoyed talking to her alone, and was afraid she might have to leave her once she was able to materialize and handle herself. That's why she couldn't bring herself to tell her.

Katarina tells her it would never happen. They still have a long time together. If Lucy can materialize, she wants to read romance novels with her side by side.

Lucy thanks Katarina.

Lucy's body starts shining. Katarina is fascinated by the light. The light subsides, and Lucy appears, the same as always. Katarina wonders if something has changed, but Jeffrey and Susanna are looking at Lucy, wide-eyed. Lucy seems to have really materialized.

Jeffrey firmly looks at Lucy and asks her if it is her. Lucy confirms. She bows her head and introduces herself as Lucy, a familiar. Jeffrey introduces himself as Jeffrey Stuart, the first prince of Sorcier. Susanna introduces herself as Susanna Randall, the fiancée of Jeffrey. 

Katarina gently touches Lucy's hand: it isn't warm, but she can feel it. It makes her so happy. She holds Lucy's hand.

Katarina also greets Lucy. Lucy makes a bashful smile.

Who Wrote the Second Text?

Jeffrey would like to ask Lucy two questions. Lucy nods with a serious expression. She tells him she will answer if she can.

Jeffrey thanks Lucy and asks her if she has any idea who could have been the person who left the literature behind.

Lucy ponders for a while and tells him that many people supported her master's healing efforts, and they were all very fond of her master. If one of them knew the truth behind that incident, they could have left it behind.  

Jeffrey is glad so many people loved Lucy's master, but it makes it difficult to pinpoint who the person was. Lucy tells him she doesn't know who it precisely was. She casts her face down a little.

Who Was the Precious Person Jeanne Lost?

Jeffrey will now ask the second question. He apologizes in advance since Lucy probably doesn't want to think about it, but he needs this answer to have a proper grasp of the situation. Lucy nods obediently.

Jeffrey asks Lucy if she has any idea who the precious person Jeanne lost was. Lucy ponders a little and replies that it could have been Jeanne's little sister.

Katarina is surprised to learn that Jeanne had a little sister. Lucy tells her her master had a little sister called Anne. She was a little younger than her and her only family, so she was doting on her.

Katarina is surprised Jeanne had no other family. Lucy heard from her master that her parents took part in the battle as youth protectors, got caught in the battle, and lost their lives. She only had her little sister Anne left.

Katarina finds Jeanne's personal history so heavy that she is speechless. Jeffrey sympathizes with Jeanne's hardships.

How Did Jeanne Grow up?

Jeffrey asks Lucy if he can ask her another thing. He would like to know how Jeanne grew up.

Lucy nods and replies. Her master was the daughter of a somewhat affluent family. She was living comfortably with her parents and her little sister, 7 years younger than her. But when the war started, she lost everything and had to look after her desolate domain and the very young Anne all by herself.

Jeffrey sympathizes with Jeanne's hardships. Lucy proudly tells him that Jeanne still stood up to the hardships and went around healing the people injured during the war. Then, she started her research to create a new magic power to heal people's hearts. And then, she finally created her.

Katarina finds Jeanne so splendid and amazing. Lucy agrees with a fond look. 

Was Jeanne Close To Other People?

Jeffrey agrees that Jeanne was an amazing person. Jeanne's precious person could indeed be her younger sister, but he wonders if she wasn't particularly close to other people, like a lover.

Lucy shakes her head. Her master didn't have a lover, but she was courted by many people.

Jeffrey guesses that Jeanne's precious person must be her younger sister, after all.

Lucy suddenly remembers Jeanne also had a best friend. Her best friend was living with them.

Jeffrey asks Lucy what kind of person Jeanne's best friend was.

Lucy replies that her master's best friend was called Nathalie. She had light magic like her master, and she also took part in the war as a support provider, so the two of them became close during the war. Nathalie immediately approved her master's healing efforts, so they worked together. She was close in age to her master, and they got along very well. She, her master, and Anne were living in the tower together.

Jeffrey thinks Jeanne's precious person could be either one. He asks Lucy if she saw the two of them when she returned to the area affected by the dark magic. 

Lucy replies that she didn't see them. She can sense the presence of the people close to her, but she didn't sense their presence at that time. Katarina guesses the two of them must have been dead.

