Just a Little Pain
Meanwhile, at that very moment, in Marian's bedroom.
"Mm…."
Chloe, who had arrived a bit earlier than usual, scratched her cheek with an awkward expression.
Marian's schedule was something Chloe knew inside and out. Since Marian hadn't debuted in high society yet, there were no social engagements with other nobles, and with the Grand Duke and Duchess still healthy, no public duties had been handed over to her—especially not to the illegitimate child. Naturally, there were no separate schedules for Chloe and Marian either.
Only when she was by Chloe's side could Marian boldly declare that she felt safe.
But….
"Where is she…?"
Honestly, it was a little disconcerting. She'd already slept in late, gotten scolded by Viola while changing clothes, rushed through her preparations, and come to the bedroom earlier than usual because her heart felt uneasy for no reason. And yet, Marian wasn't there.
"Why…."
Where could they have crossed paths? Was there some schedule for Marian that Chloe didn't know about? Something like official duties assigned by Haksen or Rosetta?
No. The chances of that were extremely low. Those two didn't see Marian as a fellow noble—they didn't even think of her as a daughter. Unless it was an absolutely necessary situation, they wouldn't delegate any public duties to her.
Which meant… the reason Chloe was left alone in this empty bedroom right now wasn't some third party, but Marian herself….
"She knows we have lessons, and she still stood me up…?"
Of course, Chloe had only come a few minutes early… but she couldn't help feeling a bit miffed anyway.
"Um, Teacher? I brought some snacks…."
A little while later, Arona, gauging Chloe's mood, slyly offered some tea-time treats—including plenty of the chocolate cookies Chloe loved most.
But with Marian showing no sign of returning, Chloe's mood didn't improve one bit.
"Leave them."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Ah, wait a second."
"W-what is it?"
"Did the young lady say anything about going somewhere?"
"No. She didn't mention anything."
"I see. You can go."
"Yes, ma'am."
Arona bowed her head and slipped out of the bedroom. Chloe crunched into a chocolate cookie with a satisfying crack, replenishing her sugar as she started racking her brain.
"She ditched me without even telling anyone…."
The Marian that Chloe knew wouldn't do something like that. The Marian Chloe knew was a good girl who always had eyes only for her.
So what could that good girl be up to, sneaking away to avoid an adult's watchful eyes?
"Why…?"
Unfortunately, no immediate answer came to mind. Even though Chloe had raised Marian like her own child, she was still an unmarried virgin—and back when she was a man, she'd never raised anything like a kid either.
Puberty?
She could only vaguely guess at it.
And so, Chloe's wait stretched past thirty minutes, heading toward an hour. Just when would Marian finally show up? Now, with a somewhat glum mood settling in, Chloe stared only at the bedroom door.
"Ch-Chloe!"
"Young lady…."
Marian returned just before the hour mark, barely scraping by.
"Come sit here."
"S-sorry…."
What on earth had she been doing to come back only now? Chloe fixed her with a pouty glare, and Marian stammered on.
"I-I was with Viola…."
"With Viola?"
"We went to the library for a bit, and I found an interesting book…."
"A book?"
"Y-yeah…."
Come to think of it, Marian was holding a paper bag in her hand. It looked like a bag for carrying borrowed books from the library….
I wanna throw a tantrum….
Feeling needlessly irritated, Chloe held out her hand.
"Huh…? Why…?"
"Why what? I'm curious too—what kind of book is worth all this? Let me see."
"N-no!"
"Eh…."
But Chloe hadn't expected this reaction at all. Marian's face flushed beet red as she clutched the paper bag containing the book tightly to her chest, declaring it absolutely off-limits. It was something the usual Marian would never do.
Marian was a sunflower that bloomed only for Chloe. She never hid anything from her.
Even on that first 'day,' hadn't she explained in detail exactly where and how it hurt?
And yet this Marian….
She's rejecting me…?
It wasn't some sensitive request—just a lighthearted tease to show her the book—and she was turning it down with a straight face?
"Eh…?"
For a moment, Chloe lost control of her expression and let out a dumb sound.
"Ah…."
Marian let out a small sigh, as if realizing her mistake.
Is it really puberty…? Then that book must be one of those trashy red novels noble ladies go crazy for…?
I-It was supposed to be a surprise—I didn't mean to make her sad…. I wasn't trying to get mad….
And so, that day's lesson proceeded in a somewhat awkward atmosphere. Both women were too busy watching each other's reactions.
"Puberty…?"
After finishing the day's lesson and returning to her bedroom, Chloe reflected on her own puberty.
She couldn't really remember it. The assassin guild put all its effort into blunting the senses and emotions of its members. Of course, Chloe had hidden her desires to the end, harbored murderous intent, and ultimately stabbed her foster assassin guild in the back…. But ordinary assassins or trainees didn't have much in the way of desires.
No desires meant no explosive interest in sexual concepts typical of puberty.
But Marian was different. She was the polar opposite of an assassin. In some ways, she even resembled Chloe. Just as Chloe had silently carried out missions in the guild while suppressing her desires, Marian had nurtured hers in that single room in the Grand Duke's castle.
"It's not strange if she's naturally developed an interest in that sort of thing, right?"
Yes, this was natural. Marian's environment couldn't be called normal, but compared to an assassin like Chloe, it was relatively tame. It was just a matter of time before a moment like this arrived.
"Puberty is, well…."
A time when a child strongly feels the desire for independence from their guardian. In other words, there was a high chance Marian would try to distance herself from Chloe.
"Perfect."
In two years anyway, Chloe would be leaving this Grand Duke's castle. If Marian naturally started pulling away due to puberty, it would make for the ideal farewell.
"Lately…."
They'd gotten too close. Attachments made goodbyes hard. She needed to start weaning off those feelings now….
"I'm such a bastard…."
Using Marian's puberty as an excuse to resolve it without getting her hands dirty? Chloe couldn't help sighing, feeling like a terrible person even to herself. Well, that was the kind of personality that had allowed her to wipe out the assassin guild, after all.
Chloe calmly accepted her half-formed morality and desperately hoped Marian would create some distance on her own.
Unfortunately, however, Marian had not the slightest intention of weaning off her feelings.
She was fully focused on crafting an artifact scorching enough to catch Chloe's eye.
"To boost the Thunder Orb's output, the best way is to increase the compression ratio of the lightning-attribute mana stored inside."
First, the Thunder Orb. A powerful offensive artifact favored by alchemists, who rarely learned formal magic. You compressed lightning-attribute mana into it beforehand, then injected more at the moment of use and hurled it forth. A few seconds later, it erupted in intense sparks, sending bolts of lightning in all directions.
It couldn't compare to ultimate techniques from lightning mages like Thunder Slash or Kirin… but against those who hadn't even awakened to mana—like assassins—it boasted more than enough power.
In fact, during lessons hunting Chloe, it had clearly landed hits. Chloe's eyes had bulged with bloodshot veins, so it must have hurt.
"But to raise the compression ratio even further for Chloe…."
Still, Marian wasn't satisfied with that level. She wanted perfection—one jolt that would completely disarm Chloe.
And after earning praise for completing the Thunder Orb….
"Don't worry, I'll heal you all up."
She'd hand over a warm healing artifact to Chloe, who wouldn't even be able to stand from the excruciating pain. Then, with her muscles powerless from the electric shocks, Chloe would go limp and accept Marian's nursing….
"Heh."
Marian would get to cradle her. After three years of only receiving care, now she could give it back.
And as a bonus, the wish coupon that came with it. No, the wish coupon was practically the core of it all….
"Just… just a little pain. Really, just a moment…."
Marian figured she could somehow overlook the pangs of conscience about hurting Chloe.