For Hill, who had just eaten her fill, the lavish Holy Supper at the Montbatten household was nothing short of cruel torture.
She was forced to stuff into her poor stomach things that, to her, were neither nutritious nor flavorful.
But as a guest in someone else’s home, it was best not to comment on the dishes served by the host.
Besides, as one of the most esteemed noble families in the town, the Montbatten family’s midday spread could hardly be called meager.
The meat steaks were cooked to perfection, the meat stew simmered with cream, and the bread was freshly baked, slathered with expensive jam.
It was just a pity that the cloying sweetness, for Hill, was barely perceptible.
After “enjoying” the main course, Hill couldn’t wait any longer and dragged Otis out of the dining room, back to the study.
Otis, knowing the real reason, felt a pang of sympathy for the girl.
Yet Hill’s identity as a Bloodkin was something that absolutely could not be revealed to anyone.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t be long before the priests of the Holy Light Cathedral would break down the Montbatten family’s doors—and even the legendary Inquisitor Knights might appear.
As for Lady Anna, seeing the two girls’ hasty retreat, her heart was filled with comfort.
She couldn’t help but say, “Back in the day, I was eager to learn, too. Not only Elvish, but even those abstruse and difficult magic tomes—I found them all fascinating.
It’s just a shame that I couldn’t keep studying in the end. Compared to magic, which holds so much uncertainty for the future, people back then only saw my talent for Elvish.”
With these words, Lady Anna’s mood turned somewhat melancholic.
Looking back on her regrets, who wouldn’t sigh with emotion?
“If I hadn’t married into the Montbatten family, would I have become a diplomat, or continued to delve into magic?”
At this thought, Lady Anna’s mind grew heavier and heavier, the feelings almost impossible to ignore.
She recalled the unusual lesson in the study not long ago.
She had snuck in, listening in on her daughter’s class like a little thief.
Her memory wasn’t bad; she still remembered bits and pieces of what she’d learned about magic more than a decade ago, not to mention that Hill had kept the lesson simple and easy to understand for Otis’s sake—comprehending it was no trouble.
Just a few hours of listening, and Lady Anna felt her old love for magic returning.
She remembered those scenes of paying attention in class at the academy, even hiding under the covers to secretly read magic books despite her parents’ strict orders…
Lady Anna felt her heart burning and itching in her chest.
Outside, winter was nearly upon them, but inside, it was as if something within her, long withered, was blooming anew.
Her thoughts began to drift uncontrollably.
Now, in the Montbatten family of Nolkan Town, she was the one in charge—whether it was the shops, the estates, or the farmland outside the town, everything was managed by her hand.
Her husband was busy with uncertain business in Mossrock City and hadn’t returned to this home in many years, let alone interfered in her life or interests.
If it were some other noble lady, by now she would have long since grown bored, seeking out handsome young men in town or squandering the family fortune on extravagance…
But she would never do such things.
Even if she didn’t love that so-called husband, she would never do anything to harm the Montbatten family’s interests, much less betray their marriage.
But, but!
Lady Anna suddenly thought: as a woman—a woman whole in both body and soul—shouldn’t she have the right to pursue her own happiness, as long as she harmed no one?
To others, her noblewoman’s life seemed so enviable, so ideal.
But people are never content. Lady Anna had once been fascinated by magic and deeply yearned for that magnificent world.
She… though she was already at this age, wasn’t quite so old and senile yet, was she?
Lady Anna couldn’t help but stand from the sofa, pacing back and forth as her heart wrestled violently.
Suddenly, she made a decision—she wanted to bring some hope, some excitement, into her otherwise bland noblewoman’s life.
She gradually began to persuade herself—she wasn’t sneaking around with some wild man, nor was she squandering the Montbatten family’s fortune. In the public’s eyes, she was surely the model “lady of the house.”
Having done so much already, she only wanted to pick up the hobby of her youth. Was that so wrong?
After all, Mossrock City was far away, and she knew her husband’s nature well—if he didn’t accomplish anything, he would never return home.
That pitiful, laughable pride had long been a point of criticism for Lady Anna, but this time, it played right into her hands.
Once she made up her mind, Lady Anna’s resolve was terrifying.
She had a maid follow her to the bedroom to help her change.
She didn’t put on her usual dress, but a relatively simple robe—modest, yet laced with a touch of luxury.
Beneath it was a white shirt and black skirt, her legs wrapped in sheer black stockings, graceful and elegant.
Standing before the full-length mirror, Lady Anna admired herself for a long moment, finding again that feeling of being a student at the academy.
Back then, she had been a renowned young lady throughout all of Mossrock City.
Perhaps after marrying into the Montbatten family, her name was never again spoken in that city.
Those young noblemen who once admired her were likely married now, taking over their own family businesses.
A trace of loneliness flickered across Lady Anna’s face, but she soon composed herself and started rummaging under her bed, causing the maid beside her to twitch with surprise.
Her lady was a woman with three children—why was she still hiding things under her bed like a little girl?
But what Lady Anna had hidden wasn’t anything shameful—it was only a box, and when she opened it, it contained things from years past.
Completed drafts and notes, pens from her student days, even her old textbooks—all preserved.
Lady Anna took out these items, her face tinged with nostalgia.
After sifting through them, she finally picked out her magic class textbook and notes.
“Madam, you’re going to…” The maid knew nothing, but having worked closely with her kind mistress, couldn’t help but ask.
“I’ll tell you, but don’t you dare tell anyone else.”
Now that she’d made up her mind, Lady Anna was in great spirits and didn’t mind confiding in her personal maid.
“Didn’t we invite Miss Hill to tutor Otis in magic?
When I brought fruit over this morning, I sat in on half the lesson in the study.
It really felt like that old excitement from my school days had returned to my aging body.”
The maid hurriedly denied it: “How could you say that, madam? You’re only just past thirty, you’re still—”
“Still starting to grow old, aren’t I?”
Lady Anna touched her flawless cheek, but her fingertips seemed to find line after line, as if they would tear her face apart.
The maid fell silent. In this era, whether man or woman, once you were past thirty, you had to start planning for the rest of your life.
“I want to do a few more things I’m interested in before I get truly old.
Now the family is thriving, and not everything needs my personal attention anymore.”
“So madam, you mean to…”
Lady Anna flashed a charming smile and replied firmly, “That’s right, I want to study magic alongside my daughter and Miss Hill.”
The maid drew a deep breath at these words.
It sounded innocent at first, but such a thing was unheard of in the entire circle of nobility.
And if worded a little differently, the story would instantly turn scandalous—Shocking!
A noblewoman and her daughter learning from the same tutor! Is this a perversion of human nature or the collapse of morality?
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