Noble Lady Reformation Guide - Chapter 119: Fina (6)

‘To become a 4-star mage, one must leap over or break through that invisible wall.’

Late at night, Fina let her hair fall and silently gazed at the stars in the night sky.

‘I wonder if that mage, Adelbert, also knew that.’

The man called Dereck, who was struggling as her disciple, was quite talented, but he was still one step short of reaching the level of a 4-star mage.

As someone who considered herself his master, it was her duty to create the opportunity for him to overcome that wall.

Fina gave a faint, bitter smile, then leaped off the rooftop and landed in the mansion’s backyard, where no one could see her.

And as she hid among the shadows, she blinked a few times, letting her eyes glow faintly.

*

“Haah.”

When Aiselin opened her eyes in bed, the sun was already high in the sky.

The autumn breeze coming through the window, rustling the curtains, gave her a warm sensation.

“Huh… what…?”

Aiselin blinked, and only after sitting up did she understand the situation.

The last thing she remembered was being startled at the sudden sight of blood, hurriedly grabbing a handkerchief, and then losing consciousness, as if she were floating away.

“Sister!”

“Lady Siern…”

Siern, who had been watching over her beside the bed, immediately stood up and took Aiselin’s hands.

It was rare to see the normally irritable and sharp Siern display such an emotional expression. It was almost the first time since that incident at the Rochester estate, when Aiselin had seemed to be stabbed by Dereck’s sword.

“Sister Aiselin, you finally woke up. Do you feel any discomfort? Is your vision blurry, or do you have a headache?”

“Lady Siern… I… what happened…?”

“I heard you fainted from overwork. You’ve been unconscious for almost four days and only woke up today. I must inform Delbriton.”

With a relieved expression, Siern quickly left the room.

It seemed she had stayed by Aiselin’s side nearly the entire time during those four days.

‘Asleep for four days…?’

Aiselin was so shocked that she had to catch her breath.

As a key figure of the Ravenclaw Training Center, she had so many responsibilities that even being absent for half a day caused work to pile up.

But having been unconscious for four days—the center must be on the verge of collapse.

‘My God! How could I make such a mistake…!’

Aiselin covered her face with both hands, horrified.

To have neglected her health at such a crucial time, just as the center was beginning to stabilize—it must seem like a great discourtesy to Dereck, who sought perfection in everything.

She had always prided herself on enjoying her work and claimed that no one needed to worry about her, yet when it truly mattered, she had collapsed from exhaustion. How shameful and unreliable.

All of that was the result of her lack of discipline. Aiselin sighed deeply, still covering her face.

‘And to think that at that time I was wasting it being jealous of Lady Fina, trying to get Dereck’s attention when there were important things to do, getting distracted by nonsense and ending up collapsing from fatigue…’

‘How embarrassing—I’m a pitiful person…’

Aiselin knew Dereck well.

After working with him for so long, she believed she deeply understood his way of thinking.

He was endlessly patient when teaching young ladies, but when it came to work, he was as sharp as a blade.

He reprimanded and punished servants or subordinates strictly whenever they showed irresponsibility. He was almost inflexible when it came to duty, so he would surely be very disappointed by Aiselin’s careless conduct.

‘I must apologize but… how…?’

Aiselin lamented with her head down when suddenly—

Bang!

The people Siern had called opened the door and rushed in.

There was the person in charge of medical matters, the butler, the deputy director of the center, Lady Siern, and at the front of them all, leading the group, stood Baron Dereck Lydorf Ravenclaw.

It seemed that everyone had dropped what they were doing some still held pens, others still wore their work coats. They had run over as soon as they heard the news.

“Miss Aiselin, you’ve opened your eyes.”

“Yes, yes… Lord Dereck. It’s just that…”

“What a relief.”

Dereck stepped forward and sank into the wooden chair beside Aiselin’s bed.

Then he spoke slowly, looking into her eyes.

“Do you feel any discomfort? Any other pain?”

