Senior, I've Come to Visit - Chapter 55

“….”

Iella froze for a moment, then gave a small nod.

“That makes sense. Finding out family relationships is nothing for someone like the queen. So what did you tell her?”

“I told her it was difficult to answer right away and asked for time to think. It only bought me a few days.”

“You did well, Eloise. In that situation, that was the best answer you could give.”

I was grateful she didn’t scold me for not agreeing immediately. Considering Iella and Rubel’s safety, the ‘right’ thing would’ve been to accept the queen’s request on the spot.

“…It really only bought a little time, so she’ll demand an answer again soon. I don’t know what to do. Have you noticed anyone watching you or trying to approach you?”

“Well… I haven’t seen anyone suspicious. But the shop gets so many customers, it’s hard to tell. There are plenty of people whose identities I don’t know.”

“I figured….”

Since Iella ran an herb shop, the queen’s underlings would have no trouble watching her or harming her in secret.

“I want to put a barrier around this entire building.”

I wanted to cast a powerful protective barrier that would block all intruders.

“No, we still need to run the shop….”

“I know work is important to you, but safety comes first. Or… should we just run away to another kingdom altogether?”

Wouldn’t it be better to escape the queen’s reach and hide somewhere no one knew us? I couldn’t think of a proper solution, so all I wanted was to run away and avoid everything. Like a bad habit I could never break.

“Huh? And what about the Magic Tower?”

“I don’t care about that.”

I truly didn’t. I could give up everything I had now if it meant keeping Iella safe.

“Calm down, Eloise. You’re being unusually extreme.”

“I can’t put you in danger again because of me.”

I couldn’t let her get hurt again, couldn’t let her come that close to dying again. The image of Iella bleeding endlessly, her face turning paler and paler, kept flashing in my mind. The shocking sight I’d witnessed as a child was carved deep inside me and surfaced whenever fear took hold.

“Again? What do you mean again?”

Iella looked genuinely confused.

“In the forest… you almost died because of me.”

“Oh, back then? When your magic manifested?”

“Yes.”

I nodded miserably. She let out a disbelieving sigh.

“No, Eloise. What era are you talking about…? And what do you mean I almost died because of you? I almost died because of the demonic beast, and I survived thanks to you.”

“The beast was coming after me. You lured it away on purpose to save me.”

“If you put it that way, it was my fault for taking you that deep into the forest in the first place.”

No, that wasn’t the same at all.

“You got hurt trying to save me, but I ran away. I’m sorry.”

“Oh my goodness, Eloise.”

Iella suddenly stood and came to sit beside me. She wrapped one arm gently around my shoulders.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been carrying that guilt all this time?”

I nodded silently.

I could never forgive myself for running and leaving her behind, and the guilt had tormented me ever since.

“Why didn’t you say anything, you fool?”

She patted my shoulder.

“Listen carefully, Eloise. You were only seven years old then. You didn’t do a single thing wrong. Not even one.”

“You were only twelve.”

“Right, we were both young, but we were amazing. We were in danger because of a demonic beast, but we protected each other. I lured the beast away, and you killed it and healed me. You were really like a little hero back then.”

“….”

“I don’t have a single bad memory about that day. I never imagined you thought of it like this. That memory is precious to me because we protected each other. Do you understand?”

My throat felt tight, like a huge candy was lodged in it, and I couldn’t speak.

I never imagined Iella saw it that way. I’d always assumed it was a memory she didn’t want to revisit, so I never brought it up. If I’d known… should I have talked to her about it sooner?

A precious memory where we protected each other….

I couldn’t fully share that sentiment, but knowing that she felt that way eased some of the burden I’d been carrying. Meeting her gaze, I nodded with difficulty.

“And don’t worry too much about this situation either. Just like back then, we’ll handle it well. I don’t think anything will happen right away. You answered the queen properly. And even if something does happen….”

Iella reached inside her clothes and pulled out the pendant hanging from her necklace. A large rose quartz gemstone gleamed faintly.

“Who made this?”

“…I did.”

“Exactly. This exists. There’s nothing like the magic tools you make, Eloise. I can protect myself.”

After entering the academy and moving into the dorms, I’d made several self-defense magic tools for Iella, since we could no longer live together. There wasn’t any particular danger back then, but because you never knew what might happen, I’d given her necklaces, bracelets, rings, brooches… all embedded with defensive and offensive magic. After she married and had a child, I made some for the rest of her family as well.

“For the others too….”

“Yes, I’ll make sure my husband and Rubel keep theirs with them and stay cautious. Rubel is small, so we’ll keep her in our arms as much as possible. For now, both you and I should be careful but live normally.”

“Live normally?”

“If we suddenly close the shop or disappear somewhere, it’ll look unnatural and only make things worse. It’ll be like telling the queen you refuse to make the poison. So let’s act natural for now while we think of a solution.”

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“…Alright.”

My anxiety hadn’t disappeared, but I wanted to follow Iella’s guidance. She’d always been smarter and wiser than me, someone who stayed calm even in chaos.

Completely unlike me.

“Now then, let’s sleep. It’s late. You think better after getting proper rest. And it’s been a while since the two of us slept together.”

“Okay.”

Iella led me to the guest room. After changing into the sleepwear she gave me, I lay down on the bed, my body exhausted.

“If you leave for the Magic Tower from here, you’ll barely get any sleep. My poor little sister, I’ll wake you up in the morning.”

I smiled faintly and nodded. “Thanks, Unnie.”

Like when we were young, we lay facing each other on the same bed while she stroked my hair. Even in this situation, I felt a small sense of peace.

“It’s still nice seeing your face after so long. Why haven’t you been coming?”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy. I wanted to come too.”

I hadn’t been able to come because of the queen’s earlier request and because I’d been leaking milk while testing the lactation-promoting potion… but that was something I could never tell Iella.

“It’s fine. But Eloise, did you gain a little weight?”

“Huh? Really?”

At her unexpected comment, I touched my face with my hand. Did I gain weight?

“You used to be too thin, but you look good now. You could gain even more.”

“I guess it’s because I’ve been eating well lately.”

Ever since I started seeing Nardi, I’d been eating much better. We ate together all the time, and he made me delicious food.

“….”

Suddenly, everything that happened in the palace came rushing back, darkening my mood. Before the thoughts could take over, I forced myself to shut them out. I deliberately pushed all thoughts of Nardi aside and focused on Iella in front of me.

“Perfect timing, I baked a batch of carrot cake earlier. I’ll pack some for you to take tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, your carrot cake is the best.”

“You don’t eat much else, but you always eat that well. It’s like I knew you were coming and baked it for you. Take all of it.”

“No, Rubel has to eat some too.”