“Hic, hiic……”

They could hear the sniffling of Elexa from close by. Claude, who had pricked his ears, opened his eyes wide and looked at Sarah.

“I think Elexa must be over there!”

“I guess so. How come……, this is the second time we met, and I feel bad that he is crying again.”

“I know. Last time he said that he was sad that he didn’t see his father often.”

Claude bowed his head as if regretfully, then lifted up again.

“I’ll make Elexa smile!”

“That’s right, there’s nothing Young Master Claude can’t do! I’m sure Young Master Elexa will cheer up when he sees Young Master Claude.”

“Eung!”

With Sarah’s encouragement, Claude walked with a lot of strength on his shoulders. It was also cute, so Sarah smiled and followed the child’s stride. As they walked a little further, they could see the round head of Elexa, crouching in the corner, crying.

“Elexa!”

Claude let go of Sarah’s hand and ran toward Elexa.

“……Claude?”

Hearing that loud voice, Elexa, who had his head buried in his lap, was startled and widened his eyes. There was no sign of Claude in the eyes of Elexa who was looking around. But at the sound of Claude’s voice from somewhere, Elexa began to speak again, pressing down his pounding heart with a great deal of excitement.

“Claude, are you here?”

“I’m here!”

Claude waved his hand in front of Elexa. When Claude’s voice was heard right in front of him, Elexa was startled and fell backward.

“Uargh!”

“Heaven!”

Sarah quickly supported Elexa’s back with her mana. Elexa was surprised by the power that pushed his back even though he couldn’t see anything, so he contorted his face and wept.

“Well…… Young Master Claude, we are not visible to Young Master Elexa right now.”

“Ah, right!”

Claude temporarily removed the brooch that Sarah had infused her power from his clothes and laid it on the floor. Then Elexa’s glaring eyes reflected the slow, clear appearance of Claude.

“Claude?”

When Elexa jumped out of place, startled, Claude smiled hesitantly.

“I guess you couldn’t see me because of this brooch! I came to see Elexa with my nanny!”

“Greetings, Young Master Elexa.”

Elexa, now able to see Sarah and Claude clearly, rubbed his eyes with his hands and asked.

“Are you really Claude?”

“Eung!”

“……Huu.”

After confirming that it was really Claude who was in front of him, Elexa’s face was distorted. Then he burst into tears and hugged Claude tightly.

“Claudee……”

Claude, who was embarrassed to see Elexa, hugging him and crying sadly, patted him awkwardly around his back.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Claude’s confused gaze rushed to Sarah. Sarah made eye contact with Claude and shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t know what made him so sad, but Elexa didn’t ask any questions about Claude’s sudden appearance. Seeing that, it seemed that something had happened to him as well.

“What’s going on?”

When Sarah asked in a cautious voice, he let Claude go and sobbed loudly.

“……My mother is very sick.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I overheard Nanny saying she was so sick that she might die.”

Claude’s face turned pale at Elexa’s words. Claude was visibly restless and anxious.

“What should we do?”

“Hic, hic……”

Perhaps even more upset after the confession, Elexa wept loudly. Sarah swallowed her breath in regret and lowered her posture to meet Elexa’s eye level.

“In times like these, why don’t you stay by your mother’s side?”

“I can’t usually see Mother……”

“You can’t see her usually?”

“Nanny told me not to go near Mother. She said dirty blood would spread.”

“What did you say?”

Sarah was astonished even after hearing all of Elexa’s words and asked again. She couldn’t believe that woman was not letting him see his mother properly, and she was even pouring out all sorts of dirty talk about the transmission of dirty blood. This mansion, and Elexa’s nanny, was entirely prepared by the Third Prince for his lover and son. In such a place, the mother and son were being looked down on and received disdainful treatment.

‘Crassida Orlin, I’ve thought about it before, but she can’t be used at all.’

She must have had the pain of being an illegitimate child of the Orlin family, but Sarah couldn’t believe how she could do that to Elexa, who was also born an illegitimate child.

“Did you call the doctor?”

“No…… I have to be careful not to get caught.”

“Then what about Young Master Elexa-’s father?”

“Father’s busy, so he doesn’t know yet.”

“Ha……”

Sarah wanted to hold on to her throbbing head. If the Third Prince found out, he would overturn this entire mansion. This was the mistake of the Third Prince in that Crassida Orlin did not hesitate to do something so arbitrary.

“No matter how busy he is at work.”

“Nanny……”

Then Claude grabbed Sarah’s hem. He beckoned slightly, looking at Sarah with his eyes seemed to have something to say.

“What’s the matter?”

“You know……”

Claude hesitated for a moment and then whispered quietly to Sarah’s ear as if he had made up his mind.

“Nanny is a great magician, so maybe you can heal Elexa’s mother?”

“……Um, unless it’s a serious illness.”

At Sarah’s answer, Claude’s complexion improved a little. Anyway, it was because there was hope.

“So can I tell Elexa that Nanny is a magician?”

“It’s all right because he has already seen it.”

She didn’t really hide it. It was the Third Prince who became the Emperor in the Flower of Darkness. Elexa, the son of the Third Prince, was a figure who would become the Crown Prince in the future. The Third Prince, who would become the Emperor of the Crombell Empire, needed to know that Sarah was a magician. So there was nothing to worry about. Of course, Ethan, who didn’t know the future, would be a little worried.

“Please whisper to Young Master Elexa so that only he knows.”

“I know.”

Claude nodded bitterly, walked over to Elexa, and whispered to him. Then Elexa, who was listening to Claude, tilted his head and asked.

“What’s a magician?”

“……”

Should I explain it from there?

Looking at Elexa, who seemed to have no idea of magic, Claude looked at Sarah in bewilderment. Sarah smiled and stroked Claude’s head. Then Claude’s face was filled with resolute pride.

“A magician, you know, is a person who can do a lot of strange things! You can fly in the sky, change clothes, and go wherever you want!”

Despite Claude’s rambling explanation, Elexa’s eyes widened as if he understood it well. When he opened his eyes wide with tears in his eyes, he was both very cute and pitiful. Sarah quietly wiped the corners of his eyes with her magical hand.

“……!”

Then the swollen eyes subsided and Elexa’s vision brightened in an instant. And his body, which had been throbbing, sore, and feverish, became lighter.

“Wow……”

Elexa forgot that he was crying, and began to fumble to touch his eyes with a burst of admiration. It didn’t hurt at all.

“Is Sarah a goddess by any chance?”

“Oh my, I’m just a magician.”

At the innocent question, Sarah smiled and patted Elexa’s head. Elexa, who blinked his eyes curiously, suddenly remembered something and grabbed Sarah’s hem.

“Then, can I go to my mother then?”

“Of course.”

“……!”

“Good for you, Elexa!”

As Sarah nodded, Elexa’s and Claude’s faces brightened at the same time. When the two rabbit-like children twinkled at the same time, Sarah smiled involuntarily. Then, she quietly generated mana from his fingertips and began to search for the place where Elexa’s mother, Penelois, was located.

“……Found her.”

The largest room in this mansion, and the most secure place. There lay Penelois, Elexa’s mother. Sarah smiled contentedly and turned to Elexa, who was looking at her with anticipation.

“Are you ready to meet your mother, Young Master Elexa?”