《I Raised an Obsessive Servant》 Chapter 0 chapter 0 yurina could not hide her excitement as she looked at the boy in front of her. his bright blonde hair was in knots, and his pure white skin wasn¡¯t washed properly. however, something which was considered even rarer in the capital came into view. there. ¡®red eyes¡¯ unless you¡¯re an albino, one cannot simply have such red eyes as brilliant as rubies. even in this world where there are more hair and eye color than earth, red eyes don¡¯t normally appear. people who don¡¯t know anything about it believe that those with such red eyes are cursed, but these red eyes are actually proof that they were blessed by the goddess. there is no mistaking those red eyes. this child will surely become one of the greatest mages in the empire in the future. in order to find this child who lives in an orphanage in the capital, she wandered around the orphanage and it¡¯s surrounding areas for the past half year. she was beginning to worry about winter coming soon, but finally! ¡®i guess the goddess is on my side.¡¯ in the original story, marquis de flon came to the orphanage during winter for a relief work, and that¡¯s where he discovered him. well, that¡¯s not going to happen anymore. ¡®i¡¯ll definitely bring this child with me today.¡¯ she has been waiting far too long to do so. ¡°come with me.¡± her nanny standing behind her went white as sheet as soon as she heard yurina¡¯s calm words. ¡°my lady, you cannot do that.¡± ¡°come with me.¡± yurina ignored her nanny¡¯s words and reached out to him. ¡°i will protect you. if you come with me, you won¡¯t get hungry anymore and you won¡¯t have to worry about dying in the cold.¡± ¡°why?¡± the child crouched down and gave her a wary look. ¡°i don¡¯t believe in charity. what the hell are you planning to do with me? use me as a plaything?¡±[1] ¡°huh?¡± yurina was rendered speechless as she clasped on one of the buttons on her chest. ¡°there are aristocrats who like kids that looks like me. i¡¯ve seen a lot of them just like you.¡± she looked at his appearance objectively. ¡®of course he¡¯s handsome.¡¯ about 8 years from now, after having graduated from the academy and formally introduced to society, he will have an extraordinary look that will captivate both men and women of all ages. even now, yurina thinks that this child, even while wearing tattered clothes, has looks better than those noblemen of his age in the capital. however, those are words that a normal child, who is the same as yurina, shouldn¡¯t say. yurina was aware that he was 2 years older than herself and she understands why he would say such a thing. ¡°who do you think you¡¯re talking to?! my lady, don¡¯t bother with him. let¡¯s leave!¡± yurina raised her hand slightly to stop her nanny who was about to grab her and take her back to the carriage. ¡°you¡¯re right. there is no such thing as charity in this world. i am not going to sugarcoat my words or say that i am purely doing you a favor because i pity you. but let me assure you that i don¡¯t have any impure intentions like what you are thinking. no matter how much older you are, what do you mean by ¡®plaything¡¯ and saying it to young lady like me nonetheless? do you even know what that means?¡± there was no answer from the child. judging from the way he¡¯s mumbling, he probably picked it up from his surroundings and said it thoughtlessly. she commends his brazenness towards her, but then again, she doesn¡¯t know whether she should be angry or not. yurina shook her head with her arms crossed. ¡°if you continue to say groundless things like that thoughtlessly, you might just end up dying in a ditch somewhere. you should know who you are dealing with. you should know who i am.¡± yurina¡¯s tranquil voice made it hard to distinguish whether she was persuading him, or threatening him. the child just shrugged in return. ¡°then why?¡± ¡°i want to invest in you.¡± ¡°invest?¡± ¡°yes, invest.¡± yurina closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the things that will happen in the future. ¡°if you continue to stay here, you won¡¯t be able to survive the coming winter. the winter this year will be especially harsh.¡± half of it was true and the other half was a lie. this winter will indeed be so harsh that it will be considered one of the worst recorded in history. however, this child won¡¯t die. in the original story, he will be taken in with great hospitality by de flon and be treated by him. even so, she needs to deceive him since her life depends on it. ¡°so come with me. i will sponsor for you under the name of carthia. what do you think? it¡¯s much better than dying, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°what¡¯s up you? why do you keep looking at me like that?¡± ¡°it¡¯s your red eyes. you may not know it, but it is a symbol of those blessed by the goddess. historically, a person who is born with such eyes is said to be gifted in magic. there was a even a man named william, who was recorded to be known as a great wizard who possessed red eyes.¡± this was a fact that many people don¡¯t know. the truth is, those red eyes that are said to be the symbol of the goddess in the story will later be revealed after he displays his exceptional gift in magic. and right now, it was still a fact that is barely known. yurina simply knows this truth because she had already read this in the novel. ¡°so what do you want from me?¡± a child who can talk back. she liked it. ¡°i want you to remember what i¡¯ve done for you today. and later when i¡¯m in danger, you have to save me just like how i saved you today.¡± ¡°what if i don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°well, i can¡¯t help it if you really don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°can i really do that?¡± yurina may appear to be 10 years old, but her inner-self is already 22 years old. she wouldn¡¯t force this little boy to stay by her side. Chapter 1 chapter 1 one snowy night in december, senna died. she was caught in a traffic accident, a hit-and-run. on the frozen road, the car slipped across the pedestrian hitting senna. after that, when the other party saw that she was covered in blood and lying motionless on the ground, they ran away and abandoned her. maybe she could¡¯ve lived if he reported the accident right away. it was a very deserted road since it was late at night. additionally, the weather was also freezing, so there weren¡¯t any people out walking around. by the time she was discovered and was brought to the emergency room, her time had already been over. senna¡¯s life ended pitifully. she was happy that she at least had a glimpse of her family, before she closed her eyes. senna didn¡¯t believe in reincarnation. well, she didn¡¯t believe in religion in the first place. however, when she opened her eyes again, as if mocking her thoughts, she was lying in a strange place as the 10-year old yurina carthia. she thought that everything was just a dream at first, but after a week or so, she had to admit that this was reality. she thought that something mysterious must¡¯ve happened to her. just like in the novels she read for example, like a highschool student getting hit by a truck then being reborn as a noble or one that involves dimensional transfer. but that was not the end for them. she was in a similar situation either that of a dimensional transfer or reincarnation. like all the popular romance fantasy novels these days, she was now a character in a book. ¡®and out of all the characters, i am the villainess.¡¯ to be honest, she was confident that she was in a book, but she couldn¡¯t remember the title nor the contents of the book. it was just one of the many romance fantasy novels she read whenever she took a break. there was nothing special about it, as it can be easily confused with other novels with a similar storyline. after she read the end of the climax, she closed the book without ever knowing the ending. she felt something strange when she heard the name marquis de flon. it gave her a similar feeling like having an itch on your body but you don¡¯t know where it is so you can¡¯t scratch it and it¡¯s just really frustrating. after pondering for a couple of days, yurina was finally able to remember two names. she remembered that she read the novel just recently. lydia de flon and yurina carthia. these are the names of the heroine and the villainess of the book which she still doesn¡¯t know the title of. in the novel, carthia and de flon politically opposed each other. the two of them were always compared to each other ever since they had their social debut in the same year. the rose-like yurina and the lily-like lydia. it was no wonder that both of them left their houses to be an empress. but objectively speaking, just like in politics, one cannot simply judge who is good and evil. at least this is what senna, who is now yurina, thought. marquis carthia spread vicious rumors and tried to bring down lydia. however, marquis de flon did the same thing as well. marquis carthia and yurina carthia were bashed by the readers simply because they were in opposition to the heroine. ¡®just like they say, history is written by the victors. if yurina was the heroine, lydia would be the villainess.¡¯ both of the families tightly confronted each other as if they were in a tug-of-war and lasted for 3 out of 4 volumes that senna read. it was a game that seemed like it was going to go on forever until ¡°charrion¡±, the child that marquis de flon picked up in the orphanage, put an end to it. as soon as de flon, a fairly good mage, saw little ¡°charrion¡±, he realized that he had a talent that far surpasses him. ¡°charrion¡± was a man with red eyes, the symbol of the goddess, who showed incredible aptitude in magic and was known as a genius of the century. marquis de flon, after discovering his gift earlier, sponsored his studies in the academy and he developed at an astonishing rate. by the time he came back from his graduation, he had become a mage who was well known not only in the empire, but also in the neighbouring countries. with his appearance, the scales shifted in favor of marquis de flon. ¡°charrion¡± liked lydia who treated him well since he was a child and gave his full support for her to become the empress. he loved her, he loved her and yet it¡¯s funny how the miserable supporting character still wishes for the heroine¡¯s happiness. that was the man called ¡°charrion¡±. and yurina carthia died by his hands. the villainess who tormented the heroine with her cruel and miserable words. of course, marquis carthia was also annihilated. ¡®but why did she die?¡¯ she only knows that she died, but she couldn¡¯t remember the reason why. the death wasn¡¯t intense enough for it to stick. she thought that maybe she was forced to die just because she was the villainess. looking back at it now, the novel was overwhelmingly overtaken by the fact that everything was in favor of the heroine, lydia. this annoyed her due to the lack of explanation in the story. anyway, after gathering all her thoughts, yurina worked diligently in the orphanage in the capital and scoured the surrounding areas to find charrion before marquis de flon finds him. the only clues were only his bright blonde hair and red eyes, but these were enough for her. in this world, red eyes were a color that was so unusual it barely appears. yurina started looking for him ever since the beginning of the year but it was already summer. it¡¯s been 6 months. it was a long wait but the fruit of her labor would be as sweet. yurina finally found the child, who came to pack up a few of her things. she couldn¡¯t help but hide her smile behind her handkerchief that was slowly growing. ¡°were you able to get everything?¡± ¡°yup.¡± ¡°so this is farewell then?¡± ¡°no one said anything about farewell.¡± Chapter 2 chapter 2 has he always been living this way, maintaining his distance from the other kids? she tilted her head. after looking at him for a moment, she was convinced that was the case. she didn¡¯t think he could¡¯ve gotten along with other people with such a mean and brash personality. also, what¡¯s with that haughty attitude towards a noble? aren¡¯t you afraid to get your tongue cut-off for insulting a noble? yurina was thinking of trying to make him speak more politely. nevertheless, it was refreshing to hear a child speak so crudely to her after spending such a long time speaking so formally in front of people and most of the time, they were cowering before her. if she could teach him to talk more politely like any other aristocrat, that would be good enough to keep him out of trouble. ¡°at least, it¡¯s good to know that you won¡¯t make a fuss about missing this place and wanting to go back. if there¡¯s nothing else, let¡¯s go.¡± the child just raised his eyebrows as a response to her harsh criticism and followed behind her. ¡°my lady, this cannot be happening.¡± her nanny nervously said as she grabbed yurina¡¯s arms while they were headed for the carriage. yurina didn¡¯t care and still took the child to the carriage with the help of the coachman. her nanny wanted to pull the child down much to her displeasure, but it was quicker to just shut the carriage doors. ¡°nanny, what are you doing?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t understand why you are doing this, my lady.¡± ¡°as i have told you, that child has power. he can¡¯t stay in a place like this. i will take him in and sponsor for him.¡± ¡°how do you know whether he has the power or not? if you take the child with you like this, the master will be furious. if you really want to take him, you should ask permission first¡­.¡± ¡°nanny.¡± her nanny was shocked to hear yurina¡¯s voice which was colder than usual, then she bit her lips. yurina looked at her with an expressionless face. ¡°i am a carthia. when i decide that i will do something, there is nothing i cannot do.¡± some would think it was a premature remark made by a 10-year-old child, but truth be told, the carthia family has the power to do so. yurina grew up in a family who loved and doted on her. she had the right to enjoy whatever she wanted. she can just take this child away and support him without needing to ask for anyone¡¯s permission. the nanny seemed like she still had something to say but decided against it. the child agitatedly looked around the fancy interior of the carriage and stiffly sat as he shifted around and tried to straighten his back. yurina sat opposite of him and scanned him from head to toe. the child glared sharply at her as he withdrew until his back touched the backseat. ¡°w-what is it? why do you keep looking at me like that? were you lying to me when you said you¡¯ll take me in to sponsor me and not because you want me to be your plaything?¡± ¡°i¡¯ve already told you to watch what you say, didn¡¯t i?¡± she smiled darkly, reminiscent of a dragon in a novel. since she has a way with words, she could easily gain his favor if she has a hard time to do something like that and fails to get him to her side, it might lead her down to a path like the original and everything she has done till now would be in vain. ¡°what is your name?¡± she was surprised by his sudden change of attitude. the young boy slumped his shoulders and softly whispered. ¡°¡­¡­ tom¡± was his original name tom? she couldn¡¯t recall what his original name was. it seems she didn¡¯t read anything about it in the book. in that case, it must¡¯ve been a minor setting that she scanned through. ¡°it¡¯s a common name. do you like that name?¡± yurina still asked him despite knowing how much he hated that terrible name. you have the right to despise it. his mother, who held not even a tiny bit of affection for his son, named him after a man who was a regular at the bar. as expected, he clenched his teeth and shook his head. ¡°no.¡± ¡°then, shall i give you a new name as a commemoration of me being your benefactor?¡± he liked de flon after giving him a new name when he was a child. well, it¡¯s not like she should also do the same, but children are surprisingly fond of such trivial things. of course, this alone was not enough to completely break down the suspicious child¡¯s wall, but it was important to start off on the right foot. yurina interpreted his silence as an affirmation and started to speak. ¡°raynard, ray for short. what do you think?¡± the name ¡°charrion¡± was originally given by marquis de flon and it was an ancient word that meant ¡°victor¡±. the word ¡°victor¡± was not for the child who would be a mage, but for the marquis who discovered such a child. so the moment he was called ¡°charrion¡± like in the original, she would die by his hands and he would offer this victory to marquis de flon. such a conceited name. yurina didn¡¯t like the name ¡°charrion¡± or even ¡°marquis de flon¡± whom she has yet to see. so she chose the name ¡°raynard¡± instead, which meant ¡°hope¡±. she was suddenly reborn to a strange place one day, and he was her only hope to save her from her ill fate. even if it¡¯s shameful, she could endure such shame just so she could comfort her uneasy heart. the child repeatedly mumbled his name a few times to himself and lowered his head. he didn¡¯t say anything until the carriage departed and speeded up. after waiting patiently for his response, yurina finally asked him bluntly. ¡°why won¡¯t you answer? do you dislike it?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°tom?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not tom.¡± the child lowered his head deeper this time. ¡°it¡¯s raynard.¡± peeking through his bright blonde hair were two flushed ears. marquis karthia pressed both his thumb against his throbbing temples. his head began to ache because of the prolonged dispute with his daughter. ¡°yurina, if you really want to take in the boy, i¡¯ll tell robert to train him as a servant.¡± he always tried to do whatever his wife-like daughter wanted. it¡¯s not like he doesn¡¯t love his other sons. yurina came into his life as a blessing since he already had three sons. and because of that, she held a little more special place in his heart. that¡¯s why a few months ago, he didn¡¯t hesitate when she asked him that she wanted to go to the orphanage and help the children. however this time, the situation was different. what in the world is this child thinking? earlier, when he came to meet his daughter who returned a little later than expected, he witnessed a boy getting off the carriage with yurina. a commoner with a slender figure and a slouched body, wearing light clothes and clutching a small bag in his arms. even if no one explained it to him, he can immediately understand the situation. at first, he thought she took the boy because they were around the same age and she wanted to make him into her servant to live here. although she has never done such a thing before, he thought that his daughter, who was already at that age of curiosity, upon seeing this child¡¯s appearance that was not commonly seen in nobility piqued her interest. he had already instructed them to take care of and educate the child anyway since he also needs a sitter for both of the children. however, her daughter came into his office and threw an unexpected proposal. ¡ªfather, that child has a talent for magic. i want to sponsor him. it¡¯s not difficult to sponsor a gifted commoner child. the nobles regarded sponsoring the common people as a virtue, and the more children they supported, the more the family¡¯s reputation increased. for this reason, what started out as a favor, turned into a means to show-off one¡¯s status and ability. nowadays, they have been looking for commoners who are also willing to support the capital¡¯s society. marquis carthia had also been supporting several children in various areas for many years. lord aaron, a famous officer in the empire whose talent has been recognized 10 years ago, was sponsored by marquis carthia. it was just a case of selecting talented children through several processes. but then she just went to an orphanage, took a child without knowing whether they had the talent or not, and then sponsors for him. no matter what yurina said, it was absurd. how can they handle the ridicule if it turns out that he does not have the talent after sponsoring him? but even if he explains it thoroughly for her to understand it, she won¡¯t back down so easily. ¡°i am not going to keep him as a servant. he is talented enough to be admitted at the royal academy of crohn.¡± the kingdom¡¯s area size, military strength, economic power and etc., the kingdom of crohn was inferior to the empire in every way except for magic, which is far superior than that of the empire. unlike many students who came to study in the empire, those who wanted to learn and study magic went to the kingdom of crohn. the royal academy of crohn boasts about having the highest quality of curriculum and faculty and was known for refusing to give admissions to those who were not able to meet their standards even if they came from a very wealthy and outstanding background. and she thought he can be admitted in the royal academy of crohn. even if she was still a child, he didn¡¯t think she would be this immature. was this because she was a spoiled pretty girl who was allowed to do anything she wanted? ¡°yurina.¡± he took a moment to think while looking at his beloved yurina. ¡°i think our talk isn¡¯t going anywhere. i¡¯ll call dave. i¡¯ll head to the lab right now so if someone sends a letter, i¡¯ll be back by dinner. dave is a mage working for the marquis. even if the marquis tried to coldly refuse his daughter, as he looked down at her little figure, he still couldn¡¯t resist her. so instead, he would asked for an objective opinion so that she would stop being stubborn like a child. ¡°if dave meets the child and says he is indeed talented, then i¡¯ll officially sponsor him. but if he is not, he will be trained as a servant. is this okay with you?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll do whatever father says.¡± after he saw his daughter smiling brightly, he thought it was a bit strange, but that¡¯s because yurina was grateful that she had achieved her purpose. if dave arrives, contrary to her father¡¯s will to support raynard¡¯s talent, he will be frustrated at the fact that he will sponsor him. not just that, maybe he wouldn¡¯t let him be sent to the academy and pursuade to teach him himself instead. she heard that there was clan of mages who ¡°collects¡± disciples and takes them to a mysterious place. either way, i have no plans on dying. it wasn¡¯t decided yet whether this new found life is a blessing or a curse. yurina didn¡¯t understand why people would be envious of an aristocratic girl¡¯s life, it just made it difficult for her to get use to this place. she thought about it and she¡¯d rather have never been born again. still, after she was reborn, yurina desired to live. there was also this hunger for life after she lost it in a hit-and-run accident, but that wasn¡¯t the main reason. she was afraid that during the moment of her demise, she would die helplessly. she wanted to live with all her might because she was afraid of death. i am not going to die. there seems to be a little light in front of her dim vision. her heart was throbbing. the mere thought of dying again changed her mind to live. yurina¡¯s body, which doesn¡¯t belong to hers, was slowly starting to feel like her own. Chapter 3 chapter 3 raynard, who had lived as tom for 12 years, faltered and glared at the approaching maids. ¡°don¡¯t come any closer!