Youngest 207

Episode 207

“Hm? What’s this?”

Suddenly, Rosetta felt something unusual inside Leviathan’s coat and began to fumble through the inner pocket.

She found a luxurious violet box.

“Oh my, it’s a necklace?”

“I never got a chance to give the gift.”

It was a sparkling blue necklace, perfectly suited for Rubian.

“I didn’t know you had this kind of taste. Hmph, is there nothing for me?”

Rosetta grinned mischievously and rummaged deeper in Leviathan’s coat. Then she found a worn parcel hidden even further inside.

“This… it’s Ruby.”

The old portrait of baby Rubian, which the mage had brought.

It seemed he had at last succeeded in finding a locket perfectly sized for the portrait.

That wasn’t all. There was even a worn pillowcase, said to have been used by Rubian, neatly folded as though it were a handkerchief.

“…Ahem. It just didn’t feel right to leave them behind.”

Leviathan turned his head, embarrassed.

“Don’t tell me, the reason you’re in a bad mood is because…”

She, who would usually scold him for being an overindulgent parent, was about to speak with a strange look upon her face when—

“There she is, Ruby,”

Leviathan said. Turning her head, she saw Rubian, quietly appearing through the open balcony door.

It was nearly time for the ball, the highlight of the coming-of-age ceremony, to begin.

“What’s with her? The guest of honor keeps running away.”

“But doesn’t she look a bit upset? Oh dear, maybe she was startled by the recent commotion. I’ll go…”

“Duchess, hello.”

At that moment, a beautiful noblewoman called out to Rosetta.

“Ah, Marchioness Eibreich.”

“This party is truly wonderful today. By the way, how about coming over here and discussing the charity event scheduled for next month?”

“Oh, it’s that time already, is it…? Very well, let’s.”

In the end, Rosetta allowed herself to be led to where the ladies were gathered, alongside the marchioness.

“Dad, please go and bring her back.”

Her gaze firmly conveyed the message.

Since he had intended to fetch Rubian anyway, Leviathan moved without hesitation. She had likely been startled by the explosion, so she needed comfort.

‘Look at that.’

He saw a straw-haired young nobleman approaching Rubian, who was trudging along, eyes downcast. A rose was hidden behind the young man’s back.

‘Ha!’

Just a single flower?

Absolutely unacceptable.

“Ruby.”

Leviathan called out to his daughter on purpose. The young nobleman, noticing Leviathan, quickly dashed away.

A little fool and a coward, it seems.

Does the academy not teach self-awareness? Smirking childishly, Leviathan immediately turned his gaze to Rubian.

“Stop running off and come here…”

He reached out gently, taking a step closer.

At that moment, Rubian’s small, slumped shoulders flinched sharply. She hesitated, then backed away.

“…Rubian?”

“Ah.”

But it was only for an instant; Rubian blinked a few times, then approached with a bright smile once more.

“Oh, Dad! What was that explosion just now? It really startled me!”

Her cheerful chatter as she linked arms felt perfectly ordinary.

Yet when he looked closely, her white cheeks were utterly pale. Her restless fingers picked at themselves. She pressed her lips together tightly, as if biting hard inside her mouth.

Leviathan’s gaze grew cold.

Anyone else would think she had merely been startled by the explosion.

But he knew his youngest daughter’s habits all too well.

“You know, I really should go greet the guests! It’s my party, after all. So much to do!”

Ruby is—

“Sorry!”

—hiding something from him.

---

My heart was pounding.

I walked briskly, greeting noble guests with only a cursory nod.

Even to myself, my expression felt strained.

‘Dad will get suspicious if I look like this.’

That I’m hiding something.

‘Ugh, why did I have to get that warning from Severena!’

The potion… What did she say about it?

The potion bottle, clutched in my hand as if concealing it, seemed to burn with heat.

It was the new one I’d received from Severena; aside from the clicking sound the cap made, it looked the same as the one kept at the ducal estate.

Using the excuse of fixing my appearance, I made my way to the lounge and replayed my conversation with Severena.

Just a moment ago—

Boom!

A thunderous explosion sounded, and Severena sharply lifted her head.

“What was that explosion?”

“Hmm. I think that was…”

With the rush of magic, it wasn’t hard to figure out the cause of the blast.

“It seems a magecraft device malfunctioned. Most likely… someone must have dropped a firework device.”

Sure enough, Khalid burst out onto the balcony and explained.

“Are you all right, Ruby? That explosion just now…”

“Yes, I think I know what it was. I’m fine.”

With a curt nod, he glanced at Severena and then disappeared.

For some reason, the sound of the door closing behind him seemed unusually cold.

“…He’s really not going to ask me to dance, is he.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh, nothing. What were we talking about?”

At my question, the princess—looking between my face and the spot where Khalid had disappeared—hurriedly spoke.

“The potion I gave you. You haven’t used it yet, have you?”

“No, not yet.”

I had tested it, but not used it directly on the mage confined at the mansion.

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

“You asked about it in a letter, too… Is there some problem?”

“In fact, I should have given you this one instead.”

“What’s this?”

What Severena placed in my hand was a familiar-looking potion.

The glass stopper in the clear bottle wobbled back and forth. It wasn’t likely to fall off entirely, but it did look a bit unstable.

“As you can see, the bottle’s cap is a little loose. My maid tried to swap it out and must have picked a different one by mistake. I was discussing with His Majesty the Emperor and asked her for the favor, but since the bottles all look the same, she probably thought it didn’t matter.”

“Oh? So what is the one I have?”

Severena sighed softly.

“That’s an unfinished product I was working on. You asked me for the potion, remember?”

“Ah, yes.”

“There was a bit of a delay getting the final ingredient, so I kept it in storage for a while. That means the potion’s effect isn’t fully realized.”

Blink, blink.

My eyelids moved slowly.

Not fully realized?

“So… there is still some effect, then. In what way is it incomplete?”

“The result value.”

“Result value?”

“As you know, this potion is intended to produce a strong visual effect, right?”

“Yes…”

If parent and child, it mixes; if not, it doesn’t.

A proof more convincing than a hundred words, almost like a performance.

“But in its unfinished state, the effect is reversed. That’s why a specific herb is needed to invert the outcome.”

…What?

“I went through a lot of trial and error back in Eosia to fix that phenomenon. Showing that ‘the real daughter’ produces a mixture is both intuitive and powerful. No need for long explanations.”

Severena’s words came fast, like a racing steed. Somehow, it was hard to keep up with her.

“I thought, maybe, the mage you’re holding tried to tamper with the potion using this principle—like deliberately omitting the key herb.”

She leaned in and whispered quietly to me.

“Are there any such spells, Princess?”

The princess’s green eyes bored into me like a lance. In that instant, my scattered thoughts snapped back into focus.

“Wait, just a moment.”

Result value? Mixing?

My mind was awhirl with confusion.

As if understanding, Severena offered a gentle smile and continued.

“To put it simply, the potion you have—”

“…”

“Will mix if you’re unrelated…”

My eyes met hers, reflected in their depths. The empty look on my face hardly felt like my own.

“It won’t mix for true parent and child.”