# Episode 19. A Magic Tutor Arrives (3)
“Good day, Young Lady.”
“A-Hello…”
Cecilia responds to the polite greetings from the maids as she passes through the hallway.
She is currently a star in Count Netorie’s House.
With her appearance alone fetching admiration, her mannerisms are both modest and noble, and she treats the servants kindly, all adding up to an admirable personality.
Moreover, her evident fondness for the Young Master, which she doesn’t try to hide, brings to the servants a charm akin to watching a cherished pet, endearing her further.
The combination of the Young Master, who has apparently developed feelings for the Young Lady at first sight, and Cecilia, who is utterly smitten with him but hesitant to approach, provides the staff with a refreshing love story.
“Hey, Bell… Where are we going?”
Currently, Cecilia is following her personal maid, Bell, to an unknown destination.
Since the morning, Bell had been urging her to come along, so Cecilia, having no choice, had come along. Now, she was subtly grumbling that it was about time Bell revealed their destination.
“Yes, Young Lady. We are heading to the kitchen.”
“The kitchen? Why there…?”
Suddenly hearing ‘kitchen’ raises a question mark above Cecilia’s head.
She, who has no particular connection with cooking, being dragged off to the kitchen is naturally puzzling.
“Bell? Why the kitchen all of a sudden? Are you hungry?”
“Though I’m curious about your perception of me, I must say, this is absolutely not for my hunger.”
The idea of a maid dragging the Young Lady to the kitchen out of gluttony is absurd.
Upon arriving at the kitchen, the ingredients like flour, milk, eggs, and unidentifiable metal plates were neatly arranged. The chefs, who usually prepare the meals at the mansion, warmly welcomed Cecilia with bright smiles.
“Hey, Bell? So why are we here?”
“Hehe… The reason I brought you, Young Lady, to the kitchen is…!”
Drumroll please…
“To bake cookies!”
“Hmm… Bell. If you were that hungry, you could have just told the chef instead of dragging me here-”
“For the Young Master!”
“!!”
At the mention of Rab, Cecilia’s previously disheartened eyes suddenly lit up.
Her expression while looking at Bell with glowing eyes resembled that of a tiny rabbit, touching the hearts of those present. But Cecilia’s attention was solely on Rab.
“Co-Cookies for the Young Master?!”
“Yes, Young Lady. That’s right.”
Bell, with an expression that said ‘I’ve got you!’, pulled out glasses and a pointer from somewhere, impersonating a strict teacher.
“Young Lady. Do you know that the Young Master has hired a private tutor for magic?”
“Yeah. The Young Master mentioned it briefly.”
With Cecilia awakened as the Holy Maiden, Rab himself had decided to become the main pillar of their party by learning magic. Cecilia knew from the Young Master’s explanation that he had only found an interest in magic, but secretly, she had fallen in love with his selflessness and courage in doing so.
“Magic is an incredibly difficult field of study. Though mana is ever-present, the ability to consciously feel and control it is rare. Only three percent of the continent’s population can become mages, as magic relies heavily on innate talent.”
Indeed, in this world, magic is a high-level academic discipline.
Few individuals can consciously feel or manipulate mana, and fewer still truly understand the natural principles fundamental to magic.
This field, requiring both luck and intellect, is only accessible to the chosen few. This is magic.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that. Magic is really difficult. Many people who learn the basics never progress further…”
“That’s correct. I’ve seen people like that fail a few times. I’m sorry to say, but most people realize their aptitude for magic early in life. Finding talent at the Young Master’s age is an incredibly rare occurrence. Once the tutor arrives and evaluates the Young Master’s magical potential, they might…”
“Be disheartened…”
“Then, here comes the Young Lady’s surprise appearance!”
“Eh… Me?”
“Of course! You must gently approach the despondent Young Master with these cookies and offer some comforting words! Then embrace him warmly in your bosom and whisper softly…”
“It’ll be okay. I’m here with you…”
“Kueh! I’m dying!”
“Bell, men often want to appear strong in front of women. Won’t being too affectionate have the opposite effect?”
“Ah, dear Young Lady, listen carefully. Men, despite their outward pretense of machismo, deeply desire maternal care. They too, being human, have their vulnerabilities. Women who can embrace and support those vulnerabilities are truly the kind men seek!”
“OOooohh!!”
