The sun was hanging high directly overhead, and Liya finally poked her head out from the blankets that were bunched up into a lump.
She was wearing pink silk pajamas, which faintly revealed her skin and looked slightly cool and airy.
After groggily opening her eyes, she glanced at the clock on the wall and checked the time.
It was already twelve noon.
Normally, at this time, Liya would have long since started bustling around, dealing with the affairs of the Clavenna territory.
But today, she didn't really want to get out of bed.
Whenever she thought about what happened yesterday, Liya's cheeks would turn as red as a fully ripe apple.
She pulled her head back under the blankets, closed her eyes, and curled up into a ball.
That's right, Liya had remembered everything.
After forgetting Viktor, she had spent an entire day running all over the place.
During that time, she kept searching for information about Viktor.
She moved through Bryeston nonstop, trying to find any clues related to Viktor, and even went to ask Gwen for help.
She quietly peeked out from under the blankets with just a pair of eyes.
The cabinet beside the bed was tightly shut, but the magic lock on it was already gone.
Suddenly, a scene flashed through her mind.
Viktor sitting beside her cabinet, holding her diary filled with the word "brother," flipping through it back and forth and reading it carefully.
After finishing, he would even add a comment.
"Hmm, interesting."
It was very likely that even that inseparable crow of his had already read her diary from beginning to end.
Thinking about this made Liya feel even more ashamed.
Her cheeks burned, and her mind was in complete chaos.
That's right, that diary filled with memories from her childhood.
Although those memories couldn't exactly be called good, Liya had still kept them carefully as something precious.
And she had even sealed them with a magic lock.
Unfortunately, a magic lock can stop a gentleman and can stop a villain, but it can't stop a villain who knows magic.
That's right, especially that smiley face at the end. It could only have been drawn by Viktor.
As if deliberately mocking Liya, it was brazenly displayed right there.
Sneaking a look at her diary and still acting completely justified.
The more Liya thought about it, the angrier she got, so she decided not to think about it anymore.
"When exactly did he see it?"
To her, letting Viktor see what was written in that diary was simply too embarrassing.
After all, it was filled with the words "brother."
Every time she thought about it, goosebumps broke out all over her body.
Right now, she especially hated her younger self for not living up to expectations.
How could she have been like she'd lost her mind, sticking behind Viktor and calling out "brother, brother" all the time?
Even her own diary was almost entirely about Viktor.
He was clearly so cold, treating her so harshly and sharply…
But just like it was written in the diary, Liya still remembered that scolding she once received from Viktor.
He said he hated tears.
From that point on, Liya learned to be independent and strong.
And the more she grew up, the more she came to dislike Viktor.
Until yesterday…
Liya felt the body hidden under the blankets start to warm slightly, her cheeks flushing.
Just thinking about Viktor touching her cheek and wiping away the tears at the corner of her eyes made her whole body tremble.
Every pore on her body seemed to be sweating slightly from embarrassment.
How dare Viktor do that?
At the time, it hadn't seemed too bad, but the more she recalled it, the more awkward it felt.
She pulled the blanket up again, tightly covering her head, curling herself into a ball.
This time, she didn't even have the slightest intention of coming out.
That was why she didn't dare go out all day today.
She would rather lie on the bed, hide under the blankets, and stay in her bedroom for the entire day than go out and run into Viktor.
She truly couldn't imagine what kind of attitude she should use to face this older brother of hers.
Fortunately, Viktor was busy handling matters related to the elf race, so he didn't have time to come see her.
Liya needed time to calm down.
Because sooner or later, she would have to face Viktor.
Tomorrow was Monday.
The day the Royal Magic Academy would start the semester and conduct its freshman assessment.
The residence in the royal capital had already been completed, so Viktor would definitely be returning there.
So Liya was now faced with a choice, whether to return to the royal capital together with Viktor.
But no matter what she chose, she would have to face Viktor directly and talk to him.
"..."
Liya fell silent, turned over, stuck her head out from the blankets, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Knock! Knock!
Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone knocking on her bedroom door.
Liya felt a little puzzled.
Although she hadn't gotten out of bed today, she had already handed the miscellaneous matters downstairs to the servants, so there was basically nothing in particular that needed handling today.
But soon, a servant's voice came from outside the door, "Miss Liya."
"Count Gwen has come to visit."
Liya abruptly sat up in bed, her eyes widening.
'Who? Who came!?'
———
A lush, towering divine tree stood in the backyard of the Clavenna family, its thick trunk reaching straight into the clouds.
Numerous exquisite wooden houses had been built around the divine tree. They were orderly and neat, appearing peaceful and harmonious under the sunlight.
More than a hundred elves had basically been settled in, living here in an orderly fashion.
The vast backyard had essentially become their home.