Lucy says that when she returned to the tower at that time, she saw many corpses that had died from losing their life forces. She has always thought the two of them died in the same way. But if it's not the case…

Lucy has stopped her sentence midway, but Katarina can imagine what she is thinking. The two of them might have been killed by someone trying to obtain Jeanne. She finds it so sad and painful.

Katarina squeezes Lucy's hand. Lucy looks at Katarina in surprise, then smiles.

Why Susanna Wanted to See Katarina In the Morning

Katarina looks out of the window and sees the sun is already high. She realizes that it is noon, and she still hasn't delivered the documents to the Ministry. She was supposed to receive documents from Larna and bring them there.

Susanna tells her there is no problem. She has already arranged for the documents to be delivered when she didn't see her coming. She also sent a message to notify people that she would make her help with her work for a while.

Katarina apologizes for being late, even though she heard Susanna had something to tell her this morning. Susanna tells her the matter has already been settled. Katarina is surprised and asks her what she means.

Susanna replies that she received a report about the familiar masters they arrested during the Victoire incident. They died just like the one from the previous time. After further investigations, they seem to have died because the dark familiars first took their magic power and then their life force. Following this, she was wondering why Katarina was still full of energy despite Pochi living in her shadow, and thus wanted to ask questions about Pochi. She called her for that reason, but she got her answer from their current talk.

Katarina guesses Susanna is referring to how Lucy takes energy from the earth. Susanna confirms and guesses that Pochi is doing the same thing. Katarina confirms, since that's what Lucy said. Lucy nods.

Why Pochi Is Different From the Dragons

Susanna ponders about Pochi. She wonders if he could be the same kind of familiar as the ones from ancient times, unlike the dragons that were used as familiars. She wonders why only Pochi is like that. She has started muttering to herself in otaku mode.

Katarina ponders Susanna's words. She has a faint idea why only Pochi is different. 

Katarina takes out the pocket mirror thingie from her pocket. She tells Larna that Pochi might be different from the other familiars because of this magic tool. Susanna recognizes the ancient magic tool she returned to Katarina.

Katarina tells her that Lucy's master was the one who created it. Susanna opens her eyes wide and eagerly asks Lucy if it is true. Lucy is a little taken aback but confirms. 

Katarina explains that this magic tool reacted and became hot before Pochi came out of the shadow. He might have been affected by Jeanne's magic and become the same kind of familiar as Lucy. 

Susanna is excited by this explanation. She asks Katarina to let her take another look at the magic tool. Katarina asks Lucy if she can give the magic tool to Susanna. After all, it is hers now that she has materialized. Lucy tells her she is fine with it as long as Susanna gives it back after. Susanna tells Lucy she will.

Katarina gives the pocket mirror thingie to Susanna. Susanna is frantically looking at it. 

Jeffrey asks Katarina if she gave the magic tool to Lucy. Katarina replies that she did because Lucy considers it a memento of Jeanne. Jeffrey thinks it is fine if this is what Katarina decided.

After observing it for a while, Susanna returns the pocket mirror thingie to Katarina. Then, Katarina returns it to Lucy. Lucy thanks Katarina and fondly holds it to her chest. Katarina can tell that Lucy treasures it as a memento of Jeanne, whom she loved and respected. Katarina is happy for Lucy.

Lunch Break

Katarina's stomach growls loudly. Lucy and Susanna blink their eyes with surprise. Katarina feels embarrassed. Jeffrey pretends he didn't hear anything.

Jeffrey tells Katarina that he will have a meal prepared in another room. He invites her to take a lunch break when it is ready. Katarina appreciates his thoughtfulness and is excited about the castle's food. She gladly accepts his offer.

Jeffrey will return to his workroom because he still has a lot of work left. Susanna decides to join Katarina and Lucy for lunch after Lucy said she would have lunch too. She seems greatly interested in observing Lucy eat food. Jeffrey looks at her with an indescribable look and warns her not to get too excited or cause trouble. 

Katarina, Lucy, and Susanna go to the room where lunch has been prepared. Upon seeing the food, Lucy excitedly asks if she can really eat it. Susanna invites her to eat to her heart's content. She can also ask for more.

Katarina, Lucy, and Susanna each take a seat. The servants are all on standby outside the room since Lucy's existence is kept confidential. Katarina is excited to be able to eat without holding back since it is only the 3 of them.