“Eh? No… I was just tired… I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it to end up like this…”

“Apologize? For what?”

“Well, for the work schedule…”

“…”

Dereck silently looked at Aiselin, who stared down guiltily, and then pressed a hand to his forehead with a heavy voice.

“Miss Aiselin. This isn’t something you should be apologizing for.”

“But many people must have been affected by my four-day absence…”

“Who in their right mind would blame someone who collapsed from overwork? If anything, this is largely my fault as the person in charge. I knew that Miss Aiselin was always burdened with an unrealistic amount of tasks, and yet I overlooked it.”

“No, that’s not…”

Dereck firmly took Aiselin’s hands.

Her face flushed at the sudden contact. She barely managed to suppress a small gasp as an electric shiver ran down her spine.

“Miss Aiselin. This incident has made me realize something. There’s a limit to governing only through criticism and reprimand. Only by deeply understanding the circumstances and the way each person works within the barony can one truly lead.”

“No, you don’t have to say all that…”

By the way, Dereck’s hands were really large. He wasn’t particularly tall, but his body felt incredibly solid. And his hands—so warm.

Even his face was very close, and his fragrance—a mix of wood and wild roses—surrounded her.

Trivial, insignificant details filled Aiselin’s mind, tormenting her. Her brain felt like it was about to overload; her head burned, and she had to take a deep breath.

Seeing her like that, Dereck frowned.

“It seems your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”

“No, it’s just… um… yes… you’re right…”

“In any case, I’ve reflected deeply because of this incident. I should have treated you better while you were here. I took your sacrifices and dedication for granted.”

“No, you mustn’t think that way. I truly enjoy what I do—besides, it helps my family too…”

Dereck, still seated in the wooden chair, spoke with an even more serious expression.

“During these four days, I came to see you every day whenever I had a free moment. I don’t know what Miss Aiselin might think of that, but seeing you collapse because of my negligence made me reflect.”

“Every day… you came to see me…?”

Dereck was just as busy as Aiselin, barely having time to breathe.

Often, to make time for such things, he had to sacrifice part of his schedule, but the fact that he came every day to check on her condition and watch over her made Aiselin feel strangely moved.

It was a tacit confirmation that Dereck truly cared for her.

“Please rest this week. It’s best to be cautious until you’re completely sure your body has recovered.”

“I—I’m fine…”

“No, you’re not. I’ll come regularly to check on you myself, so focus solely on your recovery.”

“E—every day…?”

Aiselin, lying diagonally across the bed, let out a small hiccup.

It was already difficult to see Dereck’s face even once, but now he was saying he would come every day, sit beside her, ask how she was, talk about trivial things, and spend time with her.

No matter how busy his schedule was, it was absurd for him to go to such lengths for her, so Aiselin tried to shake her head—but it was as if something had caught in her throat, and she couldn’t move it.

“That’s…”

“Dereck is right, Aiselin! You have to rest!”

Siern, who rarely raised her voice, also stepped forward with a worried expression and looked at Aiselin.

Siern, who always had tea with her whenever she had time, had been taking etiquette lessons and felt that life in the mansion would become empty without Aiselin.

Her already tired face showed genuine concern. Even the other servants and the butler, Delbritton, bowed their heads guiltily as they looked at bedridden Aiselin.

‘What… what is this feeling…?’

Aiselin felt a thick, warm sensation forming in her heart.

The young woman had no way of understanding it yet—the regret, loneliness, and obsession that reside in the human heart.

‘I feel… satisfied, somehow… Why… why…? This… this is wrong…’

The sinister sense of fulfillment inherent in human nature confused her, and she could only keep questioning it.

For someone as composed as Aiselin, that emotion was completely new.

*

After that, Dereck truly began visiting Aiselin’s room every day to check on her condition and ask if she felt any discomfort.

He would sit by her bed and tell her what had happened at the training center or mention that many young ladies were worried about her while waiting for the temporarily suspended etiquette classes to resume.

