"It really does suit you perfectly, Sylphie."
Sylphie looked down, a little embarrassed, at the slit in her dress…
The clasp of her garter was peeking out from the opening…
Her ears twitched. Unsure if this was appropriate, she asked, "Should I… take off the socks?"
Hilda smiled.
"Do you want to take them off now?"
Sylphie froze, then quickly waved her hands.
"No! That's not it! I just mean, doesn't it look… str-strange… to wear them like this?"
Hilda tilted her head slightly, glanced at Sylphie's feet, and covered her mouth as she laughed.
"Not at all. For someone of your age, it's just right. If you were older, it might be more proper to take them off."
Sylphie was taken aback, not quite understanding Hilda's meaning before she was pulled over and gently pushed into a chair by the window.
In front of her was a dressing mirror.
Below the mirror was Hilda's vanity.
She blinked and saw Hilda's face appear from behind her neck in the mirror's reflection. Hilda pointed to Sylphie's still-damp, slightly messy white hair draped over her shoulders.
"It's a bit of a mess. Would you like me to comb it?"
As she spoke, Hilda's fingers entered her field of vision, picking up a comb from the side of the vanity.
Sylphie's eyes widened, and she was about to stand up.
"I can do it myse—oof!"
She was pressed back into the chair by Hilda.
Hilda picked up the comb and skillfully began to brush Sylphie's hair. The white strands flowed like water through the teeth of the comb, the gentle friction against her hair feeling a little itchy.
It reminded Sylphie of her mother, Norn, back in Buena Village. The same gentleness, a similar technique. It was the unique aura of a mother.
After a moment of hesitation, Sylphie wanted to ask if she could comb her own hair. It was too embarrassing.
Just then, Hilda's voice sounded.
"Don't be nervous, and there's no need to be embarrassed. I'm very happy that you've all come to the Boreas estate… because, I feel a sense of kinship."
Sylphie stiffened. Her eyes widened as she tried to see Hilda's expression in the mirror. But Hilda had straightened up after picking up the comb, and the top of the mirror cut off right at the elegant line of her neck. She couldn't see her face.
"…My lady… it is our honor."
The combing motion continued as usual.
"…Don't be tense… I can feel your whole body is stiff…"
"N-no, I'm not…"
In the silence, there was only the sound of the comb gliding through her hair.
Sylphie's body relaxed slightly, but just then, Hilda's voice sounded again.
The content of her words made Sylphie's heart tremble.
"…At lunch, when you were leaving, I saw you look back at me…"
It wasn't just Sylphie's heart that was trembling.
It was Hilda's voice as well.
"Did you, by any chance, have something you wanted to say to me?"
"No! …I didn't…"
Sylphie stared at her own reflection in the mirror.
After a moment, she added, "I just felt that you were very kind, my lady, so I looked a few extra times. You remind me of my mother…"
Silence fell from behind her. Sylphie watched Hilda's unmoving hand on the comb in the mirror. Her fingers were slender, the skin on the back of her hand fair and rosy, but this only made the slightly yellowed calluses on her index finger and thumb stand out even more.
In that moment, Sylphie felt as if time had frozen.
After what felt like an eternity, a voice like a sigh came from behind her.
"I see…"
Time, like water, began to flow forward again.
The comb glided through Sylphie's hair once more.
"I'm sorry, did I make you feel pressured? My dear husband and I are used to me being like this, but perhaps to an outsider, I still come across as gloomy?"
"Not at all! You are very kind, my lady. At least… I think you are very kind."
Hilda seemed to pause, then let out a soft chuckle.
With that laugh, Sylphie felt the tight grip on her heart release, and it began to beat again. She couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Her stiff body relaxed.
Hilda's clothes shifted in the mirror's reflection, as if she were shaking her head.
She continued to comb through the tangles in Sylphie's hair, her tone returning to normal.
"How old are you this year, Sylphie?"
"Seven."
"Oh? You're younger than I expected. Hmm… at your age, I was still attending a school for nobles."
"My lady… is very elegant."
"Are you saying that's because of the school for nobles? No, that was from special training after I married into the Boreas family."
"I-is that so?!"
"Yes. But speaking of which, I met my dear husband at his tenth birthday party. I was only nine at the time. Thinking about it that way, you're not that young…"
"…I-I see…"
"Yes. But we didn't marry until six years later. Because my family's status wasn't a match for the Boreas family, it seems Father wasn't very keen on my dear husband bringing me to the estate."
"Ah!! Is that so?!"
"But he couldn't be dissuaded. After all, he was sixteen at the time, and it couldn't be delayed any longer. I heard Father gave him a good scolding afterward, but still agreed to his request, hehe…"
"Was Lord Philip really like that?"
"Surprising?"
"A little…"
Hilda smiled.
"…You seem to be listening to everything I say. Not like Eris. She never listens when I talk about these things; all she can think about is finding Ghislaine. You seem very mature, Sylphie."
"No… I just learn from others…"
"Learn from others?"
"Yes… from Alan, and from Teacher Roxy…"
"Is that so? But I see a lot of resilience in your eyes. That's not something you can get just by learning from others. I like your eyes very much."
Sylphie's ears twitched.
"N-not at all…"
"No?" Hilda's voice was still smiling.
"…Actually, last night I decided to stop copying them. I want to become more resilient."
"Oh? I heard something about that… was it because of the incident with Thomas? My dear husband was the one who went to bring you here as tutors, yet it ended up causing you some trouble." Hilda sounded surprised.
"That was part of the reason… but not all of it…"
"…It seems you don't want to talk about it, so I won't ask. You have your own thoughts, Sylphie. Keep up the good work."
"…Okay."
"I heard that your Water King-ranked magic teacher was also Rudeus's teacher?"
"Yes."
"She must be very skilled, to teach children like you and Rudeus to become such excellent magicians at such a young age."
"Yes! Teacher is amazing. She's someone I look up to."
"Then Alan is also very skilled. I remember my dear husband said he was also Rudeus's tutor. Did that Roxy bring him to the village?"
"…No, Alan found the knight's family on his own, with a recommendation from Teacher. But later, Teacher came back to Buena Village, and it was on Alan's advice that she took me as her student."
Hilda paused for a moment, then put down the comb.
"I heard Alan is also an adventurer. Was Roxy his companion?"
"…Yes."
Hilda reached out and stroked Sylphie's head.
Then she leaned down, 'meeting' Sylphie's eyes in the mirror.
Sylphie saw Hilda's smiling face again.
She didn't know if it was because the sun had set further, making the room less bright, or if it was because she had been looking away for too long, creating a false impression.
Sylphie felt that Hilda's smile was a little dim.
The next moment, that charming female voice sounded by her ear, pulling her back from her momentary daze.
She said,
"Do you hate your teacher?"
Sylphie's pupils contracted sharply. She answered without thinking.
"Not at all! I love Teacher Roxy!"
"Oh? How much?"
"Very much! I respect her deeply!"
Hilda seemed to be studying Sylphie's expression. After a moment, she smiled.
"That's good."
She casually placed the comb on the table.
She turned.
And opened the window.
The spring breeze blew into the room, lifting Sylphie's hair.
She was about to stand up and thank Hilda, but as she turned her head, a rustling sound reached her ears, like the flipping of pages.
Sylphie followed the sound with her eyes.
It wasn't a book.
It was a diary.
Lying in the corner of the vanity.
Flipping page by page in the spring breeze.
Faint writing flickered within.
It was hard to make out.
The next moment, hurried footsteps sounded from outside, and at the same time, the bunny maid's anxious voice came through the crack in the door.
"M-my lady! Mr. Alan and Ghislaine are fighting!"
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