Chapter 116 – #26_A Cozy Daily Life
#114
1.
A week had passed.
Amelia and little Siwoo’s daily life was peaceful.
Amelia cared for him, giving him five drops of the potion Duke Keter had given her each day.
Just like her teacher had done for her.
It wasn’t that she was doing this to be forgiven when he regained his memories.
It was Amelia’s tender feelings for Siwoo and her desire to pass on the love she had received in the past.
She couldn’t help but be happy that she could do something for him, that Siwoo trusted and relied on her.
Perhaps thanks to Amelia’s efforts.
Siwoo, who had been scared just by looking at Amelia at first, slowly began to show her affection.
“Amelia.”
“Siwoo, eat your cake first.”
Siwoo, who had been sitting at his desk in his room, scribbling away, jumped off his chair and greeted Amelia.
His body was growing day by day.
It was said that children grew quickly, but Siwoo’s case felt abnormal.
He seemed to grow about 1cm taller each day, and his memories were also returning quickly.
Especially his memories of magic were recovering rapidly.
“Thank you.”
“Tell me if you need more. I’ll bring it to you.”
“No, this is enough. Would you like some too, Amelia?”
“Shall I?”
Amelia placed the cake on Siwoo’s table and looked down at the paper he had been scribbling on.
On it, basic magical knowledge was organized in Siwoo’s own way.
“Is your studying going well?”
“It’s really strange. It’s like old memories are coming back, and I can remember magic like this.”
“…It’s probably because your memories are gradually returning.”
“Amelia, I have a question. Why does this formula come out in this part? I tried to prove it myself, but something, it doesn’t quite work out.”
“Let me see.”
Amelia picked up Siwoo’s solution, which filled the paper without any space.
It was high-level.
The formula he was deriving was the ‘Yesod Magic Field Law 1’ created by Count Yesod, a law that was also called the essence of inverse field mechanics.
The speed and depth at which memories were recovered seemed to vary, but even considering that, it was a complex and difficult formula to prove that young Amelia could not have even touched.
“……..”
Until now, Amelia had given very appropriate answers whenever Siwoo asked.
Instead of telling him all the answers, she would examine how far he had deduced on his own and give him clues so that he could realize it himself.
But this time, Amelia was at a loss for words.
Up to the beginning of the formula’s proof, Amelia could clearly understand it.
Because it was solved and written in a common magic formula.
But from the middle part, completely different interpretations and approaches were written.
She felt a sense of déjà vu.
This was the same feeling she had when she saw Siwoo’s draft of the magic circle in the past.
It was a situation where Amelia, a third party, could only draw the outline because it was made with his own approach and interpretation.
Although it wasn’t as unique as it was back then, it was clear that ‘his own formula’ was mixed in.
“Amelia?”
Siwoo’s innocent eyes looked at Amelia, as if wondering.
Amelia looked at Siwoo with slightly confused eyes.
“Why did you write it like this?”
“I just wrote it down as it came to my mind, like I always do. Actually, I was looking at that tree, and this approach suddenly popped into my head.”
The place Siwoo pointed to with his pen was the fractal tree he had engraved like a mural when he had surpassed the limits of humanity.
It was also a deformed magic circle that deviated from the existing format to the point that Amelia could not understand it at all.
What this implied was clear.
Siwoo’s memories were gradually returning.
“Is something very wrong?”
“Siwoo, why don’t you take a break?”
“Huh? Why? It was fun because I just found something I didn’t know…”
Amelia calmly soothed Siwoo, who was regretful.
“If you focus too much on one thing, your efficiency might decrease.”
“Yes, Amelia.”
“I’ll spread out a mat in the garden. Let’s have tea together. And bring the cake too.”
“Okay.”
Amelia left the room one step ahead of Siwoo and calmed her confused mind.
She had to prepare the mat and the tea for Siwoo to drink with the cake…
Amelia, who was rummaging through the cupboard to prepare the tea set, let out a deep sigh.
“Haa….”
It was like waking up from a sweet dream.
The reality she had temporarily forgotten was pressing down on Amelia’s heart again.
These past few days.
If she had to pick the happiest moment recently, Amelia would choose this week without hesitation.
Seeing Siwoo grow up and learn magic, seeing his height increase day by day, and seeing her relationship with him grow closer each day, she was able to overcome her past loneliness and solitude a little.
Every moment was a small and precious happiness for Amelia: waking up with him and strolling through the garden, having meals while chatting, eating her favorite Kipish cake, and falling asleep together.
Siwoo who trusted and followed Amelia.
Siwoo who smiled when he saw Amelia.
Siwoo who hugged Amelia tightly and slept.
And.
Siwoo who didn’t hate Amelia.
She knew that everything was a fleeting miracle created by magic.
But the past had not been resolved, and the reality that Amelia feared was still crouching, waiting for its time.
