NOTE: I didn't see a Mary Hunt B-day image posted that follow the others in the series, if I missed it let me know. I did find these beauties that I missed. Mary is still my favorite design wise of all the characters, this series has such great character designs, but somehow Mary still remains my favorite after all this time.
NOTE: I didn't see a Mary Hunt B-day image posted that follow the others in the series, if I missed it let me know. I did find these beauties that I missed. Mary is still my favorite design wise of all the characters, this series has such great character designs, but somehow Mary still remains my favorite after all this time.
Last night, some friends and I were analyzing the information revealed so far to create a possible map of Katarina and her friends' world. It will be fun to update this as more information is revealed. Hopefully the real map will be revealed eventually.
Consider this map a rough sketch please, there's probably a lot of things we'll need to include in the future!
I'm always curious about your opinion @maboroshi-no because I know you are always ahead of us!
I wanted to draw a scene in the new light novel of hamefura, when Katarina and Geordo meet their eyes in middle or the people.
This is my first post in like 5 years or more, hope this is not so awful hahahh, I would like to draw also Mary x Alan ans Cyrus x Maria moments of the new light novel.
I am currently reading Hamefura LN14 and will post summaries after each chapter.
Chapter 1 is a bit long so I split it in two.
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Chapter 1: The Encounter at the Party (Part 1)
Break at Cyrus's Fields
Katarina and Maria are helping Cyrus with his fields. They are all taking a break at the moment.
Cyrus and Maria are talking about work. Katarina thinks they're so serious for talking about work during their free time. She turns her gaze away from them and looks at the fields.
Cyrus's fields have expanded since Katarina and Maria started helping. They will harvest fall crops soon. Katarina can't wait.
Katarina Would Like to Eat Rice
Katarina remembers that if she had been in Japan, it would soon be the period to harvest rice. New rice is delicious and she can't have enough of rice with dried plums and pickles.
Katarina inadvertently voices that she'd like to eat rice.
Maria asks her what she means, so Katarina explains that, while looking at the fields, she remembered that it would soon be the rice harvesting period. And then, she wished she could eat rice.
Cyrus is surprised that Katarina would know about the rice harvesting period and realizes again how much Katarina likes Japanese food.
Katarina thinks to herself that it is only natural since her grandparents were rice farmers. She would help them with planting and harvesting rice.
Katarina remembers that in Sorcier, people eat bread and Western food, so there is no rice there. On the other hand, people eat rice and Japanese food in the neighboring country Sharma, which is similar to Japan. Incidentally, people also eat rice and Japanese food in Cyrus's region since it is bordering Sharma.
Katarina has been wanting to go to Cyrus's region since she heard they ate Japanese food there. However, she can't freely go there since it takes 4 days by carriage.
Cyrus is happy that Katarina enjoys his hometown's food so much. His parents send him home specialties after the fall harvest every year, so he offers to share some with her. Katarina jumps with joy and invites Maria to enjoy the food together. Maria chuckles and accepts.
Katarina wonders what food Cyrus will share with her. Tsukemono? New rice? She is about to ask Cyrus when she sees him make a very content smile.
Maria Has Been Tense Lately
Katarina asks Cyrus if something happened. Cyrus snaps back to reality. He whispers to her that he just felt glad since Maria has been smiling ever since Katarina invited her to help at the fields. Maria has been tense lately but she was able to calm down after coming here and interacting with Katarina. Katarina didn't know that Maria was tense.
Katarina remembers that Maria's family was attacked a few days ago. While she and Cezar were able to rescue Maria, they could only catch the thugs. They couldn't catch Sara, who was taken away by the "handsome seductive enigmatic uncle". As a result, they couldn't get any information about the organization except that they were targeting Maria. Following this, it was decided Maria's family would be protected at the Ministry and escorted by guards whenever they went out. Katarina can understand why Maria would feel tense.
