At this time of day, there were only two places he could find Alicia. Both possibilities were near each other, so he decided to check on the...less complicated one first.
Approaching the room Cora was resting in, he knocked on the door.
"Huh? Alicia, did you forget something?"
Just from Cora's words, it seemed he already had an answer to where the maid would be.
"It's me, Cora. I was just looking for Alicia. It seems she isn't-"
A soft cheer interrupted his words. "Lord Lucien! H-hold on, I can open it..."
Before the child could hurt herself, Lucien decided to intervene, opening the door and walking in.
"It's fine. Don't strain yourself on my account, Cora..." His words trailed off when he saw Cora already walking to the door mid-step.
Cora lifted both hands, smiling brightly. "Today's one of the better days, Lord Lucien!"
They dropped slowly not a moment later. "Oh...but I still can't leave the room without someone to accompany me. Alicia was feeling a little sick earlier and..."
She looked away, her already small figure seeming to shrink even further. "She was forcing herself to stay with me because I told her I was lonely last night..."
Given that yesterday's celebration was one of the most exciting events for the village thus far, he could imagine how the lively child must have felt, being unable to attend it.
Lucien exhaled faintly before walking over to the child and going down on one knee. When Cora began to back away, he placed his hands gently on her shoulders.
"It's fine, Cora. I will be the first to run if I start feeling sick as well."
It was technically not a lie, given that he didn't feel any effects from the mana spilling out of the child.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. "Really?"
Lucien's brow lifted before he spoke. "Do I seem the type to take such risks?"
Cora continued to stare at him with round, almost accusing eyes. "You didn't run during the Tithe. I heard from Roland that you took part in yesterday's battle too!"
"In a tower where it was safe. That was hardly a risk," Lucien replied, standing up while guiding the child back to bed.
Cora looked like she was about to continue arguing, only to fall silent when he stroked her head gently. "Don't worry about your condition making others fall ill, Cora. We will find a way to manage it as we go along."
She remained unusually quiet for a long moment before slowly muttering, "...Will I really get better, Lord Lucien? I heard from Alicia that Lord Rathenfell hasn't responded yet since the first letter."
Before he could respond, Cora hugged herself as she trembled slightly. "Will I have to leave the village?"
Lucien's eyes widened. "Who told you that?"
She jumped slightly, and he realized his tone had come out sharper than usual.
In an attempt to comfort the child, he gently drew her against his chest.
"I heard some of the servants speaking...that Wild Mages are meant to stay in some place called...ermm...w-well, some other place!" she finally spoke at last, her voice slightly muffled through his shirt.
Lucien let out a faint breath before slowly speaking. "That is usually what is done, yes."
When he felt the child stiffen, Lucien spoke before the misunderstanding could take root. "Do I seem like the type to do the usual thing, Cora? Besides..."
Releasing her gently, Lucien met her eyes. "Didn't you hear what happened yesterday? Ashridge defeated an orc band that has plagued this region for years. We can handle one Wild Mage being in the village."
The corner of his mouth lifted as he ruffled her hair. "Much less a small Wild Mage like yourself."
At his words, Cora blinked before a small giggle slipped out of her, the tension in her shoulders easing at last. When he continued to muss up her hair, she let out a yelp and batted his hand away.
Then she perked up and twisted around toward the side of her bed, where a parchment lay. "Lord Lucien! Aisha came along to bring me your speech from yesterday!"
A sense of foreboding filled him at her words.
Completely oblivious, Cora climbed onto her bed and stretched toward the parchment. "It's here! Can you please read it for me, Lord Lucien? Do it like yesterday!"
Before Lucien could turn away, he saw the wide pleading eyes of the not-so-adorable child looking up at him.
It seemed his conversation with Alicia would have to wait...just a little longer.
Cora was finally satisfied after two excruciating attempts at reading the speech out loud. The first time, she had proclaimed that it wasn't exciting enough and made him start all over again.
What standards the child applied to ceremonial speeches was something only Cora would know.
Feeling more tired than usual, Lucien walked to the room down the hallway. Along the way, he could already hear Alicia's voice humming softly.
Where Cora's door was shut, this one had been left open at Dorian's behest as a security measure. Anyone walking past the room would be able to see that the elf was still there, and if she woke up, an opened door would hopefully feel less frightening than a closed one.
Lucien had wondered why Dorian didn't seem particularly concerned about whether she would be a threat. One likely reason was her suspected young age and long captivity under the orcs.
Coming to a stop at the threshold of the room, he leaned against the doorframe and watched as the maid placed a wet cloth gently on top of the elf's head.
He, of course, didn't recognize the song Alicia was humming, but the way she rocked her head slowly while adjusting the cloth reminded him faintly of his mother.
Pushing the melancholic thoughts aside, he rapped his knuckles lightly against the doorframe, causing Alicia to turn to him, eyes widening.
"Ah, My Lord. Do you need another cup of coffee?" She stopped a moment later, hesitating. "But you already had one earlier, and Talia said...too much could be bad for you, My Lord."
At the reminder of his junior's travesty, Lucien's brow twitched before he immediately spoke.
"There is no such thing as too much coffee."
Before Lucien could go into depth about the benefits of coffee, he spotted the concern in the maid's eyes.
He stopped himself, clearing his throat. "I am not here for that, Alicia. There is something I need to speak to you about."
Taking a step further into the room, he left the door slightly ajar behind him, enough to avoid drawing notice while still keeping their voices from carrying into the hall.
When he met Alicia's eyes again, she had already adopted a serious expression.
"What can I do to help, My Lord?"
