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Due to the power struggle among the nobles, Operan, who chose to stand with the Colswaite family, has been estranged from her mother's side of the family for five years. She has not seen her mother during this period.
"Lina, are you back?"
Her husband died early, and she broke ties with her parents, so her daughter was her only remaining family.
"If you're talking about the kitten, it's here. If you're referring to the girl, she's still sleeping upstairs."
A voice, calm and clear like pure water, reached his ears. Operan raised her head.
A young man, half-lying sideways, leaned against the window. No aura emanated from him, as if he had perfectly blended into the environment. So much so that Operan hadn't noticed him until now.
But once she did, she couldn't take her eyes off him.
The early morning sunlight filtered through the ivy surrounding the pavilion and the clean glass windows, turning into a soft glow that bathed the boy's body. His beautiful features seemed otherworldly, especially his misty blue-purple eyes, which were like a mysterious lake, both moving and entrancing.
His skin had a texture somewhere between warm white porcelain and colorful glass, and his light blue hair floated slightly in the air. One arm rested on the windowsill, supporting his face, while with his other hand, he gently stroked the soft fur of the ragdoll cat sleeping there.
"Are you awake? How do you feel?"
Turning his head, those deep, beautiful eyes met hers. A smile curled his lips, and in a gentle voice, he asked.
It was a breathtaking sight—nothing could be more stunning than this.
For a moment, Operan's heart seemed to skip a beat, and she felt a stirring in her chest, one that hadn't been felt for six years.
"May I ask who you are?"
Realizing the boy didn't recognize her, Aya introduced herself as simply as possible.
"I'm an adventurer passing by. By chance, I saved your daughter and helped you with your illness." Levi or Aya smiled and said, "My name is Levi Stark. You can just call me 'Levi.'"
"Levi Stark." Operan said his name softly, feeling her heart inexplicably race.
"Let me explain the situation to you."
"Okay, okay, thank you for your help." Only then did she realize she was still wearing loose, sweaty pajamas. Her face turned slightly red, and she excused herself to take a shower first.
Aya had a very favorable impression of Operan, for one simple reason: Operan was an excellent mother.
After her husband's death, she had taken on the responsibilities of the Duke. Though not a political genius, she worked diligently during her six years in power, ensuring the territory's stable development.
All her efforts were to leave a prosperous Maple Moon Territory to her daughter.
Last night, for the sake of experimentation, Aya activated the succubus's innate ability and sneaked into Operan's dreams. She saw the delicate heart of this woman beneath her strong exterior.
The distressed woman sighed softly in her sleep. Aya, silently leaving her dream, enveloped her in a gentle embrace of understanding.
Aya herself didn't belong to the realm of elves, succubi, or primitive monsters, but was the original Aya. She had no memories of her own mother, but she felt a certain curiosity about maternal love.
So when she saw Operan murmuring about her daughters in her sleep, Aya felt a kind of satisfaction and thought about her own beloved daughters. She began to understand the Duchess.
Aya developed a bond with Operan that felt like the close friendship between young ladies.
It must be admitted that Aya wasn't entirely uninterested in the kind of relationship she'd only seen in TV dramas, where good friends show off their proud children to each other.
Once you begin to like someone, you can't help but reveal your best side and treat them gently, and it seemed that Operan didn't mind that at all.
If this continued, they could become best friends. Aya had never had a best friend before. In fact, aside from online games, she had never had a close friend.
In terms of age, Operan was much older than her, but she was only 31 years old. Her figure and skin were well-maintained, and Aya thought it would be a pleasant experience to become best friends with such a beautiful woman.
If possible, Aya hoped her daughter could make good friends. If the mothers got along, surely their daughters would too.
Aya decided to try to cultivate a relationship with Duchess Operan as close friends, both as mothers.
Oh, right.
Aya finally realized she was wearing men's clothing, and outwardly, she was presenting herself as a man.
However, this wasn't a big issue. She'd first try to establish a friendship and then decide if the time was right to reveal her true gender.
In any case, Aya was eagerly anticipating her first-ever friendship.
"What the hell am I thinking?" Operan murmured, curled up in the bathtub, her body submerged under the water, leaving only her eyes exposed as she gazed at the bubbles.
In this world, showers don't exist. Ordinary people bathe using wooden barrels filled with either cold or hot water, while most nobles use bathtubs, where the water temperature and circulation are regulated by magic.
Of course, shampoo doesn't exist either, and the wealthy often use magic items with the [Clean] spell attached. Those who can't afford such luxuries don't pay much attention to cleanliness.
Although pipes have been laid out, water flow depends on magic, and cleaning requires magical items. A comfortable bath is a luxury in this world.
But for someone like Operan, who loved cleanliness, the cost was of little concern compared to the desire for a good bath.
For Operan, the short moments spent bathing were one of the few times she could completely relax and rest without any worries.
But unfortunately, today it was difficult for her to fully relax.
At first, she had been worried about her daughter. Now, though, she was reassured. Before bathing, Operan had spoken with the housekeeper, Lena, and gotten the latest updates on Angelina's situation. She knew her daughter was safe and could set her worries aside for now.
Now, she had to consider the situation regarding the young boy.
Mysterious and magical—this was Operan's first impression of him.
The details of how he saved Angelina were still unclear, but his treatment of Operan had been nothing short of astonishing. When her heart rate, breathing, and body temperature were dangerously unstable, and the doctors were helpless, he had used a fifth-level magic scroll on her. This was hard to believe.
Operan wasn't a magician, but her late husband could use second-level magic, so she had some knowledge of it.
Those who could use third-level magic were the best magicians, and those who could wield higher levels were the top of humanity.
The most powerful magician in the Bahas Empire was said to wield sixth-level magic, a power so immense that it was equivalent to the entire military strength of the empire.
And yet this young man had used a fifth-level magic scroll as if it were a mere trinket.
Operan's heart was full of complex emotions—gratitude for saving her life, confusion about why he would do such a thing, and fear about how to repay him.
Then, she remembered the glance they had exchanged.
It had been like a sweet rain falling directly into her dry heart.
Honestly, Operan had never truly experienced love. Her only marriage had been a political one arranged by her family. She didn't hate her late husband, but she had always thought of him as "a good man."
For the nobility, power and interests came first, and marriage was merely a bargaining chip.
Operan had been the fourth daughter in her family, not of high status and without the right to choose her partner. At first, it had been nothing more than a gesture from her family to the Colswaite.