《I Became the Villain’s Lost Daughter》 Chapter 1 As I opened my eyes, I saw a shabby attic ceiling. ¡°¡­Today was the start.¡± I got up quietly, took off my only pajamas, and changed into a rag-like dress. Pajamas were the only clothes I had left that weren¡¯t torn apart. And the rest were made up of clumsy sewing skills. I quickly left the attic and went into the kitchen before the director came screaming. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m tired already¡­¡± I¡¯m used to going to bedte and waking up early, but that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t tired. I hurriedly took out arge pot and put all the vegetables I had yesterday. The soup was the only thing that I could cook with these limited ingredients. On the other hand¡­ I¡¯m just a nine-year-old child, but the director seems to think I¡¯m already 19 years old. Taking turns preparing meals, that was then, but from some point on, I was in charge of it. It was exactly what the other kids put me to, and the director pretended not to see anything regarding it. ¡®Heh. Does he think I¡¯m better off doing what other kids do than eating? Do I have to think of it positively¡­?¡¯ Well, I simply tried to rationalize and chew those negative thoughts inside. The good news was that I know how to cook to some extent. As I peered into the boiling pot, I tried to close my eyes. ¡°¡­¡± At that moment, there was a small rumbling sound from my stomach. But even though the soup was being cooked right in front of me, I couldn¡¯t be the first to eat. Because what was given to me was all that was left after taking the share of the other kids. The evil director was my rice bowl. It was a very unhappy setting, no one takes care of me unlike the other kids. One time when I was so hungry, I got caught trying to eat a piece of bread first, then I faced the director who turned into a beast. ¡°It was up to me anyway.¡± However, I never want to receive a nagging bomb with a shrill voice under the guise of the director¡¯s discipline. ¡®I¡¯m not going to eat because it¡¯s disrespectful?¡¯ After a while, the children starteding down one by one with a loud noise. The way the children sat, rubbing their sleepy eyes, was starkly different from my situation. And even when the children and the director started eating, I couldn¡¯t sit down and eat with them. After I showed my portion of the te to the director, only then I was able to eat. My meal didn¡¯t take that long to finish because it was only a small amount in the first ce. ¡°When you¡¯re done, go ahead and clean up.¡± I shrugged at the harsh words of the director. If I don¡¯t obey, he would re at me again and scold me. After quietly leaving the dining room, I took out a broom and started cleaning. The orphanage, which wasn¡¯t very spacious, always became dirty, even if I cleaned it every day. Cleaning should be done with the other kids, but I¡¯m the only one actually doing the job, cleaning the ce with all I could. It was only me. The others were mopping it up and making it twice as dirty by walking on it. ¡°Cough, cough¡­ It¡¯s dirty.¡± When I swept away the dust in the corner, I coughed on my own. The cleaning was familiar enough to be worn out. I¡¯ve had enough of it in my previous life. ¡°I could work as a cleaner when I grow up.¡± I muttered to myself. A year ago, when I woke up from this child¡¯s body, how absurd it was. I thought I was killed in a car ident, but now I¡¯m an eight-year-old girl. Now, I¡¯m a year older, currently nine years old, but the fact that I¡¯m still a child, it hasn¡¯t changed anyway. That¡¯s the same as when I was a child. ¡°A was lovely.¡± It was the Helsion Empire. After hearing the name of this ce I found out that it was from the novel I was reading in my previous life. Fortunately, I remembered clearly the year the original began. Imperial year 1220. The male lead¡¯s birthday was also December 20th, whether it was the writer¡¯s intention or whatever. Anyway, it was just 10 years before the original began. I¡¯m an extra who didn¡¯t even appear in the novel. I took a deep breath and continued cleaning. ¡°Hey, ck hair!¡± Then a ringing voice called me. Oh, here we go again. ¡°Yes, why?¡± I pressed down my annoyance and answered mildly. It would have been a mess if I ignored their call or talked back. Lily, whom the butler adores, was also an orphan. ¡°The director was calling you.¡± ¡°..Why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me? Maybe It¡¯s because you don¡¯t clean properly. And don¡¯t talk to me!¡± Lily, who shot with a vicious expression, ran away. Who always talks to me first? I don¡¯t want to talk to you either. There were no words topare with her audacious manners. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on¡­¡± With the broom I was holding on one side of the wall, I washed my hands in cold water and headed to the director¡¯s office. Knock, knock~ ¡°Director, it¡¯s Rita.¡± There was no answer beyond the closed wooden door. ¡°Well, sir, I¡¯m the ck haired kid¡­¡± I knocked on the door again, saying that I have ck hair, not my name, because I hate being called by my name. Then, I heard rough footsteps and the door burst open. ¡°You! I told you! you didn¡¯t have a name!¡± That¡¯s right. The director¡¯s face, when he opened the door, was distorted like an ugly beast. Even if my hair was ck it doesn¡¯t mean I harm people. Of course suchints were only swallowed up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I gently bowed my head and said. The director nodded his head telling me toe in, it seems he¡¯s not angry anymore. He would normally have yelled right away, but what the heck? ¡°You, go to the market and get me today¡¯s ingredients.¡± Cancel everything I said that he was getting better! I tried to evaluate the expression on his face which was about to crumple again. ¡°Well, today¡¯s Lily¡¯s day to¡­¡± ¡°I told you not to argue with me! Lily needs to get her new clothes tailored today, so you should go! You have nothing to do anyway.¡± I tried to rebut it carefully, but all I got back was yelling. I couldn¡¯t believe there¡¯s nothing I could do with my situation. He was so terrifying and arrogant. ¡®I am the busiest person in the orphanage, I¡¯m in charge of cleaning and dining.¡¯ How was it that they are so simr? Whether from my past life¡¯s orphanage or here, the vicious orphanage director seemed to be everywhere. Because there¡¯s no such ce to be called good with empty words. ¡°¡­Yes, I got it.¡± ¡°Then get out!¡± I bit my lip, bowed my head, and left the director¡¯s office. I¡¯m the one who brought the ingredients the day before and yesterday. My arm hurt from carrying heavy vegetables for two consecutive days. Then the resentment came, but I didn¡¯t have the courage to go back to the director¡¯s office and say that I didn¡¯t want to go. In an orphanage where a child like me couldn¡¯t escape, if I go against the director¡¯s decisions, I would only be locked up in a warehouse. So, it wasn¡¯t that I hadn¡¯t tried to run away from this ce. Although it¡¯s a child¡¯s body, my mind wasn¡¯t that of a child, so I thought that I could somehow make a living. So, when I woke up and realized where this ce was, I tried to escape while everyone was asleep. But things didn¡¯t work out as well as I thought, and the escape attempt was unsessful. I tried, I really did¡­ But I was caught by a vigering down from the mountain and was brought back to the orphanage. Not to mention, I was locked up in a narrow, dark warehouse for a week. After that, I gave up running away. I knew I¡¯d be persecuted wherever I went. At least until I¡¯m old enough to take care of myself. ? After putting on my shabby robe, I grabbed a basket and left the orphanage. When I squinted and looked up at the sky, the sun was zing above my head. I felt a little better doing this when I was depressed. ¡°The director said he¡¯s going out with Lily today, so I could take it slow.¡± Normally, I ran back and forth because of the director who would get angry if I didn¡¯t go back quickly, but today there¡¯s no need for that. Thanks to it, I walked a little leisurely. The shoes I am wearing now are about one foot smaller than mine, so if I walk for a long time, I often get blisters. If I walk fast, my feet hurt. ¡°Come on!¡± ¡°We sell fresh fish!¡± As I entered the market, loud voices rang everywhere. ¡°¡­If possible, I wish I could have an ordinary child with a normal family.¡± It¡¯s like all other novels. Why couldn¡¯t I get out of being an orphan? Looking at these things, it seems to be true that people have different fates. ¡°Oh, my! Look over there. It¡¯s cursed ck hair!¡± Although the setting wasn¡¯t described in detail in the original, there was a myth that ck-haired people are descendants of demons. People easily rejected and despised others based only on myths that weren¡¯t known whether they were true or not. So every time I went out, I used a ragged robe to cover my head, but the vigers who already knew me didn¡¯t care. ¡°Hey! Do you want to stop doing business in the morning? Don¡¯t look at things like that.¡± ¡°Why are youing out and making a fuss?¡± Until earlier I was walking slowly, and then I hurried as I heard their words. Even though I covered my hair, they couldn¡¯t stop criticizing me. It was sad that I couldn¡¯t even afford to enjoy my time alone. It was a moment ago that I felt a little better because of the nice weather. Arriving at the store in the alley, I carefully called the owner. ¡°Well, uncle, I¡¯m here to get ingredients again.¡± Fortunately, Uncle Philip greeted me with a smile. ¡°Rita, are you here again today?¡± ¡°Yes, the director said he was going to buy new clothes with Lily.¡± ¡°I see. I think I¡¯ll just have to get you your own clothes rather than Lily¡­ Now, at least eat this. I¡¯ll take care of you in a minute.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I carefully received the plums the uncle had brought out. By the way, wasn¡¯t this my first time eating this? Fruits like plums are so popr in orphanages but I haven¡¯t even tasted it. I took a bite of the smooth, pretty plum, and the sweet and sour juice came out. ¡°¡­So delicious!¡± ¡°Haha! Wasn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve got it from my wife to give it to you when youe.¡± ¡°Aunt Meghan?¡± Oh, she¡¯s so very generous to offer me the prettiest one. Those words warmed my heart. Not everyone in the vige liked me, but Uncle Philip and Aunt Meghan were really nice to me. Erita liked those feelings, even if it was sympathy. ¡°Now, today¡¯s potatoes, onions, and meat ¡°Thank you, Uncle Philip. Please tell Aunt Meghan I¡¯m thankful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that this was the only thing that I could do for you.¡± At the words of the man while stroking my hair, I almost shed tears like a child. Perhaps it¡¯s because I pretended to be a child in order not to appear strange. My emotions trembled easily. Although I¡¯m older than what I look like, I still feel like a child in front of my uncle everytime. ¡°No. I¡¯m still thankful enough.¡± Erita said I¡¯m a calm voice. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be heavy to carry alone?¡± I smiled and shook my head at his friendly words. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You have to take care of your business, too.¡± ¡°Hey, if you want to eat plums again next time, sneak up on me. I¡¯ll definitely leave one for sure.¡± ¡°Okay, Thank you Uncle Philip¡­ I¡¯ll go ahead.¡± Holding back the tears that were about to leak out, I quickly left the alley. The basket full of heavy vegetables weighed on the soft shoulders, but time had passed already, so I couldn¡¯t bete. ¡®If I go backte, the kids would definitely report me to the director.¡¯ Erita ran fast in a hurry and didn¡¯t notice anyone walking in front of her. ¡°Ahh!¡± As my small body bumped into the stone-like, hard legs of someone, I fell on my butt. At the impact, the basket I was holding fell on the floor, and a few round potatoes and onions slipped out. The robe that was covering my face finally moved, but my heart was pounding thinking of the potatoes that were rolling farther away. ¡°Oh, no!¡± If any of them were missing, the director would starve me instead. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry.¡± I bowed down to the person I bumped into and apologized over and over again, and picked up the scattered potatoes and onions. ¡°¡­Eight, nine.¡± One potato was missing. As I looked around, with an almost crying face, a potato appeared in front of my eyes. ¡°Here it is.¡± A low voice clung to my ear. A sigh of relief burst out when I saw the potato in his huge hand. ¡°Thank you!¡± He was much taller and bigger than me, and as his robes wrapped around him tightly, I couldn¡¯t see the face of the person who picked up and handed me the potato. Then I just took the potatoes and put them in the basket and thanked him for thest time. ¡®Thanks to him, the director won¡¯t have a reason to starve me.¡¯ And just as I was leaving, the man suddenly blocked my path. ¡°Could I ask you something for a moment?¡± ¡°¡­Yes?¡± I would be scolded if I¡¯mte, but the man also helped me pick up the potatoes. ¡°May I ask where you live?¡± To that question, I hesitated, and answered him in a small voice. ¡°I¡¯m staying at the Lysen orphanage over there.¡± My finger pointed at the direction of the orphanage. The man¡¯s eyes turned to where I pointed at. ¡°Then could I leave now? I¡¯ll be scolded if I don¡¯t go quickly.¡± When I spoke impatiently, the man hurriedly spoke again. ¡°Then, please answer this one question.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Could you tell me your name?¡± The orphanage called me ck-hair, but I had a name too. ¡°It¡¯s Erita. I don¡¯t have ast name.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± The man who heard my name muttered, but now I was in a hurry and said that I would leave. ¡°I¡¯ll go now. Thank you for picking up the potatoes.¡± ¡°¡­Yes. Goodbye.¡± Then the man said nothing for a moment, and then greeted me in a calm voice. At that moment, my heart was relieved and I quickly started running towards the orphanage. ¡°See you soon¡­ My daughter.¡± In the end, I didn¡¯t listen to what the man muttered behind, as I was furiously running towards the orphanage. ? The man, who had been looking at the direction Erita had left, only left after the figure of the child had disappeared. ¡°Kyle.¡± A knight in the same robe behind him appeared at his call. ¡°Yes, Grand Duke.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the Lysen Orphanage tomorrow. I won¡¯t reveal my identity, so prepare yourself.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± In response to Kyle¡¯s answer, the man called the Grand Duke smiled, still staring at the direction where the child had run. ¡®ck hair that has been passed down from generations, and the pretty purple eyes that look just like my deceased wife.¡¯ The child resembled my wife very much. Besides, the mana lurking in the child¡¯s heart was very familiar. A mana that no one else could have. The familiar magic I felt a year ago. It took me a year to find out exactly where it was because it was only a small wave, but I finally found it. ¡°Erita, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°My lost daughter.¡± ¡°I would obey themand of the Lord.¡± At that, Kyle bowed his head in obedience and disappeared. The man¡¯s eyes sank as he stared at the Lysen Orphanage, who was left alone. The clothes that Erita was wearing, the worn-out shoes, were worse than the rags she was wearing. And a heavy basket that was difficult for a child to lift alone. The girl¡¯s sharply bruised hand was seen clearly in front of him. She was a child who had to be raised more precious than anyone else. ¡°My beloved daughter, Erita.¡± A beautiful and eerie smile appeared on An¡¯s face, staring in the direction Erita had disappeared. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up in a minute.¡± So just wait a little bit, my daughter¡­ Chapter 2 It was already an hourter than usual when I arrived at the orphanage. As I turned back unnoticed and took a deep breath. Fortunately, the director and Lily¡¯s outdoor shoes were not there yet. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a relief.¡± Then I carefully closed the door and went into the kitchen without making a single sound of footsteps. ¡®It¡¯s time for the kids to y, so no one would think that I waste.¡¯ From the basket I ced the vegetables on the table, took the meat out and put it in cold water. In this generation without refrigerators, magic stones y a simr role, and there would be no such luxury goods in an orphanage. Before, when I cooked for the first time in the orphanage, the meat went bad and I got scolded. As a result, I wasn¡¯t allowed to eat dinner since the director said I ruined an expensive piece of meat, so I was kicked out and had to spend the night outside. I¡¯m so upset and sad. I went up and cried, but I couldn¡¯t evenin because I was an orphan and no parents would defend orfort me in the end. I¡¯ll get out of here as soon as I be an adult. ¡°¡­Heh, I¡¯ll have to cook some stew.¡± There was meat, but it was in a limited supply, so making a stew was the only option. Fortunately, I have experience, so cooking wasn¡¯t too difficult. Due to the nature of this fantasy world, I didn¡¯t even think about food going bad being a child in an orphanage with a poor standard cooking facility. First, I washed the vegetables I had gathered. After cutting all the onions, I also cut the meat into small pieces. ¡®Because the director told me to cut it into as small pieces as possible.¡¯ The orphanage has more than ten children, so I had to cut the meat to at least twenty pieces so all of us could eat. After putting all the ingredients in, as I saw the smoke from simmering, it looked mouth-watering. ¡°Meat in two weeks!!¡± The stew, which was red from some leftover tomatoes, smelled amazing. ¡®Please, no one should have seen mete!¡¯ It was unfair to have to pay attention to this kind of thing, but I refused to listen to the director¡¯s re and his cracking voice. Then, it became noisy outside the kitchen. ¡°Director, you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Wow! New clothes!¡± As I hurried out to the door, I saw the director and Lily in their brand new clothes. ¡°Was the dinner ready?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I¡¯m almost done.¡± Fortunately, he didn¡¯t question me for beingte. After all, I already finished preparing dinner. ¡°Who¡¯s the visitor tomorrow?¡± ¡°The director said he was a great person. I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡± The children teased each other with brooms and mops in their hands. It was because the director told us to wipe the floor and make it shiny enough because an important person wasing tomorrow. ¡®I¡¯ll have to stay in the attic all day tomorrow.¡¯ For the other children it was good news, because someone important was visiting the orphanage tomorrow, but it wasn¡¯t for me. ¡®I just wish I could get older soon.¡¯ It was then. ¡°You¡¯re not happy, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lily approached me while I was mopping with a sigh. She must havee to me to show off her new clothes again. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to be happy.¡± Swallowing my annoyance inwardly, I answered. Lily snorted at my answer and was busy saying what she had to say. ¡°Tomorrow, a nobleman will visit. The director said he would definitelye and pick me up. But¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°No one¡¯s going to adopt a ck hair like you, so you¡¯re going to live here forever.¡± Unsurprisingly, I bit my lip at those cruel words. I know she¡¯s just immature and a little mean, but what does she even know for saying such words? My body stiffened hearing her evil words. ¡°What should I do? I feel sorry for you. So at least clean up properly. You know, if I be a nobledy, I¡¯ll give you a penny.¡± Lilly¡¯s menacingugh stuck in my ear as I walked nkly. The most miserable thing was that I couldn¡¯t deny Lily¡¯s sarcastic remarks that I would live here for the rest of my life. I made countless promises to leave when I became an adult, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s really possible. Because I wasn¡¯t sure either if I¡¯d be wee anywhere. ? ¡°Sniff¡­¡± Inside my thin nket, I cried quietly trying to suppress my own helpless situation. If they caught me crying, they would only make fun of me. I¡¯ve been an orphan for years, but this feeling of loneliness that suddenly hit me was immeasurable. I couldn¡¯t sleep¡­ ¡®I¡¯m going to have a mom and a dad, too!¡¯ ¡®Really?¡¯ ¡®Yes! They said they¡¯d pick me up soon, they patted my head and gave me a pretty pencil case;¡¯ ¡®Wow! You¡¯re so lucky!¡¯ That loneliness grew stronger every time one of my orphanage¡¯s friends left, holding the hand of their new parents. When I was a kid, I was so sad that I didn¡¯t have a mom or a dad. My eyes were swollen but I still wept bitterly. One day, I fell asleep with an excited heart when the director told me that I would finally have parents. But my excitement was shattered by the words of the couple who came to meet me. ¡®Oh, the kid was a little different from what I saw in the painting.¡¯ ¡®Somehow, she looks a little¡­ gloomy, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to work for us.¡¯ The director said it was because I was ugly. There¡¯s no one who would love a child like me. As a child, I lost hope. ¡°¡­Sometimes, I just wanted to die.¡± But the life I was given, for a second chance, was an orphan. It was like a curse that you couldn¡¯t have a family for the rest of my life. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± If there was really a God, If there was really a God that exists who sent me here¡­ I don¡¯t want to be alone anymore¡­ I¡¯ve longed for such a thing. ? ¡°Guys, Wash up and get ready!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Lily! Come quickly. Wear these shoes on and the dress I bought yesterday, and the braids¡­ this would be great!¡± The day at the orphanage, which started early in the morning, was quite different from usual. The director moved busily and checked every child. ¡®Probably because of the nobleman who said woulde today.¡¯ The other children took out the prettiest clothes they had and wore them. Maybe it¡¯s because of the expectations that they might be adopted. The orphanage was far from the capital, because there were few nobles who would want to adopt. ¡°We¡¯re almost there! Come to the director¡¯s office first, if you all finished preparing!¡± ¡°Me! Me!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m done, too!¡± Lily, who was so busy yesterday, was also dressed up in a fresh yellow dress and light green shoes. I looked down at my clothes. Rough ragged cloth, old dress full of dirt. It couldn¡¯t even bepared with Lily¡¯s gorgeous dress, but it didn¡¯t matter. ¡®What about me? Director, am I going to wear this?¡¯ ¡®What? Huh! You¡¯re talking nonsense. Who would take a kid with ck hair like you? Don¡¯t get caught roaming around and hide in the attic when the guestse.¡¯ There were a few people who visited the orphanage nning to adopt for a year, but each time I had to hide like I was trapped in an attic. It hasn¡¯t changed today either. I closed the attic door and hid inside. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not fair.¡± The fact that ck hair was cursed, and that I had ck hair. It was all full of injustice. They say a person won¡¯t get disappointed if they don¡¯t have any expectations. However, under any circumstances, ¡®just in case¡¯,I still have high expectations. So I always sat in front of the window for hours when the guests came. Just in case someone sees me¡­ ¡®¡­Because I was expecting that person to be my family.¡¯ ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a carriage.¡± Even though I was repeatedly disappointed, a glimmer of hope remained. My eyes turned to the carriage heading for the orphanage from afar, beyond the window. ¡°Guys! There¡¯s a carriageing! Let¡¯s go out!¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleepst night because I was so excited.¡± ¡°Me too! I really hope it¡¯s me this time.¡± The voice of the director, who was very busy, was heard, and then the voices of the other children full of excitement were heard under the window. It was the only time when the attic window was visible from the main entrance of the orphanage. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s a carriage!¡± ¡°Wow! Much bigger than Theo¡¯s carriagest time!¡± The carriage, which stole the eyes of the children, caught my eyes as well. The carriage pulled by four horses was thergest and most gorgeous carriage I had ever seen since I came here. ¡°That¡¯s the saddle carriage you see in the novels¡­¡± Blurting out excited remarks as much as usual, I understood the director¡¯s reaction. Well, I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s a noble with a high rank enough to ride such a gorgeous carriage, but he seems wealthy. If such an aristocratic family adopts a child from the Lysen Orphanage, the corner of the director¡¯s mouth would rise as high as the clouds without realizing it. ¡°Whoa! Wow!!¡± The carriage, which was approaching slowly, stopped. While the horseman soothed the horses, the carriage door opened. ¡°What kind of nobleman was he?¡± ¡°I wish he was a prince!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± There was a faint sound of children chatting with each other. What kind of person was he? I also wondered who was riding that carriage. It could be a character from the ¡®Lovely I¡¯! The fact that I would be able to see someone so close from the original novel for the first time, my calm heart began to pound again. Staring at the open carriage door without time to blink. ? A blue-haired man came out of the open carriage door. He was about to walk out of the carriage door, but he stayed inside the carriage for a while. He went inside again and muttered something. The man who had finished talking to the person inside smiled and greeted the director. ¡°It¡¯s Fern, who visited yesterday. Hey, the count was inside.¡± Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I Became the Viin¡¯s Lost Daughter Chapter 3
Although my face was hidden in the robe, the director trembled at the frightening feeling. ¡°Bring her?¡±(Director) ¡°Yes¡±(An) An nced at the director¡¯s stupid question with an annoyed expression. ¡°What about your promise that you would bring whatever I asked?¡±(An) ¡°Ah, y-yes.¡±(Director) ¡°Yes. Fortunately, I¡¯m not deaf.¡± Only then, the director, who came to his senses quickly sent the kid next to him from the attic. Then the kid, who was in the attic looking down from the window, suddenly disappeared. An¡¯s eyes, hidden inside the robe, turned tenderly towards the attic where Erita was. ¡°Let¡¯s go home now.¡± ? ¡°Bring her.¡± Erita stared at the man in the robe and blinked stupidly at the words she heard from afar. He looked down nkly and saw me running into the building and fell from the window behind him. ¡°¡­I told you to bring her.¡± I pondered on the man¡¯s words, but I couldn¡¯t believe it. Why did he ask to bring me? The man stared at me from the attic. He didn¡¯t turn his head and look at me properly. He was the first person who didn¡¯t frown after seeing my head in my whole life. When I finished thinking slowly, my heart began to pound with weak expectations. All those who rarely saw me looking down on the attic they only frowned and turned their heads. ¡°I wish I had a little more decent clothes.¡± It was especially regrettable today that all were old and shabby clothes. Knock, knock~ Erita hurriedly opened the door as she heard the knock. ¡°The director wants you to his office.¡± ¡°Yes, I got it.¡± The walk to the director¡¯s office felt long, as I followed the frowning child behind, it¡¯s unusual. ¡°Go inside alone.¡± When we arrived in front of the director¡¯s office, the kid who took me there, left me immediately and went to where his friends were. Before I entered, I tugged on my wrinkled skirt and brushed off my hair, wondering if it might have gotten dusty while cleaning. Sigh~ I took a deep breath and knocked on the door and whispered my name. ¡°Director, it¡¯s Rita.¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± Normally, I would have heard a scolding, but today I only heard a friendly voice because we had guests. When I opened the door and walked in, I saw the director sitting on the sofa and the men on the opposite side. I didn¡¯t know how to properly greet a nobleman, so I just bowed my head and greeted him. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Rita,e here and sit down.¡± My name was called by the director for the first time ever since I got here. ¡®It was just funny that my name was suddenly changed in front of a noble guest.¡¯ I bit my lips and walked towards the sofa. As I stood in front of the low table and watched the men carefully, my eyes met the blue-haired man. ¡°Hello, little girl. My name¡¯s Fern.¡± I turned my head in surprise, and a man with blue hair greeted me with a smile. ¡°Ah, well, I¡¯m Rita¡­¡± I looked at him nkly for a moment without realizing that he was a very handsome man with hisnguid curved eyebrows. I came to my senses because of the lowughter that came over my head. As I peeked up, the tail of the man¡¯s lips was raised a bit from under the robe. I could only see the lower part, but I could guess that the man¡¯s face was quite aesthetic. ¡°Lady, may I ask what you usually do?¡± ¡°Uh, I usually prepare meals and clean, and I just go up to the attic during my free time.¡± I hesitated for a moment when asked by the man who introduced himself as Fern, but I nced at the director first and answered. I could have told a lie, but I didn¡¯t want to take the director¡¯s side by saying it in a good way. ¡°Do you prepare the meals all by yourself?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Well, a few months ago, there was another kid who sometimes helped me, and I¡¯ve been preparing alone ever since he was adopted. The man in the robe whispered something at my words, but I didn¡¯t hear it exactly. ¡°Then what about the other children?¡± ¡°They sleep in the morning, and at lunch and dinner, they just y.¡± After I finished talking, I turned my head towards the director and shuddered as I saw his face. ¡°It¡¯s true anyway.¡¯ The director¡¯s expression was like how dare you frame me? It seemed to imply that. I bowed my head, turning away from the harsh director¡¯s face, and the man in the robe gently called out my name. ¡°Rita.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± My name, which the man called in a low voice, felt somewhat strange. It was a name that was rarely called in the orphanage, so I felt something tickling in my chest. When I answered while fiddling with my fingers, the man sitting on the sofa stood up and sat in front of me with one knee. My eyes trembled with embarrassment. And when he smiled at me again, he held out hisrge hand towards me. ¡°Would youe with me?¡± Perhaps the excitement I had from the moment my name was called. My wish, which I had prayed to God every day, for a very long time. The existence of a family that I¡¯ve longed for since I found out that I¡¯ve be a child again here. Then I asked in a trembling voice. ¡°Really?¡±(Erita) ¡°Yes.¡±(An) ¡°I¡¯m not pretty, I¡¯m not smart, I¡¯m cursed, I have ck hair. Do you still want to adopt me even though I told you all that?¡± ¡°Rita, it doesn¡¯t matter. Because you are the most lovely child in the world to me.¡± The man¡¯s words were the warmest I have ever heard here. Then the man held out his hand again and said, ¡°Rita, would youe home with me?¡± ¡°¡­Yes!¡± Erita couldn¡¯t say no. ? On the other hand, the director stood in confusion as he watched the scene, looking alternately at Erita and the man¡­ ¡®What? Are you sure you want to take her? I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d want to adopt that kid.¡¯(Director) ¡®Why? Why of all the kids in the orphanage did you have to pick her? Why¡¯s that kid?¡¯ The director pressed the boiling anger inside and spoke in a soft voice. ¡°Um, Count?¡± The man who looked down warmly at Erita¡¯s hand, which he was holding tightly, turned his head at the director¡¯s words. ¡°Are you really nning on taking that child with you?¡± ¡°Why? Was there a problem?¡± The man casually answered back, holding Erita¡¯s small body. ¡®Ugh!¡¯ The director screamed embarrassedly. Even in the midst of this, the man patted the surprised Erita on the back very affectionately. The director, who tried to ignore the cold sweat flowing behind his back, smiled for his business. It wasn¡¯t bad to get rid of the troublesome child, but it was more the director¡¯s wish for other children to be adopted by a noble family. ¡®It¡¯s a bit sad when someone with good skills disappears¡­¡¯ The director, who hid his evil intentions, continued with a smile. But I was wondering if it was too soon for him to decide. There are many other pretty kids. At the sharp gaze looking at the director, Erita shook her body. ¡°Shhh, it¡¯s okay.¡± The man gently stroked Erita¡¯s head andforted her. The director, who bit his lips at the sight in front of him, carefully spoke his words out again. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, Count, I have an exceptionally lovely child, you could see her first, or at once then you may decide, it won¡¯t be toote.¡± Fern slightly frowned at the director¡¯s obvious words. ¡®There are a lot of stupid people out there who don¡¯t know how to read the atmosphere.¡¯ It¡¯s because he¡¯s overshadowed by his soft appearance, but in fact, Fern¡¯s personality wasn¡¯t that good. And especially to the kinds of people like the director, Fern disliked it. Recalling what he had heard from his master beforeing to the orphanage today, Fern smiled kindly. ¡°Haha! Yes. There were many other pretty kids, too. ¡± The director¡¯s face lit up when he saw Fern who agreed with him. ¡°But, sir.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°The other children¡¯s clothes are new¡­ Why was this little girl¡¯s clothes so ragged?¡± However, the smile disappeared from the director¡¯s face when Fernughed at his words. Although people with ck hair were rejected, it was uneptable for the children of the orphanage cared for by the charity to be discriminated against. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­! Our orphanage was in a difficult situation right now¡­ We couldn¡¯t afford to buy new clothes for all of our children.¡± To say that, from the director¡¯s outfit, to the furniture in the director¡¯s office, Nothing was cheap. The manughed at such a rude remark. ¡°Difficult¡­?¡± ¡°It-it¡¯s true! That¡¯s why it¡¯s so sad that we couldn¡¯t even feed our children properly¡­¡± Someone might believe it¡¯s true if they didn¡¯t know the situation and saw him weeping in tears while pretending to be sad and pitiful. ¡°I bet, you¡¯re going to steal all the donations and feed the kids properly.¡± The director, who tried to fool them, hardened at the words of the Count and Fern that stuck to his ears. ¡°It was said that it was not enough to embezzle the subsidy from the charity, so they stole the donations from the nobles to satisfy their greed.¡± Fern, who lugged out the paper from his arms,ughed heavily. On the paper, the subsidies and donations that the director had stolen were written down. ¡°Fern, what¡¯s the punishment in this case?¡± The director¡¯s body trembled hearing the man¡¯s low voice. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±(Director) ¡°Hmm, the charity¡¯s subsidies and donations for children were stolen¡­¡± Fern paused for a moment, and nced at the trembling director. ¡°Well, at least it would be about deportation after the deprivation of the director¡¯s qualifications and the confiscation of property.¡± ¡°Tha-that¡­!¡± ¡°Of course, at the very least.¡± At Fern¡¯s words, which he clearly heard, the director, who had lost strength in his legs, sat down in his seat. ¡°That¡¯s what they said¡­¡± ¡°As you say so.¡± ¡°Ah, no matter how many, Count, you couldn¡¯t do that to me¡­!¡± Although he shouted useless words, the director knew that this was the end. ¡°Why are you doing this to me?! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong to the Count!¡± The director shouted, you could see the fear on his face¡­ Of course, embezzlement was against thew, but it was normal to overlook this much. ¡®What the hell did I do wrong to deserve this?!¡¯(Director) At those words, he looked at Erita as if ring at her. ¡°So what did this kid do wrong to you?¡± The man looked down at Erita in his arms and asked the director. The director replied with a smirk. ¡°Because of this little girl?!¡± At that moment, Fern pulled up a sword in the blink of an eye and aimed it at the director¡¯s neck. The man turned his back on the director, who was muttering in front of the bright blue de. ¡°Fern¡± Fern, who had turned into a cold bloody soldier, moved to the Count¡¯s call. When he left the room, leaving the director nked by the same curse, nodded to the knight who was waiting, and the director, whose arms were tied up, was quickly dragged out. ¡°Take it away.¡± ¡°Argh! Let go of me!¡± Ordering with an indifferent look, Fern headed towards the man¡¯s side. The scream from behind quickly disappeared ? Erita left the director¡¯s office carried in the man¡¯s arms. ¡°Do you happen to have anything to bring?¡± The man asked in a friendly voice as he felt her body stiffened in his arms. I thought about it for a while, but the things in the attic came to my mind and shook my head. ¡°I just want to leave this ce.¡± There were only old clothes and worn-out nkets in the attic anyway. At my answer, the man paused for a moment, then moved on again. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Everything you need will be there when we get home.¡± The words that followed were quite sweet. ¡°Home¡­¡± I pondered on the word the man said that felt awkward. As I turned my head slightly, I saw an old orphanage building. I remember it for a year, but originally I lived there for more than six years. If I were to simply say home, this would have been my home. However, the contempt and bullying I had received from the moment I opened my eyes was clear in my body and mind. It was such a terrifying ce that I couldn¡¯t even call it a home. ¡°A home¡­¡± I finally have a ce to call home. ¡°Yes. We¡¯re going home.¡± At the warmth of the voice that had settled in my ear, the tears I had been holding back burst out silently. Chapter 4 After shedding tears in the arms of the man, I still couldn¡¯t raise my head even after I stopped crying. ¡®I must be crazy¡­¡¯ I didn¡¯t know why I suddenly cried while being hugged by a man I met for the first time, but I was so embarrassed after I stopped crying. Thoughts and actions often yed separately, perhaps because my body was young. Maybe that¡¯s why there¡¯s a lot of emotional change. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± When I opened my eyes, I could see my tears and runny nose buried in the ck robe. What a terrible sight it was. I was startled and carefully wiped my face with my sleeves, then I heard a lowughter. ¡°Are you crying?¡± Erita buried her stiff body in his big arms again and just nodded. I¡¯m screwed¡­ ¡°Then should we get off the carriage now?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± As I nodded, the man who stroked my head slowly moved. ¡®Crazy, really¡­ I¡¯ve been crying all this time?¡¯ If I were in bed right now, I could kick the nket a hundred times and punch my pillow. Bury my head in the face of a flurry embarrassment. Thud~ After a while, I heard the sound of the door closing. I carefully lifted my head and looked around, and saw the inside of the carriage which was wider than I thought. The carriage, which began to run slowly, remained steady. ¡®Where are we going now?¡¯ How long have I been fiddling with my fingers inside the carriage, ncing at the man who wouldn¡¯t take his robe off? Then, the man lowered the hood of his robe, as if he had read my mind. ¡°¡­!¡± And I opened my mouth wide when the man exposed his face. Red eyes, straight nose bridge like that of a painting, and gorgeous lips that showed off the best appearance among all the people I have ever seen. But what surprised me more than his handsome face, was the man¡¯s hair. ¡°ck hair¡­?¡± His pitch ck hair was revealed, ck like mine. It was a verymon color in my previous life, but I¡¯ve never seen ck hair before in this world. In my bewildered words, the man looked down at me and smiled a little. ¡°Yes, the same color as yours.¡± As he said those words, the man seemed to contemte while hugging me, and then slowly continued. ¡°I had a very pretty daughter. She was a lovely child who looked just like my wife.¡± Somehow, in the soft atmosphere, my body stiffened. He has a daughter, so why was he adopting me? Holding back the rising anxiety, I still listened to the man quietly. ¡°When that child was born, I felt like I had received all the blessings in the world. The smile on her face looking at me was so pretty.¡± The man¡¯s face softened as he spoke. His low voice was filled with affection that he couldn¡¯t hide. ¡­That child was really loved. Somehow I felt a tingling sensation in my chest. I envied the child a little, maybe a little too much. ¡°So I made a promise. No matter what happens, I would protect my daughter, my lovely child.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But there was an unexpected ident seven years ago that I couldn¡¯t stop from happening.¡± The man¡¯s jaw closed firmly. As if talking about a painful fact, the voice that came out again sounded broken with regret and remorse. ¡°Then, I lost my wife and my daughter.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But unlike my wife, whom I could be with at thest minute, my young daughter disappeared without a trace. I searched everywhere, but I couldn¡¯t find her.¡± It felt like my heart was pounding at the heavy story that I had never thought of. It wasn¡¯t just a story about a lovely daughter. The feeling of losing his wife and daughter in an instant, I just couldn¡¯t figure out what he meant. ¡®¡­The lost daughter.¡¯ Besides, wasn¡¯t it too harsh to not even know if his daughter was alive or dead? At the same time I thought that the man¡¯s face looked so sad, my body moved on its own. When I came to my senses, I was hugging the man¡¯s neck tightly. The man who stayed still for a while smiled quietly and continued, gently stroking my head in his arms. ¡°My wife missed her until the moment she closed her eyes, so did I.¡± At the man¡¯s blunt words, tears that stopped felt like it was to burst again. It was so sad even though it wasn¡¯t my story. ¡°I spent the next few years searching. I just couldn¡¯t think and give up that the child was dead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So I went to all the ces where the ck-haired girl was¡­ but it mustn¡¯t have been this far. It was then that I found out why the man came to me. No matter how small and closed Lysen was, even so, ck hair wasn¡¯tmon. That¡¯s how I caught the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°But I don¡¯t think I am¡­¡± Erita let go of the arms that hugged the man. ¡®Because I am not the child that the man was looking for.¡¯ ¡°Why do you think so?¡± When I left the orphanage, my heart, which was pounding with expectations, had long since swelled again. I bit my lips for a moment and spoke slowly. ¡°I-I¡¯m a child of a ve.¡± ¡°¡­Did the director say that before?¡± Erita nodded slowly. The Empire abolished very, but it was evidently. And in this world I was a child of a runaway ve. And I¡¯m not the original owner of this body, I didn¡¯t have any memories of it. So, I had no choice but to agree to the words of the director, since I didn¡¯t know whether it was true or not. ¡°¡­Count¡± Erita called the man and slowly continued, ¡°So, I¡¯m not your daughter.¡± After I finished talking, I lowered my gaze and stared at the floor. The high expectations turned into resignation and faded. As I shut my mouth, there was a quiet silence. ¡°That damn thing¡­¡± With my eyes closed, I heard a man¡¯s small whisper over my head. But the sound was so low that I didn¡¯t understand, so I raised my head. The man who looked at me frowned as if he was holding back something, and then he sighed. I trembled wondering if it was my fault, and the man hugged me again. ¡°Erita.¡± I blinked at a name that seemed to be my own. It was simr to my name, but different. ¡°Erita.¡± Again, I replied quietly to the man who looked at me and called me by another name. ¡°I¡¯m Rita, but¡­¡± The man with his tongue dissatisfied with my words lifted me up and pulled me in. With the man¡¯s faceing in front of me in an instant, my heart pounded wildly. ¡°My wife has violet eyes as vivid as a flower. My daughter also looks just like her eyes.¡± My eyes were also purple when he said that¡­ No, that couldn¡¯t be? ¡°In the light of the day, only my family had ck hair.¡± My hair waspletely ck, too. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And the magical power that was definitely instilled in you. That¡¯s nothing more than proof that you¡¯re my daughter.¡± My eyes trembled slightly at the confident words of the man who gently stroked my head. Rather than the unfamiliar word about magic, the word ¡®family with ck hair¡¯ was stuck in my ears. Something came to my mind. The man who saw me said sweetly and firmly. ¡°Your name wasn¡¯t Rita.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Erita Krovachatz. That¡¯s your name.¡± It was incredible. My name was Erita Krovachatz, what? As I slowly recalled the name, the moment I had forgotten shed through my mind. At the same time, the man said. ¡°And the one and only daughter of An Krovachatz.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m your father, Erita.¡± ¡®An Krovachatz.¡¯ The founder of the Hellsion Empire and the Grand Duke of Krovachatz, who stood shoulder to shoulder with the imperial family. And the viin in ¡°Lovely I¡±. What? I¡¯m the lost daughter of that man? I frowned at the situation I hadn¡¯t thought of. Rather than that this man in front of me was the viin of the original novel, the words he whispered to me were more deeply rooted in my ears. ¡°Father¡­?¡± Although the words sounded to question the incredible fact, a happy smile appeared on the man¡¯s face. ¡°Yes, Erita.¡± It was as if he was looking at her lovely daughter, so I bit my lip. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here. I don¡¯t know, but if I really have a family¡­ ¡°Really, do I have a family too?¡± At the sound of my cracked voice, he hugged me tightly and whispered softly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m your family. I¡¯m sorry to have kept you waiting so long, my daughter.¡± ¡°¡­Huh.¡± Now that my wishes havee true, I couldn¡¯t help but weep in my father¡¯s arms. That¡¯s it. ? An carefully grabbed Erita¡¯s hair, who had fallen asleep after crying for a while. A ck hair just like mine. Grand Duke Krovachatz inherited ck hair from generations. It was also true to some extent that there were demons if you trace their blood ancestry. Now, no one knows, but it remains a legend. The sound of cursed-color was useless in front of their families. Disgrace and contempt have lost its meaning in the face of fear from overwhelming force. But Erita, his daughter, who had recovered in seven years, was being criticized for it and was living a life worse than amoner. An couldn¡¯t forget the misery he felt when he met his child again. Almost ragged clothes and chapped hands. Cowering and intimidated as if used in abusivenguage. ¡®Thinking about the time when Erita arrived, my anger soared to the point that I wanted to wipe it all out right away.¡¯ (An) An¡¯s eyes sank sullenly, as he watched her fall asleep with shallow breath, he gently kissed Erita¡¯s forehead. ¡°Now, I¡¯m here to protect you.¡± The director was the first person to have paid the price. I ordered Fern to lock him up. An slowly embraced her small body, hoping that Erita wouldn¡¯t be offended. ¡°¡­You have to gain weight first.¡± She couldn¡¯t eat well at the orphanage, so she was skinny and too light. An left the carriage with Erita in his arms and strode into therge mansion. As they entered the open door, a gray-haired middle-aged man bowed his head. He was the only one to greet the owner who hated the hassle. ¡°Hello, my lord.¡± ¡°What about the room?¡± He was short, but Terban, who had been by his side since childhood, was apetent butler. ¡°I have it ready on the second floor.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s go. Did you put him under lockdown?¡± ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t have to worry about it, as the maid was chosen as a trustworthy child.¡± Nodding his head at Terban¡¯s words, An climbed the stairs. The room was neat and tidy even though he didn¡¯t have enough time to prepare itst night. ¡°This wasn¡¯t a house for a long stay, so it¡¯s not decorated.¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll be returning to the Grand Duke¡¯s Mansion soon.¡± An nodded and Terban bowed down before leaving the room. At that moment, An carefullyid Erita, who was sleeping in his arms, on the soft bed. ¡°Yes¡­¡± As the child tossed and turned, perhaps feeling the warmth of his arms disappeared, An reached out and held a much smaller hand. ¡°You¡¯ll be home soon. Please wait a little longer.¡± A small smile appeared on Erita¡¯s face at An¡¯s whisper. A child wriggling with her small rough hands. ¡°My beloved daughter, Erita.¡± He looked reverent as he gently kissed her with her callus-covered hands, not like that of a child. ¡°I won¡¯t let go of this hand again.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t protect Serbia, but now I promise I will protect you.¡± An¡¯s eyes gleamed with determination next to Erita, who was in deep sleep. As soon as the missing youngest daughter of Grand Duke Krovachatz returned, It was the first step in which the original was twisted. Chapter 5 An, watching Erita exhaling evenly, quietly left the room so that the sleeping child would not wake up. Kyle, who was standing in the hallway, followed An, who quietly closed the door without making a single sound. ¡°Master, Fern has arrived in the basement.¡± ¡°The process¡­¡±(An) ¡°I¡¯ve finished organizing all the personal affairs and processing all the paperworks.¡± ¡°Good.¡±(An) Nodding at the satisfactory report, An hurried to the basement of the huge mansion. It was a refreshing appearance that was starkly different from before he met Erita. There¡¯s a truth I need to hear from what they had done to my precious daughter, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to ept. I didn¡¯t have much time because I was going to finish everything before Erita wokes up. ? The knights who saw An politely stepped aside. The sound of footsteps filled therge room. The dark basement alone created a fearsome atmosphere. ¡°Fern.¡± ¡°You¡¯re here my lord?¡± At An¡¯s call, Fern bowed his head. And in front of him, a man who rolled over on the ground with a terrible appearance. The director of the Lysen orphanage was on his knees. The director¡¯s eyes were blindfolded, and he was trembling as he was afraid of the situation. ¡°Did you start?¡±(An) ¡°Not yet.¡± An, who had ordered everyone to leave except Fern and Kyle with a light gesture, slowly moved in front of the director. It was funny how he trembled even though he had not been cut or hit anywhere. He was so scared that he was trying to suppress the fact that he had done such a thing to the child. ¡°What have you done that makes you so nervous?¡± A cold voice fell over the head of the director. After being kicked out of the orphanage, the director¡¯s fear reached its peak when he was attacked by an unidentified man. The sound of footsteps echoing in a humid, dark space, for the director, it sounded like the Grim Reaper¡¯s footsteps. The director, who was trembling like crazy, with his heartbeat pounding wildly up to his head. When he heard the voice earlier that seemed to contain power, he thought this man must have been the leader. ¡°Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?¡±(Director) ¡°You¡¯re thest man I never even want to see.¡±(Fern) ¡°Why? Why do you treat me like this?¡±(Director) ¡°Well, because you¡¯re insignificant.¡±(An) An smiled coldly, cutting off his trembling voice in response to Fern¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re so insignificant that I¡¯m holding myself back from cutting off your neck easily.¡± At those words, the director¡¯s body, which was kneeling on the floor, hardened. The low-pitched voice was so cold and threatening that the director couldn¡¯t even think of it as a lie. ¡°Seven years ago, there¡¯s a two-year-old girl who came to the orphanage. Her name was Rita.¡± An¡¯s voice finally made sure of his identity, which the director had only guessed, and the director¡¯s fingertips hardened. The Count who took that cursed trash earlier! The ck cloth, which was blocking the vision of the director, was peeled off, whether he knew the director¡¯s mind. When he raised his trembling head, he saw a serious enemy. At the gaze that seemed to rip his body to pieces at any moment, his head was stuck down, unable to look him in the eye. ¡°Please save me, Count! I¡¯m blind! If you just save me, I¡¯ll beg you a hundred times and a thousand times¡­!¡± The only thing the director could say in the atmosphere where his neck could fall at any moment was to beg for his life. An stared at the director¡¯s head down on the floor as he prayed, wondering if his life was precious even though he had abused a child so much. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of your sincere apology?¡± ¡°Gasp, death, please save life¡­¡± ¡°What kind of sincerity could there be in an apology that you spit out only after facing death like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sincerely sorry to Rita. Oh, my! Please!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare put that name in your disgusting mouth again.¡± The mana that followed the owner¡¯s feelings ran wild. ¡°Argh¡­¡± In an instant, the air became so heavy that even Fern and Kyle knelt down. An was disgusted by the director¡¯s attitude to pay back the pain his daughter has suffered over the past seven years with just a hundred or a thousand prayers. Even if he cut off his neck a hundred times and split his limbs a thousand times, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get rid of all this anger. The director¡¯s body trembled and gasped as he¡¯s short of breath. The temptation to cut his neck off like this soared, but An quickly captured the raging mana. He still needs to know the truth from him. ¡°Gasp, ahhh¡­haha¡­¡± It was then that he heard a squeaking sound as if he was out of breath. ¡°Do you remember the person who left the child 7 years ago at the orphanage?¡± ¡°What are you talking about..?¡± ¡°The man who took Rita to the orphanage. I asked if you remembered.¡± Without answering, An reached out to Kyle, who stood next to him with a stupid look on his face. Then Kyle politely crosses his sword naturally. ¡°That¡¯s the reason that your insignificant life was still here, so you should think carefully before answering.¡± The de that came out of the scabbard shed in front of the director, and his trembling didn¡¯t stop. ¡®That day¡­¡¯ The director thought as he felt like he was about to lose his neck. ¡°Please, I¡¯ll tell you everything I know¡­!¡± Soon after, the screeching sound of the sword¡¯s de disappeared. ¡°It was wi-winter. The one who brought the child was¡­¡± An had to suppress his rising anger at the story he had heard, the director continued with his trembling voice spitting out as if recalling the memory. ? As always, dreams portrayed the moments I hated the most. There were people shouting at me. ¡®It¡¯s because you¡¯re ugly. Someone like you? I don¡¯t think anyone would ever want to adopt such an ugly kid.¡¯ ¡®She¡¯s not cute and she¡¯s so quiet that we don¡¯t get along well.¡¯ Even though I knew it was a dream, I couldn¡¯t wake myself up. ¡®Oh my, you don¡¯t have parents? How did they die? Are you from an orphanage?¡¯ At first, I rebelled and tried to scream at those people. However, from the moment I realized that the only thing that came back was an insult, I waited quietly for this time to end. ¡°¡­-ta¡± But every time I heard it, I couldn¡¯t help but feel miserable and sad. ¡°¡­Rita. Erita.¡± ¡°How long have you been holding back your tears?¡± A low and sweet voice came from somewhere. There was no one to protect in my dreams, and no one to wake me from my suffering. The first voice to prate my nightmares felt warm. I reached out towards the voice as if possessed by something. ¡°Ah¡­¡± At the same time, my eyes, which had been swollen, suddenly opened. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± The first thing I saw after I woke up was the face of a handsome man, not the old ceiling, nor the face of a scary director. Having yet to escape all the lingering effects of my dream, I reached out to the man in a daze. ¡°What a sight was this?¡± A man who smiled without a single frown, hugged me. As I felt the man¡¯s hand stroking my head for a while, I remembered what happened before I fell asleep. ¡°Oh!¡± It was then that I was able to properly face my current condition. It¡¯s not enough to fall asleep while crying, then crying even when waking up, I¡¯m such an idiot. No matter how sleepy I was, I couldn¡¯t escape from the terrible dream! After a silent scream in his arms, I slowly raised my head and looked at the man again. ¡°Count?¡± At my call, the man looked at me without answering. There was a slight frown on his forehead as if there was something he didn¡¯t like. As I was fiddling with my fingers, I opened my mouth quietly thinking,¡®No way.¡¯ ¡°Fa-father, right?¡± I called him but didn¡¯t have the confidence to say it aloud, but the man still smiled, seemingly satisfied with my words. Then he approached carefully and kissed my forehead briefly. ¡°Yes, my daughter.¡± My slightly anxious mind melted away at those words. ¡°Erita.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Unlike the anxiety that had disappeared, an embarrassing call fell over me, as I was gently held in my father¡¯s arms. But my face turned red and I couldn¡¯t act like nothing happened when I was a child. My fatherughed and called me again when I couldn¡¯t raise my head stuck on his chest. ¡°Erita¡­ My baby.¡± ¡°..Yes?¡± Unable to ignore the affectionate call again, I replied softly. ¡°No matter what happens, I will be by your side. So you have nothing to worry about.¡± It was sudden, but my heart was filled with affection at his loving words. He was a father who I met less than a day ago, but he showed a family¡¯s love for the first time. I nodded my head slightly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s enough. That¡¯s enough for now.¡± My father, who whispered quietly, soon lifted himself up with me in his arms. Surprised by his actions, I hugged my father¡¯s neck and his firm upper body resounded pleasantly. ¡®But where are we going now?¡¯ ¡°We are on our way to the dining room. I thought you¡¯d be hungry because you cried and fell asleep.¡± My face heated up in embarrassment again. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s..!¡± I tried to make a weak excuse, but I couldn¡¯t even keep up because it was my father¡¯s clothes that were covered with tears that I shed. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± I ended up biting my lips and smiled. Then, I buried my face on my father¡¯s wide shoulders. It was a long walk, he carried me as we entered the dining room. As my father slowly seated me on the chair, I thanked him with an awkward smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what you liked. So I told them to prepare as much as possible.¡± As he calmly said that, my eyes couldn¡¯t stop from looking alternately at every dish. ¡®This wasn¡¯t a serving for a child to eat alone and finish.¡¯ The table was full of food for ten people. zed steaks, smoked duck, and grilled fish cooked to perfection. A feast of so many dishes that I couldn¡¯t count them even with all my fingers and toes. ¡°There are too many¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t usually eat like this. I¡¯m just saying that I only prepared everything because I didn¡¯t know what you liked.¡± My father soothed me a little in a hurry at my mumbling words. It wasn¡¯t until I said that the rest was going to be thrown away, but that the servants would eat it, so Iughed quietly. ¡°Thank you for caring.¡± The strongest viin in the novel. Even though he was embarrassed to see his daughter who had recovered, he just wanted to be the father who dearly loved his daughter. ¡°¡­Father, eat this too!¡± It¡¯s still an awkward name, but I liked the beautiful smile on his face whenever I called him. Slowly dragging the te with the meat in front of me and speaking shyly, he burst intoughter and started eating ¡°Yes, we should eat a lot.¡± It¡¯s starting to get a little messy. Our first meal ended withughter. Chapter 6 As soon as I put down the tableware, there was a sweet dessert on the table neatly arranged. There were colorful macaroons, creamy cheesecakes, and cakes with fresh red strawberries on top of white whipped cream and cold parfait. I tried to hide my excitement at the jaw-droppingly pretty desserts. But my fatherughed at me, maybe he saw my face unable to stop the twitching smile on my lips. ¡°You seem to like these things.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Erita said with a wide smile. ¡®Was it that obvious?¡¯(Erita) She gently closed her mouth that opened unknowingly seeing the desserts on the table. ¡®I¡¯m not usually like this. I must have been too excited about things that I wasn¡¯t able to see while living in the orphanage.¡¯ I didn¡¯t eat often in my previous life, but I liked sweet things quite much. In particr, I was happier on my birthday when the people who supported me sometimes sent cakes for my birthday. Was it because I thought that eating sweet things would make my life sweet and feel happy like that? In embarrassment, I deliberately stared at the picture hanging behind me, and my father, with a light smile, pushed all the tes in front of me. ¡°It¡¯s all yours, so eat as much as you want.¡± Eritaughed awkwardly at those words, and picked up the fork. ¡®It¡¯s embarrassing, but I really wanted to eat this!¡¯ My stomach was already full from eating meat, but there was enough space for dessert. ¡®Originally, the meat-belly and the dessert-belly were said to be separate.¡¯ Erita cut the soft whipped cream cake into small pieces. ¡°¡­!¡± The cake that melts as soon as you put it in your mouth was one of the best cakes I¡¯ve ever eaten! ¡®It was the most delicious.¡¯ I wonder how much cake I¡¯ve eaten? Maybe half of the cake? It¡¯s tastier than I thought. ¡°You look just like Serbia when you eat sweet things.¡± Erita lifted her gaze at the words she heard, a voice that seemed to miss something. ¡®Serbia Krovachatz.¡¯ Before marrying An, her name was Serbia Vicente. She was the second daughter of Marquis Vicente, An¡¯s wife and Erita¡¯s mother. She was the one who was¡­ The only woman that the Grand Duke loved, the Grand Duke who was more cruel and ruthless than anyone else. Serbia only appeared as a simple narrative in the original. It¡¯s weird that there was no story about the viin in the first ce. ¡°Serbia¡­ So your mom liked sweets enough to get up in the middle of the night just to take a bite of dessert.¡± ¡°¡­Mom.¡± Erita never thought to say that word with her lips. Those words that would be natural to some were too awkward for me. But I didn¡¯t hate the awkwardness. I just wish I could get used to it. What kind of person was Serbia? ¡°Should I tell you¡­ About Serbia?¡± I nodded eagerly at his question, whether he knew my curiosity. I don¡¯t even remember stopping him even for a while, maybe it¡¯s because she¡¯s my mother, so I¡¯d rather ask. Even though she wasn¡¯t my real mother, I wanted to know. My father¡¯s face rxed and started talking slowly. ¡°Serbia was sweeter and more lovely than anyone else. She was pretty with her round eyes and prettier when she smiled brightly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°She was someone who knew how to share the love she received differently than others.¡± My father¡¯s lips, who was continuing his story, slightly smiled. He¡¯s happy just thinking about it. It felt as if I had seen their love. ¡°She was born and raised as a simple daughter, but she was a good person who took care of all her servants.¡± Looking at him as I listened to his story, I slowly pictured Serbia in my mind. A sweet smile, a round, pretty eyes, I know better than anyone else. Someone who would have been beautiful. ¡°But when she had you, Serbia kept tossing and turning, and I asked her why, and she said she wanted a cake made by the chef.¡±(An) ¡°But I thought it would be too much for Serbia to move at dawn. That¡¯s why I told her we would buy a cake when the sun¡¯s bright.¡± As he continued speaking, father gently smiled as if he remembered that time. He dearly missed Serbia. It was a blurry smile as if recalling memories. ¡°But that wasn¡¯t what Serbia wanted, and I didn¡¯t even pretend to know for three days.¡± ¡°¡­Was she going to be a mother?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever seen Serbia so upset. The first time? I wondered for a moment, but I didn¡¯t want to interrupt. ¡°And since then, every time she eats dessert, she also feeds me. She wasn¡¯t like that to me before.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I still couldn¡¯t forget the yful face I had then.¡± I didn¡¯t want the smile on my father¡¯s face to disappear, as he looked back on his memories. Listening to such a slow sequence of words, Ipleted the appearance of Serbia in my mind. Serbia must have loved Erita, with an affectionate face. I¡¯ve never seen her before, but I could tell she was warm and friendly. Serbia¡¯s image clearly painted in my mind was more lovely than anyone else, as my father said, and she loved Erita more than anyone else. ? ¡°Sleep well.