Home/My Youngest Keeps Bringing Me Male Leads/ch 6

Chapter 6

Late at night, when everyone was asleep.

Cesenor was in his room with an uninvited guest.

"I heard she lost her mother when her youngest sibling was born when she was fifteen. The Viscount and Viscountess Laverose were said to be very devoted to each other, so the Viscount was so heartbroken that he became a complete wreck."

"Were there no close relatives? Usually, even distant relatives help out."

"Yes. The Viscountess Laverose lost her parents early. She did have an older half-brother, but I hear their relationship wasn't good."

"A man who was said to be steady ruined his family like that in just two years."

"You never know how things will turn out in life. In any case, Lady Agnes has a bit of an age gap with her siblings, so she seems to have tried hard to salvage the household somehow."

"And that led her to become a governess."

"Still, isn't it fortunate? If the Count of Waldemar's household hadn't taken an interest, the entire family would have been scattered."

Despite reporting diligently, Ascer had a sullen expression.

"This concludes my report, but when are you returning?"

Ascer was Cesenor's adjutant and disciple in the Magic Tower.

She had just arrived here via teleportation from the Celestial Tower in the north, so a magic circle was still faintly glowing beneath her feet. It would disappear once she returned to the Tower.

"The capital must have already received word. They take a keen interest in every move of the Tower Master."

"The Crown Prince's interest is hardly welcome."

"Well, I don't particularly want to know his thoughts either."

Ascer, shuddering as if she didn't even want to think about it, crossed her arms and stood stubbornly.

Cesenor was reviewing the documents Ascer had brought.

Every time he turned a page, golden powder was sprinkled and a signature was inscribed. At the same time, the documents burst into flames and disappeared.

They were sealed with magic and delivered to their respective destinations.

Ascer glared at this with a frown. It was as if she were watching a convict at hard labor.

"Anyway, I need to know what exactly the Tower Master is planning. The story about that little girl named Amy returning from the Crack is quite astonishing, but why her older sister? Surely you haven't fallen for a lady with no magical power at first sight?"

"Leave it alone. Don't be a nuisance."

To someone who didn't know the details, it would certainly look that way.

He also understood what Ascer was worried about.

The Celesta family had, for generations, only married mages to produce offspring.

It wasn't necessarily the case that the children of great mages would also be great mages, but mages were never born from non-mage parents.

Though mutations occasionally occurred, they were extremely rare.

So naturally, Cesenor would also marry a mage and pass on his title to the child born from that union.

If he failed to do so, the name of Celestial, which had left its mark on history—including the position of the Celestial Tower's Master—could be altered.

Ascer, as a mage of the Celestial Tower, was essentially demanding that the Tower Master not act rashly.

'They can all say that because they don't know the story of the World Tree.'

Cesenor scoffed inwardly.

Only his parents and the elders of the Tower knew about the 'mark' on the back of his hand.

Ascer also didn't have the authority to access such secrets, and naturally, Cesenor didn't want to casually mention it either.

The World Tree, which held the power to shake the world.

Compared to that, didn't the position of the Celestial Tower's Master seem utterly insignificant?

'And above all, being treated so blatantly like a stud horse is unpleasant.'

Though it was a predetermined path since birth, it sometimes felt suffocating.

Even as he felt stifled, he pretended not to hear and continued processing the mountain of documents, but finally, Ascer added another word.

"I simply don't understand it. Of all people, a lady who looks like such a little child..."

Cesenor's brow twitched noticeably. His fingers, which had been turning pages, changed direction, and a beam of light shot out, sealing Ascer's mouth.

"Urgh, mmph...! Mmmph!"

"I told you to leave it alone."

He sighed in annoyance and lowered his gaze.

The mountain of documents was gradually revealing the tabletop.

From the mages of the Tower pestering him for research budgets, to various requests from the territory, and other financial matters.

As the 'Marquis of Celesta' and the 'Master of the Celestial Tower,' there was always a mountain of work to be done.

Just two days ago, he had been buried in that life.

Processing mountains of documents, buried in books like bricks researching magic, and then, fearing his stamina would wane, rolling around training among the knights.

Even though it hadn't been long, it already felt like a dream.

Cesenor briefly turned his gaze to the window.

Outside was pitch-black and silent.

But Cesenor's senses were acute due to the mana filling his body.

Even with the window closed, he could vividly hear the murmuring of the people in this mansion, and even the sound of crickets from outside.

Unlike the magically soundproofed, deathly silent Tower, this should have felt terribly noisy.