Lucy starts eating. She takes a fork and eats with proper manners. Katarina remembers that it was already the case when she was borrowing her body. Her master must have taught her well. 

Lucy finds the food delicious, even more so since she eats it with her own body. Susanna is amazed that Lucy has a sense of taste. 

Katarina thinks Lucy looks like a regular girl now that she has materialized. She feels like people wouldn't believe her if she showed them Lucy and told them she was a familiar.

Katarina asks Lucy what happens to the food she eats since she doesn't go to the restroom. 

Lucy has stuffed her cheek and swallows everything at once. She replies that the food comes out of her body and returns to the earth as energy. So it doesn't become her own energy. Katarina guesses she is different from humans in that regard.

Lucy smiles and tells her that eating delicious food cheers her up, so it might not nourish her body, but it nourishes her heart. She brings more food to her mouth. Katarina agrees that delicious food is not only nourishment for the body but also for the heart. She is in awe of Lucy's good words.

Susanna is amazed and excitedly takes notes of whatever Lucy says. She was already excited with Pochi, but she is much happier with Lucy, who can talk. She is in full otaku mode, but Lucy doesn't mind her, so Katarina doesn't mind her either.

Katarina really finds the food in the castle delicious. Lucy also seems to enjoy it. 

Katarina Wants to Make Pochi Taste Food

Katarina asks Lucy if she could eat from the start. Pochi doesn't seem interested in food at all. She has always been curious about it.

Lucy replies that she didn't eat at first since she didn't understand it. But her master kept encouraging her to try food, so she started eating.

Katarina wonders if Pochi will eat too if she actively encourages him to try food. She never tried since he didn't seem to search for food and was fine even without eating.

Lucy thinks Pochi will probably eat since he loves Katarina. If she enthusiastically encourages him to taste something, he will surely eat it.

Katarina summons Pochi with Lucy and Susanna's permission. Pochi comes out and wags his tail. He is looking at her as if asking if she will play with him.

Katarina takes a side dish and moves it near Pochi's mouth. Pochi looks puzzled, as if saying, "What are you doing?"

Katarina tells Pochi that it is delicious food. He will feel happy if he eats it. She would like him to try it just a little. She takes a little bit of the food, brings it to her mouth, and holds her cheek in happiness because of the deliciousness.

Pochi seems to have understood. He puts the food in his mouth. Katarina is excited to see Pochi eat. She anxiously watches him munching the food. Pochi swallows it and shows a happy expression. Pochi taps Katarina's hand as if asking for more. 

Lucy tells Katarina that Pochi wants more food because it was so delicious. Katarina is glad that Pochi can taste food. She will give him some more since she still has a lot of food left.

Katarina shares her food with Pochi. At first, she was afraid there might be toxic food for dogs, but Lucy tells her that familiars can eat anything. So Katarina gives him all kinds of things.

Thanks to Lucy acting as an interpreter, Katarina learns that Pochi particularly likes sweets, just like her. Looking at his happy face, Katarina asks for another dessert for Pochi.

Katarina has greatly enjoyed her first meal with Lucy and Pochi. Susanna has also greatly enjoyed herself. She has been deeply moved by all kinds of things, like Lucy understanding Pochi's words, or having preferences in regards to food.

Everyone has after-meal tea, then heads to Jeffrey's workroom.

Lunch Report

Jeffrey asks the girls how lunch was. Katarina tells him it was so delicious, and she even fed Pochi some food. Jeffrey blinks his eyes.

Jeffrey is surprised that Pochi can eat food. Katarina confirms he can. She tried feeding him some food after Lucy told her he would probably eat, and he found it delicious. He looked so happy that she has decided to feed him at home from now on.

Given that Lucy and Pochi can eat food, Jeffrey wonders if all familiars could eat food in ancient times. While looking at her notes, Susanna replies that familiars didn't eat food during Lucy's era. She has already asked for details about this part and will share her notes with him later.

Katarina remembers that Susanna indeed asked Lucy a lot of questions. But maybe because she had heard about her past, Susanna didn't ask about the incident and the experiments Lucy was subjected to.

Katarina thinks it is Susanna's good side. As a magic otaku, she can get engrossed in her passion, but she pays attention to people's subtleties. Hector Delius, on the other hand, seems to make a beeline for his research without consideration for others, and that's why she can't like him. 