¡± My father lightly brushed my hair, I felt the gentle touch of his hand stroking my hair, and my eyes closed softly. He left the room quietly, but after my father left, I opened my eyes again, as I didn¡¯t feel sleepy yet. ¡°Was it because I took a nap earlier?¡± Even if Iy down like this and close my eyes, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll fall asleep anytime soon. After hearing about Serbia over eating a dessert and taking a warm bath, Iy and rolled on my bed. The time was a little vague because I had fallen asleep earlier, but the softness of the bed felt likeying on soft clouds. ¡°This bed must be very expensive.¡± Beds are treasure, not furniture. That was right. I still couldn¡¯t sleep, but I don¡¯t want to get out of bed. It felt better on the soft sheet, and after swinging my arms and legs, I turned to the other side and remembered what I had heard earlier. These were the words carefully brought out by my father, who was patting me on the warm cotton nket. ¡®I have something to tell you. We¡¯re going to the Grand Pce soon, our real home.¡¯ ¡®The Grand Pce?¡¯ ¡®Yes, I couldn¡¯t tell you the truth earlier, but the title Count was a position I borrowed for a while to bring you here. Originally, my title was the Grand Duke.¡¯ ¡®Grand Duke¡­¡¯ Of course, I already knew this, but I pretended to hear it for the first time and smiled. I felt embarrassed, but I couldn¡¯t help it. After reading the original, I knew it from the beginning, because it couldn¡¯t be like this. ¡®I¡¯m sorry if I surprised you.¡¯ My father looked embarrassed the same way as my reaction, and he apologized awkwardly. If I had to describe the difference between the Count and the Grand Duke, there would be hundreds of them, but I nodded in a sense that it was understandable. The fact that I was going home was more important to me than his identity. ¡°But no matter how much I look at it, it¡¯s very different from the cruel Grand Duke from the original story.¡± Unlike the novel¡¯s description of the smell of blood, my father only smelled good. I don¡¯t know, but wasn¡¯t there a reason why a person who loves his family has be so ruthless? Maybe I¡¯m just too happy about the word ¡®Dad¡®, but my gut says it¡¯s not. And the stories of other families I heard from my father. ¡®Well, and that¡¯s it. When we return to the Grand Duke, my son would also be there. His name was Aaron Krovachatz¡­ Your brother also likes you and misses you a lot.¡¯ ¡®Aaron Krovachatz.¡¯ He was the heir of the Grand Duke and the brother of Erita. And the viin of the original who died with An. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t know. Trying to recall Aaron¡¯s description of having ck hair and blood-red eyes, just like An. In fact, I was still stunned. Erita didn¡¯t appear in the original, so I thought this body was just an extra. It turns out it¡¯s An Krovachatz¡¯s¡­ Lost daughter. And she¡¯s Aaron¡¯s sister. The fact that I, who thought I was an orphan, was the youngest daughter of the only Grand Duke in the Empire was too heavy to ept and realize in a short period of time. ¡®It¡¯s a story that¡¯s going toe out in the morning drama that was popr in my previous life.¡¯ A story in which she grew up as an orphan and eventually turns out to be the daughter of a rich family. When I thought of that idea, Iughed in despair. ¡®The reason why I possessed this body¡­ No matter how hard I tried to squeeze my mind, I couldn¡¯t figure it out.¡¯ I didn¡¯t know how I ended up in this body, but it was clear that the original would be twisted because of my existence. The existence of Erita Krovachatz, who was living as Rita, did not appear at all. No, wasn¡¯t it mentioned in a single line from the original that she was lost? This was just my guess, but the reason Erita didn¡¯t appear in the original story was probably¡­ If I hadn¡¯te into this body, I thought it was because it would most likely be dead. A year ago, when I possessed Erita¡¯s body, it was in very poor health. Maybe it was a really insignificant disease. It may have been so painful because I didn¡¯t get treatment. I tried to knock on the closed door crying over the fever that covered my whole body, without knowing the situation, but all I could do was to cry in silence. It felt like I was really left alone in the world. The only food that was given to me was water and old dry bread that was ced through the door that opened once a day. So I wasn¡¯t able toe out after suffering for a whole week alone. If I¡¯m right, Erita may have been dying at that time¡­ The skinny body of the first child I saw was enough proof. Sitting still looking down on my palm, when I saw that it moved ording to my will. A body that moves ording to my will even though it¡¯s not mine. ¡°¡­Just one more year if she holds on.¡± I wished Erita had waited just a little bit longer, because she has a father who loves her so much. ¡®You were not abandoned.¡¯ ¡®You were loved, a dear child, Erita.¡¯ I prayed that the soul of the young and fragile child would rest in peace and that she would meet Serbia wherever she was. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯m so sorry.¡¯ It could be a selfish wish to ease my mind. Even if it was hypocritical for me to take over Erita¡¯s ce, I have nothing to say. Because it could really be. But I sincerely hoped that the child could also feel the warmth I felt from An. Being ignored by other children, without a family, it was hard for a child to bear. And because it was me who understood the sadness that Erita must have suffered in reality. ¡°I¡¯ll borrow your happiness just a little¡­ a little bit.¡± Because of that, she couldn¡¯t give up on the endless love and the warm touch that she prayed and longed for every day. Selfishly, the happiness of this moment was slightly greater than the feeling of debt that Erita had taken off. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, and thank you.¡¯ I promise to change the future of your father and brother, who you loved. Their death as a viin, no matter what, I would try to change it until the end. Feeling the guilt and happiness alternately, my eyes closed and I fell asleep. Chapter 7 Contrary to what I expected, a day or two after being told that we were about to leave, three dayster, we were still staying in this mansion. In fact, it was a mansion equipped with everything to the extent that if I hadn¡¯t listened to my father that we were going to the Grand Pce, this would be my home. ¡°What do you want to wear for today, Miss?¡± The peculiar thing was that there were very few people working in this mansion. ¡°Anything¡¯s fine¡­¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that. Take a look! This yellow dress was so cute, and that pink dress with frills was so adorable!¡± Mary, who was chattering beside me, was a maid my father brought from the Grand Duke¡¯s mansion for me. ¡°Hmm, my Lady would be pretty no matter what she wears¡­ Then how about this purple dress that matches the color of your eyes?¡± Mary, who¡¯s seventeen years older than me, was from Serbia¡¯s family. She was the daughter of a maid who came with her when Serbia came to the Grand Duke¡¯s mansion. And when Erita was young, Serbia wanted to put her as an exclusive maid. Maybe that¡¯s why, when Mary saw me for the first time, she burst into tears. ¡®How were you so much alike when you were a kid? If you had seen her, Serbia, and thedy, you would have liked it. Whoops.¡¯ ¡®Hey, hey¡­¡¯ ¡®Lady! Now this Mary, would protect you¡­¡¯ She sniffed and grabbed my hand, and from that day on, Mary became my exclusive maid. Mary was such a great maid that even I felt awkward because it was my first time being served. Of course she stumbled a bit in embarrassment in the part where I said she shouldn¡¯t use polite words. ¡°Miss?¡± ¡°Oh, huh?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my call, so¡­ Was there anything you didn¡¯t like?¡± Mary, who was in tears in an instant, shook her head softly. Not as much as my father did, but Mary treated me like cotton candy that would immediately melt away. But in fact, I am older than Mary. ¡°You¡¯re not really sick, are you?¡± ¡°Uh, I¡¯m really okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. Then should we use this for you to wear?¡± What Mary brought out was a pale pastel purple dress. The fact that it had frills on it was as cute as a child¡¯s clothes. Oh, and I asked Mary because I thought I had a lot of clothes for the mansion to stay in for a while, and she said there were more for me. ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to wear it for the rest of my life¡­¡¯ As soon as Mary nodded, she changed my clothes and brushed my hair. Still, there was no mess, and on the first day, I thought she had done something magical. ¡°Thank you, Mary.¡± ¡°Hey, what are you saying? It¡¯s my pleasure to serve you!¡± Brave and proud Mary, whenever she heard my thanks, she always blushed and was shy. Seeing her like that, I smiled too. I liked Mary after my father. ¡°Shall we go now? The master must be waiting.¡± ¡°Oh,e on, let¡¯s go.¡± I quickly got off my chair and hurried towards the dining room. Thanks to my father, who spent thest three days with me except for urgent matters, I was able to erase the awkwardness faster than I thought. ¡°Father, I¡¯m sorry. Did you wait long?¡± As I ran down the stairs, I opened the door and entered. Unsurprisingly, my father was already in the dining room, sitting on a chair by the table. ¡°I told you not to run because it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°But I couldn¡¯t wait to see you!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s daughter are you? And why are you so pretty? You wouldn¡¯t even let me scold you.¡± ¡°Hehe, good morning.¡± When I approached my father at a quick pace andughed, my father also smiled and stroked my head. ¡°Yes. Good morning.¡± As if it was natural, my father greeted me in the morning as he hugged me, put me on the chair, and kissed my forehead, it made me burst intoughter. ? Unlike the first day, I finished the light meal that was easy to digest. It¡¯s because my body couldn¡¯t stand the meat that suddenly came while I was eating only stew before. ¡®Well, I¡¯ve been eating poorly for seven years every day, so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on inside my stomach.¡¯ Fortunately, the fever that I had while sleeping subsided after swallowing the potions given by the butler, but it did not stop my shocked father from changing my meal to something that was easy to digest. Of course, even if it was the same stew, it was different from the white meat stew I used to eat at the orphanage. Anyway, after eating, I took a short walk with my father. We simply walked around the mansion, but it was fun enough Although my stamina wasn¡¯t good, I returned to the room after a short walk. ¡°Dad¡­¡± After being held in his warm arms for a while, I cautiously called my father. I was embarrassed because I felt like I kept acting like a baby, but I wondered what was going on. No matter how old I am inside, I look like a child on the outside. After a while of worrying about being shy, I decided to ask him something I had been curious about since morning. I set my embarrassment aside for a while. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°You said we would stay here for a while and go to the Grand Pce.¡± ¡°Yes, why? Do you want to stay here longer?¡± I shook my head at my father¡¯s question. I love this mansion, but you said it¡¯s a ce to stay for a while. ¡°It¡¯s not that, may I ask when we¡¯re leaving¡­?¡± I calmly looked at my father¡¯s face and waited for an answer. My father, who looked me in the eyes, smiled and stroked my hair. ¡°Well, I forgot to tell you. Actually, I don¡¯t know exactly when we¡¯re leaving.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Because the day you want to go would be the day we would return to the Grand Pce.¡± Disappointed for a moment, I opened my eyes wide at the words that followed. ¡®We¡¯re going on the day I want to go?¡¯ ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, I was nning on leaving when you said you were ready because there would be more people there than here.¡± I¡¯m sure it would still be awkward. And Iughed shyly, answering ¡°No.¡± at my father¡¯s words with a small smile. Aside from thinking of him as a father, it¡¯s true that it¡¯s still a little awkward and difficult. ¡°Could we go there today?¡± Nevertheless, I couldn¡¯t wait any longer, I wanted to go to the Grand Pce. Not a ce to stay for a while, but a real home. ¡°Erita, if you want to.¡± ¡°Then I want to go!¡± ¡°Would you be alright?¡± There was an affectionate concern in my father¡¯s voice. I stared at my father and smiled brightly. ¡°I¡¯m sure my father would be by my side.¡± My Father let out a small sigh at my words, and then burst intoughter. ¡°Haha, I see¡­ Your father should be by your side.¡± I felt like I was one step closer to my father at the answer that came out after a short dy. ? Magically touching my hair that had turned brown with heat, I nced at my father, who had hair the same color as mine. It was amazing that it changed so much that my eyes kept turning. Changing the hair color was my father¡¯s n. I don¡¯t know why, but there must be a reason. His cold and indifferent impression when he had dark hair seemed to have gotten a little more harmful now. ¡°This¡­¡± Then, as I looked around the familiar road, my father¡¯s eyes slightly frowned. My father, holding me, headed to the store of Uncle Philip and Aunt Meghan. A man who nced at me. I exined about Aunt Meghan and Uncle Philip. They were the only people who treated me warmly when I was ignored and ridiculed just because I had dark hair. ¡°So I wanted to say goodbye for thest time before I go.¡± A voice as usual came over my head, which was clouded by the expression on my father¡¯s frown earlier. ¡°Yes. They¡¯re good people. If you like someone, it¡¯s probably right to say goodbye.¡± Contrary to what I was worried about, my father¡¯s face had already returned to its usual loose expression. ¡®Was it a mistake before?¡¯ I quickly erased my thoughts and looked briefly at the path I had walked for a year. There were a lot of bad memories, but it was okay to think that it was a ce I would nevere back to again. As I was looking around, I carefully stepped down from my father¡¯s arms when I arrived at the familiar alleyway. ¡®I wish Uncle Philip and Aunt Meghan were both there.¡¯ When I arrived in front of the store, I could see the two of them whether the wind had passed. ¡°Uncle! Auntie!¡± At first, when I called them, I thought they couldn¡¯t recognize me because of my changed hair color, but when they saw my face, they looked surprised. ¡°Oh, dear. Was that Rita?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not her hair color, but your face looks like Rita.¡± ¡°I changed my hair color with magic.¡± I told the curious aunt and uncle about what had happened a few days ago. Of course, I didn¡¯t mention my father¡¯s identity and where I was going, and only said that I was lucky enough to be adopted. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. If you go to the house, you should stay lovely. Okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll cheer for this guy, too.¡± ¡°Yes! You two must always be healthy!¡± In the middle of the conversation, I said goodbye to them, leaving my disappointment behind. Maybe we won¡¯t see each other again. But I wasn¡¯t sad because I had my father waiting for me a few steps back. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Be happy wherever you are.¡± ¡°Always healthy.¡± ¡°You two, too!¡± That¡¯s how my short goodbye ended. Then the two went back to dealing with customers. ¡°Have you finished saying goodbye?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go.¡± The arms of my father who held me once again felt familiar. A new ce was seen as the distance from the street widened. Feeling excited, I never imagined what would happen after I left. It¡¯s also the beginning of an event that would take ce in the not-too-distant future. Chapter 8 After saying goodbye, I returned to the mansion and had lunch. My father decided that it would be better to leave after lunch because traveling to the capital may take some time. Right¡­ It¡¯s a long way from the capital. To get to the Grand Pce not far from the capital, we might need to ride the carriage for a few days. ¡°Was there anything else you wanted to pack?¡± ¡°¡­Clothes?¡± Well, I didn¡¯t have anything to bring when I left the orphanage, and I still don¡¯t have anything that I could call my belongings. ¡°I told you to take all your things.¡± But I don¡¯t have anything to pack, do I? ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing else to bring.¡± ¡°Yes. Everything you need has already been prepared, so we just have to go.¡± My father, who looked at me affectionately, reached out to me as he said those words. ¡°Now let¡¯s go.¡± When I put my small hand on top of his big hand, my father started to walk slowly to match my steps. For some reason, my father seemed to be in a good mood as we walked slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the backyard right away.¡± Do you have a carriage in the backyard of the mansion? Excited at the thought of leaving, my hands sweats. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about going with someone you know.¡± Perhaps he thought I was nervous about what he said, but the voice of my father who paused and stroked my hair felt warm. To be honest, the expectations were mixed with a little bit of fear, but I liked thefort so I just chose tough. I couldn¡¯t believe such a sweet father became a viin. Something must have happened from the original that made him the viin. I shook my head to erase those thoughts. As I looked back at the original story, I saw familiar blue hair. ¡°Huh?¡± His eyes widened as if he had also found us. While we were staring nkly at the smile in his eyes, he suddenly came closer to us. ¡°Master, this was a possible schedule because of me. You know that other wizards don¡¯t have a choice, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you became my assistant.¡±(An) A man who told a strange story to my father turned to me and bent one knee to match my eye level. ¡°Now¡¯s the time to formally greet the youngdy. My name was Fern Eilish. I¡¯m stillcking, but I¡¯m serving as an assistant to the Grand Duke.¡± Surprised by his sudden actions of kneeling and bowing to me, I was embarrassed. I nced up at my father, but when our eyes met, he only stroked my head. ¡°Yes. But¡­ the floor¡­¡± Neither father nor Fern seem to have any intention of getting up, so I spoke to him timidly. It felt awkward to be suddenly treated like this. ¡°Haha, you¡¯re so sweet. But I wanted to greet you formally. Last time I saw you, I couldn¡¯t even say hello.¡±(Fern) Fern had a refreshing smile as he said that. Of course, how could I forget that time? The one who was next to my father who first came to pick me up at the orphanage with a smile. ¡°Well,st time at the orphanage¡­¡±(Erita) I was embarrassed, and I nodded away, and Fernughed. ¡°Yes. At that time, I was with the Grand Duke. And today I came to see the youngdy. So, shall we go then?¡±(Fern) After patting the dust off on his knees, I followed Fern and looked straight ahead, but the carriage we rode before from the orphanage was nowhere to be found. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Hey, we don¡¯t have a carriage to ride on¡­¡±(Erita) ¡°Carriage?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to ride the carriage we used before when we left the orphanage?¡± My father¡¯s expression was distorted after hearing my words, and he soon smiled lightly. ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t been able to exin it yet.¡±(An) What do you mean by exnation? My father, who casually hugged me, stood still and nodded, then he continued with great strides. ¡°We¡¯re not going by carriage, we¡¯re going by magic.¡±(An) ¡°Ma-magic?¡±(Erita) ¡°Yes. It takes a month to travel to the Grand Pce by carriage.¡± A month? I expected two or three days at the most, but my mouth opened at the ridiculous period of a month. As my father saw my mouth gaping in surprise, heughed. ¡°I guess you didn¡¯t know it was that far.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Mary said it was far away, but I didn¡¯t know it was that far¡­¡±(Erita) ¡°You¡¯ve never been there, so you wouldn¡¯t know. It¡¯s normal to travel by carriage.¡± I nodded my head at the newly discovered fact. ¡°But was it possible to go so far with magic?¡±(Erita) It takes one great magic to travel a distance that would take a month by carriage. ¡°Well, it¡¯s usually impossible.¡± ¡°Then how?¡± At that time, Fern, who walked in front of me, turned back with a smile and said, ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m a very good wizard.¡± When I looked up at my father, he nodded and agreed. ¡°Normally, a wizard couldn¡¯t use this long-distance magic, but I could with a little help!¡±(Fern) At Fern¡¯s cheerful bragging, I couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. I was wondering why Fern came, but there was a reason. ¡°Close your eyes as you may feel a little dizzy.¡± Standing on top of the white magic circle, my father hugged me a little more tightly. ¡°If you¡¯re scared, just hug me. Then you¡¯ll be in your room soon.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡± Fern, with arge blue jewel in his hand, closed his eyes and began to mumble iprehensible words. Then a white light emitted from the pattern on the floor. ¡®I have no choice but to close my eyes¡­!¡¯ Erita closed her eyes tightly and buried her face in her father¡¯s arms. ? ¡°Erita.¡± I was buried in my father¡¯s arms like I was buried in a mouse hole, and I carefully raised my head when my name was called. I looked up a little and saw my father¡¯s smiling face. ¡°We arrived.¡± ¡°You must have been surprised. It¡¯s understandable because you¡¯ve never traveled through magic before.¡± After a moment of embarrassment at Fern¡¯s words, my eyes widened at the scene unfolding in front of me. Iparable to the ce where we had just left, therge mansion was like a piece of art in itself. Was this the image of the castle I¡¯ve only imagined? When I came down from my father¡¯s arms and looked around quietly, I could see the front door far behind us. ¡®It must have taken a long time to get to the front door.¡¯ Erita turned around and looked at the mansion. It felt a bit deste as there were no people walking around, but the huge building was elegant and antique like an ancient castle. Surprised, embarrassed¡­ and anxiety, it was an indescribable feeling. ¡®How dare I live in a ce like this?¡¯ I bit my lips at the sudden thought. Up until now, I was truly happy with the love my father gave me, but I don¡¯t know. Could I really do that? The anxiety that I thought was gone seems to be gliding under my feet again. ¡°This is the Grand Pce. It¡¯s also where you¡¯ll live in the future.¡± The ce where Erita lived in the past, and the ce where I will live in the future. ¡°Thank you foring back.¡±(An) I couldn¡¯t be purely pleased by my father¡¯s words. It¡¯s because the guilt that was at the corner of my heart came back. The guilt that I stole Erita¡¯s body. It¡¯s been a while since I got here. It was a thought that popped into my head. The thought, not as much as it was in the beginning, but still remains, was enough to calm down the excitement. ¡®¡­Nope. For now, don¡¯t think about anything else and just be happy.¡¯ I have the family I wanted so much, and I am loved. So let¡¯s just be happy Having pushed the bad thoughts into the depths, I smiled and started to walk while holding my father¡¯s hand. I don¡¯t think anyone would hate me here, and I¡¯m determined to stay strong. ? ¡®¡­What¡¯s this?¡¯ Contrary to what I had in my mind, as soon as I entered the mansion, I was blown away. Dozens of people stared at me, but I was more amazed by the brilliance of my new home. ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± Fortunately, the person who greeted my father right now was the butler I knew, but the number of people lining up after that seemed to be more than 20, if not more. People¡¯s curious eyes were obviously different from those full of malice, but I was frightened. I moved and hid behind my father¡¯s legs, and I felt like crying. ¡°The child feels ufortable, so you should go back to work.¡± How did they know how I felt, the people who had been gathered in a line at the orders my father gave them scattered to their respective seats. Then I waited and stood next to my father. There were still people ncing at this side, but it wasforting to be far away. ¡°See you again, miss.¡± ¡°Yes! I saw you in the other mansion earlier in the morning and I came here first!¡± ¡°Because the person serving must not beter than the owner. Mary also came along and cleaned thedy¡¯s room.¡± It was a face I already knew, and when I saw the butler smiling kindly, I was relieved a little. ¡°Was it ready?¡± ¡°Yes, you could go to your room now.¡± Father nodded at the butler¡¯s answer and turned to me. ¡°Erita, they say your room¡¯s ready. Would you like to go there first?¡± I was curious about the ce I would be living in in the future, so I nodded. The room where I walked in with my father was closed with a finely carved door. ¡°Go inside. This was your room before. Look around.¡± My father stepped aside so I could open the door myself. When I put my hand on the doorknob and turned it, the heavy door opened more easily than I thought. As I entered the door slowly, I could see the spacious but cute interior at a nce. Perhaps the saying of ¡®child¡¯s room¡¯ was true, the room felt cozy and cute. As if they had been cleaning every day for 7 years, I could feel the heart of the Grand Duke towards Erita. I don¡¯t know why, but I got emotional. Maybe it¡¯s what Erita¡¯s body feels. ¡°Baby, what¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t you like the room?¡±(An) As I was biting my lip without saying anything, my father asked in a nervous voice. ¡°If you don¡¯t like this ce, there are many other rooms. I didn¡¯t mean to say that you should use this ce.¡± I shook my head at my father¡¯s soothing words and smiled broadly. ¡°No, I¡¯m just, I¡¯m just a little surprised¡­ I like it here. I want to use this room.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that, but if you ever change your mind, tell your father. Okay?¡± ¡°Yes! I will.¡± As I nodded my head and answered clearly, my father was relieved, and then he smiled lightly. Knock, knock? At that moment, a quick knock was heard outside the door. ¡°Father, it¡¯s Aaron.¡± Erita¡¯s only brother, Aaron Krovachatz¡­ Chapter 9 ¡°Father, It¡¯s Aaron.¡± ¡®Hearing that soft voice made my heart pound.¡¯(Erita) Aaron Krovachatz. The heir to the Grand Duke and Erita¡¯s only brother. For now, all other thoughts have disappeared except to meet my new family. ¡°Come on in.¡±(An) The big door opened at my father¡¯s permission. And my hand sweated along with my crazy beating heart. ¡°¡­¡± As soon as I saw Aaron walking in the door, I couldn¡¯t help but recognize him at a nce. He looked a lot like our father¡­ But a child version of him. Aaron looked two heads bigger than me. I heard he¡¯s five years older than me. Aaron, who made eye contact with me, paused for a moment, then slowly continued to walk towards us. The smaller the distance between us, the louder the sound of my heart ringing in my ears. Aaron, who had been staring at me quietly for a long time, trembled. His pupils were also shaking. The air felt dry and no one said a word. For a moment, it felt like an unknown force was pressing down on my whole body. My body was trembling against my will. In fantasy novels, it wasmon that whenever the main character¡¯s angry, their magical powers manifest. This was exactly what it was. ¡®The magic I actually felt felt heavy.¡¯(Erita) ¡°Pfft- haha?!¡± My legs felt weak and my body wobbled. It was my father¡¯s arm that supported me, as I almost fell down. As a strong arm wrapped around me, my heavy body felt light again. ¡°Aaron, if you can¡¯t handle your emotions,e backter.¡± ¡°¡­I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± Aaron, who looked very surprised by his father¡¯s words, bit his lips. Then Aaron turned his gaze on me and apologized with a sad expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± And Aaron, who looked at me with trembling eyes for a moment, bit his lips. Then, as he pursed his lips again, I couldn¡¯t easily understand how he felt. As I looked up at him with a slightly anxious feeling, a gentle voice finally came through his open lips. ¡°Erita, could Ie over there even for a second?¡± Everything had calmed down by the time he called my name. A slightly quivering cold voice. I guess I was simply startled earlier. It didn¡¯t hurt and it wasn¡¯t really scary, so I nodded my head slightly. Then Aaron, who walked slowly again, lowered himself to my eye level. He looks like his father, but has a softer face. ¡°¡­Co-could I give you a hug?¡± I was hesitant for a moment at his friendly voice, but soon nodded. He carefully embraced me, his arms were bigger than I expected but it was very warm. Aaron, who was quietly holding me in his arms, gently stroked my hair. ¡°My sister. I¡¯ll never leave you alone again.¡± My brother¡¯s little whisper was like a promise to himself. ? After I got out of Aaron¡¯s arms, I looked around the room for nothing in the awkward atmosphere. I don¡¯t like this kind of atmosphere. I wish the two of them could say something, but my father and Aaron just stared at me without saying anything. He was also curiously concerned about how I kept fiddling with my fingers, so I stopped. ¡°Erita.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Erita answered quickly to her father¡¯s call when they were having such an awkward time. Aaronughed quietly at my response, but tried to ignore it. ¡°Aaron and I are leaving now, so would you like to take a look around the room?¡± ¡°¡­Look around?¡±(Erita) ¡°Yeah. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to change tofortable clothes?¡± This wasfortable enough for me. But I thought it would be a hundred times better than this awkward situation, so I agreed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do that!¡±(Erita) ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll tell Mary, so feel free to look around ande to the Office.¡±(An) I nodded bravely and answered, my father, who stroked my hair, got up from his seat. ¡°Erita, see youter.¡± Aaron, who smiled at me quietly, also followed in my father¡¯s footsteps. Thud- Therge door closed as they left. Finally, I couldy down on the bed I was sitting on earlier, and stare at the ceiling. The Grand Duke of Krovachatz¡­ Naturally, the face of Aaron I had seen earlier came to my mind. I thought he might be cold, but rather, my brother smiled softly at me like a rabbit. ¡®Aaron also seemed to miss Erita a lot¡­¡¯ The sadness I felt when I first saw myself and the obvious joy that I couldn¡¯t hide. I didn¡¯t know if it was a good thing I possessed Erita¡¯s body. Because I¡¯m not the real Erita that father and Aaron loved. It¡¯s hard to deceive them as I saw how happy they were. ¡®Was it fortunate that even the body of Erita they loved remains, or was it unfortunate that only the body remains and the inside wasn¡¯t Erita but me?¡¯ I was filled with selfish greed. I hope Erita could say that she was happy that I was alive. Soter, veryter, I hope they don¡¯t hate me even if they caught me, that I¡¯m not the real Erita. I lost my desire to look around the room, and stared at the ceiling incessantly until Mary came. ? Thud- The heavy door closed behind Aaron, who followed An into the office. ¡°Aaron.¡±(An) ¡°Yes, Father.¡± An sat on the sofa and looked at Aaron, who sat upright with aplicated mind. The aftermath of the one-time departure of his mother and sister to young Aaron was greater than expected. His son has lost his smile since the ident 7 years ago. However, when he saw Erita earlier, the thing that came to his mind was definitely a smile. ¡®He definitely smiled.¡¯ An thought it was a relief. ¡°You must know that I¡¯ve been looking for Erita for the past seven years.¡± Aaron nodded his head at his father¡¯s words. Sincest year, Aaron, who had finished his session ss earlier, has been well aware of some of An¡¯s duties. ¡°But there was something unclear about the process. So I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you know that I got Erita back for a while.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t an ident.¡± He didn¡¯t even talk about what he found out, but An smiled at Aaron, noticing the end of the story. ¡°I didn¡¯t say much, but you¡¯ve already thought that far.¡±(An) ¡°Because I¡¯m that young to not know about that now.¡±(Aaron) An, who looked at his son¡¯s face for a moment, nodded with a smile at his calm answer. ¡°You¡¯re right. What happened seven years ago wasn¡¯t an ident.¡± An¡¯s positivity has visibly angered Aaron¡¯s spirits. No wonder he reacted like this when he was young, because he cared terribly about his mother and sister. But for a moment he was excited, Aaron immediately turned a blind eye. ¡°You¡¯re guessing what¡¯s behind that incident too.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably why you¡¯re keeping it a secret.¡± An, who smiled with pride, continued to speak to Aaron, who inly said what he was thinking. ¡°There¡¯s no physical evidence, but it was rted to the imperial family¡­ Maybe the Empress.¡± An recalled what he had heard before. ¡®No, ah.. a tattoo!¡¯ ¡®Tattoo?¡¯ ¡®Yes, I saw it at first nce, but there was a skull tattoo on the arm of the person who left the child at the orphanage.¡¯ The director said as he trembled was something An had already suspected. ¡®And when I gathered the traces based on their words, it was the imperial family that they were pointing to.¡¯(An) They thought they hadpletely erased the evidence, but they were just mistaken. An couldn¡¯t stop the outburst ofughter at the sight of the documents. The Empress and her family, Duke of Lenosen. They were the ones who would have dared to do such a thing. ¡®If they thought I wouldn¡¯t know, it¡¯s a big mistake. ¡®(An) ¡°You¡¯ll know for sure that it¡¯s not the Empress, so it¡¯s the First Prince.¡± Asi Valeria. She was an old friend of Serbia, the mother of the Empress and the second prince, Callion Runelbert Moreover, Valeria, the queen¡¯s family, was also closely rted to Serbia¡¯s family, making it even more impossible. ¡°I think that¡¯s the case, too, but I don¡¯t have any solid evidence yet.¡± Aaron clenched his fist in frustration. ¡®Now I¡¯ve found the culprit who dared to touch my mother and sister.¡¯(Aaron) But we still couldn¡¯t do anything with the evidence! ¡°Then do I have to wait until there¡¯s evidence?¡± Aaron asks after An finishes speaking. ¡°No, we couldn¡¯t move just yet.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°Aaron.¡± ¡°Yes, Father.¡± ¡°The skillful hunter puts the cover on before he starts hunting.¡± His dark red eyes shed. ¡°If there¡¯s no evidence, we¡¯ll just have to put a cover.¡±(An) ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°When they take the bait, it wille after. A justification that they couldn¡¯t escape even if she was the Empress.¡± A satisfied smile formed on An¡¯s face. ? Knock, knock~ Laying on the bed, staring nkly at the ceiling, I woke up to the sound of a knock. ¡°Mydy, it¡¯s Mary.¡± ¡°Huh? Ye-yes! Come on in!¡± At the sound of the door opening, I saw Mary whom I hadn¡¯t seen since morning. ¡°Lady! It¡¯s nice to see you here!¡±(Mary) Mary came to me at a fast pace with a bright smile on her face. It was such a genuine smile that made people who saw her feel good. ¡°Yes! It¡¯s good to see Mary again, too.¡±(Erita) In the end, I just followed Mary andughed, leaving my worries slightly aside. ¡°Well, by the way, the room¡­¡± After a brief pause at Mary¡¯s yfulints, I smiled softly and said. ¡°Lady¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to say this¡­¡± In the end, I just followed Mary andughed, leaving my worries slightly aside. ¡°Well, by the way, have you looked around the room?¡± ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I did¡­¡± But it wasn¡¯t veryfortable inside. I wonder what my father thought when he saw this clean room. I slowly looked around the cozy interior of the room. And then a bed for children caught my eye. I walked all the way to the window. There was a cradle probably suitable for a two-year-old child. The father, who could not afford to throw away the furniture used by her daughter, was drawn in it, who would have put inrge pieces of furniture little by little as the years passed. ¡°¡­My father must have missed her a lot.¡± As I muttered a little while stroking the smooth tree that resembled it a bit, I could feel Mary restlessly following me. I¡¯ve been thinking a lot and was speechless for a while. ¡°Actually, about three years ago, I¡¯m the one who organized this ce!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Erita didn¡¯t know that. Perhaps because she was the daughter of a Serbia¡¯s maid and nanny of Erita, Mary seemed to be in a better position in the mansion than I had thought. ¡°Ugh, no. I don¡¯t even remember my father, but I¡¯m thankful that he thought of me every day.¡± I shook my head to show that I was okay and Mary, who was sullen, and broke into an innocent smile. ¡°More than that, I¡¯m going to change some clothes! My father told me toe to the office.¡± ¡°Lady¡­¡± ¡°Mary, I couldn¡¯t wait to see my father. So, could you help me choose a pretty dress?¡± I didn¡¯t want Mary to make a tearful face because it wasn¡¯t Mary¡¯s fault that made me depressed¡­ ¡°Huh? Mary.¡± Mary¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look good because I noticed that she was speaking with a more lively voice than usual, but I pretended as if I didn¡¯t know. ¡°..Yes. Then shall we choose together?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go to the dressing room. There¡¯s a collection of your clothes!¡± Fortunately, Mary led me to the dressing room so that we could choose together. After that, the atmosphere from a while ago quietly disappeared between us. I was terrified of clothes that seemed like they could be worn all year long, even if I wore two a day, and Mary, who was burning with desire to dress me up, as she nced at all the clothes. Chapter 10 Standing in front of my father¡¯s office that Mary had taken me to, I checked for any wrinkle on my clothes. Of course, in Mary¡¯s condition earlier, she would have smoothed every single strand of my hair. ¡°Mary was also scary¡­¡± In return for igniting Mary¡¯s desire to dress up, I had to try on a total of five dresses and five matching hairstyles. It was like being her doll moving to and fro in her hands. Mary¡¯s face showed signs of regret when I told her to stop, but fortunately, I was actually able to escape by saying that I didn¡¯t want to keep my father waiting. ¡®I would need to use my father as an excuse sometimes.¡¯ ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Clearing my throat, I raised my hand and knocked on therge door twice. ¡°Father, it¡¯s Erita.¡± And as I took a step back and waited, I heard footsteps inside the room. The door of the office opened, and it was Aaron who appeared and pulled the door. As I blinked a little in surprise, Aaron stepped aside to let me in, andughed. ¡°I couldn¡¯t wait to see you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± Not knowing what to say, I just smiled for a moment and bowed my head. I know that Aaron likes me, but apart from that, I wasn¡¯t used to this kind of favor yet. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± At the sight of me, Aaron seemed to bite his lips for a moment, and soon smiled softly. As I carefully entered the open door, I saw my father sitting on the sofa. The most familiar face seemed to have relieved my tension a little, so I rushed to my father with a bright face. ¡°Father!¡± ¡°Yes, my daughter.¡± Then my father got up from where he was sitting and held me up easily. ¡°Oops!¡± I didn¡¯te running to ask you to hug me. However, I had no desire to ask him to let go of me, so I quietly smiled and hugged him too. ¡°Did you take a good look around your room?¡¯ ¡°Yes! It was really pretty.¡± ¡°Really? I was worried you wouldn¡¯t like it, but I¡¯m d.¡± My father¡¯s sweet voice made me smile. Then, thinking that it passed through my mind, I turned my head slightly and looked at Aaron. Suddenly, I thought that my actions, which came running to my father and smiled, might have been upsetting for Aaron. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a difference in his attitude. Maybe he feels bad. But contrary to my concerns, when our eyes met, Aaron showed a soft smile. As I stared nkly at the friendly pretty smile for a moment, Aaron, whose eyes were round and clear,ughed aloud. Then, I could hear my father¡¯s despondentughter from above. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many years it¡¯s been since youughed like that.¡± Unlike the words from his lips, my father¡¯s voice had an indescribable joy. ¡®How many years has it been? What does that mean?¡¯ ¡°Do you like your sister so much?¡± After thinking about it for a while, I quickly turned to Aaron, who was still smiling at father¡¯s question. ¡°Didn¡¯t father know it best? wasn¡¯t it good¡­?¡± Unlike me, who¡¯s blushing at the embarrassing response, father nodded. ¡°Yeah, it couldn¡¯t be bad.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Erita, your brother likes you that much.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± By my father¡¯s gentle but mischievous words I couldn¡¯t help but cover my face with my hands in embarrassment. However, it wasn¡¯t that I hated their affection, but still it¡¯s really embarrassing! ¡°Father, don¡¯t you have something to tell me?¡± Fortunately, Aaron¡¯s words brought me out of this embarrassing situation. ¡°Erita was shy.¡± The words that followed were still full ofughter, but I wondered what it was. ¡°Yes. I have something to tell you first.¡± Father¡¯s voice, who agreed with the statement, subsided a little low. I sat quietly on the sofa my next to my father and listened to him in a somewhat serious atmosphere. ¡°¡­Erita, for the time being, I think we should keep it a secret that you¡¯ve returned home.¡± ¡°Secret?¡± ¡°Yes. To deal with any possible threat.¡± Any possible threat. Was that all? As if he had epted my expression as I thought about his words for a moment, my father gentlyforted me. ¡°There¡¯s no need to think tooplicatedly. I¡¯m just trying to stop the fact that I got my daughter back for a while from spreading.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯s true that your doctor was the most important thing right now. Do you mind?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s okay.¡± Erita nodded with a light smile on her lips. There was something absurd, but what my father was doing was obviously for me. ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± My father smiled and gently stroked my hair. ¡°Now that we¡¯re done talking, would you like to go see the mansion with your father until evening?¡± Just as I was about to nod my head at theforting words of my father, we heard a knock on the door. ¡°Master, it¡¯s Fern.¡± Father¡¯s expression frowned at the sound of Fern¡¯s voice. The ale on the other side seemed to understand him. Run picked up andughed. ¡°Come in¡­¡± Fern, who opened the door with a sigh, approached my father with a refreshing look regardless of the crumpled expression on my father¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,dy, but would it be okay if I went to see the mansion with the master?¡± ¡°Fern.¡± Father called him threateningly, as if trying to stop him from talking, but Fern still smiled. He put a bunch of papers on the table. ¡°The documents were pushed back while the master was away. We have only selected those that must bepleted by the end of the day.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡± Staring at my father anxiously, wondering if he might be angry. But father only took a deep breath and spoke jn an apologetic expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Erita. I couldn¡¯t be with you today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss. If we couldn¡¯t finish it by today, I¡¯d have to stay up all night again.¡± Feeling sorry for Fern, who smiled but somehow looked more tired than before I met him. Perhaps the reason my father was away was because he came to find me. ¡°Uh, no¡­ No! I¡¯ll go with my brother..!¡± When I shook my head and said it, Aaron, who was beside the sofa, looked surprised for a moment, and soon got up from his seat with a big smile. ¡°Then since father was busy, I¡¯ll go with Erita instead.¡± (Aaron) Then I nced up at my father and Aaron who reached out his hand toward me, and then I got down from my seat and walked over to Aaron¡¯s side. ¡°You¡¯re not disappointed that you¡¯re not with your father, aren¡¯t you?¡± Let¡¯s hold each other¡¯s hands carefully brother! With my father¡¯s yful remarks I held theughter that¡¯s about to burst from my lips. I wonder if my brother was upset because I only smiled at father earlier? ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not like that!¡± When I shook my head and shouted in a hurry, Aaron, who seemed more surprised by my response, apologized and stroked my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a little awkward¡­¡± The corners of Aaron¡¯s eyes bent to a crescent shape, and the ends of his words were blurry. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ It¡¯s okay if we get closer in the future¡­ Right?¡± As time passed by, this awkwardness would eventually disappear so I nodded. Aaron, who gently squeezed my hand, turned towards father. A smile seems to form on his lips and spoke to father, ¡°Father, then we¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± I could hear him muttering, but the words behind them were so small that I couldn¡¯t understand it. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go together next time.¡± ¡°Yes! See youter!¡± But in the end, I also smiled and waved to my father who was smiling sweetly and waving back at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I took His Highness away, miss.¡± ¡°You¡¯re good at saying things that aren¡¯t even inside.¡± ¡°Haha, what do you mean, it¡¯s not inside. I am very sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°Erita, don¡¯t push yourself too hard and look around slowly. Your brother would take good care of you.¡± Ignoring Fern¡¯s words, I nodded awkwardly, smiling at my father talking to us, and waved softly to Fern. Thinking that Fern, who could respond to my overbearing father, was really great The door closed behind us. I nced down at my brother¡¯s hand and mine sped together. ¡°Should we talk while we walk?¡± Nodding at Aaron¡¯s question, he immediately walked slowly to match my pace. Actually, I was worried that it would be awkward between us, but I walked slowly in line with my steps. Aaron wasn¡¯t too ufortable with me either. ? Thud? Aaron and Erita left the office. By the time the distant footsteps became less and less audible. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him smile like that since I came here.¡± An chuckled at Fern¡¯s words filled with wonder and surprise that he could smile like that. ¡°It¡¯s been 7 years to be exact¡­ That kid smiled brightly before.¡± Perhaps due to the blood flowing through the family, Aaron has also distinguished himself in many ways, including rapid growth since he was young. However, all of that and an uncharacteristically indifferent personality were not very special in the Krovachatz Family. An has been doing everything since he was a child. The only time Aaronughed like a child was in front of Serbia and Erita. ¡°Originally, only in front of his mother and his sister.¡± The reason why Aaron stopped smiling 7 years ago was because the only person who made him smile has disappeared. ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I could never forgive these bastards.¡± An, who was briefly reflecting on the past, slowly leaned back on his seat. Fern¡¯s expression, who had been smiling at the atmosphere, changed seriously. Now was the time to return to being apetent aide. ¡°First of all, I went to the orphanage of the Empress. They also identified the body of the deceased, disguised as his family.¡± ¡°It was that way, too.¡± An, who tilted crookedly in a situation not different from what he expected, stood up and smiled. ¡°There would be no traces left.¡± ¡°Yes. It was the foreign nobles who took the girl from the orphanage. They left the Empire two days ago.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Even If the Empress keeps track of it, she won¡¯t find it. On their way back home, the ship would sink and fall into the sea.¡± After talking, Fern grinned. There must be a strange corner somewhere, but the Empress would not know it. No matter how hard they try to dig, she¡¯ll end up to the conclusion that it¡¯s all just a coincidence. An, who nced at Fern, and nodded satisfactorily. A fox that bites the bait it had spread for hunting. The fox seeded in surrounding the area unnoticed. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Kyle followed. He could captured them any time as long as you give themand.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been hiding well for seven years.¡± Now It was time to grab a cause. ¡°Tell Kyle¡­¡± The beast with its sharp teethughed furiously. ¡°Bring him in front of me without a grain of damage.¡± ¡®You¡¯re gonna feel the price of messing with Krovachatz. You should be.¡¯ Chapter 11 ¡°Bu? but where are we going now?¡± Walking slowly alongside Aaron, I carefully asked for our destination. ¡°We¡¯re looking around¡­¡± Considering the size of the mansion I saw from the outside earlier, I thought it was impossible to roam around the entire mansion in just a day. Of course, just walking around holding hands with Aaron like this was good enough. ¡°Oh, I was thinking for a moment about where Erita would like to go first.¡± Aaron, who had paused at my question, stopped walking and looked me in the eye. ¡°If your leg hurts, would you like to rest for a while?¡± There was a hint of regret in the corners of his eyes, which looked a bit gloomy. ¡­As expected, wasn¡¯t there something wrong with the original story? My father and Aaron are the viins in the original, but they were such good people. It was strange, no, not just that, it was very strange. ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m not that weak¡­.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ If Erita says so.¡± We only walked for a few minutes and told him I wasn¡¯t weak enough for my legs to hurt right away, but Aaron, nodding his head, didn¡¯t seem to believe my words much. Like my father, Aaron must also think of me like some kind of weak cotton candy like being. ¡°It¡¯s really¡­¡± ¡°Okay. I got it.¡± Aaron, who burst outughing as I mumbled that it¡¯s unfair to not to believe me, gently stroked my head and straightened up. ¡°Okay. Then should we go to where the library was? Although there are only books, it¡¯s worth reading.¡± ¡°Library?¡± ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a sofa inside, so it¡¯d be nice to sit and read books together. What do you think?¡± For a while I thought about it, but soon Aaron led me. The solution was the library in front of me, which seemed like it was only necessary to take one more step. It made me a little sad because he still thinks that my legs hurt when we talked about the sofa, but it wasn¡¯t more important than Aaron¡¯s mind that thought dearly of Erita. ¡°I like books, too.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. There were few books in the orphanage, but¡­¡± ¡°Okay. Then, let¡¯s go and find a book that you¡¯d like and read it together.¡± ¡®Really?¡¯ As soon as I was about to answer Aaron¡¯s question with a smile, I heard other people¡¯s voices behind us. When I turned my head and looked at the source of the voices, I saw the maids with shining eyes while looking our way. ¡°You¡¯reughing..!¡± ¡°Oh my¡­! But he might hear you!¡¯ I couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying because they were whispering, but I think it¡¯s a story about us. Aaron, who was looking at me, also followed my gaze and looked behind. ¡°Hey!¡± Then they froze and bowed their heads deeply, perhaps because Aaron red at them. ¡°Just a second¡­¡± I thought Aaron, who sighed a little, was about to take a step over them, so I deliberately grabbed his hand. No matter how good Aaron was, he won¡¯t be soft enough to look after the people who don¡¯t even respect the basic manners of the other people. But I didn¡¯t even think they whispered anything bad, but I thought I would be a little sorry if they got scolded because I turned to look at them¡­. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go¡­¡± ¡°Erita?¡± ¡°I- I wait to read books!¡± Somehow, it looks like I¡¯m begging him. It was embarrassing, my face was red and I was holding Aaron¡¯s hand. ¡®I hope Aaron doesn¡¯t feel bad about my actions.¡¯ Just, I didn¡¯t want him to feel bad about my behavior. Aaron, who was staring at me with a nk look for a moment, soon burst intoughter and stroked my head one after another. ¡°My brother¡¯s really nice, too.¡± The maids bowed their heads and he told them to leave. Their steps were very quick as they bowed their heads and left their ce. Pretending that I¡¯m fine but I was hiding my blushing cheeks. ¡®Oh really¡­¡¯ Several times a day alone, my emotions seem to run over me. ¡°Erita, if you keep your head down like that, it¡¯s hard to continue.¡± Aaron¡¯s voice as he said those words felt somewhatughing. Should I say I¡¯m d he wasn¡¯t offended? Still, I lifted my head with my face still red, and saw Aaron¡¯s beautiful smile. ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I blocked you¡­¡± But my previous behavior wasn¡¯t right either, so I apologized. I thought they would feel ufortable if they were scolded because of me. So, it was nothing more than a selfish act, using the heart of Aaron who liked me. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I like¡­¡± I was embarrassed for a while and med myself, but I blinked at Aaron¡¯s words while holding my hand gently. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Erita held my hand like this and said she didn¡¯t want me to go.¡± My small soft hand trembled. ¡°That¡­¡± When I saw Aaron who was happy with my actions, which weren¡¯t out of pure intention, my heart fluttered. When I couldn¡¯t find words to say, and was just mumbling to myself, Aaron gently grabbed my hand and pulled me. As I walked along with him like this, I couldn¡¯t help but bit my lip. Thud? The library door closed with a heavy sound. Staring down on the floor, my eyes widened at the scene unfolding in front of me. I couldn¡¯t help but admire it. ¡°Wow¡­!¡± There were thousands of books and the high ceiling was magnificent. Contrary to what I thought when the word¡®library¡¯meant a room with many bookshelves, it was arge space that could even be called a banquet hall. ¡°Wa-wasn¡¯t it too big?¡± ¡°I thought it was just a room¡­¡± ¡°Well, I guess my ancestors, who liked books about 200 years ago, demolished the floors and made them into a library.¡± ¡°Woah..!¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it be better to call it a library rather than a study?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but to say¡®wow¡¯repetitively. Did they make the library this big because they just like books so much? ¡°The three floors have been demolished. There was also a door on the floor where your room was, so you coulde here whenever you want.¡± They broke down about three floors just to create this library? I nodded inwardly, thinking to myself that this was worth calling the real¡®library¡¯. As soon as we opened the door, we passed by the sofa we saw earlier and walked along between therge bookshelves. ¡®But where are we going now?¡¯ It was so wide, so I thought I might get lost by adding a little exaggeration. However, there was no hesitation in Aaron¡¯s footsteps, so we just walked along, looking at the bookshelves hanging from the sides. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Curiously ncing around then back ahead at Aaron¡¯s words. It was the end of the library. A bookshelf standing on a in looking wall, and there was a cozy sofa and table. ¡°It may be a little dazzling, so be careful.¡± While looking around, I squinted and looked at the wall to see if there was anything special about Aaron¡¯s words. There¡¯s nothing dazzling here. Aaron, who smiled at me, approached a bookshelf and tapped the wooden side repeatedly. ¡°¡­!¡± Then a dazzlingly beautiful sight was revealed. What used to be an ordinary wall has been reced with transparent ss. The light embracing the pure white sunlight was bright enough to dazzle anyone, and at the same time it was beautiful. ¡°The outside was¡­¡± Slowly walking towards the wall. My heart fluttered in every step I took. The outside and this ce must have been blocked by a wall. I carefully put my hand on the cold ss and stared nkly at the unfolding spectacle. ¡°I wanted to show you this.¡± As I slowly turned my head to the voice I heard behind, I saw Aaron approaching me. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a pretty garden.¡± Staring out again and muttering to myself. One day while reading a book, the dream garden I vaguely imagined would look like this. As my heart swelled, an unknown emotion flooded in. I even forgot to blink at the feast of colorful scenery painted on the blue ground and Aaron just stared at me like that. ¡°You, too, liked this ce when you were young.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Shall we sit down for a minute?¡± Aaron patted the sofa next to him and smiled softly. As I sat down next to Aaron, he smiled softly and spoke. ¡°That garden was made by our father for our mother.¡± ¡°Father?¡± Aaron nodded his head at my question. ¡°Because Mother liked flowers.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± ¡°It must have been my mother¡¯s dream to decorate her own garden.¡± While saying those words, Aaronughed. Then, did Serbia decorate that garden? ¡°But when mother touched it, the flowers and the grass and everything withered. ¡®What¡­? How could that happen?¡¯ As I looked at Aaron with a trembling gaze, he understood how I felt. He sighed and smiled at the same time. ¡°My mother loved flowers, but she wasn¡¯t talented at cultivating and caring for a garden.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°So instead of my disappointing mother, our father made the garden himself. This was a kind of magic that he installed for our mother so that she could always look from the inside out.¡± Aaron said, staring at the window, and I followed his gaze and turned to where he was looking. A space where splendor but sophisticated, elegance and loveliness coexist. In the original, I have also read about this garden. The first scene where An showed a weak appearance was where he made a lonely monologue. That was the garden of Serbia. Somehow I felt like I had a glimpse of An¡¯s secret. The scene was when hisst breath was just around the corner. When I remembered the original, I felt bad, so I shook my head to wipe off my thoughts. What happened in the original hasn¡¯t happened yet. So let¡¯s not think about bad things. Afterforting myself, I felt a little better. When I looked gently to the side, the gaze I encountered was warm. Biting my lips, I grabbed Aaron¡¯s hand that was next to me and squeezed it tightly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I could see Aaron¡¯s puzzled expression, but I just smiled quietly because I was happy. Even though we met for the first time today, I liked Aaron as much as my father. So, I would protect neither my father nor my brother from having the same ending as in the original. Holding his warm hand and determining firmly, I didn¡¯t see Aaron¡¯s eyes sadly looking at me. ? ¡°Erita.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Do you want to go out to the garden?¡± After putting the book aside and having a conversation with Aaron, I answered his call, and my eyes widened at the words that followed. Actually, I¡¯ve been looking outside for a while¡­ ¡°I want to go!¡± After thinking for a moment, I nodded with an excited face. Then, Aaron drew a smile like our father looking at me while eating a dessert. ¡°Do you like it that much?¡± The corners of his eyes curved beautifully. I couldn¡¯t help but blush seeing his smile along with his gentle touch. ¡®What kind of kid talks like this¡­¡¯ I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be the best man in the Empire when he grows up. Who would have a prettier smile than my brother? I got up from my seat and nced at Aaron after cooling down my hot cheeks. ¡°Shall we go then?¡± Aaron¡¯s hand reached out to me politely, like an escort knight. At this moment, the feeling of being happier than anything else surrounds me. ¡°Yes!¡± Of course, I happily held his hand!
