Fostering the Male Lead

Chapter 46

“I didn’t know you thought of my brother Leonard like that.”

“What?”

“Strong and healthy with red hair and green eyes. I’m not sure about the kind part, but that’s certainly brother Leonard.”

“…Rosetta Katzel, I am really thinking about killing you right now.”

If I hadn’t sensed Sihael’s burgeoning murderous aura, I would have thought he was joking. Lanoa slapped his thigh and burst into a roar of loud laughter as Sihael retched with disgust.

“Bwahhhhaaaaaha! Your Highness and brother Leonard pfft! Hahaha”

“Shut up!”

“Haha, there’s no need for me to get in the way of you two. Because there is no hope for you, Your Highness!” Lanoa said with a shake of his head. He teased Sihael without even trying to hide the tremors in his lips.

“Did I make you lose heart, Your Highness?”

“Shut up.”

I ignored their chatter and took a mouthful of the apple pie Hannah made for me.

“So delicious!”

Anyway, when he’d meet Liliana, he would forget all about this ideal type or whatever.

However, where am I supposed to find Liliana?

* * *

When I placed the fork down, the tea time with the three of us came to an end. Despite the fact that it was ‘tea time,’ I was the only one who had anything to eat.

Until we got up from our seats, Lanoa had a weird look on his face, as if he was laughing at something. It took Sihael a while to decide whether or not to eat Lanoa, but he eventually bit his leg to show his anger.

“Argh! My legs! Your highness, you shouldn’t bite people!”

Sihael walked right by me as he stepped on Lanoa, who was writhing on the floor in agony. In the past, Sihael had always accompanied me, but this time he was so upset that he returned to the room without looking back. Watching Sihael walk away, I took a step in the other direction. I went to Nanabi instead of comforting him.

“Nanabi, may I enter?”

“Yes, please come in.”

Nanabi was deep into her research.  When she asked me to wait a bit, I sat down on the sofa and gazed around the room. No matter how many times I saw it, the transformation of an ordinary room into a magical laboratory never ceased to amaze me. While I was examining the expanded collection of research instruments, I heard the door open from the inside. The moment I turned my head, Eugene’s prim and proper eyes widened in recognition of me. When I first saw him, Eugene was merely bones, but now he had gained some weight and looked much better. He approached me swiftly and bowed.

“Due to my previous state of health, I was unable to properly greet you, Milady. I am Eugene Mell.”

“You’ve gotten a lot better.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Milady. I will surely repay this favor.”

Eugene looked like he was willing to give up his life if necessary.

‘You don’t need to do that.’

I did save his life out of generosity, but everything that followed was carefully planned by me. When he decided to become Nanabi’s disciple, I made the decision to become his backer, both for myself and for the benefit of the Katzel family. Additionally, in the original novel, Eugene developed the same ability for purification magic as Liliana did when he was her apprentice. As a result, he was worth anticipating. Despite the fact that his teacher had changed, his setting as a genius did not change, so there was a possibility that he might be able to use other magical abilities.

‘Moreover, he’s someone who the Master of the Wizard Tower values. It would be a waste if I did not take advantage of this opportunity.’

If he could possess the power of purification, it would be highly beneficial to Sihael, and if not, he could become the Katzel family’s exclusive wizard. On my side, there was nothing to lose.

“For now, follow Nanabi’s advice and strive hard to become a wonderful wizard for the Katzels.”

“I’ll definitely do my best.”

The more I saw him act honestly, swiftly, and deftly, the better I felt. Failing to get Liliana was like a wound to the heart, but I took some solace in the fact that I had succeeded in getting Eugene by my side. After my brief talk with Eugene had concluded, Nanabi, who had just finished tidying up, sat down across from me.

“Milady, what brought you here?”

“I came here to ask about Liliana. Did you obtain any information concerning her whereabouts?”

“We sadly still haven’t made any progress.”

I’d come here hoping she’d have some information on her, but Nanabi, too, appeared to have nothing. Nanabi sighed loudly, as if frustrated.

“If I can obtain even a faint trace, I can use it to locate her. But it’s impossible because there is no trace of her anywhere.”

The words that flowed out of her mouth were pessimistic and dismal. In the meantime, Eugene brought tea and placed the cup in front of me and Nanabi. When I caught a glimpse of Eugene’s slender wrists poking out from beneath his long sleeves, my mouth dropped open. A bracelet adorned with lilies dangled from his wrist.

‘Liliana…!’

I jumped to my feet halfway up and snatched Eugene’s wrist. Eugene stumbled because I couldn’t manage my strength in a hurry.

“Where did you get this?”

“Huh? What? This bracelet? Someone was handing it out to the villagers, telling them that it would be beneficial to their health if they wore it. That’s when I got it, too… Is there anything wrong, Milady?”

“Did that person happen to be a woman?”

“Though that person was dressed in robes, their voice was unmistakably feminine.”

Ha, here I was having a hard time finding you, but you had not only entered the Duchy but also managed to evade all the surveillance systems!