Chapter 108 Staying In Grandchester
After putting Sara to bed in the guest room and leaving her in Maria's care, the remaining 4 of them decided to have tea on the terrace.
"Father, what's that all about?"
Scott, who had been holding back, finally couldn't help but lean forward and ask his father.
"It's your distant cousin Sara."
"I know that. But you said she's a beginner, right?"
"That's right. She has no physical strength, and her body enhancement just manifested for the first time today."
"!!"
"You should know that Sara has no physical strength. She's different from the knights you usually spar with. Don't get too worked up."
"Yes..."
"Honestly, even I think I'd get excited about that. It's a bit rough, but I've never seen such amazing sword fighting skills before. If Sara's body could keep up, I wonder how beautifully she would move."
Jeffrey stroked his son's head, which was hanging in disappointment.
"Hey Jeff, I'm afraid that if we teach her like this, we'll stifle Ms. Sara's individuality. I don't know if we can bring it out properly."
"I suppose I can teach her the basics, but Sara will have to develop on her own."
"It all depends on how much time Ms. Sara can secure. There's just too much for her to learn..."
"She's only 8 years old, isn't she? There's no need to rush."
"Normally, that would be true, but I don't think Ed and Liz will leave Ms. Sara alone..."
"Revi, you're being overprotective. I don't think Sara will lose to them."
"I don't think Ms. Sara will lose either. What I'm afraid of is that Ms. Sara will abandon Grandchester."
Jeffrey looked taken aback.
"Is that a possibility?"
"Not for now, but if Ed and Liz try to use her for their own convenience or get rid of her, who knows what will happen? And since they're the next Marquis of Grandchester, if Sara stays here, she'll eventually have to obey them. In other words, if things stay as they are, Ms. Sara will eventually leave Grandchester."
Then Scott looked up, panicked.
"Wait, please. Does that mean Sara will disappear from Grandchester someday?!"
"It's just a possibility. Ms. Sara is Arthur's daughter, but neither His Excellency the Marquis nor Rob has adopted her as their own."
"Then shouldn't they adopt her right away? I mean, she could even live here as my future wife."
"Oh, you're not calling her your 'cousin' anymore, huh?"
"A, no, that's not what I meant..."
Rebecca teased, and Scott's face turned bright red. Jeffrey watched his son's reaction with a sly grin.
"I've invited her many times. I told her she could come live with us as my daughter or my daughter-in-law--either way is fine. Of course, Rob wants to adopt her too. But so far, she's rejected both of us."
"And how will Sara survive if she leaves Grandchester? She's still just an 8-year-old girl!"
Rebecca deliberately made a loud clinking sound with her teacup, staring straight at Scott with a piercing gaze.
"You, who have actually crossed swords with Ms. Sara, should know better than anyone that she's not just a child. I've never seen anyone as powerful as her."
"Is she stronger than Lady Sophia?"
Blaze hesitantly chimed in.
"Well... in terms of being able to move freely, Lady Sophia might be stronger right now. But if Ms. Sara were to become an existence unbound by the Grandchester family or the Kingdom of Avalon, I doubt anyone could beat her."
"That's right. Revi is correct. She's the strongest person I know."
Jeffrey knew that Sara could freely control her physical age, extinguish a forest fire, heal the wounded, and knock out over 100 mercenaries in an instant. And Rebecca knew even more about Sara's achievements in Grandchester than Jeffrey did.
And through Sophia, Blaze also knew Sara, and since Rebecca said she was stronger than Sophia, he thought Sara must be an incredibly powerful being.
However, Scott alone still had an unconvinced expression on his face.
"I understand that Sara's swordsmanship is extraordinary, but she's still young. And yet, you're saying she's stronger than anyone else?!"
"Ah, come on, you're really into Sara, aren't you?"
"This isn't the time for that kind of talk!"
Scott's face turned bright red up to his neck. It was pretty obvious.
Just then, Sara arrived on the terrace with Maria.
"Ms. Sara, are you okay? You weren't sleeping, were you?"
"I'm fine now. I guess I just didn't have enough stamina. Sorry to worry you."
Sara bowed her head slightly before taking a seat.
"So, Sara, where were you listening from?"
"Hmm, from 'I understand that Sara's swordsmanship is extraordinary, but...' I guess Scott isn't really into me after all. Too bad, I guess we just didn't have a chemistry."
"Hmm, is that so, Scott?"
Jeffrey chuckled and teased his son with a sly grin.
"N-no, it's not like that..."
"Sir Jeffrey, please don't tease Scott too much. He said 'I'm still just a kid,' after all. It can't be helped if there's no chemistry."
Just then, Blaze, who wasn't quite reading the atmosphere, cut in.
"Then, Milady Sara, want to be friends with me? I'm probably around 10 or 11, so we're pretty close in age, right?"
"Oh, I thought you had a crush on Ms. Sophia, Blaze."
"Lady Sophia is super beautiful, kind, and strong. But Milady Sara from earlier was just as beautiful and strong as Lady Sophia. I bet you'll get even more beautiful and stronger from now on. I want to be near Milady Sara and become strong enough to not lose to you."