Chapter 12 When I came out to the garden with Aaron, I couldn¡¯t hide my excitement at the scenery I saw for the first time. The shape of the tall light green wooden wall surrounding the garden looked like a maze. ¡°It¡¯s more like a work of art than a garden.¡± The wooden wall didn¡¯t look very high when viewed from above, but when you were in front of it, it was higher than an adult. As we approached therge arched entrance in the middle, the interior of the garden began to look more and more visible. As if he could feel my body twitch, Aaronughed at me. ¡°Do you like it?¡±????? Already distracted by the scenery of the garden view at the round entrance, I nodded strongly at the words. Because of that, my hair got a little messy, and Aaron, who paused for a moment, tidied up my flowing hair and said, ¡°Father would like it when he sees it.¡±????? Those words reminded me of our father, who was still working hard, and I felt a little sad. ¡®¡±It would have been nice if father came with us.¡± But as soon as I passed the round entrance where vine flowers were blooming, I had no choice but to stop thinking and be fascinated. ¡°Wow¡­!!!¡± It was as if I had entered a fairy tale. When I thought about who this ce was made for, I could feel my father¡¯s feelings for Serbia. ? After that, I walked around the garden with brave steps. Talking with Aaron, who was walking next to me in the middle, my legs felt a little numb. It¡¯s all a lie to say that young children are tireless energizers. Of course it was a lie. ¡°Erita¡­¡±????? Even if I didn¡¯t, I tried not to make it obvious because Aaron thought of me as some kind of cotton candy. ¡®When my legs hurt, Aaron noticed much faster than I thought.¡¯ Muttering to myself softly, looking at Aaron¡¯s words that stopped me for a moment. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt much¡­¡±????? As expected, when Aaron, who knew that, called my name, my conscience was poked for no reason, and I eventually bowed my head and wiggled with my fingers. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Brother keeps thinking that I¡¯m so weak¡­¡±????? Just the thought of saying that my legs hurt this time, made me stiff. Erita tried to avoid the shame of looking like soft cotton candy, but all she heard was Aaron¡¯sughter. ¡°Was it because you don¡¯t like me to think of you like cotton candy?¡±????? ¡°Weak¡­¡±????? ¡°Yeah. Like a weak cotton candy.¡±????? Even after I corrected him, Aaron¡¯s smile remained on his face as he talked about cotton candy. It¡¯s embarrassing that I couldn¡¯t even respond when he brought it up, so I just bit my lips for no reason. ¡®Ah, my life.¡¯ This is all because of my weak body. ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s so cute when you say cotton candy.¡±????? ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I was wrong. So don¡¯t be mad, Erita. Huh?¡±????? ¡°¡­I¡¯m not mad.¡±????? She tried to refute but it was true that it wasn¡¯t pleasant, but she couldn¡¯t help but melt away in a single shot of Aaron¡¯s smile. It¡¯s awkward because it¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve met. Who would like it if you were picky from the first day? I justified the sensation of melting away like cotton candy. ¡°But I don¡¯t like it when Erita¡¯s having a hard time, so let me know if you¡¯re having a hard time in the future. Got it?¡±????? ¡°Yes¡­¡± There were some embarrassing situations for a while, but the end was heartwarming. After that, thinking about going back into the mansion, we decided to rest in the garden. ¡°Shall we rest under that tree?¡±????? ¡°Yes..I like it.¡± It was Aaron¡¯s suggestion, knowing that I didn¡¯t want to leave yet. There were conditions attached to Aaron up to that point. Contrary to my concern that it would be heavy, he lifted me easily. ¡°Erita, you should eat a lot for dinnerter.¡±????? ¡°What?¡± As I was holding onto him in a more stable manner than I expected, Iughed at those words. ¡°¡­We walked a lot today.¡±????? Aaron, who paused for a while, smiled lightly and spoke again. ¡°Here we are.¡±????? Arriving just in time, I couldn¡¯t think of Aaron¡¯s slightly strange attitude. As I strode across the grass that spreads out around the trees, the sound of rattles echoed softly. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Aaron gently looked down at me in the shade under the tree, took off his jacket that he was wearing, andid it on the ground. I felt weird for no reason. ¡°Erita?¡± I was hesitating for a while, and it seemed too much, but even if I stopped him, I would have been dragged in and sat there. ¡°Sit here.¡±????? A jacket wasid on the seat where I was sitting, and I just patted Aaron, who was sitting on the grass, to the side. How long would it take to get used to this kind of treatment? Now, Aaron calls my name and I still feel strange everytime. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Erita took a heavy step, expressing her awkward gratitude. The feeling of stepping on the grass was clear. Sitting carefully on the jacketid by Aaron, I followed him and leaned against a thick wooden pir. ¡°Look up for a moment.¡± Looking at the shady grass with my hands for a moment, I looked up at Aaron¡¯s words. ¡°¡­!¡± The sunlight gradually shone like stars in the night sky through the white leaves. When I saw it, I felt a little weird. A magnificent mansion and a beautiful garden that I only read in a novel. ¡­An and Aaron, who thought of me as a family. I raised my little hand, and stretched it out toward the sunlight. ¡°¡­Excuse me.¡± After a moment of silence, I lowered my hand and called Aaron in a slightly trembling voice. ¡°Yes, Erita.¡± I didn¡¯t have the courage to continue talking even after looking into his eyes. My fingertips felt cold as I thought about the story I was about to tell. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have done it. Should I say it¡¯s nothing even now? ¡­But I knew that as time went by, the size of the anxiety that was firmly entrenched in the corner of my heart would grow bigger and bigger. Unlike before, when I knew I was an orphan without a family, now I really had a family. I know that there is a family who misses and loves Erita a lot. Strange emotions soared with an affectionate voice. Even if you know who I am, would you still be able to call me with such a gentle voice? ¡®¡­No way.¡¯ After rolling my fist tightly, I slowly opened my lips. ¡°¡­Are you sure I¡¯m your sister?¡±????? ¡°Of course. Who else would be my sister if it wasn¡¯t you?¡±????? Aaron¡¯s words were wrong. I know he couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of what I said. Nevertheless, I wasn¡¯t confident in living like nothing happened. ¡°Why? Because I have ck hair and purple eyes?¡± The fact that I¡¯m not the real Erita Krovachatz was a fact that couldn¡¯t be forgotten. I spoke while turning away from Aaron¡¯s gaze that I could feel next to me for a quick nce. I didn¡¯t have the courage to continue talking even after looking into his eyes. ¡°What if my father and brother are mistaken? There¡¯s a real Erita, but just¡­What if you just misunderstood?¡±????? Unlike the first time I started calmly, the more I continued to talk, the more intense my emotions became. ¡°¡­Erita.¡± Aaron¡¯s voice trembled. It would be embarrassing for him. But since the first time I became happy, a corner of my heart has been anxious. I knew the reason for this anxiety. An and Aaron¡¯s cold gaze when they learned the truth. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been fine so far. It was also nice to stay in an orphanage.¡± I know it¡¯s not something I have to say to Aaron, but my mouth moved on it¡¯s own. Stop, stop! What am I going to do if I get really hated for doing this? Contrary to my heart, my trembling voice did not intend to stop. ¡°Being scolded by the director? I¡¯m used to that. It¡¯s okay to clean everyday, and it¡¯s okay for the kids to behave badly. It¡¯s okay if I live without my parents.¡±????? ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It really¡­!¡± I felt choke. I was afraid of being alone. I didn¡¯t want to be abandoned again. Because it was much more painful to hold someone¡¯s hand and then lose it than it was from the start. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll ever feel being trampled on by hope again. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be okay right now.¡±????? In the end, the truth came out. ¡°When being alone again¡­¡± ¡°Erita.¡± At that moment, Aaron quickly stopped talking in a low voice and grabbed my hand. My body trembled at the warm and gentle touch. The warmth of his hand, and the sound of his pounding heart. As I blinked at Aaron¡¯s hand wrapped around my hand, tears that had been rolling on my eyes fell down. ¡°Ah¡­¡± It was then that I realized that I was crying. I gently bit my lips at the sight of me looking ugly. Maybe he couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for me. ¡°Erita.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I really¡­ Really didn¡¯t know you were thinking like that.¡± It was natural not to know. If I were a real nine-year-old child, I wouldn¡¯t have thought of this. If I wasn¡¯t this twisted, would I have been able to just be happy to be their family? ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± All I could say was an apology. ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. Erita.¡± Just as she was thinking about it and apologized, Aaron spoke in a very firm voice. In that cold tone, which was distinctly different from the sweet voice so far, I bowed my head deeply. Doesn¡¯t it even deserve an apology? Well¡­ Even if it¡¯s me, I¡¯d be angry if the kid I brought in as my lost sister behaves like this. A smirk seemed toe out of his lips at any moment. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not your fault, so don¡¯t apologize.¡± Until I heard that. Unknowingly, I raised my head at apletely different meaning from what I expected. The eyes met like the first time, they were filled with love. Aaron, who licked his lips for a moment, gently embraced me. ¡°Erita¡­ No matter what you think, you are my sister and my family. That fact would never change.¡± The words that fell in my ears were sweeter than anything else. Even if it¡¯s not true, it makes me want to believe it. ¡°We won¡¯t be separated again. So don¡¯t worry. Huh?¡±????? ¡°¡­Yes.¡±????? The only answer I could give him was a brief affirmation. Unless I told him the truth, the direction that I and Aaron thought could never be the same. Even while we were together, Aaron and I spent a lot of time thinking about each other. ? Perhaps I had been in Aaron¡¯s arms for quite a long time, and when I woke up, it was night. I remembered my father¡¯s words that we should have dinner together, and as I hurried back to the mansion, I ran into my father who was just going down the stairs. ¡°Father.¡±????? ¡°Yes. Have you been well?¡± Since I cried earlier, I was a little reluctant to see my father¡¯s face. In fact, it was even more due to the fact that had been buried so far. That I¡¯m not their real family. But if I suddenly keep a distance, they¡¯d think it¡¯s weird. Selfishly, I wasn¡¯t good enough to give up on a family I barely had because of anxiety and guilt. As I approached quickly with a smile like a child, my father, who patted on Aaron¡¯s shoulder first, looked and asked me affectionately. He lightly nodded his head to confirm that, and deliberately spoke more softly. I asked Aaron to keep what happened earlier a secret. ¡­I¡¯d appreciate it more if you could just pretend it didn¡¯t happen, but it wasn¡¯t possible. ¡°I went to the library with my brother and went to see the garden, and they were both amazing and pretty¡­!¡±????? ¡°Really?¡± My father, who patted my head, hugged me lightly. ¡°Shall we eat first?¡± Just in time, my stomach made a small growling sound. ¡®¡­I couldn¡¯t believe it, I¡¯m hungry even in this situation.¡¯ It¡¯s my body, but I thought it was very honest. Maybe my father and my brother also heard the sound, and their mouths were drawing an arc. ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re running out of time. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, Father.¡± Even with myplicated heart, I could clearly feel my face reddened with embarrassment. I thought over and over that there was nothing I could do about it because it was a child¡¯s body, but I was still embarrassed. Only then, my father, whoughed, coughed in vain and began to walk, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly.¡± ? Sitting on the chair, I looked around, swinging my feet under the table. ¡°Was it just the three of us eating here?¡± At the table that looked like it could seat more than ten people, it was only my father, my brother, and me. There were already a lot of dishes on the table, but in the kitchen, it was set up. The food kepting out. Until when would ite out? I was curious and nced toward the kitchen, and I finally saw the end of the tray that wasing out endlessly. ¡°Sorry for the dy in preparation.¡± I lifted my head at the voice I heard. ¡°Huh..?¡± Somehow he looked like a butler, but his hair was a little whiter with a colder impression. But the moment our eyes met. ¡°Finally, it¡¯s time to meet you! It¡¯s an honor to meet you,dy. I must have been a butler since thest time I saw you in the mansion.¡± The chatter that started with that cold impression crumbled was enough to blow away my thoughts crawling on the floor. This grandfather waspletely different from how he looks, wasn¡¯t it? Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I Became the Viin¡¯s Lost Daughter Chapter 13
¡°Evan. When are you going to fix that book?¡± ¡°Hmm. As I got older, I kept getting more silly. Nice to meet you,dy. I¡¯m Evan, the chef of this mansion.¡± It was my father¡¯s voice that saved me from an embarrassing situation. The old man who coughed once introduced himself as Evan in a soft voice. ¡°Hello¡­ Well, I¡¯m Erita.¡± ¡°You could call me Evanfortably, littledy.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± It seemed like it would take a while to get used to his cold face and contrasting tone. More than that, I stared at Evan without realizing it. ¡°Hmm¡­ Oh, Terban is my brother. We look quite simr, right?¡± Noticing that gaze, Evan smiled softly and asked. Was it just my imagination that he seemed to anticipate an amazed expression? ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re eight years apart, so I used to raise Terban.¡¯ He grew up to be very boring now, but he was quite cute when he was young.¡± When I deliberately opened my round eyes and asked back, Evan smiled happily and nodded, as if he was satisfied. In addition, I heard trivial personal stories. ¡®Even though they have different impressions, they are very simr¡­¡¯ Most of all, the eyes that were deeply curved when smiling were the most simr. The impression waspletely different from the cold and the gentle feeling. Should I say that they are both typical middle-aged? ¡°¡­Evan.¡± The story was interrupted by my father¡¯s sighing call. ¡°Oh, my. I should get going¡±. ¡°We would prepare delicious snacks for you, so please stop by the kitchen sometimes.¡± As if telling a secret, Evan whispered softly towards me and left with a smile. The meal that followed was noisy even though there were only three of us. ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± ¡°Eat a lot, Erita.¡± When I saw my father putting my favorite dishes in front and my brother smiling at me, I felt strange. ¡°Was there anything you don¡¯t like?¡± ¡°Was there any problem?¡± ¡°Yes, never mind. Hurry up and eat with your father!¡± Even though my chest was tickling, I was getting stuffy. But this was up to me. At the question of my father and brother, I shook my head with a big smile. So I started dining with my entire family happily for the first time. ? By the end of the meal, every te on therge table had been collected around me. ¡®Try this too.¡¯ ¡°Erita, do you like chicken?¡± I spotted something tasty in the middle of the dinner thanks to my father and brother who pushed the te in front of me. ¡®You don¡¯t have to eat anything that doesn¡¯t suit your taste.¡¯ In addition, thanks to my father and brother who gathered everything because I didn¡¯t eat properly, the food in front of me was extremely exquisite. It was not too much, but it was a little burdensome, but I couldn¡¯t refuse as it was this day. Because I knew why they were doing that. ¡°I really enjoyed the meal¡­¡± After we finished an excessive meal and was satisfied, I sighed. Was it because it was a meal with my father and brother, or because Evan¡¯s cooking skills were exceptionally good? In fact, it seems to be both. With a little exaggeration, I would have eaten twice the amount I normally ate. I nced down at my fat stomach. ¡°¡­!¡± When I nced and touched my stomach, it was bulging too much. This feeling was still a little awkward because I had never eaten enough to be full until I met my father. ¡®¡­But I guess I ate a lot today.¡¯ After poking my stomach, feeling strange, I got a little embarrassed and put my finger away. And as I lifted my head with a casual expression, I found two pairs of red eyes that were staring at me. Erita turned frozen like ice. Why is the timing always like this¡­? Besides, why was my chair higher? ¡°Did you enjoy it?¡± Aaron¡¯s eyes were filled withughter when he asked that question. When I turned my head around, my father also had a happy smile. ¡°I¡¯m d it suits your taste.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Why do I feel so embarrassed up until now? I replied murmuring with a hot face. It must have been all nonsense to say that An and Aaron were cold and cruel. It really¡­ really nonsense. ? Time passed by after we finished eating and chatting. There was still some awkwardness, but it wasn¡¯t that I hated the feeling. Everything was awkward at first. Now, my father and brother were taking me to the room. It was my first day, so I might get lost in the mansion. Both of them were to me for being worried. ¡°Come anytime if you¡¯re bored. My room¡¯s right above Erita¡¯s room.¡±????? ¡°I¡¯m in the office, soe anytime.¡±????? When my older brother, who had been stroking my hair, pointed his finger straight up, my father told me the location of the office we went to earlier. But wasn¡¯t the office a ce for work? ¡°In your office¡­ Could I go there?¡± Of course, I wouldn¡¯t go there often. ¡°There¡¯s no ce in this mansion that you couldn¡¯t go to. You coulde anywhere if you want to.¡± When I asked in a small voice, the smiling faces of my father and Aaron standing in front of me, seemed natural. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°¡­Would you mind if I visit you a littleter?¡± Aaron asked, ncing at Fern following him. ¡°Later?¡± ¡°Yes, I have something to tell you, Erita.¡± An¡¯s gaze turned to me, and Aaron nodded his head. ¡°It¡¯s not long. I just thought you should know.¡± Since Aaron was with Erita today on behalf of An¡¯s busy schedule, he could have known something. ¡°Fern.¡± ¡°You can go first.¡± Fern, who gave way to An¡¯s call, bowed to Aaron. ¡°It won¡¯t take long, so I¡¯d appreciate it if you could wait a moment.¡± Fern smiled at Aaron¡¯s words and stiffened at the cold gaze as he met through the closed door. Fern, who had forgotten for a while that my father was originally a cold person, leaned against the wall with a smile. It¡¯s only been a day since the youngdy came, but he thought the atmosphere in the mansion had changed a lot. An and Aaron, who entered the office with Fern in front of the door, and sat down on the sofa. ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s something you need to know.¡± At An¡¯s heavy gaze, Aaron recalled what had happened during the day. He just thought she was awkward because it was the first time they met, but it could have been better. Erita held my hand tightly in the library and made a determined face. And my younger sister who showed an unexpected appearance in the garden. ¡®When I think of that time, I still feel my heart flutter.¡¯????? I couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of life Erita had so far. All I could say was just it¡¯s expected. ¡°¡­That¡¯s what happened.¡± After Aaron¡¯s short words, there was a moment of silence. The anxiety that Erita expressed was too heavy for a young child to have. It¡¯s not enough for her to feel the love she deserves, as if she shouldn¡¯t, she¡¯s afraid of being abandoned. Aaron couldn¡¯t even imagine how much the little child¡¯s heart would be smeared and crushed. Chapter 14 Erita was trying to get up alone because it was awkward to wake from a soft touch every morning. Mary came in yesterday and tragically failed, but today was aplete sess. ¡®It took longer than I thought¡­¡¯ It¡¯s already been more than two weeks since I came to the Grand Pce. This week was long when it needed to be long and short when it needed to be short, but it was just enough time for me to get to know the Grand Duke family. Of course, my room was even better. It was still a luxurious ceiling, but now it was a great development just by looking at it and I¡¯m not surprised. I sat down on the nice rug after making a lovely bed with fruitless ideas. ¡°What time is it?¡± It was just five minutes before Mary and Marilyn came in. I put on my soft fur slippers and nced at the watch, then walked over to the window. Yesterday there was a fluffy cloud like cotton candy, but today it was pure blue without a single cloud. Theke where my father and brother first took me haster be my third favorite spot in the mansion. First was the garden. Second was the library. And third was thatke. In turn, these are the ces I¡¯ve been to the most over the past week. ¡°Then, shall we watch my brother¡¯s swordsmanship practice today?¡± As I thought that I would be able to see happy faces today, I smiled automatically. When I looked out of the window and set my schedule for the day. I heard a knock. ¡°Lady, it¡¯s Mary.¡± A small voice came over the door, perhaps thinking I was dozing and realized, it¡¯s Mary! ¡°Lady, now¡­¡± ¡°Mary!¡±????? ¡°Oh my!¡± When Mary¡¯s name was called and the nket tilted, Mary was surprised. Whileughing excitedly, I nced, feeling that it was a little too much. ¡°Are you surprised?¡±????? ¡°I totally forgot. I thought you were sleeping.¡± To the sullen question, Mary replied yfully, rolling her eyes. Mary was really nice. I rolled over the nket and stepped back down onto the soft rug. ¡°Good morning, Mary!¡±????? ¡°You woke up early today!¡± After greeting with a big smile, I nodded proudly at Mary¡¯s words. My challenge this past week was that only Mary and Marilyn knew. ¡°I used to wake up very early!¡±????? ¡°Really?¡± Seeing her smile-stained tone, Mary didn¡¯t seem to believe me. But I¡¯m serious! Well. Mary has only seen me fall asleep like a sleepyhead so far. Still, I was embarrassed, and I muttered in annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s true. I didn¡¯t get scolded when I woke up early.¡±????? I didn¡¯t mean to say that at all. I really didn¡¯t think much of it, so I just said it out loud. I never thought what I said would sound like that to Mary. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ It wasn¡¯t until the atmosphere suddenly subsided that I felt sorry. ¡®Oh, what¡¯s with this atmosphere? Why did I even say that?¡¯ If I could turn back time, I wanted to go back a minute ago. ¡°Lady¡­¡± Mary¡¯s face, who became teary, called out to me. Mary, who was kind and sweet, tends to take care of me too much, and she spoke. Perhaps I prefer the soft atmosphere. I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I slowly looked up at Mary and said, ¡°¡­I¡¯m really fine.¡±????? ¡°Don¡¯t say that¡­¡± The atmosphere has be worse. From now on, I¡¯ll just keep my mouth shut. Without crying orughing, I rolled my feet. What should I do at times like this? If I had known it was going to be like this, I wouldn¡¯t have said that. I regretted itter, but now I have a greater desire to escape from this portrait book-like atmosphere. The card I brought up was eventually a change of words. We can¡¯t stay like this all morning. ¡°Ma- Mary! I think I¡¯m hungry!¡±????? ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Would you like to get ready and go down soon?¡± Erita pressed Mary awkwardly with a smile. Mary¡¯s expression, which had not rxed, became a little better only after I grabbed her hand tightly and waved it around. ¡®¡­Phew. It took ten years.¡¯ As I was heading to the dining room, I breathed a sigh of relief inside. How nervous I was the whole time I changed my clothes. Fortunately, Mary never brought it up again. ¡°Hello,dy!¡± ¡°Oh, Marilyn!¡±????? As I was almost at the dining, I smiled and waved at Marilyn, who I encountered in front of the door. Marilyn was one of the maids I ran into on the first day I came here. Unlike the first time when I felt intimidated, perhaps because of what happened on the first day, she was lively and honest. ¡°Hey, did you wake up alone today?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Marilyn was surprised when she ran and whispered. ¡°Are you surprised that I woke up so early?¡±????? Apart from pride, my eyes were thinned by the surprising response. Of course, I didn¡¯t want to go through the low-key atmosphere again, so I didn¡¯t say anything useless. ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°You usually wake up when Mary wakes you up about three times.¡± Marilyn¡¯s words with a bright smile made my bones throbbed for some reason. ¡­It¡¯s true, so I can¡¯t refute Marilyn for a while. It¡¯s my fault that I forgot that I was very honest. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± I tried to make excuses that I didn¡¯t anymore, but I quit because I felt pathetic. ¡®It¡¯s just a matter of getting used to being treated like a child¡­¡¯????? Perhaps because I entered a child¡¯s body, my head was pounding when I thought a lot. I¡¯m used to saying things that were intentionally simple at first. Marilyn smiled at me like, ¡®Oh! she spoke.¡¯ ¡°Master and young master are waiting, pleasee down first.¡± ¡°¡­You should¡¯ve told me that first.¡±????? Of course, I started talking about something else. ¡°I¡¯ll go first! See youter!¡± ¡°See youter,dy!¡± I hurriedly waved at Marilyn as I entered the restaurant. I was going to go down and wait for my father and brother. Because I woke upte every day at meal time, I had never greeted my father and brother in the morning first. Whenever I entered the dining room, I wanted to do that because I felt good about greeting them. I hurried my steps, but they always came first. I was thest to sit on the chair together. ¡°Hello, Erita.¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Good morning, father and brother!¡±????? As I entered, I saw my father and older brother smiling while looking in my direction, and I also cheerfully greeted them. ¡°I will enjoy this food!¡±????? ¡°Yes. Eat a lot.¡± And we started eating as usual. ¡®I¡¯ll be the first one toe down tomorrow. Really. For sure!¡¯ It promises tomorrow to a n that has failed fiercely. ? ng?! The sound of swords shing resounded. Aaron and the head of the Grand Duke¡¯s Knights fought bravely. Aaron, who¡¯s yet fifteen, was fighting on an equal footing with an opposing knight. No, was Aaron a little more dominant? Erita sat on the flower bed a little further away from them, and waved her hand and looked at him. ¡°Cool!!¡±????? At that moment, the sword quickly fell over Aaron. I know it¡¯s just a fight, but the momentum was quite fierce, so I sped my hands tightly. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Fortunately, Aaron, who fought using the sword, kicked on the ground and moved quickly. ¡°Where!?¡± Aaron¡¯s sword, who first adjusted his posture, flew toward the opponent with a smooth line. ¡®Well done!¡¯ Erita held her breath and cheered him on. ng?! The sparkling sword rolled over the floor. It belongs to Aaron¡¯s opponent. ¡°I lost.¡± As the opposing knight raised both hands and acknowledged defeat, Aaron pulled out the sword that was aimed at his neck. ¡°Wow!¡±????? As I was watching while stomping my feet in Aaron¡¯s victory, I jumped up from my seat. Aaron¡¯s eyes were round when he found me. ¡®There¡¯s nothing my father and brother can¡¯t do.¡¯ Wavering at the sweet smile, I quickly picked up the water and towels I had kept. ¡°Hey!¡± I ran to Aaron, who was approaching with a sword, and first pushed out the water. ¡°Here¡¯s water!¡±????? ¡°You don¡¯t have to¡­¡±????? ¡°I¡¯m doing this because I want to!¡±????? Aaron said it¡¯s fine, but this was purely what I had asked the maid to do. I also wanted to watch Aaron wielding a sword a little closer ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing it because I like you..¡±????? I inted my cheeks in front Aaron, who was constantly apologizing. ¡°¡­I really can¡¯t beat you.¡±????? ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Thank you, Erita.¡± Aaron, who was looking at me, smiled lightly and epted the fresh water. ¡°Here¡¯s a towel!¡±????? ¡°Huh? Did you bring a towel?¡±????? ¡°Of course! I know this much.¡± When I held out a towel following the water, Aaron, who looked surprised for a moment, ended upughing. The crowd burst intoughter. The hand he had raised to stroke my hair went down again because it wasn¡¯t clean. Taking advantage of Aaron¡¯s break from training for a while, we sat on the bench and talked. Usually, when I chatted, Aaron responded. ¡°You were so cool!¡±????? ¡°Really?¡±????? ¡°Yes! The sword at the end was like this! Then you hit it and it fell off!¡± In the end, I copied Aaron, hitting the opponent¡¯s sword. ¡°Haha! It¡¯s good that you say I¡¯m cool.¡±????? ¡°This is a secret¡­¡± Erita looked around carefully. ¡°I think my older brother is the best.¡± ¡°Huh?¡±????? ¡°Really. My older brother is the coolest!¡± I whispered into Aaron¡¯s ear as I got closer. It might make you feel bad when other people hear it. Aaron, who bowed his head following my gesture, burst intoughter at what I said. Of course, the skills of the other knights were extremely impressive, but only Aaron stood out in my opinion. ¡®Honestly, my older brother looks the best.¡¯ I seriously nodded, thinking like such a flurry of ideas in my mind. This week was enough time for me to get acquainted with Aaron. Now I could do this without any hesitation. ¡°Erita is the coolest for me too.¡± Aaron smiled and touched my cheek. ¡°Really?¡±????? ¡°Of course. You¡¯re the coolest.¡± After that, a parade of praise followed. Because it didn¡¯t end, we stared at each other, and no matter who came first, we burst intoughter. Life in the Grand Pce was more enjoyable than I thought and the people are more friendly than expected Well, I simply loved this ce so much. Chapter 15 The short break was over. Despite being in the position as the heir of the Duke, Aaron trained just like other knights. Aaron looked like he was running, jumping and rolling on the dirty floor and covered with dust, but it was very cool. I think his face looked really cool. I wonder what kind of people would look cool with that kind of face. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, go up first any time. Okay?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± It wouldn¡¯t be boring at all, but once I answered it, I did it vigorously. Otherwise, the good Aaron might leave his training behind. I didn¡¯t want to interrupt his schedule either. ¡°See youter!¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Aaron returned to the knights after a brief break to resume his training. I smiled and waved my hand. Aaron, who strode along, joined the group preparing for the match. Aaron¡¯s appearance was unfamiliar, yet natural. He looked indifferent, but so far, Aaron seemed closer to the knights than expected. Even the knights don¡¯t seem to have a hard time training with Aaron. It waspletely different from the servants having difficulty with Aaron. ¡®Come to think of it, there are a lot of knights.¡¯ As far as I know, I think there are over a hundred people. Of course, there were many more knights I couldn¡¯t see. The building, a little smaller than the main building next to the theater, was the residence of the knights belonging to the Grand Prince¡¯s mansion. I heard that there are more knights in other ces than here. ¡°It¡¯s really weird. But that¡¯s great.¡± No matter how much I thought about it, the original work must have been a pure mess. Aside from my father and brother being viins. ¡°Why did they get fooled so easily?¡± Not to mention my father was the strongest in the world. My brother also inherited that talent. Was it weird if it¡¯s just those two? I¡¯ll do it, but¡­ I lifted my head and looked at the training grounds. I don¡¯t know, but the strength of the hundreds of knights was probably not weak. ¡®But why was it so easy in the original story?¡¯ It was a viin role, but the story and the past didn¡¯te out from the book. Why would my father pretend to be with the male lead in the first ce? Rather, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to have a hostile rtionship with the first prince? The more I thought about it, the more doubtful I became. ¡°What was the author thinking?¡± There has never been a time when I was more curious about the author¡¯s mind than now. It wouldn¡¯t be frustrating if he showed An¡¯s past coolly in the original. Erita excitedly promised to change the ending, but she didn¡¯t know what to do with An and Aaron. My chest became stuffy. What¡¯s the point of knowing the original? What do I even know about An and Aaron? There¡¯s nothing like a rat¡¯s horns. When I realized that there was nothing I could do, I sighed at my helplessness. If I were an adult, it would befortable. ¡°No. I told you that the road starts with one step!¡± First of all, let¡¯s get some information from the people around us. When I think about it, the easiest person to hear from was¡­ ¡°It must be grandpa Evan.¡± Starting the morning stretches and drinking three sses of milk a day. First of all, wasn¡¯t this a child¡¯s body? ¡°There are a lot of things I could do to grow up quickly. If possible, I could grow a little taller.¡¯ I remembered my father¡¯s great height. Although he had a head bigger than most adult men, he didn¡¯t look dull at all, but rather strong. Looking at Aaron, who looked out strong enough to not be pushed back even among the knights there. Since then, Aaron and Erita also share the same genes, that¡¯s it. Expectations rose sharply. I wasn¡¯t that tall before in my previous life, so I wanted to be taller in this life. It was then. ¡°Master! The documents that need to be processed¡­!¡± ¡°Okay. Bring something that¡¯s not urgent.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in a hurry!¡± A familiar voice came from behind as I stretched my arms in the air. The corners of my lips lifted by itself. As I turned around, I saw my father and Fern walking this way. ¡°Father!¡± ¡°Hello¡­¡± Then I ran to my father. Naturally, I was used to the embrace that held me. Last time, I tried not to hug him because I was shy, but somehow I decided to just hug him, who looked disappointed. ¡°I greet thedy.¡± ¡°Fern¡¯s face¡­ Well, um¡­¡± When I saw Fern¡¯s handsome face, my words slurred. ¡°Haha. I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯ll be okay. Because I have more work tomorrow than you.¡± ¡°Are youparing me to Your Majesty now? I¡¯m a wizard!¡± Fern¡¯s voice, shouting anew, trembled at my father¡¯s heartless response. It sounded like anyone would listen to my father, but those who would actually listen don¡¯t give him a nce. In fact, that appearance of Fern was at leastmon. Because it happens every time my fatheres to see me. About five times a week? I sighed deeply, but there was nothing I could do. Except for my father who turned his back on Fern before he upsets him further. ¡°Hey, how did you get here?¡± I didn¡¯t even tell you where I was going today. ¡°I couldn¡¯t reach the master¡¯s eyes in the mansion.¡± ¡°I saw you and Aaron.¡± Father, who cut off what Fern was trying to say at once, casually said. ¡°¡­Why do you keep interrupting me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you only say useless things.¡± Fern¡¯s protest was also firmly cut off. His eyes met with sympathy as he smiled regretfully. Was it my misunderstanding that a smile looked so sweet? ¡°Aren¡¯t you bored being alone?¡± Inwardly, I shook my head at my father¡¯s words, giving Fern my heartfelt support. ¡°I was with my brother a while ago.¡± ¡°Aaron?¡± ¡°Yeah! I saw my older brother fight in the training before, and it¡¯s really cool!¡± In my words, my father turned to the side where Aaron was. There, Aaron, who just flew the opponent¡¯s sword, was calmly grinding the sword. ¡°Wow¡­!¡± It¡¯s already been three consecutive wins since earlier. ¡°Actually, even before my father came, my brother won twice.¡± I told my father proudly. It¡¯s great to have a heart like this! ¡°Yeah. He improved a lot.¡± Father gazed at Aaron for a moment, then smiled and nodded. For some reason, I felt so proud. I smiled contentedly and turned my head in that direction, and Aaron was approaching quickly. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Your skills have improved a lot.¡± ¡°I still have a long way to go before I could follow in my father¡¯s footsteps.¡± Aaron seemed a little embarrassed by the suddenpliment, but soon smiled and responded. Aaron¡¯s goal of wanting to be like his father seemed to be progressing step by step. I asked others to keep it a secret. I smiled indifferently at the warm sight of the father and son. ¡°Since I¡¯vee down, let¡¯s see how much you¡¯ve improved so far.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.¡± ¡°Watching you do well.¡± But that¡¯s also for a while. My father¡¯s words were enough for the warm atmosphere to suddenly burn. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Is it okay?¡± I nodded my head. Well, there¡¯s no reason for me to stop the two of them from doing it. I was also curious to see how my father could fight. I¡¯ve seen Aaron¡¯s fight many times, but I¡¯ve never seen my father wielding a sword. My father, who brought me down safely to the ground, took off the jacket he was wearing loosely over his shirt. ¡°I¡¯ll hold it!¡± I took over the jacket my father was trying to hand over to Fern. ¡°If it¡¯s heavy, hand it over to Fern.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back, Erita.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt, dad! Aaron, don¡¯t get hurt!¡± I said with a serious expression. Above all, it was most important for the two not to get hurt. ¡°Yeah, I will.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡± It seems that the two just took it as a cute concern. My father, in a light shirt, stroked my hair and headed to the training ground with Aaron. I waved vigorously with myrge father¡¯s jacket over my arm. ¡°How¡¯s the training going?¡± When my father entered, the atmosphere changed in an instant. Should I say that the light atmosphere was filled with spirit? ¡°Loyalty to the Grand Duke!¡± The knights who shouted, clenched their fists in unison, pounded on the chest twice and removed it. ¡°Wow¡­!!¡± As I sat on the bench, I opened my mouth to see that temperance. The familiar figure of my father standing in the center was like a painting. ¡°It¡¯s the greeting of the Knights that has been around for hundreds of years.¡± Fern, who was standing next to me, further exined. How could you say it¡¯s been hundreds of years? Admiration popped out of the unfamiliar unit of time. ¡°Could I sit down for a while?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Erita nodded at Fern¡¯s question. Fern, who expressed his gratitude, smiled and sat down next to me. After seeing my father warming up lightly before the confrontation, I asked Fern what he had been curious about for a long time. ¡°I think Fern knows my father well.¡± He came with us when they first came to pick me up. It felt like we had been together for quite a long time, looking familiar with each other. Fern doesn¡¯t look that old, but it was strange that he was my father¡¯s assistant. ¡°Um. It¡¯s probably because I¡¯ve been here for six years.¡± ¡°Six years?¡± Short is short and long is long. Fern nodded his head once and continued the conversation calmly. ¡°Actually, the first time I saw the Grand Duke was ten years ago. ¡°Ten years¡­?¡± I nced at Fern¡¯s face. No matter how much I look at it, you¡¯re still in your mid-twenties. ¡°It was in the Monster Subjugation Competition that I participated in when I was 16 years old.¡± ¡°You were 16?¡± I know this was a fantasy world, but I couldn¡¯t believe how young he participated in a subjugation. It wasn¡¯t the kind of figure I wanted to imagine. Even considering the fact that the adult here was 18, it was quite early. ¡°Well, I had a lot ofints about my family at the time.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t die if I went out with my magic skills.¡± At that time, Fernughed, saying that he was very childish. No matter how manyints there are from the family, that¡¯s why he participated in the Monster Subjugation Exhibition. Fern also had a castle. Common people don¡¯t have surnames. And when I think about it, he seemed to know the noble etiquette very well. ¡°Fern was also a noble?!¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m the second son of Count Eilish.¡± ¡®I didn¡¯t know.¡¯ Fern, who responded to my startled question, smiled sadly. It felt overbearing because I couldn¡¯t find anything to say to that casual answer. If you¡¯re a count¡¯s second son, you¡¯re still a high-ranking nobleman. I didn¡¯t know it because he didn¡¯t look like that at all. ¡°But I¡¯m almost kicked out of the house.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I ran out of our home six years ago. At that time, I heard that the family register was digging it, but I¡¯m not sure if it was really dug or not.¡± Fern let out a littleugh. ¡°I have a talent for being calm and casual.¡± Where in the world could you say that your family register was being dug out? I gasped at the surprising fact. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯ll tell you about my boring family storyter.¡± No, it¡¯s totally fun. It¡¯s so much fun. Wow! While shaking my thoughts, I was surprised by the sound of the cheers I heard and turned my gaze. ¡°Because the lord and the young master are starting to fight.¡± There was a father and son pointing swords at each other. Well. Then there¡¯s nothing we could do I hid my disappointment and nodded. I¡¯ll watch my father and brother first. ¡°Could I listen to it after this?¡±(Erita) ¡°..It¡¯s not a very interesting story, but I¡¯d be happy if you wanted to.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll definitely tell you next time!¡± As Fern answered with a smile, the match started. Chapter 16 The battle between father and son started. To be honest, I had nothing to say about their match. It was just strange for me, who didn¡¯t know anything about swordsmanship. It was different from kendo and fencing, which I sometimes saw on mobile phones before. At the beginning, Aaron¡¯s sword attack pouring towards father was fierce. It was exhausting merely to chase each of their actions around, even if it wasn¡¯t as rapid as it had been. ¡°¡­Fern. Was my brother winning now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. If you look closely, the Grand Duke isn¡¯t attacking back.¡± Erita frowned at Fern¡¯s words and nced over her father attentively. As she looked closely, like Fern said, my father was just blocking my brother¡¯s attack. Seeing that he was able to stop the attack of brother with only simple movements. Erita¡¯s respect for her father grew rapidly. ¡°Wow! That¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Yes. If the Grand Duke deals with him properly, it will be over soon.¡± ¡°Wow!!!¡± ¡°So, when he fights with knights, he usually uses only his left hand or does it on condition that he won¡¯t move more than one foot.¡± Erita¡¯s mouth opened agape hearing his exnations. From what I saw earlier, my brother¡¯s skills weren¡¯t even a joke¡­ How strong was my father? Changing the hand wielding the sword would be a million times more difficult than writing with the other hand. It was then, ¡°How long are you going to just block me?¡± Aaron¡¯s sword, which hit the cold ground, turned dark. The color was so vivid that it looked like a zing fire wrapped around the sword. ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a clear Aura like that, it¡¯s at the level of a Master¡­!¡± Fern¡¯s voice, which seemed to be surprised by the buzzing surroundings. Among them, the word about being a ¡®Master¡® was heard particrly loudly. The face of my father, who had been calm so far, also had a slight surprise. ¡°Extreme!!¡± ¡°Good.¡± The smooth sword and the overflowing sword collided, but it was my brother who was pushed out. Father, who lightly shed Aaron¡¯s sword, which was more startling to anyone could see, smiled. ¡°Look carefully.¡± That was the moment. Darkness flocked around my father¡¯s sword with the illusion that the surrounding air seemed to change. It was simr to my brother¡¯s, but it waspletely ck. It was darkness that made even the sun in the sky lose its light. The two of them stared at each other silently for a moment, then hit the ground at the same time. The sound of sharp swords shing resounded loudly. The ck sword and the dark red sword shed and dust flew along. ¡°¡­You really have no limits.¡± When Fern, who burst intoughter, flickered his finger, a transparent wall fluttered in front of us. ¡°What do you mean there¡¯s no limit?¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s Aura. It¡¯s bigger than thest time I saw it.¡± Even if I don¡¯t have power, my hands are trembling on their own. As I nced down, Fern¡¯s fists trembled slightly. It was a little strange, but I passed it lightly and looked at my father with sparkling eyes. ¡°That¡¯s what the strongest man in the novel looks like.¡± Despite the sharp confrontation, there was a smile on the faces of my father and my brother. As if they were having fun. And the de flew through the air and stuck in the ground. The tight battle ended when the sword of my father, which he finally raised, broke into two pieces ¡°You¡¯ve improved a lot.¡± With a satisfied smile, father patted my brother on the shoulder. ¡°It was a long way from following my father, though.¡± My brother, who smiled back like that, seemed to be satisfied regardless of the result. First, my father turned around, followed by my brother walking towards me. ¡°Father! Brother!¡± I rushed and looked alternately at the two. It didn¡¯t look like an injury, but the impact of the red and ck swords should have been so great. It may be familiar to the people here, but it was a rather surprising scene for me, who lived in an ordinary 21st century. Good! I don¡¯t think they¡¯re hurt. As I stepped back with a satisfied nod, I could see the faces of the two smiling. ¡°Give it to me.¡± At that time, themander of the knight, who I sometimes encountered and knew awkwardly, called my father. ¡°You didn¡¯t pretend to hear me when I asked you toe and see me.¡± ¡°You know the reason better.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? It¡¯s been a while since you¡¯ve visited here, so please take a look at the knights¡¯ training.¡± Have any of the people I¡¯ve talked to with father ever been able to speak like that? When I peeked, my father sighed as if it was a headache. However, considering that he didn¡¯t look so bad, I thought they had a very friendly rtionship. Even though the Commander of the knights looks older than father. The rtionship between the two seemed a little different from the rtionship between Fern and my father. Surely it¡¯s because the Commander was older? ¡°¡­I¡¯m about to leave.¡± When my father nced at me and said that, the knightmander¡¯s gaze turned to me. The Commander of the knight who met my gaze smiled and bowed his head towards me. ¡°Are you going too?¡± ¡°Yes? Oh, no. There¡¯s nothing¡­ to do yet.¡± When I unexpectedly answered, themander of the knight smiled and looked at father. Look at this. Is it my mistake to answer like that? My father, who frowned at the sly appearance of the Commander, eventually sighed. ¡°There are only five.¡± ¡°Five is enough.¡± ¡®What¡¯s five?¡® My little question was quickly answered. ? ¡°Father came to help with the trainingst time, and he was held all day.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯szy, so he doesn¡¯te down after.¡± They say that there are five knights ready to fight my father. But It must be difficult for anyone to be caught all day and help out with training. Not knowing that my father could win even if he fought with the knights all week, I nodded as I thought so. ¡°The Grand Duke won!¡± The knight¡¯s cry announcing father¡¯s victory again rang. ¡®This is already the third time.¡¯ I was sitting on the bench with Aaron and watching my father. It seems like it has just started, but the third match has already ended. It took less than thirty minutes for the fourth and fifth battles to finish. It¡¯s like maybe it¡¯s the reason why he deliberately held swords for a long time for the sake of teaching. My father, who had just finished the match, walked over, tidying up his clothes. ¡°Father!¡± ¡°Erita.¡± My trembling legs stopped and as I stood up, my father approached me and naturally lifted me up. It was very cool that he didn¡¯t even sweat even though he had fought several times. Should I say that he¡¯s like the strongest man in a novel? ¡®Oh right, he¡¯s the strongest in the novel!¡± I nodded, remembering An¡¯s setting in the novel. As a magic swordsman, swordsmanship itself is the strongest of the empire. Isn¡¯t itpletely over-setting? My father had better specifications than the male lead. Besides, look at this shiny appearance¡­ If it was a different novel, it would be perfect toe out as a male protagonist of the story. ¡°You were so cool! The sword flew like this!¡± Erita screamed with her eyes shining in excitement. When I moved my arms around to cheer him on, copying what I saw earlier, my fatherughed. The ck fluttering sword was like the lightsaber you saw in SX Wars. I don¡¯t know if I can say it here, but the sudden thought made me burst intoughter. ¡°You¡¯re both the coolest and best in the world!¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Thanks, Erita.¡± Aaron smiled lightly. In fact, I¡¯ve been wanting to say he¡¯s cool since earlier, but I held it in because I wanted to tell my father and brother. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d like swords.¡± Father handed over the sword to the head of the knights. I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d like it either. But who wouldn¡¯t fall in love with you if you showed us such a cool side? Sneakily looking at him, I came up with an idea that I had been thinking about. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Yes. Erita.¡± ¡°I want to learn the sword too¡­!¡± It was something I was determined to say. I wondered if even a weak body would be a little stronger if I learned and trained how to wield the sword. Unlike me, who spoke out of curiosity, the gaze of my father, who was looking at me affectionately, shook at the moment. ¡°A sword¡­?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m bored because I¡¯m not doing anything in the mansion¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡­¡± I nodded as I answered, an embarrassment hung around Aaron¡¯s eyes. My older brother didn¡¯t seem to be in favor of it either. ¡°Why don¡¯t you learn the sword after you grow up a little bit more?¡± What my father said was that I was still too young to burden my body with training. Slowly ncing down at her arm. ¡®Well. It¡¯s definitely too thin.¡¯ And I don¡¯t have good stamina either. It¡¯s not for any other reason, but a concern. It was a little disappointing, but I didn¡¯t want to be stubborn and make them worry. Realizing the truth, I nodded sullenly. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± In fact, I wanted to learn swords, but it was also because I felt a little ufortable that I didn¡¯t seem to have anything to do. All I¡¯ve done so far was waking up and eating, ying, eating again, and ying again. ¡°If you are a little bigger, I¡¯ll definitely teach you. So don¡¯t be upset.¡± ¡°Yes! Please teach meter!¡± ¡°Okay. Why don¡¯t you learn something else first instead of a sword? Tell me anything.¡± For a moment, I was depressed at the gentle dissatisfaction, and the option given to me was a better idea. Okay¡­ It¡¯s preferable to learn something else first. In order to live as a noble from now on, it would be better to learn basic knowledge such as etiquette and history. It was when I was thinking productively. ¡°Father.¡± Aaron, who was watching us quietly, called father and smiled. ¡°Come to think of it, can¡¯t she go out now?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. That¡¯s right.¡± My father smiled satisfactorily as he knew the meaning of those words. So, simply it meant that we can go anywhere. For a moment, I felt estranged by the words I couldn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Erita, would you like to go to the vige?¡± ¡°To the vige?¡± ¡°Yes. If you want to.¡± Erita¡¯s eyes went round at those words. ¡®What do you mean to leave the mansion?¡¯ ¡°With my father and brother together?¡± ¡°Yes. Together.¡± As I stared at my father and brother, they both smiled sweetly and nodded together. Wah! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m going outside the mansion for the first time since I came here. ¡°Yes! I want to go!¡± And of course, naturally, my answer is yes! Chapter 17 ¡°Father! Brother!¡± ¡°Oh hello, Erita. Good morning.¡± By the time I was ready and came down, everyone was already there except me. ¡°What? Not today!¡± ¡®That¡¯s impossible? Make it unconditional.¡¯ ¡®Haha! Master joked all around.¡¯ ¡®Does this sound like a joke?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s not possible! I can¡¯t! If you want to go, you¡¯ll have to kill me!¡¯ Thinking about yesterday¡¯s situation for a moment, I can¡¯t stop smiling. At first, I should have left yesterday, but I felt sorry for Fern, who had lost, so I asked him today. My father just ignored me and tried to leave, but I saw Fern¡¯s desperate face. Seeing the dark circles on Fern¡¯s face, I couldn¡¯t even stop them. ¡°Have a great time.¡± ¡°See you,dy!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back!¡± Smiling warmly while waving at Terban and Mary as they escorted us out the door. When I left the door holding my father¡¯s and brother¡¯s hand, arge carriage was waiting for us. It was the peak of two ck Krovachatz wrapped in the vines carved on the carriage. ¡®Hmm¡­ I know this much now. There were a lot of books in the mansion library.¡® Among them, of course, there were books written about the history and families of the Empire. ¡®Well. But the carriage is very high.¡¯ Perhaps because it was big, the height of the carriage was higher than expected. But I forgot for a moment that there was no need to worry about that. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± My brother got into the carriage first and held out his hand. ¡°Oh!¡± My father lifted me lightly and put me on the carriage seat. Entering the carriage holding my brother¡¯s hand, I smiled awkwardly. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± At father¡¯s words, the carriage began to roll slowly. Contrary to the splendid exterior, the interior of the carriage was simple. The chair was as soft as a bed. I was trying to wiggle my fingers when I realized that my brother was holding my hand. ¡°Hey, brother.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I tried to tell him to let go of my hand, but when I saw the sweet smile on his lips, I wondered what was going on. ¡°Ugh, no. It¡¯s just fine¡­¡± ¡°Haha. What?¡± When I shook my head andughed along, my brother followed me and burst intoughter. As I felt someone¡¯s gaze, I turned towards and saw father, who was sitting across, was staring at us. Was there something on my face? Fumbling as I touched my cheek, there¡¯s nothing on it. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because she said it looked good?¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± I responded with a light smile to my brother¡¯s whispering words. Could it be that our father did that because of something like that? He keeps staring at us, well¡­ maybe it¡¯s really because of that? It was the moment when I met my father¡¯s gaze while thinking. ¡°Father!¡± It¡¯s the same expression as usual, but I¡¯m not sure. ¡°Thank you foring with us. I love you so much!¡± With a broad smile, I shouted. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but it¡¯s true. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you like it.¡± Seeing my father smile, I thought this was the correct answer. ? ¡°How pretty! It¡¯s so warm and sunny outside.¡± Admiring the scenery passing by through the window of the moving carriage. It was autumn, and the colorful trees were adorning the road. As we slowly approached the vige, the buildings began to appear one by one. ¡°The mansion is a bit far from the town.¡± At my brother¡¯s words, I nodded in agreement. It was definitely a different atmosphere from the calm and quiet Grand Duke¡¯s residence. It feels crowded and lively because there are so many people. ¡°We must get off now.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± I couldn¡¯t hide my amazement from my father¡¯s words. At that moment, I remembered one thing I had forgotten. ¡®In Lysen, where the orphanage was, I hated having ck hair¡­ ¡® Although this ce has been far since the Grand Duke¡¯s mansion, where my father was, I still had a clear view from the people¡¯s gaze. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Would it be okay if I don¡¯t change my hair color?¡± I¡¯m afraid people would stare at me¡­ I blurted out, wondering if I might offend my father. But the carriage door opened, and my father gently stroked my hair once. As if I shouldn¡¯t be anxious. ¡°No one is afraid of ck hair here. For hundreds of years, the people of the Grand Duke have ruled.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°And the reason I changed my hair colorst time was to hide my existence, not because my hair was ck.¡± It was only then that I found out why in Lysen he had changed his hair color. In addition, the people of the Grand Duke are not afraid of dark hair. Well, it was the people who ruled over the territory in the first ce. It¡¯s understandable. I felt reassured to see my father reaching out his hand toward me outside the carriage. There was also my older brother who held my hand tightly and smiled. Yes, so I made up my mind. Let¡¯s not be scared and worry. Holding my father¡¯s hand tightly, I gained courage. ? When I got off the carriage, what I saw was a bustling street. There were more people and more buildings than Lysen, where I lived before. Still, no one looked at us strangely. This is what father meant by there¡¯s no need to worry. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say you don¡¯t have to worry?¡± I smiled and nodded at my father¡¯s words. ¡°Don¡¯t let go of my hand because you might get lost.¡± Holding my father and brother¡¯s hands, I have been busy looking around since then. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°Do you want me to buy you that?¡± Feeling embarrassed because of my father and my brother who tried to buy everything my gazended on. ¡°Kyle.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s share and hold it.¡± Thanks to the two people who paid before I could stop them, only the hands of the knights who were escorting us secretly became heavy. I knew then that there were knights escorting us. What have I bought so far? First, clothes, shoes, toys, and cakes¡­ If I were to list them all up, it would be endless. ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± This time, it was the doll I was looking at. Of course, I nced at it because it was cute¡­ ¡°Thank you¡­¡± In the end, I decided to carry the teddy bear around. Instead, I made the two of them promise to not buy anything anymore. But despite the fact that I decided not to buy anything, this time there was something I really wanted. Exactly what I wanted to eat. It was a snack sold on the street, and it was a skewer of fruits dipped in sugar water and hardened. Being possessed by the shiny surface at once, I nced up to the side¡­. It¡¯s too embarrassing if I tell them not to buy anything and ask them to buy this. What I had forgotten was that the eyes of my father and brother were very quick. ¡°Do you want to eat that?¡± My brother asked me, unable to take my eyes off the fruit skewer. ¡°Ye-yes¡­¡± After hesitating for a while, I replied timidly. As a result, I got the fruit skewers I wanted. When I took a bite, the hard sugar coating broke and fresh juice flowed out. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so delicious!¡± I shouted with my eyes wide open. ¡°I know. It¡¯s so sweet.¡± ¡°You had oranges, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, you have a strawberry.¡± My brother, who had the same skewer, nodded. We only bought for the two of us because my father said he didn¡¯t want to eat but I still left some skewers for him. Each fruit was stuck in it, so it was after I finished eating the strawberry that I was eating. ¡°Father, you should try it, too! It¡¯s really delicious!¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Father paused for a moment at my words, then bent down and bit the fruit. Watching my father, my heart pounded. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡± As he said that, my father¡¯s smiling face seemed to form a little frown differently than usual. It came back to normal soon though. The moment I thought I was mistaken, I remembered the fact that I heardst time. Come to think of it, my father said he doesn¡¯t like sweets! And this wasn¡¯t as sweet as a dessert. It¡¯s a whole chunk of sugar¡­ Staring at my father with pitiful eyes, not knowing what to do. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I forgot that my father doesn¡¯t like sweets.¡± My father, who was looking at me for a while, soon smiled softly and shook off a piece of sugar on my cheek. ¡°Everything was fine as long as you gave it to me. So don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°Still¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s really okay.¡± My father knows everything I like, but I¡¯ll have to eat all of this skewer first. She vowed to eat the skewers quickly, being careful not to get sugar on the teddy bear. When we return to the mansion, I¡¯d catch Fern or Terban and find out what my father likes. The image of my father looking at me like that and smiling brightly as if he remembered something. ? An watches his little daughter. Old memories came to mind when he saw Erita¡¯s sullen look. It was one of those very old memories. It was still so vivid in front of his eyes that it became a memory that he missed so much. A time when he was much younger and immature than now. He was a toon Duke, and Serbia was a young marquise. ¡°An, do you want to try this, too?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m the only one eating. Huh?¡± An looked at the piece of cake held out in front of him with his slightly wavering eyes. Of all things, it¡¯s a chocte cake. For An, who hates sweets, it was like poison. If it were anyone else, they would have been beaten mercilessly, but his opponent was the only person who he couldn¡¯t harm. Fortunately, he was very good at managing his facial expressions. ¡°Was it delicious?¡± An, who struggled to control his frown, nodded slowly. But Serbia was as quick-witted as An. ¡°Lie. Your brows are twitching.¡± Confused, An sneaked away from the gaze and lied once again. Those who knew An would be terrified when they saw it. ¡°It was really delicious.¡± ¡°Really?¡± For some reason, it sounded like giving him thest chance, but An nodded. ¡°Then could you have one more bite?¡± It was then that he confessed the truth. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t like to eat sweets.¡± ¡°See? If you had told me earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have given it to you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I couldn¡¯t eat it¡­¡± ¡°Seriously, why are you so nice? If you don¡¯t like it, you just have to say it.¡± Serbia, who leaned on An¡¯s shoulder, spoke gently as if feeling sorry. Was Serbia aware that she¡¯s the only one who believes I¡¯m good? But there¡¯s no need for me to expose my genuine identity. Because Serbia has nothing to hide. It was also her who became sullen when she interrogated and asked the truth. In front of Serbia was the moment when An, who had ruled over victory, became the sole loser. The day when Serbia, which soon burst into a clear smile, was happy. When Erita¡¯s eyes drooped in disappointment, An remembered the past alone, the memory of Serbia. When I think about those happy yet sad days, I think I could remember them a little more happily than before¡­ Chapter 18 After finishing the fruit skewers while looking around I found a stall lined with various items. Of course I¡¯m not familiar with it since I¡¯ve never had time to shop before, but I seem to enjoy walking around and looking around. When I saw something like that, I was sure that I felt better. As I hurried to the front, there were various things such as bracelets, nes, and strange toys. There were items in rough shapes, but there were several that seemed to be quite sophisticated. Among them, I picked up a scary looking mask. ¡®What was the person who made this thinking?¡® It¡¯s kinda like those horror movies. It looks funny, but I knew it wouldn¡¯t be helpful, so I put it down gently. After looking around at the street vendors for a while, we moved to another ce. I didn¡¯t know the geography of this ce, so I followed my father and brother¡¯s directions. ¡°It¡¯s a bit different here.¡± I shook my head at the sight of the street a little different from before. If it was a market-like atmosphere before, should I say that it feels a little more organized now? The street, which seemed like a busy ce, became a little quieter than before. ¡°Because it used to be a market, and this ce was where shops sell luxury goods.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± I nodded at my brother¡¯s kind exnation. It¡¯s the difference between a market and a luxury store. As we continued to stroll, there were also shops selling crafts, and general stores selling various things. Swords in weapon shops and many more. Except for the path where groceries were sold, everything feels new for me, who didn¡¯t know the streets of Lysen very well. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Looking at it happily, I found a store full of parchment over the ss window. When I looked up at the signboard, there was ¡®scroll shop¡¯ written on it. When it says a scroll, was it a magic scroll? ¡°Father, was that a magic scroll shop?¡± ¡°Yes If you look carefully, there are things you could use.¡± ¡°If you look carefully¡­?¡± Then there¡¯s a high chance of getting something useless. Well, it would be interesting to see if there was actually something useful there. Maybe even someone who knows magic could choose from there. ¡°There¡¯s only sub-magic written on it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a sub-magic?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ Cool enough to blow wind, or cool enough to light firewood?¡± I nodded at the exnation my brother had given. But unlike the saying that there¡¯s something that you need to ¡®look carefully¡®, I think it¡¯s okay to use sub-magic too. I want to make it cool when it¡¯s hot, thinking so, I kept an eye on its location because I might want toe next time. ¡°Do you want it?¡± When asked by my brother who seemed to have read my mind, I nced at my father and nodded. If possible, I wish it could be used as an air conditioner in summer. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you if you want.¡± ¡°Wow, really?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s a lot in the mansion, so I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± ¡®Hmm? Not from the shop?¡® Well, whatever. It would be better if my father gave it to me. Not knowing anything, I was satisfied. It could be used by people, it may be small but it¡¯s power was enormous. And it¡¯s also different from the little magic I wanted. It was then that I decided not to ept anything from my father recklessly in the future. ? As we stopped by a restaurant to eat, the sun was already setting. The lights of the shops that turned on, one by one lit up the street. ¡°I should go back soon.¡± I spent the whole day ying, but it was still a little disappointing. It will probably boil and fall off soon when I return to the mansion. ¡°You cane again next time, so don¡¯t be sad.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± I answered with a smile at the sweet words of my brother walking gently holding my hand. As I got on the carriage that appeared shortly after walking, and the fatigue I had never felt before poured out. ¡®It was good now.¡¯ If I had walked around more, I would have been stuck in bed tomorrow. Fortunately, thanks to the soft chairs, I was able to sitfortably in the carriage. At this rate, I might fall asleep even before we arrive. ¡°Erita.¡± As I looked at the teddy bear in my arms, I lifted my head at my father¡¯s call. ¡°Give me your hand for a moment.¡± ¡°Hand?¡± As I reached out my hand in confusion, I could feel the cold metal over my wrist. Surprised by it, I quickly turned my gaze on it and saw a bracelet on my wrist. On top of a thin silver ring, blue jewel embedded between purple jewels was a brilliant bracelet. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°I think it¡¯ll look good on you.¡± It¡¯s pretty.¡± ¡°Father¡­¡± I gently touched the silver ring. It was obviously cold metal, but somehow it felt warm. ¡°Thank you.¡± When I that, my father smiled warmly. ¡°I¡¯ll cherish it.¡± ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you did.¡± This wasn¡¯t the only gift I had received from my father so far, but somehow it felt special. On the way back to the mansion, I fell asleep, with an unknown feeling of warmth, unable to ovee the fatigue. ? The next day, the carrier pigeon flew up from various ces in the Grand Pce. Each destination was different, but the written content was the same. [An Krovachatz¡¯s daughter, the Grand Duke¡¯s daughter returns.] All the pigeons, which contained the same message, pped vigorously toward their owners. Sometimes forgetting the fact that there were also beasts who released their prey for hunting. An smiled coldly at the birds flying above the sky of hisnd without permission. ¡°It would be nice to be anxious.