¡± ¡°but¡­.¡± the maids who came to help him take a bath were now looking at each other with perplexed faces. no one would ever tolerate such a dirty and smelly child in this noble mansion. and much to their dismay, this boy right now was vehemently refusing to take a bath which brought them to their wit¡¯s end. if they could, they would¡¯ve left this child alone long ago, but they couldn¡¯t because it was an order from the young lady herself. the most experienced maid out of the three gathered her courage and grabbed onto the child¡¯s slender arms. at that moment, raynard swung his arms around. despite how frail he looked, he was able to push the maid strong enough for her to fall on her butt. ¡°don¡¯t touch me!¡± ¡°just take a bath and stop making such a fuss about it.¡± as soon as she entered the room, yurina scowled. the maids bowed down and witnessed their faces lit up at the sight of her. they were hoping that maybe her presence could lessen raynard¡¯s vigilance who just ran into the corner while clutching his clothes. you¡¯re not a rat being chased by a cat. yurina gave a weary sigh and gradually approached him. ¡°ray.¡± his body stiffened as soon as she called out to him. with his back glued against the wall, raynard¡¯s shoulders continued to tremble. ¡°rest assured that nobody in this mansion is going to hurt you.¡± ¡°but they groped my body!¡± yurina turned her head to the maid who quickly shook her head right away. ¡°you didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°they did! they even tried to strip me off my clothes! what are you adults planning to do with a child like me, huh?!¡± and what on earth did he think? what¡¯s going on in that little head of his? seriously. yurina barely swallowed the words that were threatening to spill out. ¡°i¡¯m not sure what you were thinking they were planning to do, but trust me, they were just trying to help you take a bath.¡± ¡°what? a bath?¡± ¡°yes, they¡¯ve already prepared a tub filled with hot water. don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t have any plans on taking a bath and simply staying like that, do you?¡± even after she gave him a gentle explanation, raynard still suspiciously looked at the. ¡°then why take my clothes off?!¡± ¡°to wash your body, of course.¡± ¡°but why do i need to be washed by them!¡± ¡°that¡¯s what everyone here does.¡± he snorted at her answer. ¡°what, the nobles don¡¯t have any hands or feet? or do they enjoy being scrubbed by others so much? is that it?¡± ¡°well, you better refrain from saying such things really. there¡¯s a limit to how much i can protect you. the nobles that you speak of are also the ones who believe that commoners like you can live without a tongue with no trouble whatsoever. in reality, if a noble gets even a single scratch, it¡¯s quite easy for them to simply put all the blame on the people who are beneath them, you know. ¡± yurina spoke with such a mellow voice. if you didn¡¯t know the contents of what she said, you would¡¯ve thought she was saying something like there will be steak, boiled asparagus, and grilled eggplant for dinner. luckily, raynard was quick to sense the meaning in her words so he immediately kept his mouth shut. ah, but wasn¡¯t it too quick? then again, if he was not really sensitive to these things when they first met, she was sure he would¡¯ve died already before she was able to take him in. this might be harder than what she expected. not long after, yurina waved her hand at the maids and they promptly left the room. raynard immediately crossed his arms across his chest in a form of an x to cover it. yurina can¡¯t help but roll her eyes at his silly appearance. ¡°what are you going to do with me!?¡± ¡°just get in there and take a bath.¡± yurina pointed at the bathtub with her chin. he stubbornly shook his head in response. ¡°you said you don¡¯t want the maids to help you clean, so shouldn¡¯t you wash by yourself?¡± ¡°why are you here then?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll be taking my leave too.¡± ¡°but if you do that, what if someone comes in while i¡¯m taking a bath!?¡± yurina¡¯s head suddenly ached. his reaction was rather normal considering the environment he grew up in that was described in the novel. ¡°charrion¡± was born as the son of a hostess in a bar. it was a bar where they sold their bodies. and that being the case, he grew up without knowing who his father was. his prideful pretty face, unfortunately, didn¡¯t help his circumstances in that kind of situation. he had to work himself off of the bunch of perverted men who drooled at the sight of him. her mother was supposed to protect him, yet she didn¡¯t do anything and instead pushed him back to get more tips. when he refused, he hid himself in the corner of the room. suddenly, his mother¡¯s hand came flying in and slapped him across his face. oh how much he wanted to escape from that dreadful place. however, he was still too young and ironically, he had no one else to rely on but his mother. at the age of 12, when he was old enough to escape from the house, he ran away to the orphanage. but it was no different from that damned place. day by day he was beaten up and tortured mercilessly in that hellhole of an orphanage. so it was no wonder why he looked like a cautious hedgehog with their quills raised and pointed in all directions. also, it seemed like if she ever left him alone, he would stir all over the room. that scene played in her mind for a short moment and then she sighed deeply. it¡¯s not like i don¡¯t understand. but she just could not sit around and wait until he dropped his guard down. ¡°i, yurina carthia, swear upon my name that no one here will ever lay a single finger on you. as long as you don¡¯t want to, nobody will ever enter your room nor be able to touch you. you might not be able to understand what it means to swear upon one¡¯s noble name, but this is considered a very serious deal for any aristocrat.¡± ¡°how can i trust your words?¡± ¡°didn¡¯t you believe me and followed me here in the first place? if not, then why¡¯d you follow me here if you never believed in the same words i said just now?¡± ¡°that¡¯s¡­¡± raynard blurted as he avoided her gaze. yurina unconsciously raised one eyebrow at his actions. what¡¯s with your reaction? when yurina offered to sponsor for him, raynard said he pondered about it for a long time and nearly didn¡¯t accept her offer. but yurina thought otherwise. clearly, when he made that decision, he didn¡¯t believe in her himself, not even the tiniest bit. if there¡¯s anything he believed in, it wasn¡¯t her, but rather her money. nevertheless, she still needed someone to protect her life. her one and only goal is to gain his trust, and this is what she should do next. but right now, she couldn¡¯t understand why he was being so stubborn when he never showed it when they first met. he should¡¯ve been more cautious beforehand. yes, shouldn¡¯t he have asked more difficult questions back then, and why was he avoiding her gaze right now? she glanced at his face and it was getting more and more disgruntled by the second. raynard dropped his arms from his chest. ¡°yes, i do believe you. what about it, huh?¡± ¡°by the way, i didn¡¯t want to tell you this.¡± she hesitantly stepped back away from him. ¡°honestly, you smell really bad right now.¡± even after everything that has happened so far, he had never looked so shocked before. he lifted his arms and sniffed his armpit. ¡°¡­do i smell that bad?¡± ¡°mhm.¡± even though his filthiness could not hide his impressive looks, his beautiful appearance certainly could not hide his stench. she might have not shown it earlier, but yurina thought she would die in the carriage from the pungent smell that permeated in the are and got stuck in her nose. she wondered why the smell didn¡¯t get any weaker even after she opened the windows. perhaps by now, the servants are sweating bullets because of the smell left in the carriage. even with yurina¡¯s candid reaction, raynard crept away from the bathtub. he looks like an animal. just like a herbivore that tries to run away while stepping backwards and eyeing the enemy to avoid being eaten. raynard was always so full of himself as if he were the greatest man on earth, but right now, if you take a closer look, he was still a na?ve child. when yurina took a step forward closer to him, raynard immediately fled behind the curtain of the bathtub. yurina placed the boy¡¯s change of clothes and towel just in front of him. a small voice suddenly leaked from behind the curtain. ¡°aren¡¯t you leaving yet?¡± ¡°i¡¯m going to leave now.¡± yurina turned around and left the room without saying anything anymore. soon, when the doors closed behind her, a faint sound of rushing water was heard. after he heard the door shut, he took off his clothes and went into the tub. starting from his toes, the hot water that was slowly rising up felt weird. he felt embarrassed as if there was a person directly looking at him, so he quickly submerged himself up to his shoulders. it¡¯s warm. this was the first time he had bathed in warm water. never in his life could he have imagined experiencing such luxury before. perhaps even when he was a delicate newborn baby who needed extreme care, he had never used such warm water. i¡¯ve never seen such a huge bathtub before. there was a little tub in his house, but compared to this bathtub, it was too small that it was barely enough for him and his stepmother to fit in. when he was over 10 years old, he felt uncomfortable in it. so on a hot day, he would often go down the stream and splash around while washing himself. in the orphanage, there was no place where several children can bathe together. raynard was sitting, hugging his knees as he remembered the shocking words of yurina that was currently gnawing on him. ¡ªhonestly, you smell really bad right now. that¡¯s just how bad he smells. he gulped. to be honest, he didn¡¯t even notice his bad odour. but it wasn¡¯t just him, it was the same even for the children in the neighbourhood who was eventually taken in by the orphanage. he thought that the children of the orphanage simply smelled like that. however, for a noble lady who grew up in such luxury, the stench was undeniably dreadful. and as it turns out, yurina smelled nice. when he first met her, that was the only time he discovered that a person could have such flower-like fragrance. she was a girl who showed various fresh new things to him in so many ways. yurina carthia raynard closed his eyes as he tried to recall yurina¡¯s face. unlike the darken and rough skin of children in the orphanage, the slightly visible skin on her neck and wrist were pure white and lustrous against her thick pinkish dark blonde hair. and those blue eyes, oh how it seemed to beam at him right away during their first meeting. today was the first time he realized that a person¡¯s eyes could be so shiny and pretty. he had never looked straight into anyone¡¯s eyes since no one had done the same due to his blood-red eyes. not even his father, his own flesh and blood, looked directly at him and even said to him that they were ominous. sometimes, he would look at him with such wistful eyes and cry out for a week that if it weren¡¯t for him, his mother wouldn¡¯t have died giving birth to him. so whenever his father was drunk, he would curl up hugging his knees and tremble in a corner. he wondered why he followed her all the way here even after hearing such ridiculous words like having a talent for magic and wanting to sponsor him. it was probably because she looked directly into his eyes. although they weren¡¯t made of gold, still, those sky-blue eyes twinkled like the stars, and it seemed to shine even more radiantly than the sun. after painting a picture of yurina¡¯s face in his mind, raynard suddenly dipped his face in hot water. he couldn¡¯t tell whether the heat he felt on his face was because of the water warming up his body, or something else entirely. when he couldn¡¯t hold his breath any longer, he raised his flushed face and picked up the round soap on the table next to the bathtub. it smelled so sweet that it couldn¡¯t even be compared to the cheap soap his generous father gave to his stepmother. he put the soap near his nose and sniffed at it. it¡¯s the same spring flower scent that was emitting from yurina¡¯s body. as he he was thinking about it, he suddenly felt like something smacked him at the back of his head. raynard had a strong feeling that he was thinking about something bad and it was going to a dangerous direction. he quickly shook his head and submerged his face back again into the warm water. not soon after, his cheeks started to heat up once more. can i really use this soap? raynard hesitated for a moment then he raised his face and started to scrub every nook and cranny of his body with soap. he wasn¡¯t going to stop until all of the smell was gone. Chapter 4 chapter 4 yurina had momentarily forgotten that the boy in front of her was only 12 years old, so she responded with a guilty look. the clothes make the man. despite being a commoner and raised in the slums, he was already quite handsome. however, now that he has washed himself and is nicely dressed in yurina¡¯s brother¡¯s clothes, raynard looks more like a child who grew up nicely in an aristocratic society. with a complexion that looks whiter after scrubbing off the dead skin that had accumulated over time; height that is shorter than an average boy of his age due to poor nourishment; dwarfed but still naturally formed bones; lightly golden hair that is still glistening from the bath; deep brilliant ruby eyes; prominent nose, and thick pink lips. despite that, his appearance was still slightly flawed. this is primarily attributed to the fact that the clothes were too big for him since they were borrowed from her older brother. however, he never trailed behind the male lead in the novel because even as a supporting male lead, he was still simply perfect. most importantly, it was his pair of brilliant ruby eyes that made him look even more dignified. watching in realization, yurina¡¯s eyes grew wider. when their eyes met, raynard¡¯s made an exaggerated o shape as he stood with his hands against his waist. he had a smug, triumphant smile¡­ like a general who had just won and ended a century-long war. ¡°i smell pretty good now, huh?¡± ¡°i smell pretty good¡± is an understatement¡­ who knew he could be so proud of such a trivial thing. up until an hour ago, he had smelt like a cheese that had been fermented for at least 100 years. yurina frowned a bit as she remembered the horrible smell that felt like it was still stuck in her nose. lightly laughing, she responded, ¡°yes. i think so too.¡± ¡°the soap i just used¡­ i think it¡¯s the same one you use. is that alright?¡± ¡°soap? what kind of soap?¡± ¡°it was yellow and round.¡± remembering the soap she had just used this morning, yurina nodded. ¡°perhaps it was¡­¡± ¡°does anyone else use it?¡± ¡°no, i don¡¯t think so. mother and father use a different kind of soap. i didn¡¯t like my previous soap, so the one you had used is my new one. what about it? ah¡­ perhaps you don¡¯t like the scent?¡± yurina recalled the last vacation her brothers from the academy had. they returned to the mansion and cringed at the strong flowery fragrance of the soap. ¡°maybe you dislike sweet scents. if that¡¯s the case, next time i¡¯ll be sure to ask them to bring the same soap my brother uses.¡± ¡°no.¡± raynard, who had been gazing through the window, turned his head abruptly. he suddenly cleared his throat a few times before speaking again. ¡°i¡¯ll use it.¡± the way he clearly avoided meeting her gaze was slightly suspicious, however, yurina easily dismissed it. she led him to the table without further questioning. the two took the seats across from each other and waited for the maids to finish setting the tableware. unlike yurina who sat poised and calm across from him, raynard¡¯s eyes cautiously glanced at the items in front of him. it seemed that he was trying to appear nonchalant but he simply could not contain the excitement that was leaking from his voice. ¡°why are there four forks? why are there three knives? do the nobles have four hands?!¡± yurina looked at him curiously as she waved her hands in amusement. ¡°nobles aren¡¯t monsters, they can¡¯t have four hands. each fork and knife here are used differently depending on the dish.¡± ¡°there are multiple dishes?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right, and each fork has its own individual use that depends on the type of food that is being eaten. don¡¯t look so displeased. you will also have to learn this soon anyway.¡± glancing at the piece of bread the maid had just served on her plate, yurina started to consider acquiring a tutor for him. in fact, upon arriving here for the first time, she was actually very worried about eating. but as soon as she sat down, ¡°yurina¡¯s¡± knowledge of dining etiquette slowly flowed into her mind. perhaps it was an act of consideration for her after having fallen into such a strange place. it wasn¡¯t only dining etiquette, but also the general behaviour and manners of aristocracy naturally came to her. it made living here much easier. that¡¯s what having a cheat is all about. i¡¯m not sure whether i should laugh or cry. if she was going to get a cheat, it should¡¯ve been a magic skill cheat at least or even swordsman skill cheat. that way, at least should could protect herself. yurina internally scoffed at the thought as she used a butter knife to butter her bread with a practiced ease. raynard observed her actions closely. afterwards, he picked up a fist-sized loaf and proceeded to roughly spread a substantial amount of butter on it, and stuffed it into his mouth. it was a firm piece of bread that crumbled and cracked into pieces which fell onto his clothes. she heard a sigh of content from him. his eyes grew wide as the crumbs stuck to his face and all over his mouth. ¡°what is this?¡± ¡°it¡¯s bread.¡± ¡°bread?¡± his face distorted strangely, as if he had been insulted. then suddenly, both of his cheeks turned into a flushed pink. ¡°don¡¯t you make fun of me! i know for a fact that this isn¡¯t bread. real bread would be too chewy.¡± ¡°the bread that you know of is like that because the flour is not properly refined and the dough was not adequately fermented. whatever it was that you ate before, and what you are eating now are both the same bread.¡± yurina explained, but it was clear that he was no longer listening. he was currently stuffing his mouth with so much bread that his cheeks was puffed out like a hamster that was forced to stuff itself with as many sunflower seeds its poor cheeks could handle before bursting. to be honest, he looked pretty cute to yurina. nevertheless, it made her sigh. we¡¯re definitely going to have to get you a tutor. ¡°charrion¡± was knighted shortly after he returned to the empire from finishing his studies at the academy. so for raynard to live as a nobleman in the future, he had to start his education immediately. as soon as tomorrow. he still has a long way to go. unaware of yurina¡¯s inner thoughts, raynard continued to contently drink the soup the maid had just served. although he was using a spoon, the creamy soup dripped down his chin, onto his chest and all over the table. in that moment, yurina was reminded of a scene from an animation she had watched when she was a child. the beast who had grabbed the bowl and gulped it without the use of any utensils, and the beauty who was startled by his behaviour. the beauty then decided to place her spoon down, picked up her bowl and drank it in the same manner so that the beast would not feel afraid. but yurina was not a good-natured beauty, so she didn¡¯t have the slightest interest to eat like that for raynard¡¯s sake. ¡°ray¡± instead, she stood up from her chair, walked around the table and took the seat next to him. the maid took notice of this and quickly moved yurina¡¯s table setting to her new spot. yurina used a napkin to clean his face and clothes, and then she brought the spoon to his hand. ¡°you are going to learn how to use the spoon again.¡± she reached for his rough hand with her other hand before raynard could even respond. she gently rubbed his thumb on his palm, then slowly did the same with his fingers. with gentle motions, she smoothed out the fingers he had bent and then placed the spoon in his hand once more. at first, raynard tried to imitate yurina¡¯s motions as she gripped her spoon. he observed the way she sipped the soup, but at some point, impatience and hunger took over. he just started to slurp the soup in his own way. yurina worriedly looked at him as he ate the soup thinking he would break the bowl from vigorously scrapping it with a spoon. she then pushed her bowl towards him. ¡°you should eat more. here, have mine.¡± the maid behind her hurriedly spoke. ¡°no, my lady. we will bring more soup.¡± ¡°it¡¯s fine. i¡¯m not that hungry anyway.¡± wanting him to feel comfortable while eating, yurina kept everyone at a distance. regardless of whether or not raynard was listening, yurina persisted in teaching him how to eat. it surprised yurina as she watched raynard attempt to cut a steak into bite-sized pieces using a fork. after the meal had ended, raynard maintained a look of awe and laid on the sofa holding his now bulging stomach. ¡°if this is what heaven feels like, i think i can die now.¡± ¡°you can¡¯t die right now. it would be a violation of our contract¡± ¡°contract?¡± raynard asked curiously, as he lifted his head while still remaining in the same position. yurina pulled a chair over and took a seat in front of him. ¡°i told you. in exchange for saving you today, you must save me in return.¡± ¡°and i told you before too. what if i don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°well¡­ there¡¯s no way i can force you if you don¡¯t want to.¡± she narrowed her eyes and smiled at him mischievously. originally, she had wanted to give him a more confident answer. something like, ¡®can you even do that?¡¯ but looking at his current languid figure like a full grown cat, she felt like teasing him instead. ¡°are you sure you can say that now? did you not consider that i would stop investing in you if you said that you wouldn¡¯t save me?¡± ¡°ah, seriously.¡± raynard shook his head in an attempt to remove the remaining drops of water from his hair. he sat up on the sofa so that his eyes were levelled with hers. ¡°still, i don¡¯t believe a word you said.¡± ¡°didn¡¯t i say that i would sponsor you? i even swore under the name of carthia.¡± ¡°that¡¯s not what i meant. you said that i have a talent for magic.¡± now that he was full, his temper was softer. before they ate, he spoke haughtily. ¡°i might not know anything about magic, but i do know it¡¯s a big deal. you think i¡¯ll become such a great person? that doesn¡¯t make any sense. besides, my parents weren¡¯t even mages. so how is it that i am a mage?¡± ¡°magic abilities aren¡¯t genetic, they¡¯re innate.¡± ¡°innate¡­? genetic¡­? what?¡± ¡°if i had magical powers, it would come from me alone, i wouldn¡¯t have inherited it from my parents. you could say that even if the parents are mages, there¡¯s a possibility the children might not be. on the other hand, if the parents aren¡¯t mages, there¡¯s a possibility for the children to be one.