"There we go. Can't be a whole lot of tears left in there after all that."
Gabriel once again wiped what remained of Alice's previous tears. She still looked at her own hands as if she couldn't believe what she had seen. She wanted to keep uttering the words, but she was all out of mana so nothing came out. Here eyes naturally slid down as Gabriel wiped her face, the chart placed neatly in front of her.
"Waaahh…"
The words she already knew, except for the four special ones, were all there, neatly marked in their own boxes. The foundations of the world, the magic that had carried humanity for hundreds, thousands of years. And then there were the lines. Words that she'd never seen before, connections that no one had ever made. But they were there, all ready, all prepared for her.
"How… How do you know about all of these? It wasn't a book, right?"
Alice, despite everything, wasn't an utter oaf. These combined words, these new elements… if discovering them was as easy as just reading a book then they would have spread long ago. The most reasonable explanation was that he found them in some ruin that dated back to when the ancient language was common. But he was just an orphan, a little kid just like her, there was no way he would have the opportunity to do something like that.
Gabriel had expected it. It was natural, something that upset the common sense of the world was just placed so casually on the table without explanation. Even the most brain-dead child would question where it came from, especially since it came from another child.
So he'd been ready for the question, it was bound to come after all. He could weave a tale, he could give her several excuses, he could even make himself out to be a prophet or a saint who heard the word of god. There were many excuses he could give her to keep her quiet. But in the end, he chose none of them.
"The seventh tenet of a good person is to not lie to your allies, so I will never lie to you, my Lady. So for now, I will remain silent. One day I will tell you the truth, but it won't be today."
Honesty was a virtue, and a foundational requirement for any relationship. So he could not, would not, lie to Alice about how he knew the combined words. But nor would he tell her the truth.
"Then… When?"
Luckily, it seemed as if Alice wasn't going to press him for answers after seeing his expression. Just as she had hesitated to tell him about her own state, it was clear that he had things he didn't want to talk about. He respected her boundaries, so she would have to respect his. Gabriel thought about the question for a second, he originally planned to just tell her everything at once at a later date, perhaps once she took over the duchy, but he thought of a better way.
"Hmm… Right, how about I give you one truth for each milestone? The day you become officially acknowledged by the duchy, the day you get acknowledged by the imperial family, the day you get your first title, the day of your marriage, and the day you take over the duchy. Every time you reach one, I will let you ask me any one question that I swear that I will answer with nothing but the truth. How does that sound?"
She had just set the foundation for her desire to take over the duchy, but it didn't hurt to give her a little bit of motivation for the steps she would have to take to reach that day. It would also make it easier for her to focus, most tasks were easier if you split them into smaller problems after all.
"Okay! You can't go back on your promise, okay?"
Luckily, Alice blossomed into a smile upon the suggestion, it was probably easier for her to grasp these smaller steps than it would be to grasp some distant date or goal. Especially that first step, she felt that if she practised magic diligently then she wouldn't be too far away from it.
"Of course not. The fourth tenet is to always stay true to your own words, sometimes they are all you have."
Gabriel could only smile as he promised. His old master always said that a man was only as good as his words, because at the end of the day, those would be all he was left with. And yet… that very same master couldn't stay true to their last promise.
"Then, pinky promise?"
Alice's voice dragged him back to the present, her small hand stuck right up to his face, her pinky wiggling as if to urge him on. He blinked quickly a few times to dissipate what remained of the past, presenting his own pinky.
"Alright, pinky promise."
In two lives, this would be his first pinky promise, not even his own sister had ever been childish enough to utilise them. Well, that was probably something to be thankful for, this second life would be too sad if he only experienced and did the same things as his first life.
"So if I can use all these new words, which ones can you use?"
Once their hands separated, Alice's attention returned to the chart that Gabriel had drawn, renewed vigour bursting forth from her every pore. She knew a handful of minor ancient words, but if she wanted to utilise all these elements properly then she would have to study more than ever before, she'd need words for every possible situation.
"I don't know. I don't have access to a mana affinity tester, and I haven't managed to accumulate any mana yet so I haven't been able to test them one by one."
A mana affinity tester would be the easiest to use, it would just let him see it straight away. But he would have to wait three more years if he wanted to use the public one. That was a bit too long for him so he had to go with the other option, gathering some mana and testing it on his own.
He was busy enough as it was, but now he would have to serve as Alice's butler and help her with her magic studies so he would only get busier. He could gather a bit of mana while teaching Alice, there would probably be enough downtime. But as expected, he would have to pick up some things outside if he wanted to speed things up.
"But that reminds me, my Lady, I have a request. I would like to be given leave every Thursday to go into the city. I would like to take advantage of the public library and some of the stores."
