Chapter 5 – Seaside Villa
A cold sweat broke out on her hands, with her pulse accelerating. Struggling to breathe, she inadvertently crouched down on the spot.
“Bianca, what’s wrong? Are you feeling sick? Or did you remember something?”
To her surprise, her brother was showing concern for her. He seemed to have feelings. Bianca shook her head loosely as if to reply.
“No. I simply felt unwell all of a sudden. For some reason, this place terrifies me.”
“My bad for pushing you too hard. Let’s head back.”
With her brother carrying her, Bianca left the balcony and went through the hall. A little further down the corridor, they entered the saloon. Satias summoned a servant and had him brew a pot of tea.
Her composure was restored after a sip.
“Do you want to rest in the bedroom?”
She told her brother, who was worried about her, that she would be fine. Being alone would only agonize her. Being in the company of someone else was more soothing.
“You might be in for a rough time, but I hope you will return to the academy at your earliest convenience. Tomorrow morning we will go to the royal capital, after which a tutor will be appointed to assist you in catching up on your studies,” her brother plainly stated the upcoming schedule. Perhaps because his expression didn’t shift noticeably, it still left a distinctly frosty impression.
“Um, Brother?”
She wondered if he was thrilled to be reunited with his sister, his blood kin. Insecure, she called out to him.
“After all, is the schedule too demanding for you? I shall request that our father postpone the departure date if you are feeling under the weather.”
Hearing those words of consideration felt somewhat reassuring for her.
“Um, can’t I return to the monastery?”
In some ways, she felt unwelcome by her family. Although she could not offer a succinct explanation for her mother’s reaction, it was somewhat incongruous.
“Why do you want to go back to that impoverished monastery? That place is for the commoner, not for the daughters of the nobility.”
Her brother was startled.
“I was going to become a nun there. Is it possible for me to go back there now?”
“No, it is impossible. There are other monasteries for aristocrats, and above all, our father will not approve of it.”
After saying this, Satias regarded Bianca with a fixed gaze.
“Bianca, you’ve changed. Are you really that Bianca? If it weren’t for the color of your eyes, I could hardly believe it.”
“I knew it; you’ve got the wrong person, right?”
Bianca looked at her brother expectantly.
“No, you’ve shed a ton of weight, but your face and the color of your eyes are the same. The vermilion eyes are a rare color that occasionally appears in the Kesler family.”
When Bianca noticed her brother’s assertion, she was disappointed.
“In any case, you mustn’t mention that you want to become a nun in front of our father.”
His eyes were slightly concerned as he stared at Bianca.
“Why?” Bianca tilted her head curiously.
“You’re marrying for the family. That is how an aristocratic girl is supposed to conduct herself. Our father would be infuriated if you announced your desire to join a monastery.”
It was disheartening to hear that, but then she reconsidered the possibility of joining a monastery after the marriage. In that monastery, there were some divorced and widowed women.
“Speaking of which Brother, I was rescued by fishermen on the beach, but how did I end up washed up in that place?”
“That’s because you fell into the sea…”
Satias hesitated to say.
“Fell into the sea? From where?”
“From the balcony where you felt sick earlier…”
“Huh? Ehー! How could I have fallen from such a place and survived!”
Bianca interrupted her brother in shock, exclaiming.
“You excel in wind and water magic. Such people are favored with the blessings of spirits. That may have saved your life.”
Despite feeling she had heard this somewhere before, her memory failed her, and thus she could not grasp the meaning. Furthermore, now that she couldn’t remember anything, Bianca couldn’t even cast any magic.
