Chapter 241
Chapter 241: Didn't Write Yesterday, Just Finished Writing After Waking Up Late Today
The sun hung high directly overhead when Leah finally poked her head out from the pile of blankets she had burrowed into.
Pink silk pajamas draped over her form, just barely covering what they needed to.
She blinked her way to consciousness and glanced at the clock on the wall.
It was already noon—12 o'clock sharp.
By any normal measure, Leah would have long since been up and about at this hour, working through the affairs of the Clavena Territory.
But today, she had absolutely no desire to get out of bed.
Every time she thought about what had happened yesterday, her cheeks turned as red as a ripe apple.
She pulled her head back under the blankets, closed her eyes, and curled herself into a ball.
That's right—Leah had remembered everything.
After forgetting Viktor, she had spent an entire day running herself ragged.
Throughout that time, she had been ceaselessly searching for any trace of Viktor.
She had darted all over Blairstone, trying to track down every lead she could find—even going as far as seeking Gwen's help.
She peeked out from beneath the blankets with just a pair of eyes.
The cabinet beside the bed was shut tight, but the magic lock on it had already vanished.
All at once, an image flashed through her mind.
Viktor, sitting beside her cabinet, leafing through her diary—the one filled cover to cover with the word 'Big Brother'—reading it slowly and carefully from start to finish.
And when he was done, delivering exactly 1 line.
"Hmm. Interesting."
She could only imagine that even that inseparable Crow of his had read every single word of her diary.
The thought made the shame crash over her in waves.
Her cheeks burned. Her mind was a hopeless mess.
That diary. The one filled with her childhood memories.
Those memories couldn't exactly be called pleasant ones—but Leah had kept them all the same, tucked away as something precious.
And she had sealed it with a magic lock to keep it private.
A shame that a magic lock could keep out honest men and dishonest ones alike.
Just not dishonest ones who happened to know magic.
That last smiling face in particular—only Viktor could have drawn that.
Sitting there in plain sight, as if deliberately mocking her.
He had gone through her diary without a shred of shame about it.
The more Leah thought about it, the more furious she became—so she decided not to think about it at all.
"When exactly did he even read it?"
The thought of Viktor having seen the contents of that diary was simply mortifying.
After all, the thing was packed with the words "Big Brother" from beginning to end.
Every time that crossed her mind, goosebumps erupted across Leah's entire body.
Right now, she felt nothing but sheer exasperation toward her younger self.
What on earth had come over her back then—acting like she'd lost her mind, trailing after Viktor wherever he went, calling out 'Big Brother,' 'Big Brother' like a broken record.
Even her own diary was practically written entirely about Viktor.
He had treated her with such cold indifference. Such cutting sharpness...
Though, as the diary had also recorded, Leah still remembered the scolding Viktor had given her once.
He had said he hated tears.
From that point on, Leah had learned to stand on her own—to grow stronger.
And the more she grew, the more she came to dislike Viktor.
Until yesterday...
Leah could feel warmth seeping through her body even beneath the covers, her face flushing scarlet.
The moment she recalled Viktor's hand against her cheek—wiping away the tear at the corner of her eye—a tremor ran through her from head to toe.
It was as though every single pore on her body had broken into a cold sweat from pure mortification.
How could Viktor just do something like that?
They were siblings! Siblings!
At the time it had seemed fine—but the more she replayed it, the more unbearably awkward it became.
Once again she yanked the blanket up and over her head, pulling it tight, coiling herself into the smallest possible ball.
This time, she had absolutely no intention of coming back out.
This was precisely why she hadn't dared to set foot outside all day.
She would rather lie in bed, buried under the covers, shut inside her bedchamber for the entire day—anything to avoid running into Viktor.
She genuinely could not figure out what kind of face to put on when she faced her older brother.
Fortunately, Viktor was busy handling matters with the Elves, so he had no time to come looking for her.
Leah needed time to collect herself.
Because she would have to face Viktor sooner or later.
Tomorrow was Monday.
Which meant it was the day the Royal Magic Academy reopened—the day the new student assessments were held.
The Manor in the Royal Capital had been completed, and Viktor was certain to return to the Royal Capital.
So Leah now faced a choice: whether to return to the Royal Capital together with Viktor.
But whichever she chose, she would still have to speak with Viktor face to face.
"..."
Leah fell silent. She rolled over, poked her head out from the blankets, and stared blankly up at the ceiling.
Knock knock.
All of a sudden, she heard someone rapping at her door.
Leah was mildly puzzled.
Although she hadn't gotten up today, she had already handed off the routine business downstairs to the Maidservants—there was essentially nothing that needed special attention today.
But before long, a Maidservant's voice reached her from the doorway:
"Miss Leah."
"Knight Countess Gwen has come to visit."
Leah shot bolt upright in bed, eyes going wide as saucers.
Who? Who's here!?
***
A lush and enormous Divine Tree stood towering in the back garden of the Clavena Manor, its massive trunk driving straight up into the clouds.
Around the Divine Tree, countless delicately crafted wooden cabins had been built—neat and orderly, peaceful and harmonious in the sunlight.
Over a hundred Elves had been settled in well enough, and they were now residing here in an organized fashion.
The vast back garden had essentially become a home for these Elves.
These Elves needed to adapt to the human world as soon as possible. Leaving the Elven Forest and coming to the Clavena Manor was to be their very first step.