¡± raynard frowned and wrinkled his nose. he was still confused. ¡°so you¡¯re saying magic is innate? well, whatever it is¡­ how do you know that i have magic? are you a mage?¡± ¡°no, i¡¯m just an ordinary person. but when i saw your red eyes, i just knew that you had to be a mage.¡± he stared at yurina blankly and then suddenly covered his eyes with his hands. he laid back down on the sofa and yurina thought that she might¡¯ve touched a sensitive topic. he looked like a puppy who after being scolded by its master, retreated back into his house and wouldn¡¯t come out. ¡°but everyone said that i have these red eyes because i was cursed by the goddess.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not a curse, but rather it¡¯s a blessing.¡± ¡°but what if you¡¯re wrong?¡± ¡°that¡¯s not possible.¡± ¡°but¡­¡± he turned his head dejectedly and glanced at yurina. ¡°if it turns out that i¡¯m not good with magic, what happens to me then?¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°are you going to give me back to the orphanage?¡± so that¡¯s the real reason for this whole conversation. unlike the confidence he had at the orphanage before being brought to the mansion, he has now become anxious at the possibility that he might be abandoned if he had no talent. it wouldn¡¯t matter if you had never had a taste of warm treatment. but once you have had that taste, being rejected after would make the impact become several times greater. yurina was about to say that it didn¡¯t matter if he had talent or not. regardless, she would still continue to be his benefactor. however, a knock interrupted her before she could respond. ¡°yurina.¡± it was the voice of marquis carthia. yurina reached for raynard¡¯s arm, and took him along with her. ¡°luckily for you, ray, there is someone who can prove that you are indeed gifted.¡± Chapter 5 chapter 5 a man entered the room with the marquis. he looked like he could be anywhere from his early twenties to thirties. he had light scarlet hair and a face that was covered with freckles. he glanced at raynard from afar before walking towards yurina. he knelt down on one knee before approaching her. ¡°it¡¯s been a long time, young lady.¡± this man was widely recognized for his abilities as a mage. not only that, but he was also knighted. where other mages were known for their eccentric personality, he was quite ordinary. he took the hand which yurina had extended and gently placed a kiss on it. it was a gracious greeting that he extends only to yurina. this was something that everyone in the mansion of carthia knew, except for yurina, who remained oblivious. ¡°it¡¯s been a long time, dave. you must¡¯ve heard about him from father. still, let me formally introduce him to you. this is raynard, whom i have taken in today.¡± yurina abruptly pressed raynard¡¯s head down to show him respect and he was hesitatingly trying to lift it. at first, dave narrowed his eyes at raynard, seemingly to size up the young boy before him. afterwards, he gave the boy a smile before returning his attention to yurina. ¡°the marquis had asked me to determine whether he had the talent or not. do you mind if i take a look at him for a moment?¡± yurina nodded as she watched dave take hold of raynard¡¯s hands. raynard struggled at first, trying wriggle his hands out of dave¡¯s grasp. he was felt uncomfortable with the physical contact, but gave up shortly after. a young boy¡¯s struggle was no match against the strength of an adult man. it was not long before a bright light shone from dave¡¯s hand. it travelled up his arms, passed his shoulders and then onto his head. it seemed that the light flowed to every part of his body before returning back to his hands. by the time he released raynard¡¯s hands, the light had already disappeared. dave¡¯s expression was replaced with one that was not only uncharacteristically serious, but also with greed. ¡°young lady!¡± he had completely forgotten about the marquis¡¯ presence in the room as he grabbed yurina¡¯s hands. ¡°young lady, please let me care for mr. raynard!¡± ¡°no. if you want to collect disciples, look for them somewhere else.¡± since she had already anticipated his response, yurina was able to quickly brush aside his informal behaviour and words without any hint of agitation. raynard trembled at dave¡¯s words. it was like one was asking his lover¡¯s father for permission to marry him. dave¡¯s hold on yurina¡¯s hands became tighter. ¡°won¡¯t you take some time to reconsider before giving me an answer?¡± ¡°well¡­¡± yurina thought for a moment before she pulled her hands out of his grasp. ¡°you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°i can¡¯t?! why not?!¡± dave was so worked up that he unconsciously raised his voice, forgetting that the marquis was not only behind him, but was also glaring at him. the marquis coughed to remind dave of his presence. ¡°ah, i mean¡­ how could you say no? i can tutor him. i can teach him everything that i know. if he is taught well, he could make a huge difference.¡± ¡°i will send ray to the royal academy of crohn.¡± ¡°i can do a much better job of educating him than the professors at the royal academy can. not only am i an alumnus of that academy, but i bet you that not even half the professors there had better grades than i did during my time there.¡± ¡°even so, i cannot allow it.¡± she didn¡¯t think that dealing with dave would be so difficult. he had never had a student thus far, so she assumed he simply wasn¡¯t interested in training them. it turns out that is not the case. seeing as how yurina would not budge, dave sighed with a look of defeat. one can only take so much rejection. ¡°young lady, do you think that i am inferior to them? just so you know, there is a line of people who would want to be my disciples.¡± ¡°that¡¯s not it. i know better than anyone that you are a very capable mage. however, ray also requires education beyond magic. thus, i want him to enter the academy and be taught accordingly.¡± ¡°we can do that here. does he have a tutor?¡± yurina knew she had to be firm with him this time and without any hesitation, she responded. ¡°even if the house of carthia sponsored him, do you think that any righteous family tutor, who normally educates aristocrats, would be willing to be ray¡¯s tutor? dave, you are aware of his talent, that¡¯s why you easily volunteered to teach him. however, that is not the case for everyone.¡± ¡°i will vouch for him.¡± ¡°and to be honest, i think it would be more beneficial for ray to interact with a variety of kids his age than to be surrounded with a bunch of aristocrats.¡± although yurina¡¯s reasons were good, it was not the real reason why she insisted that ray entered the academy. it¡¯s because in the original novel, charrion was enrolled in the royal academy of crohn. however, unlike the original, raynard might be able to get ahold of magic sooner with dave¡¯s assistance since the young boy was already naturally talented. nevertheless, yurina could not risk investing in an uncertain future. the only reason why charrion had the ability to shake the empire like he did was because he had gone to the royal academy of crohn. if raynard missed that opportunity, would he have the same luck? what if raynard fails to protect her from marquis de flon in the future? but there was an even bigger threat. lydia de flon. before ending up in this universe, yurina had read many other worldly romance fantasy novels. there were protagonists becoming villains, the supporting character, the villainess, etc. there were various characters in these stories. the protagonist, who had become the villainess, was not relieved even after interfering with the encounter between the real heroine and male lead in her future. it was because she was afraid that if the male lead and the real heroine met like they did in the original story, they would fall in love like fate. yurina had the same worries. what if raynard happens to randomly run into lydia on the streets and then falls in love with her like clockwork in the original novel? then all that time and effort she had spent looking for him at the orphanage would¡¯ve been a complete waste. then the raynard, who was suppose to be her insurance to survive, might change his mind and decide to kill her. just like he did in the original novel. it would do me good to remove any elements that could bring about such uncertainty. since dave realized that yurina would not surrender to his cause and would remain completely unyielding, he turned to face raynard, changing his opponent to the young boy. sensing this, raynard slowly backed away, making a sideway gesture and quickly hiding behind yurina. his bony hands clutched yurina¡¯s arm as if he was clinging on for dear hope. witnessing this scene, dave sighed and retreated. ¡°if that is what you wish, then it cannot be helped. perhaps i can teach him in the meantime before he enters the academy?¡± ¡°i would appreciate it if you could. in fact, i was going to request that of you anyways, hoping you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°dave, do you think you could get this child admitted in to the royal academy of crohn?¡± the marquis asked suddenly as he stepped in between yurina and dave. yurina¡¯s vision was suddenly blocked by her father¡¯s back. she had to tilt her head to the side to see. ¡°admission? marquis, are you asking if he would be accepted right now? absolutely! he would not only be accepted, but the dean himself might come over and enroll mr. raynard personally.¡± dave¡¯s voice slowly raised and with every word, he was becoming more and more passionate about the cause. ¡°at first, i wasn¡¯t able to feel any wave of mana and thought that was weird. however, upon further observation, i discovered that there was natural mana running through him and he was unconsciously capturing it. that¡¯s typically hard to do for a mage, and yet mr. raynard was able to do it as simply as breathing. it¡¯s a wonder that this child hasn¡¯t found a patron yet. young lady, where in the world did you find mr. raynard?¡± ¡°the orphanage at jennon?¡± ¡°but¡­ how did the young lady know that mr. raynard possessed such a gift?¡± ¡°i had been coming and going from the orphanage regularly these days. then one day, i heard a story that a child who had received the blessings of the goddess was born with red eyes. it was in a small town, i think i heard it there. even the great mage william was said to have red eyes!¡± of course this was a lie. yurina had never heard of such a thing. there was no such phrase to begin with. however, nobody would know that. dave had no reason to venture into town to investigate whether or not this claim was true. in my previous life, i had read a novel where i was killed by raynard who had become a brilliant mage. he was famous not only in the empire, but the surrounding kingdoms too! rather than telling the ludicrous truth, a lie was more plausible. yurina had decided make-up story and feign innocence like a naive little girl who believed in such mysterious rumours and stumbled upon raynard by chance. in the original novel, the truth regarding the red eyes was revealed only after charrion made his first appearance. there¡¯s probably no harm in saying it in advance, right? yurina grabbed dave¡¯s hands, who returned a puzzled look at the sudden contact. ¡°listen, dave. isn¡¯t it amazing? when i first heard of that story, i laughed because where in the world could one find anyone with red eyes? but then, lo and behold, i stumbled upon raynard who possessed those very genuine red eyes. i knew immediately at first glance that he would become a great mage! wait¡­ why are you looking at me like that? don¡¯t you find it amazing? am i strange?¡± yurina tried her utmost effort in feigning innocence and naivety, not only in her voice but expression as well. and with her hard work, the a squealing 10-year-old child could be heard. ¡°you¡¯re right, it¡¯s truly amazing.¡± for a moment, while yurina was staring up at dave, in the corner of his eye, she could catch a glimpse of raynard standing by with a look of bewilderment. dave laughed lightly and gently stroked yurina¡¯s head with his large hands. ¡°lately, i¡¯ve been thinking that you seem like you¡¯ve matured, but i don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. you are definitely still a child.¡± ¡°what? i am not a child. i am already 10 years old.¡± she sulked. she let out a huff so loud that raynard who was standing behind her felt second hand embarrassment. ¡°yes, yes. indeed, the young lady is a big girl now. as you mentioned earlier, it¡¯s possible that mr. raynard might have really been blessed by the goddess. such an ability is hard to achieve without the blessing and intervention of the goddess. now, i must go back and write a letter of recommendation for him soon and send it to the academy.¡± ¡°you¡¯ll write a letter of recommendation for him?¡± ¡°of course, it¡¯s just a part of what i have to do. although, i¡¯m still disappointed that i couldn¡¯t make him my disciple. however, i do hope that mr. raynard would be able to flourish his talent.¡± shortly after, dave requested permission from the marquis and left the room. when yurina was done talking, the marquis smiled at the young lady and rubbed her cheeks with a loving hand. ¡°i¡¯m not a child.¡± he chuckled at her petulant words. she crossed her arms and pretended be upset. to appease her, he nodded affectionately with a ¡°hm¡± and turned his head. ¡°are you sulking?¡± ¡°i am not. that is something only a child would do.¡± once again, she heard raynard, ¡°geh¡±, in the background. in that moment, she felt an incoming flood of embarrassment. i can¡¯t keep this up anymore. yurina tried her best to keep her face from falling apart as she quickly dropped her arms. ¡°did you hear dave? ray is indeed talented. will you sponsor him now?¡± ¡°yes, do as you wish.¡± carthia was a man who always kept his promises. in addition to being a benefactor to raynard, he promised that he would treat the young boy well and ensured that he will accommodate all of his needs. after that, he placed a kiss on her forehead and left the room. as soon as the marquis left the room, yurina grinned, just like what a real child did. raynard, who was standing behind her, spoke up. ¡°so, can i really become a mage?¡± ¡°you heard what dave said earlier.¡± ¡°is he a great wizard?¡± ¡°mhm. he is very well known in the empire.¡± raynard seemed to have considered this as he went silent. in a soft tone, he quietly asked, ¡°so am i staying here now?¡± ¡°mhm. in a little while, the maid will come and show you to your room. so don¡¯t worry about being sent back to the orphanage.¡± ¡°i see.¡± after this, yurina wished to return to her quarters. as if making up his mind, raynard inhaled deeply and spoke up once again. ¡°by the way¡­¡± ¡°hm?¡± ¡°¡­¡­aren¡¯t you a child?¡± he had the same nasally childish voice like she had earlier. she was speechless and embarrassed at the sudden and unexpected remark. the fact that she was being teased by this kid was ridiculous. but more than that, she felt more irritated than the embarrassment she felt. ¡°ray. be quiet.¡± ¡°¡­ah, mhm.¡± once again, an awkward air enveloped the two. Chapter 6 chapter 6 yurina told raynard not to worry, but the truth is, there was another huge mountain to cross. she stared at the tightly closed door of the room of the marchioness carthia before glancing back at raynard who was standing next to her. ¡°ray.¡± yurina poked his arms. raynard, who was glaring at the passing servants, gave an awkward smile. yurina kept doing this numerous times reminding him that he shouldn¡¯t be too wary of the people in the mansion. not soon after, a maid bowed to greet them both and raynard suddenly hid behind yurina as he peeked at the maid. ¡°do they have to come and greet me too?¡± benefactor of a gifted child, or caretaker of a frightened baby. somehow, she felt like she was more of the latter. she then swallowed a sigh. ¡°my father is officially sponsoring you. it¡¯s only natural for the servants to treat you like a young master. even if you are a commoner, they can no longer treat you as one since you are being supported by an aristocrat. furthermore, you¡¯ll be learning magic.¡± ¡°what does magic have to do with it?¡± ¡°once a mage graduates from the academy, they are immediately knighted regardless of their ability. besides, dave acknowledges you, so it¡¯s only natural for them to treat you well.¡± ¡°oh.¡± still, it didn¡¯t change the fact that raynard didn¡¯t like it. so he walked in the hallways giving the people around him a scowl. yurina patted his tightly gripped hand on her arm. ¡°you don¡¯t have to glare at them like that. they¡¯re the servants my mother hired. no one here would dare disregard you and treat you like the way you do.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°so don¡¯t scowl and give them a smile. at least, don¡¯t look like that when you meet my mother.¡± after hearing her nag him about it so many times, raynard pouted. ¡°is she such a scary person? why do you keep telling me to smile? you didn¡¯t tell me we were meeting other people.¡± ¡°she isn¡¯t scary. she¡¯s a sweet person.¡± ¡°then there¡¯s no problem, right?¡± yurina answered with a light laugh. in a way, she is scary. after living here for 6 months, yurina knows very well that marchioness carthia was a warm and gentle person. she looked like an iris flower. that¡¯s what yurina always thought when she first saw her. you¡¯ll always find her smiling warmly. not only towards her family, but she was kind and gentle too towards the mansion¡¯s servants and even to outsiders. yurina could not find any high-handed manner that you usually see in high-ranking aristocrats. however, in contrast to her usual personality, she had a strict character where yurina and even her brothers who were in the academy were taught etiquette thoroughly. if any of her children showed even a bit of discourtesy, she would scold them mercilessly. marchioness carthia was different from marquis carthia who just goes with the flow. this was exactly what worries yurina. would she allow me to take in ray? yurina told marquis carthia that she wanted to treat raynard like a friend of her age rather than a patron. but unlike other patrons, raynard was allowed to stay in the carthia mansion. marquis carthia wasn¡¯t against raynard being with yurina, unlike his reluctance to sponsor him when they had no idea whether he had the talent or not. however, from the point of view of her mother, marchioness carthia, she wouldn¡¯t be pleased to know that her daughter was closely associated with a boy her own age and a commoner at that. if her mother decides to let him stay elsewhere, she will ruin yurina¡¯s plan to try to win raynard¡¯s favor. thanks to that dilemma, yurina scratched her head and was racking her brains for words to persuade the marchioness if she were to object. do i have to act like a child again? she shook her head at imaging such a horrible sight. soon, a maid came out of the marchioness¡¯ room and bowed. ¡°young lady, the mistress is waiting for you inside.¡± ¡°let¡¯s go, ray.¡± as yurina groomed raynard¡¯s clothes before entering. raynard immediately saw the marchioness sitting across the room and stopped for a moment. then he went in with an awkward smile. ¡°yurina¡± as the two of them walked closer, the marchioness beamed as she opened her arms to her. she gently hugged yurina who went stiff as a statue. ¡°mother.¡± ¡°oh, how are you feeling? are you in pain anywhere? you should¡¯ve stayed in your room. after all, you must be tired from your journey home. who knows you might just get a fever again.¡± ¡°i wanted to see mother.¡± at the embarrassing yet affectionate scene before him, raynard coughed. ¡°mother always comes to visit me in my room. i wanted to come see you as soon as i got back but i couldn¡¯t because it was a bit dusty.¡± the truth is, she wanted to say that she wasn¡¯t that weak. instead, she gave her a smile and laughed it off. ¡°yurina¡± is a so weak. six months ago, ¡°yurina carthia¡± suffered a severe fever. after having several days of sleepless nights while nursing her daughter, the marchioness was still uneasy even after yurina got out of bed. she didn¡¯t even know that the daughter that she oh so loved with all her heart was already dead. yurina was getting a little uncomfortable so she tried to slip out of the marchioness¡¯ arms slowly. only then did the marchioness notice the boy standing behind yurina. ¡°oh right, i heard the story from your father. you brought a child with you and wanted to sponsor him?¡± ¡°yes. his name is raynard. ray, come here and greet mother¡± yurina was worried that he might make another rude reaction, but fortunately, unlike the time he met dave, he willingly bowed just as yurina instructed. ¡°hello.¡± his words weren¡¯t aristocratic at all. yurina rolled her eyes in frustration and sighed internally at the sight before her. the marchioness continued to smile while she scrutinized raynard from head to toe. yurina saw that raynard was about to pull up a face so she glared at him. raynard pursed his lips then smiled softly again this time. ¡°so, do you like the mansion?¡± the marchioness asked softly after a brief silence. raynard tried to maintain his composure. however, he was betrayed by his dazzling eyes that were full of glee. ¡°¡­¡­yeah?¡± ¡°oh, so you like the mansion? it¡¯s been a long time since i had such a young guest so i was bit concerned.¡± ¡°huh, what? ¡­¡­¡± raynard was mumbling, trying to find the right words to say. he then straightened his back and held his head high as he answered, ¡°it¡¯s great. it¡¯s really great.¡± ¡°well, i¡¯m really glad to hear that. i told them to prepare your room, however, it was so sudden that it¡¯s not ready yet. the room is still bare, you know. soon there¡¯ll be pieces of furniture and you can decorate it however you like, so i hope you can patiently wait.¡± ¡°i¡¯m still¡­. that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°alright. it used be a guest room so it might be a little inconvenient since it¡¯s really basic.¡± she said with a soft ¡°oh¡°. and let out a little exclamation. ¡°oh, i¡¯m planning on making a small lounge near your study room. i¡¯m a bit worried that it might be a little too small but i think it would be better to make it cozy than have a big place to study and play. how about that? is that alright?¡± raynard made a ¡°geh¡± sound as his eyes went rounder. ¡°you don¡¯t really have to do that.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t have to worry about anything. i will do my best to provide you anything you need. dave will be teaching you the most important thing which is magic, and i¡¯ll going call over a tutor who¡¯ll be teaching you the rest of the lessons.¡± ¡°thank¡­¡­.you.¡± yurina was so bewildered that she couldn¡¯t even sneak in a word or two in their conversation. it was shocking how the marquess didn¡¯t send raynard out of the mansion and instead offered these kinds of favors out of fondness. she wondered if he was still listening to any of her words. is she more lenient than i thought? perhaps the reason why raynard was so guarded against people was because of the people he met who only held hostility towards him. but it seemed they weren¡¯t evil enough for him to build up a wall against this warm treatment. he is only 12 years old. it only occurred to her that he might have been starving for human affection. ¡°in any case, your clothes are too big.