Currently, Maria is not escorted by guards. Even so, she is still in the Ministry of Magic in Sorcier (the second most-guarded institution of the safest country in the world) and with Cyrus, who is a Ministry director and a powerful magic wielder, martial artist, and swordsman.
Katarina originally invited Maria to the fields to get some help for the harvest but she is glad that Maria could relax because of it.
Looking at Cyrus's happy face after Maria's smile, Katarina feels like she is third-wheeling. She turns her gaze towards the fields.
Mole Alert
Katarina notices an area of the fields where the earth is bulging. She shouts at Cyrus: "They got us! The enemy is here!"
Cyrus quickly stands up. He keeps Maria behind his back and asks Katarina where the enemy is. Katarina points to a hole in the ground. Cyrus is confused. Katarina explains that there's a mole: their natural enemy as farmers. Cyrus frowns and Maria bursts out laughing. Seeing Maria laugh, Cyrus relaxes his face a little.
Cyrus explains to Katarina that, while a mole is indeed a farmer's enemy, she shouldn't carelessly use the word "enemy" given Maria's state. Katarina realizes that she needlessly scared Maria and apologizes to her. But Maria laughs even louder, to the point she is holding her stomach.
Pondering Measures Against Moles
Cyrus inspects the hole and confirms there is a mole.
Katarina never saw a mole in her fields but she remembers that in her past life, her grandmother often had moles damaging her fields, which would make her furious.
Katarina is surprised there would be moles in the Ministry grounds. Cyrus replies it isn't so surprising given the natural setting here. He just never took measures against moles because they never damaged his fields until now.
Cyrus ponders about measures he could take against moles. Katarina also ponders about them on her side.
Katarina remembers that in her past life, her grandmother would bury some kind of nail that would make a piercing sound when it detected a mole. She eventually took it off because it became too noisy. Anyhow, it's not like she could find this kind of device in this world.
Katarina wonders if she can leave in the fields something that would give off a pungent smell that would drive the moles away. With this line of thought, she comes up with a great idea.
Katarina's Measure Against Moles
Katarina summons Pochi. Cyrus asks her why she did. Katarina explains that she will have Pochi poop on the fields to scare off the mole. Cyrus is blank. Katarina explains that she heard that tanukis didn't get close to fields if they smelled dog poop, so she thought it might work on moles too.
In her past life, her grandmother would collect dog poop from the neighborhood and put them on the corners of her fields. Katarina couldn't help her back then because dogs hated her, but now, she can provide the dog poop since she has a dog.
Katarina orders Pochi to poop. Pochi barks in understanding and takes the posture.
Katarina loudly cheers Pochi on while he is trying to poop.
Maria shyly reminds Katarina that Pochi can't poop since he is a dark familiar. Both Katarina and Pochi are shocked after hitting upon this realization. Pochi cries in apology and Katarina apologizes to him in return for asking him the impossible. Seeing them, Maria burst out laughing again.
Cyrus reminds Katarina that it is wrong in the first place to leave dog poop on the prestigious grounds of the Ministry. Katarina thinks to herself that Cyrus still created fields on the prestigious grounds of the Ministry.
Katarina understands that it would be troublesome to leave dog poop here since it is smelly and people can step on it. Cyrus tells her it isn't that troublesome, but she still shouldn't do it. Anyhow, Cyrus tells Katarina he will think about how to put in place the measures he used in his hometown and asks her to stop thinking about measures. Katarina gladly leaves the issue to him since he is a "pro-farmer". When Pochi barks in agreement, Cyrus makes a little step backward.
Cyrus and Dogs
Katarina asks Cyrus if he feels uneasy with dogs. Cyrus tells her that's not it.
Katarina asks Cyrus if, by any chance, he'd like to get along with dogs but can't because they hate him. She is hoping to find a fellow in Cyrus. Cyrus denies it: he had a dog as a kid and often held it.
Katarina feels jealous of Cyrus, but she is glad to have Pochi now. She pets Pochi's head and Pochi seems to be enjoying it.
Looking at them, Cyrus tells Katarina that his dog would also close his eyes in contentment and wag his tail when he petted its head. He and his dog were always together, like siblings. Unfortunately, it died in an accident one day, right before his eyes. Since then, he has felt a little scared about interacting with dogs or even animals in general. Hearing this, Katarina takes Pochi in her arms and hugs him tightly.
Cyrus stays silent with a distant gaze while reminiscing about his dog. After a while, he suggests to Katarina and Maria they work a little longer and call it a day. Katarina and Maria accept without asking questions.
They all finish work and go home.
Katarina realizes upon going to sleep that she forgot to ask Cyrus what food his parents will send him.
Katarina Ponders about Cyrus's Trauma
The next day, Katarina is in the carriage and she is idly thinking about what Cyrus told her about his uneasiness with dogs.
It seems like not only Cyrus can't handle young women, he can't handle dogs either. That's a lot for one person. It is not so rare for capture targets in otome games to come with traumas, so she wonders if that's what it is.
In Fortune Lover 1, the capture targets had childhood traumas. For example, Alan suffered from always being compared to the perfect Geordo, and then Maria made him realize his strong points. Though, the actual Alan didn't end like this for some reason: he developed his talent for music and grew into a carefree person
As for Keith, since he was unneeded by his biological parents, treated coldly by his adopted mother, and bullied by his adopted sister, he was supposed to become a distrusting frivolous man who played around with girls to satisfy his need for love, until Maria taught him about true love. But the actual Keith is the reliable son of the Claes family, gets along with his adopted mother, eagerly takes it upon himself to protect his older sister, and has grown into a pure good young man.
Katarina Talks With Keith in the Carriage
Katarina glances at Keith in front of her. His straightened back and neat clothes show that he isn't a playboy but he still exudes sexiness as a remnant of his sexy character status. Even so, he doesn't use his sexiness, which is a waste.
Katarina inadvertently voices, "What a shame". Keith asks her what is. Katarina explains that she thinks it's a shame that he exudes so much sexiness but doesn't use it.
Keith is wide-eyed for a moment, then frowns and makes a deep sigh. He agrees and tells her he was told the same thing several times. Keith looks dejected, so Katarina apologizes. Keith says it's fine.
Keith reminds Katarina that they are on their way to an important party. Katarina realizes that it is indeed not the time to think about Cyrus or the game.
Keith insists that Katarina should ready herself for the party. Katarina begs him to let her idle until they arrive. She promises she will focus and conduct herself properly during the party. But she will exhaust herself if she keeps being focused, so she needs to idle and she can only do it when they're alone together.
Keith is choked up for words. He finally accepts since "she can only do it when they're alone together".
Katarina looks out the window. There's such a nice weather. She wishes she could have farmed today and indulged in sweets after work.
The Sorcier Kingdom Founding Anniversary Party
Today, the Sorcier Kingdom Founding Anniversary Party is held. A lot of foreigners have been invited. The atmosphere is similar to the International Assembly, but unlike it, it is not meant for socializing with people, but for everyone to enjoy this Sorcier celebration. It also lasts only one day, contrary to the International Assembly.
A lot of foreign emissaries will be there, so unlike in Sorcier-only parties, Katarina will need to walk around and greet everyone. She has been told to be careful of her surroundings since the dark magic organization might sneak in. People are thoroughly checked at the entrance but it is still possible. Katarina needs to be cautious while not acting rudely.
The party is held in the largest hall of the castle. Out of respect for the customs of the other countries, ladies don't need an escort for this party.
Katarina and Keith enter the venue together.
There are a lot more people compared to the International Assembly. They are dressed in various kinds of clothes: Japanese style, Arabian style, Chinese style… There are also a variety of skin, hair, and eye colors. Even so, everyone talks in the same language.