Lucien glanced at the sleeping elf, wondering if having this conversation here would be too risky.
Following the direction of his gaze, Alicia shook her head. "Ah...My Lord. I truly don't mind taking care of her."
He turned back to the maid. "It is not that, Alicia. Although...you seem more open to caring for an elf than I had expected. Everyone else I have spoken to was far more cautious."
Alicia tugged slightly on the edge of her skirt, eyes lowering. "I was a little reluctant at first, My Lord. I had only meant to change her clothes and wash her properly before letting Sera handle the rest."
Looking back to the elf, she let out a soft breath. "But when I thought about what she must have gone through and imagined what it would feel like...I couldn't leave her be, My Lord."
Lucien kept his expression carefully neutral. "What do you see when you are thinking about things like that, Alicia?"
She tilted her head. "What do you mean, My Lord?"
Perhaps it was too late, but he should have asked Talia to be here instead of insisting that the conversation would be better had in private.
Lucien gestured to the side of the room, farther away from the bed. The maid looked confused but complied anyway, walking over to stand before him.
"Alicia," he began, his eyes meeting her own. "Just like Sera, I believe you possess the Goddess's blessing."
At those words, Alicia's mouth slowly opened, the faint shake of her head telling him that a denial was already upon her lips. It clicked shut when he lifted a hand.
"Let me start from the beginning first. Tell me if you feel anything wrong."
As Lucien began to recount the numerous occurrences both he and Talia had suspected were unusual, he watched for any signs of distress from her. He was still holding on to the fear that being aware of it might cause something to change.
To his relief, there didn't seem to be any, at least from what he could observe.
Alicia remained quiet throughout it all, the only sign she was listening being the slight scrunch of her brows when he mentioned how Joren had found out.
Lucien deliberately left out the blacksmith's words about not telling her, though judging by the expression on Alicia's face, it seemed she had noticed something.
At some point during his explanation, his gaze had lowered to the ground, and even as he felt a weight leave his shoulders, it only made him feel worse.
"My Lord."
Alicia's soft voice caused his head to lift, half-afraid of what sort of face she had on.
He was both surprised and yet strangely not to see Alicia looking concerned instead.
"My Lord, you have been thinking a great deal about this, haven't you?"
Lucien's brow creased. "Of course I have. More importantly, are you feeling alright? Do you have any headaches or..." His words trailed off when Alicia slowly reached out to grip his hands.
"You don't have to put yourself in such agony, My Lord. Whether to tell me or not...either way, I wouldn't mind it all that much."
He stared at her for a long moment, eyes widening. "But I am-"
"I am your personal maid, My Lord. If it would have put you at ease, I would have preferred if you simply said nothing. Even if it means using my blessing..."
Alicia bit her lip, looking almost uncertain before she shook her head. "Umm...it feels strange saying that word, but I suppose I should get used to it now."
She gave his hands a small squeeze. "If it means using my blessing to help with your work without me knowing, then so be it. I wouldn't have minded, My Lord."
Her answer should have put him at ease. Instead, Joren's warning surfaced unbidden.
You know what choice she's going to make.
Perhaps that was precisely why the matter had never felt simple.
Lucien found himself unable to draw away from her hands, even with how loose her grip was. It seemed Alicia noticed the small motion anyway, because she immediately released him and took a step back.
She dipped her head, face slightly flushed. "A-ah...forgive me, My Lord."
The thought still lingered, but a small chuckle escaped before he could stifle it. He raised a palm when Alicia gave him a questioning look.
"Here I was, thinking I would have to ask for your forgiveness for not telling you something, and yet you beat me to it."
Alicia covered her mouth, though he could see the slight curve behind it. A brief moment later, she cleared her throat before speaking.
"I might have beaten you in more ways than one when it comes to that, My Lord."
Lucien's brow lifted at the strangely embarrassed look on her face. She seemed to steel herself before her hands curled into fists in front of her.
"That day, when we went to Unc-Master Joren's workshop for the scorpion, I couldn't help but notice how he started keeping me away from the workshop."
He exhaled through his nose. "Don't tell me you..."
Alicia shook her head quickly. "It was only once! And I had been meaning to approach you about it, but you were busy handling the threat of the orcs."
Lucien's hand rose to rub at his temple. "I suppose I should have expected you to notice something was wrong. Joren isn't exactly the most subtle when it comes to keeping a secret like this."
At the mention of the blacksmith, Alicia's cheeks puffed slightly. "Hmph. He shouldn't have put you through such a thing, My Lord. I knew something was wrong when he stopped asking my father about me visiting him."
It seemed Joren would be facing a dissatisfied Alicia in the coming days despite Lucien's earlier attempt to keep the man's name out of his explanation.
She let out a breath. "The only reason I could think of was my drawings. So that's why I requested to come with you that day to see the scorpion and confirm whether my suspicions were right."
Lucien rubbed his chin. "That means you were actively using it that day? Did you experience any negative side effects?"
The maid fidgeted with the edge of her apron, looking hesitant, which only made him more suspicious as his eyes narrowed slightly at her.
"Alicia, if you want me to be at ease, then I need to know if you're feeling fine after deliberately using your blessing."
Finally, she shook her head. "I might have felt just a little more tired than normal? Truth be told, I can't really tell if it was just the normal kind of tiredness, My Lord."
She hurriedly waved both hands as though to reassure him. "Ah! But it's not anything worse than how I was as a child."
Before he could continue, the sound of rustling by the bed caused both of them to fall silent as they turned toward it.
The elf's eyes were open, staring at them.