A Future Drawn for the First Time
Lefonya bit her dry, parched lip. Her eyes darted with frantic uncertainty.
"What do I do?"
Sitting across the table, Habelian pulled out his pocket watch, checked the time, and snapped it shut with a crisp click.
"Seeing as there is hardly any time left and you have not even read the questions, should I assume you are taking your sweet time?"
Lefonya swallowed hard.
How on earth did I end up in this mess?
It had all started earlier when Habelian approached her while she was playing in the garden. Contrary to her dread that he had come to torment her, he had merely sat beside her and opened an alphabet primer. Caught entirely off guard, Lefonya had obediently read aloud every word his finger tapped against.
At first, he had carefully mouthed the word "Fluffball" to teach her syllable by syllable, but sensing something unusual, he began steadily ramping up the difficulty. When she read every single word without a sliver of hesitation, he suddenly bolted to his feet, scooped her into his arms, and marched straight toward the library. Pelens, who had been practicing his swordsmanship a short distance away, rushed after them in utter astonishment, but Habelian paid him no mind at all.
Setting Lefonya down in a library chair, Habelian brought over an extraordinarily thick tome and instructed her to read it. The atmosphere felt distinctly strange, and she briefly considered feigning illiteracy, but the book Habelian retrieved happened to be the very one she had previously read in front of Pelens—the one she had pored over while pretending to study diligently like a proper young lady in order to locate the family heirloom.
With Pelens glaring daggers at his brother, on high alert in case Habelian did something cruel to her, she couldn't suddenly pretend she couldn't read it now. If she were caught lying over something so trivial, she would never be able to earn House Craitan's trust.
In the end, Lefonya read the heavy tome. As she read effortlessly, without stumbling over a single word, Habelian pulled up a chair and settled in for good. Between passages, he began probing her on the meanings of complex vocabulary and demanded that she summarize sentences in plain terms. By that point, even Pelens, who had been scowling with crossed arms, crept closer behind her back.
When Lefonya passed every test with flying colors, Habelian's face twisted in sheer disbelief. He tossed the book aside and began furiously scribbling down questions of his own to create an impromptu exam paper. And that brought them to the present moment.
"Time is almost up. Just do as much as you can. But at least read the questions first."
Lefonya took the pen into her small hand. Neat, even handwriting that resembled its author caught her eye.
Is this... really an exam meant for a five-year-old?
Her eyes wavered. The questions Habelian had drafted covered concepts Lefonya hadn't learned until she was well past the age of ten. The tutor the Pope hired to educate the children had starved them and deprived them of sleep until they memorized and understood every lesson, forcing Lefonya to study desperately; even so, it had been overwhelmingly difficult for her ten-year-old self. She had studied through beatings and tears back then, yet here he was, asking this of a five-year-old.
Habelian might be even crueler than I thought.
Of course, she already knew all the answers, so it wasn't hard.
Should I solve them, or should I play dumb?
Lefonya faced what felt like the greatest dilemma of her life. She had already discovered what the heirloom was and where it was kept, so there was no longer any need to put on an act as a studious child. Nor could she simply run off with it right now. Furthermore, if a five-year-old aced such an advanced test, they were bound to find it suspicious. Layer upon layer of doubt would pile up, and even if nothing happened immediately, it could become a catalyst that dismantled their trust later on.
Let's miss a reasonable amount on purpose. Just get a few right.
Lefonya adjusted her grip on the pen. But as she tried to write an intentionally incorrect answer, her hand froze. The pain etched into her body over so many years dredged up a visceral dread.
...If I get them wrong, will the Duke of Craitan condemn me as stupid and useless, just like the Pope did?
Her palm grew clammy around the pen. Even if not right away, the Duke might come to regret adopting her. Just imagining his face turning cold as he scolded her for being idiotic and useless made a heavy stone drop into her chest. And as soon as the image of Pelens turning his back on her in disgust flashed through her mind, her hand moved of its own accord.
No.
Even if that future was inevitable one day, she wanted to delay it for as long as possible. Even if this became the catalyst that ruined their trust later, she wanted just a little more time...
Lefonya began solving the questions Habelian had written with swift, unhesitating strokes. Her tiny fingers lacked strength, and her trembling hand could barely clutch the pen properly, yet she wrote answer after answer. It didn't take more than a few minutes for her to read every question and complete the paper.