The established fact that she had forcibly forgotten because the warm days were so happy came to mind the moment she saw Siwoo’s formula proof.
It had been 5 years.
Siwoo’s resentment was long and deep.
Amelia’s own karma was the same.
She didn’t have the naive thought that she could reverse it with just a few days of harmonious life.
She just wanted to enjoy it for a while.
The warmth of a family that she had felt for the first time since her teacher passed away, the comfort of peaceful days, and the moment of joy of being together.
She was just endlessly groping in foolish lingering feelings.
But that would soon end.
Amelia put her hand inside her clothes and took out the potion Keter had given her.
About 20% of the potion was already gone.
This was the fuse until Amelia could enjoy her vain happiness.
And Amelia could cut that fuse right now, and stop it.
What if she didn’t give him the potion like this?
Would his memories not return?
Even if that wasn’t the case, wouldn’t the happy moments with him be a little longer?
Escaping, turning away, and postponing the fundamental problem,
Truly selfish, vile, and disgusting imagination.
Like the sweet temptation of a snake, the impulse of wrong desire filled her heart.
“Amelia!”
Siwoo, who had already gone out to the garden, was calling for Amelia.
It seemed she had been taking too long.
His bright and friendly voice washed away the obsessions that had been floating like dark clouds, even if only for a moment.
Amelia looked at the potion bottle for a moment and put it back in her clothes.
That was wrong.
Amelia had always been running away.
She realized that even this hesitation was caused by the impulse to escape.
Repeating past mistakes was the action of a foolish person.
Amelia learned from Siwoo that she shouldn’t just run away forever.
“I’ll be right there!”
2.
The day was over.
Looking at the stars hanging on the edge of the horizon, Amelia took out the old violin that had been sleeping in a corner of the room.
It had been carefully kept in a case with preservation magic.
Magic was a field of study that was not at all a waste to call a fusion study.
Due to the nature of witches, who were semi-forced to have artistic talent and training, Amelia had also played the violin diligently at one time.
Her teacher played the piano, and Amelia played the violin.
Mozart, Saint-Saëns, Bach, Chausson, Kreisler.
If there was sheet music that her teacher had obtained, she didn’t care about the composer, and if there was a concerto, she would play them all.
It was also the happiest moment for young Amelia, who hated magic.
“……..”
She rested her chin on the chin rest and grabbed the neck.
It had been a long time, so it wasn’t familiar to her hands.
Thanks to the preservation magic, it hadn’t rotted, but it wasn’t properly tuned either.
Amelia adjusted the position of the bridge and tuned the notes by winding or unwinding the strings.
-Eeeeek
The violin, which had not been taken out since she became a witch, wailed as if resenting its owner who had come back after so long.
Her fingers, which had once moved freely, were stiff, and even the posture of holding the bow was awkward.
But after playing the strings with the bow a few times, the performance that her body remembered began, as if old memories were coming back to life.
The trembling of her fingertips transmitted through the strings.
Even the beautiful melody that lingered in her ears.
Things she had forgotten were coming back to life.
She didn’t know why she had the courage to pick up this violin again now, or what kind of whim she had.
Amelia closed her eyes and entrusted herself to her memories, continuing to play for a long time.
“Wow…”
When she opened her eyes at the sudden noise, she saw Siwoo peeking out from the door.
Siwoo apologized with a dismayed expression at the interrupted performance.
“Ah, Amelia… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s okay, the sound isn’t the same as before. I was about to stop anyway.”
Siwoo entered Amelia’s room with a much more casual attitude than before.
He didn’t even ask a polite question about whether he could come in now.
Amelia felt a little proud that their relationship seemed to have grown closer.
At the same time, she also felt sadness.
“Are you tired?”
“Yes, I think I studied magic too hard today.”
It was getting late.
Just by looking at Siwoo’s half-closed eyes and his pajamas, she could tell that it was close to 12 o’clock.
“I’ll clean up. Would you like to wait in bed first?”
Siwoo now went to bed with Amelia as if it were natural.
Amelia, who usually didn’t sleep well, also went to bed for Siwoo as if it were natural.
“Before that…”
Siwoo hesitated for a moment and sat on the sofa in front of Amelia.
“I want to hear more of your performance, Amelia. It was so nice to listen to.”
“Really?”
These small conversations were something that had become unfamiliar to Amelia, and something she had missed.
Enough to fill the void in her heart caused by the pieces that had been broken and disappeared.
Amelia approached Siwoo, stroked his head, and asked.
“Is there a song you want to hear?”
“Any song would be good. I don’t really know any, actually.”
Looking at Siwoo, who was sitting upright and ready to listen, Amelia gently moved the strings again.
Throughout the performance, the melody didn’t reach her ears.
If only this moment could last a little longer…
Only that small wish, like a lament.
She just repeated it over and over again.