¡± suddenly the marchioness¡¯ eyes turned towards raynard¡¯s sleeve. the clothes were so big that the sleeves constantly covered his fingers and rolling them up once didn¡¯t seem it was enough. raynard¡¯s ears flushed. he was flustered and hid his hands behind his back. ¡°finding you suitable clothes should be done right away. i¡¯ll call mrs. lauren to come tomorrow immediately.¡± ¡°it¡¯s fine. i like these clothes.¡± ¡°even if you like it, it¡¯s more comfortable to wear clothes of the right size.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right, ray. i was planning to buy you new outfits too.¡± raynard gave in and reluctantly nodded to yurina. when the conversation ended, the marchioness led the two children to the sofa. as soon as the three of them sat down, the maid-in-waiting brought such delicacies like snacks, milk, and tea that the children would love and set it down on the table. raynard was astonished as he looked at the table filled with sweet desserts and drooled at the sight. then, he picked up the butter cookie and took a bite. later, yurina noticed the marchioness watching him then brushed off powder and crumbs from the side of his mouth. ¡°i¡¯m sorry.¡± the marquess shook her head and smiled warmly. ¡°you don¡¯t have to apologize. you can learn the rules of etiquette gradually. for now, don¡¯t be so reserved. go ahead and help yourself.¡± she wasn¡¯t expecting to hear those words directly from her. yurina was so surprised once again but did not she didn¡¯t show it on her face. after filling himself up with such delicious desserts, raynard was escorted back to his room by a maid. yurina, who was left behind, asked the marchioness, ¡°mother, was it really okay?¡± she got the results she wanted so she could just skip it without asking. however, there was something nagging in the corner of yurina¡¯s mind the marchioness tilted her head wondering what she meant. ¡°i think the desserts were okay.¡± ¡°that¡¯s not it¡­ i meant ray. can he really stay here in the mansion?¡± ¡°it sounds like your so unsure. you¡¯re the one who wanted him to stay in this mansion.¡± ¡°nevertheless¡­¡± yurina clutched on the hem of her skirt and couldn¡¯t speak any longer. she was able to confidently stand tall in front of marquis carthia without any hint of doubt. she knew that the marquis had no other choice but to sponsor for raynard because he was in fact gifted that¡¯s why she could stand toe-to-toe with him. but she was not facing the marquis. strangely, in front of her mother, she became nervous and started to shrink up like a real 10-year-old child. ¡°why are you so stiff like a child who has done something wrong? did you think your mother would scold you?¡± marchioness leaned forward and looked straight into her eyes as she cupped her cheeks. she smiled gently with affectionate look. ¡°you don¡¯t have to worry. you can do whatever you want. just don¡¯t get sick like before and stay healthy. that¡¯s all you have to do.¡± marchioness kissed yurina lightly on her forehead. yurina clutched her dress a little more tightly. yes, this is guilt. the warmer the marchioness treats her, the more guilt that weighs down on her heart. that was probably the reason why even if she could keep her composure in front of the marquis, she couldn¡¯t the same in front of the marchioness. the guilt that she is not her real daughter she loved so much. at the same time, she could see her smiling back at her. she could see her real mother¡¯s face overlapping¡ªa face that she would never be able to see again. ¡°i understand, mother.¡± yurina forced herself to smile. yurina might¡¯ve flashed a smile to the marchioness, but it seemed like she was about to cry instead. Chapter 7 chapter 7 ¡°ray, how old are you?¡± yurina asked as she watched mrs. lauren skillfully measure his dimensions. yurina knew his age, but she didn¡¯t want to assume and make a mistake. are you 11 or 12 right now? raynard might get furious, thinking she conducted a background check on him if she were to accidentally whether it be unintentional or not, reveal that she knew his age. according to her vague recollection, ¡®charrion¡¯ was 2 years older than lydia when marquis de flon took him in that winter. since lydia is the same age as yurina and considering that it¡¯s still summer at the moment, if raynard¡¯s birthday has already passed¡­ then he must be 12 years old about now. if not, then she can assume that he¡¯s still 11 years old. raynard, who was making a stiff face while being handled by mrs. lauren, shrugged his shoulders with a look of mischief as he saw her watching him. ¡°i¡¯m 12 already. you¡¯re 10 years old, right? at least that¡¯s what i¡¯ve heard,¡± he asked. ¡°mhm.¡± ¡°that means you¡¯re 2 years younger than me. aren¡¯t you just a kid?¡± he smirked. oh yeah? contrary to her physical appearance, it was raynard who looked more like a child to yurina since mentally, she is already over 20 years old. even if you were to observe them from the outside, ray still looks much younger than yurina. although ray is two years older, because he hasn¡¯t been eating properly, he is similar or slightly smaller in size compared to yurina. no matter how good he thinks he may look to others, in actuality, they still look pretty much the same age. ¡°you¡¯re only 2 years older,¡± she stated. ¡°i¡¯m only 2 years older? could you grow up in 2 years? no, i can grow up to be an adult 3 years faster than you.¡± ¡°in what country does 3 years mean growing up faster when you¡¯re just 2 years older?¡± yurina asked defiantly. ¡°i¡¯ll be 13 soon.¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°13 years old,¡± he repeated and as if she couldn¡¯t hear him well, he held up his 10 fingers and then exaggeratedly switched them to 3. further emphasizing the fact that he is 3 years older than her. regardless, mrs. lauren struggled to make him stay still and lowered his arm with a firm face. 13 years old, huh. then that means that he¡¯s actually 3 years older than yurina and lydia. yurina agonized at the difference between her memory and reality and came to a conclusion. i remembered it wrong. if she couldn¡¯t even remember the title of the novel, then it¡¯s entirely possible for her to have misremembered a lot of important details in her small memory. however, there wasn¡¯t exactly a lot to remember about ¡®charrion¡¯. charrion had blonde hair and red eyes. he grew up under the owner of a bar and ran away to an orphanage. he was later taken in by marquis de flon in the middle of winter, and afterwards, he returned to lydia from the royal academy of crohn during the year of her coming-of-age. the reason why she remembers charrion¡¯s setting¡ªeven though he was just a supporting male lead¡ªthan the prince was because charrion was more affectionate towards the heroine than the prince, who barely knew her, was. i wonder why lydia chose the crown prince and left charrion behind? yurina crossed her arms and scanned raynard from head to toe. she wondered just how in the world can this little egotistical boy grow up to be such an affectionate man 8 years from now? what exactly happened in the academy? ¡°ray, you should eat more rice in the future. what if you¡¯re the same height as me despite being 3 years older? the clothes you¡¯re wearing was used by my brother rick when he was the same age as you and still, it¡¯s too big.¡± ¡°watch me. i¡¯ll be taller in the future, so tall that your neck will hurt when you look up at me,¡± he said smugly. he shrugged again and mrs. lauren glared at him. ¡°how can you be so sure?¡± ¡°he told me i¡¯ll be as tall like my father.¡± ¡°who did? mother?¡± ¡°no. my father. my father is really tall.¡± during this moment, yurina felt something amiss with the conversation while talking with him. what? they weren¡¯t discussing anything bad and yet he looks so hurt¡­ ¡°young lady,¡± a voice suddenly called out to yurina. it was robert, the butler who was standing in front of the door. raynard had an uncomfortable expression on his face, probably because of the atmosphere or maybe because he is still dissatisfied. she had told her father marquis carthia that she wanted to be friends with raynard so she went to work. yurina hinted at raynard to call her ¡®yurina¡¯ and to speak casually to her. if word spreads that she treats him like a servant, he would never see her as a friend. at first, he looked surprised, but with a very serious expression, she gave him a few conditions and finally gave him permission. 1. raynard must learn etiquette. 2. he must be courteous towards others, at least until he gains his title. 3. continue being courteous and polite towards her three brothers who are in the academy, including her parents and others. yurina thought about it as he nodded without any hesitation. and the next day, she hired a tutor of etiquette to teach him the cultural arts and proper etiquette. robert did not show any signs of discrimination nor dissatisfaction towards raynard overlooking his rudeness since the marquis gave permission to act like that. however, he could not completely disregard him so whenever raynard acts so openly to yurina without holding back, robert would shoot a glare in his direction. whether he realized robert¡¯s displeased look or not, raynard didn¡¯t seem to care at all. you seem to be pretending you that you notice. as yurina alternately looked between raynard and robert, she clicked her tongue. she could not simply accept this cold and tense warfare between the two since it was completely absurd. ¡°robert,¡± she called. only then was robert snapped back to reality and realized what he was doing. he bowed his head towards yurina without any change of expression. ¡°young lady, the master is looking for you.¡± ¡°now? is it urgent?¡± ¡°dave is with him.¡± then it must be urgent. yurina got up from her seat and fixed her disheveled dress. mrs. lauren went over and helped with arranging all the clothes. ¡°is everything over?¡± ¡°we¡¯ve recorded all of his dimensions. now we can pick out the clothing design and materials.¡± raynard walked lightly and sat next to yurina with a disgruntled face. ¡°is it not over yet? haven¡¯t i been standing all day? what else are we doing here?¡± ¡°making clothes isn¡¯t that simple. of course, we have to pick out the clothing design and colors that suit you. you shouldn¡¯t be so tired already because once the outfits are decided, you have to pick out shoes that match your clothes. not only that, we still need to look at handkerchiefs and jewelry.¡± with a tired face, raynard shook his head. he slumped on the sofa like a withered vegetable that was frozen and thawed in midwinter. robert glanced at raynard, making no comment on his lack of manners or grace with his facial expression and behaviour. raynard¡¯s face was full of shock after seeing mrs. lauren bring in the clothing catalogue. the party that surprised everyone with his untimely behaviour felt uncomfortable without even repenting. ¡°i think i¡¯m going to die. what¡¯s so complicated about it? i had no idea that i¡¯d be living so uncomfortably. i should¡¯ve known when you showed me those four forks,¡± said raynard. ¡°thanks for letting me know now. for reference, there¡¯s still a lot for you to learn from so don¡¯t yell at me later for not warning you. you still have a long way to go and you should sit up straight. now that you¡¯re being sponsored by us, you are considered a member of the carthia household. if you¡¯re ever caught doing something unsightly, you¡¯d ruin the carthia name. yurina caught raynard¡¯s arm, he seemed to be protesting with his whole body saying ¡®i would rather be caught.¡¯ he looked at the people around him and scratched his head. ¡°but when i look at it, i can¡¯t tell the difference. that¡­ is it the same color as this one?¡± ¡°it¡¯s different.¡± ¡°but they¡¯re the same red.¡± ¡°the one on the left is red with a mixture of brown while the right is a mixture of yellow. come to think of it, your skin color doesn¡¯t look good with the one on the right. i¡¯ll have to remind you to never wear that colour from now on.¡± raynard opened his mouth as if to protest, ¡®i can¡¯t do it¡¯. yurina then grabbed his arm and pulled him off the couch. ¡°anyway¡­ i need to go speak with my father for a minute, so go pick out designs and fabric.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll have to choose them alone? don¡¯t go. can¡¯t you stay here with me? yurina sighed a little as he looked at raynard. he is still anxious. it has already been a few days since he arrived yet he is still on guard. he doesn¡¯t even glance at people nor does he talk to them. especially if someone were to ever try to touch his body, he would scream and retreat to the furthest part of the room. a little while before, he had refused to allow mrs. lauren to take his dimension. he finally gave in after hearing yurina say, ¡®it doesn¡¯t look good to be wearing clothes that aren¡¯t fitted properly¡¯. he lets his guard down a bit only in front of yurina. in this mansion full of strangers, she¡¯s not sure whether he will be able to learn to trust them. he¡¯d put on an unsettling expression whenever she leaves him alone. he¡¯s like a puppy who was abandoned by his owner. a puppy with a drooping tail. yurina felt guilty for some reason and turned her head away from his gaze. you¡¯re always going on like this, huh? while she was thinking that it was the usual, she wondered whether that poor facial expression was actually some high-level acting. ¡°are you uneasy about mrs. lauren?¡± ¡°i¡¯m very uneasy,¡± he said as he gazed and squinted at mrs. lauren. he had been wary of her since the first time he saw her. he had said he didn¡¯t like the way she looked at him. ¡°just wait here for a little. father and dave are looking for me so it can¡¯t be helped. i¡¯ll come back shortly and be with you.¡± ¡°still¡­¡± ¡°okay. robert will help you. robert, can you help ray and mrs. lauren while i go visit my father?¡± robert, a faithful butler, immediately bowed his head and said, ¡°of course.¡± yurina left the room. raynard returned to looking at mrs. lauren¡¯s clothing designs and showed a grim look. Chapter 8 chapter 8 now here ya go~~ yurina was drinking her lemon tea as she listened to the conversation between marquis karthia and dave. ¡°there are two methods to get admitted to the academy: first, you have to take the exam, and the second is to get recommendations from famous people and pass the screening process. in this case, you must know that there¡¯s an interview to confirm his talent before entering the school.¡± the entrance ceremony to the royal academy of crohn is held every spring. yurina and dave were planning to let raynard enter next spring. marquis carthia listened to dave¡¯s words. with a serious expression, he rubbed his chin and asked for a drink. as marquis carthia was seriously listening to dave, he rubbed his chin in thought and asked, ¡°which would be easier?¡± in fact, the admission is so difficult it¡¯s not easy either way, but usually the former will certainly pass. the recommendation part has very low objectivity and the pride of the academy cannot be jeopardized. the marquis held his head even though he already knew about this. ¡°i heard that there was someone who entered the royal academy of crohn by recommendation during the time you entered too and had no more talent than those who took the exam.¡± ¡°yes, i heard about it during my school years. maybe it¡¯s been more difficult since then.¡± ¡°from what you can tell, does raynard have a slim chance of passing the test?¡± ¡°he does, although the preparation period is indeed short. from now on, i¡¯ll be his magic instructor and with his gift, he can catch up to the other students. however, he isn¡¯t only taking a magic course, is he? half a year is too short to prepare for the other subjects.¡± ¡°if so, won¡¯t it be a bit difficult for him to enter next spring?¡± marquis furrowed his brows with concern. just as what dave had said, even with the normal way of admission, it would be too difficult to prepare raynard in just one and a half years instead of the usual 6 months. even though the department of magic was famous, the royal academy of crohn was a public academy that represented the kingdom. the department of magic might be renowned, still, the royal academy of crohn is a public academy that represents the kingdom. although each department considers grades to be the most important, various subjects such as history, politics, and economics are included in the examination scope. that¡¯s to be expected of a magic exam. for raynard who has yet to fully understand the theory of magic, to learn about it in just approximately half a year was close to impossible. then, there could only be one way. yurina smiled as she held her half-empty teacup in her hands. ¡°there is no need to worry, father. raynard will be able to enter the school with just enough recommendations.¡± as long as he can get a recommendation and be accepted for an interview, that would be enough. no, he will definitely be able to pass without fail. that¡¯s because, in contrast to the test that requires general knowledge, only magic potential will be evaluated. however, there¡¯s still an obstacle that needs to be overcome before the documents can be submitted. ¡°we are aware that raynard indeed has enough aptitude in magic for dave to want to take him in as a disciple. however yurina, aren¡¯t the chances too slim to pass by recommendation alone?¡± ¡°mhm, mhm,¡± dave nodded to his reasonable question. ¡°marquis, it¡¯s a little bit embarrassing for me to say this, but i am rather influential when it comes to the field of magic and a simple mention of my name being his instructor, they will surely acknowledge him.¡± dave continued. ¡®pardon me¡¯ he added and contrary to his words, dave wore a confident smile. that¡¯s just like ray. yurina thought perhaps the both of them might be well-placed as a magician. ¡°if word gets out that the house of carthia is supporting a common man, then it won¡¯t be long for rumors to spread among the commoners that even people like them have the capability.¡± there was nothing to worry about. in fact, she is confident that raynard will be able to enter the academy next spring. there was absolutely nothing to worry about. truth is, yurina was so confident that raynard would be able to enter the academy next spring without any inconvenience. charrion got admitted. to be honest, she couldn¡¯t remember just how ¡®charrion¡¯ got admitted to the school. but no matter how gifted he was, ¡®charrion¡¯ could not have passed the test in just a few months without receiving any education. so how in the world did he get over the high wall of the royal academy of crohn? it¡¯s because of the mage, de flon. he was a pretty mediocre mage. he probably wrote a recommendation letter and saw to it that charrion would enter the academy. they would¡¯ve invited him for an interview because of his involvement, but they would¡¯ve to recognize his talent at a glance and grant him admission. although, it is a bit concerning that this time the letter of recommendation would be written by dave instead of de flon¡­ still, she wasn¡¯t as worried since dave, who offered to write the recommendation letter, was far more brilliant as a mage than de flon. not to mention that he is an alumnus of the royal academy of crohn. additionally, he was backed up by the carthia family who are just as influential as de flon. these alone convinced yurina that she would be able to watch raynard¡¯s talent flourish in the academy. dave, while looking at yurina¡¯s confident expression, made a far more imposing face than hers. dave had a far more imposing face than yurina¡¯s confident look. ¡°you don¡¯t really have to worry too much. i¡¯ve already requested certain people that are capable enough to write a letter of recommendation for him. after explaining to them thoroughly, they all offered to write letters of recommendation themselves.¡± ¡°really? it must¡¯ve been quite a hassle. when did you request for it?¡± dave laughed and patted yurina on the head and she was genuinely surprised at his sudden gesture. ¡°of course, i did it as soon as i can, since the young lady wants mr. raynard to enter the academy so much. and i, also, want mr. raynard to get admitted next spring.¡± ¡°that¡¯s a little surprising. i thought dave wanted to teach raynard as much as possible and delay his admission to the academy.¡± yurina was prepared to insist on raynard entering next spring no matter what dave would have said. the basic study period for the academy was seven years. as of today, there had been no person who had finished the academy earlier than the graduation date. ¡®charrion¡¯ also spent seven years before coming back in spring, the time of yurina and lydia¡¯s coming-of-age. the reason why yurina was so obsessed with that year was because it was when the novel begins. during that spring, two women would have their debuts at the same time and they would begin to be regarded as candidates for the position as crown princess. of course, i¡¯ll declare that i have no intention of being a crown princess. however, things will not go that way easily. if yurina doesn¡¯t want to, she was sure that marquis carthia, who cares so much about her, will keep her as much as he can. and the relationship between political interest will end quick. the noble faction supporting marquis carthia repeatedly tried to make yurina the crown princess, and that alone gave marquis de flon enough reason to keep an eye on yurina of the carthia family. ¡°of course, i¡¯d like to teach mr. raynard a little longer, but if he¡¯s going to enter the academy, it would be better for mr. raynard to get in as soon as possible. a child should have entered the academy as a student by the age of 12 and he is already behind.¡± ¡°he will be thirteen soon.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± ¡°ray will be thirteen years old this spring. he said his birthday was coming up soon.¡± ¡°if so, then we should work and prepare harder.¡± yurina lifted her head as he watched dave enthusiastically pumping both his fist. yurina stood up from her seat not soon after. ¡°is it alright if i take my leave first since the conversation seems to be over? i was picking out ray¡¯s clothes, but i excused myself for a while.¡± ¡°yes.¡± yurina bowed towards her father and dave. and as soon as she left the office, a pale looking maid hurriedly approached her. ¡°young lady, there¡¯s trouble! i think you should see it quickly!¡± yurina and the maid later saw that the corridor in front of the dining room was cluttered when they arrived. yurina and the maid quickly left and as they were slowly, the cluttered corridor in front of the drawing room came into view. when they arrived, the usual well-mannered servants of the carthia¡¯s were nowhere to be seen. the servants were restless and agitated. one of them was holding onto the doorknob. moreover, mrs. lauren and robert where nowhere to be found. yurina furrowed her brows as she looked at the tense situation. ¡°what in the world is going on here? where¡¯s raynard?¡± the maid in charge of raynard hurriedly bowed in front of her. ¡°raynard is inside.¡± ¡°then why are you guys out here?¡± ¡°that¡¯s¡­..¡± she wasn¡¯t reprimanding them but genuinely asking a question. however, the servants were uneasily looking at each other and no one answered. looks like raynard chased them out. it seemed like raynard, who was extremely cautious to strangers, sent them all out as soon as yurina left. this was nothing new to her since it has happened a few times before. yurina could imagine the scene where raynard would have this agitated look on his face like a cat with their nails out and hissing towards the servants. ¡°young lady, you can¡¯t go in!¡± ¡°why?¡± yurina was about to turn the doorknob but halted as she heard the maid¡¯s voice who was now reluctant to continue with her words. and instead of urging the maid to speak, she opened the door. at that moment, raynard raised his voice more than he had ever done before and it echoed through the hallways. ¡°don¡¯t come in! get out! get out of here!¡± something crashed and hit the door with a shattering noise. a small sharp shard brushed against yurina¡¯s cheek as she stood before the door. the broken pieces of the vase fell with a crashing noise and rocked on the hallway. ¡°young lady!¡± the maid who followed behind yurina hastily closed the door and examined her wound. the maid wiped off the blood on her cheek with her sleeve. yurina then slowly glanced around. and every time they were caught in her gaze, they would tremble with their heads bowed. ¡°what in the world happened here?¡± even if raynard didn¡¯t have any manners and used crude harsh words, he had never used physical violence against others before. rather, his harsh words were more like a defense mechanism to survive alone in this cruel world. like an angry puffer fish who puffs up and stops a thousand enemies from approaching. when he said he didn¡¯t like mrs. lauren, all he did was glare and stepped back to a corner. yurina hadn¡¯t known raynard as long, but somehow, she was certain of it. ¡°betsy, tell me exactly what happened. everything.¡± Chapter 9 chapter 9 betsy is yurina¡¯s maid who is also in charge of tending to raynard. she took a deep breath and began to recount what had transpired after yurina left the drawing room. ¡°after the young lady left, raynard became wary of us and mrs. lauren. even though there was absolutely nothing to worry about. mrs. lauren picked out a color that would match his skin and even commented that the designs that were trendy.¡± it seems that everything was normal until then. the problem happened right after that. ¡°then while mrs. lauren was looking through the hat designs for his outfit¡­¡± ¡°why are you stopping? what did mrs. lauren say?¡± betsy waved her hand as if she had made a mistake. ¡°she said that raynard¡¯s eyes looked ominous and that he¡¯d better hide them if he were to go outside.¡± at that moment, yurina thought that she must¡¯ve heard betsy wrong, so she sharply asked again, ¡°what?¡± betsy clasped her skirt tightly after hearing the reprimanding voice, ¡°i¡¯ve given robert explicit orders that if anyone were to mention raynard¡¯s eyes in that regard, they would be severely punished.¡± she didn¡¯t expect this to happen. in yurina¡¯s perspective, raynard¡¯s eyes felt like they were her hope but it seems that others don¡¯t think the same. just as people feel vague fear when encountering something unfamiliar, when faced with red eyes for the first time in their lives, it would definitely make them afraid. it¡¯s for this reason that they think that red eyes are cursed in the empire since they regard red as a sign of a bad omen. the day yurina brought raynard to the mansion, she had ordered robert in advance to inform all the servants that they must be extremely cautious. thanks to that, there hasn¡¯t been any trouble so far. i don¡¯t think robert would neglect his duties even if raynard was someone brought in from the outside. yurina asked why robert had left mrs. lauren to say those things, but betsy shook her head in response. ¡°the butler warned her beforehand. when she said that, he had quickly tried to stop mrs. lauren but she refused to listen.¡± according to betsy, mrs. lauren continued to point out raynard¡¯s eyes while ignoring robert¡¯s warnings. mrs. lauren even mentioned that ¡®you must always be grateful to the family of carthia since they decided to sponsor such an ominous child afterall¡¯ and ¡®the young lady is really kind.¡¯ at first, raynard shouted, ¡®shut up¡¯, with a red face to which she responded with, ¡®i wouldn¡¯t have made your clothes if it weren¡¯t for the carthia family.¡¯ he finally lost his temper and ran at her. robert and the maids immediately pulled them off of each other but mrs. lauren already had a scratch on the back of her hand. betsy continued to recount what happened. while robert was escorting mrs. lauren to get checked out by the doctor, she stubbornly stated that she was only saying it on behalf of the carthia family. even though it¡¯s only been a couple of days since raynard arrived, he had already called mrs. lauren a ¡®wicked fox¡¯ and told her to shut her up. ¡°after that, raynard was in a fit of rage and kicked everyone out into the hall.¡± betsy didn¡¯t know what was going on inside, so she knew she had to go in and check. but every time she tried to open the door, he would scream and throw stuff at her which made her unable to enter. after understanding the situation, yurina felt like she was personally insulted and tightly clenched her fists. she trembled in anger and she can feel her blood rising to her head. if mrs. lauren had done that in front of her, yurina would¡¯ve slapped her ugly face instantly. did she think that by doing that, she would make a good impression on me? they despised those who were weaker than them while they bow down so easily and wag their tails like dogs in front of the strong. mrs. lauren¡¯s obvious intentions disgusted her. when yurina heard of the situation, her heart felt both miserable and angry. how much worse did raynard feel as one who had heard such malicious words directly? she felt so ashamed that she didn¡¯t have the confidence to look him in the eye. yurina breathed a few times to keep her emotions in check and then shook her head. ¡°as soon as mrs. lauren¡¯s treatment is over, bring her to me.¡± she reached for the doorknob again. the maid tried to stop her in fright but yurina ignored her and knocked on the door. ¡°ray, it¡¯s me. i¡¯m coming in, ¡± yurina declared with a louder voice and opened the door. she wasn¡¯t sure whether she should expect a voice or a cry not to come at this time. yurina signaled her hands towards the maid who attempted to go in as well and shut the door behind her. the living room is currently a disaster. the burgundy carpet was soaking wet with broken pieces of vases and withered petals on top of that. she briefly glanced at the mess on the floor then slowly approached raynard who was sitting on the couch. raynard had his arms wrapped around his knees and buried his face in it. he curled up even more. he was already small to begin with, and now he shrank even more. i¡¯d rather you be angry. if he shouted a barrage of abuse at yurina like usual, ¡®she insulted me!¡¯ she would have accepted his anger and would say ¡®i¡¯ll make sure she pays the price for insulting you.¡¯ ¡®i asked you not to leave me alone,¡¯ if he had blamed yurina, she would¡¯ve apologized to him. but seeing him shivering like this, she couldn¡¯t find the right words to say. ¡°ray.¡± yurina decided to say something after thinking it through, then approached him and took the seat next to him. raynard buried his head further but he didn¡¯t shout for her to get out. ¡°i¡¯m sorry i¡¯m late.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll make mrs. lauren pay a great price for insulting you. so ray¡­¡­¡± with both of her hands, she carefully lifted his head and the sight shocked her. ¡°why did you do this?¡± raynard¡¯s eyes had several wounds around it which he obviously scratched with his fingernails. on top of his clear eyelids, his temples, and even his cheekbones were covered with scabs and red swellings. looking at the swollen red wounds that stood out from his white skin, yurina frowned. ¡°don¡¯t look.¡± (ray) raynard covered his eyes with one hand and pushed yurina with the other. ¡°don¡¯t look. i don¡¯t like it.¡± hearing his trembling voice, she felt like she swallowed hot stones. she could feel her throat burning up and tightening and hugged raynard¡¯s body on impulse. if you look at him objectively, he is similar to her physically, but right now, his body felt smaller her arms. yurina hugged his trembling body a little tighter and stroked his back gently. raynard stammered and put his arms around her neck. his crying voice came to her ears vividly. ¡°you¡ª you lied to me. saying that these eyes are a blessing from the goddess¡­ that i¡¯m gifted. you¡¯re the only one who thinks so,¡± he muttered resentfully as he clung desperately to yurina. she had a lot of reasons for why she said he was blessed by the goddess. those red eyes are the very symbol, and dave was able to prove to him that he was indeed gifted. so she was able to say those things confidently. every single word she said was true. however, even if those words were true, what good does it do? just like he said, yurina is the only one who believes in it. it¡¯s her fault since she thought it was okay to tell him the truth because it would be revealed one day in the end. no matter how hard the servants stopped the bad remarks from reaching raynard¡¯s ears, there was no way they could change the person¡¯s mind. even if you wrapped bandages around a wound to hide it, it won¡¯t heal. someday it would just bleed itself out. for raynard, his red eyes were such a scarred wound. something like this would¡¯ve happened sooner or later. ¡°sorry.¡± in the end, that was all she could say. an apology. yurina continued to hold raynard¡¯s trembling body. ¡°i told you that i didn¡¯t like that woman. i told you she looked at me weird.¡± ¡°i¡¯m sorry. it¡¯s all my fault.¡± ¡°that¡¯s why i¡­¡­. i told you not to go.¡± yurina could feel something wet form on her shoulders and she shut her eyes tightly to hold back her own tears. i didn¡¯t think it would be this painful for you. she already knew that he had a rough life. that¡¯s what it is like to be different from others. how could he have lived a comfortable life when he grew up with such criticisms even though he hadn¡¯t done anything. it all happened simply because he possessed red eyes. not only that, he also had no one to protect his heart and body from the harsh waves of the world. he was in such despair that had reached out to hold yurina¡¯s hand for the first time, thinking she is the only one there for him. she had thought that she just needed to get him on her side and win his heart, she hadn¡¯t felt any compassion for him back then because she was busy trying to get used to this strange place, she had neither the time nor the heart to spare for someone else. perhaps raynard wouldn¡¯t have gotten this hurt as much if she had done more for him. however, when she saw him sobbing like a child of their age, she realized it was too late. she must take a little more care of him. in this world, at least, since she¡¯s here. ¡°sorry.¡± (yurina) eventually, she slid her face buried it in his neck and shuddered as she cried. ¡°i¡¯m really sorry, ray.¡± people might laugh at her for being a hypocrite, they might dismiss it as being the same as pity. in fact, yurina might not even have the right to criticize mrs. lauren. it was purely for her own self gain that she brought raynard here. she only treated him well because she wanted to gain his favor so he that could protect her in the future. if they¡¯re talking about being pure, she could say that marquis de flon, in the original novel, had a purer heart since he decided to recognize raynard¡¯s talent and sponsor for him. even if he was purchased in the beginning, even if it had not been out of goodwill but a deal, the marquis¡¯ intentions were sincere. since she is essentially using raynard to live, to be upset at mrs. lauren for her behaviour would make yurina a hypocrite. still¡­. even if someone pointed out that she is a hypocrite, she still wants to protect not only his tattered body, but also his wounded heart. ¡°ray, ignore that foolish woman. i don¡¯t know where she is but i¡¯m going to make her pay greatly. come to think of it, i didn¡¯t like any of the designs she had. time, i¡¯ll bring someone more capable.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°and if anyone disrespects you¡­ right from the beginning, tell them honestly ¡®the person who brought me is yurina carthia. if you disrespect me, you are disrespecting yurina. to disregard yurina is to disregard the family of carthia. would you be willing to risk it?¡¯ and also¡­¡± yurina softly whispered into his ear, ¡°i do believe your eyes are really pretty.¡± Chapter 10 chapter 10 as if nothing had happened, he stopped crying. raynard lifted his head as he supresses his emotions. yurina carefully wiped his red eyes with her handkerchief and looked at him. ¡°it¡¯s true. it¡¯s pretty. it looks like sparkling rubies. do you know what a ruby is? it¡¯s a red gem just like your eyes. i would show you one but i¡¯m sorry, i don¡¯t have any ruby jewelry.¡± to be honest, rubies cannot compare to raynard¡¯s beautiful eyes. there were times when yurina would encounter him in with dark, unfamiliar red color. nevertheless, she liked his eyes. was it because it¡¯s a symbol of the goddess? because he is the only one who can save her? of course, that¡¯s not the case. she liked it the moment she laid her eyes on it. ever since she came here, yurina only had a few instances where she could genuinely be herself in a conversation. she even felt uncomfortable interacting with her family sometimes. they always looked at her with such warm eyes, but what they see before them is a daughter and a sister who has been with them for 10 years. not the stranger named sena who just suddenly became yurina one day. however, raynard was different. he didn¡¯t know ¡°yurina¡± from before. she could just be herself without having to pretend to be ¡°yurina¡±. ¡°i like your eyes, ray.¡± with yurina¡¯s genuine remark, ray¡¯s natural red cheeks grew deeper in color. raynard grunted silently and slipped out of her arms just like a fish. ¡°you, saying those things all of a sudden. why would you call a boy pretty? that¡¯s not good at all!¡± and in an instant, he backed away from yurina and crossed his arms over to cover his chest similar to the time when the maids tried to help him take a bath. that¡¯s not what¡¯s important right now. besides, what¡¯s up with that reaction? why is he guarding himself? he even screamed? all she just said was his eyes were pretty, right? not like she wants a deadpan response, but she was not expecting such a reaction either and this made here speechless for a moment. it seemed like it was going in a different direction somehow than what she had intended, but she was glad that raynard was a bit more energetic now. ¡°why can¡¯t i call it pretty? although, if you don¡¯t like it, would you prefer if i said it was cool instead? your eyes look cool¡±, yurina shrugged nonchalantly. raynard stared at her silently. not so long after, he looked away from her and wiped his tear-streaked face with the back of his hand. yurina suddenly reached out and clasped both of his hands. ¡°you can¡¯t wipe it like that. it¡¯s already wounded.¡± ¡°ah, mhm.¡± yurina gently wiped his face with a handkerchief. raynard stayed silent with his eyes glued down on the floor while yurina¡¯s hand stayed on his face. ¡°hey.¡± (ray) ¡°hm?¡± (yurina) ¡°¡­¡­your eyes are pretty.¡± (ray) she stared at him. yurina thought that that compliment was like getting a ¡®my teacher is the best!¡¯ from a child which made her feel like a kindergarten teacher. i always thought you were rough, but you have a cute side too. somehow, she has the urge to tease him a little more so she lowered her head and looked straight at his eyes. ¡°yes? what about my eyes?¡± ¡°they¡¯re¡­.¡± raynard hesitatingly tried to answer however, after looking at yurina¡¯s eyes, he gave her a surprised look. ¡°well, what is it?¡± (yurina) ¡°huh? that?¡± (ray) stop stammering and just tell the truth. right after that, raynard reached out to her face and touched her wound that stung her. ¡°it wasn¡¯t there before¡­¡± he murmured quietly to himself. he kept pondering why and soon gave a hollow strangled voice. ¡°this¡­.. did i do this? did you get hurt because of the vase i threw earlier?¡± yurina laughed and covered the scratch with her hand. ¡°no.¡± ¡°you¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°why would i lie?¡± even a child would know it was a lie. even so, she thought she would be able to fool him due to his naivety. he was already in anguish, she didn¡¯t want him to blame himself again for it. ¡°you should worry about your wounds and not me. i just messed up.¡± she pressed on his forehead hard. who should be worried about who when in fact he suffered a lot worse than her? ¡°i can ask dave to treat me with magic, can¡¯t i? i¡¯m sure he can heal me without leaving a scar,¡± she awkwardly smiled. it was an attempt to change the subject. ¡°¡­¡­¡± he was definitely not falling for it. if something was badly wounded, it was his face, but why would he be so concerned about hers? raynard was biting his lips for a moment, then he touched yurina¡¯s hands which was on her cheeks. ¡°put your hand away.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°don¡¯t be so immature.¡± fighting against yurina¡¯s will, she tore her hands off her cheeks and let him scrutinized the wound. his face was now looking at her from up close which was slightly more scrunched up than before. ¡°does it hurt?¡± he lightly pressed on the wound with his fingertip. yurina flinched. ¡°it hurts.¡± it¡¯s not like there was totally no pain at all however, it wasn¡¯t that significant. if she wasn¡¯t conscious of her injuries, it¡¯s just a little pain that she can barely feel. only the maids would make such a fuss about a scar on a precious lady¡¯s face. ¡°so it hurts.¡± ¡°it does hurt.¡± ¡°i think it really does hurt.¡± raynard came closer to her and sat down while he blew over the wound. there was a momentarily tingling sensation. yurina tried to turn away but raynard used his hands, that were on her cheeks before, to pull on her shoulders and prevent her from running away. as he approached closer to her, he could smell something fragrant. it¡¯s the scent of spring flowers that he once proudly said that smelled good. once again, he blew on her cheek. the wind felt somewhat hotter than usual on yurina¡¯s cheek. she couldn¡¯t tell if it was because his eyes were red like fire or¡­ ¡°sorry. it¡¯s because i threw the vase¡­..¡± every time he gently rubbed his thumb around the wound, she could feel a ticklish sensation. she had a slight tinge of urge to scratch the newly made wound. and instead, she scratched her other cheek. raynard, who was tending to her wound, looked at her in surprise. ¡°huh? this is?¡± she looked at him, his thumb stained with blood from her wound. ¡°what is it?¡± raynard glanced at yurina who was touching her cheek with a curious face. she went speechless as if she saw a ghost in the middle of the night. ¡°wah, the wound is gone! it was certainly there before!¡± ¡°what does this mean?¡± raynard poked on the area of her cheek where the wound was before. ¡°there was obviously a wound here, but it disappeared! what is this?!¡± ¡°all of a sudden it¡­..¡± yurina, who was still feeling the part of her cheek, soon realized she could not feel the pain from the wound anymore. ¡°the pain is really gone?¡¯ yurina checked her cheek with the handkerchief that was left on the table. in other words, raynard made her supposedly wounded face spotless. the situation was beyond common sense. ¡°how did you do it, ray?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know. i-i just thought that i didn¡¯t want to see you hurt¡­¡­.¡± ¡°it¡¯s magic.¡± she didn¡¯t understand how the untrained raynard was able to do a healing spell that was considered difficult to do among mages. but that was the only explanation for this bizarre phenomenon. ¡°it¡¯s magic, ray! you treated me with your magic!¡± yurina screamed in excitement. she knew that ray was talented, but seeing and knowing were two different things after all. after adrenaline flowed in her body, she gleamed. ¡°me? it can¡¯t be.¡± ¡°it¡¯s magic. i told you, you¡¯re gifted.¡± raynard alternately looked at yurina¡¯s face and his hands in disbelief. ¡°am i really gifted?¡± ¡°yes!¡± yurina grabbed his hand and shook it like a 10-year-old child would. ¡°ray, you should treat your wounds at once. then we can confirm it.¡± ¡°how?¡± ¡°like how you did it to me¡­..¡± she took his fingers to his injured eye. ¡°can you not just rub it like this?¡± contrary to her expectations, no matter how much he tried, he couldn¡¯t heal any of the wounds on his face. ¡°i heard that raynard was rude while i was away. is your hand ok?¡± she put down the teacup and smiled at mrs. lauren. mrs. lauren was nervous at first, but soon relaxed her shoulders. she placed both of her hands on the table and fiddled with her bandaged hand. she was obviously telling yurina to look at what he had done. for god¡¯s sake. yurina breathed in deeply as to not cringe. ¡°i don¡¯t think ray is a bad child. it¡¯s just that he isn¡¯t used to living here yet. i apologize on his behalf. i am afraid that he has hurt you.¡± mrs. lauren was so startled it was as if she was going to jump out of her chair . ¡°no, pay it no mind. the young lady has already apologized. this is no big deal. when you work with clothes, you tend to accidentally poke yourself with a needle, or cut your hands with a pair of scissors and make a mess. you don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± ¡°oh, i didn¡¯t know you that have such a big heart.¡± yurina covered her face with a fan to hide her facial expression. how repulsive. she guessed that she would be younger than her daughter. with her groveling in front of her like that, she doesn¡¯t seriously think that after doing such a thing to raynard, this would be wrapped up easily? actually, this shouldn¡¯t be a big deal for an aristocrat. mrs. lauren is the wife of a noteworthy writer. she was still an aristocrat who is sponsored by the carthia family however, raynard was a commoner who had yet to learn his manners. she didn¡¯t touch raynard, she didn¡¯t swear at him, she didn¡¯t blame him. if she was an ordinary noble, she would have just dismissed everything. but yurina could not simply let this matter go. he wasn¡¯t as important as her family, but for yurina, raynard was more important than mrs. lauren. in her mind, yurina wanted to grab the black-hearted woman by the hair, but she wouldn¡¯t do it. she could do it if she wanted to. she has a perfectly good reason to do so. you completely ignored robert¡¯s warnings to not mention ray¡¯s eyes. no matter how much she insisted that it was for the carthia family, the fact that she disregarded it and offended him also meant offending the carthia family. even if there was a good reason for her to act as such, it¡¯ll still end up the same. yurina was given a lame reason not to like mrs. lauren and mrs. lauren can¡¯t do anything about it. the marquis carthia will create a reason to persuade others and will silence his servants to defend his daughter. but did she need to get her hand¡¯s dirty to show her what transpired? yurina knows there are several other ways to give her the shock of her life. ¡°but i wonder why such a thoughtful woman spout such remarks while ignoring the advice given by the butler of this mansion?