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It was a separate palace that the Emperor had personally provided for his daughter, who had been sickly since childhood, a quiet space where even the palace staff's comings and goings were strictly controlled.
Ayla, guided by a maid, passed through a corridor surrounded by gardens and ponds, and arrived in front of a small, cozy building.
"This way, Ayla-nim."
The maid stopped and carefully turned the doorknob.
As soon as the door opened, a quiet and neat interior was revealed.
"You can use this place. We have prepared the necessary items according to the list, so please let us know if anything is missing."
Ayla slowly stepped inside.
The unique scent of wood from the new furniture greeted her.
When she removed the white cloth draped over the furniture, long rows of bookshelves and a wide work table were revealed.
On it, everything was complete, from drawers containing dried herbs to tools for drawing precise Magic Circles and suppression devices for controlling Mana.
It was a space that could be called a laboratory without a doubt.
"The Imperial Princess must have put a lot of thought into this."
"Yes, she personally checked everything one by one, knowing that Ayla-nim was coming."
Ayla ran her fingertips across the surface of the workbench. It was clean without a speck of dust, as if it had been thoroughly cleaned.
"Would you like to see the inside as well? There is a resting area and a bedroom attached."
The maid opened the inner door and showed her the interior.
As Ayla followed her, a cozy resting space unfolded behind the door.
A fluffy bed, a small table, and a wardrobe were arranged in the spacious room, and a small garden and pond could be seen at a glance beyond the window.
Soon, Ayla said in a satisfied voice.
"This is nice. Now I can really focus on my research."
She bowed her head to the maid who followed her.
"Thank you for your consideration. You can go now."
"Please call me anytime if you need anything."
The maid smiled and quietly retreated.
Only when the door closed did Ayla sigh and relax.
'From now on, I just need to focus on research day and night.'
The day to reveal the truth to the world and set everything right was not far off.
Ayla took a quiet breath, feeling the wind blowing in through the window.
The next day.
Lavien, who had come to the laboratory, took out a Magical Tool that he had managed to obtain with difficulty and demonstrated various examples.
"As you can see, ordinary disruption Magic doesn't work here."
He tapped the Paternity test magic tool and continued.
"And yet, to have broken through this tricky security Magic... Well, it would be difficult unless it was someone who knew the principles of the Magical Tool inside and out. I suspect the culprit may have been someone who worked at the Magic Tower."
"That's probably right."
"...Do you perhaps already know who the culprit is?"
Ayla only shrugged her shoulders instead of answering.
Instead of questioning her further, Lavien slowly rose.
"In any case, it would be best to start by researching how to break the security Magic Circle engraved on the Magical Tool. Please take this first."
He handed over a document in which he had written down each of the formulas used in the Magical Tool.
After that, the two continued their research day and night.
Of course, they searched through all sorts of ancient books and papers and tried various methods.
Whether their efforts had paid off, the two of them fortunately succeeded in deciphering half of the formula in just a few days.
"Look. The reaction is much calmer when Mana is introduced from both sides."
"Indeed... it's effective. How did you come up with this method?"
It was around that time that Lavien's gaze towards Ayla changed.
"It's nothing new, but your Magic skills are amazing. Your theoretical understanding is as high as that of a high-ranking Mage... Do you really have no intention of joining the Magic Tower?"
"As you can see, I have a lot to take care of right now. I'll think about it later."
Ayla gave a bitter smile.
Just then, the laboratory door burst open and a man strode in.
It was none other than her fiancé, Felix.
Lavien muttered jokingly at the sight.
"Well, it would be difficult anyway, since you'll soon be the mistress of the Duke's family."
"Haha, it seems Piyo has caused another accident."
Ayla stood up from her seat with an awkward look.
"What's wrong all of a sudden, Felix?"
Felix carefully put down the boy he was holding in his arms and grumbled.
"This kid was running around on his own and fell. He started crying and looking for Ayla."
At those words, Ayla carefully approached Piyo.
"Are you okay, Piyo?"
"Hic... Waaah, Ayla..."
Piyo ran to her and soon began to cry sadly in Ayla's arms.
"I don't want to play with that hyung..."
"What's wrong again? Did you two fight?"
"Fight? I was just trying to feed him when it was time, but that kid kept running away."
Felix ruffled his hair in exhaustion.
"And that kid is exaggerating. When I held him in my arms, he kept resisting, but now he's pretending to be hurt."
Before entering the laboratory, Piyo had struggled to get out of Felix's arms.
But as soon as he reached the door, he suddenly became quiet, and eventually began to tear up in front of Ayla.
Ayla bent her knees and examined the scratches on the boy's body, asking.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
Piyo pursed his lips and glanced sideways at Felix.
Then, looking at him, he nodded vigorously. Seeing this, Felix raised one eyebrow without saying a word.
Ayla, unaware of the two's silent war of nerves, spoke in a kind voice.
"I'm sorry, I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to take good care of you."
Piyo lowered his head with a sullen face. Ayla stroked his head and whispered kindly.
"Once I finish this work quickly, I'll play with Piyo every day."
"No, Ayla. I can wait as long as it takes."
Ayla smiled happily at those words.
"Piyo is really mature and kind."
A faint smile spread across Piyo's face at her compliment.
His eyes, which had been filled with tears, were now completely dry.
Only then did the child begin to look around the laboratory, turning his small head from side to side.
His eyes were full of interest as he looked at the unfamiliar Magical Tools and complex diagrams.
"What's this?"
What Piyo pointed to was the Paternity test magic tool on the desk.
"That's a Paternity test magic tool."
"Paternity... test magic tool. Paternity test magic tool!"
Piyo tilted his head and repeated the unfamiliar words several times.
As a Dragon, a race close to Magic, Piyo also seemed to be instinctively interested in Magical Tools.
"How do you use it?"
"Hmm..."
Ayla pondered for a moment, then pulled a strand of hair from Piyo's head.
Then she put it in the left bowl of the Magical Tool. Her blood was already in the right bowl.
"You put each other's hair or blood in here. Then this Magical Tool will tell you whether the two are family or not."
"What happens if we're real family?"
"Um, do you see this gourd? If we're family, the blue liquid inside will turn silver."
Piyo stared intently at the gourd with sparkling eyes.
Soon, the liquid slowly began to turn golden. Ayla added an explanation in a kind voice.
"Look, it's turned gold, right? That means our blood isn't mixed. It's because we're different species."
Whether he understood Ayla's words, Piyo's face slowly turned red.
The child soon puffed out his cheeks in dissatisfaction and shook his head violently.
"No! We're family!"
Ayla blinked in confusion.
"...Huh?"
"Ayla and I are family!"
The moment Piyo's lips trembled, the Mana in the laboratory began to fluctuate.
The floor and even the furniture shook violently as if an earthquake had occurred, and papers fluttered in the air.
Felix and Lavien hurriedly threw themselves to block the falling furniture.
"P, Piyo! Stop it!"
It was the moment Ayla was about to grab Piyo in shock.
The light emanating from the boy's body enveloped the gourd-shaped Magical Tool.
"--."
Soon, along with Piyo's incomprehensible cry, the liquid inside the gourd began to swirl.
After a while, the liquid, which had been shining gold, slowly lost its color and turned into a calm silver.
Ayla stared at the scene in a daze. But the most embarrassed person was someone else.
"W, what is this..."
Lavien muttered blankly, staring at the Magical Tool.
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