Continuation of the Talk

Jeffrey would like to ask Lucy some more questions. He warns her that, because of his position, he will ask her about her painful experiences, but if there is anything she absolutely doesn't want to talk about, she can just tell him that she won't. He won't force her to answer. After all, he has made a promise to Katarina.

Lucy thanks him and firmly tells him that she will give any answers she can for the country. Jeffrey thanks Lucy.

Jeffrey starts with, "What kind of activity and research Jeanne and the others were doing?", but other questions like, "When you were confined, what kind of experiments and research were you subjected to?" come up too.

Some questions are indeed painful to Lucy and make her face cloud, but she still firmly answers. Whenever her face clouds, Katarina squeezes her hand, and Lucy squeezes hers back. 

Jeffrey only asks questions about Lucy's master, magic power, and magic, but there are so many of them that a long time has passed. The sun has considerably set.

The Last Question

Jeffrey thanks Lucy for answering his questions, even though they were painful to her. He will ask her one more question, and then they will be done for the day.

Katarina guesses Jeffrey will ask more questions later on. Jeffrey has been considerate of Lucy and never forced anything on her, so she will watch over Lucy if she is okay with it.

Lucy accepts. Jeffrey's face softens. 

Jeffrey asks Lucy to confirm that she fell into a deep sleep because she felt incredibly sad after her master died. Lucy confirms.

Jeffrey asks her why she chose to fall asleep. Lucy looks visibly shaken. Katarina wonders why she is trembling so much for such a harmless question. 

Lucy replies in a trembling voice that it is because she didn't want to live in a place where her master was gone.

Jeffrey asks Lucy why she didn't choose to disappear in that case. If she had decided to burn out her power, she should have been able to disappear. Lucy struggles to answer.

Jeffrey: Is it because I asked the question in a roundabout way? In that case, I'll ask directly. Why did you choose to remain in this world? Wasn't it because there was something you absolutely needed to do?

Lucy's body trembles with a start. Katarina asks Lucy what is wrong. Lucy grits her teeth and furrows her brows. Katarina tells Lucy she doesn't need to answer if she doesn't want to.

Lucy shows a half-crying, half-happy expression. She tells Katarina she is so kind, and that's why she didn't want to drag her into her problems. Jeffrey is right. She could have disappeared, but she didn't. That's because there is something she absolutely needs to do. She needs to fulfill her promise to her master. She can't disappear until she fulfills it.

Lucy casts her eyes down, looking lonely.

Lucy's Promise to Her Master

Jeffrey asks her if she can tell him what this promise was. Lucy nods and starts her story.

After she was arrested as "a dangerous creature created with dangerous magic power", Lucy could meet her master after a long while. She was like an empty shell, but she did look at her normally just one time and told her, "Erase the black mist that disappeared towards the sky".

Lucy didn't understand what she meant, so she asked her to repeat. She muttered, "Please erase it," with tears streaming down. It was the first time she saw her master crying. She cried like a child, saying "Please erase the black mist" over and over again. She looked so pitiful. 

Lucy didn't understand what she meant, but she still told her, "I will definitely erase it! It will be okay!" Hearing this, she told her, "Thank you," as if she felt relieved. Then, she went back to her original state with her unfocused, empty-shell-like gaze. It was the last talk between her and her master.

Lucy investigated the black mist to fulfill this promise. Doing so, she learned from some people who watched the incident from nearby that, "After darkness covered the sky, some kind of black mist rose to the sky and disappeared." She was convinced it was what her master referred to. Then she investigated all she could between the experiments and the research. But in the end, she couldn't get any more information.

Time passed without her understanding anything, and her master had died. She was so sad, it felt so painful that she wanted to disappear. But then, she recalled her last promise with her master. She had promised her, "I will definitely erase the black mist," but she couldn't do anything. She hadn't confirmed whether the black mist had disappeared or not. She couldn't disappear just yet. But her heart was already at her limit, so she chose to sleep instead of disappear.

Katarina guesses that after that, Lucy slept for 500 years. Lucy confirms and tells her she didn't expect that she would sleep that long. She thought she would sleep for at most several decades. Her magic-induced sleep was deeper than she thought. Katarina guesses that Lucy has overslept big time. Lucy agrees and chuckles.

The Bad Presence

Jeffrey asks Lucy if the black mist has disappeared after 500 years. 