¡± Chapter 11 chapter 11 ¡°huh?¡± yurina smiled as mrs. lauren blinked at her. yurina glanced at her for a bit and then beckoned for the maid who was behind her. ¡°bring it.¡± soon, the maid came in with some of yurina¡¯s dresses. they were dresses made by mrs. lauren. mrs. lauren gulped at the sight of the dresses the maid had brought in with her without being able to comprehend what was happening. ¡°those are¡­¡­.¡± yurina inhaled deeply through her nose. she needed to prepare her heart for this. ¡®i didn¡¯t want to go this far.¡¯ although yurina said he was a member of the carthia family, she didn¡¯t want to ignore the people under them because of power. but first, for disregarding raynard, yurina wanted to do the same thing mrs. lauren did. yurina wanted her to suffer as much as he did. yurina clearly spoke to the maid while her eyes were fixed on mrs. lauren. ¡°tear it.¡± every time the maid cut the clothes without hesitation, the sound of clothing ripping filled the air. snip. the thread of decorative beads was cut and the beads rolled all over the floor. mrs. lauren let out a small distressing cry. yurina couldn¡¯t care less about her and beckoned the maid beside her once more. ¡°tear it.¡± again, the maid tore up another dress without delay. yurina ordered the maid to tear one dress after another. mrs. lauren¡¯s face turned white as sleet and trembled as she watched the maid rip the very last dress to shreds and looked at yurina. ¡°did you say that the advice you gave to raynard was for the sake of house of carthia? i really do appreciate that, but if it really was for the carthias, then you should¡¯ve instead heeded the advice to not mention ray¡¯s eyes.¡± yurina, as she looked at mrs. lauren who was still in a state of shock, smiled like a child. ¡°you didn¡¯t mean to run your mouth so thoughtlessly, did you?¡± from now on, she will never make clothing for another aristocrat again. yurina watched dave as he seriously healed raynard¡¯s wounds. every time he placed his fingers on ray¡¯s face, a small glow would appear and the swollen wound would vanish. looking at his face now, it¡¯s good to see that he has regained his original appearance, a white and clear complexion. she looked on in surprise and admiration. ¡®magic is amazing.¡¯ in korea, medicine was advancely developed, but it took a considerable amount of time for the wound to heal and clear without scarring. even if just an unlucky scratch, she still had to rub on ointment and place a bandaid to help avoid scarring. now, she has learned to appreciate the greatness of magic. ¡°what, why do you keep staring?¡± (ray) ¡°just curious.¡± ¡°if you keep staring like that, your face will wear off.¡± still, yurina continued staring at his face and was startled that raynard peered away from her gaze first. ¡°by the way, young lady.¡± (dave) ¡°hm?¡± yurina turned around to look at dave and tilted her head. ¡°i heard that your face was wounded, where is the wound? the maids had been worried and made a big fuss about it.¡± ¡°oh, that.¡± yurina lightly scratched the area where the wound should have been. she even checked in front of the mirror and not even the tiniest scar was left. ¡°it should be here but then raynard rubbed it with his finger and it disappeared. was it magic?¡± dave nodded as yurina pointed to where it was. ¡°yup. it¡¯s magic. if a wound was treated without leaving any trace, then it must be magic.¡± ¡°are you sure? that sounds like a sham.¡± she had no special reason and would have just said ¡®the wound is gone! it¡¯s magic!¡¯ but dave, who was a mage, should not say it like that as well. dave had burst out laughing while yurina eyed him suspiciously. in his eyes, yurina looked cute no matter what she did. ¡°of course, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s baseless. i know it¡¯s magic for sure since there were magic trails left on your cheek.¡± ¡°magic trails?¡± ¡°magic is called forth by using the natural mana around you. when you use a spell, it will warp and deform, and then it will remain there for a period of time. there are few altered mana parts on the lady¡¯s cheek.¡± ¡°huh?¡± yurina rubbed her cheeks. ¡°but how can ray use magic when he was never taught it?¡± ¡°sometimes, gifted children like raynard, may use magic unconsciously. of course, high-level magic is impossible. it¡¯s not something simple like healing your wounds. it¡¯s not surprising that he unconsciously used healing magic because he¡¯s good at harvesting mana around his body without knowing.¡± dave wiped the corner of raynard¡¯s eyes who had been laying on the couch from exhaustion. she didn¡¯t like seeing his wounded face, but now, it seems that his wounds had disappeared and were nowhere to be found. ¡°truly¡­ the more i see him, the more talented he seems to get, milady.¡± ¡°no.¡± (yurina) ¡°i know.¡± that¡¯s what he says, but he couldn¡¯t take off his eyes off of raynard. raynard already had fallen asleep due to exhaustion. a soft sound like a sleeping baby breathing resonated in the quiet room. yurina leaned over the sofa and brushed off the hair on raynard¡¯s forehead that had fallen over his eyes. his unmanageable stiff rough hair curled and tickled her fingers. ¡°don¡¯t¡­..mhmh,¡± raynard muttered in his sleep as he drooled and turned his back towards yurina. after staring at his back for a while, she draped the blanket over him and rose from where she sat. ¡°but dave¡­ why was ray, who was able to treat my wounds, not able to treat his? you said he had enough power to do so.¡± ¡°oh, there¡¯s a reason.¡± dave smiled as he looked at both yurina and raynard. ¡°maybe¡­ raynard didn¡¯t want you to feel hurt more than he did.¡± (dave) the wounds around ray¡¯s eyes were easily treated with dave¡¯s magic. nonetheless, the heart that had been wounded didn¡¯t seem like it would heal easily. raynard started to feel feverish during the evening. it wasn¡¯t particularly bad for him, but it was clear that he was having a hard time. the doctor explained that this was a good thing though. originally, ray had barely been able to manage his negative thoughts and feelings but this incident caused it to explode out all at once. she wondered if he had been tense all this time and now finally felt relieved. ¡®looks like this is a fortunate thing.¡¯ even if the man finally left his boat, there is no doubt that he would not have felt safe on an island full of strangers. as soon as yurina confirmed that the situation was no longer deemed serious, she sighed in relief. despite the maids dissuasion, she firmly stayed by raynard¡¯s side. she felt guilty about what mrs. lauren did to him and thought of nursing him herself, but honestly, there was not much that she could¡¯ve done. the maids stressed that she cannot ruin her fine hands and so the maids were the ones who changed the used towels. he also said he could eat by himself so he did. but his hands kept on shaking and some of the soup kept spilling over. ¡®in the first place, i never meant for this to happen.¡¯ in the end, all yurina could do was sit still on the bed beside him. ¡°stop looking at me. you¡¯re going to burn a hole on my face.¡± raynard, who had been sleeping well all night long, muttered in a hoarse voice. ¡°if i get a hole in my face, will you be responsible for it?¡± (ray) ¡°fine. i don¡¯t want to be responsible, so i¡¯ll stop staring.¡± (yurina) at the teasing answer, he pursed his lips then pulled the blanket over his head. he turned around and asked her, ¡°why are you still here? what are you going to do while i¡¯m sleeping, huh?¡± yurina poked his forehead over the blanket, ¡°since i keep coming and going, i guess it¡¯s a nuisance for you, isn¡¯t it? implying such an indecent thing, there¡¯s nothing a tiny little boy like you can¡¯t say, huh. i¡¯m sorry, but i don¡¯t have even the tiniest interest for a little boy like you.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve lived 2 years longer than you. plus, i¡¯m bigger than you.¡± ¡°honestly, you¡¯re not big.¡± she has lived 10 years longer than him. yurina muttered to herself as he shook his head. ¡°i guess you don¡¯t feel sick anymore since you can talk back now.¡± instead of an answer, she heard a callous cough from the blanket. the sound was so strange that she couldn¡¯t tell whether it was real or fake. ¡°do you want water?¡± she could see his head lifting from under the covers. yurina was about call for a maid, but changed her mind and instead poured the cup of water herself, directly from the pitcher on the table. once the cup was placed on the small table next to the bed and raised the blanket of raynard¡¯s up, a dreadful cough came out. ¡°here, drink it.¡± raynard grabbed the cup with both of his hands and drank the water till the last drop. his hands were shaking and caused the water to spill and drip down his chin and neck. he handed the emptied cup to yurina. he then started to shiver, ¡°ugh, it¡¯s so cold.¡± his clothes were already soaked with his sweat and adding the water that spilled earlier, it only made him colder. yurina wrapped a blanket around him whose arms were tightly wrapped around himself. since it was summer, she did not clean the fireplace so the firewood couldn¡¯t be used. ¡°it¡¯s because of your sweat that you¡¯re getting cold. i¡¯m glad your fever is going down. if you do this, it will keep you warm¡­ or would you like to change your clothes instead?¡± ¡°how could i change my clothes if you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°i can stay outside.¡± still shivering from the cold, he obstinately shook his head. yurina didn¡¯t like that and couldn¡¯t take it anymore. instead, she enveloped his body with her arms. she could feel the trembling coming from raynard¡¯s body very well. ¡°is it that cold? i feel a bit hot.¡± ¡°mhm.¡± ¡°i¡¯m going to ask them to clean the fireplace. after that we will burn some firewood, it¡¯ll be better.¡± ¡°i¡¯m fine now.¡± he buried his face on yurina¡¯s shoulder, then mumbled to himself. he then hid under the covers like a mole burrowing underground. at the same time, she could barely see his face and his disheveled hair protruded from under the blanket. ¡®is your face cold too?¡¯ yurina lifted the blanket carefully to keep the wind from entering. that gesture made raynard squirm and a little voice slipped out of the hole. ¡°hey.¡± (raynard) ¡°hm?¡± ¡°can you smell me right now?¡± ¡°why are you asking that all of a sudden?¡± ¡°¡­¡­can you smell me?¡± ¡°well¡­..¡± maybe he was bothered over it. yurina inhaled deeply through her nose. compared to the first time she brought him here, he smelled pretty good, but he was sweating so much that there was a damp smell. ¡°mhm.¡± (yurina) ¡°really?¡± raynard looked like he was digging into a tunnel as buried his head deeper under the blanket. yurina laughed as she inhaled deeply through her nose once again. at the sound of the little laughter that floated in the air, raynard looked up and observed her face. yurina stared into his bewildered eyes and smiled, ¡°you smell good.¡± Chapter 12 chapter 12 she repeated the exact same words he proudly said right after his bath. she was clearly telling him not to worry about how he smelled but, he has a more shocked expression as he avoided her gaze than when he heard her comment about how awful he smelled. yurina tilted her head to the side and he flinched then slipped out of her arms. ¡°i¡¯m going to sleep. you go to bed, too.¡± (ray) ¡°don¡¯t you feel cold?¡± ¡°i¡¯m alright now.¡± ¡°really?¡± yurina reached to touch his forehead and it was hot. she took the extra clothes that had been placed in the corner of the room and put them on the bed. ¡°if you sleep with your clothes drenched in sweat, you¡¯ll feel colder, so go on and change them.¡± ¡°mhm.¡± ¡°you¡¯re not afraid to be by yourself, are you?¡± ¡°i¡¯m not a kid.¡± ¡°when an adult is sick, even they feel alone and sad. so¡­.¡± when yurina was sick, she felt such depressing loneliness. the moment she was about to blurt those words out, she remembered the day she died and it was one of the many many painful days she had. the extreme agony as if her limbs were on fire; the excruciating pain of not being able to breathe properly yet she kept forcing herself to breathe hard just to live; her eyesight that was gradually blurring and slowly being dyed in red as time passes by¡­ however, what was harder to bear than all of that was the psychological torment it brought her. the loneliness and fear of dying alone in a place in the middle of nowhere. if only there was someone, anyone, who came along that would have rushed to her side and have told her she would be alright and warm her cold hands. she had always hoped that that happened instead, but all she remembers was that horrible cold night. ¡°yurina.¡± raynard saw yurina¡¯s distorted face. he slipped out of his blanket then clutched her cold hands in his for a moment. the warmth from his hands brought yurina to her senses. she looked down at those tiny hands that were enveloping hers. she had fine and smooth hands, and in contrast to that, his white hands were rough and scarred. she stared at her hands while being held by his then shrugged her shoulders as if shaking off her past. ¡°you¡¯re such a kid.¡± (yurina) raynard who was seriously scrutinizing her face lifted his eyebrows. ¡°oh, give me a break. if you¡¯re going to be like that, then just leave and go to sleep.¡± ¡°are you sure? you¡¯re not afraid?¡± ¡°i¡¯m not a child.¡± ¡°shall i call a maid?¡± ¡°no, i don¡¯t want you to. just go already.¡± raynard who had just come out of bed was pushing yurina¡¯s back. yurina was headed to the door because of his insistence and turned her head to glance back at him. normally, she would not have made such a fuss at all but his crouched tiny figure in front of her flashed in her mind. from the way things are, she thought that it was unlikely to happen again, however, what if something happens to him during the night? while yurina was being kicked out of his room, raynard held onto the doorknob and she promised quietly to herself that she would have someone guard in front of the door. she could hear raynard¡¯s sigh of relief from behind. ¡®why are you so nervous? did you seriously think i was going to eat you?¡¯ somehow, she felt strange. she turned around and laughed at such nonsense. ¡°are you not going to cry without me?¡± (yurina) ¡°ah, seriously! get out!¡± (ray) raynard quickly opened the door and shoved her out of the room. she was kicked out of the hallway, then yurina looked at him as he slammed the door with a grim face. bang, and the sound of the reverberated out loudly through the dark corridor. ¡°yurina, what in the world are you looking at?¡± raynard asked her curiously. he was practicing writing letters with a quill pen in his hand, meanwhile, yurina, who was reading her book, was wearing a frown. yurina showed him the book and he compared his handwriting with that of the book and shook his head. ¡°i can¡¯t read anything, even though i¡¯ve been studying so much.¡± he sighed lamentably as he looked at the scribbles on the paper. a few days ago, he got a tutor and began his education learning his few words. although his writing was only up to the level of looking and copying, his reading has developed enough that he could recognize simple words. the well-known strict tutor called raynard a ¡®smart and good hard-working student.¡¯ ¡°i think i¡¯m still lacking a lot.¡± ¡°that¡¯s alright. you just started studying, so you don¡¯t have to worry so much about it, ray. the reason why you can¡¯t read this is because it¡¯s in ancient text.¡± ¡°ancient? you can read it?¡± raynard¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°i can¡¯t,¡± yurina said as she shook her head in reply. usually, in an another world fantasy romance novel, when the heroine hears a foreign language for the first time, it¡¯s as if it¡¯s their mother tongue and only a few people would be able to read and write it. unfortunately, yurina did not have that cheat. just like raynard, in her eyes, they were nothing but squiggly lines like scribbles made by a baby. ¡°ah, then, are you just looking at it? why are you looking at something you can¡¯t even read?¡± ¡°i¡¯m searching for something.¡± ¡°you can¡¯t even read it so how can you find it?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll find the record.¡± ¡°what record?¡± ¡°the record that your eyes are indeed a blessing from the goddess.¡± talking about the eyes that had not been mentioned for a while, raynard¡¯s eyes held a visibly stiff expression as he touched the corners of his. there was no violent reaction like before, instead, he suddenly reached out his hands to grab hers and squeezed it tightly. ¡°you don¡¯t have to find something like that.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll find it.¡± yurina turned the pages over again since she made a promise to herself. to the book was a parchment with several ancient words written on it. ¡®i should¡¯ve done this a long time ago.¡¯ yurina should¡¯ve looked for an objective record about his scarlet eyes, the symbol of the goddess, from the start. it would¡¯ve made it easier to convince the marquis and dave. not only that, if she would¡¯ve done it before, then raynard would never have felt terrible about his eyes nor would he be feared by people. she was not attempting to make any excuses. she went and found raynard in the orphanage and looked for records of mages who were considered historic like the great mage william. it¡¯s not easy though. even if you can read the text naturally, there are too many books to search through. it¡¯s not like there¡¯s internet here like korea that you could find things like this with just a few taps of your finger. in the first place, there was nothing that described the appearance of mages. after a month of scouring the book in her hand, she finally came to a conclusion. ¡®it¡¯s also not in this book.¡¯ if it¡¯s easy for her to find such information, then dave, as well as other mages, would have found out about it already. so how and where did de flon get those facts and information from? looking through her memories, yurina thought of an ancient book written in an ancient language. then she asked dave to search for old books that might contain any clues. obviously, yurina could not decipher the old book so she asked dave to write ¡®eyes, pupil, red, crimson, goddess, blessing¡¯ in an ancient language. the magic language could be traced from the ancient language so some mages could read and write it. it¡¯s the same with dave and he gave a puzzled look as he wrote down the words on the parchment. ¡®i don¡¯t have to read it all anyway. i just need to find the part i need.¡¯ she continued to compare the ancient words as she searched for any records regarding red eyes. ¡®no.¡¯ yurina rubbed her exhausted eyes and closed the book. she had been nodding off these past few days and reading the books dave brought her but she hadn¡¯t had any luck. ah, she¡¯d thought of following dave to the library and take a look at the books herself. a few days later, yurina persuaded the marquis and dave to head directly to the imperial library with dave. however, after they hurriedly came to the library, she became dizzy with the number of ancient books which was more than what she expected. she already felt terrified of the thought of having to read all those books until she found the book she wanted. ¡®i think looking for research materials for my graduation thesis was way easier than this.¡¯ yurina sighed and when dave saw this, he patted her shoulders. ¡°young lady, you don¡¯t have to do this. it¡¯s more likely that those rumors are not true.¡± ¡°it might be actually out there. i¡¯m definitely going to find it and show it to ray.¡± yurina once again firmly established her resolve. as long as it¡¯s for raynard¡¯s sake, as long as he wouldn¡¯t get hurt anymore, she wouldn¡¯t mind searching through all the books inside, she would even search the whole empire for it. she took one deep breath and then pointed at the book dave was holding. just as she asked, dave read the titles of the ancient books one by one. after yurina picked out a book that seemed like it might help, dave took it out from the bookshelf instead of her since he was taller. ¡°young lady seems to care for mr. raynard a lot.¡± dave muttered as he took out the third book. yurina nodded as she looked at the book cover that he took out. ¡°of course. i¡¯m the one who brought him here.¡± ¡°no matter how much you care for him, it won¡¯t be that easy.¡± ¡°i think that because of my carelessness, ray had to go through all those experiences, so i have to take responsibility.¡± ¡°is that really all?¡± yurina sifted through the next bookcase and turned her head to look at dave. dave gave a mischievous smile that didn¡¯t fit his age. ¡°are you not interested in mr. raynard? you haven¡¯t spent much time with other boys around your age other than your brothers, you know.¡± ¡°stop talking nonsense and read the title of those books to me.¡± yurina pointed at the bookcase without a moment¡¯s hesitation. dave maintained his mischievous smile as if saying ¡®i know what you feel.¡¯ yurina raised her eyebrow and snorted at it. ¡°that¡¯s not it.¡± in the 30-year-old dave¡¯s eyes, yurina and raynard, who were around the same age, looked cute, but she thought otherwise. ¡®this is bomoya¡¯ that¡¯s a nanny who soothes children who cries all day long. if yurina was really a 10-year-old kid, after spending her time around with the charming raynard all day long, she might have had a rational attraction towards him however, she was already mentally twenty-two years old. it was impossible for her to have any attraction. ¡®if you continue that behavior, you¡¯ll get in huge trouble.¡¯ dave smiled at yurina. yurina ignored his gaze and pointed at another book at the top of the bookshelf. ¡°don¡¯t just sit around and go read the title of that book.¡± ¡°alright.¡± dave continued smiling as he read all the books yurina pointed at one by one. yurina listened to his explanation and took out the books that might contain what they desired and placed them in dave¡¯s hands. after collecting the books, they left the library. ¡°are you sure you¡¯ll be able to read all of these?¡± dave anxiously asked yurina as he looked at the books in his arms while following her from behind. yurina picked five books. considering the thickness of the books, it equals seven or eight regular books. this was nothing to him who was buried in books everyday but, yurina was only 10 years old. and obviously, it was harder to find the words you¡¯re looking for than simply reading it. ¡°i¡¯ll try as much as i can.¡± yurina promised to herself. dave hugged the books tighter as they were slowly slipping from his arms. now her biggest worries are ¡®how to finish this book?¡¯ and ¡®how can i prevent the nanny form taking them?