Of course, they were curious as to why Viktor's back garden also had a Divine Tree growing in it—but the Elves hadn't recognized that this Divine Tree was actually their former wicked stepmother.
The Divine Tree Yadh.
The Elves knew that Viktor possessed the means to resurrect a Divine Tree, so a Divine Tree growing in the Clavena back garden raised no particular questions in their minds.
At that moment, surveying her people who had been settled in, Cocotte sat upon her cloud and broke out into unbridled laughter:
"Ohhhh my, my work is finally done!"
Vinia, standing nearby, cast a sidelong glance at Cocotte.
This lazy Elf had done nothing more than establish a passage between the Elven Forest and the Clavena Manor that could be traversed in both directions.
And for the Elven Queen, this was about as effortless as taking a sip of water.
So she mercilessly called Cocotte out on the spot, remarking with cool detachment:
"And what exactly did you do?"
"The way you're talking, it's like you personally shouldered the work of over a hundred Elves all on your own."
Fortunately, not every Elf was as lazy as Cocotte.
The Elves who had lived in the Elven Forest had spent their lives in conditions not unlike those of primitive peoples.
So their practical, hands-on abilities were exceptionally strong.
In just 1 day, with no help from the Clavena Manor's workers, they had built all the dwellings they needed for themselves.
Viktor had mentioned that they could even live inside the Divine Tree itself—but the Elves considered that an act of disrespect.
Luckily, the Clavena Manor's back garden was more than large enough.
Because calling it a back garden was really more of a figure of speech.
Technically a back garden—but as long as one didn't cross the Territory's boundary, any corner of the land could be said to be the Clavena back garden.
Cocotte stiffened slightly, and replied with a stubborn edge:
"I did very important work too, you know!"
"We agreed beforehand—I wasn't supposed to have to do anything else!"
Vinia let out a somewhat weary sigh:
"Alright, alright. Thank you for the contribution you made to our kin."
With that, she turned and looked toward Viktor.
Viktor was standing nearby, the pitch-black Crow on his shoulder flapping its wings continuously, using its beak to preen its own feathers.
Vinia's gaze settled directly on Viktor. She gripped her Scepter with both hands and gave him a bow.
Among Elves, her figure was already something of a standout.
When she bowed, the wooden Scepter even caught between certain things without her meaning it to.
As she bowed, she spoke to Viktor with respectful deference:
"Thank you, Lord Viktor, for the assistance you have provided to our Elven kin."
The Elves needed to establish trade ties between the Elven Forest and the Kingdom of Carencia—and they needed Viktor's help to do it.
So Viktor's willingness to allow the Elves to open a passage to the Elven Forest within the Clavena back garden was of enormous benefit to their kind.
All the Elves needed to do was provide Viktor with their daily natural energy—and that would be more than sufficient.
Viktor looked at them and spoke:
"This is not unconditional assistance."
Vinia gave a nod:
"I understand, Lord Viktor."
But Viktor shook his head, looking at her:
"I don't think you quite understand just yet."
He stood with both hands in his pockets, speaking with calm indifference:
"Leon."
The word had barely left his lips when a nimble figure swept swiftly across the grass, vaulted past the cabins, and landed steadily behind Viktor.
She pulled back the hood from her head, revealing that head of teal-gold hair and her pointed ears.
Vinia naturally recognized Leon. Seeing Viktor summon her, she still wasn't quite sure what Viktor meant.
The other Elves were equally baffled, exchanging bewildered glances with one another.
Then Viktor's voice fell upon them—quiet and unhurried:
"First things first: the Clavena Manor does not keep idle mouths."
"Under the contract you have all signed, there is a clause to this effect."
Viktor extended one hand. A contract—black words on white paper—materialized in his grasp.
"Should the Clavena Manor face difficulties, you are obligated to render assistance."
Cocotte, who had been lounging nearby slacking off, suddenly went rigid—a shiver running through her body without warning.
This scene felt remarkably, uncomfortably familiar.
The Elves were still somewhat confused. Vinia too was uncertain what Viktor meant.
Though she herself had signed the Contract as well.
"Lord Viktor, you are aware of our Elves' situation..."
Before she could finish, the Divine Tree Yadh trembled faintly several times.
The Elves' eyes were drawn to it involuntarily—and then they saw it.
The branches of the Divine Tree tilted slightly, and from them, glistening dewdrops began to fall in a slow and steady stream.
The droplets struck the ground and began spreading outward.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, a pool of clear water appeared on the grass from thin air.
So transparent was the water that it perfectly mirrored their reflections.
Not one of the Elves present understood what was happening. Even Cocotte couldn't tell what Viktor was doing.
At that moment, ripples spread outward from the center of the pool—and a strange mirror slowly rose from within.
"This brings me to what I'm about to say next."
Viktor stood with both hands in his pockets, his expression as cool and indifferent as ever:
"Starting today, the Elves residing in the Clavena Manor will undergo special training every day."
"Until you can freely control and wield your natural energy."
The Elves heard Viktor's words. They looked at the mirror. Every last one of them shuddered.
"Of course."
"There will be someone to supervise you."
The words settled. Leon stepped forward, raised her head, and looked at the Elves with not a trace of warmth.
Her detached voice followed:
"I will do everything within my ability."