Lucy replies that she also expected it would, so she went around in her spirit form to confirm whether it did. And then, for a moment, she felt the same bad presence as when she returned to the tower area during that incident. She thinks the 3 other people with her at that time were also shocked. They asked her if she had felt a bad presence.

Katarina asks Lucy why she never talked to her about this. Lucy tells her it was because she didn't want to drag her into her problems, especially since it was dangerous. Katarina feels complicated feelings over this.

Jeffrey is confused. He doesn't understand why a presence would remain if it was Jeanne's magic going out of control that caused dark magic to cover the land.

Katarina is also confused. They thought the dark magic that withered the land and killed many people was caused by Jeanne's magic going out of control after she had lost someone precious to her. But that presence remains even after Jeanne has died. 

Lucy is also confused. Until they told her that Jeanne had lost control of her magic, she thought the bad presence was coming from the same thing that caused the incident.

Jeffreys tells Lucy they thought the incident was caused by magic going out of control based on the literature, but after hearing her story, it doesn't seem to be the whole truth. There must have been something they couldn't get info about.

Susanna agrees. They don't know what that thing is, but something very dangerous is still in this country. That much is certain.

How To Deal With the Bad Presence?

Jeffrey asks Lucy where she felt the bad presence. Lucy replies that it was near a place called "the royal capital," according to Katarina. Jeffrey furrows his brows even more. 

Susanna asks Lucy if she has investigated the presence after that. Lucy replies that she has been watchful of the presence, but she only felt it that one time. She awkwardly adds that she didn't do anything else because she was enjoying herself with Katarina and kept postponing it to later. Katarina can see that Lucy is similar to her in that way.

Jeffrey understands, but after listening to her story, he needs to investigate it. He asks Lucy to cooperate with them. Lucy readily accepts. That presence must be related to the black mist, so she will help them however she can, so she can fulfill her promise to her master.

Katarina also tells Jeffrey she will cooperate. She feels concerned since it is near the royal capital, and she also wants to help Lucy.

Lucy makes a gloomy face. She thought Katarina would say this, but she doesn't want her to be in danger. She doesn't want to lose someone precious to her again. Katarina tells her she feels the same about her, and that's why she is going. Lucy agrees with a bashful face.

Jeffrey Closes the Meeting

Jeffrey tells them he would like to ask more questions, but the sun is setting. Since Lucy hasn't sensed the presence again in several weeks, they probably don't need to act urgently. He closes the meeting for the day.

Jeffrey asks Lucy to stay in the castle, if possible. Lucy tightly clings to Katarina, as if saying, "I don't want to leave her!". Jeffrey tells her he won't force her since that's what he promised.

Jeffrey asks Katarina and Lucy to go home together and return to the castle tomorrow. He wouldn't feel at ease sending home Katarina and the oldest dark familiar alone, so he will assign them an undercover guard for their trip back. Lucy happily agrees.

Katarina and Lucy go home. Katarina has Lucy get into her shadow since her existence can't be disclosed.

It's very late and he's probably tired because he's so busy. And since this is Jeffrey's room, he must be feeling a bit out of it. I got up and went to Geoffrey's side to put something on him.

Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've seen his sleeping face. I've been so busy lately that even if I saw him, I would often just hand him a report and we'd split up.

His face looks younger than usual as he sleeps peacefully. For some reason, I remembered the time when we met.

Geoffrey and I met over ten years ago. While I was still pretending to be a tool in front of my father, I was told that I would be engaged to the first prince.

I was already deep into the study of magic, had no interest in aristocratic events, and even left tea parties in the middle so my parents wouldn't find out, and I didn't even know the prince's face. However, I didn't want to become the prince's fiancée or something so troublesome.

I lied and said, ``I'll do my best,'' and asked for a meeting just the two of us. I had the courage to refuse the offer outright.

If things didn't go well, I wouldn't be able to escape my father's physical punishment, but I knew it was better than the trouble that would follow. Besides, if it didn't work out with me all I have to do is talk about the engagement with my other sister.

Then, my wish came true and we had a face-to-face meeting, almost just the two of us.

The person who appeared was a beautiful boy with silver hair and blue eyes, and although he was young, he greeted me with such graceful gestures that I was impressed.

I thought this was the kind of prince a young girl would have a crush on , but it didn't resonate with me.

My first priority is the study of magic, and my goal is to break off the engagement.