¡± It took less than two days for the news from the Grand Pce to spread to the capital. Magical power moving ording to his will revealed a round crystal ball. When the quote appeared opaque, An returned with his usual indifferent look. A middle-aged woman in colorful clothes was reflected in the shimmering crystal ball. A man with dark blonde hair and a decent face. Not only the imperial family, but also all the powerful nobles had time to hear the news. Lenosen and the Empress. Thinking with distorted faces, with crooked smile came to An¡¯s mind. ¡®It¡¯s been more than two weeks since I brought Erita, so even if it¡¯s a little ufortable, I should be at ease for now.¡¯ ????? ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be a smile on that fox¡¯s face.¡± An¡¯s low voice trembled. The anxiety they¡¯d feel would be very long and harsh. The suffering of my children for such a long time should be avenge as deeply, the desperation for my beloved would never be easy. All who are involved, deep or shallow, must bear my wrath. At that time, themunication crystal ball ced on the desk blinked brightly. As if he was satisfied with how things were going as expected, An, who was tapping on the desk, raised the corner of his mouth. A person who could guess his identity just by looking at his sparkling appearance. It was the Emperor who said that there was no one higher than him in the Empire. He might say, ¡°I see the sun of the Empire,¡± As a polite greeting, but the way he spoke was insensitive. -Hahaha, I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been to see the face of the Grand Duke here. Despite An¡¯s monotonous greeting, the Emperor beyond the crystal ballughed. A human being who hides a bare face that shines with greed behind a kind face. It was An¡¯s evaluation of the current Emperor. ¡°Because I don¡¯t have to go to the capital.¡± ¨CI¡¯m sad to say that after sending back all the invitations I sent. It¡¯s a pity that the Grand Duke and I seem far apart. Contrary to words, the Emperor¡¯s face was not filled with sadness. To put it bluntly, it was a feeling that could be called satisfaction. The influence of the Empire¡¯s one and only Grand Duke wasparable to the Emperor, therefore it would be desirable for the Imperial Family, or even the Emperor, to remain quietly in the Grand Duke¡¯s hands. Wasn¡¯t he the Emperor who always wants to be above him? Because he was such an Emperor, he kept his attention from An until now. However, the situation in which the capital¡¯s attention was now directed to the Grand Duke, was beyond the scope of his control. That¡¯s why they contacted him like a master. ¡®Nothing has changed over time.¡¯ The Emperor, Ulysses Ruin Elber, was originally greedy and had a strong sense of inferiority. It¡¯s been more than twenty years from now. His father, who was the former Emperor and Grand Duke, was close friends, and An, who was young, also visited the Imperial Pce frequently. The Emperor, who was his father¡¯s close friend, was very fond of him. Enough to introduce him to his son Ulysses. However, he was jealous of An¡¯s talents superior to him, and his feelings soon turned to hatred. The two were only thirteen, but the position of the Crown Prince raised the level of bullying under the guise of Ulysses prank. It was then that An knew just how ugly the emotion of hatred could make a person uglier. After bing an Emperor, Ulysses immediately asked An to have the courtesy of military service. An also knew the inferiority of Ulysses to him so he didn¡¯t want to make any fuss. If only he hadn¡¯t crossed the line. He moved the Grand Duke to the North. Wasn¡¯t that an obvious move? Since An rejected the offer in person, Ulysses has been determined to keep him and his family in check. Foolishly, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for me. An did not bother to stop the leakingughter. ¡°Your Majesty doesn¡¯t want me to go to the capital.¡± You don¡¯t like how the power you maintain well was shaken. I didn¡¯t say anything behind, but I¡¯m sure he understood the meaning. At An¡¯s slow response, the Emperor¡¯s eyes twitched for a moment. An¡¯s response with a smile must have hurt his pride. ¡®You still can¡¯t manage your facial expressions.¡¯ However, it¡¯s different from the time when he was just the crown prince of the empire and he¡¯s grand prince. It¡¯s not that he doesn¡¯t know the inferiorityplex the Emperor had, but he doesn¡¯t have to care about it. The ugly appearance wasn¡¯t mine, but the Emperor imed it himself. ¡°Now, wouldn¡¯t it be better to get to the point?¡± -¡­Right. The Grand Duke must¡¯ve been busy too, you¡¯ve been holding on to it for too long. The words spoken by the Emperor, who struggled to hide his ufortable feelings, were no different than expected. ¨CRumor has it that something good has happened to the Grand Duke that has crossed the walls of the Imperial Pce. ¡°The news are quite fast¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± -Wasn¡¯t this something to celebrate? At the indifferent affirmation, the emperor struggled to hide his eyes glistening with greed and smiled kindly. ¨CI heard that the Grand Duke has a festive mood, and there must be a reason for that. ¡°¡­¡± ¨CSo, was the princess doing well? If she¡¯s the daughter of the Grand Duke, won¡¯t she be like my nephew? After hearing the news, I have been worried and unable to sleepfortably. As he said that, the expression on his face was filled with concern. If a stranger saw it, he could have thought it was sincere. But in An¡¯s eyes, he was just an Emperor blinded by greed. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something Your Majesty should be concerned about.¡± -Hahaha! Please don¡¯t misunderstand me as I only have a pure heart for the princess. ¡°Let¡¯s just let our hearts be grateful.¡± At An¡¯s words, the Emperor¡¯s expression hardened visibly. He seemed to be holding back the anger that filled him with direct words that didn¡¯t even make an effort to say it back. -Yeah, if that¡¯s what the Grand Duke says. If you do, just promise me next time. Shortly after that, the bright light of the crystal ball faded. An looked at the crystal ball whosemunication had been cut off and then burst intoughter. Usually, after receiving his greeting everyone should bow their head, An cut offmunication with a satisfied face. ¡°Your Majesty seems to be very upset.¡± ????? An, who continued tough, soon shook his thoughts. ¡®I¡¯ve reached my goal of spending time on worthless things.¡¯ ????? Chapter 19 The light in themunication crystal ball darkened. ¡°An, you cheeky bastard¡­¡± At the eerie muttering of the Emperor, the servant who was beside him trembled. ¡°Everyone get out. Now!¡± The Emperor¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t good enough to think that he was lucky to have escaped from the previous Emperor¡¯s subsequent congrattory orders. Even if he yed a gentle Emperor, his true nature couldn¡¯t be hidden. He was quite twisted as could be seen by everyone around him. Which could seem to be viewed as worthless. It was a face they had not seen in many years, but his cocky and indifferent attitude to the point of anger was still there. The Emperor always wanted the nobles to sit at his feet. In the first ce, the Grand Duke An, who was always superior to him, always existed. He did nothing but be a threat to the Emperor just by being there. That was the power of the Krovachatz, the family and the power of An, the most powerful in the Empire. He was the Emperor, but the feeling of inferiority that An has brought since the days of the Great Emperor. He ascended to the highest position, but his ugly sense of inferiority only increased in size. How satisfied he was that he lost his wife and daughter and didn¡¯t even set a foot in the capital. ¡°¡­But that daughter wasn¡¯t dead.¡± For the whole time, I only thought that she was dead seven years ago. The Emperor muttered, rubbing his throbbing head. The strange air that has been circling inside the Imperial Pce since thest few days. The disturbing news he had just heard made him sensitive. ¡®I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.¡¯ ??????? ? Aughter was heard in the greenhouse where the roses were blooming. A ce where pretense, ttery, and words as swordse and go. It was tea time, a miniature version of society. ¡°You even invited me to the greenhouse you¡¯ve been putting so much effort into these days. It¡¯s an honor, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like looking at your Majesty the Empress, with the roses gracefully lit up.¡± At those words, the Empress smiled satisfactorily and lifted the ss with an elegant touch. The teacup that had touched her red lips was ced on the table. ¡°It¡¯s worth the effort you put into your eyes to see it that way.¡± Rather than being vulgar, the appearance of the alluring mouth curve was just elegant. The topic of the tea party, which started with a simple story, has turned into a naked content as time went on. ¡°I heard that Count Antoine¡¯s mistress has changed.¡± ¡°Oh! I heard that too. This time I heard it was a fifteen-year-old baron¡­¡± The noble women, who covered their mouths with fans, smiled gracefully and spoke ill of others. It could be said that there are no secrets in the society, but the story they¡¯re sharing now was even lower. ¡°You found a ruby ??mine in Delta¡¯s house this time, right? That it¡¯s a high-quality product, so it¡¯s enough to be offered to the Imperial Family.¡± ¡°Oh, then, your Majesty the Empress might be the first to see it.¡± asionally, a lot of pretense of ttery flowed out, but each time the Empress smiled with only the corners of her eyes curled. To be honest, the Empress didn¡¯t like the people who were gathered at the table now. No, exactly, it was close to contempt. They were so foolish that she could not find the dignity of the nobility in them. However, there were no people who were rumored to be as fast in society as they were, so it was necessary to have regr meetings. The Empress felt disgusted every time she met them, but it was inevitable. ¡°¡­How vulgar.¡± The Empress, who was holding the teacup with her fingertips, pulled up one corner of her lips behind her fan to ridicule them. It was then¡­ ¡°Come to think of it, did you all hear about that rumor?¡± ¡°What kind of rumor are you talking about?¡± There were a lot of rumors she could hear. The Empress, who was first to speak about the reactions of otherdies, spoke with a slightly more cautious voice than before. ¡°The news that the Grand Duke¡¯s¡­ daughter of Krovachatz has returned.¡± ¡°Oh my God. I thought she was dead!¡± ¡°I thought so too, but I don¡¯t think she died, she must have been growing up in an orphanage.¡± ¡®Oh my!¡® Each of thedies eximed little by little. They were all well-respected people in the society, but the situation right now wasn¡¯t asmon. He wasn¡¯t a noble man as much as he was, and the only Grand Duke of the Empire. At least none of the nobles in the capital today were unaware of the ident that had taken ce seven years ago. The fact that the Grand Duchess died and the Grand Duke¡¯s daughter disappeared in the ident was also known. But they couldn¡¯t believe that the Grand Princess, who was missing and who everyone thought had died, had been in an orphanage until now. It couldn¡¯t help but be shocking. Thedies excitedly spoke faster. ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe that the grand princess was in an orphanage all this time. How could you have imagined it?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ I heard that the ce where the Grand Princess lived was more than three weeks away from the Grand Pce.¡± ¡°Oh my! How did she get so far?¡± Thedies, who fell in love with the topic, brought up the stories they had heard so far one by one. It was difficult to open the water the first time, but once the water was opened, they didn¡¯t know how to stop it. ¡°There must be a lot of people who think it¡¯s strange.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it a bit unusual for the Grand Princess, who was young at the time of the ident, to be found in an orphanage at the eastern end of the road?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s right.¡± The story that one of them brought up was enough to attract the attention of others. In a society full of conspiracies and trickery, incidents like this have always been an interesting topic. That was the moment when they were trying to get the right number and start the story. ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°Hello.¡± The elegant voice of the Empress came in after a soft interruption. At the words of the Empress, the maids who were bowing their heads from behind reced the cooled goggles. After a while, a steaming tea was ced in front of all thedies. ¡°You interrupted the story unintentionally. You have to drink this tea before it cools down to reveal its true value.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Their natural flow turned their attention back to the tea. While sipping tea, they began to chatter with each other about aroma and taste. The fact that the topic had changed all of a sudden didn¡¯t really matter to them. They didn¡¯t know. ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°Her Majesty the Empress!¡± ¡°Get out! Get everyone out!¡± The fact that the Empress¡¯s eyes were glistening with anger and uncontroble anxiety when she returned from tea time. Clink! Pottery made by a famous craftsman hit the wall, shattered, and expensive jewelry was scattered on the floor. However, that alone didn¡¯t resolve the anger. Those words that just came out of the mouths of vulgardies. It couldn¡¯t have happened. Why¡¯s the girl who fell into the sea with a foreign noble? ¡°Argh!¡± After pouring out her emotions for a long time, the Empress copsed in front of the bed while breathing heavily. Even the silk nket that was softly wrapped around her hand, she wanted to rip it off. It was impossible, no, it shouldn¡¯t have happened. However, the letter sent by her father, the head of the family, contained the same content. It¡¯s true that the daughter of Krovachatz, who was left in an orphanage, was adopted. After seeing the letter, the Empress couldn¡¯t stop her anger. However, I thought it couldn¡¯t be helped because a foreign nobleman took her. If they stop him, it may cause diplomatic problems. When she was told that the girl drowned and died, she thought it was rather fortunate. Even if the n was broken, Krovachatz¡¯s daughter died and the younger generation disappeared. I tried tracking just in case, but there was nothing strange at all. It was strangely annoying, but after that, the movement of the Grand Duke was also the same as usual. But what¡¯s this situation right now? It would have beenpleted in just one more year. She hadn¡¯t died before then, and she fell into the hands of the Grand Duke! ¡®I ordered the tail to be cut off, so the Grand Duke wouldn¡¯t know. So this anxiety must be in the air.¡¯ The Empress bit her lip in the rising anxiety. Sting, snap¡­ The manicured nails were messed up and bleeding, but there was no pain. The Empress bit her red lips. The memories of seven years ago that she had forgotten so far came to mind vividly. ¡®I should have killed her then.¡¯ Whether the girl was born with the ck hair of the Grand Duchess or not, she should have just been killed anyway. He didn¡¯t care about old superstitions. The Empress only now realized. How foolish the past was when they were somehow reluctant to use the demon blood that they say flows in their blood. If that curse existed, it would certainly be a curse now. Bloody eyes are now starting to stand in full bloom. ¡®Yes. It was already seven years ago that Serbia died¡­ We never know.¡¯ Even if they found the girl, they won¡¯t know the truth because I cut off all the tails. ¡°Yeah. Even Krovachatz wouldn¡¯t know.¡± The Empress¡¯ face, seen through her scattered hair, was dotted with anger and fear. The Empress ignored the anxiety she was struggling with and repeated that she would be fine. Like if she doesn¡¯t, she¡¯ll be in big trouble. ¡°I could finish it before he finds out.¡± A glimpse of madness shed in the eyes of the Empress, who continued to mutter. The air shook unsteadily. She felt something ominous. ? A room in which the vitality of a living person couldn¡¯t be found. Only the sound of slow breathing resounded. On the bed, a woman with a face as pale as her silvery hair that lost its gloss was lying. The face, which obviously looked ill, was that of a sick person on the verge of death. The woman¡¯s gaze, who was looking around slowly, stopped at the child who was a little away. ¡°Calion, wait,e closer¡­¡± The child followed his mother¡¯s gesture and put one ear close to his mother¡¯s lips. Her dry lips twitched slowly. The faint sound that seemed to break at any moment was so small that no one could hear it except for the child. After she had finished speaking, the woman gently stroked the head of her child, who struggled to hold back his tears. But the given time was soon approaching. Her hand, which was stroking the child¡¯s silver hair, fell helplessly. Breath that no longer exists. Seeing that, the child¡¯s tears fell as he trembled. The moment when even the faint breath stopped. ¡°Mother, don¡¯t go,¡± the child begged, dripping tears that he had been holding back in the end. But time passed equally for everyone, and so did death. It was a moment when the original story was twisted once again. Chapter 20 It¡¯s already been a year since my father announced my return. ¡®My father said that even if it was a public announcement, it was all about letting the Imperial family know about it¡­¡¯ The incident made noise in the capital. It was a fact that they had no idea that I had never left the Grand Pce. For the past year, the Grand Pce has been very peaceful. Regardless of whether it was noisy or not, tomorrow¡¯s events were going as normal as usual. ¡°Hmm¡­ What book are you reading today?¡± As usual, I was choosing a book to read today in the library. ¡°Because I have ss tomorrow with Sir Fern¡­ ¡± It¡¯s already been a year since I came here. A lot of things have changed in the meantime. One of them was getting to know the family members of the mansionpletely. Terban, who was mild but charismatic, Evan has a kind personality. My maids Mary and Marilyn. Other than that, gardeners, knights, and many more. I used to talk to everyone I met often. ¡®It can be said that this mansion was popr.¡¯ Considering the awkwardness with the first servant, it was a great improvement. The best change was that I have be closer to my family. Unlike the first time I felt awkward, I wasfortable now. ¡®But that doesn¡¯t mean that I just had fun most of the time.¡¯ A year was enough time to clear up my troubled mind. Besides, I had a clear goal. One year passed quickly as I prepared for various things. ¡°Oh¡­ Light magic would be better this time.¡± I picked up an old magic book from the bookshelf. Although it was an old book, it was well preserved and it was easy to read. [Light of the beginning of the world.] ¡°It¡¯s a great title, though.¡± All the wizards of the past must have had great bluffs. Because I didn¡¯t see anything that didn¡¯t have a grand name after a magic search. The burning fire, the power of the sea, the wind that cuts through the mountains, something like that. After learning the basics of aristocrats, history, politics, etc., I was surprisingly talented in magic. My father looked a little worried about it, but for me, it was something to wee with open arms. The number of weapons that can be employed in the future has grown by one, and it is not magic that appears as amon substance in the fantasy world. Just hearing the name made me want to learn them. Of course, there was no skill book or anything like that. It was difficult because I had to study the runes hard and memorize forms, but magic suited my aptitude more than I thought. ¡°I didn¡¯t know, but studying was quite interesting.¡± I looked like a child on the outside, but on the inside I was an adult, so the process of learning things I didn¡¯t know was quite enjoyable. Studying was fun. ¡®If it was in Korea, it would have been a stone hit, but it¡¯s true.¡¯ There was also the virtue of being a good teacher. Basic etiquette, study, and magic were all taught by Fern, but unlike his usual yful appearance, he was a great teacher. Although it¡¯s spartan, it¡¯s not that difficult because it teaches you the main point and the basics. ¡°If you were born in Korea, would you have made a name for yourself as an academic teacher?¡± I giggled slightly, imagining Fern taking a picture with his arms crossed with a confident look on his face for a moment. The imaginary image suits him well. ¡°Lady, are you here?¡± Then, I heard Mary¡¯s voice looking for me. In a library filled with bookshelves, it was much faster to make a noise like that to find someone. A public library would be inconvenient, but since this is my home library, no one canin. ¡°Mary? I¡¯m here!¡± I shouted that I was also present in the library, and after a moment Mary appeared through the bookshelves. Mary, who held me and cried a year ago, was my best friend. ¡°Lady! You¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Yes, I want to choose books. Why, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Ahh. The master was looking for you.¡± At that, I tilted my head. ¡°Huh? Father?¡± ¡°Yes. He asked me to find you and let youe to the office. It seemed like an urgent matter.¡± Even Mary, who came to call me, didn¡¯t seem to know what was going on. We ate breakfast together an hour ago, what happened? Right if I go to my father, this question will be answered. ¡°Mary, can you bring this to my room then? Please!¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll bring it for you.¡± I left the book I had picked out with Mary and left the library. The road to my father¡¯s office was now familiar. I¡¯ve been going in and out almost every day for the past year, so it¡¯s weird that I still felt awkward. As I entered the door that had opened, the eyes of my father and brother turned to me at the same time. The gaze that was previously embarrassing can now be epted naturally. ¡°Oh you¡¯re here?¡± With my brother¡¯s friendly wee, I often walked up and sat on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for calling you all of a sudden.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Somehow I shook my head, at the words of my father, who didn¡¯t have a very good expression. ¡®But what was it that made you look so bad? I was suddenly worried.¡¯ ¡°What do you have to tell me urgently?¡± My older brother asked, who had thrown in the rush, and at that I also turned to look at my father. Seeing his face slightly darker than usual, it didn¡¯t seem like a good thing. ¡­Is it a very bad thing? My worries gradually grew in size. The past year has only been calm. Father looked at us for a moment and then opened his mouth. ¡°I think I need to go to the Imperial Pce for a while.¡± ¡°¡­The Imperial Pce?¡± My eyes widened at the sudden words. It¡¯s the Imperial Pce. It was an unexpected ce. My father was a high-ranking nobleman, so there¡¯s nothing he can¡¯t do, but¡­ Now that I know how the Empire works, I know that the rtionship between the Imperial Family and the Grand Pce was not very good. It was precisely because of the unteral boundaries of the current Emperor. There¡¯s nothing moreplicated than a power struggle. Well, the Emperor doesn¡¯t let father go to the capital anyway, and my father doesn¡¯t really care about power, and he¡¯s the Grand Duke¡­ Would you go to the Imperial Pce in such a situation? Did something important happen? But the words I heard were more shocking than I had expected. ¡°The Empress passed away. It should be seen that a funeral will be held in the Imperial Pce.¡± It¡¯s a more reliable reason. ¡°¡­Rita. Erita?¡± ¡°Ye-yes?¡± After being confused for a while, I came to my senses only after my father called me a couple more times. ¡°You must have been very surprised. If you don¡¯t want to go with me, it¡¯s okay to stay in the mansion.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that necessary for you toe, so you don¡¯t have to.¡± I guess he asked if I wanted to go with him. My father said softly, as if exhorting me, as I was lost in my thoughts. ¡°You don¡¯t have to go if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°The Empress¡¯s Funeral¡­¡± In fact, what I heard still hasn¡¯t hit me properly. Only I know that this situation is not normal. I nkly chewed the insides of my mouth toe to my senses and then shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I want to go with my father and brother.¡± ¡°Is that okay?¡± I was surprised, but the reason was different from what my father thought. It¡¯s not that someone¡¯s death was shocking, it¡¯s that the death of someone who has died now was shocking. Just because I¡¯m going doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll know anything, but I still felt like I had to go. To where the source of my anxiety was. ? The preparation was done quickly. After making a decision, we can leave any day soon. An hourter, we were sitting in the carriage. We moved to the vicinity of the capital by magic, and from there we rode a carriage to the Imperial Pce. Even if the capital and the Grand Pce were not far apart, it would take several hours by horse, so we needed to move quickly. Inside the carriage heading to the capital was so quiet. My father and brother looked like they were thinking about something, and I was also busy working with my head thinking of the situation. It was better to be quiet to organizeplicated thoughts. I looked down at my hand on myp and bit my lips hard. ¡®How can this happen? What has changed?¡¯ The closer I got to the ecliptic, the faster my heart beat. At least here, the original work, which I can be sure of in the future, was wrong. That fact brought more anxiety than expected. ¡®It¡¯s clear if my memory¡¯s not wrong, the death of the Empress was not in the original story. ¡® The Empress of the Empire, she was the mother of the protagonist. It¡¯s not the main role, but she has a pretty important supporting role. ¡®The Empress was alive from the original story to the end.¡¯ In the original story, the Empress was a strong supporter of the male and female lead characters. She was the person who supported them firmly so that the male lead could be the Emperor. ¡®But why? Why did she die already?¡¯ Without her, it was natural that the future would also change. The situation that can be predicted right now is that there¡¯s a high possibility that Calion will not have his own power. It¡¯s a situation I never wanted. As far as I know, there was only one fact that has changed from the original. ¡®My existence.¡¯ Because it¡¯s a fact that my existence itself did not exist in the original story. No, to be exact, An couldn¡¯t find Erita in the orphanage. I don¡¯t know exactly what happened to Erita in the first ce. I¡¯m just guessing that she probably died of a fever. The fact that An had a lost daughter in the original story was only one line of description. The only thing that has changed since then was my existence. Only one fact is that my father found me this time. ¡®But is it really because of that?¡¯ But what was the point of contact between the Empress and I? Even if it¡¯s a butterfly effect, how did this happen? I wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, so I couldn¡¯t put my mind at ease. I was terrified of the fact that the future I knew had changed even before the original work began in earnest. Since I made a promise to change the future of my father and brother, I couldn¡¯t keep my mind at ease. Even a small variable I had to pay attention to. The news I heard in such a situation confused me greatly. ¡®¡­I feel like I have a stone stuck on my stomach.¡¯ Complicated thoughts followed one after another. The Empress¡¯ death, I really don¡¯t understand why it happened. Because, well, from the original. An unpleasant anxiety fluttered around my ankle. Thinking about it now, I think I¡¯ve known vaguely since then. I¡¯m sure, I can feel it¡­ Sure that this will have a big impactter on¡­ ¡­That it¡¯s the beginning of apletely different story from the original. The source of my anxiety that I did not know yet. It was a fear of the future that would change due to the twisted original work. Chapter 21 Eventually, the carriage entered the Imperial Pce gate. From the window of the carriage, which was starting to get noisy, I stopped thinking and gently pulled the curtains from the window. Then I saw a street that looked lively but somehow untidy. ¡°Is it because the fact that the Empress died had been known?¡± I looked outside with a troubled mind and then put the curtain hem in my hand. The more I look at it, the more disturbing it gets. The sound of my father¡¯s voice that I just heard was enough to turn my attention away from such thoughts. ¡°First we¡¯ll go to the mansion in the capital. The funeral will be held tomorrow, so take a good rest today.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Erita nodded in response to that. Should I say that it¡¯s fortunate that we¡¯ll not go straight to the Imperial Pce right away? The Queen¡¯s funeral was scheduled to take ce tomorrow at the Imperial Pce. ¡®I was told that the superintendent would do it himself.¡¯ Because she was the Queen and the mother of the prince, she was equipped with a fox. Out of all the people I¡¯ve met so far, the only two people I met so far from the original story are my father and my brother. That¡¯s true, because most of the original events were conducted in the capital. Although it was nine years before the story began, I felt strange at the thought of entering the ce where the novel was set. Then I thought of the second prince, Callion. It was a natural order to think of him as he was the Queen¡¯s son. ¡®I¡¯ll be able to see Callion tomorrow.¡¯ The male protagonist, now 11 years old, is Callion Ruin Elber. It could have been exciting enough at other times, but I couldn¡¯t be happy now as the situation was. ¡®¡­Phew. I¡¯m so confused. Things becameplicated.¡¯ Unlike my dizzying thoughts, the carriage, which ran steadily, quickly arrived at its destination. ording to Fern, they were rooted in the provinces rather than the capital-based nobles. Nobles who have residences also have a separate mansion to use when entering the capital. Unless their position was very low or there was no connection with the capital, entering the capital¡¯s the goal of the local nobles. My father also said he had a suitable mansion in the capital. ¡°Master, we have arrived.¡± Just then, Terban¡¯s voice announcing the arrival was heard. My dad was the first one to get out of the carriage, and he grabbed my hand, as I got out of the carriage. And when I saw the surroundings, my eyes widened. He only said he owns a suitable mansion. By the time of being the Grand Prince, does he originally have several of these great mansions? With such questions in my head standing in front of the mansion, I quickly became exhausted. ¡°Erita, let¡¯s go inside.¡± I grabbed my brother¡¯s hand and followed our father¡¯s steps. The interior of the house was neatly decorated. He said we weren¡¯t going to stay long, but would stay for more than a week anyway. ¡°See youter!¡± ¡°Okay. See you in the evening.¡± ¡°See you¡­¡± My father and brother waved at me even though they couldn¡¯t hide their disappointment because they were busy. There was quite a bit of time left until the evening, so I decided to go to the room where I was going to stay. And I also need to organize my thoughts. ¡°Mary, can you guide me to my room?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Arriving in the room following Mary¡¯s guidance instead of the busy Terban, I told her that I wanted to be alone for a while and then closed the door. When I looked around the unfamiliar room, there was nothing much different from the Grand Duke¡¯s room. Pen and paper were also prepared on the desk, perhaps for immediate use. Now, let¡¯s organize our thoughts. I sat down at my desk, grabbed a pen, and first started writing down the characters. It¡¯ll be difficult if I get caught, so I wrote in Korean. After that, big events were listed in chronological order. In fact, the original ¡¾Lovely A¡¿ wasn¡¯t a very painful story. Just as the goal was to draw a beloved heroine, it was a healing story centered on A. A, the female lead, was a baron girl from a certain province. A cute and innocent young girl who grew up with love and affection from her loving parents. Perhaps that¡¯s why the original work did not describe in detail the power struggle corresponding to the conflict part. ¡°Honestly, the confrontation with the first prince was like putting the two together to make them fall in love.¡± An, who appears in the middle andte part of the story, has run into a fight with the male lead. And Aaron whomitted suicide not long after. A viin drawn for consumption for the main characters in a world where everything exists for A. That was the role of my family. When I think about it now, it was a very sloppy and simple novel. ¡°Did Ie to like a novel that wasn¡¯t even my taste?¡± The reason was that I stopped by the bookstore to buy a workbook by collecting part-time expenses. Before going to the workbook corner, I was fascinated by the cover I identally found at the ce where I collected discount books and bought them. Buying a reference book was an impulsive act, unlike me, who bought it only after thinking a few times. But I didn¡¯t think it was strange at all at that time. I just felt like I had to buy it. Putting the pen on the paper and resting my head on my arm. The only corner I believed in was the original. When I saw that there was only one insurance, I felt like it was a rotten rope. ¡®What a world¡­¡® ¡°It¡¯s probably the Empress who killed the Queen, right?¡± In this situation, the Empress was the only one who would kill the queen, the mother of the second prince. The feud between the Empress and the Queen was famous. Because the original concubine¡¯s existence was not tolerated. It was a decision made by the Emperor arbitrarily. So they couldn¡¯t get along. The Empress did not have a good rtionship with the Emperor either. ¡°¡­ This is not what¡¯s important right now.¡± After writing the Empress and the First Prince on paper, I pondered over and over again. ¡®How on earth did the first prince bring his father to his side?¡¯ As for me, I couldn¡¯t figure out how. How can I know the ¡®behind-the-scenes¡¯ story, knowing only what appeared in the original story? I¡¯ve been looking into the two over the past year, but there was a limit to being able to do it with my young body. My ns were something that could only be realized after I grew up a little. Right now, there¡¯s no other way than to grow up quietly. Time doesn¡¯t go as fast as I want it to. My worries continued even in the bed where Iy down to sleep after eating. I continued to mutter helplessly. ¡°First of all, I should try toy the groundwork¡­¡± Even if there wasn¡¯t much I could do right now, I really couldn¡¯t help but overthink. So what I chose was to appeal hard through words. In the meantime, I spoke to both of them like a habit. ¡®Father, my dream¡¯s to live with you for a long, long time!¡¯ ¡®Brother, you must never get hurt!¡¯ Starting with¡­ ¡®A birthday present? Well, I hope you and Daddy don¡¯t get hurt and live happily ever after!¡¯ When they asked me what I would like to receive for my birthday, I answered that way. At that time, the expressions of the two were very strange, but I thought I would be relieved if I had said something. It¡¯s not a big deal, but at least once in a while, I wonder if they¡¯ll stop thinking about what I said. That¡¯s what I was aiming for. And the other one is unexpected. ¡®Magic.¡¯ Oddly enough, I was quite gifted with magic. Fern was so surprised, wouldn¡¯t she at least be a high-level wizard? When I first met my father, he said something about magic, but I had no idea that it meant that I had a talent in magic. Of course, magic was going to be a great help to my n. Especially in terms of power and money. It would be nice if I could be strong enough to save my father and brother. I swung my hand outstretched over the nket to create a small swarm of lights. Now that I have learned to deal with magic to some extent, there won¡¯t be any problems, but half a year ago, I got injured in an ident. At first, I tried to make a small me, but I burned a corner of the dance hall. Next, I thought of a small drop of water, and then summoned a tsunami and caused a stir of water. ¡°¡­I feel sorry, thinking about it again.¡± ording to my father and Fern, there are so many natural mana. Of course, there was no way I hated the saying that I was talented. The problem was that it took almost a month to control the amount of mana released due to too many potential mana. It wasn¡¯t enough to use both hands to list the idents that had urred in the meantime. The things I broke would fill a warehouse. It was when I was moving around in groups of light. Knock, knock~ ¡°Erita. Are you sleeping?¡± With a neat knock, I heard my brother¡¯s small whispering voice. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not sleeping yet!¡± ¡°Can Ie in for a moment?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± My brother, who opened the door slightly, was wearing a light shirt. ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I was just lying down.¡± As I was about to sit on the head of the bed, with my brother¡¯s reluctance, I covered myself with a soft nket andy down again. ¡°Lay down. I just stopped by to see your face for a while.¡± ¡°Ugh. Are you finished with your busy work?¡± The two were busy as soon as they arrived at the mansion, but they were also busy even after dinner. ¡°Yeah. You were bored alone, weren¡¯t you? I was going to finish it quickly, but it took longer than I thought.¡± During that time, I was busy rolling my head, and I told him it¡¯s okay and smiled awkwardly. ¡°But, brother¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Aaron¡¯s gaze fell affectionately at my call. ¡°¡­Umm, was there anything I should be careful about when I go to the Imperial Pce tomorrow?¡± I¡¯ve already learned the etiquette, but just in case. ¡°Hmm... What¡¯s the part that you¡¯re worried about?¡± ¡°Something like other nobles talking to me¡­?¡± ¡°Haha! You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s a funeral. It¡¯s not a banquet, so everyone¡¯s going to leave soon. It¡¯s against etiquette to socialize at a funeral unless you¡¯ve known each other.¡± Having said that, my brother smiled and raised the nket again, which went down a little. ¡°Then I¡¯m d¡­ Hehe!!¡± While nodding on a soft pillow, a yawn that I couldn¡¯t stand leaked out. Listening to his gentle voice makes me feel like I want to go back to sleep. ¡°It¡¯s time to sleep.¡± ¡°Whenever I hear your voice, I feel sleepy.¡± Iughed and murmured in the rush of sleep. The still young body was particrly weak in the desire to sleep. I think Aaron was talking nonsense, but it was muffled in my ears, who had already surrendered to slumber. ¡°Sweet dream, my pretty sis¡­¡± At some point, the soft smiley face, which was seen between the half closed eyelids that were gradually blinking slowly, disappeared. Theplicated worries that made my head throb are now gone. ¡®If it were in Korea, he could be a voice actor¡­¡¯ With a faint mind thinking about that, I surrenderedpletely. ? Finally, it was time to go to the Imperial Pce. ¡°Lady, I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Thank you for today, Mary.¡± Mary smiled shyly at my greeting. Mary, who was quieter than expected, was weak atpliments. In particr, she was exceptionally embarrassed by thepliments I gave. My figure in a dark dress was reflected in the mirror. With minimal decoration, neat hair, half raised and half hanging down, was Mary¡¯s work. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, Mary.¡± ¡°Bye!¡± ¡°See youter!¡± Actually, just because I¡¯m going doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯d do anything. The original story hasn¡¯t even started, and what¡¯s happening in the Imperial Pce right now was just a funeral. But at least I¡¯ll be able to see the face of the person behind all of this. With my fists closed and clenched, I boarded the carriage heading to the Imperial Pce. Chapter 22 ? Rumble~ The carriage pulled by two horses vigorously marched towards the destination. Originally, high-ranking nobles usually ride a four-way carriage. But a day like today was an exception. I looked out the window at the Imperial Pce, getting closer and closer. The only Imperial castle on the continent was different in its splendor at a nce. ¡°Erita.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind the others. Okay?¡± As I nodded at those words, my father held out a ring with a small jewel in front of me. The ring I received unexpectedly fit perfectly into my small hand. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a calling ring. It¡¯s supposed to give you a signal when something happens and you rub the jewel.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Woah! I can¡¯t believe this small ring has that function. As expected of the fantasy world. If I keep learning magic, will I be able to make something like this? But wasn¡¯t the Imperial Pce the safest ce in the Empire? Why do we need something like this to go to a ce like that? ¡°Father, wasn¡¯t the Imperial Pce safe?¡± My father paused for a moment, then answered in a friendly voice. ¡°Anyway, just in case. I was going to give it to you.¡± If you say so, I have nothing to refute. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± The feeling of the ring wrapped around my finger was quite awkward, so I stared down at it. Then I should be careful not to identally rub it by mistake. ? The carriage that passed through the entrance of the Imperial Pce stopped shortly thereafter. ¡°Let¡¯s get off.¡± ¡°Okay. Please be careful.¡± As I stood on the ground under Aaron¡¯s escort, I saw a white building with a round roof. The sun was carved on the outer wall of the building, so this must be the temple where the funeral will be held. The eyes of the nobles who had arrived before us were focused. ¡°Aaron, please go in with Erita first. I¡¯ll follow soon.¡± My father stroked my cheek once and walked to another ce. After looking at his back for a while, I quickly entered the temple with Aaron. As the state religion of the empire, the temple of the sun was also elegant and splendid inside. Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s a temple that enshrines the God of the sun, so they don¡¯t tolerate a grain of dust. But they¡¯ve been paying attention to us since earlier¡­ ¡°¡­.Brother.¡± ¡°Yes, Erita.¡± ¡°Was there something on my face? Or my clothes look weird¡­?¡± I looked down at the dark blue dress. No, my clothes are not the problem at all. The gaze that had been ncing our way since the first time I got off the carriage continued until now when I entered the temple and sat down. They¡¯re not looking at me openly, but I¡¯m simply pretending not to notice their gazes. I couldn¡¯t be so stark. At that burdensome interest, I slid a little closer to Aaron¡¯s side. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It seems like people keep looking at us.¡± The emotions in their eyes were mainly surprise, curiosity, and fear. ¡®Somehow it¡¯s like seeing a zoo animal.¡¯ Having only heard about ittely, they were very interested in our family¡¯s affairs, as we visited the capital after eight years. Along with that, my existence, which was full of rumors. At that time, all of the ufortable nces disappeared in an instant. It was at the same time when my father returned from a brief absence. ¡°You don¡¯t look happy because of what happened.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ It¡¯s okay now.¡± Everything was solved when my father came. I smiled awkwardly and shook my head. Maybe something would happen if I told my father. How many more minutes did you wait? ¡°Your Majesty the Empress and the First Prince are here!¡± Finally, the original characters began to appear in earnest. Originally, they would have to kneel when facing the royal family, but the nobles bowed their heads politely. As I learned from Fern, I bowed my head properly. ¡®These people¡­¡¯ The Empress wears a ck dress with an emaciated face and the first prince with an arrogant atmosphere. It must be because of the way it was described in the novel that makes their face feel familiar even when I see them for the first time. ¡®Their acting is really good.¡¯ The image of the Empress staggering in the middle was that of a person who mourned for the Queen¡¯s death and cried out for three days and three nights. A face so emaciated that even those who know that the Empress and the Queen did not get along well could pity the Empress. When I saw this aspect of politics, I felt ufortable. It was just a creepy appearance for me, thinking of the Empress behind the Queen¡¯s death. It was the moment when the Empress, who sat on the podium on the stairs and in the seats prepared for the Imperial family, opened her pale lips. ¡°Your Highness, the second prince!¡± Once again, the heavy temple door opened, and a shiny silver-haired boy entered. That was the first memory I saw of Callion. The second prince, Callion Ruin Elber, the prince who didn¡¯t inherit the blonde hair, the symbol of the Imperial family. However, his silver hair was shining brighter than blonde hair. The male protagonist of the original that I liked and the child who lost his mother due to the twisted original. And he¡¯s the one who will kill my family in the future. ¡®¡­Now he¡¯s still a kid.¡¯ He was an 11-year-old child who had yet to lose all his baby fat. Callion walked among the nobles with their heads bowed in neat steps. Not a single emotion could be found on the face of the eleven-year-old child. So it felt even worse¡­ The step paused for a moment in front of the Queen¡¯s coffin surrounded by white flowers. Then I saw, contrary to his dull expression, he clenched his fists so hard that it turned white. This was because the higher the title, the closer it was to the crown of the Queen because of the seat ced in front of it. Callion, who was ncing at the Queen, who was not much different from her lifetime, soon reached the ready position. Where the Empress and the first Prince were seated. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± Callion bowed slightly toward the Empress. ¡°¡­Prince, your face looks badly damaged. Are you okay?¡± The Empress worried with Callion¡¯s greeting without any emotion and a voice full of regret. Does Callion know? That the death of the Queen wasn¡¯t a natural cause? We don¡¯t know the cause of her death. But it will never be natural. The Emperor then entered, but immersed in other thoughts, I mechanically nodded and sat down. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s get started.¡± The Emperor¡¯s voice announced the start of the funeral. It was after the funeral began that I came to my senses. The funeral, which was directly supervised by the High Priest, was quiet and solemn. The High Priest, who ced his hand on the Queen¡¯s coffin, muttered something iprehensible. Words that are not of humannguage. A soft light that started from the high priest¡¯s hand wrapped around the coffin. A prayer of rest to pray for the well-being of the dead and to bless their souls so that they can safely go to the side of God. Callion was staring at him silently. Wouldn¡¯t the speed be as bad as the outward expression? ¡®¡­It can¡¯t be.¡¯ The only one in the Imperial Pce that lost the Queen over there was okay. In the future, the Queen will no longer be with Callion on the road to growth. I slowly raised my gaze and nced at the Emperor. The blonde, the symbol of the royal family, and the middle-aged man on the wall. He was looking down at the coffin of the Queen with an unknown expression. Various thoughts ran through my head, and the funeral was left with only thest order left. Thest greeting of those who were close to the deceased during their lifetime. The Queen, who closed her eyes with a calm expression as if she were asleep, looked the same as when she was alive. Skinny, but still beautiful. ¡°¡­You know.¡± The Emperor still called the Queen¡¯s name with an indifferent expression. The voice seemed indifferent or somehow desperate. Suddenly, such a question came to my mind. ¡®Did the Emperor love the Queen?¡¯ It¡¯s a sloppy original work. What were the feelings of the supporting characters except for the main characters in it? Those who live and breathe with me now were no longer just characters in letters. It was a person who lived with their own feelings. A short period of less than a minute. The Emperor, who had only looked down at the Queen without a word, turned around. After that, it was the Empress who approached the Queen. The Queen wearing a white dress with silver hair with low saturation contrasted with the Empress wearing a ck dress with red hair. Like the Emperor, the Empress just looked at the Queen. The Empress, who said nothing, soon turned around. ¡®¡­Callion.¡¯ Callion paused for a while as he passed by the Empress, but it was only a minute to think it was strange. Callion¡¯s expression when he arrived in front of the coffin was not as indifferent as before. I could see the sadness that he couldn¡¯t hide from his hard clenched fist and weakly trembling eyelids. He couldn¡¯t express his sadness to his heart¡¯s content. Just looking at it broke my heart. Only then did I fully understand the meaning of the Queen¡¯s death. It was only possible to express that the original work had changed when they were still considered characters in the book. It was never meant to be expressed simply like that. Because there are people who mourn her death. Callion slowly tried to bring his fingertips over the finely stacked hands of the Queen, but soon took them off with a little distance. It looked as if he didn¡¯t have the courage to touch the hand that had lost its warmth. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt my heart pounding as I thought about it. If I were really the reason the original work was twisted. I bit my lips at just the thought. ¡®¡­What if Callion lost the only person on his side because of me?¡¯ Even if it wasn¡¯t intentional, it was half certain that the butterfly effect started at my existence. At the same time, guilt and responsibility came rushing in. There¡¯s nothing I could do for Callion right now. Even if I unravel that the Queen¡¯s death wasn¡¯t normal¡­ Well I can¡¯t even be his strength. Right now. ¡°I¡¯m going to help.¡± But it will be possible to help him in the future. With that determination, I clenched my fists so hard that my fingertips turned white. ¡°Erita, are you okay?¡± An murmured asking as if he felt I was thinking differently. I tried to smile faintly and nodded. ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Just be patient and it¡¯ll be over soon.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡± After answering that, I looked ahead, brushing away the thoughts that kept flooding into my head. When I saw Callion walking behind his dead mother, I teared up with an unknown feeling. ¡®¡­I¡¯m sorry, Callion.¡¯ Anyway, he¡¯s just a victim. Fortunately for me, it wasn¡¯t long before everything was done. Before leaving the temple door, I turned my head and looked at the front of the pure white space. At the same time as the funeral was held, there was a Queen¡¯s coffin covered with a lid. The image of Callion crying in front of the coffin was just an illusion created by my thoughts. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll help you.¡± I mumbled something at thest figure that caught my eyes. Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Tranted by Niks by After the funeral, the n to return to the mansion immediately failed. That¡¯s because of the Emperor¡¯s call and nothing else. ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡°Count Haken. It¡¯s been a while since I saw you.¡± ¡°You still call me by my family¡¯s name.¡± It was the elderly-looking grandfather who called my father. As I took a step closer to Aaron¡¯s side as if shy meeting a stranger, I heard a smallugh above my head. Of course, I brazenly pretended not to know. Judging by the way he talks with my father, it seems like he¡¯s a good friend in his own way. But that grandfather¡¯s family name was strangely familiar. Haken, Haken¡­ ¡°Yes. I¡¯m always in the Imperial Pce. I won¡¯t be able to see you unless youe to the capital.¡± ¡®Ah¡­!¡® Looking back, I remembered his position that I had learned while studying about the Imperial Family. ¡®The Servant of the Imperial Pce¡­!¡¯ From generation to generation, the Haken family served as chief servants of the Imperial Pce. Jason Haken. He was also a person who served as the head servant for two generations, from the first Emperor to the present Emperor. In other terms, he¡¯s the Royal Family¡¯s chief of staff. ¡°It¡¯s worth learning.¡± Figuring it out of a hint, anyway being proud is that all. But the fact that such a person called my father¡­ ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s been a while since you came to say hello. Are you going to see His Majesty?¡¯ ¡°Did you forget what I meant that you shouldn¡¯t say that?¡± The old man sighed uncontrobly at my father¡¯s stern words. Looking at it, the two seemed to have a closer rtionship than I had expected. I don¡¯t understand who the chieftain is serving, but¡­ ¡®I think it¡¯s possible because of the poor original.¡¯ Seriously, my head was pounding just thinking about the original. ¡°¡­Hmm. His Majesty the Emperor wants to see you for a while.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not very pleasant to hear.¡± At the words of the chieftain, my father gave a cynical smile. ¡°The Grand Prince and the Grand Princess will be served separately.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Father frowned and kicked his tongue in annoyance. From that look, I felt it was obvious that my father didn¡¯t want to meet the Emperor. Well, he won¡¯t say that in front of the Emperor¡¯s servant, will he? Well it seemed that father and that servant knew each other¡­ Wait, no way. It¡¯s a secret that I¡¯ve been anxious for about five minutes since then. ? As a result, Aaron and I were exploring the garden. My father went to an audience with the Emperor with the old servant. We also told him that Aaron and I could wait inside, but it seems frustrating so instead we took a walk in the garden. For some reason, I was reluctant to enter the pce. ¡®It seems that I might meet someone after going into such a ce.¡¯ Wasn¡¯t that a typical novel clich¨¦? So that means I¡¯ll be out in the open air. ¡®¡­But how much money did this Imperial Pce garden cost?¡¯ Does everything that was decorated with jewels could be robbed? ¡°Erita, what are you thinking?¡± ¡°How much will it cost to sell that fountain?¡± Shutting my mouth at the words that came out without my knowledge, but it¡¯s already toote¡­ will I die? No matter how hard I try, what should I do when I pretend to be a child? It looks like I¡¯ve forgotten all about this thought for a while. Aaron, who seemed to hold back hisughter seeing his trembling shoulders for a moment, burst intoughter as I let out a sigh¡­ ¡°What a terrible mouth.¡± Maybe my mouth needs to disconnect with my brain a bit. I spit out my thoughts too well. ¡°It¡¯s just that the fountain is so colorful¡­ Well, I mean that a fountain decorated with jewels in an open space like this would be dangerous.¡± The excuses I tried to squeeze out were funny to hear even for me, but in a bad way. My voice, which was gradually crawling, almost became like a mosquito at the end. Just don¡¯t make excuses¡­! ¡°Hey, brother. ¡± ¡°Yes, Erita.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If you like that fountain that much? Would you like to put one in the mansion¡¯s garden?¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t make fun of me.¡± I nced at him with resentment, but the only thing that came back was a mischievous smile. You know that if you smile like that, it makes me soft. With a broken heart, I had a twisted thought. Did Aaron know what his face was like when he smiled? It¡¯s not that all the maids of the Grand Duke were in love with that kind of smile. I remembered the chatter of the maids I happened to hear. ¡®I thought you were just cold, but seeing you smiling in front of the Young Miss makes the surrounding sparkle!¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s right. And what if he¡¯s a little cold? People need to have unexpected charms.¡¯ Not knowing that I was listening, they praised me or Aaron¡¯s appearance for ten minutes after that. ¡®It¡¯s all because of that smile.¡¯ Just when I was looking at Aaron with a sullen expression, a knight suddenly appeared. It¡¯s almost like it appeared in the air, but I¡¯m not surprised because I¡¯m used to it by now. ¡°I have something to report to the Duke.¡± ¡°Erita, wait for a minute.¡± Aaron, who once stroked my hair, took a few steps with the knight. Aaron, who was listening to the knight with no expression, was clearly different from the way he was smiling while talking a minute ago. You could even think of the difference as if it was someone else. ¡®I thought it was an illusion at first, but it was so obvious.¡¯ Originally, it was true that Mary said that Aaron wasn¡¯t the type of person who smiled well. I was wondering at first, but now I had no choice but to admit it, that Aaron was a loving brother whoughs well only in front of me. We¡¯ve been together for more than a year, so I know now. But when I¡¯m with him, he¡¯s always smiling, so I never saw Aaron¡¯s face expressionless. Was there a time when Aaron looked cold in front of me? ¡®Sometimes when he talks to other people?¡¯ It was also good to see Aaron¡¯s expressionless face. I feel like I know what the unexpected charm that the maid said was. But I guess all the knights of the Grand Duke are like masters of stealth. Since I¡¯m used to it. However, knights popping up from somewhere remained interesting. ¡°Especially, Sir Kyle was like a ninja.¡± So, that¡¯s what happens when your swordsmanship rises to a high level? When I was with my father, I sometimes saw Sir Kyle. Sir Kyle was the captain of the knights, and he was the only person I didn¡¯t get to know in the mansion. Well, I mean, among those who I have encountered. I see them often, but they always pop up and disappear, so I didn¡¯t have time to talk to them. While I was lost in thoughts, Aaron, who was talking to the knight about something, approached with an embarrassed face. ¡°Erita, I think I have to go for a while to check something¡­¡± ¡°Are you leaving?¡± ¡°Yes right now, I¡¯m in trouble¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Would you like to wait at the pce for a while?¡± Given Aaron¡¯s personality, it was 100% important if he said that. It may seem a little annoying to say this, but Aaron usually thinks of me before anything else. ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll just go look around the garden.¡± ¡°Will you be okay alone?¡± At my words, Aaron¡¯s expression quickly turned to worry. The thing that hasn¡¯t changed the most in a year was the overprotection of my father and Aaron. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have the ring that our father gavez, and besides I¡¯m in the Imperial Pce.¡± What if something happens in the Imperial Pce? It would be frustrating to wait inside. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be right back. If something happens, use your ring, okay?¡± ¡°Okay. See you!¡± I waved my hand towards Aaron as he walked away. As soon as the ck knight disappeared from sight, I began to walk slowly. ¡°I¡¯m going to find the right ce and practice.¡± The garden was open today, so I could see some nobles who had not left yet. ¡®I have to go to a ce where there are no people.¡¯ But my steps, which were about to pass unnoticed, were caught by the words I heard at that moment. Looking through the dense grass, I saw three people in the same uniform. It seemed that they were probably servants of the Imperial Pce. ¡°What will happen to the second prince now?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell when you see it? Since he¡¯s out of support, he¡¯ll have to live a decent life.¡± ¡°Hey. He¡¯s not even blonde, and he¡¯s definitely gone to the Imperial Pce.¡± Words heard from beyond the bushes were hostile. They seem to be whispering, but if they¡¯re going to do that, they should have done it at home. Even if there¡¯s no party involved, heaven will curse at him. Wasn¡¯t that supposed to be the case too? ¡®How could they say that in an open space like this that no one might hear? That¡¯s also about the person who just had a funeral?¡¯ It was something that they did, but in my heart I wanted to shut their mouths. I looked around without realizing it, but fortunately, there was no one except me and them. At that time, I was relieved, I was a little grumpy towards them, who were still gossiping, and then I quickly left. The results soon followed when the magic I had sent over them arrived. ¡°Argh! What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Ahh! What kind of bug is this?¡± A momentter, a scream was heard. I didn¡¯t learn magic to do this, but I¡¯m proud that I used it for a good cause anyway. A hum came out of nowhere¡­ ¡®That¡¯s how I used my kind heart.¡¯ You won¡¯t be humiliated if you say nice things. Right? ? After walking for a while, I realized that I hade to a ce where there were few people. ¡°Hmm¡­ Shall we go out again in a little while?¡± Aaron said he¡¯d be here soon, but if it¡¯s important, it could take longer than I thought. I found a moderately thick bush and sat down with my hips on the grass. ¡°Mary will scold me if she finds out.¡± Suddenly, I remembered Mary¡¯s fussiness whenever I sat down in the garden or in the woods. ¡°But it¡¯s sofortable.¡± It¡¯s too inefficient to sit on a handkerchief or cloth whenever I sit somewhere. Even if I¡¯m living as a noble now, I still remember my previous life. Will the habit I¡¯ve had for nearly 20 years of living a normal life disappear overnight? Before I left, I decided to use the Clean Magic, and stretched my arms out to the grass. The sky I looked up at was blue without a single cloud. It always rains at the funeral in the novels. ¡°I guess it¡¯s not necessarily like that.¡± Rainy days and spotless sunny days. You will not be able to touch the hearts of those who are sad because they lose a loved one on any given day. So, is the rain that can cover the tears better? A group of lights I summoned floated around. ¡°¡­Pain, and sorrow.¡± It would have been easier if I hadn¡¯t known that this was the world of the original. There was nothing wrong with saying that being ordinary is the most difficult thing. When I try to live a smooth life, I wonder why there are so manyplicated things. It was then¡­ Tap~ At the same time as I turned my head to the sound of footsteps approaching in an instant. ¡°¡­!¡± I made eye contact with the male lead who broke the silence. A gaze that I knew very well¡­ Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Tranted by Niks by Our gaze met his eyes, reminiscent of a transparentke. A boy with shiny silver hair. It was a face I had seen once, but never forgotten. ¡­Because he was the male lead. Being so startled, that you couldn¡¯t even scream. That¡¯s exactly my situation right now. ¡°¡­What¡¯s happening?¡± No, who would have thought that I would meet a male protagonist here? As for how startled I was, I couldn¡¯t even think of removing the swarm of lights flying around me. Looking at the silver hair fluttering nkly, I came to my senses only after a few seconds. ¡®Wait. Callion is a prince.¡¯ Even after seeing the prince, I couldn¡¯t even greet him. It was an issue in this ce, where the rank system was obvious, that may lead to the imperial familymitting the crime of sphemy. In the novels I¡¯ve seen, how many people have their throats blown away for sphemy of the imperial family? ¡°¡­I¡¯m doomed.¡± I quickly raised my stiff body. ¡°The Prince¡­¡± ¡°Hush!¡± It was a moment when I tried to greet him in order to calm my surprise. Callion, who came in an instant, grabbed my shoulder and put an index finger around my mouth. I only blinked my wide opened eyes in the embarrassing situation. ¡°Be quiet for a second.¡± The beautiful voice, which has not yet reached the period of transformation, fell gently in my ear. I couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯m hearing the Prince¡¯s voice this close because I met him unexpectedly. The moment I was about to nod my head, my thoughts stopped. ¡°¡­Your Highness!¡± ¡°Where are you?¡± A voice was heard looking for Callion from not far away. ¡°Prince Callion! Your Highness!¡± Oh, that¡¯s why you told me to be quiet. It seemed that he hid in a deserted ce to avoid people and ran into me. Why did I have to sit here anyway? I should have gone a little deeper. Late regret suddenly rose, but it was always after the event that I thought that way. Was it because I¡¯m nervous to think that we¡¯re hiding from someone? My legs were shaking. ? Crumble~ ¡°Screwed up.¡± Why was there a tree branch just behind my feet in a lot of empty space? Describe in less thanmon character why the branch was brittle dry. ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you hear something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°No, I heard a rustling from over there.¡± The voices that were looking for him were getting closer and closer. Crazy! I think we¡¯ll get caught right away if theye closer a little more. My heart was about to pop out of my throat. Callion¡¯s expression, which I nced up at, was dyed with a sense of embarrassment. When I saw the face, the guilt pressed down on my tension. In the midst of a lot of things that I¡¯m sorry about. I still have a strong conscience. ¡®¡­My father and Fern told me not to use magic anywhere else.¡¯ Still, I didn¡¯t want anything more difficult for Callion. If that¡¯s because of me, even more. ¡®Because it¡¯s my fault.