It turned out that the childhood test wasn’t because she lacked talent—it was simply because she was too young and had been frightened by what happened.
For an active and lively child, what had just occurred was terrifying enough to be called horror.
Then, everything returned once more.
The wind seeping through the window, the faint fragrance in the bedroom, and the sound of her own heartbeat…
Everything came back.
Lilian understood that she was back in reality.
But there was a slight difference.
Warm breath brushed against Lilian’s face, tickling her.
Someone was pressed very, very close—probably Elenora?
“Master?”
As the voice came out, Lilian noticed the person suddenly pulling away.
Lilian quickly took off the ribbon.
Elenora was sitting across from her, looking sideways with a nervous, evasive gaze.
“Don’t get the wrong idea! I just thought you looked a bit off, so I wanted to check…”
Her voice grew quieter and quieter.
That was indeed the truth.
After Elenora got close to Lilian, Lilian suddenly called out, “Elenora!”
Elenora felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her and immediately snapped awake.
She thought Lilian had discovered what she was doing, which was why she called her name.
Then she realized Lilian was still in a meditative state.
Normally, this wouldn’t happen.
So Elenora carefully checked on Lilian’s condition, but as she checked, she ended up inspecting places she shouldn’t have…
Her heart started pounding fast.
“Oh… I see.” Lilian didn’t seem bothered by Elenora’s reaction.
She was currently busy playing with her mana, letting it flow from her left hand to her right hand.
This kind of sensation, something she had never seen before, was fascinating to her.
“What’s next?” Lilian looked at Elenora expectantly.
Because of the guilty feeling, Elenora’s tone lost its earlier confidence and sounded shy and hesitant.
“If you have mana, then you can try communicating with the glyph.”
“It’s okay if you can’t sense the glyph; your pronunciation can lightly stimulate the power of the glyph. Most people in this world cast spells through incantations combined with [Wisdom] or [Emotion].”
“The pronunciation of the glyph is very important—it activates the path your mana flows through.”
Perhaps because she was talking about her area of expertise, Elenora regained her confidence.
“Incantation casting makes it easy for opponents to counter, so I usually cast spells by communicating directly with the glyph.”
“Since I’m teaching you magic and glyphs, you should also learn to do chantless casting just like me!”
“Come, I’ll teach you how mana flows differently through various glyphs.”
Elenora stood up and sat in front of Lilian.
Then suddenly froze.
What was she saying?
What was she doing?
Teaching the mana flow of different glyphs?
That kind of thing required hands-on teaching.
Which meant she’d have to be pressed against Lilian!
They would be touching through their clothes, with Elenora holding Lilian’s hand while focusing on guiding the mana…
Thinking about it made Elenora feel dizzy.
Kissing Lilian when she was unconscious was fine.
Getting close while Lilian was aware was not.
She couldn’t do it.
Such a thing was impossible.
Every time she imagined the scene, her heart felt like it was about to leap out.
Suddenly, warmth pressed against her—it was Lilian moving closer.
Lilian didn’t say anything, just tilted her head and looked at Elenora with a puzzled expression, blinking.
Elenora felt as if her heart had been hammered.
“What’s wrong?” Lilian spoke.
Since earlier, her instincts told her Elenora needed encouragement.
Lilian hadn’t expected that, though Elenora looked confident when speaking, she would become so flustered when it came to practice.
How did friends encourage each other?
In her previous life, she’d say something like “keep it up.”
Between girls, it seemed to be a bit closer?
One option popped into Lilian’s mind—a hug.
That should be right, right?
Elenora was already shifting backward, trying to stand up and move away from Lilian.
Her whole demeanor screamed insecurity.
Really flustered?
Lilian suddenly realized that although Elenora said she had some knowledge of magic, this must have been her first time teaching.
So stage fright was normal.
Besides, this hug was different from the instinctive one her heart had suggested earlier; this hug was for encouragement, whereas that one had no reason.
What if Elenora just ran off like this and refused to teach her magic?
Without magic, how would she fulfill the contract and leave the Count’s mansion?
Just as Elenora was about to get up and leave, Lilian grabbed her back, pulling her into a warm embrace.
“Eek—”
Elenora stiffened all over.
“Ah, it’s okay. I believe in Master. So, please teach me with confidence.”
Gentle words reached her ears.
Lilian was encouraging her—she could tell Elenora wanted to escape.
But clearly, it was Elenora’s own fault.
Elenora didn’t know what was happening to her.
Since that night, her state had been strange.
Every time she saw Lilian, she couldn’t help but think about those things.
Even just now, when Lilian was meditating, her first impulse was to secretly kiss Lilian while she was unaware!
“Ugh—” A faint sound escaped Elenora’s throat.
What was she doing?
She wasn’t focusing on teaching at all!
Lilian trusted her so much.
Pull yourself together, Elenora—you’re the Demon Lord, after all!
Reluctantly, Elenora left Lilian’s embrace and finally gave a smile.
“Yeah, I’m much better now. Let’s start.”
Elenora put her hands on her hips and discreetly glanced over Lilian’s body.
Though she had resolved to teach Lilian seriously, she still wanted Lilian to hug her again.
That kind of warm and gentle embrace was really hard to let go.
No, no.
Teaching was the priority.
Any thoughts about mocking Lilian if she couldn’t learn were pushed far away.
Making Lilian dislike her could wait until after the lessons.
Elenora moved close behind Lilian and grabbed one of her hands.
Mana surged, driving Lilian’s mana to flow and circulate in a specific way.
“This is the most basic mana flow pattern for the [Fire] glyph. Make sure to remember it well.”
Although her voice still carried some nervousness, Elenora was completely relaxed now.
She wanted to teach Lilian well—this step was essential.
It was fine to enjoy herself a little.
Just for a while, a little enjoyment wouldn’t affect her plan.
Yeah, it wouldn’t.
Elenora kept reassuring herself.
After guiding Lilian through the process several times, Elenora asked, “So? Have you learned it?”
[Encouragement to Master, EXP +2]
[Glyph: Fire Unlocked]
Looking at the system panel, Lilian nodded.
She couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief inside.
She had really been afraid that Elenora would run away.
Thankfully, one hug seemed to have cleared her up—she was no longer retreating and was teaching magic very resolutely.
Thank goodness hugs worked.
Hugs were the right choice.
“Hehe… that’s good.” Though she couldn’t see Elenora, Lilian could hear the happiness in her voice.
It just felt like Elenora’s attitude was a bit strange?
No response from the maids either.
Never mind.
It probably wasn’t a bad thing.
“Knock knock—”
A familiar rhythm of knocking sounded.
Lilian got up to open the door, and Elenora immediately flopped down in the spot Lilian had just vacated.
It was the little maid, Eileen, curiously glancing around the bedroom.
“Where’s the young lady?”
“Right inside.”
“The guests have arrived; you should get ready with the young lady.”
“Aren’t they supposed to come in the afternoon?”
Eileen gave a dumbfounded look: “It is afternoon now, isn’t it?”
Only then did Lilian realize it had already gotten late.
“Alright, come in quickly and help Master change clothes.”
Hoohoo, Master, huh.
Eileen couldn’t help but smile before darting into Elenora’s bedroom.
Time was a bit tight—they couldn’t keep the guests waiting.