The Marquis and his previous wife, Meriane, had been a devoted couple that anyone would envy.
The two had actually been second cousins. Perhaps as a result of their shared lineage, Meriane had been able to serve as a sort of safety valve for the Marquis’s congenital ailment—Mana Overload Syndrome.
Though it had originally been a political marriage, the two had moved beyond duty to build a home filled with genuine affection. Yet, even for them, there was one lingering sorrow.
They had never been blessed with children.
"Dear, I am so sorry," Meriane had whispered to the Marquis once she passed forty, reaching an age where a child could no longer be expected.
The Marquis had simply laughed and brushed it off. "There is no need to worry. We can simply adopt an heir when the time comes."
However, his reassurance did nothing to clear the clouds from her heart.
More time passed. In the year the Marquis turned fifty-five and his wife fifty-three, they hired a new lady's maid. Her name was Anna. She was a sixteen-year-old girl with bright brown hair, brown eyes, and a petite frame. While she had an easygoing personality, she was meticulous in her work and quickly became a favorite of the First Wife.
By the time Anna turned eighteen, Meriane had reached a decision: she wanted this girl to bear an heir for the family.
Naturally, there was significant opposition, primarily from the First Wife's own relatives. Meriane persuaded—or perhaps more accurately, crushed—every one of them. At fifty-eight, the Marquis took Anna as his Second Wife. The marriage was finalized with their superior, Duke Blue, acting as the girl's guarantor.
The wisdom of this match, which Meriane had pushed for so forcefully, was proven almost immediately. Anna became pregnant.
The year after the wedding, she gave birth to their eldest daughter, Irene. Meriane rejoiced as if the child were her own and took an active role in the girl’s upbringing.
"I am so happy to finally hold my husband’s child in my arms," she would say.
That period was likely the peak of happiness for the House of Marquis Kuzuma.
The following year, just as it was discovered that Anna was expecting their second child, Meriane took to her sickbed. She had always been somewhat frail, and her strength declined rapidly with age. Toward the end, she was unable to swallow even the simplest of meals.
One week after the birth of the second daughter, Mavis, Meriane passed away.
"Anna, please take care of my husband," were said to be her final words.
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"Yes, quite right. I intend to do my absolute best for those children."
As she spoke to Jin, the Marquis's Wife, Anna, was thinking of the late Meriane, the woman who had elevated her to her current status.
Anna had risen from a lady's maid to the wife of a Marquis through a stroke of incredible fortune. Because of her background, she often felt she lacked a full understanding of the complex customs and etiquette of high society. She was determined to provide her daughters with a flawless education, raising them into ladies who would be praised as true daughters of a Marquis.
She refused to let them be the targets of whispers—she would never allow anyone to say, "It's because their mother was of low birth." That was Anna’s fervent wish.
Whether he was aware of her inner resolve or not, the Magi Craft Meister—the world’s leading, or perhaps greatest, engineer—had come to their home. If this wasn't divine providence, Anna didn't know what was.
＊ ＊ ＊
"The world is round, you see. So, if you keep going straight for a looooooong time, you'll eventually end up right back where you started."
"Heh, really? That’s so strange! Have you actually seen it, Rubina-chan?"
The eldest daughter, Irene, and Rubina were both ten years old. Being the same age, they had become fast friends.
"I have. When you fly in an airship higher than the clouds, you can actually see that the horizon is curved."
"Wow, that’s so cool. I want to see it too."
"If you really want to go that badly, I'll ask Jin-sama for you later."
"Really? Rubina-chan, I love you!"
Irene had a lively, active temperament that meshed perfectly with Rubina’s.
Meanwhile, Greena was busy studying with the second daughter, Mavis.
"5 × 5 = 25, 5 × 6 = 30..."
Mavis was exceptionally sharp and had already mastered the multiplication table at the age of eight.
"That's amazing, Mei-chan!" Greena said, unable to hide her genuine surprise.
"I like arithmetic. And I love reading books."
"Is that so? In that case, let me show you how to do this kind of calculation. It's called a crane-and-turtle calculation."
"That sounds like fun!"
Unlike Irene, Mavis was clearly an indoor type.
"Teacher, is this right?"
As for the youngest daughter, Pamela, Jin and Freddie were busy teaching her the absolute foundations of magi-craft.
Specifically, they were teaching her mana control. The standard exercise for this was Forming, a task Freddie and the others had been forced to repeat until they could do it in their sleep. However, since Pamela could not yet use magic properly, they started from the very beginning.
The spell they chose was 'Light'—a basic magic that caused light to emanate from the caster's fingertips or palms.
'Light' was a deceptively deep spell. While it was relatively simple to learn, its advanced applications eventually led to the development of the laser.
Currently, Pamela was practicing making her fingertip glow. After only a brief explanation, she successfully produced a light at the tip of her right index finger. Her Mana Overload Syndrome had reached a state of complete Healing; in fact, the recoil of the condition meant the amount of mana she could manipulate was significantly higher than that of most children her age.
"Yes, very good. Now that you've got that down, let's try making a different finger glow."
"Okay!"
She mastered that task almost immediately as well. As the lesson progressed, Pamela became able to light up every finger on both hands, each with a different colored glow.
"That's incredible, Pamela-chan."
"Really? Is Pamela doing a good job?"
"Yeah, you're doing great. For now, let's keep practicing that until it feels natural."
"Okaay!"
＊ ＊ ＊
At the end of the first day, Jin and the others provided an interim report to Anna.
"Irene-san seems to have a very active spirit," Jin said, acting as the group’s spokesman. "Tomorrow, I think we'll head into the garden to talk about different types of plants."
"Oh, I see."
"Mavis-san is quite the scholar. For now, I think it would be beneficial to let her read a wide variety of books. Just be sure she reads in a well-lit room and maintains good posture so she doesn't strain her eyes."
"I shall see to it."
"As for Pamela-san, she clearly has a natural aptitude for magi-craft. I believe she should study natural science alongside the basics of engineering. Oh, and it appears her Mana Overload Syndrome has reached a state of total Healing."
"My, what a relief. That is wonderful news."
As the potential paths for her daughters’ futures began to take shape, Anna felt a wave of relief. She was determined to do everything in her power to help them develop their talents.
Jin and his disciples answered those feelings with equal dedication. They stayed for a week, nurturing the three girls' abilities before finally taking their leave.
It would be only a little while longer before these three sisters became the talk of the aristocratic social season.