This was the Vritara Duchy, they definitely had one of the best libraries in the world. But until Alice had a high enough position in the family he could forget about using it so he would have to settle for the public one. And then there was that one store… Since he decided to act for the sake of making Alice the duchess, it seemed like he would have to make good use of it.
"Leave? Of course, of course! I don't have much, but I'll give you some money before you leave, Eldest Sister said that its important to always properly pay people!"
The little girl beat her chest to appear trustworthy, but Gabriel could already imagine how meagre her allowance was. To give some of that to him? She was already cutting into her own food just so that he could have some extra as he trained. She gave and gave. In the original, there was never anyone to give something back. He would change that. And step one would be a maid, a trustworthy one.
"Alright, I'll have to accept your generosity at that time. But before then, I recommend that you start gathering more mana, otherwise it will be hard to practice the rest of the combined words. I have to go to Knight Trainer Lawrence and explain the situation, but I'll be back afterwards."
Technically, Gabriel should be doing his daily strength training with Lawrence right about now. But with Leonardo calling him, and him going to Alice right after, those plans inevitably fell through. And until he could pick up that maid, he would have to tend to Alice in the morning and afternoon as well so he would have to explain the situation.
"Okay, Okay! Apologise to Grandpa Lawrence for me, that way he won't be as angry at you."
Perhaps it was because she had gotten to cry it out now, but Gabriel noticed that Alice wasn't dragging her words as much. There was less hesitation within each sentence and she seemed more bubbly, all she really needed all along was someone to give back for everything she gave.
"Don't worry, my Lady, I will. Then, until later."
He flashed her a smile and then bowed politely, Alice beaming at the sight and tone. He could still hear a bit of faint laughter from the kitchen even as he moved through the hallway. The villainess that was always crying, now she was laughing. And he would ensure that it would stay like that, which naturally meant that there were some things he had to do.
——
"Excuse me, is this the kitchen of the third Young Master?"
Gabriel poked his head through the door, the kitchen already bustling as chefs and servants were rushing about to finish the food. Finding the kitchen was easy once you knew the layout, the question was just something he posed to look a bit more innocent, a naive expression on his face.
"Eh, a new servant? Are you the last one of the servants that the red-eyed one brought in?"
A slightly older woman was the one who responded to him, looking him up and down. Deep crow's feet by her eyes, pale lips covered up by lipstick, slicked back brown hair with a few grey strands, a sharp nose, and blue eyes with a few murky dots. She fit the description that Alice had given of the 'kind' servant who handed her the fruits she so politely asked for.
"Yes, I am Gabriel and have recently been assigned as Lady Alice's knight, I'll also be her butler until a new maid is found. I came to thank Chef Laurelai for the fruits that my Lady received earlier."
A bright and cheery smile befitting a child of his age. At least for this moment, he truly looked like an orphan who had never even gotten to see fresh fruits before. The aged lady, Laurelai, also returned the smile, truly the image of a caring grandmother.
"Yes, that would be me. And oh please, no need to exaggerate it that much. It's important that the little lady eats well so isn't it just right that she gets some nice fruits? I'm just happy that she got to enjoy some fresh delicacies."
If snakes could talk, would they sound like her? Gabriel suddenly found himself beset by that thought. If the knife in your back had a voice then it would surely be hers. But well, that was just fine with him.
"Yes, it really is important that my Lady gets to eat well, that is exactly why I came to thank you. I may not have much trust in my culinary abilities, but I am quite confident in making sweets, should the opportunity arise then I will definitely make it for you as well."
An eager child, a grateful and overconfident one. That was what Laurelai thought of the one in front of her. The little lady was happy with what he made because she didn't know what good food was so now he wanted to show it off a little. It would be cute if it wasn't to her he did it.
"Ohoho, no need for that, I'm not worthy of that much gratitude."
She waved him aside with grace and elegance, mimicking what she had seen the young lord do at times. Yes, it was important to be elegant even when faced with overconfident children like this. .
"Oh, but I think you are, so please let me repay you. But ah, I'm only confident in my sweets so when the time comes it'll be just deserts."
As she looked at his smile, she couldn't help but feel that it warped slightly for a moment, those dark violet eyes stabbing directly into her. She blinked once and it was gone, but the sensation still lingered in the back of her mind as he continued to talk.
"You won't mind, right?"
He just kept looking straight at her, her own visage reflected in his purple eyes, drowning in the colour. She opened her mouth to respond, clearing her throat to retain her elegance. But the loud sound of a bell cut through the air before she could utter a word, the little child tilting his head slightly as he excused himself.
"Ah, forgive me, but that is the morning bell, I must head to Knight Trainer Lawrence now. I look forward to seeing you again when the time to enjoy something sweet comes."