Can We Become a Family?

Chapter 8

Knock knock.

“It’s Charlotte. I will come in.”

When the morning came, Charlotte arrived to prepare.

Navia pulled down her sleeve to hide her wrist.

It’s better to hide the black moon because it hasn’t been determined whether it is visible to others or not.

Charlotte came in with water to wash her face.

“Ah… you were up.”

Charlotte looked surprised that Navia woke up early.

“Yeah, I woke up early.”

Navia always woke up at dawn. It was a habit she had over her life.

“It’s wash water. I’ve also prepared for a bath.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Her body felt like it was chewed up from the amount of cold sweat all over.

After placing the wash water in front of Navia, Charlotte found the untouched meal while cleaning up.

Navia slept without waking up last night. The meal Charlotte left in the afternoon remained the same.

Was her condition that bad?

Charlotte asked Navia awkwardly, who was washing her face.

“Um… do you feel okay?”

It’s been a year since she’s been working as a dedicated maid, but she’s never had this worry before.

It wasn’t just Charlotte who felt the awkwardness.

Navia blinked slowly and smirked.

“Are you worried about me?”

Charlotte’s face was burning. She avoided Navia’s eyes.

Navia continued, putting the towel down, “I’m okay.”

“…that’s a relief.”

Charlotte lowered her head and cleaned the water hurriedly.

‘Did the alliance make you feel grateful?’

Navia headed to the private right next to her with a dry expression. A large bathtub with golden legs was seen on the marble floor. The bathtub was filled with warm water.

“The third floor is certainly different.”

Navia liked this change. Before, she had always been busy washing herself in cold water.

Navia had to wash herself without a bathtub and then walk back to her bedroom.

Because she had few clothes and accessories, it was better to dress herself in the bedroom than in the dress room.

“I will help you.”

All of Navia’s clothes were shabby dresses without ribbons, let alone lace. But Navia didn’t care.

It was better than the vulgar and luxurious dresses that she wore when she went outside.

‘I need to see if the crescent moon is visible to others now.’

Seeing that the black moon wasn’t reflected in the mirror, it seemed like it wasn’t visible like the number of regressions, but there was nothing bad about being careful.

Navia purposely scrunched her sleeves in front of Charlotte.

“Don’t you think the sleeves have gotten short?”

Charlotte looked at Navia’s wrist.

“It must have gotten shorter as you grew taller. I’ll have it tailored.”

This time, she pointed at the moon.

“To here?”

Navia’s eyes became sharp as Charlotte’s gaze reached the crescent moon.

‘It’s not reflected in her eyes.’

‘Her eyes reflected read this on Lady Keke.’

Navia’s wrist, reflected in Charlotte’s brown eyes, was spotless.

It was the same as the regression numbers.

“We should do it right above the back of the hand.”

“Yeah, please do that.”

So like the regressions, is it a mark that doesn’t have anything to do with magic?

While Navia was lost in thought, Charlotte helped her groom, and when someone knocked on the door, she left briefly and came back.

“Miss, Spencer has arrived at the Duke’s residence. You can go to the study room after eating.”

“Okay.”

The meal Charlotte prepared was a proper meal.

It was only a small salad with cold ham, but it was satisfying somehow. (T/N: Our baby is too malnourished…)

It takes strength to fight the enemy.

“Have you started your work?”

Understanding the question, Charlotte’s eyes shone.

“Yes.”

Navia ate the meal grudgingly, as if it were her job. For her, eating was only for survival.

“Then I’ll be back.”

Navia jumped out of her chair and left the room.

The study room was in the east building on the first floor.

‘To leave Agnes, Vivian’s disease must be completely cured.’

It was her tutor who would cure the incurable disease.

A former Academy professor in the Holy Empire, an Academy where only elites who didn’t use money can enter and only those who had proven their abilities can graduate.

Despite his brilliant background, he became a tutor, a henchman of Agnes.

‘Edward Spencer.’

Navia stopped in front of the study room. There was an eerie chill flowing from her expression.

“I’ll let you know that you’re about to be a dead person. You’ve been brainwashed.”

Click.

Finally, the study room’s door opened and Navia laughed as bright as the breaking sun.

“Hello, Mr. Spencer?”

***

A young man with brown hair and a cool appearance entered the study room.

He was Edward Spencer, Navia’s tutor.

Edward waited for Navia to arrive at the study room and endured the boredom.