It hasn't been announced to the public yet, so I'm sure it'll work out somehow.

When I faced the prince, who introduced himself as Jeffrey Stuart, he greeted me with just a few words.

"I have no interest in anything other than magical research. I don't want to be a queen,"

I said flatly, without any hesitation.

Geoffrey froze, his eyes wide.

This would offend the prince and he would ask for the engagement to be called off. That's what I thought, but a little later, for some reason, Geoffrey chuckled. And...

``I have no interest in anyone other than my younger brothers. I have no intention of inheriting the throne either,'' he replied.

Now it was my turn to freeze in surprise. What is he talking about ? What is this prince saying ? Geoffrey said to me,

"We'd make a good team, wouldn't we ? I'm looking forward to working with you." He said and held out his hand to me.

I was confused and couldn't help but take his hand, and I still remember how Geoffrey smiled so brightly.

That was the beginning of my relationship with Geoffrey

After a lot of persuasion, I ended up becoming his fiancée. At first I was reluctant to accept it, but then he said to me, "I'm going to make it easier for you to study magic from now on." I was soon a collaborator in Geoffrey's plans.

Before I knew it, he had become my most reliable partner.

I gently covered Geoffrey with the blanket as he slept. He still has a lot of work to do.

“Still, relax and rest for a little while.”

I said as I gently stroked his silver hair.

★★★★★★

When I, Geoffrey Stuart, opened my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling of my room. Apparently I was looking at the portraits of my younger brothers and fell asleep on the sofa.

My body is covered with a blanket. Her maid was wearing it, so Susanna must have put it on for me. Susanna had probably finished reading the report and left, and was nowhere to be seen.

I realised that it was already around midnight. I picked up the blanket and headed towards the bed to rest, but someone else was using it first.

"Hey, hey, Susanna. Don't take other people's beds," I couldn't help but whisper.

My fiancée, Susanna Randall, was sleeping soundly in my bed. It was probably too much trouble for her to go home. She has such a rough personality.

Moreover, it was surprising that she covered someone else with a blanket but didn't cover herself with anything.

Her sleepy face is full of sex appeal, and if she wasn't the owner of this bed, she would be in various dangers. There is a limit to being defenseless.

"You haven't changed at all, haven't you ?"

The first time I met Susanna was over ten years ago. A servant told me that my fiancée had been decided.

The other party was said to be a daughter of the Marquis Randall family, a high-ranking member of my faction. I had heard that Marquis Randall was quite ambitious and quite a person, but I could hardly find any information about his daughter.

From my standpoint, there's no way I can refuse the engagement. For now, I thought I'd just play the good prince and get along with him at least on the surface.

On the day of the meeting, she requested, ``If possible, I would like to meet alone.''

When I heard that, I thought that maybe she admired me.

At children's tea parties, I often wear a fake mask and get around, so many girls look at me enthusiastically. I thought that the daughter of the Randall family was one of those children.

When I met Susanna Randall, he found her to be a beautiful girl with a mature demeanor.

Hmmm. I don't think I've ever seen her at a tea party before, but for now I'll play the role of a girl's ideal prince. I thought so and greeted her with elegant gestures, but instead of looking excited, Susanna kept a straight face.

Hmm, her reaction was different from what I had expected. I thought so.

Susanna looked straight at me and declared ,

``I have no interest in anything other than magical research. I don't want a to be a queen.''

I couldn't help but freeze at the sudden and unexpected answer.

I thought she was a common lady, but she turned out to be quite interesting.

It's a waste if this is just a superficial relationship. Thinking so, I decided not to give in and reply with a punchy remark.

"I have no interest in anyone other than my younger brothers. I have no intention of inheriting the throne."

When I said that, Susanna froze.

I told her.

" We'd make a good team, wouldn't we ? I'm looking forward to working with you."

When I said this and held out my hand to her, she squeezed it back in an involuntary way.

I still remember how happy I was.

That was the beginning of my relationship with Susanna.

After that, I checked out her situation, made some good points about getting engaged, and we became officially engaged, She seemed reluctant at first, but then I said.

"I'm going to make it easier for you to study magic from now on".

And before I knew it, she had become my most reliable partner.

I occupied the bed and gently covered the sleeping Susanna with a blanket.

I then get on the other side of the bed and lie down myself.

"I'm glad you're my fiancée."