¡¯. she had little sleep the past few days and this made her skin a little rough and gave her back pains, so the nanny tried to take them away and told her she shouldn¡¯t do that. the nanny couldn¡¯t get the book since yurina desperately held the book in her arms. maybe if her nanny were to see the books she is bringing with her today, she would sigh at the sight and attempt to take them away immediately. ¡®should i put it in dave¡¯s lab?¡¯ as she wondered how she could be able to read the books this time. while walking, she suddenly saw a boy heading to the library with several escorts. Chapter 13 chapter 13 so it started with the organizer, let¡¯s call him x. he is kinda cute and i was interested in him. couldn¡¯t really like anyone from my class since majority was too young and only three of them are the same age as me and older. x passed around this paper saying, x: write down any problems you have with your room and we will try to solve it. light mumbling and pretending to scribble: boyfriend¡­. ah yes, my room doesn¡¯t come with a boyfriend¡­ and money¡­ x: don¡¯t worry, we will help you with that ¡°boyfriend¡±. light: startled light: i¡¯m counting on you then! awkward laugh little did i know that he has bionic ears cuz he heard me all the way from the other side of the room. i mumbled expecting that only my new found friends would hear. however, now everyone knows i¡¯m single and probably thinks i¡¯m looking for some summer fling. xd. we were supposed to have a welcome party in a bar but sadly¡­ it turned into a walking tour instead. we didn¡¯t even have dinner so i was hungry af. so in front of the shop while i was talking to a friend(let¡¯s call her a), x walked towards us. x: hi, you guys are filipinos right? us: yes. x: could you speak or teach me some filipino words? light: uh¡­ anong gusto mong sabihin ko? anong gusto mong malaman? light: which means. ¡°what do you want me to say¡± and ¡°what do you want to know¡± x: oh, so how do you flirt in filipino? light: flirt? x: yeah, flirt. a: you probably say something like ¡°ang ganda mo¡± or ¡°ang gwapo mo¡± which means ¡°you¡¯re beautiful¡± or ¡°you¡¯re handsome¡± light: oh, but don¡¯t we usually do those funny and corny pick up lines? a: ah, yes light has more experience than me. i leave this to you, light. teach him how to flirt. i¡¯ll go and buy some pizza. *pats my shoulders* light: wait! a! i¡¯m coming with you! i¡¯m starving too! r!(another fil friend) take over for me and teach him! later, x~ a: has this ¡°what the fck light?¡± look light: nani?(what?) a few minutes later r:¡­ i thought you like the guy? a: exactly! i gave you a chance and you blew it. light: ¡­what do you mean? r: that was your chance when he asked how to flirt! light: ¡­oh my god! you¡¯re right! a: how can you be so dense? i did that specifically for you. light: im sorry. i was starving and hunger gives me tunnel vision! i know now that i¡¯m dense so pls!!! time, hit me or sth as a signal. or speak in fil so only i can understand. pls! give me another shot! r: dont worry, we can team up and help you a: okay okay, we¡¯re routing for you. light: that¡¯s right! i still have 10 more days! 10 more days of seduction ahaha. i can do this! the end of this story? you guys should know i wasn¡¯t serious. well nothing happened between us and i lost interest quickly¡­ instead he had something with someone else(who was waaay younger than him and other rivals~) and it was quite entertaining to watch ahaha! i met awesome friends and a really sweet guy. i want to copy his sweet gestures too if only it would work on a man. among the crowd, he drew everyone¡¯s eyes with the knights escorting him. ¡®who¡¯s that?¡® it was common for nobles to escorted by knights, and the imperial palace wasn¡¯t an exception. however, carrying a sword was a different story. it was forbidden to carry a sword inside the imperial palace with the exception of the imperial knights whose duty are to prevent any conflicts. usually, the escorting knights will be on standby in the waiting room just outside the imperial palace or leave their swords to the guard before entering. as for dave who is a mage strong enough to be considered as a threat¡ª the only reason he was able to enter the imperial palace without any special sanctions was simply because the royal family placed a magic circle that suppresses any magical power on the entire palace. strangely enough, the knights who followed the boy had white uniforms and swords. ¡®is he a part of the royal family¡¯ she curiously watched the boy as his pace gradually slowed down. he had jet-black hair, a common color seen in korea, and unusual golden irises. his body size was similar to that of the 15-year-old first son of the carthia¡¯s, riggs carthia. he still has this youthful look, but he was a head taller than yurina. he looks like he trains a lot with his big and well-defined body. his appearance was akin to that of a fantasy novel, a cold-blooded character however warm-hearted towards their woman. dave, who was following behind her, stepped forward and bowed. ¡°greetings, your royal highness, the crown prince.¡±* he intentionally said ¡®your royal highness¡¯ and these words made her see white. yurina took the hint he gave and lifted the skirt of her dress with one hand and did a curtsy. ¡°greetings, your royal highness, the crown prince.¡± she doesn¡¯t understand how in the world she was able to say it. yurina just reflexively spoke and greeted him as her sweat rolled down her back. black hair, golden eyes, a face with a cool expression with the title of ¡®prince¡¯. no matter how much she wanted to deny it, the little boy in front of her seemed to be the man she thought he was. ¡®curtis genocian¡¯ the male lead in the novel that she must avoid. ¡°raise your head.¡± it was an intimidating voice, like the chill of ice poured over her head. yurina managed to hold her bearing despite his piercing icy voice as she hid behind dave. she lowered her head and held her breath to not get curtis¡¯ attention. ¡°it¡¯s been a while, lord kest. seeing that i haven¡¯t seen your face for a while, don¡¯t you think marquis carthia rarely lets you go?¡± ¡°i¡¯m always busy, and i¡¯ve also been busy these days.¡± the two continued with the conversation unaware of just how much yurina wanted to go home quickly. to be exact, curtis was the one who did the talking and dave simply stood there and listened. yurina was desperately clinging behind dave, waiting and hoping for the two men¡¯s little chat to end swiftly. ¡°why don¡¯t we talk over a cup of tea and spend a little more time with each other?¡± suddenly, curtis invited dave. they¡¯ve been talking for more than 10 minutes however, he decided to decline his invitation. dave continued on with a smiling face as he rejected him for the first time. ¡°i¡¯d love to, but i did not come alone today¡­.¡± curtis¡¯ gaze went to the person behind his back and saw yurina. ¡°hm.¡± after making that small noise, he strode towards yurina¡¯s direction who was behind dave like a baby bird clinging to her mother. ¡°i can see that. is this the person marquis carthia cherishes so much?¡± ¡®don¡¯t come any closer. don¡¯t look at me.¡¯ yurina shut her eyes and screamed internally. but her words fell to deaf ears and curtis¡¯ voice rang in front of her. ¡°raise your head.¡± yurina held back the urge to shake her head, still, she raised her head. she didn¡¯t want to face him directly so she peered her gazed down slightly. ¡°what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°my name is yurina carthia.¡± ¡°yurina carthia¡­¡± curtis tapped his chin with his fingers as she gazed down at yurina. ¡°why do you look anxious? do you think i¡¯ll bite?¡± ¡°no. i don¡¯t.¡± ¡°hm.¡± he seized yurina¡¯s chin and raised her head which revealed a grim face. yurina had to face his golden eyes and gaze without a moment of notice. in that moment, she held her breath like a herbivore hiding from its predator. the longer she stared at his face, the faster her heart beat gets. ¡®why is he doing this?¡¯ an uncertain apprehension swept over her body like a tsunami. the mere sight of him gave her an instinctive rejection. curtis was different raynard, a child who could handle her however he wishes. this is the man who has been studying to be king ever since he was born. a man who has everything under his feet. it¡¯s funny that a 22-year-old girl was now afraid of a boy who was 6 years younger than her. curtis definitely has that intimidating pressure. perhaps, even if she didn¡¯t know of the original novel, she would still be scared of him. cutis scanned her face and the corners of his lips lifted into a smile. ¡°rumor has it that the young lady carthia is a very beautiful woman despite her young age, but it seems like it¡¯s not all just rumors.¡± he muttered clearly with interest. he then let¡¯s go of yurina¡¯s chin. yurina endured long enough and only then was she able to take a deep breath. ¡°i¡¯ll remember you, yurina carthia.¡± he left those words like a bolt that came out of the blue and disappeared into the library with his escorts. yurina was finally released from the pressure and could breathe properly as soon as she could no longer see a glimpse of his back. ¡°my lady, are you alright?¡± after nodding to him, yurina recalled curtis¡¯ last gaze. ¡®i have a bad feeling about this.¡¯ he had a crooked smile that seemed arrogant which was different from raynard¡¯s facial expression. that proud look somehow seems like he was hiding something unpleasant inside which ran shivers down her spine. she racked her brain trying to find out why he was smiling at her like that and just like a corn kernel, a memory popped with a loud noise. ¡®no way.¡¯ before lydia and curtis became a couple in the original novel, he first fell in love with ¡®yurina karthia¡¯. she doesn¡¯t remember how she got back to the mansion. when she came to her senses, she was already sitting face to face with raynard in the small drawing room which raynard was now using as a study room. ¡°you¡¯re a little weird today.¡± raynard got up from his seat and put his hand on yurina¡¯s forehead instead of practicing writing. her forehead seemed to be hot and not hot at the same time. ¡°hmm, ¡± as if he was groaning in pain with his other hand on her forehead. ¡°do you have a fever?¡± ¡°i¡¯m just a little tired,¡± yurina said flatly and tore his hand off from her forehead without much force. ¡°isn¡¯t that because you¡¯ve been looking at those weird letters?¡± ¡°yeah, i guess so.¡± yurina closed the book and plopped on it. she no longer had any strength to argue with raynard right now. he kept asking if she was okay, but she just closed her eyes without bothering to answer. ¡®being lovers with the prince¡­¡¯ how did the two of them become lovers? how did ¡®yurina¡¯ and lydia become rivals? why did curtis abandon ¡®yurina¡¯ and how did he fell in love with lydia? she tried to recall them but no matter how much she tried, it didn¡¯t come to her as if there were rocks blocking the road. it was as if there was a force stopping her from remembering. otherwise, why else would she remember so few about it? she wondered if it was bad for her to remember curtis and ¡®yurina¡¯ as lovers, but she felt like it would be better to recall it. no, it didn¡¯t matter whether she remembered it or not. his last words, ¡ªi¡¯ll remember you, yurina carthia. that was already proof that curtis was already interested in her. however, yurina wasn¡¯t interested in being the crown princess. while yurina was pondering about it, raynard brought a chair and sat close beside her. he poked yurina¡¯s arm. ¡°yurina, whats the matter?¡± it was a question she never bothered answering to, so she opened her eyes. and filling her view was the worrisome look on his face. ¡®how strange.¡¯ for raynard to ask her such a question that not even her sensitive family ever asked her before. she couldn¡¯t tell if he was awfully sensitive to other people¡¯s feelings or if she was simply relaxed in front of him. whatever the reason was, she felt lighter just knowing that someone was worried about her. when yurina didn¡¯t say anything and averted her gaze, raynard approached her, with his face closer to her than before. ¡°it¡¯s okay. you can tell me. what¡¯s going on?¡± his face devoid of a smile seemed really reliable to her. he could have a stern look on his face if he wanted to, to be honest. his eyes looked at her strongly. it was a ridiculous look, but when she stared at his expression, for a short while, she thought that it was absurd to think that he seemed to be more of an older sibling than herself. well, he is just a 12-year-old boy, isn¡¯t he? ¡°it¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°i won¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°still, it¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°i swear i won¡¯t tell anyone. don¡¯t you believe me?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t believe you.¡± rather, she doesn¡¯t want to believe in him. yurina laughed, swallowing the words she wanted to say. she was originally from another world, where she died in an accident. and when she opened her eyes, she woke up in a different world. as soon as she tells her story, what awaits her is ridicule and humiliation. and she knows that she will die in the future. it¡¯s the perfect story for someone who has lost their mind. she felt like she was alone with no one to open up to or sympathize and share her story with. this unfamiliar world seemed strange to her today. raynard approached a little closer and stuck his forehead onto yurina¡¯s. ¡°i won¡¯t, so talk to me.¡± he pleaded once more. his warm breath tickled her lips as his bangs tangled with hers. yurina stared at his red eyes, which were peeking through his hair, and raynard¡¯s eyes beamed at her back. ¡°mm? tell me.¡± that soft little whisper sounded like a hypnotic spell. before she knew it, she was already speaking. ¡°i had a dream.¡± she couldn¡¯t tell the truth so she decided to tell her little story under the pretense of a dream. ¡°i see. what happened in your dream?¡± ¡°in my dream, it was my debut. i can¡¯t remember well, but i think there was a guy whom i liked. and i think he liked me too. we were lovers, i think?¡± ¡°¡­mm. then?¡± yurina didn¡¯t notice the slight delay in raynard¡¯s response. ¡°but at one point, i realized that the man who was my lover fell in love with another woman. after that, i died at the hands of her father. maybe he thought i was going to get in their way.¡± ¡°hmm?¡± ¡°and today, i saw the very same man in my dreams.¡± ¡°hm hm?¡± ¡°when i saw the guy, i was reminded of my dreams¡­¡± maybe he was thinking ¡®what the hell is she talking about? why is she making a big deal out of it?¡¯. yurina couldn¡¯t stand to look at raynard¡¯s face, so she closed her eyes instead. how would he react? she bets he would just laugh at her. it was a ridiculous story, she even thought so herself. while yurina gave herself a mocking laugh, raynard stood up from his seat and wrapped her shoulders from behind. she could feel his warmth on her back. ¡°you must¡¯ve been scared.¡± ¡°¡­huh?¡± yurina looked at his face with her eyes wide open. without any hint of mischievousness or insincerity, raynard squeezed her shoulders a little more. ¡°if it was me, i think i would¡¯ve been really scared.¡± Chapter 14 chapter 14 she didn¡¯t hear a single laugh. he didn¡¯t make fun of her as she expected. she felt a little uncomfortable with his hands on her shoulders. she wasn¡¯t sure if this was his way of comforting her. ¡°don¡¯t you find it ridiculous?¡±(yurina) ¡°why would that be ridiculous?¡± ¡°because i was scared of some measly dream.¡± ¡°why?¡± he frowned so much his eyebrows furrowed with a face saying he couldn¡¯t comprehend her reason. somehow, she felt like she was being unreasonable to him because of his reaction. she shrank back without her realizing. she was so bewildered with what was happening. it seems like her worries and pain were all spilling out in front of raynard. ¡°a scary thing is still scary no matter what it is. even i¡¯m scared to die. and i think i would be frightened too if i suddenly saw the man whom i only saw in my dreams.¡± raynard mumbled as he buried his face in yurina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°but still, i don¡¯t think you should meet with him again ¡¯cause i don¡¯t like it. no, don¡¯t ever meet with him again.¡± raynard¡¯s voice was rather stern. however, rather than his voice, yurina was more concerned about what he said. it wasn¡¯t such a big deal, but she felt like she found the answer in his words. ¡®come to think of it, there¡¯s really nothing to be afraid of.¡¯ you need to clap your hand to make a sound. so, even if ¡®yurina¡¯ and curtis were lovers in the original novel, this won¡¯t happen this time as long as she doesn¡¯t care about him. it¡¯s just as raynard said, all she has to do is not to meet curtis from now on. as long as she doesn¡¯t open her heart to him, their relationship won¡¯t ever develop to become lovers. naturally, there won¡¯t be a fight for the empress¡¯ seat with lydia. if yurina won¡¯t have a confrontation against her, then ¡®charrion¡¯, who was always beside her, won¡¯t die at his hands. ¡®maybe it is a good thing that he doesn¡¯t know,¡¯ yurina relaxed her expression then ruffled raynard¡¯s hair. raynard, now with his bird nest of a hair, smiled to yurina. ¡°are you feeling better now?¡± ¡°mhm.¡± ¡°thank goodness.¡± he gave a sigh of relief and rubbed his face against yurina¡¯s shoulder. yurina pushed his head saying it was heavy, but he pretended he didn¡¯t hear anything and continued to hugging her and rubbing his cheeks on her shoulder. raynard was trying to resist his heavily falling eyelids. but no matter how hard he tried, his sleepiness was prevailing. his tutor¡¯s voice was gradually becoming faint and distant. ¡®i must not fall asleep!¡¯ he quickly shook his head and clapped his cheeks with both hands. when the tutor heard the clapping sound across the drawing room, he stopped and closed the book that he was reading out loud. ¡°i guess you must be tired around this hour. should we take a short break then?¡± he might be strict, but he was rather generous towards raynard who always gave his best. ¡°thanks¡­ hoam.¡± in order to hide his unsightly yawn, raynard lowered his head as he covered his mouth with his hand. back then, he didn¡¯t have to care about whoever sees his yawn. but now it¡¯s different. now, he understands that courtesy begins with trivial things like this. besides that, he no longer carelessly lies down in front of people, he doesn¡¯t make a sound when he eats, and he can write his own name himself. well compared to the younger yurina, his handwriting was rather crooked, but it was readable enough. after living in the mansion for a month, several things have changed. if yurina had never brought him with her, he would surely still be living a meaningless life. the tutor left the drawing room saying that they still had some business to do so raynard could take a break and relax. all alone, raynard flopped down on the table. although the desk was hard, he felt like he was lying down on a very soft bed. soon after, he wiped away the tears that formed in his eyes. ¡®so sleepy.¡¯ unlike his life when he was living in the orphanage where he could play and sleep whenever he wanted, his life in the mansion follows a routine. it¡¯s hard to have a regular routine. after spending the whole day just trying to keep up with the lessons he has never learned before, this made him very exhausted. he was both physically and mentally fatigued. ¡°if you eat something sweet, it¡¯ll help ease your weary mind.¡± raynard jolted upwards and straightened his back as soon as he heard a voice. it was the maid, betsy, bringing along a cup of sweet hot chocolate and placing it in front of him while giving him a small sweet smile. raynard was thankful to her for being very considerate of him. ¡°you are welcome, this is my job after all.¡± the 20-year-old betsy beamed at raynard. strangely, looking at the small and young raynard reminded her of her little brother who she has left in her hometown. his hair color, eyes, and even his personality¡ªnone of these resembled her brother but she can remember him crying to her saying ¡®sister, sister¡¯ begging her not to leave him behind. so that¡¯s it. maybe that¡¯s the reason why betsy wants to take care of raynard of her own will even without the orders from yurina. raynard who was vigilant and sensitive even to the smallest courtesy showed to him began to open up his heart little by little to the people of the mansion. ¡°go on and help yourself.¡± raynard looked awkwardly up at betsy and held the cup with both of his hands. he was able to sort out the people between those who liked him and those who didn¡¯t. when he first arrived here, he was so cautious that people had to walk on eggshells around him, but there were no signs of dislike towards him. as soon as betsy appears in front of him, she has always given him a warm smile and thoroughly attended to him as to not do anything he dislikes. she was different from mrs. lauren who openly expressed her disgusts towards him. ¡®mrs. lauren¡¯ whenever he recalls the name of the person he hates the most, his mood plummets. raynard sipped the sweet hot chocolate to improve his mood then asked betsy a question. ¡°where did yurina go?¡± betsy glanced at the empty seat beside raynard before answering, ¡°my lady went to visit dave.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°do you feel lonely that my lady isn¡¯t here?¡± ¡°no, not really,¡± he fidgeted and gulped down the moderately hot chocolate. betsy gave a soft giggle and bowed to say her farewell then left the room. raynard sighed, putting the finished cup down on the table. even though he was trying not to, his eyes kept going back to the vacant seat beside him. he said told betsy that he wasn¡¯t lonely, but on the contrary, he indeed felt empty. ¡®why aren¡¯t you here?¡¯ yurina attended classes with him for a week as consideration of him being cautious to strangers. however, a few days ago, yurina decided to look for any records that might seem to have any relation to his crimson eyes and has been frequently spending more time with dave to the point that she never shows up in class anymore. well even if it wasn¡¯t for those records, she had already learned everything that was taught in class and thus there¡¯s no need to attend them anymore. even so, raynard still felt a little disappointed with yurina. he was sick of hearing her reasoning of finding out the truth of his red eyes was for his sake. ¡®i don¡¯t even care if you don¡¯t find anything about it, so why would you?¡¯ it¡¯s much better for her to attend classes and just sit right next to him at this moment. what he really needs right now is not the authenticity of his blessed red eyes, but yurina herself¡ª the only person who embraced him in his moment of misery after being hurt by mrs. lauren. ¡ªi like your eyes, ray. if the whole world would accuse him of being cursed for his eyes, it meant nothing to him as long as yurina says she likes them. just thinking about yurina smiling while staring him directly in the eyes, raynard felt bit ticklish and unconsciously scratched his neck that was getting hot. ¡°well, shall we resume our lesson?