"Hehe, thanks, Blaze. I'd like to be friends with you too. So, just call me Sara."
"But, you're a noble's daughter, right?"
"Actually, I'm not a noble. I'm a commoner, just like you."
"But, you're the grandchild of His Excellency the Marquis, right?"
"Well, my father is the son of His Excellency the Marquis and the younger brother of Sir Robert. But my mother is a commoner, and I've been raised as a commoner my whole life."
"I don't believe it. You're like a princess or something, born with a silver spoon in your mouth."
"Hmm. My cousins who are coming to the castle soon are true nobles by birth. I think you'll change your mind when you see what real noble kids are like."
"Hmm, I guess so."
"That's right."
Blaze and Sara looked at each other and burst out laughing. It was the first time Sara had laughed like a kid since her past life memories came back.
Sara's memories of her past life often made her act like an adult, but the current Sara was undoubtedly an 8-year-old girl, and she still had a child's personality. Sara felt a little bewildered by this strange feeling, and then she realized. She had been protecting herself with her past life's personality since her parents died and she was isolated in the Grandchester estate in the capital.
After losing her parents and almost dying in a pool, Sara's memories came back, and she developed magic to protect her body and locked away her child self to protect her heart.
But after meeting someone in the Grandchester territory who would protect her, Sara was able to trust others again. And after meeting Blaze, a kid who was hurt like her, she was finally able to accept her child self.
"Blaze... I'm really glad I met you."
"Yeah, me too. I don't really get it, but I'm happy to have a friend for the first time."
Sara turned to Rebecca with a very childlike smile on her face. Rebecca noticed the change in Sara but didn't say anything.
"Miss Rebecca, can I play with Blaze for a bit?"
"Okay, but don't go too far."
"Yes!"
And so, Sara and Blaze ran off hand in hand.
Rebecca, who was seeing them off, glanced sideways at Jeffrey and Scott, father and son. Jeffrey still had that sly, mischievous grin on his face, while Scott looked utterly bewildered.
"I think those 2 are going to get along just fine."
"Yes, it's good that Ms. Sara has a friend her own age."
"Why don't I adopt Blaze and make Sara my daughter-in-law?"
Just then, Scott slammed his fist on the desk and stood up.
"Father, I don't mind if we adopt Blaze, but Sara is going to be my wife!"
"Oh, come on, Scott. You were just rejecting her, weren't you?"
"I wasn't rejecting her. I just said she was too young."
"Didn't she say something about 'no chemistry' or something?"
"You're jumping to conclusions. I need to make Sara understand that."
Scott took off after Sara and Blaze, his feet pounding the ground.
"Ah, youth is wonderful, isn't it?"
"They're so innocent."
"But is it really okay to have them study and practice sword fighting together?"
"Is there a reason why it's a bad idea?"
"Well, it might be good for Scott. He's been getting a bit too full of himself since he doesn't have anyone his own age who can beat him."
"Yeah, getting outmaneuvered by an 8-year-old girl must have been a shock."
"I wonder what Blaze will think when he sees Sara's magic. She's said to have all attributes, right?"
"That's right. Apparently, Ms. Sara's magical abilities are even higher than His Majesty's. The fairies say she uses magic like a dragon."
"Whoa."
"If Scott starts to feel inferior, we might need to separate them, but if he sees Ms. Sara's magic up close, he might become an incredible magician himself."
"Really?"
"Yes, she's only shown fire attribute magic so far, but she's also a holder of all attributes."
"What?! You mean she's...?"
"The fairies say so, so it must be true. She's probably a illegitimate child of some noble family... or maybe even royalty."
"Do you know which family? Or maybe which country?"
"I don't know that much. But according to the fairy, the shine of magic power is not normal."
"It's going to be an even tougher fight for Scott, huh."
"But it's not just those 2, is it?"
Jeffrey rubbed his chin, and couldn't help but wish for his sons' success. It seemed that in Jeffrey's mind, Blaze had already become his son. And probably Sara was his daughter-in-law.
"What I'm worried about is their academic studies. Scott should be starting his preparations for the Academy entrance exams soon, right?"
"Yeah."
"Ms. Sara's true worth isn't in magic or swordsmanship."
"I know that too. If those 2 start studying with Sara and feel inferior, I'll make them quit."
Rebecca let out a light sigh and asked Jeffrey.
"Jeff, how can we keep Ms. Sara in Grandchester?"
"Revi, do you get it? That's something the people of Grandchester should say. Are you going to become Rebecca Orson Grandchester and stay here?"
"Oh, Jeff, you'd take me in?"
"If Rob becomes any more of a wimp, I might just consider it."
"You're a liar. You still can't forget your wife, can you?"
"I haven't forgotten. We're just still together, that's all. Here, in my heart."
Jeffrey lightly tapped his chest.
"I wish I could be loved that much too."
"Rob is really an idiot."
"I've known that since we were kids."
"No doubt about it."
The two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing.
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