These elves needed to adapt to the human world as soon as possible. Leaving the Elven Forest and coming to the Clavenna household was their first step.
Of course, although they were curious about why there was also a divine tree in Viktor's backyard, the elves didn't recognize this divine tree as their former stepmother.
The Yard Divine Tree.
The elves knew that Viktor possessed the means to revive a divine tree, so the fact that a divine tree was growing in the Clavenna family's backyard seemed perfectly normal to them.
At this moment, looking at the already settled members of her race, Cocotte sat on a cloud and couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Ahahaha, my work is finally done!"
Vinia glanced at Cocotte from the side.
This lazy elf had only set up a passage that allowed two-way travel between the Elven Forest and the Clavenna household.
And for the Elf Queen, this was as easy as drinking water.
So she mercilessly exposed Cocotte on the spot and said flatly, "What exactly did you do?"
"Why does it sound like you took on the work of over a hundred elves all by yourself?"
Fortunately, not all elves were as lazy as Cocotte.
The elves who lived in the Elven Forest had always lived like primitive people.
So their hands-on ability was extremely strong.
In just one day, without any help from the Clavenna household's workers, they had built all the houses they needed.
Although Viktor had mentioned that they could even live inside the divine tree, the elves considered that to be a disrespectful act.
Luckily, the Clavenna family's backyard was large enough.
Because the term "backyard" was really just a figure of speech.
Although it was called a backyard, as long as one didn't cross the territorial boundaries, any corner could be considered part of Clavenna's backyard.
Cocotte's body stiffened, and she said stubbornly, "I did important work too, okay!"
"We agreed before that I didn't need to do any other work!"
Vinia looked troubled and sighed, "Alright, alright. Thank you for your contribution to our people."
After saying that, she turned around and looked toward Viktor.
Viktor was standing nearby. The pitch-black crow on his shoulder kept flapping its wings, using its beak to groom its own feathers.
Vinia faced Viktor, gripping her staff with both hands, and bowed to him.
Her figure was already among the top tier within the elf race.
When she bowed, the wooden staff was even unintentionally pressed in between.
While bowing, she spoke respectfully to Viktor, "Thank you, Lord Viktor, for the help you have provided to our elf race."
The elf race needed to open up trade routes between the Elven Forest and the Karensia Empire, which required Viktor's help.
Therefore, Viktor allowing the elves to open a passage to the Elven Forest in the Clavenna family's backyard was an enormous help to the elf race.
The elves only needed to pay Viktor their daily natural energy in return.
Viktor looked at them and spoke, "This is not free assistance."
Vinia nodded, "I understand, Lord Viktor."
But Viktor shook his head and looked at her, "I don't think you understand yet."
With his hands in his pockets, standing in place, he said calmly, "Leon."
As his voice fell, a nimble figure swiftly crossed the grass, leapt over the houses, and landed steadily behind Viktor.
She removed the hood from her head, revealing golden hair and long, pointed ears.
Vinia naturally recognized Leon. Seeing Viktor summon her, she didn't quite understand what Viktor meant.
The other elves were also completely confused, looking at one another.
Then they heard Viktor's voice ring out calmly, "First of all, the Clavenna household does not support idle people."
"In the contract you signed, there is such a clause."
Viktor extended one hand, and a black-on-white contract materialized in his palm.
"If the Clavenna household encounters difficulties, you are obligated to provide assistance."
Cocotte, who had been lazing around and slacking off nearby, suddenly froze and shuddered.
This scene felt strangely familiar.
The elves were still confused, and Vinia also didn't quite understand Viktor's meaning,
even though she herself had signed the contract.
"Lord Viktor, you also know the situation of our elf race..."
Before she could finish speaking, the Yard Divine Tree trembled slightly.
The elves' gazes were immediately drawn toward it, and then they saw, the branches of the divine tree tilted slightly, and crystal-clear dewdrops slowly fell from them.
The droplets hit the ground and began to spread.
Almost in the blink of an eye, a clear pool of water formed out of nowhere on the grass.
The pool was so clear that it could even reflect their figures.
All the elves present were puzzled. Even Cocotte had no idea what Viktor was doing.
At that moment, ripples spread across the center of the pool, and a strange mirror slowly rose from within it.
"This is what I'm about to talk about next."
Viktor stood there with his hands in his pockets, wearing a cold expression, and said calmly, "Starting today, the elves living in the Clavenna household will undergo special training every day."
"Until you can freely control and use your natural energy."
Hearing Viktor's words and looking at that mirror, the elves all shuddered from head to toe.
"Of course."
"Someone will be supervising you."
As his words fell, Leon stepped forward, raised her head, and looked at the elves without the slightest hint of warmth.
A detached voice followed, "I will do my utmost."