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Chatting and laughing, they soon arrived at the Greenhouse.
As always, the three of them naturally entered, found their seats, and sat down.
While she was boiling water to serve them warm tea, Princess Peony exclaimed from behind.
“Wow! Piyo seems to get bigger every time I see him! He’s so cute.”
Turning her head, Ayla saw Piyo sitting on the floor, now almost as big as a person.
Several books were scattered around his glossy black tail and short, stubby legs.
Looking at him, Princess Peony widened her eyes and cautiously asked Ayla.
“Does he even read books now…?”
Ayla shrugged as if it were nothing special.
“He’s been good at understanding people for a while now.”
“Has he?”
“Yeah, Debens told me to help him adapt to the human world if he’s going to stay with us, so I’m teaching him easy Magic first.”
“So, you gave him these books?”
“Yeah, Piyo seems to like them more than I thought.”
Listening to their conversation, Felix glanced at the books Piyo was looking at.
[Interdimensional Magic Interpretation]
[Advanced Mana Application]
Felix’s eyebrows twitched. Just from the titles, he could tell that the books Piyo was reading were definitely not ordinary Magic books.
These were advanced theoretical texts that even high-ranking Mages at the Magic Tower would study.
“For an educational stage… isn’t the level too high?”
“Huh? Is it?”
Ayla and Princess Peony turned their heads to check the books Piyo was reading.
Suddenly, Piyo waved his hand in the air and shouted with an excited face.
“Piyoong! Piyoooo!”
It didn’t take long to understand what that action meant.
In an instant, a faint golden pattern appeared in the air along with a rough flow of Mana.
“That’s…!”
Ayla’s eyes were filled with shock.
The Magic Circle floating in the air gradually brightened, soon bursting into a dazzling light.
A large amount of Mana concentrated in one place, and soon the vision became dizzyingly distorted.
Within that crack, the black scales and tail gradually diminished. The wings also scattered like smoke.
When the flow of Mana slowed down again and the vision returned to normal, what remained in its place was…
…a small boy with ebony-like glossy hair.
Ayla and Princess Peony were startled and looked at each other.
“N-No way. Polymorph?”
“That’s Magic that even the highest-ranking Mages at the Magic Tower have difficulty casting.”
While the two were frozen in confusion, Felix quickly took off his coat and covered the naked Piyo.
He frowned and glared at Piyo, who had suddenly turned into a human child.
“I don’t know what’s going on all of a sudden. You can both turn around now.”
Only then did Princess Peony and Ayla turn their heads again.
Still on the floor, a small, young boy was sitting blankly, covered in Felix’s school uniform jacket.
“S-So… that boy is Piyo, right?”
Ayla also muttered with a bewildered face.
“I think so. When I met Debens, he greeted me in human form too.”
“I-I see… But Piyo might be a little cold with just that on? I’ll go get some clothes for a child to wear!”
Princess Peony hurriedly left the Greenhouse without waiting for an answer.
Ayla, left behind, stood blankly, as if she couldn’t believe the scene before her.
That’s how unreal the events that had just unfolded felt.
It was then. The black-haired child wriggled and stood up.
Then, like a child taking his first steps, he wobbled closer with sparkling eyes. He didn’t even glance around.
“P-Piyo?”
Ayla called his name in a trembling voice.
Soon, a bright smile spread across the little boy’s face.
Without hesitation, the child wrapped his arms around her legs and hugged her tightly.
“A… Ayla.”
As soon as Ayla heard Piyo call her name for the first time, a stinging sensation struck her chest.
For some reason, her throat tightened and she felt a lump in her throat.
‘Is this how my mother always felt when she looked at me?’
Of course, Felix, who couldn’t possibly know her feelings, was just grumbling beside her.
“That guy, using informal speech to his guardian from the start…”
But Ayla didn’t seem to hear him, gently stroking the child’s head.
Unable to hide her joy at the miracle before her eyes, the corners of her lips softly lifted.
Deep within the Imperial Palace, in the Empress’s chambers where no one could enter without permission.
The Empress frowned with her eyes closed. The deeply etched wrinkles reflected her state of mind.
Lately, her mood had been the worst. Misfortunes had been piling up one after another.
‘Count Arman has fallen.’
As soon as the new cosmetics brand appeared, Count Arman had to close his remaining stores.
The massive funds spent on expanding the business had become debt.
As a result, Count Arman eventually filed for bankruptcy. Now, it was uncertain whether even the funds invested by the Rotuang Marquess family could be recovered.
‘Is this really just bad luck?’
Count Arman’s desperate attempt to develop a new product had failed, and an even stronger competitor than Flor Cosmetics had suddenly appeared.
What was even more absurd was that Yuriette’s biggest investor and manager was Princess Peony.
‘It’s too coincidental to be a coincidence. It’s as if someone planned it from the beginning…’
A venomous look appeared in the Empress’s eyes.
She recalled what the Emperor had said to her recently.
“I received a message from Princess Peony. The Dragon Shedded successfully this time. As you suggested, we must invite student Ayla to the birthday banquet.”
“I see, that’s something to celebrate.”
“Oh, and I heard that student Ayla has applied for early graduation this time.”
“Is that so…?”
“Once she graduates, the Magic Tower and other places will reach out to her, so we must recruit her to our side.”
The Empress nodded without any particular objection. After all, she herself was planning to persuade Ayla at the birthday banquet.
However, she couldn’t hide her discomfort at the Emperor’s next words.
“So, what do you think about suggesting that Ayla work under Princess Peony? She’s a member of the Imperial family, but she hasn’t been able to form any significant power base until now.”
“Ah…”
“Since the two are close, we might be able to win her over by appealing to her emotions.”
“Well… Darian is quite interested in Ayla as well…”
“Haha, but Darian hasn’t been able to persuade her yet. Well, we’ll have to see. It’s up to her to decide.”
After finishing her recollection, the Empress gnashed her teeth.
There was nothing more difficult than forcing a smile in front of the Emperor and agreeing with his absurd opinion.
‘Why is everything going wrong like this?’
The budget allocated to Princess Peony was similar to that of other members of the Imperial family.
But to think that she would gather that small budget and succeed in such a big business.
The Empress couldn’t deny that Princess Peony’s status was gradually rising as a result.
Everything was deviating from the picture she had initially drawn.
Moreover, there was something that bothered her the most.
‘Why does Princess Peony seem to be getting healthier?’
Normally, her energy should be gradually weakening by now. But for some reason, Princess Peony’s complexion was getting brighter day by day.
‘Could it be that Lona has betrayed me?’
But the Empress shook her head the next moment. As long as her family members were her weakness, she couldn’t betray her words.
‘Or is there someone else who sees through all of this and is helping Princess Peony from behind…?’
It was then that the Empress gripped the armrest so hard that it seemed like it would break.
The door to the inner chamber opened cautiously.
The close maid, who had entered with her presence minimized, carefully opened her mouth.
“Your Majesty, a letter has arrived.”
The Empress pressed her eyelids as if she were tired and replied.
“Bring it.”
As soon as the Empress received the letter and checked the sender, she immediately frowned.
‘Why is Rosia contacting me again?’
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