That night after their day at the zoo, a lavish hotpot of wild game was served for dinner. The soup gleamed golden with the melted fat from the carefully prepared meat of wild boar. Of course, everyone ate their fill, and not a single drop of soup was left in the big pot.
Leaning back on the sofa, Natalia looked up at the ceiling. “I’m so full...”
“I ate loads too!” Roo chimed in.
“And I forgot my age and stuffed myself to the brim,” Gosetsu murmured.
Roo and Gosetsu were both sprawled belly-up on the carpet. The logs in the fireplace crackled, and the living room was warm and cozy, making everyone drowsy. Allen and Charlotte were putting away the dishes when she remembered something. “Oh, I almost forgot—we have ice cream for dessert. I’ll get it ready.”
“Want help?” Allen asked.
“It’s fine, you just finish cleaning up. I have a little idea.”
“An idea...?”
Charlotte smiled mischievously and went off into the kitchen. Though Allen wondered what she had in mind, he focused on the cleaning since she asked him to. All he really had to do was pile up the dirty dishes, and the hotel’s staff would come to retrieve them later.
He looked around, holding a bunch of forks. “Hmm, where does the cutlery go again?”
“Mmm.” Lydie stood behind him and held out a small basket.
“Ah, good job, Lydie.”
When the two of them worked together, they finished clearing everything faster than expected. Lydie climbed onto a chair and wiped the table.
“Thanks for helping out,” Allen said, patting her head. “So, how’s the holiday so far? Are you finding ways to have fun?”
“Mm-hmm. I-I think so...” Lydie nodded stiffly.
Ever since Allen took her out to play in the snow, her gestures and actions had grown much more childlike, though she still talked in the same sage-like way. The whole family had accepted this youthful change wholeheartedly, and Lydie herself was even starting to get used to it. Though her smile was still somewhat awkward, it came straight from her heart.
Lydie looked at the clean table and let out a small sigh. “Back when I was a saint, I couldn’t even taste what I was eating, but...it feels so nice and warm when we all share a meal together. I don’t know how to put it—I feel like I’m alive for the first time in my life.”
“You’re starting to get it.” Allen grinned. “So you never ate with your family in the past?”
Lydie shook her head. “I didn’t even spend that much time with the Evans family to begin with... Oh, but Robert was different.” A distant look came into Lydie’s eyes. “My younger brother—my father’s son and heir—liked to chat with me. I suppose he was excited to see my magic. He asked me to show him all kinds of spells. Well...that was one thing that made me a little bit happy.”
“I see...” Allen couldn’t ask her anything else. He thought that if she was able to find a tiny piece of beauty in her past life of suffering, her future would be filled with brightness going forward. The others were quietly listening in on their conversation too as time strolled slowly by in the after-dinner lull of the room. “Anyway, you’re our child now. If anything’s troubling you, just let us know. I’ve noticed you’ve been glancing around lately, like something’s there that you can’t see.”
“Oh, that—I’m all right.” Lydie shook her head and stared intently at a corner of the room which should have been empty. “I’ve been sensing an odd presence hovering around me...but I think I figured out the source of it, so I don’t mind anymore.”
“Ah, so that’s what it was.” Everything clicked for Allen. He stalked over to the corner of the room where Lydie’s gaze had fallen. “Is it this creep’s fault?” he asked, grabbing at the empty air.
There was a sharp yelp.
“D-Dorothea?!” Natalia cried out, jolted from her stupor.
Dorothea had appeared out of nowhere. The intruder fell on her butt and stammered, “H-Hello there...” She waved at everyone with a weak smile.
Looking down at her, Allen spread out the cloak that he had snatched away from her. The soft, white fabric was embroidered with intricate patterns.
“You were hiding yourself under this cloak and following us around. I couldn’t be bothered to uncover you, so I just ignored you.”
“Well, what else could I do? I gave you this holiday so that you and Miss Charlotte could flirt with each other to your hearts’ content! And what better way to watch some melty lovey-dovey scenes than concealin’ myself?!”
“You’re so dedicated it’s scary...” Natalia murmured. “By the way, is that an enchanted object?”
“Yup. Just put it on and it lets you blend into the background. You can even choose how transparent you want to be. Quite handy!”
“What a waste to use a thing like that for pervy voyeurism. It should be used for spying instead,” Allen muttered with a frown, pinching the cloak. Both the material and the spell cast on it were first-rate. No doubt a celebrated craftsman had made it—the market price must be astronomical. You could probably buy a small island with that kind of money.
Roo sniffed at the air, confused. “Hunh... I didn’t notice her at all. So it wipes away the smell too?”
“Oho, I was aware of her, of course,” Gosetsu said. “But as she seemed harmless enough, I let her be.”
Just then, Charlotte came back from the kitchen. “Time for dessert—oh? Dorothea’s here?” At first her eyes went round at finding Dorothea, but a quick explanation sufficed to get her back on track. Apparently, she was so used to bizarre happenings that hardly anything surprised her now. She lined up mugs for everyone on the table and poured hot chocolate into each one.
“That’s our dessert?” Allen asked, puzzled.
“No, that’s not all. I’m going to put a scoop of ice cream on top, and...” She took out a frozen box of ice cream, scooped some out with a spoon, and carefully dropped it on top of the drink. Normally, the ice cream would melt before long, and the drink would get lukewarm—but she held out the cup to Allen and asked, “Now, could you cast your spells, Allen?”
“Aha, gotcha...here you go.” Allen snapped his fingers. A faint glow surrounded the mug, and more steam rose from the hot chocolate. The ice cream stopped melting. He had cast two spells at once: one for keeping the drink warm, and one for keeping the ice cream cold.
And that was exactly what Charlotte had had in mind. She showed the cup to Natalia with a broad smile. “See? This way, we can enjoy both at once!”
“Wow! Excellent idea, my dear sister!”
“Ooh, I want one too, Maman!” Lydie chirped.
“Of course, yours is next. Could you help me, Allen?”
“Go on, I’m ready.”
The two little girls peered into their cups with shining eyes. Charlotte tasted a spoonful of ice cream and smiled. “I knew it—it’s even yummier this way. Thank you so much, Allen.”
“A combo, huh... Good thinking.” He had shown her a spell to keep ice cream from melting at the hot springs before; now she’d had the idea of combining it with his spell for the hot chocolate. For Allen, who wasn’t so interested in sweets, it was a surprising blind spot. When he told her so, Charlotte hid her lips with the cup and giggled.
“Hee hee, it’s thanks to you, Allen. You’ve turned me into a naughty girl.”
“Oho, listen to the lovebirds, so smitten with each other,” Gosetsu teased with a chuckle.
“Th-This is just normal, Gosetsu,” Charlotte said, blushing. “Anyway, there’s fruit for you and Roo.” She brought out a massive plate and plonked it down in front of them. Clearly, she was trying to cover up her embarrassment.
“Yippee! I always have space for dessert!”