Chapter 31: You never treated me like a daughter

The garden—or rather, the space that could no longer be called a garden—fell silent.

The youngest daughter of the Bertine family, whose existence was not widely known.

The only notable thing about her, apart from having Luke as her teacher, was her cute appearance.

But now…

“Phew.”

Seeing the girl calmly wipe her sweat after crushing everything nearby, one couldn’t help but feel a reverence even greater than what they felt for Luke.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Breaking the silence, applause echoed.

“Splendid work, my lady.”

Luke spoke with a satisfied smile he couldn’t hide.

“Though your casting speed and stability leave a little to be desired, this was as I expected.”

“…You mean that’s what you expected?”

Natia, who had been staring with her mouth agape, looked horrified.

“…It was much worse than I anticipated.”

Elin took it one step further.

“I was a bit nervous, so I faltered.”

“This… this is worse than expected?”

Thud.

Ranian, who had been sitting in a daze, shot up from his seat. His dark-circled eyes gleamed as if shooting beams of light.

He turned and grabbed Luke by the shoulders tightly.

“My dear junior.”

“No.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“You cannot have the young lady.”

There was no need to hear what he would say next. It was obvious.

Elin must be sent to the academy, and Ranian would ensure her education through graduate school.

Ranian, whose intentions had been completely exposed, averted his eyes sheepishly.

“…It could’ve been a sudden love confession, you know?”

“It would be a sinister confession to steal someone else’s student.”

Luke brushed off Ranian’s hands with a firm refusal.

Though Ranian was a senior he genuinely respected, he could never entrust Elin to him.

Thunk.

This time, Ranian grabbed Luke’s hand.

“But you will send her to the academy, right? Honestly, with her skills, she could enroll as a special admissions student immediately.”

“That will be the young lady’s decision.”

Luke turned to Elin, passing the choice to her.

“I’m not sure yet.”

“She says she’s not sure.”

“Why not submit the application first and think it over? I’ll personally take responsibility for her from her first year through graduation.”

Ranian’s gaze, now aimed at persuading Elin, sparkled with intensity, almost maniacally.

Flinch.

Elin instinctively took a half-step back.

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Please do! Please seriously consider it.”

Having reiterated his plea, Ranian slumped back into his seat.

While Ranian was still lost in the afterglow of the moment, the conversation turned.

“Is there any point in scoring this?”

Natia, still unable to recover from her shock, was asked.

“…When did things get to this point?”

Instead of answering, Natia diverted the topic.

Yet, even that was an answer in itself, causing Luke’s lips to curl into a smirk.

“Twelve years… It’s been twelve years without the slightest sign of potential…”

“I told you, whipping alone won’t bring about growth.”

“Are you saying the Bertine way was wrong all along…?”

Natia mumbled blankly, as if a grand premise had just been shattered.

Luke rose from his seat and offered a polite bow.

“I apologize for not informing you in advance. If I had known the impact would be this severe, I would have warned you before the match.”

He refrained from adding, “The difference in level is so vast there’s no point in comparing.”

But as with many things, there are unspoken words that are still heard.

Fabiana, who had been staring blankly at Elin, suddenly slumped to the ground.

“…I’m really nothing at all.”

Her face darkened, devoid of any vitality.

All Luke had intended was to showcase Elin’s talent to the world.

He hadn’t meant to crush the budding genius of an innocent girl.

“What are you saying? Lady Fabiana, you’re extraordinary as well. It’s just that the young lady has learned a unique form of magic.”

Luke attempted to console her, but…

“I’m sorry.”

“Pardon?”

“I was wrong to say you lacked teaching ability… I’m truly sorry.”

With a powerless apology, Fabiana trudged out of what used to be the garden. It seemed she needed time to herself.

Had he gone too far, inadvertently comparing her to Natia? He’d need to apologize later.

After Fabiana left the garden:

“…So, what do we do about this?”

Elin pointed to the ground, her expression blank, though the small strand of hair sticking up on her head quivered slightly.

“It’s a complete mess now.”

The genius who had displayed overwhelming power was now worried about getting scolded by her mother.

Given her life up until now, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

“Surely the Bertine family can afford to restore one garden.”

Luke made a light joke, glancing at Natia.

“Can I consider this my victory?”

“…Yes. I concede.”

Natia admitted defeat readily, though a sly glint lit up in her snake-like eyes.

“Your skills are truly impressive.”

The earlier bet—whatever it was—didn’t matter to Natia.

She didn’t care who became the personal maid.

In fact, this tutor might bring in a maid who would actually aid Elin’s growth.

Her mind worked quickly.

What was the best attitude for her to adopt now?

“Indeed, Luke, you are truly remarkable. I trusted you from the start.”

The best course of action was no longer to oppose Elin and Luke.

A smile crept across Natia’s lips, her calculations complete.

“Pardon?”

“You’ve elevated Elin’s abilities beyond my expectations. It seems I wasn’t wrong about you.”

Luke smirked inwardly.

She’s not human; she’s a fox in human skin.

There’s no other way she could switch her attitude so effortlessly.

“Our family is just on this level, everyone,” Natia declared, her voice a pitch higher than usual.

Her gaze at Elin was brimming with affection.

Shiver.

Luke felt his body bristle with goosebumps.

If this was his reaction, how must Elin feel as the target of that gaze?

“Uh… Mother?”

Elin’s face twisted, her fear from a moment ago replaced with discomfort.

“The reason we’ve kept our youngest’s talent a secret until now is to avoid attracting undue attention at such a young age—”

Natia began extolling Elin’s virtues without hesitation.

Disgusting.

Luke felt nauseous. He wanted to spill the truth about everything right then and there.

Fwoosh.

But the curse of secrecy prevented him.

“…Mother.”

Of course, there was one person unaffected by the curse.

“Yes, dear?”

Natia’s voice overflowed with affection.

Despite trembling, Elin slowly began to speak.

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”

“…What?”

“You’ve never once treated me like a daughter.”

Boom.

She suddenly dropped a bomb.

“….”

The atmosphere froze. Shock spread for entirely different reasons than before.

The people gathered here weren’t mere servants or random commoners.

Among them were the promising talents of three prestigious magical families.

Every word spoken here carried weight.

And now, a bombshell even more powerful than the magic Elin had just used had exploded.

“Y-You…”

Natia stammered, completely at a loss for words. Even for someone adept at adapting to situations, this was beyond repair.

If she kept talking and Elin revealed her history of mistreatment, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Creak.

Eventually, with trembling lips, Natia rose from her seat.

“…I’ll go call for servants to restore the garden.”

All she could do was escape, her pale face still managing a forced smile.

The first day of the exchange gathering ended in an atmosphere so icy it could only be described as the worst.

After everyone cautiously retreated to their assigned rooms, they endured the most uncomfortable night of their lives.

The next morning arrived.

“Sigh. You’re here again.”

Luke sighed as soon as he woke up.

“…Snore.”

Elin, unable to break her habit, had snuck into his bed again.

Just as he was about to shake her awake—

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

Snap.

Elin’s eyes opened reflexively.

Luke’s hand, which had been about to shake her, instead gripped her shoulder tightly.

“Calm down.”

“H-Huff… Teacher?”

“It’s not the Duke.”

“Phew…”

In that brief moment, Elin had already broken into a cold sweat.