Chapter 36 : As Sincere as a Child’s Dream

Henna wanted to breathe new life into Redpine City, but she needed a large influx of fresh talent to do so.

The old nobility were hogging the city’s resources without producing anything useful—instead of contributing, they were just draining the city’s lifeblood!

And what little new talent Redpine did have kept getting drawn away by the more open and inclusive Empire right next door.

The city simply couldn’t retain people.

With land but no people, and people slipping away—the city was falling apart inside and out.

Trapped in this dilemma, Henna came up with the idea of integrating the city-run schools and public academies.

Her goal was to expand access to education for the common people.

Even if only a small number stayed behind afterward, it would still provide some much-needed new blood to the city.

Henna’s vision was to establish a large-scale academy like those in the cities of the Western Wind Empire.

But the city-run schools, backed by nobles living off investment income, were also a major source of revenue for Redpine.

Dismantling them would be like cutting off the city’s water and food supply.

Not dismantling them would be like drinking poison to quench one’s thirst.

Doesn’t it sound like a headache just thinking about it?

To put it simply—it all boils down to two words:

No money!

Enya kept a neutral expression, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

She certainly wasn’t some bleeding-heart philanthropist.

There was no way she was going to cough up a huge sum of money.

Of course, Henna wasn’t expecting that from her anyway.

After all, she was just a single mother with a daughter to raise—what kind of money could she possibly have to offer?

Henna was only venting because her heart was already drunk, even though her body wasn’t.

She’d been emotionally overwhelmed since the moment Enya arrived and just couldn’t hold it in anymore.

After going over all these unpleasant and boring matters, Henna invited Enya to stay for lunch.

But Enya declined—she said she had to go home and make lunch for her daughter.

Her little Rosily had such a tiny stomach that missing even one meal could leave her too weak to move.

If Enya didn’t get home in time, she was afraid Rosily might faint from hunger.

At the castle’s back gate, Henna personally saw Enya off to her carriage—clearly, this showed how much Henna cared.

Just before Enya left, Henna made sure to tell her:

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of everything regarding Rosily’s schooling. My steward will get in touch with you later and handle all the arrangements.”

“Mm, thank you, Henna. Oh, by the way—does this mean we’re friends now?”

“……”

“We are, right?”

Henna nodded slightly.

Once Enya’s carriage was far enough away, she turned and quickly ran back inside the manor, finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

Leaning against the wall, she stared off into the distance in a daze.

She smiled a little, without knowing exactly why she was happy… or why a hint of melancholy crept into her heart.

Just then, a maid found her, holding two glass jars in her hands.

“Lady Henna, these were left by Miss Phil. She said to give them to you after she left. It’s flower tea she dried herself—said it took her quite a bit of effort.”

Inside the two transparent glass jars, shades of brown and white swirled together, accented with little specks of bright yellow.

They looked beautiful—clearly prepared with care.

“Put them in my room… no, I’ll hold onto them myself.”

Henna took them with her own hands, and for a moment, a small smile appeared on her face.

The maid caught sight of that smile—and was utterly stunned.

The lady lord can smile?

That completely shattered what they thought they knew about her!

…

Later that afternoon, Rosily was reading a book she’d asked Enya for last time.

The thrilling story had completely drawn her in, and she couldn’t help but imagine herself as the protagonist.

Meanwhile, Enya was washing the dishes and then planned to water the garden and apply some magic fertilizer.

Not long after, a carriage slowly pulled up and stopped outside their house.

An upright elderly man with silver hair stepped down.

He doffed his hat and bowed respectfully to Rosily, who was sitting in the yard basking in the warm sun.

“You must be Miss Rosily, correct?”

“……”

Rosily stared at the stranger in silence.

She was a well-behaved girl, and Mama had taught her not to talk to strangers.

Just as she was about to get up and fetch Enya, Enya herself came out of the house.

“You must be the steward, sir?”

“Miss Phil, that’s correct. I am a steward.”

Enya nodded, then looked past the old steward to the maid standing behind him, who was holding several sets of clothing in her arms.

Rosily ran to Enya’s side.

Enya gave her a reassuring look before turning to the steward.

“What’s all this?”

“These are the uniforms for Redpine City’s Magic Academy, Miss Phil. If I may trouble Miss Rosily to try one on.”

Enya walked over and took the school uniform.

The uniform was maroon and black—quite a pretty design.

It also came with a silver badge bearing the name of the Redpine City Magic Academy and a stylized star, indicating Rosily’s status as a beginner student.

She asked the steward to wait a moment and then brought Rosily inside to change.

After Rosily got dressed, Enya carefully adjusted her clothes and tidied her up.

Once she finished, Enya said softly:

“Turn around and let Mama take a good look.”

Rosily spun to face her, proudly puffing out her chest.

The girl was dressed in a maroon vest over a black skirt, with a light blue ribbon at the collar.

Enya took the necklace that Vivienne had given her and placed it around Rosily’s neck.

Enya looked her up and down and then smiled as she praised:

“My daughter is just so beautiful.”

“Hehe~ That’s because Mama is beautiful, so Rosily is pretty too!”

Never one to miss a chance, Rosily dove straight into Enya’s arms.

Enya was a little embarrassed by her daughter’s sweet words, but Rosily didn’t care at all.

She nuzzled and rubbed herself against Enya’s soft chest with abandon.

Looking at her daughter’s soft and adorable behavior, Enya felt a mix of joy and concern in her heart.

What if Rosily got bullied at school?

What if she turned bad…

But then again, Rosily was her daughter.

Thinking like that felt a bit overly anxious.

Still, she needed to say something.

Gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind Rosily’s ear, Enya softly stroked her face. Her gaze full of tenderness, she spoke.

“Rosily, do you really want to go to school? If you don’t, just tell Mama. I won’t force you. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters to me.”

“I want to go.”

Rosily’s smile faded as she answered seriously.

She couldn’t hide behind her mother forever.

Her mother wasn’t as strong as she imagined—she worked from dawn to dusk, all alone, just to care for her.

As a precocious child, Rosily wished to become her mother’s shield.

If a powerful enemy ever appeared again, she didn’t want to be hiding in her mother’s warm embrace, letting her mother’s thin, fragile body bear all the burden.

She wanted to stand in front of her mother like she did last time—to protect her from harm.

And for that, she had to grow stronger.

In this world, only by cultivating magic could one truly gain power.

So, Rosily had to go to school!

Enya’s lashes trembled slightly.

Through the resonance of their shared bloodline, she could feel that every word from her daughter was true.

That emotion was as clear and sincere as a child’s dream.

She held Rosily tightly and replied again and again with a gentle “okay.”

“Mama understands how you feel, Rosily. When you’re at school, make sure to study hard—so that one day you can become Mama’s knight and protect me, alright?”

“Mhm! Of course! As long as I’m around, no one will dare bully my Mama. Hmph!”

Rosily lifted her head proudly.

Seeing her so adorably confident, Enya’s heart filled with warmth.

But she knew she couldn’t really rely on her daughter for protection.

Still, she didn’t mind playing along—getting protected once in a while wasn’t so bad.

Enya took Rosily’s hand.

“Alright, let’s go downstairs now. We shouldn’t keep people waiting too long.”