¡¯ If it wasn¡¯t for me, Callion wouldn¡¯t have been caught. At times like this, there¡¯s perfect magic. I would have used it another way anyway. Since I use it often in the mansion, I gently waved my hand. The magical power that had escaped closely from my fingertips, became a translucent energy and wrapped around Callion and I. Callion¡¯s eyes widened at the hazy curtain that suddenly appeared in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s a relief that it¡¯s a magic that I used often.¡± When I tapped Callion¡¯s arm with a careful touch, he slowly turned his head as he stared over the bushes. ¡°It¡¯s okay to talk now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I used magic that would keep them from seeing and hearing us outside, so we don¡¯t have to move or speak loudly.¡± In my words, Callion looked at the curtain surrounding us once and then looked back at me again. Seeing the subtle expression on his face, it seems as if it was hard to believe. I know. It would be suspicious if someone says because a kid used a magic Besides, it¡¯s not a low-level magic. Then, just in time, someone arrived to prove my magic. ¡°His Majesty the Prince!¡± Two knights wearing the uniform of Imperial Knights appeared from beyond the grass. I know they won¡¯t find us anyway, but I was still nervous. ¡°What? There¡¯s no one here.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be true¡­¡± ¡°There was definitely a sound from this side earlier.¡± ¡°Hey! Are your eyes for decorations? Can¡¯t you see this empty ce?¡± Sure enough, they didn¡¯t find us. This ce reflected in the eyes of the knights would look like an ordinary garden. One knight smacked the other with a rotten expression and headed to another ce. ¡°I definitely heard¡­¡± The knight, who heard the rustling, could not give up and looked back at this side in doubt, but eventually turned around to follow the other knight. The voices were getting farther and farther away, and at some point I couldn¡¯t hear them. As soon as I thought that the two of them were far enough apart, I removed the magic I had spread out. ¡°They left¡­¡± Rxed, I muttered without knowing. It was a different kind of fatigue than when I used it to hide from the servants at times in the mansion. Was it because it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve used it for two people? After a moment of silence, Callion opened his mouth first. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll keep it a secret.¡± ¡°What?¡± What do you mean it¡¯s a secret? When I looked at him with a puzzled look, he briefly said, ¡°Magic.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Thank you, Prince.¡± There has been silence again since the slow thank-you speech. Callion was silent, and I also didn¡¯t speak to him with a dark expression. Because I could guess the reason, I couldn¡¯t easily say anything or go beyond the topic. In this whole situation, not just in identity, I know Callion, but he doesn¡¯t know me. Let¡¯s just stand there looking at each other for a few minutes without saying a word. ¡°Erita, where are you?¡± I heard a voice looking for me from afar. Did Aaron finish faster than I thought, or did time pass faster than I felt? The end of the idental meeting was approaching. At that moment, hesitating for a second whether I could leave without saying anything, my eyes met Callion at a good timing. ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°It seems they are looking for the Princess.¡± When I hesitated, not knowing what would be good to ask for his understanding, Callion first brought it up. ¡°Ah yes.¡± ¡°Thank you. For hiding me.¡± I¡¯ve heard the greeting, so I should go. It was frustrating as if every corner of my chest was suffocated. I don¡¯t know why I remembered what I had put in my pocket while I was about to leave. A chain of fortune that Mary taught me how to make, even though I was worried all day yesterday. I guess that¡¯s all I could do for Callion, who was tired. I made it myself and it looked crude, but now I don¡¯t have time to think about it. ¡°Prince, someone told me that holding this ring will bring you good luck.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be happy. For sure.¡± I didn¡¯t really believe in superstition, but I hoped that the saying that it would bring good luck this time was true. After holding the ring in Callion¡¯s hand, I immediately bowed my head to greet him and left the ce at a quick pace. I don¡¯t know where that guts came from. Maybe this situation was heartbreaking because it was my favorite character. It¡¯s something he doesn¡¯t have to go through in the original story. It¡¯s true that Callion has something to do with the death of my family. That obviously, in the original, they had an antagonistic rtionship. The death of my family, written as if passing by a little story. An died of an unexpected runaway during the battle, and Aaronmitted suicide a few days after An¡¯s death. But I don¡¯t know the exact reason. Why my father ran out of control, or why Aaronmitted suicide. The exact circumstances will be known only to those of the original. I shook my head and tried to take a step. And at that moment. ¡®The Grand Duke¡¯s not a person to do that. There must be some reason.¡¯ My eyes turned nk, and a voice directly hit my head. Who¡¯s this voice? Another scene unfolded without thinking. A bloody man whose face was so blurry that it¡¯s hard to recognize. ¡®¡­Certainly, the Grand Duke had no intention of killing. Clearly, there¡¯s a reason why the Grand Duke made him stand on the side of your older brother.¡¯ ¡®What? What¡¯s this?¡¯ My head started to hurt. And thest scene¡­ It was shattered, like looking through a broken mirror. ¡®The Lord¡¯s¡­ Magic¡­! Surely¡­ it¡¯s¡­!¡¯ Contrary to the scene that was blurry from the beginning, only the voice was clear. Now, not only the scene and even the voice crackled as if there was noise. ¡°Ugh!¡± Instantly, a pain pierced through my head. It feels like I¡¯m being stabbed with countless needles. I felt my body loosening up and falling at a very slow speed. That was then. ¡°Erita!¡± Thud~ I heard a voice calling me urgently, and my body was pulled toward the floor. It was a familiar voice. ¡°¡­Brother?¡± When I realized it, the pain that seemed to break my head quickly disappeared. As if nothing had happened. I looked around, but it was just me and Aaron. ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± I nodded my head in confusion. Just what was that¡­? Feeling like I was losing my mind, Aaron worried and called out my name. ¡°Erita, are you really okay?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. I must have stumbled for a moment. I¡¯m sorry, brother¡­¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t get hurt.¡± Perhaps because I almost fell earlier, Aaron¡¯s expression was still worried. ¡°First, let¡¯s go home¡­¡± I struggled to put aside what had just happened. ¡°Yeah. Are we going home now?¡± ¡°Yeah. Dad¡¯sing soon, too¡­ But, nothing really happened, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go ahead and think about itter.¡± Smiling awkwardly and nodding, the voice I heard. The person in the blurry scene was¡­ I couldn¡¯t tell exactly¡­ What¡¯s the possibility that I saw something because I was tired? ¡°¡­No way.¡± The scene, the voice, and the pain that was terrible could never be mistaken. It was too bizarre to tell anyone else. I felt like I shouldn¡¯t¡­ The carriage heading to the mansion was as quiet as it was when it came. ? Callion looked with his sunken eyes at the ce where he disappeared. After the funeral, he couldn¡¯t stand still, so he ran out of the pce recklessly. ¡®Be quiet, Prince.¡¯ Being angry that he couldn¡¯t respond to the Empress¡¯ words that passed by along with her shameless face. ¡®I hated myself, my inability to do anything even though I knew my mother was dying.¡¯ Pretending to be fine was also difficult and frightening. It was an unexpected person who I encountered while running away from fear without knowing what was. A little girl who used magic. He hadn¡¯t heard her name, but he knew who she was. Because her ck hair, as distinct as that of the royal family, itself symbolized her family. Callion, who was staring through the grass where the child disappeared, turned his head to a strange object felt from his palm. There was a small ring with a rough shape. ¡°¡­It brings good luck.¡± I heard that she had lived for seven years or so without even knowing the existence of her family. The child who had such a situation was so friendly that sheforted others. Just enough to give something precious to someone you meet for the first time. Callion, who looked down at it with aplicated gaze, began to walk towards the pce. A small ring was gripped tightly in Callion¡¯s hand. The butterfly that flew loosely hovered around it for a while, then disappeared from the sky. No one knows how today¡¯s encounter would affect the future. Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Tranted by Niks by Returning from the Imperial Pce, I went straight to my room after having a quick meal. My father and Aaron looked worriedly at me, but I couldn¡¯t pay attention to them as my soul was already lost. It¡¯s true that I had no intention to care about them. Because my mind was preupied with two other things. After taking a quick bath, I told Mary to leave andy down on the bed, staring nkly at the ceiling. Only then did I feel the sense of reality that I had left home slowly returning. ¡°¡­I must be crazy.¡± Now, let¡¯s organise it. After going to the Queen¡¯s funeral, I identally ran into the male protagonist in the garden. What¡¯s with this typical romance novel-like development? Well the world of novels should be like this right? ¡°So am I the calm type rather than being too shocked¡­?¡± It felt like a miracle that I walked out in front of Callion. When I remembered what I had done today, I couldn¡¯t stopughing at myself. A noble who didn¡¯t give a proper greeting to a royal, and was caught using magic. There are two kinds of magic, light magic and magic that hides someone¡¯s appearance. There¡¯s one more thing I did, giving you my ¡®good luck charm¡®, the ring that you threw away. Even though Callion¡¯s face looks dark¡­ ¡°No. How could I have been so sane when seeing his tearful face?¡± While trying to rationalise it, I hugged the soft pillow. There was a reason why my condition became like this. Meeting Callion was one of the reasons, but what happened after that was a bigger cause. ¡°Hah¡­¡± I let out a sigh that I couldn¡¯t swallow in the overwhelming feeling. That voice I heard before, The faint scenes that seemed to unfold in front of my eyes along with that voice. What I saw was a total of three scenes. First, ¡®The Grand Duke¡¯s not such a person. There must be some reason.¡¯ A man who sat in an office talking to someone. Second, ¡®Definitely, the Great Prince had no intention of killing me. There was definitely a reason why the Grand Duke was on my brother¡¯s side.¡¯ The man muttered to himself. And the third one, Unlike the two voices that remained clearly in my head, thest scene, as if there was noise, was neither seen nor heard properly. ¡®Magic¡­ Curse.¡¯ Because of the disconnected voice like a radio out of frequency, only two words were magic and curse. And probably the person who spoke of these words was Callion. ¡°¡­It was obviously silver hair.¡± There was a silver colour in the scene that passed before my eyes along with the voice. The face of the man that couldn¡¯t be seen properly, the scene was blurry, but as far as I know, there¡¯s only one silver-haired person in the main and supporting roles. It was Callion. ¡°But that scene never came out of the original.¡± Not only can I remember, but it can¡¯t be possible because it was originally a novel that only proceeded from A¡¯s point of view. It¡¯s a behind-the-scenes story that only the writer knows that there¡¯s a possibility of speckling. It felt like firewood was constantly being put in the fire that was already burning. No matter how hard it was to believe, I¡¯m already here. I may not be able to understand or know all the principles and reasons for the phenomenon in which the scene suddenly appeared in my head. However, I couldn¡¯t miss even a speckling variable, and I strongly thought that this strange situation would serve as a stepping stone for the future. ¡®Was it a real behind-the-scenes story?¡¯ If this was a story behind the original that the readers didn¡¯t know¡­ If so, then what I expected would be true. There must be a reason why my family became the viin. At the same time, even a new fact that my father had no intention of killing Callion. There was more hidden truth behind the poor exnation of the original that he had a runaway while fighting the male lead. ¡°He was pretending, but he didn¡¯t mean to kill him¡­¡±, My father didn¡¯t sincerely pretend to kill Callion. For some reason, he seemed to have sided with the first prince. Does he have any weaknesses? Weak enough that the Empress and the first Prince could hold and make my father waver. ¡°I think it has something to do with thest words¡­¡± The magic and curse that I heard in thest scene kept me thinking. ¡°¡­So was it a curse using magic?¡± There were some types of magic that cast a curse. It wasn¡¯t that it¡¯s efficiency was particrly good, but the preference was low. If they threatened my father with such curse magic¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­ It doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± Maybe I¡¯ll have to ask Fern to know for sure, but it¡¯s basically impossible to cast a curse spell on a Sword Master. Besides, my father was a magic swordsman. ¡®If thest scene was clear, I could have gotten more information.¡¯ It was terribly painful, but I thought that if I could get a clue to change the future, I would go through it again and again. An idea that wasplex enough has now be quite a mess. From unexpected meetings to strange phenomena. After receiving excessive information, my bodyined of fatigue. ¡°I was so tired that I had to go through so many things in one day¡­¡± Once I became aware of it, I became tired and sleepy. ¡°Tomorrow..I¡¯ll have to ask Fern.¡± After muttering like that, Erita fell asleep. ? ¡°Fern, would you like to go for a walk with me?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Thedy wants to walk with me, so it¡¯s better to agree.¡± For a moment, he made a silly face at my sudden request. Fern, who said yes in an exaggerated way, nced at my father. Looking at the shape of the crowbar, It was obvious that he would receive a pile of work for that, but that wasn¡¯t my concern right now. ¡°Erita, if you want to walk, let¡¯s go with your father.¡± ¡°Oh no!¡± My father, who was trying to get up from his seat, faltered at my firm answer. Normally I would not refuse, but now I really needed Fern. ¡®Did I say it too straightforwardly?¡¯ I felt guilty for refusing my father, who stiffened, but I couldn¡¯t help it because the reason I visited my father¡¯s office in the morning was Fern. ¡°Aha! I think you like me better than your father, right?¡± As Fern burst intoughter, my father¡¯s frown in an instant. ¡°I have something to ask of Fern.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± But I was in a hurry to talk to Fern, so I carefully intervened between the two. I¡¯ll have to apologise to my fatherter. If it didn¡¯t work out, I was determined to use the secret weapon I had hidden. Why don¡¯t I just sell the chives? ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Your Highness, I¡¯ll enjoy a leisurely walk. Haha.¡± ¡°Erita, if Fern does something strange, call your father right away.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ I will.¡± If his eyes were a sword, Fern would have been already stabbed. Father¡¯s face became different like heaven and hell at once because Fern didn¡¯t stop teasing him until the moment we left the office. ¡°¡­Something might happenter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe I¡¯ll get hit.¡± ¡°Haha! The Lord has a bigger heart than the sea, so it will be fine.¡± Were you deliberately pretending not to know that or you really don¡¯t know? He was only strict because he wanted me to be safe. Fern¡¯s liver must be twice asrge as the average. ¡®After all, I shouldn¡¯t talk about the expression on my father¡¯s face I saw earlier.¡¯ It was after arriving at the garden as we talked about unhealthy things. ¡°Now, you can say it. I¡¯m curious what you¡¯re going to ask.¡± At the same time as he said those, Fern cast a magic that surrounds us. It was a sound-blocking magic that prevented the outside from hearing our conversations. Fern smiled as he had noticed my intention. ¡°You¡¯re sensitive to magic, too. I was confident in my own magic without chanting.¡± If you¡¯re confident in yourself, what would the other wizards be? ¡°Ah. I heard there are very few wizards who are better at magic than Fern?¡± ¡°Haha. That¡¯s too much.¡± Oh, why don¡¯t you brag about yourself¡­? ¡°Aren¡¯t there one or two more?¡± That can¡¯t be¡­ Seeing Fern smiling brightly, an empty smile came out of nowhere. Being sly, cold, serious, wse almost the level of quadruple personality. Of course, he was on my list of favourites, but Fern was a hard-to-find character anyway. ¡°Umm¡­ Do you know anything about curse magic?¡± ¡°What? Curse magic?¡± There was a crack on Fern¡¯s smile. After a moment of silence, he asked in a bewildered voice. ¡°Yes. Curse magic. Of all the people I know, Fern¡¯s the only one I could ask.¡± I recalled it more clearly this time. There¡¯s also a way to find and read books in the library, but that¡¯s too inefficient. ¡°Why are you suddenly asking about curse magic?¡± Fern asked in a subtle voice. Right, I haven¡¯t thought about that. It didn¡¯t even cross my mind when I came in the morning and asked about the curse, people would naturally think it was strange. ¡°I¡¯m just curious¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ What else is there to be curious about, not any other magic, but cursing magic?¡± As I smiled awkwardly and avoided the answer, Fern¡¯s eyes narrowed. I feel like I¡¯m being questioned for some reason. ¡°No, but you don¡¯t have to look at me like that.¡± Oh! I should have prepared a usible excuse. A life in which you run out hastily and get questioned. Rather than making vague excuses here, it would be better to just say something out of curiosity, right? ¡®Cause I¡¯m still ten years old.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m really just curious, so¡­¡± Fortunately, Fern¡¯s face returned as usual as I was sweating. I still seem suspicious. ¡°Well, there must be a good reason for that.¡± ¡°Haha, yes. Ri-right. That¡¯s right!¡± Nodding to agree, I clenched my fist. Of course there¡¯s a reason he couldn¡¯t even think of. It was the moment I was about to fall into thought again. ¡°So what exact curse magic are you curious about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a curse magic that works even for the Sword Master.¡± I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll miss the chance, so I replied quickly¡­ The problem was that the words were too straight. Was it my imagination that the blood seemed to drain from Fern¡¯s face? ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s a magic that works even for strong people¡­¡± Erita added excuses, but somehow it took on a strange shape. ¡®Ah, why are the wordsing out from my mouth like this since yesterday? It¡¯s driving me crazy.¡¯ There¡¯s only one Sword Master close to me. A person who¡¯s also a very strong sword master. ¡°¡­Did His Highness make any mistake to the youngdy?¡± ¡°No!¡± Unsurprisingly, I screamed at the mention of my father, who came out of Fern¡¯s mouth. What a terrible thing to say! I¡¯m doing this to save him right now! ¡°It¡¯s not really like that, so you shouldn¡¯t tell my father! Really¡­!¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Of course! Why would I do such a thing to my father in the first ce¡­¡± I took a deep breath to calm myself at his strangely twisted words. After we had promised not to tell anyone, we started the conversation in earnest. And what I got from the story was a bigger clue than I thought. To the extent that it overturns all the hypotheses I have established so far. It was the moment when the definite direction of my n was set. Since then, the things I have to do are clear. First of all, I needed the strength to face the enemy. For that, I¡¯d need financial support. And also learn about ck magic. If it¡¯s true, I should prepare a countermeasure for it. There was no time to waste in order to achieve the goal. I had to prepare thoroughly even for many years that¡¯s yet toe. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Tranted by Niks by ? Eight yearster¡­ The maids walking around the wide castle were busy. ¡°Have you seen the library?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the first time she left. It¡¯s cold, but where was she?¡± The reason why they were scattered was to find someone. It would have been annoying if the person¡¯s whereabouts were unknown, but the maid¡¯s expression seems far from negative. One of them looked out of the snowy castle. ¡°I hope she didn¡¯t go outside.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. Did she know she might catch a cold?¡± ¡°Hey, She hasn¡¯t been able to go out since thest time she got sick and had a cold.¡± ¡°At that time, the knight overturned the mountain to find ingredients for the medicine for thedy.¡± On the contrary, some have good intentions from their tone. ¡°Then she must be studying somewhere quiet or reading a book.¡± ¡°Hurry! Let¡¯s find her.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After chatting for a while, they met each other¡¯s eyes and shook their heads. ¡°Miss!¡± ¡°Miss Erita!¡± The voices of the maids who began to walk again rang out. Not knowing that the maid was eagerly looking for me, I was stuck in an undergroundboratory. My eyes were wide open as I was going through the old book as if being sucked in. The letters were written looking like an earthworm, but it was certain. ¡°Destiny ck Magic¡± Words written in scribbled letters. I finally found the part I was looking for in an ancient book. ¡°¡­I found it!¡± I tried hard to press down my desire to scream and cheer. I¡¯ll have to read more to know, but I¡¯m d it¡¯s a trace of the ck magic I haven¡¯t found in a long time. ¡°Phew¡­ It¡¯s worth a month of hard work.¡± Last month, even though I was busy preparing for my debut, it was worthwhile to dig through books. With joy, a smile came out of my lips unknowingly. ¡°Now, let¡¯s read it somewhere¡­¡± ¡°Miss!¡± ¡°¡­Marilyn?¡± Just as I was about to read the old book, Marilyn appeared through the open door, breathing heavily. It looked like she had run to the point of sweating in winter. For some reason, an ominous feeling came over. ¡°You were here?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Are you looking for me?¡± I tried to fix the habit of not hearing anything when I was focused, but failed every time. In the first ce, I couldn¡¯t fix it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°¡­Really. It¡¯s okay because you¡¯re still young.¡± If it was someone else, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to apologise with a slightly shy smile. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s hurry up. You have to get ready.¡± ¡°Ready¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± What am I getting ready for? Do I have a schedule today..? ¡°What time was it now?!¡± As I was checking today¡¯s schedule for a while, I suddenly shouted at the thought that came to mind. ¡°It was a little past five when I saw you earlier.¡± ¡°What? The party¡¯s at 6 o¡¯clock!¡± ¡°So, we should go and prepare right now.¡± I stood up in a hurry. Marilyn, who sighed while watching, answered cynically and straightened the messy hem of my dress. I put the old books I had read earlier and a few more scattered books into the corner and then moved quickly. Was it this long way to get to my room? ¡°As expected, you read a book without knowing that time went by.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± With those words, I couldn¡¯t answer anything and only smiled awkwardly. It¡¯s true that I forgot about it because I was so immersed in searching through old books. Although it was an asional dinner, today was a day where all the housekeepers were together. And today was the day before I leave the capital for the first time in 8 years ? The maids were busier than ever, so they were able to finish the preparations on time. It was ufortable to dress up so formally, but it was myst day staying here. All of the maids who decorated me were dressed in their own gowns. ¡°Thank you for today. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s still me.¡± Erita said as she looked through her reflection. ¡°Hey, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯re the prettiest girl in the Empire!¡± I don¡¯t think so, but I refuted it vaguely, but my opinion was devastated and ignored by the maids. Feeling unbearable embarrassment, I quickly got up to leave the room as soon as possible. ¡°Father!¡± When I opened the door, I saw my father standing in front. My father, who wore a formal uniform, was dazzled by a little exaggeration. ¡®¡­After all, God was not fair.¡¯ Some say that there were demons at the ancestors of our family, but when looking at it like this, it seems to be true. It¡¯s not enough to be overly handsome, and the beauty that hasn¡¯t faded even after eight years. ¡®Originally, the devil is pretty and handsome, right?¡¯ As I approached with an unpleasant thought, my father reached out his hand familiarly. When I put my hand on his natural escort with a smile, it felt a little cool. ¡°Did father wear a uniform too?¡± ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t you tell me a week ago?¡± My father answered back, but the indifferent tone also made meugh. ¡°I really didn¡¯t know you¡¯d listen to it¡­ You didn¡¯t like wearing it because it¡¯s ufortable.¡± Of course, I asked him once the day we decided to have a small farewell party a week ago. And I also want to see my father in a uniform. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll go to a banquet or something, but I haven¡¯t seen my father dress up so far because we don¡¯t have a chance to attend one. ¡®Actually, it¡¯s because of what I heard from the Commander of the Knights.¡¯ My father doesn¡¯t like ufortable clothes. He won¡¯t even touch it ¡­ ¡°How did the author think of using this visual as an extra?¡± ¡®If I saw this in the novel, I¡¯ll rip off all the original pieces right away.¡¯ Whatever I imagined, I saw more than that. It was just all about my father. Anyway, there are no ordinary people in this house. My father and Aaron were like national treasure-level beauties. ¡°Anyway, I really like it, you look good. What would the Knight Commander feel when he sees you wearing these clothes?¡± ¡°Are you going to tell him?¡± ¡°Yes. Sir Gahill told me.¡± He said you were so popr whenever you went to banquets¡­ When I added words in a yful voice, my father sighed. ¡°¡­Gahill said something useless again.¡± His expression as he mumbled was bloody, but the Knight Commander onlyughed and said, wasn¡¯t that true?¡¯ In that case, he knew that he wouldn¡¯t win. In 8 years it was like that. You¡¯ll get to know even the small habits of your family. As we got closer to the banquet hall that was set for the party, amotion could be heard in the distance. When the soundes a little louder. My father stopped walking for a while. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have to go to the capital if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°What?¡± When I nced at him wondering, my father, who hesitated for a while, soon spoke in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that you can¡¯t sleep these days, and you often fall asleep only after the sun rises.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± That¡¯s because I search through old books every night. I swallowed down my words. I thought I was careful, but everyone knew. If I had known that my father would have such troubles because of that, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered sleepingte. But it¡¯s toote to regret. As I slightly raised my gaze, I happened to encounter my father¡¯s eyes looking at me. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I sleptte because of some other reasons. Don¡¯t worry too much!¡± I answered with a wide smile at his gaze full of concern. Of course, I didn¡¯t think I could hide everything¡­Because we¡¯re family. My father may not know everything. But mymitment nine years ago was still firm. Though I could never tell my family what information I had to find that I stayed up all night, even to keep that promise. ¡°¡­Yes, but please tell me whenever you have a hard time. Okay?¡± That would not happen, but my father¡¯s words, which sounded close to a request, seemed like a plea to know something. ¡°Well, it¡¯s probably my misunderstanding.¡± As long as my father wouldn¡¯t read my mind, how else would he know? ¡°I will¡­People will be waiting for us. Let¡¯s go!¡± Saying yes to the promise I couldn¡¯t keep, and hastily walked out. Because of that, I couldn¡¯t see the expression on my father¡¯s face, half a step behind. At this time, I should not have taken my father¡¯s words lightly. ? The party, which started with An and Erita¡¯sst stance, wasn¡¯t as spectacr as the social banquet, butughter continued. The chefs showed their skills to their heart¡¯s content, and those who knew how to y musical instruments yed the melody. For today, everyone in the castle took out their best clothes and enjoyed themselves. Not ssy or elegant, but it¡¯s a fun party. At the centre of it was Erita in a sky blue dress. ¡°Lady, you¡¯re so pretty!¡± ¡°Really? Ellie is really cute too! Yellow suits her so well.¡± ¡°Will Garon fall in love at first sight?¡± A maid called Ellie smiled shyly and blushed at the whisper. A scene she would not have imagined if it had been like before. Two years ago, the Castle was not like this at all. Rather, it was a ce where cold air flowed to suit the frozen northernnd. It was Erita that came with An that made this ce lively. ¡°Evan! How about meat today?¡± ¡°Just say it. I¡¯ll make you feel so proud!¡± ¡°Hmm, then I¡¯d like a spicy chicken dish, please!¡± The kitchen, where they were only doing their jobs, was lively¡­ ¡°Ellie, Betty! Would you like to go to the backyard together?¡± ¡°Backyard?¡± ¡°Yeah. Trying to find flowers that can be dried and used.¡± It made the servants who were always stiff to live with a smile. In the meantime, An slowly picked up wine, looking at Erita smiling brightly. It would be nice to always smile like that¡­ He still worries a lot about me being alone. The after taste of the wine was bitter. ¡°Lord, why are you here? You should enjoy the party.¡± Just at that moment, Fern approached with a smiling face. ¡°Seeing you smile like that, it seems like you¡¯re ready for tomorrow.¡± ¡°You always set candles like this¡­¡± Although he spoke those words with a smile, An seemed frowning. ¡°Fern.¡± An called Fern with his eyes still fixed on his daughter. Fern felt that his expression was somewhatplicated. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°What is it that makes that child unable to rest?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on in that little head of hers.¡± What¡¯s the reason she wanted to learn about ck magic? Why are you hanging on so desperately? Fern¡¯s body flinched at the words that were spoken out without hesitation. ¡°Fern.¡± A cold sweat dripped down at the call. ¡°Help her not to get in danger.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Stop pretending not to know anything, That kid¡¯s magic, what she¡¯s looking for, and everything she¡¯s looking for.¡± As expected, such lies won¡¯t work. ¡°¡­Haha! Of course. I will.¡± Fern smiled awkwardly on the outside, and was sweating inside. ¡®¡­Lady, I told you that the Lord would know everything..!!¡¯ Sorry, I won¡¯t be able to live even with such a lie. Initially, Fern thought it was a mistake to tell Erita about ck magic eight years ago. He thought it would be a simple curiosity, but he didn¡¯t know it would continue until now. But he also didn¡¯t know why she knew about ck magic. ¡®The expression she makes when I ask about it¡­¡¯ Fern couldn¡¯t ask more even after seeing the expression like the world was copsing. At the end of theplicated gazes of the two men, there was Erita, who seemed as bright as ever. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Tranted by Niks by ¡°Lady, do you have anything else to pack?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same as going to the mansion anyway.¡± I looked around the room, answering Mary¡¯s question. A lifeless unorganised room where luggage was left in the awkward corner. ¡®The most important things have already been put in the subspace.¡¯ Documents rted to my other identity, or the clues I have gathered so far were also there. ¡°Then shall we go now? Master is waiting downstairs.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± Leaving the North, where I had been living for the past two years, was exhrating. Originally, either my father or Aaron came to the North every winter, but the appearance of monsters abruptly increased two years ago, so my father had to stay in the north for about a year. Just in time, Aaron had to go to the capital. So I came to the north with my father. Because my father won¡¯t let me stay alone in the Grand Pce. I didn¡¯t think much of it two years ago when I left the Grand Pce and came here. Finally, we left the North and headed to the capital. Following the original work, which was elerated by someone¡¯s early return by a year. ? It took two days travelling from north to the capital. Magically transporting from the north to the Grand Pce. Returning to the Grand Pce after taking a day off and using magic to transport back to the capital mansion. In front of the magic circle connected to the capital, I could hear Fern¡¯s grumbling voice in my ear. ¡°The Lord was so mean. My body¡¯s not the same anymore.¡± Not surprisingly, Fern was muttering with a slightly pale face. Long-distance travel magic was challenging, but he was also a great wizard, so it wasn¡¯t impossible for him. ¡°Fern¡­ You¡¯re not even in your mid-thirties, what are you talking about? ¡°I¡¯m a wizard! I¡¯m sure it¡¯s okay for those who are strong physically like the Lord himself, but it¡¯s not for me.¡± When he scolded with a smile, Fern began to talk about the wizard¡¯s physical strength, which he emphasized a hundred times more so far. Fern, who was warm and reliable when Erita first saw him, had disappeared. ¡°If physical strength was a problem, I¡¯ll tell Gahill.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll ask.¡± There was a time when Fern was ying pranks on his physical strength as an excuse, and was captured by the Knight Commander. I don¡¯t know what happened there, but I definitely remember that Fern¡¯s look was like a zombie the next day. ¡®After that, if you were the leader, you left the crane.¡¯ Fern swore, but in the end murmured his dissatisfaction and unleashed his magic. Even after bing a great wizard, he remained the same. After a few seconds, the white light that¡¯s distinctive to travel magic appears. The scenery gradually revealed a location in my memories when I opened my eyes. It¡¯s been quite a long time, but I still remember clearly. It was then¡­ ¡°Father, Erita.¡± The voice of someone more wee than anyone else called me. As I turned my head, a handsome man dressed neatly stood. It was my brother, Aaron. He grew stunning like it always does. The expressionless face warmed as soon as our gazes met. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After a simple greeting between my father and Aaron, a friendly gaze turned to me. ¡°Brother!¡± It¡¯s been half a year since I¡¯ve seen him, so I couldn¡¯t hide my joy, and when I ran to hug him, a familiar scent hit the tip of my nose. The temperature of his arms was as cool as father¡¯s. There was no time to be ashamed of being hugged like a child. ¡°Erita, how have you been?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. What about you?¡± In fact, he still had a pretty face, but he became a little sharper because of his sharp jawline. Two years ago, when I went to the north with my father, my brother and I headed to the capital alone. ¡°My brother¡¯s still handsome.¡± As Aaron smiled and patted my hair, I saw the people waiting behind me in surprise. All of them were people who only stayed in the capital mansion. ¡®¡­Now, I¡¯m used to this surprise.¡¯ This was the reaction when I first went to the North. It was different that the antagonist was not Aaron, but father. Of course, I know that after a week, everyone would get used to it. Humans are adaptable animals. ¡°Let¡¯s both do that and go in first.¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s cold, so let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡± As I sniffed, my father and my brother began to move together in unison. February was cold in the capital. But it was warmer than the snowy winter in the north, anyway. Entering the mansion, we headed to the drawing room. It was early for lunch, so I decided to just drink tea. I took a sip of the steaming chamomile tea. ¡°Aaron, was there any inconvenience in staying?¡± ¡°Yes. Was the North okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s always been the same. Buttely, the monster wave has noticeably decreased.¡± My father and Aaron were giving a simple greeting. Neither of them had a soft personality, so they spoke harsh words, but even this was a big development. There were no words or short-answer conversations before, so it couldn¡¯t be called harmonious even with empty words. ¡°Yes, it was okay.¡± ¡°There are a few things that bothers me.¡± I shook my head at Aaron¡¯s words, my ears pricked up so as not to interrupt their time. ¡°That¡¯s the annoying part.¡± Oh, I know what it¡¯s about¡­ There was no way that he would like the social world where pretense prevails, or the capital, which was at its peak. ¡°I think I know why my father hated the capital.¡± At Aaron¡¯s words, our father seemed to understand immediately. I knew it would be that, ¡°There¡¯s that part¡± Among the people who could rte to this part, I let out an awkwardugh. You¡¯re really worried about making your social debut in a capital city. If it weren¡¯t for the haste original, there would have been another year. ¡°Erita.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°There are a lot of strange people in the capital. Moreover, at this time, there might be more.¡± I shook my head at the sudden words of my father. No, I couldn¡¯t easily believe that there were strange people out of the blue. ¡°Strange people?¡± ¡°Yeah. Wasn¡¯t the debutanteing up? It¡¯s a time when all the idiots are stuck in their flock.¡± It was a bitter content that did not match the friendly tone. ¡°Hmm. So you¡¯re talking about the debutante that¡¯s a month away, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Soon, all those people wille to the capital.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Father.¡± Over time, the faces of father and Aaron have changed seriously. There were things I had heard about that I thought they were overprotective. Things that happen in society every year. Although were located in the north, such stories have been heard from beyond the region. It often appears in stories told by maids or in novels secretly read. ¡°Erita, just hit them in the face as soon as someone asks you for a dance or approaches you during your debut.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to touch them, you could kick them with your foot. Don¡¯t worry about the mess.¡± ¡®Wait¡­ Wasn¡¯t that too much?¡¯ If you did such a thing as a debutante, I¡¯d be in the headlines of the newspaper. But I couldn¡¯t say that to these two serious people, so I just smiled vaguely. The tea time that started with the joy of reunion ended with a topic about all kinds of bad guys in the capital. ? ¡°Okay, today¡¯s ss is over.¡± ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡± Emma smiled contentedly as I lifted the edge of my skirt and greeted her. ¡°What?¡± ¡°It ended earlier than expected because you followed me well¡­¡± ¡°You could make a social debut right away.¡± Iughed at Emma¡¯s yful words. Emma Chiron, She was the wife of Count Chiron, one of the vassals of the Grand Duke, and she was the one who made my social debut from the North. ¡°Is it okay if Emmaes to the capital city?¡± It was a famous story that Count Chiron visited my father with tears when Emma¡¯s asceticism was decided. ¡®The two of you must have a good gold thread.¡¯ So, for that reason, I didn¡¯t feelfortable. Of course, I¡¯m happy that Emma¡¯s with me, so I could be ready until the very end. ¡°Hoho! it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s important to be apart from each other to be more precious.¡± Emma said yfully, and she gently brushed the fan. ¡°When you¡¯re in a rtionship, it¡¯s essential to push and pull. Got it?¡± ¡°Ahaha. Am I in a rtionship?¡± ¡°Of course, Mydy is all grown up now, and it should be as true as possible since it has to break through the Grand Duke or the Grand prince¡¯s objection.¡± I smirked awkwardly at her words as she winked. Romantic Rtionship¡­ Come to think of it, I¡¯ve only dated once in my past life. Was it when I was in high school? I don¡¯t even remember the name right now. It was clear that father and Aaron would be ipatible no matter who the man I brought. No matter how perfect you bring someone, you¡¯ll somehow get into trouble. ¡°Or my son is okay, too.¡± ¡°¡­Emma¡¯s son is only 12 years old now.¡± ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t you like younger people?¡± ¡®Well I¡¯m 18, but 12 is too young.¡¯ When Iughed awkwardly, Emmaughed, saying it was a joke. Anyway, in my situation, love is a luxury. Knock, knock~ As soon as I was about to arrange the seat, I heard a knock. ¡°I think you left the door open earlier.¡± As I turned my head, I saw Aaron leaning against the wall. He was dressed in outing clothes wherever he went. ¡°Grand Prince, Lady, I¡¯ll leave first.¡± ¡°See you tomorrow, Emma!¡± Emma, who greeted him, left first. This is my opinion, but Emma seemed to be more ufortable with Aaron than my father. ¡°Brother!¡± I was d to see Aaron in the morning because we had a schedule for lunch. It¡¯s been three days since I came to the capital, but I haven¡¯t seen him in the past half a year, and I kept missing him. ¡°Are you done with your ss?¡± ¡°Yes. It just ended.¡± I nodded my head to answer his question. ¡°Do you have any other ns for today?¡± Well, I won¡¯t be doing research for a while. I¡¯ll read the bookter tonight. ¡°I don¡¯t have any.¡± ¡°Then shall we go on a pic together?¡± At Aaron¡¯s words, I jumped up from my seat immediately. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s go, brother!¡± Aaron smiled lowly as I approached him, and crossed arms with him. I just thought I wanted to go out, but as expected, my brother¡­ ¡°You have to prepare.¡± ¡°I¡¯m wearing my outdoor clothes right now.¡± ¡°I just need to get a hat and coat for my hair.¡± ¡°Yes. Then let¡¯s go together. I¡¯ll be waiting in front.¡± ¡®Oh, you¡¯re such a sweet guy brother!!¡¯ ¡°Brother.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, be honest with me.¡± Aaron stared at seemingly not understanding what I meant. I looked around and whispered in a small voice. ¡°How many times have you been in a rtionship?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Be honest, I¡¯ll forgive you.¡± No matter how much I think about it, there¡¯s no way he has ever done it. Isn¡¯t it Aaron, who has been popr since he was a teenager even in the Grand Pce? But in the capital, he could officially go to the social world. Would the noble girls leave that face alone? Aaron burst outughing at my words. As we entered the room, I peeked out and said. ¡°You have to answer me when we get out. Okay?¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be honest with you.¡± At that time, Aaron promised, and replied with a face still full ofughter. ¡°Oh my. I guess there¡¯s a real one.¡± Mary had to work hard to keep her itching mouth shut when she dressed me up and asked if I had anything exciting to do. ¡®I told him to be honest, so I should keep it a secret.¡¯ Because promises are meant to be kept. ¡®¡­I guarantee that it will be more than that.¡¯ Chapter 28 Chapter 28 ? ¡°¡­Not even once?¡± I was excited to hear his love story, but I couldn¡¯t hide my disappointment at Aaron¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that I couldn¡¯t live up to your expectations. I¡¯ve never had one.¡± Erita asked again, but Aaron¡¯s answer, with his shoulder trembling andughing, was still there. ¡®What? I can¡¯t believe it, not even once?¡¯ You said you didn¡¯t like the capital. So, was that why you never dated anyone? Staring at Aaron who was sitting across from me with disbelief. ¡°But my brother seems to be popr¡­¡± But Aaron just looked at me with his deep set eyes and smiled. ¡®What do you mean? ¡­Love¡¯s not necessary.¡¯ ¡°Well, that¡¯s possible.¡± In the end, I gave up in resentment and answered coldly. ¡°Seeing you asking me this, my sister seems to have be interested in dating.¡± However, the arrow returned to me this time, as if Aaron had decided to use dating as a topic of conversation. ¡°Do you have someone you like?¡± His eyes that asked like that seemed curious. I felt like something would happen right away if I answered that I have a crush. But he wasn¡¯t so sweet because he looked scary. ¡°Come to think of it, there¡¯s someone I like.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes. I miss him every day, and I feel happy when I think about him.¡± Rolling my eyes for a moment in pretend and answered shyly. Aaron¡¯s countenance stiffened slightly as I avoided ncing shyly while spitting off the phrases. Thinking about it for a while, he asked in a gentle tone. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell you!¡± When I responded with a smile, Aaron¡¯s forehead frowned slightly. It was his habit when there¡¯s something he didn¡¯t like. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sad. Where¡¯s that Erita who said she liked her brother the most?¡± As if he had changed his strategy, Aaron made a gloomy expression. The intention was obvious, but surprisingly, I was weak for him. Come to think of it, it seems that I am just weak against pretty and handsome people. No matter how many years have passed, it¡¯s always something new. ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°Are you really not going to tell me?¡± As he pretended to be worried, Aaron urged affectionately with a calm voice. ¡°Then you have to keep it a secret, too. Okay?¡± ¡°I promise.¡± When I beckoned Aaron, who nodded calmly leaned towards me ¡°It¡¯s really a secret¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Even when I asked twice, Aaron responded without showing any sign of annoyance. Smiling at the sight, I leaned and whispered something to Aaron¡¯s ear. Hearing my words, Aaron hardened on the spot. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± Just in time, I heard the coachman saying that the carriage had arrived at its destination. When I left the stiffened Aaron and got off first, Aaron quickly smiled and followed me. I put my arms around Aaron and smiled. ¡°Erita¡­. Where did you learn such a joke?¡± Aaron, who couldn¡¯t take his gaze away from me, gradually opened some things one more time and gently handed them to me. Although the other maids said it was amazing that being siblings was so good, wouldn¡¯t the premise be different since my older brother was Aaron? ¡°It¡¯s not a joke. I miss you all the time and it was good to be with you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, brother.¡± Eritaughed bashfully and spoke happily. We looked at each other for a while, then burst outughing as we walked slowly. When I first came here eight years ago, I didn¡¯te out on the street for a good reason. Coming out normally like this, the scale of difference was definitelyrge. ¡°But no one in the capital was surprised by the color of our hair.¡± Now, Aaron and I were both in our original hair colors. I¡¯m wearing a hat, but¡­ ¡°It¡¯s simr to the Grand Pce here, because the capital was where our family was based.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Some of the passers-by, there were sometimes people who had ck hair. ¡°The farther away from the capital, the more people believed in the legend. It seems that there are rtively few such people in the capital.¡± Then I understand that the Lysen Orphanage I used to live in was particrly severe. It was ironic, but it was easy to move on because it was a poor background story from the original. ¡°Where are we going now?¡± It¡¯s good that we came out, but I don¡¯t know where we¡¯re going. Looking at Aaron with anticipation, he smiled. ¡°There¡¯s a famous dessert cafe. Shall we go there?¡± ¡°Great! As expected, you¡¯re the only one who knows it.¡± I shouted in excitement. As I followed Aaron¡¯s lead with light footsteps, a two-story building appeared. The interior was luxurious, but not too extravagant. As we entered, the face of the employees who saw us was surprised, but soon returned with a capitalist smile. ¡°Wee!¡± ¡°Two young people! Pleasee inside. It¡¯d be nice to have a seat away from other people.¡± The strong service spirit was the same here. Following the guidance of the staff who greeted us with a wide smile, we moved to the other seat. It seemed to be a ce frequented by nobles as well, and I saw people dressed in splendid clothes. Then they came out with wide-open eyes looking at Aaron. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s embarrassing.¡¯ No matter how familiar I am with other people¡¯s gazes, I can¡¯t believe there was a tremor like that. As expected, the nobles seemed to recognize us. To be precise, they recognized Aaron. ¡°Aaron, what are you doing?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the Grand Prince! Then thedy next to you¡­.¡± Those words were roughly heard¡­ If you want to whisper, you should have kept it to yourself. Fortunately, our seats were blocked off by a partition, so it was out of sight from other people. ¡°If you decide to order, please ring the bell next to you!¡± As soon as the staff, who did not lose their smile until the end, disappeared behind the partition, I heard a sobbing sound. ¡°Brother.¡± ¡°Why?¡± As I looked at Aaron in confusion, he didn¡¯t seem to care. Since you¡¯ve been in the capital for two years, are you familiar with this? ¡°No, more than that, how did you know this ce? It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s the type of ce you¡¯d go to.¡± Aaron doesn¡¯t care about other people, but he basically doesn¡¯t like crowded ces. ¡°It¡¯s amazing that Aaron knows these ces.¡± He couldn¡¯t go to such a ce because he doesn¡¯t like sweets. ¡°I asked someone about this ce because my sister said she likes sweets, and he said this ce was famous.¡± Aaron¡¯s answer back was neat. Right, you must have asked someone you knew. I was going to say ¡®that¡¯s right¡¯, but I shook my head at the sudden thought that popped up in my mind. ¡®Did Aaron have a friend that he could ask about this ce?¡® I didn¡¯t mean to ask about Aaron¡¯s friends, but when I met him half a year ago, he said he didn¡¯t get along with anyone. Aaron also resembled our father and was indifferent to those around him. If you¡¯re constantly uninterested, what you¡¯re given was only swordsmanship, and family? ¡°Who did you ask?¡± ¡°His Highness, Second Prince.¡± What¡­? The answer that popped out from his lips was far beyond my expectations. ? I was curious about how the two knew each other, so I eventually asked Aaron. But he justughed and didn¡¯t give a clear answer. ¡°We¡¯re not close, we¡¯re just casual acquaintances.¡± It was such a quick answer. ¡®No way¡­ I know Aaron.¡¯ If you say that he was an acquaintance, they must be quite close. ¡°I know it¡¯s not true¡­¡± There was a reason why I asked this. Because in the original story, there was no personal rtionship between the two. From the time Aaron first appeared, they were in hostile rtions. Although the big facts have already changed a few times, it¡¯s the original work that has been flowing ording to the framework to some extent. The Second Prince, Callion, went to the battlefield and returned to the capital a month ago. It was a year earlier than the original, but let¡¯s move on, Callion left the capital four years ago. Aaron came to the capital two yearster. There can¡¯t be any connection between the two. But I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re close. It was the moment when my thoughts were about to continue then, ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter.¡± ¡°Really?¡± When I asked in doubt, Aaron nodded. I wondered why he would tell meter, but there must be a reason. For now, I decided to put aside theplicated thoughts. It was also a useless concern if Aaron didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s go first if we finished eating.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter. I have a situation right now.¡± Aaron added, ¡°I don¡¯t know if you were offended by that suspicious tone¡­ Should I buy some more desserts?¡± When I nodded for a while, Aaron immediately called the waiter and ordered two more desserts that I liked. ¡®Actually, I¡¯m not offended at all.¡¯ I quit because he might think it¡¯s weird if I ask too much, but I don¡¯t have to refuse. In any case, the desserts were great, worthy of it¡¯s fame. ¡°This is the dessert you ordered.¡± ¡°Thank you, brother. Thank you for the food!¡± I couldn¡¯t help feeling better when I saw the cake wrapped in a pretty box. ¡°I¡¯ll take it. Put on your gloves first.¡± Aaron¡¯s appearance with a small dessert box seemed unfamiliar, but it matched well. We left the cafe after paying. The gentle breeze was cold. It did, but it wasn¡¯t cold enough. As I was walking slowly through the streets, I saw a beautiful ce. ¡°Brother, can we go over there?¡± ¡°¡­Over There?¡± Aaron asked back, who turned his gaze along my fingertips. There was a clothing store selling menswear.. ¡°Yeah. I want to look around for a while¡­ Can I?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go.¡± Aaron, who paused for a moment, quickly epted, and we entered the store with a warm atmosphere. ¡°Wee. If you need any help, please feel free to call me.¡± A male employee in a neat suit weed us. The soft smile didn¡¯t cause any agitation, unlike the staff at the cafe earlier. Smiling, satisfied with the appearance, I moved to the ce where the shirt was disyed. There were a few who looked like nobles here too, but I didn¡¯t really care. Aaron, who followed, also smiled as if he had noticed my intention. ¡°Are you going to buy a present for our father?¡± ¡®¡­Yes.¡¯ Actually, I came here to buy a present for our father. Father¡¯s birthday is in a week. ¡°It¡¯s a secret from our father.¡± I winked and joked around. Aaron was looking at me with a sweet gaze. ¡°Okay. Are you going to give him a shirt as a gift?¡± ¡°Yes. Father was best at wearing shirts, so¡­¡± If I could, I¡¯d like something that suits him, but it¡¯s a shirt he wears often. ¡°What do you mean? He doesn¡¯t like to wear this shirt?¡± ¡°I mean. It would be good if you wear a uniform like our father.¡± As I said that, I nced at Aaron. Uniforms that are not too fancy. Father and Aaron seemed simr, but different. ¡°If you like it, you should wear it right away.¡± ¡°¡­Actually, he wore it once a few days ago.¡± I picked a shirt and told Aaron about the farewell party in the North. ¡°It was so hard to choose. I thought he¡¯d look good in everything.¡± ¡°Father will like anything you gave to him.¡± ¡°But I want to give him the prettiest one.¡± After a long thought, I chose two shirts. ¡°Could you wrap this please?¡± I think it¡¯s a little small, but I¡¯m not going to give it to him just like this. ¡°Here it is. Thank you for buying it!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Finally, I took a look inside and left the store with Aaron. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been to a men¡¯s clothing store, but I think it¡¯s more sessful than I thought. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 ? After leaving the store, Aaron naturally took the box from my hand. Then therge box appeared to have shrunk in size when he lifted it. ¡°I can listen, but I wanted to listen to your stories instead.¡± ¡°¡­My brother wants to do everything for me.¡± ¡°Haha! Then would you like to go somewhere instead?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask me that.¡± In response to my statement, Aaron stared at me sweetly. ¡®¡­After all, that face was a foul whoever sees it.¡¯ Eventually, I sighed withughter and put my hand on his arm, then his eyes widened. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor.¡± ¡°If I knew there was a ce we¡¯ll go, I should have stopped by there first.¡± Well, I could buy a father¡¯s gift next time. It didn¡¯t look like we had been out for a long time, but the sun that had been floating in the middle of the sky was setting until it reached the roof of the building. The days were short because winter wasn¡¯t over yet. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s been pre-ordered, so all you have to do is pick it up.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m d¡­¡± ¡°Originally, I was going to eat until dinner, but my father took it away. This time I decided to yield.¡± Aaron said it was a pity. It was hard for me to hold back theughter that popped out at his words. ¡°That¡¯s nothing, so I even yield.¡± ¡°What kind of concession is that?¡± ¡°¡­Father surprisingly grumpy, too.¡± There was augh in Aaron¡¯s tone as he said that. Aaron and father often had a gentle argument over strange things. Typically, after I learned to dance for the first timest year, they had a fight all day over who would dance with me first. It happened to be when Aaron came to the North. In the end, Aaron, who hit the knight saying that he would help his younger sister practice, won. After that, my father yed against Aaron for a long time. In other words, it hurts to say that Fern, who has recovered his hollow and broken arms, grumbled. ¡°Ahaha, did you prepare a present for father?¡± Erita hurriedly changed the subject. It¡¯s been half a year since I¡¯ve seen him, so I thought it wouldn¡¯t be the case now, but it¡¯s still there. ¡°You gave father a fountain penst time. When he signs all of his documents, He always uses it.¡± His answer got a little faster. I like how my family was harmonious. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course. Did you see me lie?¡± Aaron said as he nced at me with a smile. ¡®Why? Why do you look at me like that?¡¯ It¡¯s like his eyes could see through me. ¡°Hahah! The sun is setting already. Let¡¯s hurry up.¡± Iughed awkwardly and pulled Aaron¡¯s arm. ¡°It¡¯s not that way.¡± ¡°Oh, please go first.¡± And I stopped again because of that¡­ ? Contrary to my thoughts that we would go to a ce like a cksmith¡¯s shop because we even ordered in advance, we stopped in front of apletely different ce. Of course, it¡¯s not a ce we go to¡­ Did you order a father¡¯s gift here? ¡°¡­Was it here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s right here.¡± When I asked, Aaron smiled slightly and opened the door. It didn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s used to it once or twice. ¡°I thought it was some kind of weapon because my brother even entrusted me with the order in advance.¡± So was it a lie that he said he¡¯s used to ces like this and didn¡¯t have any dating experience? I followed him with reasonable doubt. As we entered the store, colorful jewels caught my eye. Nevertheless, it¡¯s not promiscuous and looks luxurious. ¡°It must be expensive.¡± Look at that shiny ne! Of course, it¡¯s pretty. I continued ncing around the store and whispered. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think we shoulde here a littleter?¡± ¡°I think the owner¡¯s away.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ He¡¯s probably working inside. He¡¯lle out soon, so let¡¯s wait a little bit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief, but is it okay to leave this ce like this?¡± ¡°What if there¡¯s a thief?¡± An ownerless jewelry store. Isn¡¯t it perfect to be a target for bad guys? At what I said, Aaron looked embarrassed for a while and soon burst intoughter. It¡¯s like a reaction from a person who heard nonsense. ¡°No, because there are no employees¡­¡± Feeling embarrassed by the reaction, I mumbled little and sat on a fluffy sofa. ¡°Hahaha! Were you worried about that?¡± ¡°He¡¯s also nice.¡± ¡°I-, I¡¯m 18 years old now!¡± I tried to say it unevenly, but it didn¡¯t work for Aaron. My brother might do the same even when I turn twenty-eight. Of course, my older brother¡¯s attitude was closer to embarrassment than dislike, but¡­ ¡°As I heard, you¡¯re a kind person.¡± Then, suddenly, someone else¡¯s voice spoke. I turned my head in surprise. ¡°Oh no. I¡¯m sorry if I scared you. It¡¯s be a habit not to show signs of my presence.¡± When my gaze met the gentle-faced man, he apologized in a gentle voice. ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay.¡± As I swept my chest in surprise and smiled awkwardly, I rolled my gaze and saw his face. If anyone saw a warm-hearted man with such a good face, a smile woulde out naturally. But as I heard, it¡¯s¡­? That man seemed to know me. No, he must have heard of me. ¡°Kayden, you talked a lot today.¡± ¡°Haha!! What are you talking about?¡± Sure enough, it was clear that he knew Aaron. ¡®So he was lying when I said I didn¡¯t have close friends.¡¯ First Callion, and this man named Kayden. ¡°It¡¯s a littlete to introduce myself. My name is Kayden Ambron. It¡¯s small, but I run this shop.¡± ¡°My name is Erita Krovachatz.¡± ¡°I want to talk more, but I¡¯m scared of Aaron¡¯s re, so I¡¯ll stop here today.¡± After greeting, he turned his gaze awkwardly, Kayden turned his back first and approached the shelf. ¡°This was the item you ordered.¡± What he handed over was a luxurious leather box. The box was quiterge for my father¡¯s tie pins or cuffs. ¡°I¡¯lle back next time to find something else.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°Erita, do you want to stop?¡± Contrary to expectations of opening and checking the box, Aaron picked up the box lightly. ¡°Is it okay if you don¡¯t check it?¡± Kayden said to Aaron. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can trust your skills.¡± ¡°Ha! I¡¯m embarrassed that youpliment me so much in front of Erita.¡± Despite his words, Kayden¡¯s face still had a gentle smile on it. He looks warm and calm, but what¡¯s with this strange feeling? Is it because the mana surrounding him was cool? ¡°That¡¯s all for today.¡± ¡°See you next time. Please stop by sometime,dy.¡± ¡°I will¡­¡± I nodded awkwardly with mixed thoughts and then left the store with Aaron. ¡°Now, we have to go to the mansion soon. If we dy any longer, I will bete for dinner.¡± ¡°Yes. Then let¡¯s go to where the carriage was.¡± I walked along with Aaron. There was a distance to the carriage, so I had to walk a little further. Because the sun was setting, the street was quieter than before. That was then. ¡°Oops!¡± The hat was blown away by a light wind. I hurriedly turned back. ¡°It¡¯s the hat that father gave¡­!¡± Fortunately, the hat, which had been blown away by the wind for a while, hit someone and fell off. Before I arrived, the man in the robe picked it up first. His face could not be seen because of the hood he wore deeply, but somehow he seemed surprised to see me. ¡°¡­Here you go.¡± The man brushed the dust off the hat and held it out to me. ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± The low-pitched voice from the hood was gentle. ¡°I think there¡¯s someone waiting, so hurry up and go.¡± As I turned my head to the man¡¯s words, I saw Aaron waiting for me behind. ¡°Thanks¡­ huh?¡± I turned around to thank him, but the person in front of me just then had just disappeared. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± It was a brief moment that I turned my head. ¡®¡­I guess something urgent happened that he left soon.¡¯ It was strange, but it was not big enough to think deeply. At Aaron¡¯s call, I ignored it and moved on. ? After returning home, I went up to my room after dinner. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so full!¡± As expected, Evan cooked. Spicy chicken vinegar. Surprisingly, my father didn¡¯t say much about the fact that I went out with Aaron. ¡°¡­I think Fern was the most pitiful.¡± Fern, who was holding father with a pile of documents at that time, looked pitiful. Knock, knock~ Then a knock was heard. ¡°Come on in!¡± I answered loudly and raised my body from the sofa. It was Aaron who opened the door and entered. ¡°Are you resting?¡± ¡°Yes. I must have eaten too much for dinner. What brought you here?¡± ¡°I have something to give you.¡± Sitting on the sofa with Aaron, I quickly turned to face him. ¡°For me?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s yours.¡± With those words, Aaron held out a familiar leather box. It was the one we got from Kayden¡¯s store earlier. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the one you ordered in advance?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I was originally going to give it to you in time for New Year, but something came up¡­¡± Aaron smiled, blurring his words. Originally, he was supposed toe to the North two months ago, but couldn¡¯t because something came up. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. ¡°I thought it was a gift for our father.¡± ¡°I have something else for our father. This one¡¯s yours, so hurry up and open it.¡± I stared at the ck leather box and ced it on the table. Inside the box opened with a click sound, there was a ne and a pair of earrings. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°Do you like it?¡± I nodded at Aaron¡¯s words. A ne with purple jewels on a simple silver chain and drop-shaped pure blue sapphire earrings. It could have been said that it was a set with the bracelet on my wrist. The bracelet that my father gave me nine years ago was something I always wear. Perhaps it was ordered ordingly. ¡°¡­I really like it. Thank you, brother!¡± ¡°I¡¯m d that you liked it.¡± Aaron stood up from his seat with a neat motion. ¡°Can I wear it on you?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± With a rustling sound, I felt my head sway to the side and cold metal touching my neck. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Looking down, a jewel the size of a little fingernail was sitting calmly. It was not a colorful design, so I thought I could always wear it. Then Aaron¡¯s straight fingers picked up a blue earring. Even a little ticklish for a while, as Aaron¡¯s hand fell out of my ear, it felt strangely lighter. ¡°Mana¡­¡± To be precise, it must be true that the mana that always surrounds me has be lighter. ¡°What do you think? Do you think it¡¯s effective?¡± Erita nodded with a nk face. Seeing me like that, Aaronn smiled satisfactorily and straightened my messy hair. ¡°I¡¯m d.¡± My mouth rarely dropped due to the impression that was pouring in. I hugged Aaron tightly. His slightly cold arms were as warm as when he was a child. ¡°It¡¯ste, but congrattions on bing an adult, my sister.¡± It was a celebration two monthste, but it was enough for me. Chapter 30 Chapter 30 ? ¡°Erita looks good in blue.¡± ¡°Father, you don¡¯t know anything. It¡¯s purple.¡± ¡°Both of you, calm down. Pink¡¯s the best for you.¡± I looked at the men¡¯s heated debate with hazy eyes. ¡°Why are you so serious about the color of my clothes?¡± In addition, the subject was my dress. Of course, I talked about it with them at first. It was a part rted to my debutante. But after that, they became more serious, I was quietly drinking tea and listening to their stories. I intervened earlier, but if we choose multiple dresses and wore one we won¡¯t be able to get the money back. Should I say it one more time? ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll choose the right one for me.¡± Erita carefully brought up the story again. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not possible.¡± I mean, of course, I was cut off at once. At this point, it started to feel unfair. ¡®It¡¯s mine! It¡¯s my dress!¡¯ ¡°How beautiful are you trying to make it to be?¡± I said it in a bumpy way. Then they answered as if it were natural. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be the main character?¡± ¡°My sister would look pretty in whatever she wears, but she¡¯s greedy.¡± Next to him, Fern also agreed with father and Aaron. You said something inappropriate to each other before. This time, they became unified. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t need anything fancy like that.¡± I know it¡¯s for me, but I couldn¡¯t stop feeling ufortable for some reason. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stand out either.¡± The reason I came to the capital city in the first ce was because of the original work. It¡¯s a debutante banquet, but it¡¯s not as important as my n. Eventually, I quietly left the office while the three were talking about nonsense. Anyway, the tailor and jewelry dealer wille tomorrow. ¡°Lady! Did you finish your conversation well?¡± As I entered my room, Mary was arranging the bedding. ¡°Mary¡­.¡± I staggered and sat down on the sofa then stretched out. Then Mary wrapped a soft nket around me. ¡°You left excitedly, but why did youe exhausted?¡± ¡°No, Mary, listen to me.¡± I told Mary about what happened earlier. ¡°Those three people are so hard to talk to¡­¡± Mary smiled awkwardly and patted me at myints. ¡°Well, then I have nothing to say, but¡­ Anyway, since I have nothing to do, I¡¯ll be right back!¡± ¡°What? Where are you going?¡± ¡°I want to go to the za. I can disguise it in magic¡­¡± After blurring the end of my speech for a while, I jumped from my seat at the thought that suddenly came to mind. I already ate lunch anyway, It means I¡¯m free all day because I don¡¯t have any business or schedule. It¡¯s already been three days since I went out with Aaron. ¡°Mary! Can you find some clothes?¡± In my closet, there were several modest dresses for asional outings, other than colourful dresses. I¡¯m secretly going out, but it doesn¡¯t make sense to wear luxurious clothes, right? ¡°Are you really going out? Master mighte looking for you.¡± Mary said anxiously. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be back before dinner.¡± ¡°Lady¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. If theye to find me, tell them that I went to theb.¡± Mary tried to stop me with a sullen expression, but my mind remained unchanged. I hummed and packed my pocket money along. ¡°Really, you have toe back before dinner, be careful.¡± Eventually, Mary brought my clothes even though she was worried. It¡¯s because she simply knows it¡¯s no use trying to stop me. In fact, it was not the first time I went out secretly. I used to go out often in the north, too. ¡°It¡¯s perfect if you change your hair color with magic.¡± ¡®As expected, magic is the best!¡¯ ¡°Will you wear this today?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll tie my hair up neatly.¡± Changing into ordinary clothes, I even wore a robe on top of it. Winter in the capital is a suitable chilly day, so it¡¯s good to wear such clothes. If it was in the north, it would continue to snow for at least three months. When I tingled my finger, from the top of my head the surroundings gradually turned different. ¡°Mary, I¡¯ll be back!¡± ¡°You have to be careful.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± After waving at Mary to say my good-bye, I immediately used teleportation magic. ¡®I have to write it.¡¯ ¡°I have to write down what I know how and what to write.¡± Once I closed my eyes and opened them, the scenery in front of me changed. Looking around, it was a few blocks away from the mansion. The mansion itself was close to the Imperial Pce, so it was not too far from the downtown area. ¡°I sessfully came out without getting caught.¡± Satisfied, I began to walk excitedly. How diligently did I walk along the main road? ¡°It really doesn¡¯t take that long.¡± Along with the loud noise, the downtown area began to appear. Maybe it¡¯s because I came out secretly after a long time, but I think it¡¯s strangely more fun. ¡°I got money. Where should I go first?¡± Let¡¯s go eat snacks first!! It¡¯s the most prosperous in the Empire. Wouldn¡¯t there be more to see than the North? ? Before I began to explore the capital, I decided to fill my stomach first. I had lunch, but snacks are another story. There were a lot of stalls that smelled delicious. ¡°Hello, miss!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Among them, it was the bright red skewer that caught my eye. ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re a pretty girl.¡± ¡°This ismb with spicy sauce. Do you want to try it? If you like spicy food, you won¡¯t regret it.¡± As thedy said, the spicy smell stimted my nose. At that I nodded without hesitation. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯d like one skewer and one orange.¡± ¡°Yes, I willbine the two of them.¡± ¡°Here you go!¡± I take the money out of my pocket and hand it over. ¡°Wait a minute! I¡¯ll grill it for you.¡± I looked around while waiting. Most of them weremoners. People who pretended to be aristocrats could also be seen. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Lady, enjoy your meal.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± When I sat on a chair next to me and took a bite, the spicy taste suddenly came up to my tongue. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so delicious!!!¡± In an instant, a skewer disappeared. Should I order one more? Well I could do exerciseter in the evening. ¡°If you enjoy it, it¡¯s zero calories.¡± After contemting for a while, I eventually ordered another one. ¡°Since I couldn¡¯t eat dessert a week before the banquet anyway.¡± Let¡¯s eat one more skewer. ¡°Thank you for the food! I¡¯lle back again next time.¡± Having filled my stomach with skewers, I decided to go to the bookstore first. The clues to the ck magic, in which I felt, were not enough to collect. ¡°Since I don¡¯t know when the original story will start, it¡¯s better to have as many clues as possible.¡± In the end, nothing was found in the old books brought from the north. It was all just the facts I already knew. I entered a room and looked around the big bookstore. The old man, who seemed to be the owner, was dozing off in a chair. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s such a thief. I¡¯m not sure if there¡¯s anything to steal here though. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look around for a moment.¡± As I walked through the bookshelf, I heard a creaking sound on the wooden floor. ¡°Oh, dust¡­¡± A few streams of thin sunlight lit up the dust. Frowning, I stared and focused on the book. ¡°It¡¯s organised in its own way.¡± Unlike the dusty space, the books were surprisingly well organised. There was no big expectation that someone could get something out of here. Originally, the ¡®ck Magic¡® was prohibited by the Empire 300 years ago. At that time, most of the information on ck magic was lost. In the mansion, no one knew except for Fern that I was looking into ck magic. Even my father and Aaron. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it here¡­?¡± As I carefully looked through the ce where the magic books were gathered, I pressed hard on my arm as I stiffened. Unfortunately, there seemed to be nothing here. ¡°Ugh!¡± I was about to leave the bookstore hiding my regret and got stuck in a pile of books. Likewise, they were books rted to magic. Finally, when I decided to go after seeing the books here, I bent my knees and sat down. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a theory book.¡± Let¡¯s open each book and it was full of words rted to theory. ¡°¡­I found it.¡± Then, in thest book I picked up, I was able to find what I wanted. As expected, a book written in old letters. I looked at the front and back covers, but there were no letters written. ¡¸There¡¯s something that many people don¡¯t know¡­¡¹ The beginning that began calmly. ¡¸The price of ck magic is the soul of the user himself. However, the ruined ck magicians finally found a way not to sacrifice themselves. A terrible and vicious way¡­¡¹ ¡°Way¡­ ¡± Even if I didn¡¯t turn the page, I knew what the way was. When I carefully turned the page, the method I knew was also described. ¡¸Giving a child¡¯s soul as a sacrifice instead. Among them, the most effective thing is to dedicate a child who¡¯s less than 100 days old to life. Then, you can gain strength without signing a soul contract.¡¹ It was a fact that I already knew, but I couldn¡¯t help but frown. ¡°¡­What crime are you guilty of?¡± In addition, there was one more fact that was not written here. Giving a sacrifice is different from signing a contract with the soul of a practitioner as a coteral. ¡®So if you don¡¯t make sacrifices regrly, you¡¯ll lose your strength.¡¯ As a result, it was because of that why ck magic was prohibited. The work of ck magicians who were crazy about power kidnapped children and sacrificed them. As a result, the number of children killed reached millions. Since the official number was like that, there were probably more children who were secretly killed. However, even after a massive search, all the ck wizards could not be eliminated. ¡°Those who gained strength through this method couldn¡¯t be distinguished from ordinary people.¡± They were no different from ordinary people on the outside. If the Empress really used ck magic, she must have used this method. I turned over one more page¡­ The page goes over with a rustling sound. ¡°¡­!¡± I had to constantly try to resist the outburst of cheers. I rubbed my eyes and read them again just in case, but the words written in the book remained. ¡¸This is the record I want to leave today. How to distinguish those who have gained strength like this¡­¡¹ I finally found it. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 ? I quickly got up from my seat. As a result, the hood I wore came off, but I had no time to care about it. It clearly said, ¡°It¡¯s a way to distinguish.¡± I didn¡¯t expect it at all, but it was the most important information for me. Just in case, I picked up several other books together and hurried to the entrance. The old man sitting in the chair was still dozing off. ¡°Grandpa.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Fortunately, he opened his eyes after I called him several times. I held out five or six books in my hand. ¡°I¡¯m going to buy these books.¡± ¡°Give me only 30 pennies.¡± The old man opened his eyeszily, looked at the books I bought, and opened three fingers. ¡°Thirty pennies?¡± At my question, the old man nodded his head as if annoyed. Thirty pennies was cheaper than the two skewers and juice I ate earlier. But to ask further questions, he had a face that looked like he was about to fall asleep again. My heart was not so rxed to waste time withme stories. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°It¡¯s 30 pennies. Hurry up and go now. I have to sleep again.¡± ¡°¡­Goodbye.¡± Having paid the price to the old man, I quickly left the bookstore. Perhaps it had been a long time dyed inside, so I was a littlete. ¡°I need to go home soon.¡± I strode toward the deserted alleyway. I was nning to go to a ce where there were no people and use magic. My n was to go home right away and read this book to the end. As I entered an alley, there were five or six men that had gathered. No matter who looked at them, it looked like they¡¯re bullies, so I turned around immediately. ¡°It¡¯s annoying to make a fuss for no reason.¡± It was when I turned around and walked a little further. ¡°Hey, miss.¡± Tap? I heard footsteps and someone tapped my shoulder. ¡°Hey. If you ignore me when I call you, I¡¯ll be disappointed.¡± When I turned my head, I saw a man smiling greasily. What¡¯s wrong with this oily-looking guy? ¡°Hey, Bitter! Don¡¯t be harsh.¡± ¡°Bring her nicely! Pretty girls get scared.¡± Behind him, men who looked like a gang giggled and whistled. No, but your name is Bitter¡­? It goes well with his greasy expression. I felt like I was going to burst intoughter out of line with the situation. Naturally, I wasn¡¯t scared or anything. I ruffled my hand on my shoulder and shook him off. ¡°I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry right now. Can you get out of the way?¡± ¡°Oh, my! What should I do? We¡¯re in a hurry, too. You¡¯d better go with me when I¡¯m being nice, miss.¡± The bully showed his teeth and giggled. When I saw that, I suddenly felt ominous. I frowned and sighed. There¡¯s a direct solution to this. Just as I twitched my fingers, a fireball appeared in the air. ¡°Argh!¡± A bully named Bitter, who I saw right in front of my eyes, fell behind. ¡°Hey, a wizard!¡± When I nced behind him, the gang were also looking at me with their frozen faces. ¡°Do you want to get out of the way now?¡± ¡°Right, I¡¯ll get out of the way. I¡¯ll go right away! I didn¡¯t know you were a wizard!¡± When I asked about Bitter who had fallen, he nodded his head like crazy and raised himself. If you did that because you didn¡¯t know I was a wizard, does that mean you would have done it to people who weren¡¯t wizards? ¡°Wait a minute.¡± I lifted the bodies of the bullies who were about to run away and put them next to Bitter using magic. Now they were unable to move even a single fingertip as they wanted. ¡°From now on, don¡¯t even touch other people. It¡¯s going to be really fun when you get caught.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If you understand, nod your head.¡± When I smiled and shook the ball of fire, five men nodded at the same time. ¡°You¡¯ll have to keep my words in mind.¡± As I released the magic that held them together with those words, they ran away without looking back. When I couldn¡¯t even see their back that was running away, I collected the fireball. ¡°Sigh¡­ I felt good for the first time in a while.¡± The feeling that had improved with clues I hadn¡¯t thought of calmly subsided. It was then. ¡°You have excellent magic skills.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± My body jumped in shock at the sudden sound of an unfamiliar voice from behind. As I turned around squeaking, a man wearing a ck robe covering his whole body stood against the wall. The form of covering his face with a hood was unusual. ¡®¡­He seems to be as tall as my brother.¡¯ My heart was pounding in surprise. After a moment¡¯s pause at my reaction, a man took off his hood and raised his hands. I doubted my eyes for a moment. It¡¯s not a face that could be seen in these back alleys. His exposed face was worse than I expected, and contained a sense of regret. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I surprised you. I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡± The low-pitched sound settled clearly in my ears. I dropped my tense shoulders and shook my head slightly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. More than that, who are you?¡± The man seemed to hesitate for a moment at my words, and he replied that he was a knight. A sword hung around his waist. ¡°A knight?¡± ¡°Yes. I thought you were having trouble passing by, so I tried to help¡­¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°There was no room for me to interrupt.¡± The man smiled awkwardly as he spoke. ¡®If you didn¡¯t have the means to protect yourself, I would have helped.¡¯ Was what he meant to say. When I found out that he was a good person, I gently loosened my clenched fist. ¡°I see¡­¡± There was silence between us, smiling awkwardly. It¡¯s a difficult situation to even get out of this ce, but first. I think we should go our separate ways now. As I rolled my eyes awkwardly, I naturally saw the face of a perfectly bnced man. Even I, who grew up watching my father and Aaron and was immune to handsome men, had a beauty that made me nod my head. ¡°But why does it feel familiar?¡± Without realizing it, I opened my eyes and looked at the man again. I think I¡¯ve seen blue eyes somewhere in contrast to ordinary brown hair. But, if I knew a face like that, I wouldn¡¯t be able to forget it, would I? I forgot that I had met the man in front of me and stared at his face. That was the moment. Our eyes met. ¡°Do you like my face?¡± When our eyes met, the man tried to look elsewhere. My body, which was stiff as it was, trembled every time I squealed. No matter who looked at me now, it looked like I was looking at a man¡¯s face intentionally. ¡°I must be crazy.¡± I hurriedly avoided the gaze, but a smiling voice was clearly embedded in my ears. ¡°You can watch more closely.¡± The mid- to low- pitched voice, which was good to hear, was still soft. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± My face must have heated up like a tomato now. The embarrassment rushing in made my eysh tremble. ¡°I¡¯m used to it. If you forget such a face, you have a problem with memory.¡± I sighed deeply inside. I want to disappear from this ce right away. Really!! ¡°I shouldn¡¯t havee to this alley.¡± As always, regrets are one stepte. Fortunately, the hups subsided, but my embarrassment was still there. Rather, I casually opened my mouth in the awkwardness of the silence that was better than before. ¡°Hey, I think you said you¡¯re a knight earlier¡­¡± The man who was about five steps away from me smiled and nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯m a free knight, so I¡¯m wandering around. It¡¯s been a little over a month since I came to the capital.¡± ¡°Really? It hasn¡¯t been long since I came to the capital city either!¡± Rejoicing, I replied with a smile. ¡°Where were you beforeing to the capital?¡± ¡°It was mainly in the border area. Monsters have been in full swing for years.¡± To my question, the man smiled enthusiastically and answered kindly. It¡¯s a border¡­ Two years ago, even in the North, I suffered a lot because of monsters. ¡°How did a wizarde to the capital?¡± As I was thinking about something else, I paused for a moment at the man¡¯s words. This is why it¡¯s hard to hide something. I have to be careful every time I say something. ¡®Well, anyway, this person doesn¡¯t know who I am, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ Besides, I met him for the first time today, and I definitely won¡¯t see him in the future. In the first ce, no one knew my identity directly in the capital. After hesitating for a while, I soon answered at ease. ¡°I was from the north. I¡¯m here because I have a family here.¡± ¡°¡­The northern winters are bitter.¡± The man nodded in response to my answer. From the way he spoke, it seemed that he had been to the north. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve been to the North, too.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I went there once four years ago. I remember having a hard time.¡± The man answered with a soft smile with an unknown expression. Where did the first awkward atmosphere go? After talking a few words, there was a corner that worked better than I thought. The fact that he was kind enough to help others also helped relieve my fears. Mary¡¯s advice to beware of strangers had been away for a while. ¡°Oh, the time¡¯s already.. Excuse me, knight, I think I have to leave now.¡± I said vaguely in the sky, which had already begun to turn orange. Mary said that I need to be there until dinner. If I¡¯mte, I could get caught by father and Aaron. Somehow I felt regretful, but now it was time to go back to my daily life. ¡°I see. I was happy to talk to you today.¡± At my words, the man smiled purely and replied that way. The scarlet-colored sunset reflected over that smile was beautiful. ¡°I had fun too, knight.¡± It was the first time I saw him today, but the conversation I had with him was more enjoyable than I expected, so Iughed without realizing. ¡°Will you call me Lian next time?¡± ¡°¡­Next time?¡± I was surprised by the sudden name, but I felt strange when I heard the word ¡®next time.¡¯ ¡°If you meet someone, won¡¯t you ever meet them again?¡± I eventually nodded to the man who responded softly to my ambiguous words. ¡°If we meet you again next time, I¡¯ll tell you my name too.¡± Do you really want to see me next time? The capital¡¯s too big for that. With that kind of heart, the man who had paused for a moment responded with a yful response, and then burst intoughter. ¡°It¡¯s such a good thing for me.¡± I felt strange when I saw him blinking his eyes softly saying that. You seem to know in advance that we will meet again¡­? I threw away the sudden thoughts that came to mind. That can¡¯t be true. We don¡¯t even know who each other was. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go first. Thank you foring to help.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything.¡± ¡°But still. Thank you for trying to help.¡± It was just to say thank you, but somehow I felt embarrassed. ¡°¡­Then I¡¯ll really get going. Knight, have a safe trip home!¡± ¡°I look forward to meeting you again next time, wizard.¡± When I turned my head to his voice heard from behind, I saw a man smiling and waving his hand. Somehow my cheeks turned red at the sight, and I waved a couple of times timidly. The red cheeks subsided only after walking a little longer. ? ¡°¡­I have to go quickly. I¡¯ll be reallyte!¡± This time, I memorized the magic as I entered the alley. It wasn¡¯t that far from the square to the mansion, but I had to use magic to get in without being caught. A familiar magic surrounded my body, and when I opened my eyes again, what I saw was my room as usual. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Having put the books I had brought on the desk, I turned around abruptly and tried to call Mary. If it weren¡¯t for the person I saw in front of me when I turned my head. My eyes, facing a pair of red rubies, trembled helplessly. ¡®¡­It¡¯s ruined.¡¯ Chapter 32 Chapter 32 ? ¡°It¡¯s almost time for dinner, so get ready ande out. I¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡± Aaron said as we made eye contact. After he left these words, he left the room. ¡°¡­I¡¯m doomed.¡± Then I sat down on the sofa like the world is about to end. Thud~ Sitting still nkly, the door opened and Mary entered. ncing at her in dismay, Mary was smiling mischievously. Mary must have had a harder time, when I became aware of the fact, I felt guilty. ¡°¡­Mary, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, let¡¯s hurry and get ready. You have to go to dinner.¡± It didn¡¯t take long to change into indoor clothes with the help of Mary, who kept smiling as if she had lost her mind. ¡®Haha! I¡¯ll just eat and leave.¡¯ Holding the doorknob I can¡¯t help but let out a deep sigh. ¡®After all, I was too impulsive to leave today.¡¯ Of course, I didn¡¯t regret going out. Thanks to you, I got an important clue. ¡°Mary, I¡¯ll be back¡­¡± ¡°See you then,dy.¡± I left the room after saying goodbye to Mary. The road down to the restaurant was full of silence. ¡°It¡¯s driving me crazy.¡± Looking around, I could see Aaron with the same expression as usual. But I never felt good seeing him say nothing. If we ate like this, I wouldn¡¯t know whether the food was going into my nose or my mouth. But I¡¯m d that Aaron was alone. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I went out secretly¡­¡± Erita apologised. Staring at the ground in a hurry after I felt his gaze. Even if I pretend to be pitiful, I¡¯d be less scolded. It¡¯s a bit of a weak idea, but there¡¯s no other way. ¡°Erita.¡± Then, Aaron sighed and patted my head with a smile as if he couldn¡¯t hold back theughter. ¡°Don¡¯t make Mary lie next time. I heard you were in theb, so I went there, I was worried when you weren¡¯t there.¡± At Aarons words I nodded, feeling relieved. ¡°I won¡¯t say anything about it. Instead, don¡¯t lie again.¡± After that, Aaron didn¡¯t say much except for a few words of concern. ¡°So you¡¯re not angry anymore, right?¡± When I nced and asked, Aaron nodded. ¡°I wasn¡¯t angry in the first ce. I was worried.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ I won¡¯t do that again next time.¡± Of course, I never intended to never leave again. Next time, I¡¯ll ask Mary to tell him I left. ? After taking a light bath, I sat down at the desk. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to lie down on the bed, but I have a book that I must read first. Picking up the book carefully. ¡°Way¡­.¡± As I went down line by line with the tip of my finger, I quickly found the part I was looking for. ¡¸There are items needed before distinguishing ck wizards. That¡¯s¡­¡¹ Having read the paragraph to the end in an instant, I pulled out a piece of paper. ¡°¡­I hope it¡¯s not. I¡¯m going to tear this book apart.¡± It seems that my hand as I write the letter trembled for a moment, but I was mistaken. Really¡­ After putting thepleted letter aside for a while, I continued to read the book. ¡¸¡­It¡¯s going to need the help of an advanced wizard after that. This is because of the level of magic that needs to be engraved. There¡¯s only one magic that needs to be engraved, but it must be engraved with a total of five stacks. If the number of times is incorrect, the effect will never appear.¡¹ When Erita saw the magic spell written below it, her expression crumpled by itself. As shown in the book, I could tell them apart using artifacts. The book exined the method and order of making the artifact. ¡°How did the person who wrote this discovered this method?¡± I couldn¡¯t stop and sigh one after another. What¡¯s the level of difficulty of this heinous method? From the beginning, the preparations were extravagant. Jewelry¡­ It¡¯s also the most expensive diamond among jewels. In order to engrave magic, it must not be of any size. ¡°People without money can¡¯t even make it.¡± Besides, even if one does have money, he won¡¯t be able to even try without the help of a wizard. Suddenly, my distrust of this book surged. If it weren¡¯t for a situation where even a little clue couldn¡¯t be wasted, I wouldn¡¯t have even thought of trying it. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that the process was written in detail.¡± Process gems and stack magic circles. So it was fortunate that the method of engraving was described in detail among all the misfortunes in the book. There won¡¯t be any mistake if I simply follow the method as written. I sighed deeply and muttered to myself. ¡°It seems the hardest to follow along without making a mistake¡­¡± It was difficult toplete within the next month, which required quite a lot of time. ¡°Ugh! I¡¯ll have to work hard starting tomorrow.¡± It was a really good choice to prepare for the debutante dance from the North. Otherwise, I might have had to live like a zombie for a month. I got up from my seat and stretched out my stiff arms and legs. ¡°Who¡¯s out there?¡± ¡°Lady, did you call me?¡± It was Marilyn who opened the door and entered. ¡°Marilyn, could you deliver this letter to the top of Lagras tomorrow?¡± ¡°Top of Lagras?¡± ¡°Yeah. If you deliver the letter, I¡¯ll give you a box there. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could bring some of it.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± As Marilyn took my letter and left the room, I went straight to bed. ¡°Argh, I¡¯m tired!¡± My only goal is to change the ending of my family, and there are so many things I have to do for that. First of all, the best ending is that Callion bes the crown prince without any dispute.¡­ ¡°¡­But will that work?¡± I shook my head. If the Emperor appoints Callion as Crown Prince. So, will the first Prince¡¯s faction just let it go like that? ¡°It can¡¯t be.¡± In the first ce, ording to the original, the Emperor condones the quarrel between the Princes. It can¡¯t be done either way. Then, the next method. Help Callion be Crown Prince as hidden as possible. Many of the things I have prepared so far are for this. Even if my family goes somewhere, wouldn¡¯t it be enough for Callion to be the next Emperor? The most important point here is that my identity was not revealed. ¡°If I stand out in the eyes of the Empress, everything will be ruined.¡± I borrowed a little knowledge of the original work for this. To be precise, it would be right to borrow the achievements of the heroine, A. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, but I had no choice because I had to live and save my family.¡± In the novel, A was very lucky, that the person who unintentionally saved her was a lumber that would be a sword master, or that an antique she identally bought was a relic of the past. Anyway, things like that happened to her on a regr basis. ¡°As expected, it¡¯s a world view for A.¡± For ordinary people, countless times of luck were given to her, whether once in a lifetime. ¡®Well, I¡¯ve only intercepted a few of the many.¡¯ Two talented people and a few businesses that would hit the jackpot. Of the dozens arranged for A, even if I exclude them, there would be plenty left for her. As a result, the same goes for me, and to help Callion. ¡®So please don¡¯t me me too much!¡¯ I tried so hard to rationalize it and hugged my soft pillow. Anyway, the original work has already been ruined. Even the fact that the Queen died 8 years ago was not enough, so this time Callion was one year away, and Aaron came back to the capital city quickly. Two things have already gone wrong in the overall framework of the original. If this wasn¡¯t ruined, what else? ¡°I won¡¯t have to go through all this trouble if I¡¯ve had a lot of details from the original!¡± When I thought of the original, I felt angry for no reason. All I needed to know was why my family was on the side of the first prince. ¡°How great would it be if the mighty author cared about other characters besides A? Huh? That¡¯s so cold!¡± After being angry, I felt more tired andyed down on the bed. The blinking speed of my eyelids finally slowed down. When I got angry, it seemed that I had lost energy. It hasn¡¯t even been a week since I came to the capital yet, but the ceiling already felt familiar. ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± In this kind of situation anyone wouldn¡¯t help but sigh automatically, and since it¡¯s my choice to do this. Besides, I have to focus on this starting tomorrow. I breathed out slowly and closed my eyes¡­ ? ¡°Then, shall we wear these five dresses?¡± At the words of the dressmaker, my father froze with his mouth agape. ¡°Fifty suits are fine¡­.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll do it with those five!¡± I hurriedly cut off my father¡¯s words. Then I smiled at the woman looking at us awkwardly and spoke. ¡°Madame Derin, five suits, please.¡± ¡°Ho-ho! All right. I¡¯ll finish it and bring it to you a week before the party.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± My father looked unhappy with what I said, but of course I pretended not to know his gaze. What do you mean 50 suits? The Debutante Ball is in a week at the most. Originally, I was only going to do three suits, but my father couldn¡¯t handle it, so I ended up doing five. And so far, dresses tailored one by one have filled the closet. ¡°Umm¡­ Then all that was left was shoes and essories. Would you like to take a look at the catalog first?¡± ¡°Was that so?¡± Intently looking through the catalog Madame Derin opened in front of me, I wasn¡¯t particrly interested in jewelry and essories. ¡®But if I don¡¯t see it for myself, father will choose it!¡¯ There was a reason behind my quick nce through the catalog. It was very fortunate that Aaron was away because he had to go to the Imperial Pce. If Aaron came with us, I would have at least ten dresses. ¡°Then the shoes would be good with this one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an excellent choice!¡± Since then, in the process of choosing essories, I have also struck numerous obstructions from my father. While choosing one, my father tried to buy everything in the catalog. I kept reducing it, but in the end I ended up buying twice as much as I expected. ¡°I¡¯ll see you next time when you wear a dress.¡± After Madame Derin returned to her usual wide smile, I stretched on the sofa like melted ice cream. Buying many things at once must be this hard. Until I had my clothes measured, I had no idea that it would be such a tough schedule. ¡°¡­Father, didn¡¯t you buy too much?¡± ¡°I want to buy everything in the capital, but I put up with it because you don¡¯t like it.¡± When I spoke softly, my father smiled smoothly and then added scary remarks. Right, I would really say what I want right away, so he wouldn¡¯t have time to interfere. ¡°What I have now was enough. If I buy more, I won¡¯t be able to wear them all until I die.¡± In an awkward silence with only a nod from father, father answered¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll have another chance next time.¡± Somehow, it seems that my father was more interested in my clothes than I am¡­ Chapter 33 Chapter 33 ? After such a difficult time, I headed straight to my room all worn out and tired. ¡°Now the sun¡¯s in the middle of the sky, but it feels like just ten o¡¯clock in the afternoon¡­¡± As expected, shopping was never easy. Especially if it¡¯s with my father. It was the moment I arrived in front of my room. I saw someone walking from the opposite way. ¡°Marilyn!¡± When I called happily, Marilyn with her head up quickly approached me. ¡°Oh,dy! Did you choose all the clothes? ¡°Yeah, I just finished.¡± Marilyn, who nodded, soon held out the box she was holding. ¡°I got this from the top of Lagras. When I gave the letter, they gave it to me in less than ten minutes.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Yes. Can I put the box on the table?¡± ¡°Yeah. Just put it on the sofa table. Oh, and tell them I¡¯ll be in theb if someone finds me.¡± ¡°I guess what you asked for at the top was the research material. I¡¯ll pick you up before dinner just in case.¡± I smiled awkwardly at Marilyn¡¯s words and replied, ¡°Okay.¡± To be honest, once I was locked up in theb, it wasn¡¯t thatmon for me not to notice the time passed by. One day, I didn¡¯t even know that I was up all night, so the house turned upside down. I didn¡¯t know that, I was engulfed and concentrated on what I was doing then. ¡°Then I¡¯ll see youter.¡± Erita waved her hand to Marilyn as she left the room. ¡°Let¡¯s see how it looks¡­¡± I headed to the sofa and opened the lid of the box on the table. Then I saw a neatly sealed letter on the top. Even if I looked it over, the name of the sender or recipient was not written. But knowing who sent it, I just smiled at his habits. ¡°Because he¡¯s strict anyway.¡± Using a sharp paper knife I gently cut the paper. When I blew mana into the paper I took out from the box, letters appeared in the empty ce. I slowly read the text that began with the words, ¡°To the Lord above.¡± ¡¸¡­As you said. But where the hell did you need five diamonds for? It¡¯s also above the upper level. Anyway, if you need anything, feel free to contact me.¡¹ The letter written in concise handwriting contained only the main text without little introduction. The letter, which contained a bit of absurdity, did not even say a friendly greeting. There were two letters I sent. ¡°Yurgen¡¯s too hard.¡± Next time, I¡¯m going to visit him in person. I grumbled quietly because I was disappointed. Yurgen Casey. From a fallen aristocratic family, he was a man of great talent towards the upper world. Now, superficially, he¡¯s the top of the Lagras. ¡°Hmm¡­ Was it 4 years ago when I met Yurgen?¡± Of course, what I know about him was that he was a character in the original story. Yurgen was one of A¡¯s people I intercepted. Years ago, after secretly inquiring about him, I found Yurgen, who was living a life without dreams or hopes. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t do with money.¡± After that, as expected, I persuaded him gently. To be exact, I offered a partnership. Since I saw the original, I knew a few items that were going to hit the jackpot, and he had a great brain. To be precise, it must be said that he was an excellent boss. In the original story, Yurgen builds the top with A¡¯s help. ¡°And the top stands at the top of the Empire less than six years ago.¡± He was essential for the financial resources I need now. I just know a little bit of the future, but I have no talent in trading or top operations. For me, Yurgen was a talent I had to recruit. Of course, we have been together for four years now. ¡°At first, Yurgen¡¯s reaction was really funny.¡± At that time, he was neen, and he had a rather pessimistic and perverted personality. When I first visited Yurgen and presented a contract, the expression he made was still noticeable. He had an expression on his face like seeing the most crazy people in this world. Well, I was only 14 at the time, so it might have been natural in a way. In any case, in the end, the top of Lagras was established as one of the top three in the Empire after four years. My capital went into it, but it would not have been possible without Yurgen. It was also quite difficult for me to raise initial capital. Although I was the daughter of the Grand Duke, I didn¡¯t have much wealth as a young woman, and they would have thought it would be strange if I suddenly spent a lot of money. So what I chose was my closet and jewelry box. ¡®It was fortunate that my father and brother didn¡¯t care about my closet.¡¯ My father and Aaron liked to buy me clothes and jewelry, but after that they left it all to me. Fortunately, sneaking over a few small jewels was enough to show off Yurgen¡¯s talent. Well, now my personal fortune¡¯s overflowing. I put down the letter, looked at the items inside the box, and sighed. ¡°What a waste¡­¡± There were five diamonds that were a littlerger than my thumb nails. Five high-grade diamonds of this size are worth buying a mansion in the capital city. I¡¯ll have to engrave magic on small jewels. It would be extremely difficult. No matter how much money I may have, I can¡¯t help but feel nervous. And I got five of them just in case¡­ ¡°So, won¡¯t it all fail?¡± I¡¯ll just go ahead and practice on another gem and then do it over again, right? Shaking my head, I grabbed the box and got up from my seat. All I need is to seed in the fifth. ? ¡°Oh, my god. This book!¡± I put down the small knife I was holding roughly, and then slump down on the sofa. ¡°Oh, my eyes hurt.¡± All day long, I try to engrave magic on it, a little bigger than my fingernails. I felt like my teeth were going to fall out. It¡¯s already been three days since I¡¯ve been locked up in theb, and I can¡¯t believe I still haven¡¯t seeded in engraving only two magic spells. This is all because the same magic must be engraved five times. It would have been better if there were five different magic spells I could use. I already thought it would be difficult, but I didn¡¯t know it was going to end up like this. If I want to get a bigger diamond, I can get it, but the quantity itself is rare and it should be worth it. ¡°Can I make it before my debutante?¡± The problem wasn¡¯t to seed in five, but to superimpose five magic spells on one jewel. It¡¯s not even my first time making artifacts. ¡°Oh, my pride hurts!¡± After hanging out for a while, I got up. ¡®I have the pride of a wizard!¡¯ ¡°I have to assume that I can do it again tomorrow anyway¡­¡± Therefore, it seemed likely that at least one of them would have to be finished by today. Tomorrow¡¯s my father¡¯s birthday. I gripped the sword with determination. Fortunately, I was able to engrave two spells before the day passed, perhaps thanks to my motivation. ? ¡°Lady, what kind of earrings do you want to wear?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll use this!¡± In Mary¡¯s words, I chose the earrings that Aaron gave me without hesitation. Anyway, today¡¯s dress is purple, so blue would look good on it. The ne was also worn as a set he gave me. A pleasant freshness wrapped around my body, and at the same time, the hand that adorned my hair finished. When I looked in the mirror, Marilyn¡¯s hand hung softly as she fixed my hair. ¡°What about my father?¡± ¡°The Grand Duke says he¡¯s in the office. He said he hasn¡¯t finished his work yet¡­¡± ¡°What? Still?¡± My eyes widened at those words, and then pouted my lips feeling sullen. It¡¯s not a party where guests are invited, but it¡¯s still work. ¡®Besides, he said he had someone to introduce to me.¡¯ Originally, the birthday of a high-ranking noble usually leads directly to a party, but father neatly rejected the opinion. The reason was that he didn¡¯t like to be bothered. Instead, he invited a guest to a banquet, but I don¡¯t even know his name. Aaron seems to know, but he doesn¡¯t tell me even if I ask. ¡°Lady, are you going to the office?¡± Mary asked me as I got up from my seat. ¡°Yeah. I have a little time left, so I¡¯m going to go see my father.¡± Maybe it¡¯s not that he¡¯s not ready yet. ¡°Mary, can you bring those two boxes to the dining roomter? It¡¯s a gift for my father.¡± ¡°There are two gifts this year? I¡¯m sure your father will like it!¡± Mary smiled happily at my words and nodded. ¡°I hope he¡¯ll like it. See youter!¡± ¡°Walk carefully!¡± After leaving Mary and Marilyn behind, there was a hallway that was a little more noisy than usual. Even if there¡¯s no party, it¡¯s a dinner party. I hurried to get to the office and knocked on the door. ¡°Father, it¡¯s Erita.¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± When I opened the door and entered, I saw my father in a state ofplete preparation, with his hair brushed neatly and dressed in a ck suit. It wasn¡¯t a party conquest, but it was enough attire for a dinner party. I was worried that he was still working. But he was okay. ¡°Oh, dad. You¡¯re all ready.¡± ¡°¡­He already prepared for it.¡± The one who answered my words was Fern with a tired expression on his face. ¡°Sometimes it seems that the youngdy knows that I¡¯m squeezing the Grand Duke¡­¡± ¡°Ahaha! It¡¯s not like that, but it¡¯s because you¡¯re still in the office.¡± Suddenly, I made Fern a man who pressured my father too much, and I smiled awkwardly and blurred my words. Seeing me like that, Fern sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that your Highness has been working until now. It¡¯s because Your Highness hasn¡¯t worked.¡± When he said that, he had a face showing it was really unfair. ¡°Father? That can¡¯t be¡­¡± My father doesn¡¯t like being bothered, but he¡¯s so thorough in what he has to do. He¡¯s a kind of father who spends half of his day at the office because of the documents that pile up every day. When I nced at my father in doubt, he was only looking down at the documents without saying anything. ¡®¡­I guess it¡¯s true. What¡¯s going on?¡¯ I only heard it from Fernter, but it seemed like he was waiting for me to keep staring at the door all day long. It wasn¡¯t that I couldn¡¯t guess anything. Every year, I wanted to give him a present first, so I went there every morning. ¡°When will you finish your work?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll finish it in 10 minutes.¡± That¡¯s why you seem to be here¡­ Surprised by my father¡¯s quick reply, I waved my hand. ¡°You can take your time! There¡¯s still more than an hour left before the dinner.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It was almost over anyway.¡± My father, who lightly refused to dissuade, quickly finished a pile of documents. Fern¡¯s face, looking at father, reminded me of a dejected smile. ¡°You ignored me when I told you to do it quickly.¡± At his words, my father, who looked at me, turned his head back to Fern. ¡°Is that what you call that?¡± And he responded with a finely crumpled expression and turned his eyes toward the document again. ¡°The Grand Duke¡¯s very kind. How fragile is that heart. Hmm¡­ As expected, today. I had no choice but to shed an awkward smile on Fern¡¯s hurt face. ¡°How can you not change at all over the past 8 years?¡± Father has a cynical personality, but Fern¡¯s reaction to his resolute words was always surprising. ¡®At this point, I think I¡¯ll let go of my expectations. Fern¡¯s amazing, too.¡¯ That¡¯s what I thought inside. He grinned and smirked, then cleared his throat. ¡°Well, then can I go out? I think I¡¯m only getting in the way.¡± At my words, my father¡¯s hand, who was turning the papers over with a simple motion, stopped. If you look closely, the gap between the brows is slightly narrowed. Without saying anything, I knew that reaction came when he was dissatisfied. It was my father¡¯s habit that I came to know after looking at him for a long time. ¡°Father, I¡¯d like to wait, but I¡¯d like to go for a walk together. Is it okay?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. Then why don¡¯t you wait for a minute?¡± I pretended not to know and spoke again, and only then did I hear my father¡¯s answer. I leaned back on the sofa, holding back theughter that was trying to escape. ¡®Even though you are blunt, there are some areas that are easy to understand.¡¯ When he saw Fern, he looked at the documents with a subtle look as if he had given up. Did I wait for that long? ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± ¡°Are you done already?¡± My father, who got up from the chair, turned around the desk and approached the sofa. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 ? I looked up at my father standing in front. ¡®You finished it really quickly.¡¯ It feels like less than five minutes have passed. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it would be over soon?¡± ¡°I think you had a lot of work left.¡± As I got up holding hisrge hand reaching out to me, my father put a jacket around my shoulder. ¡°Thank you, Father.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold, so I keep walking for a while.¡± I¡¯m used to putting my arm in my father¡¯s arms. We used to hold hands when I was younger, but now I¡¯m all grown up. ¡°¡­You really did everything.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve done it earlier.¡± Fern¡¯s muffled voice came from behind. ¡°Do you have anyints?¡± ¡°No way. I was just amazed by the perfect work done.¡± Fern, who shook his head, teased with a very, very cheeky look. ¡®Haha¡®, Fern seems to have multiple lives. I quickly grabbed my father¡¯s arm and waved my other hand. ¡°See youter, Fern!¡± After greeting as brightly as possible, I closed the office door, leaving behind the embarrassed Fern¡¯s face. ¡®Phew¡®, you kept the mansion safe again today. I¡¯m proud of you. ¡°Father, let¡¯s go quickly. I saw earlier that it was snowing outside.¡± I chatted nonstop all the way down to the garden. My father, who doesn¡¯t like being noisy or distracted, unexpectedly liked when I talked about various things. ¡°Wow! It snows quite a bit in the capital too? It¡¯s pretty.¡± As I left the door of the mansion, I saw snow piled up enough to cover the ground slightly. The white, falling snow was a magnificent view in itself. Even though it was snowing, it wasn¡¯t too cloudy. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hate snow in the north?¡± At my father¡¯s words, I shook my head. The north and here are different ces. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s different. The snow in the north feels like pretty trash.¡± ¡°¡­Pretty trash?¡± My father¡¯s steps stopped slightly at my words. ¡°Yes. It rained too much. It looks pretty from the inside, but it¡¯s cold and ufortable when you go outside.¡± So I couldn¡¯t go down to the vige well in winter. I inted my cheeks unevenly. Before winter, I sometimes went to the vige with my father, but in winter, I rarely went out. Besides, a lot of monsters came down in winter, so my father was busy. But I didn¡¯t necessarily hate it. ¡°But sometimes it was good. Last winter, my father built a snowman for me. It¡¯s also bigger than me. Last winter, while thinking about what to do with the snow that had piled up to my waist, I thought of a snowman. After ying with Mary, Marilyn, and some knights, my father came. Then he quickly made tworge snowballs, about half my height. When he piled up the two, they were taller than me. ¡°It was really fun back then. It melted after about two months.¡± ¡°Yeah. You were in the garden all winter.¡± ¡°My father made it for me, so I put a little effort into it. I put protective magic on it so it wouldn¡¯t break.¡± My father also had a faint smile on his face as I spoke, smiling. ¡°Come to think of it, wasn¡¯t my father cold? You also gave me your jacket.¡± My father was now wearing only a shirt and a vest. I know you don¡¯t get cold very much, but it¡¯s snowing. ¡°The ¡®Sword Master¡® won¡¯t be greatly affected by the weather. If it¡¯s really cold, don¡¯t worry, I could just wear an aura.¡± ¡®That¡¯s a relief.¡¯ But that doesn¡¯t mean all my worries disappear, so I eventually cast a spell inside. ¡°Ta-da! It¡¯s warm now, right?¡± My magic power surrounded my father. It was a simple magic to warm his body. ¡°Yeah. You make me feel warm.¡± My father replied with a smiling sigh as if he couldn¡¯t stop me fromughing. ¡®Whoo¡­ This is why magic is good.¡¯ ¡°Come to think of it, Fern said you were making something. I heard that you go to theb often these days.¡± I nodded at my father¡¯s words. I couldn¡¯t tell him what I¡¯m making, but my father knows that I could create artifacts. ¡°I¡¯m making new artifacts these days. But it wasn¡¯t as easy as I thought¡­¡± I managed to engrave two more spells, but I wonder if I couldplete it in my debutante, which has just over three weeks left.. It would be more difficult to engrave directly on a diamond. I tried not to think in a hurry, but I couldn¡¯t help getting nervous as the days passed by. ¡°Take a break and do it. If you¡¯re impatient, you won¡¯t finish anything.¡± I don¡¯t know if my expression got dark without realizing it, but my father spoke in a sweet, caring tone. That¡¯s right. There was a saying that the more urgent you are, the more you should take your time¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much on your own. You could ask for help when you¡¯re having a hard time. Okay?¡± ¡°Father,¡± ¡°Yes, my daughter.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you. You¡¯re really the best!¡± I grabbed my father¡¯s arm and nodded. ¡°If Aaron hears it, he¡¯ll be jealous.¡± I burst intoughter at my father¡¯s words, with a faint smile on his lips as if he was in a good mood. ¡°Ah, how broad-minded my brother was. He wouldn¡¯t be jealous of that much.¡± Well, it used to be a little like that in the past. ¡°¡­It seems that he¡¯s still trembling.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Rather than that, I think we should go in now.¡± After asking for a moment, I nodded at my father¡¯s words. ¡°I know. He¡¯lle out to find us in a little bit.¡± We walked slowly towards the mansion. But it¡¯s a bit disappointing. ¡°Father, do you really have only one guest?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s one person.¡± I couldn¡¯t hide my dissatisfaction with those words. He celebrated my birthday so splendidly, but on his birthday my father always ended it with a simple dinner. ¡°On my birthday, you always had a party in the mansion. I didn¡¯t invite anyone.¡± ¡°¡­Did you want to invite someone too? I¡¯m sorry. If I only knew, I would have let you invite someone too.¡± My father seemed to have interpreted my words strangely. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 ? My gift was wrapped in a dark blue ribbon on a white background. As I moved the box slightly, my father and Aaron¡¯s eyes moved along with my hands. It¡¯s very well-bnced, but I think it¡¯s cute. When I saw the red-like ruby gaze, I was looking forward to my father¡¯s reaction to receiving my gift. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­ Yes?¡± When I called my father, my father, who stuttered uncontrobly, coughed once, and then returned to his usual expression. ¡°Happy birthday. This is my present.¡± I smiled and handed over arge box and a small box to my father. ¡°¡­.Thank you. I told you not to prepare every year.¡± That¡¯s what you say, but I know my father who cherished me for years when he actually received my gift. ¡®My father has a very warm side, too.¡¯ Laughing inside, I pointed to therge box. The small one was the main gift. ¡°I¡¯d like you to open the big one first.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do that.¡± Rustle~ My father untied the ribbon carefully. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a shirt.¡± When the lid was opened, what was revealed was a white shirt and a dark navy blue shirt that was almost ck. It¡¯s a present I bought with Aaronst time. ¡°Yes, I wanted to give you a uniform as a present, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll wear it often. Since you wear shirts often, I chose a pretty one. Do you like it?¡± ¡°Yeah. I like it so much. I¡¯ll wear it.¡± When I asked, my father touched the shirt with his finger for a while and answered with a smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m d! I was thinking between dark green and this color, and I chose this one.¡± My father¡¯s answer filled my heart with pride. Thanks to my father who likes hangers so much that he disposes of all clothes, I struggled to find the one that suited him best. Now all that was left was a small box. ¡°You know, the small box. It¡¯s not something great, and you might be disappointed.¡± I scratched my cheek and said, my father must already have a lot better than my present. I prepared hard, but I couldn¡¯t help being a little worried. ¡°You¡¯re the one giving it to me. How could that be possible?¡± ¡°Yeah. Father would be happy to receive it even if you gave him a stone, the same goes for me.¡± I was embarrassed by the encouragement of my father and Aaron, so I smiled shyly and nodded my head. ¡°Then open the small box!¡± My heart beats faster than when he opened the box containing the shirt. Soon, a small lid opened and the present I had prepared was revealed. It was a red ruby brooch. ¡°This, it¡¯s a¡­ brooch.¡± My father¡¯s long fingers picked up the brooch a little bigger than half of his thumb. The main gift I prepared and an artifact I made. ¡°Yes. I made my own spell and carved magic, but I may becking a little.¡± My father, who listened to what I say, had not spoken for a long time. ¡®Are you disappointed?¡¯ I wiggled my pinky finger. How worried have I been? Soon, my father slowly opened his mouth. ¡°¡­Thank you, Erita. It¡¯s the most precious gift I¡¯ve ever received.¡± Only then could I smile brightly. This time, learning magic engraving was worthwhile because I wanted to take responsibility for creating artifacts from start to finish. Originally, I only engraved magic on jewels, and the work was entrusted to someone else. So I could be confident that it might be a little crude than selling it, but it had my sincerity. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask what magic was engraved?¡± I asked in an excited voice in response to my father¡¯s reaction. ¡°May I ask what kind of magic you engraved?¡± ¡°Of course! First of all, I carved shield magic. You¡¯ll be able to prevent most attacks three times.¡± ¡°Shield?¡± ¡°Yes. Actually, I wanted to engrave something permanent, but it was a bit difficult to engrave with other spells¡­¡± So it was a little disappointing. Shield magic could save his life at an important moment. However, I couldn¡¯t give the other couldn¡¯t spells either, so in the end, the number of shield magic was limited. It was time for me to soothe my disappointment. ¡°¡­What about the other magic?¡± Hearing Aaron¡¯s question, I regained my energy and opened my mouth. ¡°The other one was teleportation. You could use this whenever you want! Of course, it shouldn¡¯t be too far away¡­¡± I think it¡¯s about the distance from the mansion to the square. This was the other magic I couldn¡¯t give up. Unlike the shield, it could be used as much as you want by injecting magical energy. My father was also a magic swordsman, so there was no need for me to recharge the magic with my own. ¡°Do you like it?¡± I looked at my father with a little expectation. I hope my father likes it as much as I worked hard on it. ¡°I¡­ Like all of them¡­ Receiving something very precious. Wasn¡¯t it hard to make this?¡± At the low whispering voice of my father, I smiled and shook my head. ¡°Not at all. It wasn¡¯t hard at all, thinking that I¡¯d give it to my father.¡± Of course, I was a little disappointed because I made a few mistakes in my work. Anyway, I was more proud that I seeded safely. At my answer, my father¡¯s eyes, who were slowly wiping the brooch, curved beautifully. ¡°Thank you so much. I¡¯ll cherish it.¡± When I saw my father¡¯s reaction, I couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. As I turned my head with a bashful smile, my eyes met with Aaron, who was looking at me. ¡°My sister, you¡¯re amazing.¡± Aaron¡¯s voice wrapped around my ears was sweet. In fact, I said it was my father¡¯s birthday gift, but I thought what if Aaron was disappointed. Fortunately, seeing Aaron looking at me with soft eyes, he didn¡¯t seem like that. Of course, he didn¡¯t say anything, but he was there too. It¡¯s notpleted yet. ¡°You could look forward to it too!¡± I smiled yfully at him. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± At my reaction, Aaron paused for a while and smiled brightly enough to make me ashamed of everything and nodded. It was then. ¡°Now then, can I go get some food?¡± We burst intoughter at Evan¡¯s question as he leaned out of the kitchen. ? As Evan, who was confident, said, my father¡¯s birthday dinner was more brilliant than usual. All the foods that came out one by one were all delicious. It feels like I¡¯m at a fancy restaurant. ¡°Did you enjoy your meal?¡± It was around the time I was knocking on my stomach that was full. I nodded at Evan¡¯s words, who hade to clean up the dishes. ¡°It was really delicious. The meat with that sour sauce was the best.¡± ¡°Haha, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s a special sauce I developed a while ago.¡± ¡°It was delicious, Evan.¡± Following me, my father also spoke briefly to him. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been since I¡¯ve heard such a word from my master. It¡¯s worth the preparation to say that you are satisfied! This old man is overjoyed.¡± Evan, whose eyes widened in surprise for a while, soon smiled, holding his white mustache. Evan, who had been talking for a while, left, saying he would clean up now. ¡°Shall we go to the drawing room? I¡¯ll make tea for you today!¡± I got up first and spoke brightly. Usually, the maids brewed tea for me, but today¡¯s my father¡¯s birthday. ¡°Of course.¡± We left the empty tes behind and moved to the drawing room. It was a time when we were drinking tea and talking about small things. Knock, knock~ A knock on the heavy door was heard. ¡°Master, this is Terban.¡± ¡°Come on in.¡± It was Terban who opened the door and entered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb the conversation, but I think you shoulde out for a while.¡± Terban¡¯s expression, with his head bowed in a neat posture, seemed somewhat embarrassed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We have a guest in the mansion. He was wearing a shabby robe, but he had an invitation to the dinner¡­¡± ¡°Had an invitation?¡± ¡°Yes. I know it¡¯ste, but he asked me to tell you.¡± With those words, I could understand why Terban had that expression on his face. It¡¯s been a long time since dinner was over. The situation was nearly two hourste. It would be very rude in the first ce. It could have been unpleasant for my father. ¡°¡­Hhmm.¡± I slowly rolled my eyes and looked at the other side. However, surprisingly, I couldn¡¯t find any displeasure in my father¡¯s face. In fact, there was only a little surprise. Although my father is on the blunt expressionless side¡­ ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± Father readily answered, got up from his seat. ¡°Do I have to go with you?¡± I don¡¯t know what the rtionship is between my father and that person, so it¡¯s kind of bad to follow him recklessly. ¡°Will you join me?¡± After contemting for a while, I soon nodded and stood up. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you.¡± I followed in my father¡¯s footsteps alongside Aaron. The drawing room is on the same floor as the front door, so as soon as we left the room, I could see a person wearing a brown robe standing at the entrance of the mansion. Judging by his height and size, he seems to be a man. It was an appearance that didn¡¯t seem to be a nobleman at all. The curiosity about him grew bigger and bigger. ¡°Master, it¡¯s this person.¡± After Terban bowed his head to us and the man, he took a few steps back. At the same time, the person who raised his head, who had bowed down, flinched for a moment, then slowly pulled back his robe and opened his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, An.¡± His wheat-coloured hair glimmered down through the curled-up robes. The man¡¯s face, which was soon revealed, was an unexpectedly handsome man. A face that looks like Fern¡¯s age. But it was his eyes that caught my attention. A little simr to mine, but different at the same time. ¡®¡­He also have purple eyes.¡¯ Chapter 36 Chapter 36 ? My father, who was looking at the man standing still, opened his mouth. ¡°¡­Yeah. It¡¯s been a while since I saw you, Seian.¡± Seian. It was a name I had never heard of. There was a strange atmosphere between the two who greeted each other. Who the hell¡¯s that person and what was his rtionship with my father? For some reason, Aaron wasn¡¯t there either. This awkward atmosphere made me swallow. ¡®If I had known this would happen, I would have said that I would just stay in the room.¡¯ It was around the time when I was rolling my eyes in a very strange atmosphere. Then I made eye contact with the man with wheat hair color. The way he looked at me was deep. Like drawing someone. ¡°Hello. My name¡¯s Erita Krovachatz.¡± I was embarrassed for a while, smiling brightly, putting one hand on my stomach, and lowering my head gently. No matter who he was, I knew for sure that he was the one invited by my father. However, the man who received my greetings just stared at me nkly. ¡°Did I do something wrong?¡± I nced up at Aaron, wondering if I was doing something wrong without my knowledge, but he was looking at the man with a dull expression on his face. ¡®It¡¯s driving me crazy. What¡¯s with this mood?¡¯ I felt like I was the only one who felt awkward here. It was then¡­ ¡°¡­You¡¯re Erita.¡± The man, who was smiling, soon opened his mouth. The cracked and subdued voice seemed to cry at any moment. ¡°¡­Do you know me?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but ask like that. The eyes that kept staring at me and the voice that seemed to cry. It was not an easy situation to understand. ¡°I¡­ So I¡¯m¡­¡± The man, startled by my words, seems to be trying to speak slowly, eventually turning his head away, covering his face with one hand. It looked like tears filled his eyes and fell when I saw that his cheeks were slowly getting wet. ¡°What? Why? Are you crying? Really? I was so embarrassed that I stomped my feet. Doesn¡¯t it look like I made you cry? ¡®He looks about someone who¡¯s much older than me! ¡® All I said was self-introduction and that if he knew me. But, why are you crying? ¡°Hey, Uhm¡­ I didn¡¯t say anything rude.¡± There was no way to hide my embarrassment. If I knew the reason, I would even apologize. Fortunately, my father sighed and spoke. ¡°You¡¯re still crying, Erita might be flustered.¡± Unlike before, I felt awkward, but the man¡¯s voice was surprisingly gentle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was in tears without knowing it¡­¡± Even at the father¡¯s words, the man did not know how to stop his tears from flowing. No, I think he¡¯s trying to stop, but maybe his tear nd was broken¡­ ¡°Erita, I¡¯m sorry. Let¡¯s go to the room first. I¡¯ll exin it to you there.