She Banished Me Yesterday, But Today She Calls Me Master? - Episode 3

“Master, I’ve finished cleaning, so I’ll begin preparing your meal soon.”

Linde smiled softly as she was about to leave my room. Today was unusual—I’d let her clean my personal quarters. Normally, I’d turn her down, saying, “I can handle it myself,” partly out of embarrassment. But I had brought home extra work from school today and was too swamped to refuse.

“Ah, sorry—before that, could you bring me the lesson plan from the desk drawer? It’s a notebook with a blue cover.”

“Understood!”

I watched her turn back into the room. But a flicker of unease stirred in my chest.

That drawer held more than just a notebook.

I hurried after her—and found Linde frozen in place, staring at the blue notebook… and an old photograph.

“Linde!!”

My eyes darted to her hands. She clutched the notebook in one hand—and in the other, that photo. The one with the scorched edges.

A tight pain gripped my chest.

“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to look without permission…”

She offered me the photo with a guilty expression. I took it, along with the notebook, and stared down at the picture, a complex swirl of nostalgia and regret washing over me.

It was a photo of me as a child—alongside a silver-haired girl. Eltrinde. Shoulder to shoulder, both of us smiling with pure joy. It had been taken in the garden of the old estate.

Damn… If she realizes who I am…

Tension crept into my spine, but Linde’s voice broke through my thoughts.

“Is this… someone from your family, Master?”

Was it just my imagination, or was her voice trembling?

Relief flooded me.

Of course—this world doesn’t have television or media like the one before. Out here in this remote region, there’s no way she’d know about Eltrinde.

“Yeah… she’s my little sister.”

“She’s… very beautiful.”

“She was. Not just in appearance, but in spirit, too.”

As I spoke, old memories stirred—teaching her magic, the sound of her laughter, that innocent smile…

“Where is she now…?”

I hesitated. The words wouldn’t come easily.

“She’s… far away. Very far.”

I said it vaguely, my eyes still on the photo.

“I wanted to protect her. I should have been the one to support her, but… I wasn’t strong enough. So, she ended up walking a different path.”

Why was I telling Linde all this? These were things I never shared with anyone. Yet the words kept flowing, as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

“All I ever wanted was for her to be happy.”

I gently ran a thumb across the smiling face of the girl in the photo.

“Even now, that hasn’t changed.”

Suddenly, Linde’s hand covered mine. I could feel her fingers trembling.

“I’m sure… she wishes the same for you.”

Her voice quivered. When I looked up, I saw tears welling in her eyes.

“Do you really think so? She might even hate me…”

“That’s not true!”

Her voice rang out louder than I expected. I blinked, surprised. She quickly added, flustered:

“I-I mean… with someone as kind and wonderful as you, Master, I just can’t imagine your sister ever resenting you…”

It struck me as a bit odd, but her words warmed something deep inside me.

“Thank you, Linde. That means a lot.”

I tucked the photo into my br3ast pocket with care, then gave a wry smile to shift the mood.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all weird on you. Let’s go eat.”

“Yes…”

Linde nodded faintly. I grabbed my coat and stepped out into the hallway. But when I turned to glance back, she was still standing there, frozen.

For some reason… in that moment, I thought she looked just like Eltrinde.

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★★★

After Asto left the room, Linde remained rooted to the spot. Her hands still trembled, and something deep inside her pulsed violently.

“Brother…”

She whispered softly, then lowered her gaze to the desk. It felt as if the lingering image of that photograph still hovered there.

“He… didn’t forget me.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, fighting back the tears welling behind her lids.

“He thinks I might hate him… but I never could. Never.”

The black mark etched into her left arm throbbed, the curse reminding her of its presence, like a vice around her heart.

“I had to banish him… to protect him. There was no other way at the time.”

Eltrinde clenched her fist. She’d asked herself a thousand times whether she’d made the right choice. But the only certainty she’d ever had was wanting Asto to be safe.

“I’ll protect you, Brother… no matter what form it takes. I just want to stay by your side.”

She turned to the window. The setting sun bathed the sky in crimson. The scene reminded her of the royal garden they used to gaze upon together.

“It was a sunset just like this that day, wasn’t it…?”

Eltrinde smiled faintly—but there was a loneliness behind it.

“You said you wanted me to be happy… But I want the same for you. Even if I can’t be by your side… I just want you to be happy.”

She murmured the words like a prayer, but the ache in her chest betrayed them.

“But… the truth is, I want to be with you. I want us to laugh together again. I want to go back to those days…”

She placed her hands on the desk and exhaled deeply. Then she straightened, and her silver hair shimmered and shifted—turning pale blue once more.

It was time to become Linde again.

“Just a little longer… let me stay like this.”

She checked her reflection in the mirror and gave herself a small smile.

That smile held both resolve—and sorrow.