Katarina feels amazed by this sight. Keith tells her that such a variety of people is expected since more countries have been invited to this party compared to the International Assembly. Katarina is amazed that Keith guessed exactly what she was thinking. Keith chuckles and tells her it is normal since he has been her brother for 10 years already.
Keith reminds Katarina to be careful not to cause trouble. After recalling what happened during the International Assembly, Katarina replies that she will.
Keith and Katarina greet the Sorcier nobles, along with the foreign nobles they met at the International Assembly. Katarina is surprised she hasn't seen her friends yet, not even Geordo who always rushes to see her.
Katarina is thirsty, so she tells Keith she will go have a drink. Keith says okay while reminding her with his eyes not to eat or drink too much.
Encounter at the Buffet
Katarina goes to the buffet and is amazed by all the gorgeous food prepared for the anniversary party. She originally intended to just have a drink and go back but she thinks it wouldn't hurt to enjoy the food a little as long as she doesn't overeat. She picks up a lot of food and starts eating. After emptying her plate, she picks up some more food.
Katarina suddenly hears "You're eating too much". She startles and looks towards the voice. She realizes the words weren't aimed at her: a man she doesn't know is scolding a woman who has picked up a lot of food like her. Katarina feels an affinity with the girl.
The two people are dressed in kimono-like clothes so they probably come from Sharma, the neighboring country with a Japanese-like culture.
The man tells the woman that a lady shouldn't eat so much at a place like this. His scolding reminds Katarina of when Keith scolds her for the exact same reason. The woman retorts she just doesn't want to miss out on the banquet of the great country Sorcier. She will hardly have other opportunities like this. The two people appear to be siblings. Katarina deeply agrees with the sister and can't help silently cheering her on.
The sister notices Katarina and they make eye contact. Katarina notices the sister has black hair and eyes, and that she's beautiful. The sister notices Katarina's plate full of food, just like hers. At this moment, the two girls feels like they understand each other despite coming from different countries: enjoying a banquet is more important than lady etiquette.
The brother makes a deep sigh and tells the sister he wasn't telling her not to eat, just not to eat too much. His words also remind Katarina of Keith. The sister retorts that she can't avoid filling her plate since there is so much food. But it is not like she will eat everything at once she will just take a little of everything. Katarina silently agrees, it is exactly what she was doing. The sister notices Katarina's agreement and also nods to herself. Katarina feels like she could greatly get along with the sister.
The brother replies that, in that case, it would be more proper to just take a little of one or two dishes she likes. Katarina feels revolted by the brother's words and feels like she can't get along with him.
The sister feels revolted by her brother's thinking and feels like they will never understand each other.
The brother tiredly tells her they will talk about it later. She reminds her that the King will come give his greetings soon, so she must put her plate away. Hearing this, Katarina feels like she would rather eat all her food than put her plate away. She starts gulping down her food. The sister thinks the same thing and starts gulping down her food too. The brother is shocked to see his sister rushing to eat her food rather than putting away her plate. He is even more shocked to see Katarina doing the same thing.
Katarina and the sister have both finished their plates. When they put away their plates, they both smile and nod their heads at each other.
The King's Greetings
Trumpets announce the King's coming. The King appears with the Queen at his side, and the four princes behind them.
The King makes a speech, thanking everyone for coming to the party held for the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Sorcier Kingdom.
After the speech, the foreign attendees go to greet the royals. The Sorcier nobles stay back since they were told beforehand they didn't need to greet the royals for this party.
Katarina starts picking up food again but the sister is dragged away by her brother to greet the royals. Looking at her reluctantly leave, Katarina says "Do your best" in her direction. While she isn't sure the sister heard her, she feels like she said "Yes" in response.
Katarina would like to talk with the sister again and become friends with her if the opportunity arises.
Katarina Talks With Cezar
Katarina suddenly hears someone say "You're eating too much". When she turns around, she realizes that it's Cezar.
Katarina thanks Cezar again for helping her when she lost control of her dark magic. Cezar is glad to see she is well. After all, the last time he saw her, she had fainted.
