My Dear Aster

It was drizzling. Lihen, who left the main building to go home, stood in the lobby for about 15 minutes. She didn’t have an umbrella, and she was alone, without a maid, as she usually did when she came to the academy.

It didn’t rain much, but if she walked like this, she would get wet. When she returns home, her hair will be ruined, so she can just wash and trim it, but the dress will be stained and wrinkled when it gets wet in the rain.

Penny, who would be waiting in the carriage, would come to pick her up if she didn’t come out after a long time. The rain might stop before then.

It wouldn’t matter if she went back to the painting atelier, but she just stood there because she was in a good mood.

The weather was moist and warm, and the gardens of the Academy had not yet lost their greenery. The cold, fresh air filled her lungs, and her heart swelled with hope.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of shoes, and when she looked back, Schudermel was standing there.

Lihen held her breath.

Even before returning to the past, Lihen had often encountered him. She got nervous just seeing his shadow pass by casually. She actually wanted to run into him, so she would deliberately turn around toward the pagoda or pick out the prettiest parasol and go for a walk.

Schudermel probably didn’t even know she existed. If they accidentally made eye contact, his eyes, which were as blue as jewels, would pass by heartlessly, as if staring at the grass or trees on the side of the road.

Lihen would place her hand on her chest every time. She knew that there would be no relationship between her and an illegitimate child, and that a handsome and charming man like Schudermel would not cast a meaningful gaze on her.

From the beginning, the first love was without passion or intensity and left nothing but a faint sense of resignation. Lihen never took it seriously, only telling her daughter with a smile that she had her first love.

But there was one thing that was different from the past. Schudermel recognized her.

“Ah.”

Lihen groaned. At the end of a glance, Schudermel’s eyes changed slightly. The hesitation on his face was fleeting. Realizing that Lihen had noticed that he recognized her, Schudermel greeted her casually instead of pretending not to know.

“Hello, young lady Copland?”

Isn’t this messed up?

Lihen wanted to die. Her face isn’t something one can see everywhere, so she was certain that he recognised her as a fool who had jumped into her father’s study where there were guests, wearing only clear, fully transparent pajamas.

“Hello…….”

She hesitated, not because she didn’t know who he was, but because she didn’t know what to call him.

Despite being the son of the daughter of the Marquis of Laft, he is not Lord Laft. Because he was an illegitimate child. But that didn’t mean she could just call his name in a friendly manner.

Schudermel didn’t seem to think so. He said his name as if he thought she didn’t know him.

“I am Schudermel Laft. Call me Schudermel.”

“Ah, yes…… I know. I’m Lihen Copland.”

After hesitating, Lihen then unfolded the hem of her skirt slightly and gave a formal greeting as per the etiquette. And her face flushed.

“Last time, I made a big mistake. I’m sorry for showing you something shameful.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. But the viscount seemed to be worried……”

“Yes…… Thank you for your concern, including for my father. Nothing happened.”

The two of them closed their mouths awkwardly.

In fact, encountering Schudermel here was not surprising in itself. Because the tower was inside the academy. And Schudermel was a magician. He was not like her daughter who had a vague ‘talent that could be studied more, but not necessarily sought out in the Magic Tower,’ but a genius talent that could never be missed.

It was still unknown at this point. This is because it is not until two years later that it is made official that he is a powerful magician with the dual attributes of water and wind. This is after the fact that his biological father is King Violden was made public. Prior to that, he was the illegitimate child of the daughter of the Marquis of Laft, the only grandson of the Marquis, but not a nobleman.

While Queen Lieselotte was alive, the king did not dare reveal his existence. After the queen’s death, however, he formally remarried to the daughter of the Marquis of Laft, and Schudermel regained his father’s surname.

Although he was born out of wedlock and did not have the right to succeed the throne, the king, with the consent of his successor, Princess Isaria, bestowed the title of Duke of Sagna to his son, whom he had neglected for a long time. It was no secret that Princess Isaria willingly accepted her half-brother not because of family love or blood ties, but because of the fact that he was a powerful magician.