Even when he was a professor at the Academy of the Holy Empire, dealing with undesirable students was particularly a difficult task.

A child’s tutor.

If Navia was a genius, even though she’s young, it wouldn’t have felt this hard.

‘Her head isn’t terrible, but at her level, she couldn’t be considered a genius.’

She is a genius if you can give grades based on an appearance that isn’t like a human’s.

‘But her blood is lowly.’

A dull expression. Unexpected attitude. Embarrassing way of speaking. Insufficient knowledge.

Nikan wanted to tear all of that apart and change Navia into a member of the aristocratic society when she would become nine.

There was one more task in the contract Edward had to carry out.

‘To brainwash her ideas with magic. Read on lady Keke’

Edward wasn’t powerful, but he can use mental domination magic.

Rather than his academic knowledge, Nikan hired Edward because he can use mental domination magic.

‘I’m becoming Agnes’ dog on my own will by brainwashing.’

It was a cruel and vicious act for the child, but Edward didn’t care about anything other than his own purposes.

‘To cure my little sister’s mana reflux, being here would be the fastest and most advantageous.’

Edward looked dark as he recalled his younger sister, a mana reflux disease patient.

He studied magic frantically only for his little sister and became a professor at the Holy Empire Academy. There was no other purpose.

Of course, it was a matter of course.

The mana reflux disease was usually a disease among aristocrats, so there was an absurd lack of test subjects, so they could not have multiple samples.

However, Agnes was different.

This powerful family will find a way to cure the mana reflux disease faster and more accurately than anyone else.

That was why Edward colluded with Agnes.

While he was briefly lost in thought, the door to the study room opened.

Click.

Edward looked at Navia at the door with cold eyes.

She’ll look timid and scared as usual. He’s mentioned several times to change her attitude.

At that moment, Navia smiled brightly.

“Hello, Mr. Spencer?”

From the soft and clear tone, Edward raised his eyebrows.

It didn’t seem like she was forcing it. Her straight back, calmly stretched shoulders, and her proud noble appearance without arrogance.

It’s only been one day that he hadn’t seen her, but Navia looked different.

‘…it’s perfect.’

She looked like a specimen of a noble family.

‘It looks like imperial etiquette.’

A person cannot change in one day. Especially in areas that would require such detailed training.

Did she pretend to be stupid all this time?

Edward clicked his tongue.

‘That’s impossible.’

He dismissed himself as being too sensitive.

“Hello, Princess Navia. Let’s start the class.”

Edward started the class missed from yesterday without asking why class was cancelled.

“Last time, I briefly told you about the three greatest Duchies of the Empire.”

Navia showed an indifferent attitude with a disoriented expression. Edward raised one eyebrow. How dare you be recklessly bold when you’re struggling with your assignments?

‘No matter how much you study, your birth will never change.’

He deliberately asked Navia a difficult question to let her know her place.

“Do you remember the titles of the three greatest Dukes?”

The three greatest Dukes had distinct magical abilities and were titled accordingly. He thought Navia would never remember them because he had only mentioned them roughly.

Navia raised her gaze and spoke with a strange smile of unknown meaning.

“Agnes of Water, Lucia of Fire, and Eseled of Law.”

Without realizing it himself, Edward had a surprised expression.

That was the end of the first question.

“Why is Eseled titled as Law?”

Water and fire are the properties of magic, so it was nothing special.

But Eseled, nicknamed ‘Law’, seemed to be special.

Navia was unbothered again this time.

“As it sounds, they were the first family to create a new civilization using the laws of magic.”

The wizards of Eseled studied the law of magic, made formulas and formed the base.

“And as a result, they created the ‘harness’.”

Such a great family was in a ridiculously declining state with the current head, Lark Eseled.

“…that’s right. Read on Lady Keke”

Edward looked at Navia strangely. She answered perfectly, even the parts he didn’t teach.

“You must have prepared well…”

“The House of Duffman is also called the ‘Duffman of Dominance’ because they specialize in domination magic. In the days of the four great Duchies, there was also ‘The Eiles of the Flash.’

Navia knew that he had asked these questions to embarrass her.

After this explanation, Edward always taught about the Duffman Royal Family and the power structure of the Dukes.

Navia grinned.

“Shall we talk about how Duke Eiles disappeared into the back of history?”

With those words, Edward’s usual cool expression was distorted slightly with astonishment.