Katarina remembers what happened at that time. Cezar visited her the day after they rescued Maria, and when she thanked him for his help, Geordo suddenly appeared, became jealous, and gave her an adult kiss in front of Cezar. Because she was so inexperienced with love, she felt overwhelmed and fainted.
Katarina feels embarrassed after remembering this. She starts explaining to Cezar that it wasn't because she was unwell that she fainted, but because she wasn't used to kissing. Midway, she feels panicked about explaining how inexperienced she is about love.
Looking at her, Cezar chuckles and realizes again that both Katarina and Geordo are still very young. Katarina is confused by his reaction.
Cezar asks Katarina if she hated it when Geordo kissed her. Katarina is confused: she felt embarrassed at the time but she can't tell whether she liked it or not.
Looking at her pondering so hard, Cezar changes his mind and tells her she doesn't need to answer him after all. He would prefer she didn't. Then he lightly strokes her head. Katarina is confused and wonders if Cezar doesn't want to talk about it anymore.
Cezar feels a threatening look piercing his back and decides to stop at this. He advises Katarina not to move out alone since there are a lot of people. He will go call her family for her, so he asks her to wait here.
After Cezar leaves, Katarina realizes that she has dropped her guard again after seeing the gorgeous food.
Katarina wonders if Cezar will be able to find Keith in this huge crowd. Especially since she knows where Keith is. She decides to join Keith once she has finished eating.
Keith's Lecture
Katarina suddenly hears someone say "You're eating too much". It is Keith.
Keith scolds her for not going back despite telling him she would just go have a drink. He was worried and couldn't seem to get out of the conversation. Fortunately, Cezar spoke to him and told him where she was. Katarina is amazed that Cezar could find Keith so quickly in this huge crowd.
Keith tells Katarina she should pull herself together since she caused trouble to Cezar. Katarina sincerely apologizes. Keith ends his lectures.
Katarina eats the rest of her plate with Keith's permission.
A Look Towards the Royals
Katarina notices that the number of people has decreased. Keith doesn't agree: it only looks that way because all foreigners have gone to greet the royals.
Keith shows Katarina the long line of people waiting to greet the royals. It is way longer than in usual parties. At the end of the line, the royals are repeatedly greeting people with a smile.
Katarina can see that Alan is starting to tire out since he is not good at socializing. Next to him, Geordo must also be tired even if he doesn't show it.
When Katarina looks at Geordo, she has the feeling their eyes met for an instant. It startles her. Keith asks her what is wrong. Katarina explains that she felt like Geordo and her made eye contact even though she was mixed in the crowd. She thinks it was probably her imagination. Keith pretends to agree while thinking to himself that it was probably not her imagination.
Cyrus and Maria
Mary calls Katarina. There are also Sophia, Nicol, Maria, and Cyrus with her.
Katarina is surprised to see Cyrus with everyone. She asks them if they all came together. Mary replies that she, Sophia, and Nicol came together, then they saw Cyrus and Maria together at the entrance, and then they all stayed together.
Katarina is shocked that Cyrus and Maria went to the ball together. Cyrus kept saying until now he was too embarrassed to ride in a carriage alone with her or talk alone with her, but he finally did it. Katarina feels so happy and proud that Cyrus has finally reached grade schooler-level maturity in terms of romance.
Maria explains that she actually met Cyrus at the castle. It was Sora who escorted her on the way to the castle. Cyrus proudly confirms it with a face that seems to say "Of course since I can't ride in a carriage alone with her". Katarina feels so disappointed. She wonders how Cyrus will be able to make progress with Maria at this rate.
Maria was told to attend this party since many people wanted to talk with her as a Sorcier celebrity. She doesn't seem escorted by guards so Katarina wonders if both Cyrus and Sora were assigned as her guards this time. Or maybe Cyrus was assigned as her guard but he asked Sora to escort her on the way to the castle because he couldn't ride in a carriage alone with her. This possibility seems more likely.
