Preparation
"Hah...."
Chloe sighed, slipping her sticky panties back on before stepping out of the bathroom. She had no desire to let Viola catch her in such an embarrassing state again for no good reason.
But then...
"Ch-Chloe..."
"Yes? What's wrong, Miss?"
"I-I'm sorry..."
"Huh?"
She'd suddenly received an apology she hadn't even sought.
'Ugh, Chloe's mad at me...'
Marian was young, but far from oblivious. Living under one roof with people who despised her had sharpened her instincts for sensing anger—or the prelude to it.
And just moments ago, that murmur leaking through the bathroom door—'I'm gonna lose it, damn it...'—had been the unmistakable reaction of someone thoroughly pissed off.
"I-It's fine if we don't sleep together anymore... Just don't hate me... Please..."
"Ah..."
Only then did Chloe grasp why Marian was carrying on like this. Her frantic dash to the bathroom earlier, spurred by that odd sensation in her lower abdomen, could easily have looked like she'd stormed off to swallow her rage.
"Why on earth would I hate you, Miss?"
"You don't hate me?"
"Of course not. Would I whip up a potion like this for someone I despised? It takes a fortune in rare ingredients."
"Ah, ahaha..."
Having needlessly fretted the child, Chloe knew a spot of reassurance was in order. Her gentle clarification drew an awkward, relieved smile from Marian, who— as if she'd never teetered on tears— toddled over and flung herself into Chloe's arms.
Chloe's embrace had long since become Marian's soothing balm. With a soft chuckle, as if she couldn't help herself, Chloe patted the girl's back. When the timer chimed an hour later, they resumed brewing the height-growth potion.
"Chloe."
"Yes, Miss."
Not long after, with the final 30 percent of the process complete, Marian clutched the finished height-growth potion.
"If I take this and grow taller than you, I'll hug you tight just like this."
"Really?"
"Yeah. It feels amazing. Hehe..."
Beaming innocently, she gulped down the potion Chloe offered, chasing it with water. It wouldn't work overnight, but Chloe planned to stay in the Evergreen Grand Duchy until Marian turned seventeen—and girls shot up fast until then.
"I'll look forward to it," Chloe said with a bright smile, cheering on her pupil's dream.
The next day dawned.
Marian finally ventured out of her room after quite some time. It wasn't that long since her visit to the alchemy workshop, but to a girl who still remembered the thrill of her first outing, it felt like an eternity.
One minor hitch, though...
"Ch-Chloe..."
"Calm down, Miss. We're in front of Madam."
"You seem to have quite the knack for winning children over."
"Eek..."
They'd ended up in Rosetta's bedroom.
The air in Rosetta's room carried that sharp, predatory edge unique to barren noblewomen. Already terrified of her, Marian buried her face in Chloe's ample bosom, quaking.
Children think hiding their face means they're fully concealed, and Marian was the picture of it.
"Winning over? I merely extended a hand."
"A hand? Well, whatever. Hers isn't a position to refuse even petty favors. Speaking of— I heard you assaulted a maid? What's that about?"
"It was for the Miss's sake. Since you granted me full authority, I assumed you'd understand."
"No manners... Handle it with words next time."
"I'll remember that."
A brief exchange passed between Chloe and Rosetta, whose gaze then shifted to Marian, still glued to Chloe's chest.
"You planning to leave her like that forever? She wants to begin mana training."
"Miss, shall we turn around for a moment?"
"S-Scary..."
"Hah..."
Marian trembled like she'd glimpsed Medusa herself, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Rosetta scowled in irritation, and with no other choice, Chloe scooped Marian up and settled her on her own thigh.
Chloe on the chair, Marian perched atop Chloe's thigh— Rosetta watched from inches away and let out a disbelieving scoff.
"What, are you her mother now? Spoiling a big girl like that?"
"If need be, shouldn't I play the mother? That's my role, after all."
"Right, as if."
By Rosetta's values, she couldn't fathom doting so on Marian, who wasn't even born of her womb.
"Chloe..."
"Always in pairs..."
The same went for Marian, clinging to Chloe—who was like an elder sister after mere days—like family. A common assassin peddling her body. A baseborn bastard with tainted blood. To Rosetta, born of a famed magical lineage, their mindsets were utterly alien.
But...
"I've prepared a primer. Have her memorize it your way— reading it yourself or letting the little one read. Once she's grasped the theory, she'll begin mana induction immediately."
"Just pick up the book and go?"
"No. Read it here. Mana is swayed by the subconscious. A flawed understanding makes induction grueling— and problematic afterward. Ask questions as they come."
Personal grudges aside, Marian was the last blood of House Evergreen. Truth be told, Rosetta knew bearing a sixth child at her age would be no easy feat...
What could she do? This was her own flesh and blood, however inconvenient.
If the ducal house she'd married into lost all its heirs—her own children included—only to let the sole bastard die, the backlash was obvious. They might overlook her grief as a failed mother, but punish her neglect of the bastard and cast her out.
No house would take in an aged outcast like her. Knowing such a wretched end awaited, Rosetta teetered on madness—yet clung to reason amid it.
'Maybe adopt before I get any older...'
In that light, despite not grasping Chloe and Marian's bond, Rosetta felt a faint envy. If even strangers who'd met less than a month ago could grow so close, perhaps someone could fill the void of her five lost children.
Perhaps that someone could bring her peace...
It was a scene that planted such thoughts.
That evening, as mana induction lessons for Marian were in full swing...
"Allow me to help you change."
"Oh, sure..."
Viola arrived as usual to assist with her nightclothes. Chloe had once questioned the need for pajamas, but the silken ones Viola brought were so soft and comfortable that she'd worn them ever since.
"Ah!"
"Yes?"
"N-No, nothing..."
But tonight felt off. Had the familiarity worn thin, making the personal service embarrassing again? Chloe didn't think she'd react this strongly before, yet Viola's hand brushing her skin triggered an over-the-top flinch.
"Mm..."
Viola, who'd been watching Chloe intently...
"Pardon me for a moment."
"Huh? Why—?"
"Just a second."
She pressed her hand to both their foreheads, then clapped as if enlightened and bolted from the bedroom.
Viola had finished dressing her, at least, but with no clue where she'd gone, Chloe sat quietly on the bed, waiting.
Some time later, Viola returned...
"Here— this is a warming massage artifact, this is painkiller, this is..."
Loaded with all manner of items, she began explaining each one.
"It's starting soon, right? A top maid memorizes her lady's cycles. I'll commit this to memory."
"Uh, y-yeah. Okay."
From that brief irritable reaction alone, Viola had deduced Chloe's "day" was imminent.
Chloe had half-expected it herself, so rather than annoyance, she marveled at the maid's attentiveness.
Until...
"What's that?"
The thing Viola placed atop the bedside drawer was baffling. A bell? For menstruation prep? It seemed oddly out of place...
"A bell."
"A bell...?"
"Yes, exactly as it looks."
"So why a bell?"
"Ring it if the pain feels like you're dying. It's an artifact— it'll ring on the one I carry. Shake away without worry."
"Pfft, how bad can it be?"
Still, Chloe thought it a tad excessive. It was just a natural bodily process— how painful could it get?
"V-Violaaaa!"
And in the dead of that night, Chloe shook the bell like a madwoman amid her first excruciating cramps. It felt like her sanity was unraveling.