Behind her, Pelens sucked in a sharp breath. At the same time, Habelian glared at him, pressed an index finger to his lips, and shook his head slightly. Habelian slipped the pocket watch completely back into his breast pocket. Time no longer mattered.
"...Here."
Lefonya laid the pen down and pushed the exam paper across the desk. Habelian didn't even bother checking the answers she had presented. There was no longer any need to check.
Without uttering a word, Habelian rose from his seat and walked toward the towering library bookshelves.
What is he doing?
Lefonya tilted her head, watching his retreating back. After agonizing so much over her resolve to finish the test, he didn't even grade it.
"What gives? Fluffball worked so hard on that, and you don't even have anything to say?" Pelens grumbled, resting a heavy palm atop Lefonya's head. When she looked up at him, a soft smirk spread across his lips. "Fluffball. You're crazy smart. Even when I was older than you, I remember struggling with stuff like that, but you just breezed right through."
His hand stroked her hair in praise, clumsy and awkward as if he had never done such a thing in his life. Perhaps that was why it felt so wonderfully comforting.
"I just... read a lot of books, so I knew how to answer."
"Yeah, right. You must be a genius. In my whole life, I've only ever seen one person called a genius before." Pelens gestured with his eyes toward Habelian, who was pulling several volumes from the shelf. "When he was little, anyway."
The dynamic between the brothers was truly strange. Even though they bickered as if ready to murder one another, Pelens openly conceded that Habelian was a genius. And for all that Habelian treated Pelens like a simpleton whenever he spoke, he never genuinely pushed him into a corner.
"Though I think I saw a real genius today. I had a hunch ever since you were carrying around that book with a title you shouldn't have been able to read."
Mm.
It seemed Pelens really hadn't paid any mind to whether Lefonya could read or write back then.
Meanwhile, Habelian returned to the table with several books in his arms. He briskly slapped Pelens's hand away.
"Stop interfering and go practice manipulating your aura."
"Why would I trust you enough to leave you alone with Fluffball?"
"You already left us alone the moment I carried her all the way to the library earlier. Go swing your sword."
Habelian set the books down in front of Lefonya.
"Looking at your schedule, it seems you don't have a tutor."
Lefonya looked down at the books, then lifted her gaze to stare at Habelian.
"When you leave this place in the future, you will need a way to earn a living. Even if not, having more knowledge will ensure you won't starve to death once you step outside the estate."
"Hyung! Why do you always have to talk like—"
"Starting today, I will oversee your studies."
"...Huh?"
"I believe you called me 'Teacher' before."
"..."
"Being called Teacher without doing anything felt like receiving a regular salary from an accounting error without ever being employed."
Wait, isn't that actually an amazing feeling?
"Hyung. Fluffball is five years old! What kind of studying does a five-year-old need? Five is the age when kids should be running around playing!"
"Even at five, one must learn when the time comes. It's not as though I'm telling her to study all day."
"I didn't study when I was five!"
"Pelens, at five, you were too busy struggling to form complete sentences."
Habelian sat back down across from her. He neatly folded the exam paper Lefonya had handed him and slipped it inside his coat.
"Not even among the cadets at the Military Academy has there ever been anyone capable of this at age five."
"That still doesn't mean she has to study!"
"Then let her decide."
Habelian turned his gaze toward Lefonya.
"Learning from me will not serve you poorly. Even if you leave this estate later, you could find employment in the Imperial Palace or a noble household. Is there a career you've had in mind? If so, focusing your studies around that will be of immense help later."
Habelian was speaking of a future for Lefonya that no one else had ever considered. The Duke had never spoken of what would come after, and Pelens, back when he had tried to drive her away, had merely mentioned sponsoring her until she reached adulthood or providing a place for her to stay.
"If you don't wish to, you may continue playing with Pelens as you do now."
A future after the dissolution of her adoption.
Could such a thing even exist?
Even I never dared to imagine it.
A normal future after breaking free from the Pope.
A future she was picturing for the very first time.
Lefonya laid a small hand over her chest. A brilliant array of dazzling colors seemed to sparkle within her heart.
"...Okay." Lefonya nodded softly. "I'll learn."