Katarina asks Cyrus in a low voice if he was the one who asked Sora to escort Maria on the way to the castle. Cyrus readily confirms it since he can't ride in a carriage alone with Maria. Katarina is shocked that Cyrus is okay with Sora and Maria being alone together. Katarina doesn't understand why Cyrus would be wary of Dewey but not of Sora. Sora should be a greater threat since he is good at sweet-talking women. If Sora fell for Maria, Cyrus's chance would drop to zero.
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Katarina: Umm, are you okay with Sora and Maria alone together? Sora might have feelings for Maria, you know?
Cyrus: No, Sora doesn't have feelings for Maria. Even I can see that.
Katarina: Huh? What do you mean?
Cyrus: What I mean? Well, however I look at it…
Katarina: However you look at it, what?
Cyrus: Lady Katarina, didn't you notice?
Katarina: Notice what?
Cyrus: …
Katarina: Wait, Lord Cyrus. What is it? What do you mean?
As Cyrus fell silent, I asked this with a little loud voice.
Cyrus: Lady Katarina, I see that you still are a child ignorant of love.
He said this with a little tired face.
Wh-Whaaaat~?! Cyrus, who is no better than a grade-schooler when it comes to romance, dares tell me I'm a child ignorant of love?! I don't want to hear that from YOU!!
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Nicol Kept Being Approached By Foreigners
Katarina is about to retort something when Mary pulls her arms, offers her some sweets, and forcibly separates her from Cyrus. Katarina still wants to yell at Cyrus but she is intrigued by the sweets.
Mary tells her these sweets are probably a new creation since she has never seen them before. Katarina tastes them and finds them delicious. Maria asks if she can taste them too. Katarina accepts even though it was Mary who offered them. Maria finds them delicious. Then Sophia and Nicol taste them too and find them delicious.
Mary is glad they could finally join with Katarina. Katarina assumes it was hard to find her given the number of people. Mary replies it was not the case since she assumed they would find her at the buffet. Katarina feels dejected that people would figure her out so easily.
Maria explains it was because they kept getting approached by people and could hardly make a step. Katarina is not surprised people would ask Mary, Maria, and Sophia out since they're pretty. Mary explains it was rather Nicol who kept getting approached. Katarina is shocked.
Sophia explains that Nicol's charm is particularly effective today given the number of foreign people. Nicol was not only approached by young women but also men and women of all ages. Some of them were high-ranking people in their primes, so they had to deal with them carefully.
Katarina is amazed by Nicol's charm which fascinates people of all genders, ages, and countries. Even with these beautiful girls with him, he can boast about being the most popular one.
Mary admits that Nicol's charm was so troublesome that she felt like wrapping a cloth around his face.
Even after hearing the rumors, Cyrus still can't believe the number of people who approached Nicol.
Sophia mentions that Nicol has been especially courted by large foreign men. She thinks they're probably considering loving Nicol as a woman. Nicol sharply stops Sophia. His tone is sharp but his face looks tired. Katarina doesn't know if it is because he was approached by large men, or because of Sophia's fantasies, speech, and conduct.
Cyrus Came to the Party to Escort Maria
Cyrus changes the subject. He confesses that it has been a while since he went to a party and he feels overwhelmed by the number of people here. Katarina is surprised that Cyrus doesn't go to parties but realizes that she indeed never met Cyrus at a party. Cyrus explains that he doesn't feel at ease at parties and is also busy with work, so he always rejects the invitations.
Still, Cyrus is not the only one. Many nobles at the Ministry don't go to parties, like Larna / Susanna Randall, who only goes to important parties. Ministry people are also swamped with work.
Maria apologizes to Cyrus since he had to push himself to go to the party for her. Maria seems to think that Cyrus was forced to attend the party to guard her. Katarina rather thinks Cyrus volunteered to do it. After all, Cyrus would do anything to protect Maria.
