“Huh? Did I hear that correctly? Isn't the academy entrance already over?” the duchess asked, her brows raised in confusion.
“L-Lord Lucien promised me he would get me admitted into the academy this year, and he also promised to sponsor all the costs for my first two years there,” Melissa answered under the intense gaze of the duke and duchess.
“Oh my, I never expected my son to make the first move. Isn’t he bold, darling?” the duchess said, smiling teasingly at Melissa.
“Cough! Honey, let them decide what they want to do with their lives. No need to butt in. Also, Mr. and Mrs. Waters, let us know if you need anything else. We would be willing to help you in any way we can,” the duke said, trying to divert the conversation since the atmosphere was taking a wrong turn.
Melissa found her parents looking at her with question marks all over their faces, and if a gaze could kill, she would have died a thousand times by now.
“We are truly grateful for all your support, and we do not desire anything more. Even without any reward, our daughter would have willingly helped the duchess,” Melissa’s father said, his voice filled with pride and his chest lifted high like a mountain.
Melissa felt embarrassed by her father’s overly confident tone and obvious pride.
***
They talked for a while until the moon rose high and the surroundings grew dark, and the mana lamp gave its gentle light amidst the twinkling stars and the glow of the moon. They all returned to the palace, and the duke and duchess parted ways with Melissa and her parents.
They had mostly talked about what kind of house they wanted, how many-storey building would be comfortable for their family to live in, when the store should officially open, and so on. Melissa kept quiet throughout the conversation, and she felt strange seeing her parents speaking so confidently with the duke and duchess.
Well, they were clumsy at the very least, and they sat nervously as if afraid to cross some imaginary boundary that might make them seem rude. Still, her parents did not shy away from the discussion, and they would look at each other and muster the courage before explaining what kind of bakery they wanted and discussing topics that did not interest her. She was only interested in attending the academy.
After parting with the duke and duchess, Melissa was guided to the guest room by a maid, her parents trailing behind her. She was still not familiar with the palace’s hallways and had barely managed to reach Lucien’s room before, only by asking many servants and maids for directions.
Soon, they entered the guest room and thanked the maid for her help before she went back to attend to her duties.
Two rooms had been assigned to them, one for Melissa and the other for her parents, and the rooms were adjoining.
Right now, they were all in the guest room assigned to Melissa, and, as she had expected, her parents began bombarding her with questions the moment the door closed, leaving them alone.
“Melissa, my lovely daughter, what kind of charm did you use that even the duke and duchess themselves invited us and gave us a house, a bakery shop, and money to sustain the business and live comfortably until it starts making enough money? And you finally get to study at the academy.” Melissa’s mother hurriedly hugged her tightly. Her mother added, “I am so proud of you.”
“What do you mean by charm, Mom? I only helped heal the duchess,” Melissa replied angrily, freeing herself from the hug, feeling indignation at her mother’s remark.
“Hah, sorry, my cute little daughter,” Melissa’s mother apologized.
“Humph, you better speak nicely to me from now on.” Melissa snorted and glanced at her mother, who sat beside her on the bed, looking shocked with her jaw wide open.
Melissa started laughing out loud upon seeing her mother’s expression. “Looks like my words hurt you deeply, my lovely mom.” Her mother snorted and turned toward Melissa’s father.
“You both can fight all day long. First, listen to me, Melissa. I want to know what happened to your hair? And your skin has completely changed. Did they give you some potion to make you look more beautiful?” Melissa’s father asked with genuine curiosity as he eyed her hair and face.
“No, it’s just that I awakened my hidden powers. You know how cool your daughter was before. Now, I am even cooler and more beautiful,” Melissa answered, resting her head on her hand and tilting her head slightly.
“What kind of power? Does it have any negative effects? Are you feeling any discomfort?” Melissa’s father hurried over to her and placed his hand on her forehead.
“I don’t know exactly what kind of power it is, but my mana core reached Elite [Upper] rank, and I feel my healing powers have become even stronger than before,” Melissa answered, gently removing her father’s hand. Her father’s face returned to normal, where before it had been etched with worry.
“Also, how did you manage to come here so quickly?” Melissa asked her parents.
Her father sat beside her on the left side of the bed and began explaining everything from the beginning, describing how a mana airship had arrived in their village. The duchess had sent the airship to bring them to Norwind, and Melissa could hear the surprise and awe in her father’s voice as he spoke of the airship.
He explained how the villagers were afraid at first, and when some troops exited the airship and explained everything, her parents were skeptical at first. Why would the duchess, who had been dangerously ill, be healed so quickly and even send an airship to bring them?
She found out they were worried that maybe Melissa had failed to heal the duchess, or worse, had made the illness even more severe. That was why they were so concerned at first after discovering who had sent the airship, since they thought Melissa might have done something wrong. Even the troops themselves did not know why they were asked to bring her parents, only that it was the direct order of the duchess.
Her parents were worried throughout the journey and arrived in Norwind in the airship quickly, then at the palace. When they saw the duke and duchess, their first instinct was to bow and ask for forgiveness if Melissa had done something wrong, but since the duchess looked as healthy as anyone they had ever seen, they did not immediately plead for forgiveness. Their quick judgment turned out to be correct, as they soon found out the duchess had been healed, and they were called to the palace to receive a reward for Melissa’s help.
Melissa released the breath she had unconsciously been holding during her father’s long tale. She sighed with relief that everything had gone well. She had completely forgotten that if the duchess had not been healed, things could have turned out very differently. The duchess would probably have died by now, seeing how she was so sick and had barely opened her eyes when Melissa first saw her.
Melissa did not know what she would have done if something had gone wrong. The blade of the Northern Blade would have taken her head before she could even blink.
She shook her head and pushed those thoughts aside, because just thinking about what her fate might have been if the duchess had not been healed made a shudder run down her spine.
***
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