“They also talked about holding a tea party in the garden, but since the baron’s mansion is smaller than the estates of the great nobles, it seems a bit difficult.”

“Hahaha. That’s true. Mr. Delbritton also suggested expanding the garden, and I think it would be good to consider it positively.”

“The budget has become a bit more flexible—I’ll suggest it to the administrators.”

After a few days, Aiselin, who had been weak, regained some strength and was able to sit at the table.

The servants also took care of her meals, so her previously gaunt appearance became elegant and beautiful once again—it was as if she were surrounded by a garden of flowers every day.

And above all, Dereck visited her daily.

Talking with him gave her a strange sense of fulfillment, as if she were enjoying the finest vacation.

Thus, Aiselin drank tea and basked in the sunlight with Dereck.

The difference between now and when she had been running endlessly between tasks at the center was immense.

She spent her days doing nothing—just resting or chatting with the people who came to visit her—and that was all she did.

There was a limit to how long she could keep people busy around her, so she decided to convince herself to enjoy that happiness for a few days and spent pleasant moments with Dereck.

“Lady Ellen is scheduled to visit next week.”

And just like that, the happiness that had soared to the heavens disintegrated in an instant.

“What…?”

“We’ve informed the Duplain family and the Rose Salon that Lady Aiselin has been unwell. It’s the proper thing to do. If anything were to happen to you, we must notify them immediately.”

“Well, that’s true. My family would want to know how I’m doing, but why Lady Ellen…?”

When they competed at the Rose Salon, Ellen had been wary of Aiselin.

However, recently, that relationship had reversed. Although it was hard to explain, Aiselin felt a strange reaction whenever she heard Ellen was coming—her breathing would catch, and her gaze would go blank.

“Although it’s been some time since Lady Aiselin was removed from the Rose Salon, she still has many acquaintances. Many wanted to visit you, and although I declined most of them, there were a few I couldn’t refuse.”

Ellen, the rightful heir of House Belmierd, was not someone a rural baron could easily manage.

“Lady Denise as well.”

Aiselin felt a chill run down her spine.

Lately, Ellen had shown a strange hostility toward her, and Denise, being naturally lazy, was not one to form deep relationships.

It would have been enough to send a polite, elegant gift, but the fact that both were personally coming to the Ravenclaw Mansion could only mean one thing—they had ulterior motives.

In short, their apparent concern for Aiselin was nothing but an excuse.

It was unpleasant to use someone’s illness as a pretext to act. Of course, Aiselin was gentle by nature and not the type to get angry over such things.

Even so, she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

Ellen perhaps just wanted to see Dereck’s face.

But why would Denise come?

While Ellen’s intentions as an influential woman were understandable, Denise’s—as a strategist—were a complete mystery.

And that made Aiselin feel even more uneasy.

“…”

As Aiselin’s face turned pale again, Dereck, who was drinking tea in front of her, let out a deep sigh.

It seemed the day when Aiselin’s fatigue would finally disappear was still far away.

*

“…”

Denise pinned a lovely rose-shaped brooch to her chest, put on a dress with moderately decorated frills, and boarded the carriage.

Once seated inside the luxurious vehicle, she held her breath for a moment, furrowed her brow as if something weighed on her mind, and let out a long sigh.

“I told you, Dereck. I’m just a chess piece.”

Inside the carriage heading toward the baron’s mansion of Ravenclaw, the young woman murmured softly, though there was no one who could hear her.

The Grand Duke Beltus was attempting, one way or another, to control and bring down the Barony of Ravenclaw.

And in any case, Denise was in no position to oppose his will.

Even though she was on her way to reunite with her long-awaited teacher, she felt as though a great weight hung over her chest.

If the opportunity arises, strike Dereck from behind. Until then, earn his trust and stay close to him.

The heavy message of the Grand Duke Beltus weighed upon the girl’s shoulders.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelCet