“Alright. Take a good rest for the time being and recuperate until the wound is healed.”
Farren hesitated, “What’s going to happen to the children in the orphanage?”
“I asked the butler to file a complaint to the authorities, so we’ll be in the process of confiscation and search. I’m going to ask the children in the orphanage to be sent elsewhere so they won’t receive terrible treatments. My family will help them in the process.”
“I see. I’m glad….”
Farren sighed in genuine relief.1
The kids in the orphanage didn’t stand up from him when he was falsely accused. Nonetheless, he still didn’t blame them.
‘How nice of him, he doesn’t even act like a villain.’
As expected, she thought that Suzanne and Farren’s roles were switched.
“Are you that glad? You suffered so much at the orphanage. I think I was almost fooled by the clever one named Suzanne. Was it a lie that you bullied her?”
“Yes, but Suzanne… She’s a little spoiled. Suzanne is just swaying the others, but I don’t resent her.”
“Hmm.”
“Ah, more than that…” he said as he clasped his hands together.
Farren stood up from his seat and bowed politely.
“I haven’t thanked you properly before. Thank you, my lady.”
“No need to be so modest, it’s a good deal for me too.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Madenna put down her teacup and gazed upon Farren.
Before turning back time, she opened her heart to Suzanne and regarded her as a family.
At first, she just wanted to survive, but as time passed by…, she came to adore her.
But that affection was instead returned with betrayal. Madenna didn’t even know who to trust anymore.
When she sponsored Farren this time, she was going to use this relationship strictly for business.
To gave and received as much as one needs, not to be swayed by one’s feelings. Keep things professional with no strings attached.
It felt like an ideal relationship.
“The world is changing rapidly now. Sooner or later, I’m sure the age where mages reign the land will come. That’s why I’m sponsoring you, a mage. I’m going to invest in you, sharpen your magic skills, and help me in the future. That’s the deal.”
“What can I do for you?”
“If anything dangerous happens to me, please protect me. When you grow up, you can help our family’s business,” that’s what she said, but Madenna knew that after the incident, the mages would ally and made a pact to destroy the empire.
In the original novel, it was Suzanne who overthrew the empire and became the new empress. Still, Madenna, of course, had no intention of molding the future according to her wishes.3
“When I said I’d do the projection magic, I was glad you allowed me.”
Madenna recalled the situation at that time. Come to think of it, Suzanne looked strangely calm when she said she would bring in a mage.
She seemed to have stood up because she was confident in covering her tracks with magic.
However, the events that had been happening after her return were slightly different from the past.
When she brought Suzanne in, Suzanne was not that capable of doing magic.1
“You and Suzanne are still so young, yet you’re both good at doing magic. I don’t think the orphanage was the one who taught you.”
“Ah, That…” Farren tried to explain.
“I was told to keep it a secret by the director…There was a mage who would come to our orphanage once or twice a month. Every time he came, he would teach us magic. He even gave me a magic book.”
Madenna took a deep breath and then exhaled the air slowly.
“…I will request that at some point.”3
“Hahaha!”
A devious laugh rang out of Madenna’s room.