Cyrus tells Maria that he planned from the beginning to attend the party and volunteered to guard her after hearing she would also attend it…because he was worried about her. Katarina can imagine that Cyrus had to muster a little courage to say the last part.
Maria is happy to hear this and warmly thanks him for "being so concerned for his subordinate". Maria seems to have taken it as the considerate gesture of a superior towards his subordinate rather than a romantic gesture. As the heroine of an otome game, Maria seems to be dense when it comes to love. Katarina feels sorry for Cyrus.
Katarina thinks to herself that in Cyrus's place, Geordo would have clearly told Maria that he was worried about her because he loved her, not because she was his subordinate. Cyrus doesn't need to be like Geordo but he needs to work hard if he wants the dense Maria to notice his feelings.
Katarina really wonders how Cyrus could romance Maria in the game. Maybe he had a sad ending where he only married her in his dream? She can tell that Cyrus is losing to the 14-year-old Dewey and that he will just end up as a good superior at this rate. She sometimes wants to push Cyrus but he always says that he can't be alone with Maria. It is frustrating. Even today, he probably planned from the start to join with Mary and the others so he wouldn't be alone with Maria. Even though he accepted to guard Maria, he won't make any progress with her. Cyrus is just so hopeless.
What if instead of being an Otome game villainess, OG Kat was still a jealous bully and antagonist but more like a comedic rival, and was somewhat affable towards Maria? (Tsundere style lol)
What do you think? Could OG Maria befriend/save her?
Sure, why not? It's a story and OG Kat was just a little girl, plenty of time for her to learn and grow... it was the concept and restraints of the Otome game that made her irredeemable for game purposes, but they could have written a redemption arc for her as one of the route options ^_^
I recently came up with age estimates for Katarina's parents and elder relative's ages, assuming that nobles marry relatively young, even for a late marriage:
I have translated Maria's SS from the Anime Blu-ray special.
Series: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
Title / Character: Maria
Source: Anime BluRay S1 Vol 2
Synopsis: Maria is struggling to create new sweets for Katarina.
Translation: maboroshi-no
Translation below ⮟
Maria
Maria: Hmm… Maybe I should make it a little sweeter.
I, Maria Campbell, murmured this while sampling the sweets I had just made in the kitchen.
Since the Academy of Magic had entered an long period of vacation, I had left the dorm and returned home.
I had finished the vacation assignments and had some free time, so today, I was challenging myself to create new sweets.
Baking sweets was a pastime I had since childhood.
Before, I was making sweets just to remember the happy times and motivate myself to do my best.
But now, I had come to make them because I enjoyed it.
"If I give this to her, she may be even happier. " When I thought this, a smile naturally formed.
Maria's Mother: I'm home. Oh, you're making sweets?
My mother, who had returned from grocery shopping, asked me this.
Maria: Yes. I've been thinking of a new recipe. She's looking forward to it, after all.
Maria's Mother: Do you mean Lady Katarina?
Maria: Yes.
When I nodded, my mother made a chuckling smile.
Because Lady Katarina visited my home, I had come to talk with my mother much more than before.
This made me so happy that when I returned home, I talked a lot with my mother about things from the Academy of Magic.
My mother listened with a wide smile. Then, when I finished,
Maria's Mother: You just keep talking about Lady Katarina~ You really love her, don't you?
After saying this, she chuckled.
Indeed, when I talked about things from the academy, I would naturally often end up talking about Lady Katarina.
We did spend a lot of time together, but it wasn't the only reason. It was because my time with Lady Katarina was so enjoyable.
She was a duke's daughter and a prince's fiancée, and even among the female students of the academy, she had the best parentage. She should, properly speaking, not be the kind of person who would exchange words with a commoner like me.
But Lady Katarina didn't appear to mind it in the slightest, she readily spoke to me.
While some other high-ranking noble ladies acted like they didn't want to hear anything from a commoner.
Also, Lady Katarina didn't only readily talk to me, she also said I was her friend.