In an instant, Schudermel rose to prominence as a young unmarried duke and magician in society. That would be two years later.

Lihen lowered her head awkwardly. There was no such thing as anticipation because he was someone she could never reach anyway.

That first love was a really long time ago for her. She smiled at her daughter and said, “Mom’s first love was a wonderful person,” but she never seriously remembered it.

Come to think of it, she was about the same age as her child. Unlike the Duke of Sagna. The Duke of Sagna from afar was always attractive, but he was always older than Lihen.

And this Schudermel is twenty-three years old. The twenty-three-year-old young man is at an age where he should not be the object of her excitement.

However, her heart was still pounding.

Schudermel stood by her side for a moment, watching the rain fall. Lihen felt her heartbeat mix with the sound of rain.

Schudermel’s face was young and fresh after 20 years, but it was exactly the same as what she remembered, and his calm and gentle demeanor and somewhat chilly atmosphere were no different.

Her eyes weren’t wrong, Lihen thought again and she smiled without realizing it.

She felt like she was standing in a memory. Such a gentle warmth wrapped around her body, and even the sound of rain sounded pleasant.

“…… are you?”

“Yes?”

“I asked if you couldn’t move because you didn’t have an umbrella.”

“Ah, yes, Because the dress will be ruined if it gets wet.”

“I see.”

Then there was a moment of silence. Schudermel broke the silence a few moments later.

“Are you going to wait until the rain stops?”

“After waiting for a short while, my maid will come pick me up. She knows that I’m coming home around this time.”

Lihen smiled warmly. There was another small joy in returning to the past. If it had been like before, she would have been nervous, and even if she had a chance to talk, she would not have been able to say a word properly and would have just been timid with her face red and her head down.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“It’s a bit chilly, but it’s okay. If it gets cold, I can go back to the painting atelier.”

“An atelier?”

“Yes, it’s in the main building. It’s the atelier of the painting club.”

Although unpopular, the old painting club’s temporary atelier in the corner of the main building in the early days has not been moved to this day and has been forgotten. Few people know that. In fact, few people were aware of the existence of the painting club itself.

At Lihen’s explanation, Schudermel also looked surprised.

“So the atelier is there.”

“Did you know that there was a painting club?”

“…… Yes, I once saw an exhibition in the main building.”

Lihen laughed awkwardly.

“There were really no people……”

“I guess I happen to be one of those few people.”

Lihen’s face turned red again. Her paintings were also hung there. Schudermel wouldn’t know which one of them was her painting, but she was embarrassed that he did see it anyway.

Schudermel looked away from her and turned his attention back to the rain-drenched garden.

“There are few people who have that hobby in the academy. Most of them like to stand out.”

“Those who study want to excel in their studies, those who are committed to social life want to stand out by their side, and magicians will want to stand out with magic. The heirs who will lead the family in the future will also have to learn what they need. I think it’s a hobby that even a timid person like me who has a lot of time can have.”

“The young lady doesn’t seem very timid.”

That’s because Lihen is living for the second time. She knew a little about the Duke of Sagna, so she wasn’t afraid to talk like this. Schudermel might forget about her existence as soon as he rose from his position.

No. He might remember the fool that ran out in her pajamas. She thought if she went back to her childhood, she would never make that mistake again. When she thought about it again, her face burned. She was not even nineteen years old.

She tried to smile, but she sneezed. Lihen covered her mouth with the shawl she was wearing.

A little embarrassed, she lifted her head to look at him, and saw that Schudermel had a slightly unfamiliar expression. Lihen tilted her head. She was a little embarrassed, but is her sneeze that weird for him to make that face?

Schudermel, who was not originally expressive, soon returned to his normal face.

“I’ve done an impolite thing. The young lady must be cold because the temperature has dropped due to the rain.”

“No. I’m going…….”

Just as she was about to say she would go back to the painting atelier, Schudermel spoke first.

“If you allow me, I’ll escort you to the carriage.”