Like a student hearing an enlightening lecture, Cecilia’s eyes sparkled brightly as she listened to Bell. She was completely won over.
“So, shortly after the Young Master’s magic lesson, I’ll take the cookies I baked myself, approach the Young Master who will be disheartened after learning of his lack of talent, and embrace him while offering my comfort…”
“Game over.”
Convinced by Bell’s persuasion, Cecilia started focusing on cookie making right away.
Though she had never involved herself with cooking, her unyielding persistence earned the approval of all the staff.
After much effort, the cookies were finally done.
Though the cookies weren’t perfectly shaped due to poor temperature control, which left some parts slightly burnt, the pride of making them by her own hands made everyone praise her efforts.
“Well, I’m off!”
“Young Lady, good luck!”
With encouragement from the staff, Cecilia nervously held the tray with cookies and milk and headed toward the room where Rab was having his lesson.
Reaching the door, she rapped lightly on it with a trembling hand.
Knock knock…
“Master? I heard you were inside… May I come in for a moment?”
“Eh? G-Goodness, Young Lady?”
“I’m coming in!”
‘Ah~ If the Young Master tastes my cookies and gives me a warm compliment, what will I do? I need to learn more cooking! As Bell said, to win a man’s heart, one must first capture his stomach!’
Opening the door with a bright smile, Cecilia was met with a surprising sight.
“Haa… Haa… I can’t… anymore…”
“Um… Th-this… Young Lady?”
Upon seeing the little boy (at least in appearance) stripped to the waist, drenched in sweat and making odd groans, Cecilia felt the blood in her veins grow cold.
“Y-Young Master?”
Her voice, laced with murderous intent, made Rab shrink back. However, Cecilia’s mind was solely focused on punishing the child who had ‘seduced’ her fiancé.
*
Luckily, the misunderstanding between Cecilia and me was quickly resolved.
I explained everything that had happened in the room in detail, and after looking at me with a cold gaze for a while, Cecilia said…
“I see…”
And returned to her normal self.
Though there was still a hint of caution in her gaze toward Rahel, at least she wasn’t glaring at her like before – a small mercy.
“Young Master, please have a cookie. I brought them in case you were hungry after your lesson.”
“Huh? Oh, thank you.”
Crunch…
Hmm? This cookie tastes a bit different from the ones I usually eat. Did the chef make a mistake in the dough ratio?
“I made them.”
“They look very pretty and have a nice subtle flavor. Since I’m not a fan of overly sweet things, I prefer this slightly bitter note – it suits my taste perfectly.”
What the hell… This is bad.
To criticize the food made by your fiancée as harshly as this…
If my parents had been here, they probably would have served nothing but cookies for three days.
It’s a given that one should smile and eat whatever their loved one makes, whether it’s overly sugared or overly salty…
“…”
Damn.
The Young Lady’s expression is still sulky.
Was my social awareness left behind in the transfer?
Still, to be honest, the taste wasn’t bad at all. Rather, it suited my preference.
Though slightly burnt due to poor temperature control, the cookie itself tasted good to me.
As someone who dislikes excessive sweetness, Cecilia’s slightly bitter cookies were actually very enjoyable.
“…”
Huh? What’s this? She seems to be calming down again?
Women’s hearts are truly unfathomable.
“Ugh… My head…”
Meanwhile, Rahel, having regained her senses, sat up groggily.
“Ah, Master. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. It’s just exhaustion… No, wait, Rab, my disciple!”
As soon as she seemed to have her senses back, Rahel suddenly dashed toward me.
“That woman is truly…!”
I felt a chilling sensation from behind, but overwhelmed by Rahel’s excited grip on my collar, I didn’t even have the chance to look.
“P-PMaster? Did I do something wrong?”
“Amazing!”
“Um… What?”
“How could you have such a vast capacity? Have you died and been resurrected? Even my master wasn’t on this level…”
“Um, could you please calm down and explain what’s going on?”
“Ah, sorry. Look at my state.”
Clearing her throat, Rahel began seriously.
“Rab, your talent for magic is… .”
Glulp…
“I don’t know much.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s too early to judge the talent of someone who hasn’t even tried magic yet. It usually takes months to learn to feel mana and use it for magic.”
“So why are you so surprised?”
“Even though I don’t know your talent, your body is perfectly optimized for learning magic.”
What does that mean?