Katarina: Maria, you're my precious friend.
Our social statuses were just so different, and yet she said this as if it were only natural.
I wished I could tell my childhood self that I was able to meet someone who would tell me this.
When I was five, I became "a magic wielder" after casting light magic.
Then, from that moment on, I wasn't "Maria Campbell" anymore. I became "the Wielder of Light".
As someone different who possessed the magic that was almost exclusive to nobles, in town, I was surrounded from a distance by not only the children but also by the adults.
Because of me, my mother was rumored to have had an affair with a noble. Our family relationships became strained and a distance gradually appeared between us.
The child me wished for my surroundings and my family to go back to how they were, so I put in all the effort I could.
After recalling the ones I had once made with my mother, I worked my hardest to make sweets and then brought them to school. But in the end, no one would eat them.
And like this, I was all alone for a long time.
Curled into a ball inside my bed, I would imagine someone appearing someday who would need me, who would tell me I was important to them.
When I would turn fifteen and enroll in the Academy of Magic, everyone there would possess magic, so I wouldn't be different anymore. I might be able to make some friends.
I enrolled in the academy believing this, but there, I was the only commoner and the only wielder of light, so in the end, things didn't change much compared to my town.
Rather, I was more alienated there and treated as a nuisance.
I might have to live like this forever. As I started to think this, Lady Katarina appeared before me.
Just like a hero, Lady Katarina dashingly appeared and protected me with her body when I was blamed for "getting favored treatment as a wielder of light".
Katarina: Maria-chan isn't getting such a thing as favored treatment. She's putting in great effort. Maria-chan always gives her all, we like her that's why we're staying with her!
She said these words.
The people around me wouldn't see me as anything but "The Wielder of Light".
And because of this, I had always wished this.
I wished for someone to see me as "Maria Campbell". And if it were granted, I wished to stay with this person.
But with everyone surrounding me from a distance, I thought this wish wouldn't possibly come true.
This was what I thought but Lady Katarina granted my wish.
She found me, she found the person called "Maria Campbell".
Until now, no matter how much effort I put in, people would say the result was only natural because I was the special girl with light magic. No one would realize my efforts. But Lady Katarina…
Katarina: Maria, you're such a hard worker! I need to follow your example!
She said this.
She didn't say that I could do it because I was special. She praised me for being able to do it after working hard.
At times, I couldn't help thinking that Lady Katarina could maybe use some mysterious magic.
After all, Lady Katarina showered me with the words that I desired, that I had always wanted. My heart had been empty for a long time, and upon meeting Lady Katarina, it rapidly filled. Staying by Lady Katarina's side was very comfortable.
Maria's Mother: And so, these new sweets, what kind are you making?
These words from my mother suddenly brought me back to reality. I had been absorbed in my thoughts after unconsciously remembering about the old times and my time with Lady Katarina.
Maria: Umm~ I made jam out of fruits and used it as filling, but it doesn't seem sweet enough at all.
After I had said this, my mother…
Maria's Mother: Let me have a taste.
She bit into the lined-up sweets.
Maria's mother: You're right. The sweetness may be a little mild. Does Lady Katarina like it rather sweet?
Maria: Yes. She does, but since I'm using both jam and sugar, I'm also worried about it becoming too sweet. Getting the amount right is hard.
Maria's Mother: Is that so? I'll also give it some thought, so shall we make it together?
Maria: Mom, don't you have other things to do? Is it okay?
Usually, even after coming back from groceries, my mother would do all kinds of work. She should be busy at this hour.
Maria's Mother: The other things are not so urgent, I can do them later. Baking sweets with my daughter is rather my number one priority.
My mother said this and smiled.
Maria: Thank you, Mom.
I was a little moved to tears.
And like this, after many trials and errors, my mother and I created new sweets. It was such an enjoyable, joyous, and happy time.
Finally, when I gave Lady Katarina the sweets we made, it made her incredibly happy, and I felt very happy once more.