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± In the end, I walked back to the room with only a bewildered heart. Fortunately, while walking for a while, the man was still in tears. I nced silently at the man sitting across from me. ¡°I think your face is a little familiar¡­¡± But I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s familiar. It was a time when I was thinking on my own. ¡°Seian, please introduce yourself. It seems like you came here for that.¡± I nced at my father once, then turned to the man called Seian. He barely opened the door with a crack voice looking straight at me with swollen eyes. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, Erita.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I smiled slightly at the man¡¯s apology and shook my head. The man, who had been biting his lips for a while at my reaction, soon took out words and said his name. ¡°My name¡¯s Seian Vicente.¡± ¡®Seian Vicente.¡¯ The Marquis of Vicente. I froze as if a cold water was poured on me from those words. ¡°¡­Your mother, she¡¯s my sister.¡± The man that seemed familiar was actually my uncle. ? Seian, who had been sitting for a while after making a statement, quickly left the mansion. He seemed hesitant for a moment, he seemed bewildered because we had not even talked about anything else, and barely spoke up. He said he was ashamed of his sloppy appearance because he came from another area and arrived in a hurry after receiving an invitation. -¡®I¡¯ll be back in two days. Would it be okay?¡¯ When he said that, my father asked for my approval, and I nodded that I didn¡¯t care. He said he would make an official visit in two days, but before leaving the mansion, he looked at me and hesitated, then turned around without saying a word. In a way, he seemed to be a lot more nervous than I was. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice to be able to prepare my heart.¡± It has been nine years since I came here. And it¡¯s been nine years since I epted my father and Aaron as my family. But now he¡¯s someone new, a new family. It felt quite strange. First of all, I¡¯m sure that Seian didn¡¯t appear in the original. ¡°Erita.¡± It was my father¡¯s voice calling that woke me from my troubled thoughts. ¡°Yes?¡± Looking up, my father looked a little sorry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I offended you because I didn¡¯t tell you beforehand.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure whether he would attend or not, so I thought it wasn¡¯t good to say it in advance. My father¡¯s gentle voice felt soothing. It seemed like he was epting that I didn¡¯t feel good because I was so engrossed in my thoughts. ¡°It was because I was thinking for a while¡­ Although I was a little embarrassed.¡± I knew that a guest wasing, but it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t know that he was my uncle. ¡°Did you know that?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you in advance.¡± When I asked Aaron, who was sitting opposite me, he smiled and nodded as if embarrassed with a hazy expression. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who didn¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I rolled my eyes yfully. Of course, I could only guess why they did that. Because I have no memory of Seian. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯lle or not, but if they tell me in advance, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll haveplicated thoughts. I fully understood how my father and Aaron felt. Even if I thought about it, if I had known in advance, it would have been very bothersome. ¡°Well, father.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°My father and I¡­¡± Trying to connect the words, I paused for a moment. ¡°If I ask why he hasn¡¯te to see me for ten or fourteen years, was it too much?¡± From the date, it doesn¡¯t seem to be unrted to the ident. The ident was not a veryfortable story for me either. ¡°Father seems close to him¡­¡± ¡°May I ask who he was?¡± Eventually, I swallowed what I was going to say and brought up another topic. ¡°About Seian?¡± When my father asked back, I nodded slowly. ¡°He said he¡¯de back in two days, but I don¡¯t know him well¡­ I don¡¯t know how to deal with him.¡± It¡¯s okay if we¡¯re not rted at all, but wasn¡¯t Seian a person who¡¯s blood-rted to me anyway? It was very ambiguous. And I think he cried after I asked who he was earlier. Anyway, it seemed almost certain that he was a soft-hearted person. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s difficult. His first impressions may be a little sloppy, but he¡¯s a good guy.¡± ¡°It looked like that.¡± Perhaps because his eyes were drooping, like a gentle puppy, it¡¯s a face that says like ¡®I¡¯m a nice person no matter who looks at me.¡¯ ¡°Hmm¡­ If he has the same personality as before, You would like him very much. So I hope you don¡¯t think too hard about it.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°Yeah. That should be enough.¡± I nodded slowly at my father¡¯s words. Honestly, I think it¡¯ll be harder not to think too hard. ¡°But he¡¯s older, and he looks a little younger.¡± Even if I look at it a lot, He looked like he was about 10 years older than Aaron, right? ¡°Your mother and Seian were siblings. Seian was 10 years old when Aaron was born.¡± ¡®Oh, no wonder. You didn¡¯t look that old to be my uncle.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s why he liked Aaron and you very much. He used to visit the Grand Duchess often.¡± Those words made me feel a little more at ease than before. ¡°I see¡­ Oh, brother.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Then do you remember about him?¡± Aaron¡¯s eyes slightly flinched at my question. Then he sighed and nodded his head. ¡°Yeah. I remember himing here often when I was young.¡± Judging from the reaction alone, it seems that Aaron and Seian didn¡¯t get along very well. It was my father¡¯s cheerful voice that answered my doubts. ¡°Aaron didn¡¯t bother Seian. From a young age, he was obsessed with who he resembled.¡± Aaron looked at his father in amazement at his father¡¯s sighing words. ¡°¡­My father knows best who I look like.¡± At Aaron¡¯s shivering words, I nodded secretly. My father and Aaron were rich enough not to need gic testing. Even if I look at it while passing by in a carriage, anyone could see that they are wealthy. However, father didn¡¯t budge at Aaron¡¯s words and continued with a smile. ¡°He still couldn¡¯t see that and went to your mother to ask her because Seian keeps bothering him. He was only four years old then.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I was surprised to hear that. Even the young Aaron was no joke. ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why Seian cried about leaving the mansion.¡± I imagined it for a moment. It¡¯s a young Aaron who says Seian was annoying with an expressionless face. ¡®Well, that¡¯s pretty realistic.¡¯ I burst intoughter at the good atmosphere around us. Seeing me like that, Aaron made a troubled expression, then sighed and turned his head away. Like that, my father¡¯s birthday this year went a little differently than before. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 ? ¡°Oh, my shoulder hurts.¡± I walked massaging my shoulder. My outfit now looked like I was wearing a robe around ordinary clothes, just like when I secretly went out downtownst time. As I walked slowly, severalrge and small mansions passed by. Today, I was going to walk to the square without using teleportation. It doesn¡¯t matter if I use it or not anyway, because it¡¯s close and I want to walk a little bit. There were a lot of things to do, but it would be okay to y tricks for a day. ¡°My father told me not to hurry.¡± And today, my thoughts were soplicated that I couldn¡¯t concentrate well. Since I met Seian yesterday, I have been thinking about him. Maybe because it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve met someone rted to Serbia. Rather than wasting time thinking about other things, it¡¯s better to lift my mood. I shook my head to shake off myplicated thoughts. ¡°I told my father and brother, so I¡¯m going to eat lunch and go home.¡± First of all, let¡¯s have fun looking around for now. ? Walking for about ten minutes. The square, which was now quite familiar, weed me. Even though it was not yet 10 o¡¯clock, the square was full of life. ¡°We¡¯re selling lunch ingredients!¡± ¡°Vegetables here are cheap!¡± There were voices of bargaining people andughter from all over the ce. I like the calm atmosphere of our neat mansion, but sometimes I like this noisy scene better. Especially on days when I want to get rid of troublesome thoughts, a noisy street is suitable. I walked down the street humming softly. ¡°Shall I go to the top?¡± Well, no. I immediately shook my head. My partner and the superficial top, Yurgen at the top of Lagras were more knowledgeable than it looked. He was only five years older than me, and he always sounded like an old man. If I sneak out on him like this, he¡¯ll be surprised and tell me to go home right away. ¡°Then how on earth should I go to meet him? It¡¯s hard anyhow.¡± When I go to see him, I always sneak out. Of course, I could go if I wanted to, but the reason I came out today was to have a change of mind, so I boldly gave up on that option. ¡®I could see Yurgen next time. I could go home and contact him through themunication area.¡¯ As I walked all the way down the street without falling into the alley, I saw various shops¡­ Among them, the one that caught my eye was the jewelry store where Aaron had entrusted my presentst time. Unlike thatst time, when there were no other customers except us, today there were some people in line who seemed to be servants of some noble families. ¡°What? It must have been a more famous ce than I thought.¡± I didn¡¯t see the namest time. ¡°Twilight Dawn¡­?¡± Looking up at the signboard, I muttered in a trembling tone. ¡®What kind of name was this in middle school?¡¯ It¡¯s not the name of a jewelry store, it¡¯s the name of an inn in some fantasy novel. It¡¯s amazing to see that the business was going well even with such a name. ¡°Well, their skill was good.¡± The ne that was ced invisibly inside the clothes was definitely an excellent quality. The earrings I left at home were also of the highest quality because they didn¡¯t match the clothes I¡¯m wearing now. ¡®Then the owner was also a wizard? I saw that it was engraved with a magic that makes mana operation easier.¡¯ If it¡¯s that level, it¡¯ll be like a high-level wizard. Contrary to his gentle face, he had a strangely eerie feeling. But not all wizards feel that way¡­ After a while, I shook my head and passed by a store with a strange name. ¡°Anyway, there¡¯s nothing to see right now.¡± After looking around the square a little more, I was getting hungry. But I don¡¯t want to eat rice though. This feeling¡­ it¡¯s definitely that. ¡°If you¡¯re in the downtown area, you have to treat yourself to snacks.¡± The seasoned skewers I atest time were also delicious. But I don¡¯t really crave spicy food. After thinking for a while, I remembered the dessert shop I went to with Aaron. Besides desserts, there were many types of bread such as caste. ¡®I should eat bread with coffee there!¡¯ Having decided on my destination, I took a lighter step. Fortunately, the store was on a big street, so it wasn¡¯t difficult to find it. Jingle~ ¡°Wee, I¡¯m ire!¡± As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by the same smiling employee as before. ¡°Are you alone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then will you follow me? I¡¯ll guide you to your seat.¡± When I nodded at the employee¡¯s words, she picked up a menu and took the lead first. There weren¡¯t many people inside, perhaps because it wasn¡¯t lunchtime yet. About 5 or 6 people? Unlike before, there was no attention focused on me. ¡°You can sit here.¡± The seat we arrived at was this table for guests by the window. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°This is the menu. Please ring the bell next to you when you order!¡± The employee who handed me the menu in front of me bowed her head with a smile and turned around. ¡®Even if the guest is not a noble, they treat you kindly.¡¯ I opened the menu. Last time, I only ate dessert, but there seemed to be a menu exclusively for breakfast or lunch. Lunch was a set of simple bagels, butter, coffee, and unusually custard cream. ¡°Then I¡¯ll order a lunch set.¡± I immediately rang the bell next to me. ¡°Have you decided?¡± ¡°Yes, please give me a lunch set!¡± ¡°Okay, please wait a little bit!¡± The waiter who wrote the order left, and I turned my head and looked out the window. Unlike yesterday when it snowed, today¡¯s sky was clear without a single cloud. ¡°It¡¯s the same even here¡­¡± I smiled and muttered slightly. Just in time, the menu I ordered a while ago arrived. ¡°Here¡¯s your lunch set.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Have a great time!¡± I looked down at the te in front of me. ¡°¡­I was wondering if this would make me full.¡± The freshly baked bagels were bigger than I thought. Bagels with savory butter went well with coffee. Soon after, I was full. I left the cream puff for a while and looked through the transparent window. I didn¡¯t feel bad about having a leisurely day. The worries that had upied my head were now gone. It was when I was staring nkly outside. Knock, knock~ I heard a sound of a knock on the ss window from a little farther. A little from the side, came a sound as if tapping a window. At the sound, I slowly turned my head. There was a strange person there. Someone I knew but didn¡¯t think we¡¯d meet again. When I made eye contact with an unexpected person, I couldn¡¯t hide my surprise. ¡°¡­A knight?¡± My eyes widened as I muttered. Then, as if he had read my mouth, he gently smiled and waved one hand. ¡®Oh my gosh, it¡¯s real!¡¯ There was a mixture of dismay and joy. Then the man pursed his lips. ¡°Ah¡­ Do you.. Uhm.¡± What do you mean? I was confused by his words. In response to my reaction, the man thought for a while and stretched out his straight finger to point in front of me. It seemed to be referring to the empty seat in front of me. ¡®Aha! You mean to go inside?¡¯ It was then that I understood the man¡¯s muffled words earlier and nodded my head without any hesitation. It was embarrassing, but it was nice to see him again. At my nod, the man rolled his eyes and smiled, licked his lips again and turned around. He¡¯s probably going to the entrance of the store. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I giggled a little at his words. This time, it was a short sentence, so I could easily understand it. Jingle~ Just in time, I heard a clear ringing of a bell hanging on the door. ¡°Are you here alone?¡± ¡°No, I came with a party , so I think I could go there.¡± With those words, the man I saw through the window arrived next to me. I turned my head slightly and looked up at the man standing. It¡¯s been a few days since I¡¯ve seen him, but it doesn¡¯t feel awkward for some reason. ¡°Can you excuse me for a moment?¡± After asking for permission earlier. He dly opened his mouth to ask again. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Thank you, wizard.¡± The man muttered and sat down across from me with a gentle gesture. For a moment, we looked at each other without saying a word. It was me who spoke first. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t expect to see you again.¡± ¡°Is that so? I was looking forward to seeing the wizard again.¡± At my words, the man slightly tilted his head and replied softly. I burst intoughter at the words. ¡°The knight¡¯s very friendly.¡± ¡°Me?¡± As I nodded at the man¡¯s question, he raised the corners of his mouth and continued speaking. ¡°I think the wizard¡¯s very kind.¡± ¡°No way. I¡¯m not very kind.¡± At the man¡¯s words, I answered with a yful shrug. ¡°Didn¡¯t you dly allow me to join you? I thought I couldn¡¯t help it even if I was rejected.¡± The man, whoughed hard at my answer, said so and looked at me calmly. ¡®Well, you know I¡¯m not a bad person, do you? ¡® I felt a little embarrassed to say that, so I just smiled awkwardly. At my reaction, the man raised an eyebrow. ¡®I thought about itst time, but he looks fine¡­¡¯ The man must have been of the same sort as my father and Aaron. Someone who doesn¡¯t know how good looking his face was. Chapter 38 Chapter 38 ? The man who was smiling, showing off his beauty to its fullest opened his lips. ¡°Last time I asked the Lady a favor. Do you remember?¡± ¡°Favor?¡± If it¡¯s a favor he asked of me¡­. What I had forgotten until now came to mind quickly. ¡°Oh, it was.¡± I nodded with a short answer. Last time he asked that if we met again, I should just call him by his name. I hesitated for a moment and spoke his name. ¡°Could I call you Sir Lian?¡± ¡°Anything you want. I¡¯m d you didn¡¯t forget.¡± At my words, he smiled as if really happy that I remembered him. ¡°¡­There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll forget it.¡± Meeting him was something special that didn¡¯t happen in daily life. And there was one more promise I made with him. ¡®At that time, I really didn¡¯t know that we would meet again.¡¯ Sitting across from him, he didn¡¯t say anything like he was waiting for me to speak. I thought for a while and soon spoke. ¡°¡­My name is Erita.¡± It might be possible to give a different name, but I didn¡¯t want to. At my words, Lian¡¯s mouth opened with a clear smile. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty name.¡± ¡°¡­.Sir Lian.¡± Somehow I felt embarrassed and tried to call him, as he was slowly avoiding my gaze. Then his pupils trembled. It was for a moment, but I couldn¡¯t miss his appearance because it seems like a reaction from my father and Aaron when we couldn¡¯t see each other. ¡°¡­Do you not like your name?¡± But as soon as he smiled again, I quietly swallowed my words. ¡°What brought you here?¡± ¡°Well, actually, I like this store quite a bit. It¡¯s a ce I used toe to whenever I thought of my mother, but it¡¯s my first timeing back to the capital.¡± ¡°Really?¡± My eyes widened at his words as I asked. Of course, since Aaron said that it was a pretty famous ce in the capital, it wasn¡¯t impossible, but the coincidence that kept ovepping between us was amazing. ¡°Yes. My mother liked desserts quite a lot.¡± While saying that, Lian¡¯s smiling face seemed somewhat bitter. In a situation where I could somehow guess, I carefully selected the words I said. ¡°¡­Thanks to Sir Lian¡¯s mother, we were able to meet again.¡± When I carefully brought it up, he stared at me unknowingly. Then, he burst into a lowugh. ¡°That¡¯s right. I was able to meet Lady Erita thanks to my mother, so I should be grateful.¡± The bitterness of the past was no longer found in his gentle yet smiling tone. It¡¯s a relief. I thought I had chosen the right words, so I sighed. He looked at me silently and called my name in a strange tone. ¡°Lady Erita.¡± His call was friendly. Like my father and Aaron calling me. No, was it a little different from that? ¡°Yes, Sir Lian?¡± ¡°Do you have any ns after this?¡± I pondered for a moment at his words, then shook my head. Because originally I came out without any ns. ¡°First of all, I came here because I knew this ce, but I didn¡¯t know what to do afterwards.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Actually, I came out to refresh my mind because my thoughts are a bit concerning.¡± I hadn¡¯t really thought about it while I was talking to him, but anyway, until I left the mansion for the first time, my purpose was to organize my messy head. When I replied like that, Lian blinked and opened his mouth. ¡°Then you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t have anywhere else to go.¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t really know the capital.¡± I smiled awkwardly and rubbed my cheek. In response to my answer, Lian looked like he was thinking about something. ¡°Lady Erita.¡± As if he had finished thinking, he raised his gaze and looked into my eyes with a yful smile. ¡°Then could I borrow Lady Erita¡¯s time for a moment?¡± His tone of voice contained enough weight but not burdensome. It was a cool suggestion. ¡°¡­My time?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s fate that we met like this.¡± ¡°Do you have any ns, Sir Lian?¡± At my question, Lian rubbed the handle of the wooden chair with his finger and nodded. ¡°Actually, I also came out with the same reason as Last Erita. I came here to unwind.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The corners of his lips raised to a smile gently. What he said was a very good suggestion for me. It was quite enjoyable while we were talking, and, as he said, meeting like this was fate. My thoughts had already shifted. ¡°Then shall we? Instead, you have to find a ce where we¡¯re going. I don¡¯t really know the capital that well.¡± As I readily epted it, a look of surprise appeared on his face. After asking him first, the positive response seemed unexpected. ¡°You look surprised.¡± ¡°¡­Actually, I didn¡¯t expect you to ept it so readily.¡± When he spoke in a somewhat bewildered tone, I replied with a little awkward smile. I used to be so fussy before. But there are also innocent corners that I didn¡¯t expect. A yful reply came out of his response. ¡°Haha, what? Sir Lian suggested it first.¡± As soon as I responded, he smiled and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lian looked satisfied. ¡°Okay. So shall we go now?¡± It would be nice to sit and talk, but the weather¡¯s unusually nice today. ¡°Was that so? Then I¡¯ll guide you.¡± So we got up from our seats. I went first to the cashier. Then, behind me, Lian, who was painted in surprise, followed. He looks like a big puppy. ¡°Thank you! Pleasee again next time.¡± After saying goodbye to the staff, I left the store. Perhaps it was close to noon, but the sun rising in the middle of the clear sky was shining right above our heads. ¡®As I thought earlier, the weather seems really nice today. ¡® ¡°Fortunately, the sun seems to be on our side today. It¡¯s a pretty lucky day.¡± At his witty words, I smiled and nced at him. To this handsome man who¡¯s not good enough to hide his feelings, he was quite gentle. So there was another person like Aaron that exists here. ¡°Sir Lian, you must be popr.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you don¡¯t know. Because I don¡¯t believe you if you deny it.¡± ¡°You could tell that easily?¡± Lian looked at me with a rxed smile over his subtle tone. The tip of his eyes was slightly curved. ¡°Really honestly?¡± I squinted at him and asked back. ¡°¡­No. I was wrong.¡± At my reaction, he burst outughing and shook his head. ¡°I mean it sincerely.¡± ¡°It seemed so.¡± Lian nced at me awkwardly and nodded. ¡°Okay. Of course.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s go first. It¡¯s best to hurry, because midday and sunset are the most appropriate time to settle.¡± Lian, who turned around, politely reached out to me. It was a gesture for the escort. ¡°Then shall we go?¡± ¡°The knight¡¯s escort. It¡¯s an honor.¡± I replied yfully and ced my hand gently over his hand. Hisrge hands were warm even in the cold winter days that wereing to an end. ? Lian walked slowly to my stride. My hands were covered in ck leather gloves that were muchrger than my size. On the other hand, Lian¡¯s hands walking next to me remained white. ¡°Sir Lian, don¡¯t your hands get cold?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. My body tends to have a lot of heat.¡± After responding calmly, he slightly waved his hand, which had not changed at all. Walking for a while, Lian pulled out his glove in my hand, which became cold. Even after I refused saying it was okay, he managed to put the gloves on me. He seemed to be more stubborn than I thought in this area. As a result, though, it was a good thing for me. ¡°Are you okay, Lady?¡± Hearing his words, I clenched and opened the slightly awkward-looking hand a couple of times. ¡°Of course. It¡¯s warm thanks to the gloves handed over by a gentleman.¡± We were exchanging casual conversations, and when we made eye contact, we burst intoughter, no matter who came first. It was only our second meeting, but it was enough to know that he was a good person. Until a while ago, both sides, which were full of buildings, were changing to a quiet ce. ¡°Do you by any chance hate high ces?¡± I shook my head at his question. ¡°I don¡¯t hate it. I rather like it.¡± ¡®I¡¯ve always liked high ces. To be exact, the scenery you see from up above there.¡¯ I feel refreshed whenever I see the unobstructed, open scenery. I liked it more because I could forget all my situations at that moment. ¡°It seems that the ce we¡¯re going now is a high ce.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s kind of like that. I¡¯m d you like it.¡± He smiled brightly at my words. As we talked and walked, it was after a long distance from the lively downtown area. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been walking for a long time. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. I hope you like it.¡± Then he stopped walking as he spoke. ¡°This¡­¡± I could guess, but when I saw the scenery that came into view, I eximed. ¡°From here you have a panoramic view of the capital. It¡¯s one of the best ces toe when you¡¯re feeling down.¡± I nodded nkly at Lian¡¯s exnation. The scenery with the buildings of the capital spread out was more spectacr than I expected. Even though the hill we had climbed wasn¡¯t that high. ¡°¡­Sir Lian.¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Erita.¡± A friendly reply came. I smiled broadly and turned to the man standing behind me. ¡°Thank you for bringing me here. I really liked it.¡± Chapter 39 Chapter 39 ? Lian stared at me nkly for a moment. The same expression that made me a little flustered. But that¡¯s just for a while. ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± As soon as I heard his answer, I replied with a gentle smile. ¡°Your expression seems somewhat strange.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s say I was touched by your words.¡± At that clever reaction, I squinted at him. ¡°Are you touched by that?¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s because I¡¯m surprisingly sensitive.¡± Then after saying that, Lian shrugged and smiled. I also smiled gently, with my eyes curved at his nd answer. Although we met only twice, I vaguely knew that Lian was rarely embarrassed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to dig it up too much.¡± I don¡¯t know much about him yet, so it might just be my thoughts, but he¡¯s probably right. ¡°Well, that¡¯s right. First of all, let¡¯s leave it that way.¡± Smiling sweetly, I turned around and slowly walked towards the end of the hill. ¡°Be careful. It¡¯s like the edge of a cliff over there.¡± Next to me, Lian strode along. ¡°I know. I¡¯m only going to cover that tree over there.¡± At first, I thought it was a hill, but this ce was like a small cliff. And at the edge of such a cliff, arge tree was firmly rooted. ¡°I think it¡¯s an old tree. It¡¯s very thick.¡± I said in a slightly startled tone pointing at the tree, which was much bigger than I expected. The thick trunk of the tree was barely able to wrap around three or four adults. Lian, who leaned obliquely against the tree, replied. ¡°I heard that it has existed for over three hundred years.¡± ¡°Three hundred years?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a story rted to the tree. Do you want to listen to it?¡± It was a pretty tempting offer. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not an excuse.¡± I rolled my eyes and nodded. There was no time to be bored when I¡¯m with him. ¡°Then we¡¯d better sit down and talk for a while.¡± Lian looked around and took off his cape, folded it a couple of times, andid it on a suitable ce under the tree. I asked with a look of concern at his behavior. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it cold if you took off your cape? I could just sit on the ground.¡± Even though it was the end of winter, the air was still cold. ¡°I don¡¯t feel cold very much, so it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s really okay, so don¡¯t worry. My stomach is also strong, I can handle this kind of cold.¡± Lian smiled lightly as if saying he was really okay and shrugged. ¡°¡­Thank you. Then excuse me for a moment.¡± If I don¡¯t sit down, I¡¯ll have to keep standing, so I couldn¡¯t help but to sit down. Then Lian sat down next to me with an appropriate distance. ¡°I think Sir Lian was surprisingly stubborn.¡± ¡°Haha! I¡¯ve never heard that before.¡± At my words, Lian¡¯s eyes widened and responded lightly. ¡®Yes, you told me to sit on your cape even if I said I¡¯d sit on the ground.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± As I sat down on the dry grass, I blew my finger across his cheeks. My magic that surrounded him glowed red for a moment, then disappeared quickly. ¡°Do you feel warm now?¡± ncing at Lian I smiled with my eyes twinkling looking at him. At my question, he stared nkly at me for a moment, then finally opened his mouth with the corners of his lips twitching. ¡°I forgot for a moment that I was with a mighty wizard.¡± ¡°Of course. This is an easy task.¡± As we looked at each other¡¯s faces, we burst intoughter regardless of who came first. The second meeting felt incredibly nice. ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you a story about this tree.¡± It was Lian who stoppedughing first. ¡°I heard this from my mother, too. It¡¯s a story that¡¯s passed down from mouth to mouth, so it¡¯s very unlikely to be true.¡± He began the story calmly in a low voice. ¡°You know what happened to the Empire three hundred years ago.¡± As I pulled my knees closer to lean my head against it, I paused for a moment at those words. There¡¯s only one case that was famous three hundred years ago. ¡°The events caused by ck wizards and the massive sweep of ck magic.¡± He gently continued and turned his head towards me. And I answered slowly. ¡°¡­I know.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but know. Because I have been studying and researching about ck magic for eight years. ¡°Do you believe in the existence of God?¡± ¡°The existence of God?¡± ¡°Yes. God who creates and rules this world.¡± I immediately thought of the author in Lian¡¯s words. If there¡¯s a real God in this world, it would be the author of this book. It¡¯s just a silly thought, but I thought it was pretty reasonable. I smiled and replied to Lian. ¡°Well, if you asked the people of the Empire if they believe in God, they would say they believe in the Sun God.¡± ¡°It¡¯s usually the case. But was Miss Erita also included in that standard?¡± In response to my answer, Lian asked another question that I didn¡¯t know how to answer. Do I believe in the Sun God? The Sun God was the state religion of the Empire and the mostmon religion. More than three quarters of the people of the Empire believe in a Sun God. ¡°To tell you the truth, no.¡± I stared at Lian and then shook my head. ¡°Because I haven¡¯t met a God yet. The Sun God and other Gods.¡± ¡°Then you might get disappointed after hearing my story.¡± ¡°Disappointed?¡± Hearing my response, he seemed to be having fun somehow. The reason was found in his next words. ¡°The ce where this tree grew was said to be the ce where the tears of the Sun God fell.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± A tree grown from the tears of the sun God. Wasn¡¯t it like a story from a myth? Although pdins and priests use divine power, the Gods have never appeared directly in history. ¡°It¡¯s said that a white light came down here on the night the ck wizards were announced to be cleared out. Though some people say that.¡± ¡°Then it seems that this tree grew after that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lian lightly affirmed my words. ¡°At first it was a very small tree, but they said it was very colorful. So it looked like it was emitting light at night.¡± ¡°People deserve to believe that.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s an old story.¡± Lian, who shrugged, tilted his head and looked at me. The slightly curved end of his eyes moved slowly as if looking at me, but had a friendly smile. ¡°Why?¡± For some reason, I felt embarrassed to face his gaze, so I swept the dry grass with my hand. ¡°I think I helped you feel refreshed today.¡± Lian smiled brightly as he said that. Come to think of it, I told him that I had a problem at the dessert shop earlier, so I came out to change my mood. ¡®I haven¡¯t even thought about it until now.¡¯ I let out augh that seemed to fall into the wind at the thought and nodded my head. ¡°I think so.¡± It¡¯s been a long time since the feeling of being ufortable disappeared. ¡°Thank you, Lian. Thanks to you, I feel better.¡± I hugged my knees and smiled softly. ¡°There are many cases where everything¡¯s not as hopeless as I thought after seeing it one step further.¡± His low, soft voice rang at the end. ¡°Was it based on your experience?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s true and it¡¯s not.¡± Lian smiled lightly and replied to my question. From that clear answer, I could tell that his words were based on his experience. ? It was a slow walk, but it was quick to reach down to the downtown area. I turned to the side at the end of the square. It was after the short shadow had grown longer than my height. ¡°I think we could split up here.¡± I looked up at Lian¡¯s face, neatly covered with fine brown hair. ¡°Really?¡± Lian replied back with a slightly saddened tone. ¡°¡­I¡¯m d it¡¯s not that dark.¡± Then, I let out a smirk at his added concern. His eyes were looking at me silently. ¡°It¡¯s not that dangerous even if it¡¯s dark. You know that too, right?¡± I raised the corners of my lips more yfully and tilted my head. Then, in an instant, his face went nk. Soon Lian burst into a pleasantugh. ¡°Right. It won¡¯t be dangerous.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°If I say I¡¯m worried, would you think I¡¯m silly?¡± My eyes widened at his question and I shook my head gently. ¡°Was that so? The handsome knight¡¯s worries are wee.¡± ¡°I guess Lady Erita likes my face.¡± He grinned and patted his face gently. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never thought about it.¡± After answering Lian¡¯s question, I carefully nced over his facial features. His cool, straight eyes were curved, his smooth nose, and his well-shaped lips were beautiful. After thinking for a moment about the answer, I nodded. ¡°It seems to be the case when you think about it. Sir Lian is a very handsome man.¡± Looking nk for a while at the fresh answer, he smiled low and rubbed his face with his palm. The tips of his ears were tinged with a light red color. ¡°Did I stare at it too much?¡± I felt embarrassed to look through his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Did I stare at you too much?¡± At what I said, Lian smiled awkwardly and shook his head and replied back. ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s not. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard such a thing openly.¡± His face, saying such a thing as if it were true, was a little reminiscent. I eventually burst intoughter at his innocent appearance. ¡°It¡¯s unbelievable.¡± After my words, there was a strange silence between us. It¡¯s because I know that it¡¯s really time to part. I swallowed the sinking feeling and made a bright expression. ¡°Sir Lian, I had a great time today.¡± Then, the corner of Lian¡¯s lips also rose. ¡°I had fun too.¡± We didn¡¯t bring up the word ¡®meeting after¡¯ as if we had nned it. It¡¯s because he and I both vaguely know the word. The fact that we are hiding something from each other. Just being a free knight couldn¡¯t exin the dignity of Lian¡¯s actions. Other than that, there were a lot of strange things. But the strangest thing was the unexined kindness towards me that underlies all his actions. Still, I chose to pretend I didn¡¯t know. I¡¯m not really dealing with him either. ¡°But do you know this?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If coincidence repeats three times, it¡¯s fate.¡± This was all I could say. At my words, Lian looked nk for a moment, and soon held the brightest smile he had ever seen. Today I felt the same asst time. ¡®That we¡¯ll meet again, for sure.¡¯ Chapter 40 Chapter 40 ? Whistle~ A man in a hood climbed over therge window with a light movement. When his feet touched the ground, he didn¡¯t even make the usual little noise. He entered arge room that looked like an office. The man in the hood approached the wooden desk where the silver-haired man in a well-groomed suit was sitting. ¡°Baron.¡± The man wearing the hood calls on the silver-haired man. At his call, the man called Baron raised his head in surprise, and soon found him standing in front of him, and quickly got up from his seat. ¡°His Majesty the Prince¡­!¡± In that voice, the man tilted the hood covering his face with a light gesture. His exposed brown hair gradually changed from the roots to a dazzling silver color. Baron¡¯s silver hair changed to red at the same time. It returned to its original hair color. He held the sword in one hand and his chin rested on the desk. Baron¡¯s gaze, which had reached the scabbard following his hand, turned back to the real silver-haired man. ¡°You shouldn¡¯te out now!¡± Soon, he frowned and cried out loudly. At Baron¡¯s fuss, the man smiled and stood obliquely at the desk. ¡°Was my pose going well? You look good in the uniform, too.¡± Baron frowned at the man¡¯s soft tone. ¡°You mean that? I¡¯m d no one came. It could have been dangerous!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine because no one¡¯s here. I knew it in the first ce, so I went out.¡± The man shrugged his shoulders at the bruise of the small voice and responded calmly. In response to that light answer, Baron pressed down on the crown andughed forcefully. ¡°Haha! you¡¯re two hourste than you were supposed toe. We don¡¯t have much time to prepare.¡± ¡°There was a good reason.¡± At the cry of his aide, the man remembered the face of the person he had just separated with. Wheat, which matched her hair as well as her original hair, had straw-colored hair, a lively expression, and sweetly sparkling purple eyes. ¡°Sir Lian.¡± Even the cheerful voice that called my name. When he remembered the familiar but strange appearance at the same time, the corners of his lips went up faintly. Seeing that, Baron doubted what he was seeing. ¡°That¡¯s a real smile.¡± A faint smile that contrasts with the subtle smile that the man always shows. However, only that faint smile was a remnant of the man¡¯s real feelings. ¡®He said there¡¯s a good reason for beingte. Did he get any good information from the guild?¡¯ Baron thought as he saw the man¡¯s faint smile on his lips. Since there was a request that he had entrusted to me in the morning, he said that he would take it personally, and that must be the only reason why he smiles now. ¡°Did anything good happen in the information guild?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have much information.¡± ¡°Is that so? Because your Highness is smiling¡­¡± At Baron¡¯s words, the man gently stroked his lips with his long fingers. He could feel the corners of his mouth rising weakly. The man, who was rubbing around his lips for a while, smiled as if the wind was falling out. ¡®Apparently, the time we spent together was better than I thought.¡¯ The man thought to himself. When the manughed without saying a word, Baron sighed as if he had given up listening to the answer. ¡°Well, whatever makes sense. But you should always be careful about what you do. Even if it¡¯s a changing appearance magic, it¡¯s not all-around.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°And as long as you¡¯re back in the capital, you should pay attention to your Majesty¡¯s surveince¡­from the Empress¡­ Until the end.¡± At Baron¡¯s words, the man¡¯s eyes, who had been smiling a little while ago, fell low in an instant. It was because of hearing the name of a person who was not pleasant to his ears. ¡°The Empress is so interested in my actions.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯vee back to the Empire. She¡¯s keeping you in check.¡± ¡°Yeah. The thorn in the eye that she kicked out from the Imperial Pce 4 years ago is back.¡± ¡®He really hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡¯ Baron thought at the man¡¯s words. The acrimonious content was hidden by the man¡¯s elegant way of speaking, so it could have been mistaken for a casual conversation if a stranger saw it. ¡°First, you need to get ready first. The dinner is in 30 minutes, and if you¡¯rete, she¡¯ll find fault with you again.¡± Hearing the aide¡¯s words, the man breathed lightly and took off the ck hood that reached over his ankles. Then the in clothes he¡¯s wearing showed. ¡°It¡¯s a uniform. I¡¯ll call the maids after you change.¡± Baron put the uniform he had prepared in front of him. From a distance, it was a ck clothing, a formal uniform for dinner. ¡°Hurry up and wear it. You need to get your hair done.¡± At Baron¡¯s urging, the man casually nodded his head and unbuttoned his shirt. A rough top fell somewhere on the sofa. The exposed man¡¯s upper body was tightly woven, but there were severalrge and small scar spots. These were the traces they got in return for navigating the battlefield. ¡°Is my brothering?¡± A man draped in a soft ck shirt asked as he buttoned up his clothes. The straight finger stopped, leaving a couple of buttons at the end. ¡°His Majesty Thesis is also present.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The man, who nodded his head unimpressed by Baron¡¯s answer, picked up the ck uniform jacket. The uniform with neat yet colorful decorations was so dark that even if it was stained with blood no one could point it. Dress in stark contrast to the man¡¯s silver hair. But the look suited him terribly. When the man finished changing, several maids quickly entered. At the same time, a warm smile appeared on the face of the man. ¡°We greet the Prince.¡± The maids sand altogether. There must be some people who look down deeply on me. ¡®The Empress¡¯s tattle, reporting my every move.¡¯ Contrary to his cold heart, the man kept a light smile on his face. After a while, the hands of the maids who were carefully adjusting his clothes and hair stopped, and the man got up. Afterpleting all the preparations, he was the called the second Prince of the undeniable Empire, Callion Ruin Elber. ? The legs wrapped in ck uniform pants strode forward. There was not a single hesitation in Callion¡¯s steps towards the Imperial Pce. Eventually, he arrived in front of arge building where splendor and elegance coexist. ¡°My Majesty the Prince, I will take you to the banquet.¡± ¡°Please guide me.¡± Callion smiled softly and nodded at the maid¡¯s words. Then the maid, who blushed for a moment, turned her back. ¡°Please,e this way.¡± Callion followed the person who started walking in front and walked into the Imperial Pce. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯mte.¡± ¡°Your Highness, the first Prince was the only one who came first.¡± The maid, who was walking ahead of Callion¡¯s muttering, replied timidly in a slightly embarrassed tone. ¡°Haha, is that so? He¡¯s also diligent.¡± If the maid had listened carefully to Callion, she would have noticed that it was not apliment, but unfortunately, the maid had already blushed at Callion¡¯s smile. She just thought that the second Prince, who had only been back to the Imperial Pce for a month, was as friendly as rumors say. ¡°Your Highness, the second Prince!¡± The door to the heavy dinner hall opened with the voice of the servant. Thud~ . . Stomping~ The sound of impable footsteps echoed across the marble floor. Callion¡¯s eyes, which approached the big table, caught the sight of the person who arrived before him. ¡°You¡¯re trying hard to look good to the Emperor.¡± The same would be true of him, but it was funny to see him arrive first. His older brother, Thesis Ruin Elber, the first Prince, who closely resembles the Emperor¡¯s blonde hair and the Empress¡¯ gorgeous appearance. He was seated in an elegant posture, dressed in a white uniform without a single speck of dust. He wore a white uniform that contrasted with his ck uniform. Thesis always wore a white uniform. It was as if he thought that the clothes without a single stain were the same as him. Callion raised the corners of his mouth again. It was a contrived smile, but it suited him as if he had drawn it. ¡°Long time no see, brother.¡± If it were just between us, he would have ignored that greeting. However, there were ten servants and maids standing here to serve. As a person who obsessively cares about the eyes of others, he can¡¯t afford to neglect his half-brother. He won¡¯t be able to abandon the image of the Crown Prince who has a good personality. Thesis¡¯ blue eyes reached Callion. ¡°Yes, Callion. Looking at your face, I feel relieved that you seem to have been doing well.¡± Thesis¡¯ voice in response to Callion¡¯s greeting was that of his older brother weing him. However, in the middle of his forehead, which had a slightly frowned for a moment, Callion felt an indescribable disgust. He looks like he¡¯s twisting his stomach when he tries to say something he doesn¡¯t even want. Callion sneered inwardly and spoke softly. ¡°Oh, thanks to you. I was so grateful for your concern.¡± ¡°¡­I know. Come on, sit down.¡± ¡°Yes, brother.¡± Thesis coughed several times as if he were expressing an ufortable feeling, and then turned his head. Callion sat in the designated seat,ughing enthusiastically at his appearance. Thesis managed to hide the fact that he grew up as a noble and united with pride in legitimacy. When Callion shut his mouth, there was silence between the two. If I wanted to scratch, I could scratch more, but I didn¡¯t want to ruin the good feeling that was improved by our unexpected meeting. Callion gently rubbed the area near the handle of the borately carved chair. A delicately engraved pattern was felt at the end of the hard finger. The sound of the clock¡¯s second hand moving clearly echoed in my ears. A clock indicating that more than ten minutes have passed since dinner time. ¡®I think he¡¯s going to bete again this time.¡¯ The Emperor¡¯s thoughts were clearly visible. Often when he wanted to shut someone¡¯s spirit, the Emperor used this childish method. Unsurprisingly, Thesis¡¯ expression wasn¡¯t that good either. Perhaps the Empress is waiting with the Emperor to act as a friendly couple. Callion closed his eyes with a smile. I was used to this kind of pressure, and unlike my arrogant brother, I was not impressed at all. It was just funny to see the still disgusting and ignorant Emperor. Chapter 41 Chapter 41 ? Erita looked ahead with a puzzled expression. To be exact, I was looking at three carriages standing in front of the mansion. Click~ Among them, the door to the most colorful carriage opened, and a man with familiar wheat-colored hair got off. He was the younger brother of Serbia and my maternal uncle Seian. Seian got out of the carriage and gave his attendant something, and came to my father, Aaron, and me. ¡°Your highness.¡± He bowed his head first towards my father, then greets me and Aaron one after another. ¡°¡­Hello, Aaron, Erita.¡± Unlike thest time, Seian looked like he was well-equipped. Nevertheless, he still seemed somewhat restless. To be precise, should I say he just looks worried? ¡°Hello, Marquis.¡± I greeted him with a slight bewilderment. It was just a greeting, but a smile bloomed on his face. ¡°But what¡¯s all that?¡± Whileughing awkwardly, I looked behind Seian. There, boxes from the carriage that followed him were piled up. At a nce, it seemed that there were more than twentyrge boxes. Not to mention even the small boxes. The most important thing was that the servants carrying boxes are still not stopping. ¡°By the way, Seian, what are all those boxes?¡± At the same time, my father asked Seian as if to represent my curiosity. Seian¡¯s expression brightened a little at the question. He seemed to like my father¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s a gift.¡± ¡°Gift?¡± ¡°Yes. Some are imported from abroad, and some are local here.¡± Seian, who was talking, turned around for a while and called the servant who was in charge of carrying gifts from the back. At most Seian¡¯s gestures as the servant approached who looked to be in histe twenties. The man bowed towards my father and us with a polite gesture. ¡°Jason, what kind of gifts did you bring?¡± ¡°First of all, there are 12 dresses, two or seven pairs of women¡¯s shoes, and a little over 20 kinds of jewelry.¡± ¡®Didn¡¯t you bring your whole house?¡® It was a fairly reasonable doubt. Besides, the gifts he brought are not all for women. Dress, women¡¯s shoes, and jewelry. Even if I didn¡¯t listen, I felt like my head was hurting at the unexpected situation. ¡°And¡­¡± ¡°Are there more?!¡± As if it was not over yet, I had no choice but to cry as I opened my mouth with a dull expression on my face. To my answer, a servant named Jason politely replied, ¡°Yes.¡± Then, he began to move the types of gifts one after another. ¡°Handkerchiefs, essories, fans, and bags¡­¡± In the following words, the goal was now starting to pull. ¡°¡­And fur. That¡¯s all.¡± The servant who caused my headache bowed his head in a respectful manner and then backed away. I looked at him in dismay. Among the items he carried to the end, the ones for my father and Aaron were only shameful. At first nce, the gifts that seem to be for women are 90%, and the others are 10%. And I¡¯m the only woman who lives in this house. ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Whoever sees it, it¡¯s not my gift. Even at this moment, I looked nkly at the boxes that were constantly piling up. Next to me, I heard a lowughter as if the wind was falling out. Oh, it was Aaron¡­ When I slightly turned my head and nced at him, Aaron shrugged, acting as if he didn¡¯t know. ¡°Terban.¡± Then a low, sweet voice called the butler. I turned my rattling head to my father. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Terban, who was standing behind with a neat sound of shoes, walked in. A strange feeling of anxiety crept up. Such anxiety as if these burdensome gifts would go into the mansion one after another. I stared intently at my father¡¯s well-formed lips. ¡®Can you please take it as it is?¡¯ It¡¯s a gift that is burdensome even if I pretend to be. Father can¡¯t be like that. ¡°Call the servants to move the gifts into the mansion. Be careful.¡± Father instructed Terban to carry the boxes. I looked at my father with eyes that seemed to have been betrayed. ¡®¡­Even my father should refuse!¡® I would have said so if it weren¡¯t for Seian with sparkling eyes in front of me. With my father¡¯s permission, Seian walked toward his servant with a bright face. It seems like he was trying to direct something, but I sneaked up to the side and pulled my father¡¯s hem slightly. ¡°Father, isn¡¯t this too much?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± At my question, my father tilted his head and asked me back. I tried hard to press down on my heart out of frustration and raised my hands to point out the front. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the pile of gifts. No matter how much I look at it, it¡¯s too much. I think they¡¯re really expensive. How can you take it all like this?¡± Where is it too much? It looks like it even pulled out a pir of their house. I thought Seian was close to my father, but it doesn¡¯t have to be like this! But it seemed I was the only one who thought so. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can take itfortably. Even if he looks like that, he¡¯s rich.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± My father may be like that, but I¡¯m not. Besides, it¡¯s like a mountain of gifts from my maternal uncle, whom I can¡¯t even remember. I felt like I was going to get a stomach ache if I took it all for myself. With a gentle smile on, my father spoke looking at Seian. ¡°Please cut me some ck. Seian seems to be trying to look good to you.¡± I followed my father¡¯s gaze and moved my head. ¡°Jason, move the small boxes carefully, as they are jewelry. Be more careful with those.¡± ¡°How many times are you going to say that?¡± ¡°Did I say that a lot?¡± ¡°My ears are scabbing.¡± ¡°Then listen to it a few more times. Stop whining.¡± There, Seian, with his neatly tied hair, was picking out a box by himself. He seems to have a prettyfortable rtionship with the servant named Jason, since the conversation seems rxed. Seian¡¯s expression looked like the happiest face I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°It¡¯s because Seian is honest, but he has a lot of clumsy sides. Can you understand a little bit?¡± Hearing my father¡¯s words, I had no choice but to nod while sighing. ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll just have to tell him toe next time.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll like it when you say that.¡± My father¡¯s voice was soft as he answered. ? I slowly picked up the sd with tongs. There were at least three pairs of eyes following my hand. Two pairs of rubiy like eyes as usual, and a pair of dark amethysts newly added today. It means that there are three pairs of gazes that follow my fingertips. ¡®¡­It¡¯s embarrassing!¡¯ I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but I was bothered for no reason. Their gazes only dispersed after the green sd touched my te. ¡®I¡¯m used to it because my father and brother are like this every day¡­ ¡® I rolled my eyes and looked at Seian who was sitting diagonally across from me. He was having a brief conversation with my father. And yet, if I stretch out my arms¡­ ¡°¡­You¡¯re not a puppy that moves along with its owner¡¯s hand.¡± As expected, I could feel Seian paying attention to me intently. He seems to be trying not to show as much as possible, but he was a person who was not talented in hiding something from his expressions to gestures. In particr, he seemed to be less talented in managing his facial expressions. ¡®You¡¯re the one who¡¯s really sensitive.¡¯ Lian, whom I met yesterday, passed by in my head. Why did he suddenlye to mind when he said I was more wary? He seemed to have the power to attract people strangely. The only thing I know is his name, but meeting him is so memorable. ¡°Erita, did something good happen? You look happy.¡± Aaron, who was next to me, asked as I seemed to have been smiling without realizing it. ¡°Yes? Oh, I suddenly thought of someone.¡± It was when I finished speaking with a wide smile on my lips. Raising my head, I met the three pairs of tant gazes. My body trembled. The gazes of father and Aaron¡¯s eyes were brutal. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± I thought of what I said on my own. ¡°¡­Why is everyone looking at me like that?¡± I asked timidly, ncing at my father with the brightest eyes among them. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡± My father, who answered that way, still looked dissatisfied. ¡°By the way, Erita.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°¡­Who are you thinking about so that youugh so much?¡± Sure enough, my father, who said it was nothing, quietly asked with an expressionless face. Only then did I realize why the three people¡¯s expressions were like that, and I onlyughed awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s nothing special because there¡¯s someone funny.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. Haha, hurry up and eat. I told you that Evan doesn¡¯t like it when it turns cold.¡± Fortunately, my father nodded at my words and took his eyes off me. However, the gaze that blossomed next to me remained. It belonged to Aaron. ¡°It was Aaron who said he felt good.¡± I pretended not to notice his gaze and chewed the meat. ¡°Eat well, Erita.¡± Aaron, who was watching me like that, eventually felt fever turning his eyes with a smile as if he lost. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± As I thought about it, I shook my head. What if my family finds out that the reason I looked happy was because of Lian, who I met at the square where I went out in disguise? ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think anything good will happen.¡± Of course, I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel my chest tightened for nothing. It was the day I once again vowed to engrave the true face of my family in my heart. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 ? After the awkward meal time, we moved outside the mansion. I was on my way to the garden¡¯s greenhouse. It feels familiar, but I¡¯d never been there. ¡°I¡¯ve been a little busy until now.¡± When I came to the capital, there was a lot on my mind, so I couldn¡¯t afford to look around the mansion. As I was walking worriedly looking behind the back of the person in front of me. Sean¡¯s loosely tied, thin, milky hair gently followed his movement. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever forget about that foolish guy.¡± ¡°Your Highness¡­¡± ¡°In the past, you used to chase me around like this.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve grown old, too.¡± Fortunately, Seian was talking to my father right now. From their blurry words, they seemed to be talking about the past. To be honest, I knew from before that he wanted to talk to me. Because Seian seemed like a person who didn¡¯t know how to hide his feelings. It¡¯s obvious just by seeing his gaze at me. But, even though I could, I couldn¡¯t talk to him at first. This was because I didn¡¯t know how to deal with my uncle who was ten years older than me yet. ¡°I thought I could treat you well yesterday.¡± When I woke up after sleeping overnight, all my confidence disappeared. Not knowing how I felt, I quickly arrived at a transparent ss building The angled-shaped greenhouse wasrger than I thought when I stood in front of it. ¡°Wow.¡± The moment I opened the door, I forgot my worries for a while and eximed. Even in winter, the warm interior, the smell of fragrant flowers, and colorful flowers, the owner of the scent, weed me. I looked up at Aaron walking next to me. Just in time, he was staring at me, too. ¡°Like my brother and father said. It¡¯s so pretty when flowers are in full bloom in winter.¡± Aaron often sent letters after heading to the capital. Sometimes it was a short greeting, and sometimes a small gift and one or two letters came. And one day, there was a letter with a few magically preserved flowers. In his letter he mentioned that the greenhouse of the capital mansion blooms even in winter. ¡°You must have been sad that there were no flowers in the north.¡± Aaron smiled at me as I stared at the greenhouse excitedly. Well, that¡¯s definitely truepared to here. In the north, more than half of the year was winter. I have not been able to see the season of flowers. ¡°But snowkes bloom in the winter. There are also winter fruits that only grow in the north.¡± But I didn¡¯t know that I shouldn¡¯t eat it. Aaron burst into a lowugh at what I added. ¡°You didn¡¯t eat it, did you?¡± ¡°Hey, brother! Who do you think I am? Of course not.¡± Of course, I didn¡¯t eat it. I just almost ate it. ¡°What¡¯s up with my curious little sister? The Erita that I know wasn¡¯t like that.¡± But Aaron seemed to believe in my words. This was because he knew me well, the little me who used to search through the forests in the Grand Pce when I was young. I went around looking for something. To be exact, something that could be used as a magic material. ¡°¡­I actually tried it, but Ellie and Betty told me not to eat the winter fruits. Didn¡¯t they say I¡¯d get a bad stomach ache? With a subtle smile, I eventually confessed the embarrassing truth at Aaron¡¯s gaze. ¡°Oh, Ellie and Betty are maids in the northern castle.¡± At what I added, Aaron still stroked my head with a smiling face. ¡°Really? That¡¯s a relief. If you eat wrong, you¡¯ll get sick for two or three days.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it just thinking about it.¡± I shuddered and grabbed Aaron¡¯s arm and walked a little faster. Looking around various flowers and nts, the distance between my father and Seian was a little wide. ¡°What are you two talking about excitedly?¡± At my father¡¯s words, I smiled awkwardly and rubbed my cheeks. It seemed that it was only two of us who talked to Aaron. ¡°About what happened in the North¡­ My brother sent me a letter saying that the greenhouse here was pretty.¡± I sat down briefly again, repeating what I had said earlier. Then the waiting servants quickly prepared tea and refreshments and fell far away. At the same time, I heard from my father. ¡°It¡¯s amazing. Did he send you a letter, too?¡± ¡°Well, I send about two or three times a month, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s usually like that.¡± At Aaron¡¯s answer, I nced at my father. My father¡¯s expression was close to someone running away from home. Father, who frowned, wrinkles his beautiful forehead, spoke toward Aaron. ¡°What did Aaron say when he asked you to send me a greeting letter?¡± ¡°I was busy then¡­¡± Even with his father¡¯s disapproval, Aaron responded calmly as if not knowing what was the problem. The calm attitude made my father¡¯s eyebrows rise. ¡°Even if you¡¯re busy, are you busier than your father? Anyway, you look like an unlovable man. When I was young, I had a cute face.¡± Aaron also responded without losing. ¡°If you say so, it¡¯s unfair for me. I¡¯ve sent you letters of regards.¡± ¡°Okay. You mean the two-line letter. Seian, don¡¯t you think he¡¯s cold-hearted?¡± When asked close to his father¡¯s coercion, Seian smiled awkwardly. ¡­.It has also started. I wanted this to end soon. That childish confrontation between father and Aaron was not a day or two. Both of them are indifferent, but I think my father sometimes feels sad because Aaron was more indifferent. Should I say that Aaron wasn¡¯t interested in everyone fairly? Of course, I didn¡¯t think that was the only reason today. ¡°The letters sent by my Father were three lines.¡± I sighed at the pointless debate that resulted in a mellow conversation. As soon as I took a nce at the side, I could see Seian looking restless. ¡®Father was also the same. But he has a guest¡­ ¡® I saw my father and Aaron again, but the two seemed to have no time to care about it. After hesitating for a while, I eventually opened my heavy lips. ¡°Alright¡­¡± The voice that came out sounded a little awkward. ¡°Huh? Do you mean me?¡± It seemed that Seian feels more sharp than me. I nodded slowly to his question, which expressed embarrassment. ¡°Yes, would you walk with me for a while?¡± Then, he slightly looked towards father and Aaron and turned. However, Seian didn¡¯t answer easily and just bit his lips. ¡°Do you not like it?¡± You¡¯re right. If I suddenly ask you if you want to walk with me, you may be reluctant. I hurriedly spoke to him, thinking that my proposal might not be pleasant. ¡°Of course, if you want to, you could..¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not! Let¡¯s go together.¡± Seian, who had hesitated to answer added words so far, he replied quickly as if he had done so. His voice, who came to hang up, didn¡¯t feel urgent. Surprised by him, I soon got up with a big smile. ¡°Shall we go now?¡± At my rmendation, Seian nodded gently like a puppy following his owner and removed himself from the chair. Despite his age and size being much more delegated than me, he made me feel like I wanted to embrace him somewhere. The loosely tied hair probably ys a part in his smooth drooping eyes. When Seian and I walked at the same time, Father and Aaron¡¯s eyes touched turned to us. ¡°I¡¯ll walk with him for a moment.¡± Strange expressions appeared on their faces. I felt embarrassed for no reason, so I turned my eyes slightly. ¡°Do you mean Seian?¡± I looked sideways at my father¡¯s question and nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to look around the greenhouse with him. It¡¯s been a while since the two of you talked.¡± My father¡¯s gaze passed by me and turned to Seian. ¡°¡­Okay. You could show him around.¡± Surprisingly, my father¡¯s answer came out dly. I tried to press down on theughter that was about to leak out of my lips, I swallowed it, and turned around gently waving my hand. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be alright, An.¡± Seian followed next to me. He shared the direction with me at a distance of about two or three steps away. The sound of the two shoes rang neatly. How far did we walk? Even the faintly heard voices of father and Aaron disappeared. I carefully chose the words to say to Seian, who walked silently next to me without saying anything. ¡°I was flustered because I didn¡¯t even think of it. It¡¯s not that I hate Seian.¡± I received all the love of my family, but I was still thoughtless. I sighed unconsciously at my pathetess. It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t thought about talking about flowers as if I were exining them. If I do that, I¡¯d be able to bring it up naturally. But I didn¡¯t want to. It¡¯s because I thought I had to apologize first. I wasn¡¯t happy with the attitude I had toward Seian today as I could feel it clearly. ¡°Erita.¡± However, Seian opened his mouth before I could. My name he spoke, seems pretty ufortable. After being absent-minded for a while at the strange thoughts, I suddenly came to my senses. ¡°Yes?¡± As I turned toward him with a little surprise, I saw Seian stopping a step or two. Having met eyes with him, he bit his lips as if to say something. I waited calmly for his words. First, you can listen to what Seian says, and then apologize. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± However, Seian¡¯s words that followed werepletely unexpected. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 ? I couldn¡¯t hide my embarrassment at Seian¡¯s apology. What kind of nonsense is this? Besides, there¡¯s no reason for him to apologize. Rather, I¡¯m the one who should apologize. I tried to calm my bewildered heart and spoke. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fortunately, my voice came out calm. At what I said, Seian seemed to be hesitating for a while and opened his lips with a lost expression. ¡°¡­I was so excited to see you that I came here without thinking.¡± I felt like I had been hit in the head with those words. ¡°Erita, I didn¡¯t think that it might be a burden to you. It¡¯s only natural that you don¡¯t know me too¡­¡± But unlike me, Seian really seemed to think so. He smiled awkwardly and continued to talk as if he had given up. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed of myself because I brought a gift without thinking. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Marquis¡­¡± Seian tried to raise the corners of his lips at my call. ¡°I won¡¯te here so recklessly from now on. But please let me see you from time to time.¡± He had a wide smile on his face as he said that, but that made him look more pathetic. Suddenly, I thought that I would like to turn back time to this morning. I promise to treat him a little nicer from the beginning. ¡®Because I need so much preparation to deal with my family.¡¯ He must have had as much courage to meet me as I did. I bit my lip in the rush of regret. ¡°But it was so nice to see you like this today.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I think I talked too much about myself. Thank you for showing me around. Should we go back now?¡± Even the words he added showed Seian¡¯s kind personality. Thinking that he seemed to be soft-hearted, he was an adult who knew how to be considerate of others. Rather, it was me who was afraid¡­ If I pretended not to know that Seian has taken a step back, I wouldn¡¯t have to try to build a new rtionship. ¡°¡­Marquis.¡± But I chose to approach him as much as the step he took back. Seian blinked slowly at my call. I opened my mouth without giving him time to answer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Let¡¯s also start with an apology. The words I was choosing earlier are after that. ¡°I didn¡¯t think much.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Why did you apologize? Was it because of what I said? That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± It was Seian who was embarrassed this time, as if his position had changed from earlier. He hurriedly defended his apology with a look of helplessness on his face. ¡®Yeah. I should have done this earlier.¡¯ ¡°I really meant to say that¡­.¡± ¡°Marquis¡­¡± I called him and continued speaking in an anxious tone. At my call, he stopped talking in an instant and looked at me. ¡°I have one request that only the Marquis could grant. May I ask you a favor?¡± When asked with a slight smile, Seian, who seemed impatient, quickly nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll listen to anything. But I don¡¯t know what I could do for you, but¡­¡± At first, his words, which were spoken in a clear tone, became smaller towards the end. I think it¡¯s probably because I received the gifts he gave earlier. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s really something only the Marquis could do.¡± With my guarantee, Seian became even more puzzled. ¡°Would youe to see me three more times?¡± I leaned slightly towards him and asked for ¡®one thing¡® with a smile. ¡®Please, I¡¯m asking you to meet me just three more times.¡¯ Seian slowly blinked his eyes at those words. It seemed that the intent of my words was possible. ¡°I have never met any other family members except for my father and my brother, so I think I was too bad at dealing with the Marquis.¡± Erita continued to speak. ¡°So, I hope we can meet three more times in the future.¡± Maybe in the meantime, I think that I¡¯d be able to get closer to the Marquis. I was embarrassed by what I¡¯m asking of him, so I added a few and straightened my back when I finished speaking. ¡®If Seian refuses, there¡¯s nothing I can do¡­ But I hope he will ept it though.¡¯ If he epts, then it was my turn to try. If it¡¯s awkward, we can meet several times, and if we¡¯re still notfortable with each other, we can build it up. While waiting for Seian¡¯s answer, my lips dried up for no reason. ¡°¡­Three more times.¡± I heard Seian¡¯s voice muttering. ¡°Yes, three times. I¡¯ll call Marquis until then.¡± I repeated what I said earlier one more time so as not to miss anything. If we meet three more times, maybe I will be able to call him uncle. It was when I was thinking that and smiling. For some reason, Seian¡¯s pathetic voice could be heard. ¡°After that, will we not see each other again?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡®What did I just hear?¡¯ Seian put on a sad expression so he couldn¡¯t see my bewildered expression. No, what on earth are you saying? And why are you making that sad face? ¡°Did you hate it when I said that we could get close if we met three more times?¡± I recalled the words I had said. But there¡¯s nothing more to say as I stare at Seian¡¯s sad face. ¡°The fact that you called me Marquis only three times, that you pretended you didn¡¯t know even if you met me after that¡­¡± Seian continued his words and turned his head as if his throat was choked. His red teary eyes couldn¡¯t be so pathetic. It was a look that made even those who saw it feel sad. ¡®¡­How could my words mean that?¡¯ Except for me, who was at a loss for words in the absurdity of this situation. ? Seian betrayed his will and pressed down on the corners of his dry eyes. ¡®In front of me was a pretty and sweet nephew who looked just like my older sister.¡¯ When I first saw her, I shed tears, but I can¡¯t believe I¡¯d shown her that again. She¡¯s my nephew who I may only see three times in the future. ¡®I didn¡¯t want to look this ugly anymore.¡¯ Seian thought to himself. ¡°I should have listened to Jason when I first brought the presents.¡± I should have listened to him saying that suddenly giving so many presents would be a burden. This was how the price of ignoring the words came from excitement. I didn¡¯t know that Erita¡¯s expression of gratitude was not good. Still, I liked just seeing her face, pretending not to notice, and stayed after the meal. If I had known that I would meet her only three more times, I would have left right after eating. No, if I had known this would have happened, I would have closed my eyes of my guilt for a moment and returned to the Empire nine years ago. It was then¡­ ¡°Marquis.¡± With a sigh, Erita called out to Seian. Seian trembled at the neat call. He rubbed the corners of his eyes to get rid of the remaining tears and hurriedly turned his head. Then he saw pretty purple eyes looking up at him. ¡°What if you think it¡¯s pathetic? I was wrong, but I don¡¯t want you to hate me anymore.¡± ¡°Wipe it with this handkerchief here. The skin around the eyes is fragile, so rubbing it like that may hurt it.¡± However, Erita¡¯s calm voice sounded sweet, and a blue handkerchief was held in his fine hands. ¡°Hurry up.¡± At Erita¡¯s urging, Seian epted the handkerchief with a bewildered gesture. The soft navy handkerchief had poor embroidery. Presumably, it was like an embroidery that Erita made herself. ¡°Marquis.¡± Seian, who was staring at the handkerchief, took his eyes off the blue cloth at the call. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to say we shouldn¡¯t meet in the future.¡± At Erita¡¯s next words, his eyes widened. Then Erita let out a small sigh, and then she smiled softly and added an exnation. ¡°Seeing you three more times in the future meant giving me time to get close to the Marquis.¡± ¡°¡­Time to get close?¡± A thought suddenly urred in Seian¡¯s head. ¡°Yes, a time to get close. After that, I think I¡¯ll be able to call you my uncle at that time.¡± Seian, who had a nk expression for a moment at Erita¡¯s kind words, then smiled brightly with a teary face. ? Seian, who smiled brightly at my words, eventually burst into tears again. However, I waited calmly next to him because I had a stake in the cause of his tears. Fortunately, Seian stopped crying after a while. He rubbed his eyes with his white hand again. It seemed unfortunate that he didn¡¯t even intend to use the handkerchief I handed him, but I didn¡¯t say anything and only conveyed my concerns. ¡°Your eyes are swollen. Should I tell them to prepare ice?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry, it will subside soon.¡± Seian, who was walking slowly, responded with a cracked voice and let out an awkward smile. The fact that he cried in front of his nephew seemed embarrassing. ¡®In that case, it was a wind of tears from the first meeting.¡¯ After that, we talked calmly and moved to the center of the greenhouse. ¡°Father, brother. I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve been here for quite a while longer than I thought¡­¡± It was when I arrived at the table where the two were seated and greeted them. Fever slowly swept Seian¡¯s face as father replied with a smile. Seian¡¯s reddish eyes were those of someone who had just cried. ¡°¡­¡± Aaron¡¯s gaze, smiling that seemed to be unstoppable, turned to me. ¡°I didn¡¯t make him cry.¡± I responded with a grumpy heart for no reason. ¡°Haha! The flowers are so pretty, that¡¯s all¡­¡± At that, Seian, who was standing next to me, smiled awkwardly and affirmed. Of course, it was more positive than not doing anything. ¡°Who said something? I know you cry a lot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± At my father¡¯s words, Aaron tilted his head and sympathized. At the words of the two, Seianughed and did not deny it. ¡®I know that I cry a lot too.¡¯ I nced at Seian smiling softly and sat down. Somehow, I thought that I could really deal with Seianfortably now. Chapter 44 Chapter 44 ? ¡°See you next time, Marquis.¡± I waved at Seian who was standing in front of the carriage. It was time for him to go back. At my greeting, Seian hesitated for a while and asked me in a cautious voice. ¡°Can I send you a letter?¡± ¡°Of course! Any time¡¯s fine.¡± At his question, I smiled broadly and nodded. Then, as if relieved, Seian¡¯s expression brightened remarkably. ¡°¡­Then see you next time, Erita.¡± ¡°Yes, see you next time.¡± He gently raised his hand and waved it, and with a light motion he got into the carriage. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡±. ¡°Yes, Marquis.¡± Soon, the wheels of the carriage carrying Seian began to roll slowly. The carriage that moved away with the sound of the horse¡¯s hoofs creaking soon moved so far away that it could not be seen. Then I turned around and walked towards the front door. ¡°You got close to Seian.¡± There, my father and Aaron were waiting for me. ¡°Um, did the two of us look like that?¡± ¡°You know it.¡± ¡°I wanted to ask even if I knew it.¡± I smiled like Aaron, who answered with a smirk. ¡°Thank you, father, brother.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thankful for. It¡¯s cold. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Father answered bluntly and first walked into the mansion. Aaron asked in a whisper to me. ¡°It¡¯s because my father is very shy. You know that too, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± I smiled a little and nodded my head. ¡°Father, let¡¯s go together!¡± Then I grabbed Aaron¡¯s arm and led him into the mansion. ? A few dayster, in the morning. I climbed the stairs with a bouncy step. I was on my way to Aaron¡¯s room, which was one step higher than mine. ¡®Hehe¡­¡¯ While humming lightly, I stopped in front of a door. Knock, knock~ ¡°Brother, it¡¯s Erita.¡± ¡°Yes,e on in.¡± As soon as I knocked, Aaron¡¯s permission was immediately granted. The door opened with a small click, and I first pushed my upper body out and looked around the room. Then I saw Aaron sitting at the desk in afortable shirt, probably processing papers. Aaron¡¯s face as he met my gaze, smiled in an instant. At the obvious change, I smiled brightly and opened my mouth. ¡°Are you busy right now? If you¡¯re busy, it¡¯s okay, I¡¯lleter.¡± ¡°No, I was about to take a break. You cane in.¡± Aaron¡¯s voice was soft as he answered that. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go in for a second!¡± With a bashful smile at his answer, I opened the door and went inside. His room was simple. Should I say that it feels like bringing in only the necessary furniture? Even the bed was neatly arranged, so there was not much to call a sense of living. ¡°My brother must have been here for two years.¡± Looking at the room alone, I can believe that he¡¯s a person who came in yesterday and just started living. After wondering for a while, I quickly epted after thinking that Aaron also had as much work to deal with as father. ¡°Obviously, he must have been in the study or office all day long. If you look at it, both my father and my brother are like workaholics.¡± In the same vein, my father¡¯s room was also difficult to make. Even though it was the only Grand Mansion in the Empire, our house was not very morous or extravagant. Maybe it¡¯s because both of them are not interested in it. It was Aaron¡¯s voice that cut off my thoughts. ¡°Do you want some tea?¡± ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± Sitting on the sofa naturally, I smiled and nodded at Aaron¡¯s question. At my reply, Aaron smiled and called the servant outside and told him to bring all the sweets. The servant seemed to be about twelve years old, and his youthful face was unfamiliar. There were often faces that I didn¡¯t know because I hadn¡¯t met all the servants in the mansion yet. Perhaps they had been talking for a while, and the servant who approached with a cautious gesture set tea and light snacks on the table. Even though he looks young, he¡¯s very good at setting things up without a sound, so his skills are amazing. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh, never mind.¡± When I greeted him with a smile, the servant was stunned, then he bowed his head and left the room. It was so cute that Iughed and felt Aaron staring at me. ¡°Why do you look at me like that?¡± ¡°I think you like children.¡± ¡°Me?¡± I smirked at Aaron¡¯s words. I don¡¯t really like children or anything. ¡°When you see young maids and servants serving something, your eyes twinkle.¡± But seeing Aaron gently answering my question, I wondered if I really did. Although I liked cute creatures more than I liked children. ¡°Well, they¡¯re cute.¡± I shrugged my shoulders and answered bluntly. Then, Aaron let out a windyugh as if it was ridiculous. ¡°Erita, you¡¯re still young.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all grown up. I¡¯m already an adult.¡± I rolled my eyes at Aaron¡¯s words and replied sullenly. But he still smiled happily despite my reply. In the Empire, men and women of all ages turn 18, and there was an adult ceremony. Although it¡¯s only an adult ceremony to enjoy dinner and receive gifts with your family. There were also nobles who asionally held adult celebration parties. ¡®Oh right. It reminded me of a party.¡¯ After thinking differently for a while, I recalled the reason why I came to Aaron. ¡°Brother.¡± ¡°Yes, Erita.¡± ¡°Are you freeter? Around 3 o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°Three o¡¯clock?¡± At Aaron¡¯s question, I nodded. ¡°Isn¡¯t that when you¡¯re in ss, Erita?¡± Aaron nced at his watch and asked me. ¡­I think Aaron knows my schedule better than I do sometimes. ¡°Um, actually, I wanted you to help me practice dancing.¡± I practiced dancing, but I think it would be better to try it with him. Emma also said that it would be better. ¡°Dance practice?¡± ¡°Yes. The debut party is just around the corner, right? I think it would be better to try and practice before that.¡± Can¡¯t it? I smiled shyly. Even if I didn¡¯t do this, I don¡¯t think Aaron would refuse, but still. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go down at 3 o¡¯clockter.¡± However, Aaron, who smiled despite his worries, happily answered yes. It was a cool answer without a single hesitation. ¡°Wow! Really?¡± I rejoiced at Aaron¡¯s eptance and my eyes widened. ¡°Because it¡¯s not too difficult if you have a dance partner.¡± At my appearance, Aaron said something touching in a friendly voice. As expected, my brother was sweet. When dealing with other people, if you only do half of what you¡¯re doing now, your poprity will soar ¡®Well, other people say that being cold is attractive, but that¡¯s because they don¡¯t know the kindness of my brother.¡¯ After thinking about it for a while, I immediately shook my head and gave up. It¡¯s because I realized that there¡¯s no point in thinking about it. ¡°You can¡¯t be like that because you hate annoying things.¡± Besides, it was surprisingly good that Aaron was only kind to me. ¡®It seems a bit selfish to say this, but¡­ What am I going to do anyway? Aaron is my family.¡¯ After that, after talking for a while, I left Aaron¡¯s room, saying I¡¯ll see himter. The steps down the hallway were light. ? I nced at the clock pointing at one o¡¯clock. ¡°Emma, my brother will help me with the dance practiceter.¡± Emma paused for a moment at what I said. ¡°Oh my, the Prince?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hoho, the prince will be a good enough partner.¡± It was only for a moment that Emma¡¯s expression was agitated, but it was clearly visible to me sitting right in front of her. Come to think of it, I thought about itst time, but Emma seemed ufortable with Aaron. No, she must be ufortable. Otherwise, would Emma, who has a lot of experience in society, show such feelings? ¡°Did something happen between him and Emma?¡± I wanted to ask in person, but I tried to press down on my curiosity, wondering if it was a really bad memory. It doesn¡¯t seem like there was such a big problem because of their personalities, but there¡¯s only one thing. ¡®But the two didn¡¯t seem to know each other at all. My brother was there if he knew Count Chiron¡­¡¯ The more I thought about it, the more my doubts grew. Emma, who covered her mouth with a fan, smiled softly and opened her mouth. ¡°You think I don¡¯t have a good rtionship with the Prince?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not!¡± Surprised, I habitually uttered negative words. As expected, Emma did not believe in my answer. ¡®¡­Actually, I¡¯m curious.¡¯ I just kept my mouth shut because it seemed like an inappropriate topic for me to bring up in the first ce. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to force you just for me to hear it.¡± I straightened my expression and picked out the most appropriate answer in this situation. I was curious, but I don¡¯t want to hear it if Emma doesn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°When did my little girl get so big?¡± At my answer, Emma smiled delightedly. ¡°Emma, I¡¯m already eighteen.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right. You¡¯re already an adult. I can see the sixteen-year-olddy.¡± Emma said in a slow tone, as if she was thinking of something in response to my naive reply. I met Emma not long after I went to the North. ¡°Actually, nothing happened with the prince.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°As you know, the prince and I don¡¯t have much contact.¡± Emma then returned to her usual smile in an instant, her eyes twinkling yfully. Without being embarrassed, I choked at Emma¡¯s words. There¡¯s no connection between the two. Emma was a northern noble, and Aaron stayed in the northern part of the long winter for only a month or two. But if something didn¡¯t happen, why was Emma¡¯s reaction like that? ¡°Emma seems to be a little reluctant to see brother¡­¡± Looking at the blurry end, Emma looked a little embarrassed, gently moving her fan. ¡°Hmm, was it that obvious? My expression has been a big part of socializing since then. I guess I lost my touch.¡± Emmaughed at my words in a tone that had no regrets at all. ¡°Not a lot, but a little. But don¡¯t worry. My brother won¡¯t know.¡± It¡¯s true that I¡¯m not very interested. Emma burst out a coolugh at myfort. ¡°Because Grand Duke isn¡¯t interested in me, right?¡± I smiled awkwardly and nodded at Emma¡¯s exact words. Apart from what she said, I knew that his original personality was indifferent. Unfortunately, even my blunt father would point out Aaron¡¯s indifference. ¡°It¡¯s a little odd to say things like this, but I¡¯m afraid of the Grand Prince.¡± ¡°What? But you¡¯re older than him?¡± And my eyes widened to the following answer. It¡¯s good that nothing happened between the two of them, but I¡¯m afraid of Aaron. Emma¡¯s story that followed was about Aaron that I didn¡¯t know about. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 ? ¡°Are you scared of him?¡± ¡°Well, I guess I am.¡± When I asked back, Emma folded blink as she smiled and affirmed. It¡¯s not a face that looks like that at all, but Emma was good at managing her expression. But isn¡¯t it a big deal that she¡¯s agitated when she sees Aaron? ¡®Have you ever seen Aaron catching monsters in the North? Is that why you got scared?¡¯ It¡¯s a probable hypothesis. Sometimes seeing Aaron¡¯s appearance with his dark red aura fluttering out of him made him feel bloody. Emma was not interested in him, so I thought it could be. It was a time when I was making various conclusions. ¡°Then I have a little time left, so I¡¯ll tell you a story from the past.¡± Emma drew my attention with a calm smile. Naturally, I nodded, answering yes. If she told me first, there was no reason for me to refuse. ¡°Hmm¡­ It was 10 years ago when I first met the Prince.¡± Ten years ago. That was when Erita, not me, was in the orphanage. And when Aaron was 13 years old. ¡°Did I tell you that my family originally lived in the capital?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard that you married Count Chiron and went to the North.¡± She had originally nned toe to the capital after Count Chiron had everything cleaned up, but Emma coldly said she was going to the North. When I heard that, I remembered Emma saying that Count Chiron shed tears. ¡®The two of them are really on good terms.¡¯ In response to my answer, Emma soaked her lips with tea once and opened her mouth again. ¡°That¡¯s right. I married my husband 13 years ago and went to the North. At first, I remember the long winter being quite awkward.¡± I smiled a little and agreed with her. Because I also took the crane in the first year, which is almost half of the year. ¡°Anyway, that was the day I met the Prince three years after I went to the North.¡± ¡°The first day you saw brother.¡± ¡°Yes. The Grand Duke has summoned his vassals to introduce the sessor. Until then, the Grand Duke had nevere to the North.¡± Well, it¡¯s a time he had grown up and was about to be introduced as a sessor. I thought of him as a little younger Aaron I first saw. ¡°13 years old would have been the right age.¡± Thinking of that, I nodded, focusing on Emma¡¯s words. Aaron from the past that I don¡¯t know. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡®Because I couldn¡¯t ask my brother directly.¡¯ Aaron didn¡¯t seem to like the memories of before he met me. He sometimes tells me about Serbia, but there was no story of Aaron himself in it. If he didn¡¯t like it, he would have told me first. ¡°I want you to keep this a secret, what I¡¯m talking about right now. Will you do that?¡± Emma winked at me. It was natural. ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t even tell a passing dog.¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so lovely.¡± Emma smiled gracefully as I nodded. After that, Emma hesitated to speak for a moment. It¡¯s like telling a difficult story. ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know what to say to you, but I think you probably know this too.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°To the Grand Duke, I know that everyone except the youngdy and His Majesty is no different than the weeds that grow randomly along the roadside.¡± My body trembled violently at Emma¡¯s direct words. It¡¯s because it was an unexpected word. Looking at Emma, she was smiling gently, covering her mouth with a fan. It was as if she was waiting for my answer. ¡°Umm¡­¡± I made a small groan. Weeds growing randomly along the roadside. It was a quite bitter metaphor toe out of a noble¡¯s mouth. But I couldn¡¯t say that I wasn¡¯t even with Emma¡¯s metaphor. Because that¡¯s urate. Eventually, I exhaled openly and nodded. ¡°¡­I know.¡± So far, Aaron has said he¡¯s only modest and indifferent, but in fact, he vaguely expected it. The fact that other people are of no value to Aaron. I was convinced by Emma¡¯s words, but it was quite a long time ago that I could guess the fact. ? It was one day less than half a year after I met my family. I liked Aaron, who was very sweet to me, and he also adored me. Compared to our rtively busy father, Aaron also spent more time with me. Around the time it became a habit to take a walk with Aaron after lunch. As usual, I went to visit Aaron. At that time, I only thought Aaron was friendly. Because he always showed me a smiling face and I only heard a soft voice. ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Master.¡± The voice heard before going around the corner to Aaron¡¯s room belonged to a maid working in a mansion. The master she apologized to was, of course, my older brother, Aaron. As I quickly hid behind the wall for some reason, I poked my head over the corner. Maybe it was because I was curious about what was going on. All I could see from a sneak peek was that Aaron¡¯s arm was a little wet, and the maid¡¯s hand had a teapot and a tray with teacups on it. Perhaps she bumped into Aaron and spilled tea on him. ¡°¡­¡± But the apologies of the maid standing in front of him. ¡°His face¡­¡± It was because Aaron¡¯s gaze, looking down at the maid with her head bowed, was terrifyingly casual. He didn¡¯t even seem interested in that arm that had been poured with hot water. Like someone who doesn¡¯t know pain. ¡°Okay. Stop it.¡± ¡°Yes, yes?¡± ¡°I told you to stop.¡± ¡°Ha, but the young master¡¯s arms¡­¡± Aaron, who was looking at her with expressionless gaze, opened his mouth again when he saw the maid lingering in the air despite his words. ¡°Then I can cut off your arm instead.¡± The maid, who had hesitated at his cold words as much as his cold eyes, froze. When I saw Aaron¡¯s expression, he was really about to blow a pair of arms. In front of him, the maid, facing Aaron, seemed to faint at any moment. At that time, Aaron turned his head towards my call. ¡°Oh, brother!¡± When I met his gaze, I naturally moved as if I had hidden. Instinctively, he realized that he shouldn¡¯t be showing off this side of him. Fortunately, my gestures were not awkward. ¡°Erita.¡± Aaron smiled softly at me who approached me as if running. It was a friendly smile enough to think that the expression earlier was an illusion. ¡°Brother, your arm is wet. Aren¡¯t you injured?¡± I stomped my feet pretending to be a child who knew nothing and made a crying face. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It wasn¡¯t very hot.¡± ¡°Nevertheless. Let¡¯s go to the treatment now. Hmm?¡± Aaron, whoughed as if he couldn¡¯t help it because of my worries. Then I took the steps as led him. I nced back and beckoned the maid to go. The maid, who was frozen by my appearance, bowed her head with a face that seemed to hold back her tears and left quickly. ¡°You came earlier than usual today.¡± ¡°I want to see my brother soon!¡± ¡°Haha, really? Thanks for saying that.¡± It was after the frightening stillness of earlier disappeared from Aaron, who lifted his uninjured arm and gently stroked my head. Even while he was taking a walk with me after healing his injured arm, Aaron was still a sweet and friendly brother. But that day, for the first time, I thought that Aaron might just be unfriendly like how he was in front of me. Nevertheless, he was still my only brother. ? Thinking about the past for a moment, I let out a sigh. Very rarely since the first time I¡¯ve seen Aaron looked like that when I¡¯m not there. It was only then that I understood why Emma described Aaron as scary. If Emma had seen it like that, she could. Besides, my brother was only thirteen when she saw Aaron. Emma, who shrugged at me, smiled quietly and continued to talk. ¡°Well, it must have been that I was particrly sensitive to this and epted it more broadly.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t he scare Emma?¡± ¡°Oh, of course. Perhaps because he¡¯s not interested in others, he¡¯s basically generous. I just felt a little scared by myself.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Emma just recognized that aspect of Aaron because of her sensitivity. In a way, it was a relief. ¡°If I had met Grand Duke two yearster, I wouldn¡¯t have known either.¡± ¡°Two years?¡± ¡°Yes. To be exact, he¡¯s the Grand Prince after your return.¡± I blinked quietly at Emma¡¯s words. It was a very strange and vague statement. ¡°When I saw the Grand Duke again eight years ago, I couldn¡¯t find any signs of that at all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I was very weak before that, but I literally couldn¡¯t see it at all eight years ago. In two years¡­ I think it has something to do with you.¡± I was reminded of Aaron up until now. ¡®I heard, and it seems like that.¡¯ Since some time ago, Aaron has never looked like that. He was just indifferent and cold, and had never made such a gaze as if he was looking at something of no value. So I thought maybe I wasn¡¯t paying much attention to it. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing easy.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry too much about what I¡¯m saying. I remember seeing what I saw in the past, so I¡¯m agitated without realizing it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to worry you,dy. The Grand Prince looks fine right now.¡± Of course, it¡¯s limited when he¡¯s with me. Perhaps to relieve my depressed mood, I eventually burst intoughter at Emma¡¯s yful addition. Yeah. Even if what I was guessing was true, the fact that Aaron was my only brother has not changed. Because even that aspect was only a part of Aaron. ¡°And I can guess why Aaron changed like that.¡± Perhaps the cause was an ident that urred 16 years ago. It must have been shocking to a young child to lose both mother and sister at the same time. Thinking like that, I felt sorry for him. ¡°Now then, shall we prepare for today¡¯sst ss?¡± At Emma¡¯s words, I looked at the clock. The hands of the clock were already approaching three o¡¯clock. Chapter 46 Chapter 46 ? It was just before three o¡¯clock that Aaron came down, and greeted Emma. ¡°I greet the Prince.¡± Fortunately, Emma greeted him gracefully. ¡®After all, Emma is good at managing her facial expressions. Or is she okay now?¡¯ My gaze, which had reached Emma for a while, turned again. ¡°Erita.¡± When I saw Aaron walking towards my ce, a smile instantly appeared on my face. Aaron, who strode with his long legs, stood in front of me. He was wearing afortable shirt until I visited earlier, but now he¡¯s wearing a neat uniform. Although he didn¡¯t look as determined and decorated as when he went to a banquet, it looked neat. ¡°Brother, did youe dressed like this on purpose?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first dance with my sister who has grown up.¡± To my question, Aaron answered with his beautiful curved eyes to a crescent shape. ¡°I guess it¡¯s because I told you I¡¯m all grown up.¡± When I thought about it, he¡¯s my kind brother. Whatever his original personality was, he¡¯s a sweet brother to me. ¡°It¡¯s also the knight¡¯s duty to make a Lady shine.¡± Aaron whispered in a gentle voice and softly arranged my hair. ¡®Oh right! Brother was also appointed as a knight.¡¯ He really couldn¡¯t have been a kind and wonderful knight. ¡°After all, my older brother is the best!¡± Aaron smiled as if satisfied with my words. Then, Emma cleared her throat a little and spoke, ¡°Hmm¡­ Can you two go to the center over there first?¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± Iughed awkwardly realizing that I forgot our purpose for a while because I was distracted by Aaron¡¯s appearance. ¡°Shall we go, Lady?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I gently ced my hand over Aaron¡¯s hand in ordance with the etiquette. With Aaron¡¯s escort, he took a gentle step. ¡®I didn¡¯t know I would be able to dance like this. In my past life, I was close to being physically challenged.¡¯ I was quite talented in dancing, overshadowing what I was worried about if the problem from my previous life still remained before I learned it. ¡®To be exact, it¡¯s not me, but this body is talented in dancing.¡¯ In any case, it was a relief, but for now. To live as a noble, I had to know how to dance. Standing in the center, we bowed our heads to greet each other. ¡°Please take care of me, brother.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ? After our ss with Emma, Aaron and I came out to the garden for a walk. The wind in March, after two months, was not cold and warm. While enjoying the cool breeze, Aaron spoke suddenly, ¡°My sister¡¯s dancing skills have improved a lot.¡± ¡°Hmm. If I resemble my father and brother, shouldn¡¯t I be doing this much?¡± I responded in a coy tone, my pride hidden behind the words. It seems to be self-congrattory, but I think I¡¯m pretty good at dancing. ¡°This must be the power of genes, right?¡± Both my father and Aaron are flexible. As expected, superior genes really existed! ¡®When we first danced, I stepped on his foot several times.¡¯ Then a soft cloth touched my shoulder. It was Aaron¡¯s uniform jacket. ¡°It¡¯s not that cold¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯s still windy, so I¡¯m just putting this over.¡± Aaron said that and raised his hand and opened the jacket that was a little crooked because I was moving. For some reason, every time I received this kind of consideration, something felt itchy. Sometimes, when I realized that someone was thinking about me, it felt really strange. When I first met my father and Aaron, I was embarrassed because I couldn¡¯t take this kind of consideration, so I purposely refused. Of course, I¡¯m used to it now. ¡°Thank you, brother.¡± I thanked him softly and grabbed the hem of the jacket that was still warm. After that, Aaron and I slowly walked through the garden. We used to take a walk often until we separated two years ago. I remembered the time I was in the Grand Pce for a moment and walked for a while until I reached the ce where the bench was. As I sat down on the bench to rest, I tapped the ground with the front of my shoes. ¡°Are the artifacts you¡¯re making going well?¡± ¡°Oh? Did you know that?¡± My eyes widened at Aaron¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯ve never told my brother about it.¡± At my question, Aaron smiled and opened his mouth. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of rumors around the mansion. My sister doesn¡¯t even sleep because she¡¯s been making artifacts.¡± And at the words that followed, I smiled awkwardly and avoided his gaze. ¡®What kind of rumor is it¡­?¡¯ The most likely culprit was the cheap wizard Kevin. Because I often encounter wizards on my way to myb. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t sleep¡­¡± I smiled on the outside as I faced my brother and grinded my teeth towards Kevin inwardly. Aaron was still smiling, but that made it even scarier. There was a time when I stumbled in front of Aaron while staying up all night after practicing magic. Since then, Aaron has shown a sign of dissatisfaction with me staying up all night. ¡°I heard that there are many times that you don¡¯t sleep even for four hours a day.¡± Just like now. Aaron stared at me slowly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t cold until just now, but it suddenly feels like winter hase again.¡± Eventually, I voluntarily promised Aaron that I would never stay up all night in the future. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll faint likest time while staying up all night again.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll really sleep well from now on.¡± After hearing my promise, Aaron smiled contentedly. There was a restriction that I couldn¡¯t stay up all night, but I didn¡¯t want to cause Aaron to worry, so I calmly agreed. ¡®Because if Aaron knows, it means that my father also knows about it.¡¯ ? ¡°Lady, it¡¯s time for dinner!¡± I could hear Mary¡¯s voice outside the door, calling me for our family dinner. ¡°I¡¯ll be right out!¡± Shouting loudly, I stood up after putting the letter I was reading into the subspace. ¡°Mary, what¡¯s on the menu today?¡± ¡°Hmm, I couldn¡¯t ask Evan today¡­¡± ¡°Then we can go and see, right?¡± As Mary blurs her words in embarrassment, Marilyn, who¡¯s beside her, sneaks in. ¡°Oh, spicy chicken is the main menu for dinner.¡± ¡°Really? Evan said he didn¡¯t like spicy food, so he doesn¡¯t make it often!¡± ¡°What? Do you like spicy food that much?¡± When I smiled at Marilyn¡¯s words, Maryughed as if she couldn¡¯t stop. ¡°Of course. I like spicy food the best.¡± ¡°Lady Erita likes sweets, too.¡± ¡°Sweet desserts¡­ Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s different from this.¡± Spicy and sweet are a fantasticbination. Feeling better hearing my favorite menu, I hummed while walking down the stairs. When I entered the restaurant, I saw my father and Aaron who were sitting. ¡°Good evening, dad!¡± ¡°Yeah. Come and sit down.¡± ¡°Hello, Erita.¡± As I approached with a light step, I sat in my seat facing Aaron. After a brief conversation with my father, Evan quickly pulled out the tray. ¡°Evan!¡± When I called him with a broad smile on my face, Evan smiled yfully and ced a te covered with a silver lid in front of me. I hadn¡¯t even opened the lid yet, but I had the illusion that it was already smelling spicy. ¡®Isn¡¯t that an illusion?¡¯ When I saw the frown on my father¡¯s forehead, I realized it actually smells spicy. ¡°Unexpectedly, Father and Aaron can¡¯t eat spicy food well.¡± I slowly nced into father¡¯s eyes. At that time, Evan opened the lid that was covering the te. ¡°Today, I prepared something you like.¡± Along with Evan¡¯s words, the spicy smell spread out in an instant. In addition, the frown on father¡¯s forehead deepens even more. ¡°¡­¡± Father nced at Evan with a cold gaze without saying a word. Because I like spicy food, he was only reprimanding Evan through his gaze quietly. Evan grinned at my father¡¯s gaze and put another te in front of him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve prepared separate meals for the master and young master. ¡°Well.¡± Only then did the frown on father¡¯s forehead loosened. ¡®Everytime I see father, he has a lot of unexpected sides too.¡¯ Not being able to eat spicy food, and being kind to small animals while he disliked to be bothered. ¡°Thank you for the food.¡± ¡°Thank you, Evan.¡± ¡°No problem. This old man will go, so enjoy your meal.¡± Evan, who winked an eye at my words, left with a smile. Fortunately, the meal ended sessfully. ¡°As expected, Evan is the best.¡± It must have been very deliberate and spicy today, and my lips were still burning. I sipped the cold tea with a satisfied expression. ¡°¡­Baby, do you like spicy food that much?¡± Seeing me like that, my father asked with a crumpled expression. I nced at him hearing his question and nodded my head a couple of times. ¡°Oh, my¡­ You like it so much even though your lips are swollen because it¡¯s spicy.¡± Father muttered to himself as he couldn¡¯t stop me from eating spicy. In the meantime, he ced a dessert te in front of me, contrary to his words earlier. ¡°Aaron, do you like spicy food?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t enjoy it that much either.¡± Iughed quietly inside as I heard the conversation between the two, who talked about spicy food bluntly. Chapter 47 Chapter 47 ? Staring at the small jewel in my hand, and checking it carefully If my hand moved a bit even a little it would be over. ¡°I can¡¯t let my four-day efforts go to waste.¡± I held the jewel more carefully than ever. Soon, the small tip of the knife like a needle which contained mana touched the surface of the jewel. ¡®Diamonds are hard, so I have to do this more delicately.¡¯ I moved my hand without blinking. I felt a slight scratch on the jewel, and quickly pulled the tip of the knife away, squeezing my trembling hand. Then, a faint light shed from the jewel, and then disappeared in an instant. ¡°¡­!¡± I jumped up from my seat, a scream almost leaked out of my lips. In the meantime, I didn¡¯t forget to pull myself away so as not to shake what was ced on the workbench. ¡°Whoo! The fourth is also a sess!¡± It was only after I fell far from the workbench that I could stamp my feet to express this joy. Finally, I seeded in the fourth sequence of creating my artifact that could distinguish a dark wizard. ¡°Now, I just need to add onest thing.¡± Of course, there¡¯s still the long-awaitedst step left, but I¡¯d do that tomorrow. ¡°Today¡¯s the end. Ugh, I can¡¯t do this anymore.¡± It¡¯s best to do each step a day without being greedy and rush things. It takes at least two hours to engrave magic. I paused for a moment as I massage my stiff shoulder and walked to the sofa. ¡°But I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve done it properly, well?¡± I thought I seeded, but thinking about it the next day, I felt nervous thinking I might have failed by a slight difference. ¡°Sigh¡­ Let¡¯s check one more time and rest.¡± I¡¯m sure if I sit down now, I wouldn¡¯t want to get up again. As I approached the workbench again, I squinted and looked at every corner of the jewel, and carefully let out a weak mana. Then the faint light like before shed and disappeared. It was based on the fact that the magic was engraved properly. ¡°Hah¡­ This is really hard!¡± It was only then that I couldy on the sofa wholeheartedly. In addition to a little exaggeration, the sofa that was wide enough to be used as a bed supported my body stably. My eyes, which had been looking at a small jewel for hours,ined of fatigue. I waved my hand and pulled the curtains from theb window. Then the bright morning sun shone in. ¡°¡­It¡¯s already morning.¡± It was dark and gloomy until I started working on it. Recalling the fact that I promised not to stay up all night with Aaron yesterday, I quietly closed the curtain again. It¡¯s because my conscience was lightly stabbed. ¡®¡­It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t slept at all, it¡¯s just that I slept in the morning.¡¯ After trying so hard to rationalize it, I decided to close my heavy eyelids for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll wake upter and go to the top¡­¡± Thinking about today¡¯s schedule, I fell into slumber. ? Haa~ A yawn burst out naturally at the touch of my head gently touching my head. While rubbing my eyes, I met Mary looking through the mirror. ¡°Lady, you went to work again early in the morning.¡± My body trembled noticeably at her words, with her eyes squinting at me. ¡®After work,e into the room and sleep there.¡¯ It was bothersome toe to the room, so the price for sleeping in theb was Mary¡¯s nagging and disapproving eyes. ¡°¡­I couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± I smiled awkwardly and muttered as if I were protesting. ¡°Even if you can¡¯t sleep, it¡¯s the same. You stayed in theb untilst night.¡± Of course, my excuse wouldn¡¯t work for Mary, who¡¯s looking in the mirror grumpily. ¡®¡­If Mary looked like that, I couldn¡¯t ignore her stares anymore.¡¯ Truly, it was impossible for me to not be conscious of her gaze. ¡°I slept a little longer, though¡­¡± ¡°Lady, if you sleep during the day, you can only sleep lightly. I¡¯m sure you woke up quickly.¡± I added it timidly, but I kept quiet at Mary¡¯s logical words. ¡®Are you a ghost? How did you know?¡¯ Oddly enough, I slept at most an hour or two when the sun was up. But I only slept for 30 minutes today. ¡°I really had a good night¡¯s sleep today, hmm? Mary.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡± At Mary¡¯s suspicious gaze, I acted as innocently as possible and nodded. ¡°Lady, it¡¯s because you¡¯re really workaholic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not for me, but for my father and my brother.¡± There was a crackling sound, but I swallowed it hard. If I said that now, I would almost certainly have been nagged for ten minutes. Fortunately, Mary sighed without saying a word and finished fixing my hair. In the mirror, I could see the hair tied up and twisted as I asked. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Thank you for today, Mary.¡± ¡°No¡­ By the way, where are you going today?¡± ¡°Umm. I have some things to buy, so I¡¯m going to the za.¡± I calmly answered Mary¡¯s question. ¡®Well I¡¯m going to the top, so it¡¯s not really a lie.¡¯ In response to my reply, Mary, who brought my coat, opened her mouth with her worried face. ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to call the merchant here at home? Even though it¡¯s March, it¡¯s still chilly.¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s okay. I like to go out. The wind is not that cold, so don¡¯t worry.¡± At that, I shook my head. If I call the person I¡¯m going to meet over to my house, I¡¯d be in trouble. What if anyone notices that Yurgen has a connection with me? It¡¯s like advertising that I¡¯m rted to the top of Lagras. ¡®Absolutely not, I can¡¯t allow that.¡¯ I shook my head to shake off the terrible hypothesis. Besides, there¡¯s a way that other people could never find out, so what am I going to risk it for? ¡°Then, Mary, I¡¯ll be back! If my father or brother finds me, tell them that I went to the square because I have something to buy.¡± At my cheerful good-bye, Mary sighed and soon handed over my outerwear lightly. ¡°But you can¡¯te home toote. It¡¯s dangerous outside.¡± I smiled and nodded at Mary¡¯s warm worries. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be in danger unless I was at the level of my father or brother, but I didn¡¯t add that of course. ¡°Mary already knows but brother will be worried.¡± I waved at Mary and popped my finger. In an instant, a white light burst out, covering my body, and Mary¡¯s appearance turned blurry. It was a familiar feeling¡­ Once I closed my eyes and opened them, a ce with apletely different atmosphere from my room appeared. ¡°It¡¯s always the same here.¡± A clean room that doesn¡¯t seem to tolerate even a grain of dust. On the desk right in front of the window was a mountain of papers piled up. And between them, I saw a man with blue hair. ¡°Yurgen, you still have mysophobia.¡± Sneakily approaching him, I suddenly interrupted the blue-haired man who was processing the documents. He slowly raised his head after hearing my voice. Even when he saw me appearing from the air, Yurgen did not show any signs of surprise. But I¡¯m not the one to give in to him. ¡°Ta-da! Surprise!¡± When I shouted in a bright voice, Yurgen¡¯s forehead frowned. ¡°¡­When you want toe, you should at least have told me first so I knew you wereing¡­And I don¡¯t have mysophobia, I just like to organize.¡± There was a deep sigh in his voice that followed. Ignoring Yurgen¡¯s reaction, I sat on the soft sofa and shrugged. ¡°I sent you a letter saying I¡¯d visit.¡± ¡°When?¡± ¡°I just sent it to you before teleporting, so I think it¡¯ll arrive soon.¡± At the casual reply, Yurgen¡¯s forehead wrinkled again. Oh, my¡­ Where did the old Yurgen who told me toe whenever I feltfortable? ¡®The Young Yurgen was cute.¡¯ With that thought in mind, I simply stared at him. ¡°Stop frowning. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll get wrinklester. Well, of course, Yurgen would still be handsome even if he had some wrinkles.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think I¡¯m old enough to hear about wrinkles yet.¡± At my yful words, he sighed and stood up. Yurgen approached the door past the sofa and gently opened the door, and instructed the staff outside to set up a refreshment table. ¡°If you put the cart in front, I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°Okay, Yurgen. Do you need anything else?¡± ¡°Oh, and tell them not toe in until I called.¡± Yurgen thoroughly blocked the possibility of other peopleing in. After all, everyone who works right in front of the upper room would be reliable people anyway. I was blown away by his thoroughness, which was surprising for years. ¡°Well, I can understand Yurgen¡¯s distrust of human beings.¡± I knew the reason why he had changed to such a person, so it wasn¡¯t that strange. ¡°So what brought you here?¡± Yurgen, sitting opposite me, rubbed his eyes and asked me. ¡°I came here for something.¡± My response to that question was blunt. ¡®Well before he looked nervous, but he¡¯s cute back then, when he was young.¡¯ I opened my mouth staring at Yurgen with a face full of dissatisfaction no matter who saw it. ¡°Do you know how long it¡¯s been since we¡¯ve seen each other? It¡¯s been like three months.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we keep exchanging letters? I remember that we oftenmunicated with the crystal ball.¡± At my blunt words, Yurgen replied in a soft voice. ¡­Mary was the same, and so was Yurgen. There are so many people around me who havee to scold me. ¡°In the past, you told me toe whenever I wanted to. People can¡¯t say two things with one mouth.¡± Yurgen, who looked at me as if there was no point in my remarks, finally burst out intoughter. ¡°It¡¯s strange that the Lord of the upper world said that.¡± I stared at Yurgen with my brows furrowed at his words. ¡°Don¡¯t call me the Lord of the upper world. You used to call me by my name, but why do you call me like that these days?¡± Yurgen was one of the people I was mostfortable with. He was also the person I had the least to hide. I love my family, but there was a lot I couldn¡¯t tell them. But these days, he keeps acting awkward. It¡¯s disappointing. At my awkward question, Yurgen finally sighed and spit out my name. ¡°¡­Erita.¡± Then I smiled with a satisfied face. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s much better. The top owner feels a lot of pressure. And I don¡¯t like it because it looks like we¡¯re far apart.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re the only person who doesn¡¯t like to be called the Lord of the upper world.¡± Heughed in vain and leaned back on the sofa as if he had decided to stop talking useless words. Yurgen¡¯s face, which stretched out to rx posture, loosened a little more leisurely than before. When his stiff expression eased, his bare face was revealed full of tiredness. ¡°Anyway, you seem like a Yurgen without tricks.¡± Looking through his face, I asked in a dissatisfied voice. ¡°How long did you sleep this time?¡± ¡°¡­A day.¡± I snorted at Yurgen¡¯s answer. ¡°You¡¯re lying. I saw a pile of coffee cups piled up on the desk. I guess it¡¯s been at least 3 days.¡± Chapter 48 Chapter 48 The prince, who had been following me since the first day, made me feel sick and exhausted after asking for my schedule. He said that there was dust on my face and that he would gently touch my cheek to remove it, or he would try to hold my hand saying it was cold. But it was midsummer then! ¡°Yurgen, I still get goosebumps whenever I think of him.¡± ¡°Well, to be honest, I felt relieved, too. But you were reckless.¡± I couldn¡¯t hide my disappointment at Yurgen¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯m not siding with that Prince. Isn¡¯t Erita hiding her identity? If the prince had tried to argue, you could have been caught.¡± However, the disappointment also melted away with the worries of Yurgen that followed. Because I couldn¡¯t think of anything toin about from someone who was only concerned for my situation. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be careful from now on.¡± I answered without hesitation. ¡°Don¡¯t be too sad¡­ Prince must be in tears by now.¡± Yurgen, who drank the tea in a modest gesture, lowered the teacup onto the table slowly. ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, I just added one use to the contract. Of course, that use was agreed to by the prince himself.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all you need to know. It¡¯s not something big enough for you to care about.¡± In response, Yurgen raised one corner of his lips and smiled softly. It was a refreshing smile, not like him who always looks nervous. As I was about to ask what use he had added, I quietly swallowed the question again with a smile. Yurgen was a do-it-yourself guy, and usually when he smiles like that, bad things happen to the other person. ¡°¡­What you don¡¯t know is sometimes a medicine.¡± I offer unparalleled constion to the tiger-like prince who must be cursing Yurgen by now. Of course, it¡¯s not a sincere constion. ? ¡°Then Yurgen, I¡¯ll go now.¡± ¡°Are you going straight to the mansion?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I pondered for a moment at Yurgen¡¯s question. It¡¯s a little sad to go home like this¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not going to work on the artifact today anyway.¡¯ My mind slowly leaned to other thoughts. ¡®Oh, that¡¯s right. I told Mary that I came out to buy something.¡¯ Having made a quick decision, I snapped my fingers. Then, my long-forgotten hair was dyed in a hot beige color in an instant. ¡°Since I¡¯m out, I¡¯ll go around outside for a bit.¡± ¡°Do you usually go out like this?¡± ¡°Huh? Why what¡¯s wrong with this?¡± After looking at me for a while, Yurgen sighed and approached the closet on one side of the room. I smiled and picked up the mirror that was on the table in front of the sofa. ¡®Is there something weird? That can¡¯t be¡­¡¯ I looked in the mirror, but I only looked normal as always. ¡°I¡¯m just fine.¡± Unable to find the strange part, I shrugged and put down the mirror. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. I mean clothes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cool today, but I thought you¡¯d feel cold in that outfit.¡± Yurgen pulled out a ck coat from the closet and held it to me. ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± I epted his coat with a bashful smile at his indifferent, friendly words. I came out wearing a thick dress, but there¡¯s nothing wrong with wearing one moreyer of clothes. Wearing a ck robe, Yurgen¡¯s characteristic thick grassy smell hit the tip of my nose. When I folded my slightly long sleeves twice, the length became appropriate. ¡°I¡¯ll wash your clothes neatly and return them to you next time Ie.¡± ¡°You can just give it to me.¡± I squinted at Yurgen¡¯s answer and nced at him. Yurgen liked being neat enough that I sometimes wonder if he had mysophobia. Knowing that, I dismissed his words as a joke and refused with a yful smile. ¡°How can I do that? Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll bring it to you in a dry state.¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s true.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know Yurgen.¡± As I tapped the floor with the toe of my shoe, I paused as I was about to leave, feeling uneasy for some reason. ¡®I feel like I¡¯ve forgotten something¡­¡¯ ¡°Ah, Thane!¡± After contemting for a while, I shouted at the face that quickly came to mind. How can you forget about Thane? ¡°Yurgen, where¡¯s Thane? Did he receive a request? There¡¯s no such words in the letter.¡± ¡°He went out a week ago, he said he has a ce to visit for a while. It¡¯s not a request, but I think it¡¯s for personal business.¡± ¡°Did you hear when he¡¯sing back?¡± ¡°He said it would take about a week, so I think he¡¯ll return today or tomorrow. I thought Thane sent a letter, but he didn¡¯t.¡± Despite my sudden and quick words, Yurgen responded calmly each time. Then I nodded as reassured. ¡°Really¡­ When Thane returns, tell him that I¡¯m worried. I bought something for him, but I can¡¯t give it to him today.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell him.¡± ¡°Thank you, Yurgen. Then I¡¯ll leave. See you next time with Thane.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go home toote.¡± At Yurgen¡¯s answer, I sighed and waved my hand. ¡°Yes, I got it.¡± After leaving my farewells, I snapped my fingers once again, just like I did when I came here. Immediately, a familiar light wrapped around my body, and in an instant, Yurgen¡¯s appearance faded. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 ? As I sat on the sofa, looking through a book indifferently, I quickly closed the thick book cover. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± I let out a long sigh. Until I found this magic book in a bookstore a few hours ago, I was excited to go home and read it. Perhaps, because of the face that filled my head right now, I couldn¡¯t concentrate on the book at all. ¡°¡­I think it¡¯s right no matter how much I think about it.¡± I sat drooping on the sofa and muttered, recalling the time I was in the square earlier. ? After teleporting from Yurgen¡¯s office to the corner of the square, I immediately jumped into the crowd. The noisy surroundings hit my eardrums immediately. There were still a couple of hours left until dinner time, so I decided to stop by a shop and then go to the bookstore. ¡°I should just buy Mary and Marilyn a present.¡± Whenever I find a ce I like while walking down the street, I would go to such a store. I hummed softly and walked toward an undecided destination. Jingle~ As the door opened, a gentle bell rang. ¡°Wee!¡± A bright-looking girl weed me. She was a cute child with a brave attitude, looking about five years younger than me. Why was she suddenly reminded of Aaron¡¯s words that I seem to like little children? ¡°May I take a look around?¡± ¡°Of course! If you need anything, please feel free to call me.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After greeting me with a light smile, I slowly started looking around the store. When I saw the disy case from the outside, I thought it would be a cute store. ¡°Mary would love this.¡± I carefully picked up the cute design of the snowball. A pair of cute snowmen in a snowball was a perfect reminder of the end of this winter. ¡®Mary has a hobby of collecting snowballs, so I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll like it.¡¯ On the shelf in Mary¡¯s room, there are an estimated twenty or more of each snowball. Some contained green trees, and some had pretty hats. In fact, about two-thirds of them were like a gift from me. To be precise, most of them were things I bought from the top¡¯s stuff. I¡¯m the top¡¯s owner anyway. Who cares? Yurgen also told me to take anything if I needed it. asionally, I even brought a limited edition version. Of course, I didn¡¯t tell Mary on purpose. After looking around the store a little more, I headed to the cashier with a snowball and a notebook in my hand. I was going to choose Marilyn¡¯s present at the bookstore. The cynical Marilyn was surprisingly an avid reader of romantic novels, and sometimes I also borrowed them. ¡°Please pack this.¡± ¡°A snowball costs 30 silver, and a notebook costs 20 pennies!¡± After the little girl was sifting through the items, she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and read something down, and she said the price in a spirited tone. Perhaps this child has not been working here for a long time. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± When I take a coin out of my pocket and put it on the counter, the child counts the money carefully. Then she turned her head and held out some of the money back to me. ¡°The customer paid an extra fifty pennies.¡± I shook my head with a smirk at the child¡¯s hand holding out exactly fifty pennies. ¡°I¡¯m giving it to the little girl. Use itter to buy something delicious to eat.¡± ¡°But this is too much!¡± The child, who was happy with what I said, soon hesitated. I usually tip, but in a shop like this it won¡¯t cost more than 30 pennies at most. I thought about it for a while and spoke softly. ¡°Well, then can I ask you to wrap this snowball too? Actually, I¡¯m giving it to someone else as a gift.¡± Only then did the child nod vigorously with a bright face. Soon after, I epted a snowball wrapped in poor skill. ¡°Thank you for wrapping it up nicely.¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m thankful, too. Bye, pretty sister!¡± Smiling quietly at the shyly cheerful child¡¯s words, I waved my hand and said my farewell before leaving the store. Moving on to the next destination was refreshing. I was walking down the street humming again, and then I opened the thick door of the bookstore and walked in. Turning to a quiet atmosphere. As the most prosperous capital of the empire, the size of the bookstore was quiterge. The unique smell of the paper was wrapped around the nose. ¡®First, I have to choose a present for Marilyn, then¡­¡¯ I slowly looked through the books and headed to the romance section. Just in time, the next volume of Marilyn¡¯s Favorite novel came out, so I was able to choose a gift without much consideration. ¡°Oh¡­!¡± And unexpectedly, I found a present for myself. ¡°It¡¯s four silver thirty pennies.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± After paying, I left the bookstore with a light step, holding two books in my hand. ¡°As expected, books are expensive. Maybe it¡¯s because they¡¯re a luxury item.¡± Mumbling quietly, I shook off my thoughts under the weight of the heavy book I felt in my hands. Now that I have achieved some of the goals that came out, shall I stop and go home today? To be honest, I couldn¡¯t wait to go to my room and read the book in my hand. ¡®I¡¯m going somewhere where there are not many people.¡¯ I tried to walk into a deserted alley. ¡°Huh?¡± If it wasn¡¯t for Lian inside of the alley I was going to. The alley without light was dark, but not to the point of not being able to figure out someone familiar. I thought I¡¯m not seeing things right. ¡°Lian¡­?¡± Was it purely my illusion that I felt that our eyes met at a moment? At the same time as my lips pursed, Lian, who was caught in my sight, turned away from me. His appearance disappeared only after a brief blink of an eye had passed. ¡°¡­Did I see it wrong? It definitely looked like Lian.¡± I squeezed my eyes shut and looked forward again. There was still no one there in the dark. It was obvious that our eyes met. To say it was an illusion, the eyes that twitched at my call were clearly vivid. For some reason, I walked to the spot where I had just seen him, feeling ufortable about what happened. But, of course, there were no traces left on the in road. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know. I guess I should go home now.¡± The first thing I chose was to return to afortable space. So I straightened my fingers and moved to my familiar room in an instant. It was a fact that I didn¡¯t know that someone stepped back where I left. ? So back to my room¡­ ¡°¡­If it was the real Lian, why did he disappear? It was obvious that our eyes met.¡± I put the book down on the table, hugging the cushion, while sighing. Because I was reminded of what had happened before when I went up to my room after dinner and was alone. Thinking of the probability that I saw it wrong, I soon shook my head. ¡®I was tired, but not enough to see people who didn¡¯t exist. How can I confuse that face in the first ce?¡¯ There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll ever mistake other people for my father or Aaron. The conclusion that I saw it wrong doesn¡¯t make sense. ¡°Or did he avoid me on purpose?¡± As I thought about it, it makes me feel depressed for unknown reasons. I tried hard to calm down my emotions. In fact, even if the person I saw earlier was really Lian, there¡¯s no reason for me to care like this. He and I only met twice by chance, and all we know was a name and face that we both don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s real. In the first ce, there was no way to contact him, and he didn¡¯t know where to meet me either. So if he really recognized me and passed by on purpose, that¡¯s where our rtionship ends. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s frustrating.¡± But why am I so annoyed? Because someone I thought was a friend ignored me? ¡®¡­Yeah. I guess so.¡¯ When I decided to think so, I nervously tapped on the cushion. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t worry about it. There¡¯s still a lot of work to be done.¡± I stood up from my seat, trying to calm my confused mind. ¡°At a time like this, I have to work!¡± If I make myself busy with the artifact, these thoughts would surely fly far away¡­ Shaking my thoughts for a bit, I arranged the cushions and picked up the books that were lying on the floor. ¡°Oh, I have to read this book, too.¡± On the cover of the thick book I bought from the store earlier, the title ¡®Reestablish Magic Forms¡¯ was written. In other words, it means that it¡¯s a book with ways to improve the original magic form. ¡°Well, then should I read this first instead of working?¡± In fact, mana improvement wasn¡¯t a very popr field even among wizards because it wasplicated and unlikely to seed. Since I happened toe across this I tried it since I¡¯m bored, I couldn¡¯t concentrate earlier, but now for some reason, I thought I should finish the book. I opened the book militantly and began to read the letters one by one, engraving them into my head. Fortunately, I was able to focus on the content of the book by trying not to think otherwise. It was then¡­ Knock, knock~ A faint pounding sound rang in my ears from the door. It was so small that it could be considered an illusion. A sound I wouldn¡¯t have heard if I had been a little more obsessed with the book. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Fortunately, however, I wasn¡¯t fully focused on the book for some reason, and that made me aware of the weak sound. ¡°¡­!¡± I turned my head toward the balcony from which the sound came, and I found a pine tree through the hood. Crumble! The chair, which was pushed back because I jumped up without realizing it, shook and fell to the floor. ¡®Thane¡­!¡¯ The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!