The leisurely days slipped by in a blur. In the blink of an eye, summer vacation was already half over, and the Cotswolds had entered peak tourist season.
These days, foreign visitors came through constantly, and the town was noticeably busier than usual.
Claudia didn't like crowded places, but she loved ice cream, and she refused to stay home alone while Leonard went out to buy it.
So every day she followed Leonard into town first thing, then went out again in the afternoon to enjoy ice cream. It had practically become routine.
That day, Leonard brought Claudia into town again. The ice cream shop owner broke into a wide smile as soon as he saw them.
"Good morning, young Leonard, and little Claudia," the owner said kindly, handing Claudia an ice cream. "Here. This one's on the house."
Being pretty really did come with perks. Leonard was the one paying every time, yet the owner never even considered giving Leonard the freebie.
But today the owner seemed a little strange. He took a closer look at Claudia as she nibbled at her ice cream, as if confirming something, then nodded to himself.
"Honestly, little Claudia is the prettier one," the owner said. "But you should be careful, little Claudia. Too much ice cream will make you fat."
Claudia didn't react at all to the compliment, but the moment he mentioned getting fat, she shot him a wary look and quietly hid behind Leonard.
She didn't understand what "getting fat" meant. She only felt like the owner was trying to talk her out of eating ice cream…
A bad person.
The owner's words left Leonard puzzled. Seeing the look on Leonard's face, the owner explained on his own, "A tourist family came by this morning. Their two girls are both very pretty, you know. Only a little less than little Claudia."
He even held his fingers close together to show "just a little."
Only a little less than Claudia?
Leonard glanced at Claudia, perfect and adorable. If they were only a little less… then they must still be very pretty.
And they were sisters…
No. Stop it. What was he thinking?
Leonard absolutely refused to admit he had a filthy mind.
After packing the ice cream into the cooler, Leonard forced those thoughts away and headed home with Claudia. They hadn't gone far when he noticed tourists on the street whispering among themselves.
Things like—
"That girl is so beautiful."
"Is that her little sister? She's adorable."
"That lady looks gorgeous too."
But when Leonard walked past holding Claudia's hand, everyone's attention snapped over at once.
"That girl…"
"Wow, she's so cute."
"She looks even prettier than those sisters over there."
Hearing the murmurs, Leonard looked toward where the voices were coming from. Through the gaps between the onlookers, he saw a family sitting in a café.
They stood out immediately. Every one of them looked like they belonged in a painting.
Two girls, one older and one younger, both with bright silver hair and strikingly charming features. Beside them sat a mature woman, elegant and composed, the kind of presence that only made her more captivating.
Compared to them, the man seated nearby was almost forgettable.
Leonard only glanced once before looking away. They were just tourists. Their paths were never going to cross. No matter how good-looking they were, it had nothing to do with him.
If anything, he'd rather focus on what flavor of ice cream Claudia liked best.
...
Leonard and Claudia sat under the shade of a tree by the stream, sharing their ice cream.
Some people might wonder if living the same day over and over would get boring.
Leonard didn't think so. Having a beautiful girl glued to his side all day? How could that ever get old?
When they finished, Claudia, as usual, stepped into the stream and splashed around, delighted by the little fish darting through the water.
Claudia didn't overthink anything. Even if she saw the same scenery every day and ate the same things, she could still find something fun in the repetition.
But today didn't feel quite so peaceful.
As Leonard watched Claudia wading through the water, he suddenly sensed unfamiliar footsteps approaching.
He turned toward the sound and saw a suspicious man dressed in a black robe despite the blazing summer heat.
A flicker of silver flashed in Leonard's eyes. That brief instant was enough for him to identify the man.
A wizard. And judging by the way his magic flowed, not an ordinary one either.
At the very least, his magical presence was far stronger than the Aurors Leonard had once seen near Hogwarts.
The man's expression was dark. When he spotted Leonard and Claudia, he snorted and barked, "Brats, get lost. Don't hang around here."
His tone was harsh and arrogant. Claudia jumped in fright and hurried toward Leonard, but she slipped, fell, and plunged into the stream.
Leonard rushed over and helped her up. Claudia's eyes were watery with tears.
"Leonard… my leg hurts," she whispered.
"Let me see." Leonard supported her back with one arm and lifted her under the knees with the other, carrying her over to a rock by the stream and easing her down to sit.
Her knee was scraped, probably from hitting a stone when she fell. From the wound seeped silvery blood, as fluid as mercury.
Claudia might look completely human, but her essence was still a Unicorn. And Unicorn blood was naturally silver.
Seeing that Leonard had no intention of leaving, the man frowned and slid his hand inside his robe, as if gripping something.
"Hey! I told you brats to get lost! Why are you still squatting here?" he snarled viciously.
Claudia was trembling. It was hard to tell whether it was fear, or the chill from being soaked through.
Leonard's face hardened, a flash of violence flickering in his eyes.
"You little brat…" The man lost his patience and strode toward them.
Just then, a raven dropped onto the man's shoulder and let out a harsh caw at Claudia.
"Hm?" The man paused, then curled his mouth into a cold smile. "Well, well. An unexpected bonus. Didn't think I'd run into a bloodline wizard here."
A bloodline wizard was still a wizard. And since they were in Britain, if this really was a wizard situation, then at least one of the two brats in front of him had to be a Hogwarts student.
As he spoke, he moved closer and called out, "Hey, brats. Are you Hogwarts students?"