Strange Things

" Madam, the young lady is really special. She reads a lot of books even when inside her room. I could tell that the lady is very smart for her age. But it's really strange, the young lady likes to read books about magic. Rachel and I, are responsible for getting the books she needs. I've always been wondering what kind of books would interest the lady so I was curious and took a peek at the titles." Jill said while serving the Countess some tea.

"And then I saw that it was really all about magic and nothing else. Magic history, magic theory, magical beasts and so on and so forth. Afterwards, we found her drawing and sketching a weird machine. The young master Valrug found them interesting and the two would always converse about the things drawn on the blueprints."

"I also noticed this, Madam." Rachel added as she brought as tray of sweets.

"I don't mean to make the Madam uncomfortable but Lady Ellen seems too smart and mature for her age. One time, she invited us to the kitchen and despite never stepping inside or learning about cooking, the young lady did really good on her first try. She even invented a lot of new sweets that there were coffee flavored."

Jill perked up. "AH! I remember this! Lady Ellen made this thing called coffee jelly and tiramisu! Those two desserts tasted great! I've never tasted anything like them before!"

"Right? Lady Ellen is really talented."

"Ah... But it's odd. I've never seen Lady Ellen read any books about cooking before..."

"Now that you say that, I've also never seen her read any books related to sewing but Lady Ellen was able to design a glamourous dress for herself. The lady is really amazing..."

"Lady Ellen's innate talent is indeed amazing! Of course, she inherited this from the Count and the Countess."

The Countess sipped her tea quietly.

"I also remembered when we went to visit this remote alchemy shop with Lady Ellen. It puzzled me why the lady would choose a shop that did not seem well-known. The shop owner really gave off an uncomfortable feeling. He even said that the lady was blessed with the Goddess Mortia... I think it was a scam."

"Ah... Lady Ellen is very special. She has a sharp eye. The shop owner charged 50 gold coins for one bag of essence of dew. I thought it was too expensive but the lady said it was a reasonable price. Later, I went to check on the other shops and found out that they charge twice or thrice the price. Some even charged it for 300 gold coins! It was unbelievable..."

"Jill! What are you saying? You are disrespecting the lady by doing that against her back..."

Jill became flustered at her Rachel's reminder and hurriedly looked at the Countess. "Madam, I did not mean to! I was only curious! Besides, the lady really acted strange. Lady Ellen went to buy from the alchemy shop and immediately headed to Viscount Rufus' mansion. Ah. I'm not supposed to say this but Madam you see..."

"JILL!" Rachel said with gritted teeth. Jill blushed. Of course, she could not reveal what happened at the Viscount's mansion in such a casual manner when the young lady explicitly forbade them from speaking about it to the count or countess.

Countess Debora smiled at them and placed her tea cup down.

"If it's about my darling daughter, I would really like to know more..."

Rachel and Jill both froze underneath the Countess' discerning gaze. In the end they could not help but reveal more information than necessary, especially Jill who was very direct and blunt. She said a lot of things that immediately attracted the Countess' curiosity.

"The both of you, I am thankful that you are looking after my daughter. Continue to watch over her and make sure she has everything that she needs." The Countess removed her golden earrings that were worth a few dozens of gold.

She also unclasped her diamond necklace. Smiling, she each handed the girls an accessory.

"I hope the both of you would continue to serve my daughter well. Of course, if she is experiencing any trouble, as her mother, I should be informed, right?"

Rachel gulped and stared at the necklace on her hands with unease while Jill admired the golden earrings as if she could see a bright future in them.

The Countess was very pleased when she saw this but a nagging feeling was left in her heart and as days passed by, she eventually talked to her husband and conveyed her worries.

Some time later, the news of Ellendise collapsing in front of the mansion reached their ears.

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