Instead, this place felt even quieter.

'A lady who looks like a little child...'

Actually, it wasn't wrong.

She did run through the fields with the nine-year-old children, climb trees, play with them, and then come inside to study with them bickering.

Of course, she would have her own difficulties, but to 'Cesenor Celesta,' it seemed like such a trivial matter.

If her worries had been about supporting her family, even that could be resolved with the gold coins obtained from the Dragon's Lair.

If so, her life would be very peaceful from now on.

'She said she was a tomboy when she was little.'

He intended to do whatever he could to make a good impression on her.

He had deliberately made physical contact, and when she seemed to find it unpleasant, he apologized.

Not only that, but he had also tried to approach her more gently.

When he did, he recalled Agnes's expression—pleased, yet trying hard not to show it.

When he imagined what Agnes, not a mere governess but a normal noble lady, would be like—

Feeling a strange sensation, Cesenor turned his gaze back into the room.

Ascer was blinking as if she had seen a ghost. Touching her mouth, she realized the corners of her lips had unconsciously curled up.

Covering it with his hand, Cesenor muttered quietly.

"Next, investigate the Count of Waldemar's household."

"Mmph... Mmmmph...!"

"Something doesn't sit right. According to your investigation, the Countess is supposed to have shown goodwill toward Lady Agnes, but to me, she acted as if she wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible."

Of course, from Cesenor's perspective, this was something he didn't need to concern himself with at all.

When Amy returned, Agnes would no longer need to work as a governess, and she would remain on cordial terms with the Countess.

But he had a bad feeling.

That morning.

Before going to see Agnes and the children, Cesenor had met with the Countess.

'Are you asking me to evaluate the children's studies?'

'I know it's an impertinent request, but since you're here, I have no way of knowing if they're learning well. As a mother, I'm always worried about my immature children and can't sleep.'

'From what you've said, isn't Lady Agnes the one in charge of their instruction?'

'That's true, but the children are much older now. They're difficult children, so sending them to boarding school is hard, and I can't have them playing around like scatterbrained little kids forever.'

Yes, that was possible.

It was just the lessons of a young noble lady, after all.

She must have been quite anxious to ask him.

He had smiled it off, thinking that.

'Oh, but please don't mention this to Lady Agnes. We have a different request for her, and we plan to speak to her about it ourselves when the time comes.'

Curious about what kind of person she was, Cesenor had observed Agnes throughout the day, as the Countess had asked.

'What exactly is the problem...?'

He couldn't understand.

'It's the children who are the problem, not Agnes.'

Agnes was a surprisingly excellent teacher.

With troublemakers like those, no one else could possibly teach them better than Agnes.

'Wouldn't it be better to keep Lady Agnes?'

He knew it wasn't easy for parents to view their children objectively.

But to act charitable, as if helping a needy young lady, while her children were in such a pitiful state—

'Who else does she think would take on brats like those?'

And then, during dinner that evening.

'I heard from the Marquis that Lady Amy is alive.'

'Lady Agnes, I'm so happy for you! You must have been through so much.'

Unlike the morning, when she had spoken coldly about her, she showed Agnes a very warm attitude.

He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something duplicitous about her.

'Well, it's none of my business.'

A clumsy, insignificant life—he could even call it childish play.

So even knowing there was no need to concern himself.

'This time, you have to be good to her. You can't hurt her, and you can't make her sad.'

At that moment, he had seen in Amy's large eyes a terrible fear that an ordinary child couldn't possibly have experienced.

She didn't seem like a six-year-old at all.

At that moment, the child had surely been seeing the future.

'In the future that girl saw, I must have acted pretty terribly.'

In fact, if not for Amy's advice, Cesenor would have thought of Agnes's life as child's play and done whatever he wanted with her.

A mere viscount's daughter was nothing to the 'Marquis of Celesta.'

Cesenor gulped down the tea beside him.

It was the tea he had shared with Agnes during the day. He'd heard it was a herbal tea only handled in the southern regions.

The already-cold tea tasted terrible.

Seeing that, Ascer looked at him as if he were crazy and shook her head.

Cesenor chuckled softly and released the spell that had sealed Ascer's mouth.

Without even mentioning the spell that had silenced her, Ascer began to grumble.

"Does that lady have some kind of amazing treasure hidden away? As usual, why don't you just romance magic, and stop worrying about useless things—that's why I'm concerned."

At that, Cesenor laughed softly.

"Something like that."

"Pardon?"

"So I have to get close to her first before anyone else finds out."

"Before, before who?"

Back   Next