Due to the lack of space and materials at home, Lys had not been practicing spells or alchemy recently. Instead, she spent her time poring over the books from the large trunk her father had brought back.
The trunk, retrieved from the old family estate, had been enchanted to hold an infinite space within its limited dimensions.
Of course, this was Lys's impression. Realistically, it probably contained the equivalent of a basement and a library.
Senna had once told Lys that she came from a long lineage of noble blood. However, she was now the last surviving member of the main branch of the Lam family. Originally, Lys should have borne the Lam surname. This was something Senna and Noah had agreed upon: daughters would take the Lam name, while sons would take the Black name. When Lys had children in the future, they would carry on the Lam bloodline and surname.
But an unexpected accident had occurred, and it seemed likely that Lys would be their only child. As a result, the Black surname had been passed back to Lys.
With a slightly somber expression, Senna opened the trunk and stopped speaking further. She took out a large pile of books and a small bag of gemstones, placing them on the dining table.
"Noah! Noah! The shop's going under—I need some money from you!" Not long after, a piece of paper folded into an unrecognizable animal shape floated down with difficulty. Before it hit the ground, Senna caught and unfolded it.
Lys sneaked a glance at her mother's lips, which were curled upward in an uncontrollable smile. Lys felt a sense of happiness herself. However, when her mother noticed her gaze, she promptly sent her off to bake cookies.
By late July, her mother went to return the trunk to the old estate, taking the opportunity to clean up traces left from their last visit. Meanwhile, her father asked Coco to call Lys to his room.
When Noah saw the figure standing at the door, he was momentarily confused. Who was this person taller than his wife, whom he hadn't seen in two years?
At only 14 years old, she was bound to grow even taller. Noah couldn't recall any towering ancestors from either his or his wife's family.
Seeing Lys sitting awkwardly on a small stool by the door, he summoned a dining chair with Coco. Watching her sit upright on the chair, Noah finally felt a bit relieved.
"How are your grades?"
"The report card hasn't been issued yet, but I should be able to get four O's (Outstanding), Dad."
Noah nodded and then asked, "Have you made any friends at school?"
From Lys's evasive gaze, Noah could tell that her personality had been shaped poorly by the neglect from him and his wife. Forget it, he thought, better ask something else.
"Do you like any boys?"
Lys looked up blankly and shook her head. How was this question different from the last one? She didn't have any friends, so naturally, no boys or girls either.
Noah reassured himself, Forget it, forget it. Realistically, she's only been exposed to the world for just over three years. She's still a child.
"I remember you got into a fight in your first year and lost. How about now?" Noah thought for a moment and brought up another topic.
This question didn't confuse Lys.
"I can take on four at once!"
But thinking about how she had ended up in the hospital and still needed to take magical stabilizers, her voice gradually softened. "Dad, I did win."
Noah couldn't help but want to laugh, though he also felt a bit conflicted inside.
"Not bad," he replied perfunctorily. Unable to think of anything else to talk about, Noah was about to send Lys off to rest when she hesitated after standing up.
She made a request she had been wanting to make for the past two years.
"Dad, can I see that photo?"
Am I really not some monkey turned into a human? Would you replace me with another monkey turned into Regulus Black?
Seeing Noah nod, Lys raised her wand and used the Levitation Charm to bring the photo closer. As it drew nearer, she finally saw it clearly.
In the photo, her father sat on a sofa, dressed in dark formal attire, sitting upright. Her mother, in a dress, stood beside him holding something that looked like a meatball.
Lys glanced at Noah with a questioning look. Didn't he say she could see what she looked like as a child? Where was she?
Noah didn't catch on. He thought his daughter was comparing the past him in the photo to the current disheveled him. Noah closed his eyes slightly, suppressing his increasingly uncontrollable thoughts.
But then he heard his wife sigh at the door. Opening his eyes, he saw her gently stroking a corner of the photo.
"You were so small back then," Senna said, touching the baby's cheek in the photo. The disturbed baby hid its face in the swaddling cloth.
And then Noah saw his daughter's eyes bulge like a frog being squeezed.
"Mom... Mom, what is this? Is this me?"
Senna continued to stroke the photo, touching Noah's cheek and the cane in his hand. The man in the photo grew visibly displeased, grabbing the hand of the woman in the photo and glaring at the rude woman outside the frame.
Ignoring Lys's confusion, Senna smiled and returned the photo to Noah's bedside, sending off her tall and lanky daughter, who was not cute at all, to cook dinner.
The slightly burnt ribs on the plate reflected Lys's unsettled mood. But she quickly calmed herself. It didn't matter if she had been a meatball. As long as she wasn't a monkey, it was fine. Not a monkey, not a monkey...
When school started, she would go to the Restricted Section and tear up that book that had made her worry for half a semester.
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