¡± raynard was startled by the sudden entrance of his tutor and dropped his hands that was scratching his neck and grabbed the quill pen. ¡®i have to do my best.¡¯ he will hold back his sleepiness as he takes this class, this is all to show her just how much he has practiced writing to the point that his fingers and wrists were in pain. he will definitely do his best even without her by his side. while raynard was giving his all to study hard, yurina, on the other hand, while researching was pondering and holding back her screams as she tried to calmly compare the words written in the old book and dave¡¯s handwritten words. ¡®i found it.¡¯ she compared each letter one by one while tracing it with her finger countless times and the end results were the same. she couldn¡¯t comprehend what the sentence said, but she has finally found an ancient word that could be translated as ¡®red eyes.¡¯ yurina quickly grabbed the book and dashed towards the lab where dave was in. ¡°my lady?¡± dave was so surprised at the sound of the door slamming open that he rose from his seat. yurina leaned over and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°dave, dave!¡± yurina gave him the old book before he could even ask her if she was okay. ¡°please translate this!¡± dave looked carefully at the sentence she pointed to. yurina quietly waited beside him. after dave read the whole page where the sentence yurina pointed at, he smiled and gently patted her head. ¡°you did well, my lady.¡± yurina hastened him without holding back for his praise. ¡°why? why? what does it say? did you find a record that we wanted?¡± dave lead yurina, who was tugging at his arm, to sit next to him and spread the book open. then he interpreted each word in the sentence that yurina pointed to while tracing it with his finger. ¡°according to this page, the great wizard william was said to have had red eyes. some have claimed that his eyes are cursed, calling them similar to those of a beast. however, xenon atris, who studied about william for 5 or 6 years, claimed that his eyes were the source of his mana. before the unification of the lands, he was established in the southern part of the empire based on the founding myths of the denique kingdom.¡± whether it was difficult for dave to decipher the book or not, he continued to explain things slowly one by one as usual. yurina paid close attention to every word he said. ¡°this is the founding myth of the denique kingdom. the first king, king alexander denique, was a man with crimson eyes, calling himself as the ¡®son of the goddess¡¯ and claiming his crimson eyes to be blessed by the goddess herself. alexander i, founder of the denique kingdom, was called a ¡®beatus¡¯ and with the blessing of the goddess on his crimson eyes, he was referred to as a living god.¡± after reading everything up to this point, dave expressed his amazement. ¡°i¡¯ve never heard of this story before. if you haven¡¯t found it, i wouldn¡¯t have known.¡± he muttered in a tone to express his praise to yurina, but she just shrugged her shoulders calmly. ¡°please read the contents after that.¡± ¡°ah, of course.¡± dave adjusted his glasses and frowned as he focused on reading the ancient language. ¡°he was really referred to as the son of the goddess. although other scholars agree that his crimson eyes were the result of the goddess¡¯ blessing, there was no doubt that alexander and the greatest wizards of all time, called ¡®beatus¡¯, can only be found in the denique kingdom. she rubbed the word ¡®beatus¡¯ which was related to those eyes and smiled. ¡®i really did it.¡¯ Chapter 15 chapter 15 if the fact that he has great magical potential is acknowledged, then nobody will dismiss him like mrs. lauren in the future. it wouldn¡¯t be because of irena¡¯s power or influence, but because they would truly see raynard differently. ¡°now i understand why there are no records of red eyes.¡± dave muttered, flipping the book to see if that was the end of what they sought for. irena nodded in agreement. she has been wondering why there were no records so far, and now the question has been answered. ¡°they deliberately removed the records.¡± (irena) ¡°it seems to me that the beatus served as the spiritual proprietor that supported the denique kingdom for a long time, so it would not have been good for the empire.¡± it¡¯s very common in history books. the history that has been constantly passed down were normally written from the standpoint of the winners, and in irena¡¯s continent, it¡¯s the genosean empire. the empire, which had repeatedly gone to war to expand their territory, would have thoroughly crushed their descendants of their conquered territories to prevent them from making efforts to regain their homecountry. if the beatus truly had been the spiritual proprietor of the kingdom of denique, as the records have stated, it would¡¯ve been clear why records of the kingdom of denique had been completely erased¡ª its to prevent the beatus from ever knowing. it made it hard to decipher the book perfectly. it would be almost impossible to examine the contents of an ancient book, rather than to search for a compilation based on the facts irena knows in advance. ¡®maybe because the maliciously rumor of them being cursed is spreading, making them seem like an evil enemy. irena stood up, rubbing her shoulders after she had spent nearly two weeks reading. meanwhile, dave opened the book again and wrote something down on a parchment. ¡°dave, what are you doing?¡± ¡°it¡¯s an interesting tale. i¡¯m going to do a little more research about it, and i think it¡¯s a good idea to include when we submit a letter of recommendation to the academy.¡± ¡°yes, that too.¡± irena left dave¡¯s lab, thinking that adding that information would help raynard¡¯s admission in the academy. i brought a book with the stories about the beatus to dave. ¡®then how in the world did marquis de flon know about this?¡¯ irena was hurriedly walking down the hallway, wanting to be even a second earlier to deliver the great news to raynard. no matter how much he calls himself a wizard, how did he know the story that was stuck in the corner of this ancient book? ¡®how would he know?¡¯ irena shook her head at the thought she had heard for a moment. she can¡¯t remember what had passed in the novel. besides that, not like she can ask marquis de flon directly. it¡¯s just a waste of time to keep asking questions that won¡¯t be solved. irena cleared her thoughts and then decided to open the door of the living room. inside the candle-lit parlor, she could see raynard copying the writings in a children¡¯s book with a serious face. ¡°ray, what are you doing?¡± raynard, who had been concentrating for a long time, didn¡¯t hear the door open. when he heard her voice, he looked up. as soon as he saw irena, he relaxed his face and smiled. ¡°i¡¯m doing my homework.¡± ¡°at this hour? why don¡¯t you take a break?¡± ¡°i have to copy all the fairy tales lines by tomorrow. i¡¯m going to rest after i finish this.¡± ¡°really? you¡¯re working hard without me.¡± ¡°of course! i¡¯ve already done this much!¡± he proudly showed off his progress. irena burst into laughter while she read his handwriting. ¡°your handwriting has improved a lot.¡± the crooked lines of the letters were like scribblings of a five-year-old learning to write. as if boasting to his mother, raynard proudly stretched his hand out to irena. after his declaration, there was a slight stiffness when he touched the quill. ¡°that¡¯s true. i guess you worked hard. doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± ¡°how can my hands hurt just from writing this much?¡± ¡°so, does it?¡± ¡°yes.¡± irena gently rubbed his fingers and sat next to him. ¡°ray, while you were working hard, i found this, too.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°it¡¯s the story of those who possess red eyes. i told you that those are the eyes blessed by the goddess, didn¡¯t i? look, it¡¯s written right here. the people who had the same eyes as you were called ¡®beatus¡¯¡± irena opened the book to him, unknowingly raising her voice in excitement. but contrary to rejoice irena expected to see, raynard¡¯s response was somewhat scathing. while he was practicing his writing skills, he dully glanced at the book irena just opened. that was the end. soon after, she looked at raynard, who was still rewriting, and asked rather quiveringly. ¡°what¡¯s with your reaction?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°are you not happy?¡± ¡°well, i don¡¯t know. should i be happy?¡± raynard unconsciously glanced at the tip of the pen and stared at irena¡¯s book. ¡°even so, it wouldn¡¯t really make much of a difference.¡± ¡°why wouldn¡¯t it make a difference? dave will send a letter of recommendation to the academy with this material, and once it¡¯s known, nobody will talk badly about your eyes again.¡± it¡¯s a life-changing information. no, it will change. irena has spent so much of her time searching for it to happen. however, raynard still continued to copy the fairy tale writings with a neutral expression. ¡®it¡¯s not this.¡¯ irena felt like all of her energy was drained away. ¡°by the way.¡± raynard, who was still silently writing under the despondent gaze of irena, lifted his head. ¡°so now, you¡¯re going to take the classes with me again?¡± ¡°huh?¡± unable to understand what he was trying to say, irena tilted her head. raynard scowled. ¡°you found the material you wanted. aren¡¯t you going to stop skipping and attend the classes with me again? ¡°oh, class? well, what should we do?¡± irena was worried for a moment as she was covering the book. raynard¡¯s were all basic, thus, irena doesn¡¯t have any need to attend it. she only participated in those classes not up to her level to reassure the anxious raynard. even if she did participate, she would¡¯ve had to sit down next to him for hours on end, while listening to the teacher¡¯s lectures going in one ear and out of the other. it¡¯s basically just a waste of time if it wasn¡¯t for raynard. ¡®ray seems to have adapted well.¡¯ as she was thinking about . how she doesn¡¯t have to attend those classes, raynard¡¯s gaze was getting more irritated. he was glaring at her as if he wanted to say something. irena looked into his eyes and answered. ¡°do you want me to keep attending?¡± ¡°yes! let¡¯s take the classes together!¡± he nodded with a more energetic attitude than when he heard about the beatus story, and then continued to practice writing again. his writing would¡¯ve looked a lot better if it wasn¡¯t in such a state and had more strength in it. the empire, having four seasons, was incredibly hot in the summer. after spending his summer in short, thin outfits, raynard looked down at the formal, and tight-fitting garments. ¡°why do i have to wear this in this hot weather? no one¡¯s gonna see it, anyway.¡± ¡°i can see it.¡± when irena said as a matter of factly, he snorted at her. ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter if you can see it.¡± it was a just a misunderstanding, but raynard had explicitly stated that he did not have to wear such formal attire in front of irena. ¡°it¡¯s really hot.¡± he got up from his desk, walking to the sofa only to fall on it. his arm hung lifelessly on the edge of the couch. ¡°you¡¯ve made a fuss about getting out of your clothes because no one can see you. what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°isn¡¯t this just like that time? back then, i was going to take a bath, but you were going to come in. i only need to take my vest off now¡­ can¡¯t i? when irena gave him no permission, he threw his face down to the sofa, muttering, ¡°it¡¯s hot¡±. after irena being speechless for a while, he turned to look at her. his usually white face was now flushed. ¡®is it that hot?¡¯ it made sense why he was feeling so hot. it was in the middle of summer and he was clad in thin silver cloth, and now, raynard was wearing a long shirt and long pants with loose bows. as if it wasn¡¯t hot enough, he was wearing a vest on top of all of it. still, raynard was learning his manners and he decided to bear with it and nodded. even though he was complaining about the hot weather, it was good of him to ask before taking off his vest. ¡°i think i¡¯m going to live now.¡± raynard, who quickly took off his vest, sat close to the ice on the table. it was the unmelted ice dave magically made for the heat-tired little ones. the air around that area was cooler than elsewhere, and raynard approached it so close that it was as if he had become one with the ice, feeling as if he was a dog. he flopped down on the table, enjoying the cool air that emitted from the ice, and turned his eyes to irena. ¡°don¡¯t you feel hot? your face is so red.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t.¡± ¡°lies! you¡¯re dressed way more than i am. how can you not feel hot?¡± ¡°it¡¯s really not hot.¡± irena might have said that but in actuality, she felt like she was melting. she seemed to ripen under the heat. her clothes were thicker and heavier than those of raynard¡¯s. it was difficult being a noble lady. irena had been reminded of the air conditioning wind, which was so cold that it felt like it burned her short arms and bones. looking at the sweat-drenched irena wiping herself with a handkerchief, raynard fluttered the fan to regulate the wind on the table. it seemed to cool even though it didn¡¯t take much effort. irena unconsciously smiled and raynard approached her side, sitting down. he sat beside her as if he wasn¡¯t complaining how hot it was earlier. ¡°you know, irena?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°on days like this, it¡¯s best to swim in the river.¡± ¡°river?¡± ¡°yeah. in my hometown, we always go to the river on a hot day like this. it always feels refreshing to swim and play under a tree.¡± ¡°so you want to go out and play?¡± ¡°no, well, not really.¡± when irena, with curiosity, wanted to broach the subject, raynard brought his head down in dismay. irena squinted her eyes at him. ¡°it¡¯s not because you don¡¯t want to study, right?¡± raynard jolted. bullseye. ¡°not like that!¡± irena stared at him suspiciously. he squawked a bit. ¡°no, it¡¯s just that i can¡¯t concentrate from all this heat. my hands are also sweating so much, i can¡¯t hold the quill pen properly. so, i was having a hard time, and my teacher looks tired, too¡­¡± it was a long story but really, in short, he just didn¡¯t want to go to class. Chapter 16 chapter 16 ¡®it¡¯s about time for him to burnout from studying.¡¯ raynard has already been studying for more than a month. during his lessons, he clenched his teeth and slapped his cheeks to fight off the exhaustion dawning on him. he gave his undivided attention in his tutoring sessions and he was such a diligent student that never made any excuses nor underhanded tactics just to avoid his classes. rather, he was the type who would stay up late at night and sacrifice his sleep just to finish his incomplete assignment. even though he never expressed his feelings explicitly, the fatigue had obviously caught up to him. ly, he had lived freely without any responsibilities. however, his life suddenly did a 180 degree which definitely added an unspeakable amount of stress for a child like him. irena understood the gravity of the situation he was facing. in fact, when she was in korea, she also lived more freely. however, when she reincarnated, she too had to go through all the formalities of being a noble and had experienced difficulties. ¡®let¡¯s see, shall we grant your wish today?¡¯ at that moment, betsy, who had left earlier to grab some snacks, arrived. she brought along iced fruit drinks and chilled pudding. ¡°betsy, are there any cool, shaded areas nearby to play in?¡± ¡°a place to play?¡± raynard, who had been eyeing the pudding longingly, suddenly raised his hand like he had caught on to what irena was thinking. ¡°it¡¯s so hot, so we want to go to the river and swim!¡± ¡°swim in the river?¡± betsy¡¯s eyes widened quickly after hearing his answer, but quickly switched into a serious expression as she started to ponder. ¡°there¡¯s no river. however, there is a lake at the outskirts of the city. i heard that a lot of people go there to relax in their boats. but the weather is terribly hot, i don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible for us to visit.¡± ¡°we can just take these.¡± raynard held the cold drink and a few ice cubes fell into his embrace. the moment he shouted, ¡°ah, it¡¯s cold!¡± betsty took the ice cubes from him and looked back at him. a small laughter erupted from her. raynard embarrassingly scratched the back of his neck before carefully moving closer to irena¡¯s side. ¡°irena, are you going to go to the lake?¡± ¡°do you want to go?¡± usually, he would nod his head immediately. this time, however, he thought about it deeply before planting his head on irena¡¯s shoulder. seeing as he did whatever he wanted by rubbing his face on yurina¡¯s shoulders, she took it upon herself by poking his head away from her. ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± he firmly placed his head back onto irena¡¯s shoulder. ¡°can we really go? i still have lessons left.¡± he mumbled. ¡°magic lessons?¡± ¡°yeah.¡± ¡°if you didn¡¯t have any lesson to attend to, would you want to go?¡± ¡°of course.¡± finally, raynard quietly responded and requested something he wanted to do with irena. as a matter of fact, it was burning hot and here he was sitting so close that she could feel his body heat radiating off of him. every time he took a breath, she felt the heat near her neck and shoulders from where his face lied, resting on her shoulder. irena slightly frowned before using both her hands to grab his shoulders, pushing him away. ¡°it¡¯s hot. move over a bit. betsy, tell dave that he¡¯ll join us going to the lake. after that, help me and ray for the outing. also, make sure to pack more snacks. betsy, let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°are we really going to go?¡± ¡°we aren¡¯t going to play. i¡¯m going to tell dave to have your lesson by the lake.¡± ¡°yay!¡± as she told him, she made sure to add that he was still going to take his lesson. however, not knowing what made him so happy, he raised both his hands to the ceiling and screamed. ¡°i¡¯m going to make sure you take your lesson there.¡± ¡°i know. still, i¡¯m happy.¡± smiling brightly, raynard picked up the vest he had thrown on the ground earlier and put it back on. getting ready to depart, he ran to his room. ¡®he likes it that much?¡¯ irena was hot and tired and continued to sit on the couch. from the hallway, she heard his footsteps reverberate and a sigh escaped from her. after sitting there for a while, raynard came back with new, soft clothes and even wore a hat. he urged her to pack up what she needed and finally left to go back to his room. ¡°woah, this is a lake?¡± as soon as raynard got off the carriage, his eyes enlarged in astonishment and he stared at the lake excitedly. in order to avoid the heat, there were a lot of people at the lake. in irena¡¯s stead, betsy replied with a chuckle. ¡°yes, this is the city¡¯s largest lake called leman lake. isn¡¯t it fascinating?¡± ¡°yeah! this is my first time seeing a lake. back in my hometown, we had a river instead.¡± raynard had no idea that a river and lake would be so different. he went to the shore and splashed around with his hands. afterward, he cupped some water in his hands, ready to splash them to irena. to avoid him, she hid behind dave who was tall enough to cover her. there¡¯s no way raynard could splash his teacher in an attempt to get to irena. he let out a disappointed sound as he poured the water to the ground. after rummaging around, betsy gave irena an umbrella and shortly after, gave one to raynard as well. his was yellow in color that reminds someone of a baby chick. he told her that it didn¡¯t fit his style, so he returned the umbrella back to betsy. ¡°the sunlight¡¯s going to give you a sunburn. even if i put cucumbers later at night on your face, it¡¯s going to sting. since today¡¯s sun rays are strong, i recommend using the umbrella.¡± after hearing that, he finally took the umbrella. however, perhaps because of the flower embroidery, he couldn¡¯t handle it anymore. he reluctantly put the umbrella over his head with a long face. ¡°isn¡¯t there anything besides this?¡± ¡°except for the one lady irena is using, that¡¯s the only one we have. you have no choice.¡± ¡°it fits you. don¡¯t you think so too?¡± standing in the back, dave finally came towards the lake and kept looking back and forth between raynard and the umbrella. when he finally stopped, he started to laugh and ruffled raynard¡¯s hair. in normal situations, raynard would¡¯ve immediately fixed his hair but instead glared at the umbrella. dave couldn¡¯t help it anymore. he lightly tapped the center of the umbrella as it started to shift to a black color. betsy, who was busy fixing irena¡¯s clothes, realized halfway through the color shift and screamed. ¡°magic teacher!¡± ¡°ah, i only temporarily changed the color of the umbrella with magic. it¡¯ll go back to its original state in three to four hours so don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡± ¡°you should¡¯ve told me ahead of time. you surprised me.¡± whether those two kept talking or not, raynard, who was equally as surprised, took both hands and raised the completely black umbrella and started spinning it. he raised his hand and tapped the inside of the umbrella. ¡°i wish i could use magic like that soon too.¡± with sincerity, he spoke his inner thoughts. irena took her pink umbrella and closed it. she then poked his hands. ¡°you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡± ¡°do you really think i can do it?¡± ¡°i believe so.¡± ¡°i¡¯m still not so sure myself.¡± ¡°why? dave said you¡¯ve been doing well.¡± she wasn¡¯t just saying that to make him feel better. dave told irena himself that raynard¡¯s ability was hard to believe. when he first met raynard, as he was testing him, he was aware that he had a lot of potential. however, now that he was teaching him personally, he believed that he would surpass his expectations. ¡®beatus¡¯ wasn¡¯t just a legend anymore. it seemed to be the truth. raynard attending and studying in crohn academy was something she was looking forward to. she was curious as to how he was going to grow. of course, it¡¯s only been a month since he¡¯s been studying basic magic so there was no real way to measure his magic abilities. even so, dave is expecting that his abilities will improve. however, the one who was most frustrated was raynard. ¡°even so, i still don¡¯t really know how to do anything. teacher uses magic with ease. is it possible for me to be able to do the same?¡± ¡°definitely.¡± ¡°when exactly?¡± ¡°you just started learning how to use magic. did you seriously think you would already be able to use magic just like that?¡± irena poked the center of his forehead. she didn¡¯t use that much strength to cause any harm, yet raynard carefully rubbed his forehead and acted as if it was painful. ¡°i know it doesn¡¯t hurt. anyways, standing here is hot. let¡¯s get on the boat now.¡± ¡°yeah, let¡¯s do that!¡± raynard smiled brightly and nodded his head in agreement. he took irena¡¯s hand and tightly grasped it. she wondered whether it was because of her body exposed to the extreme heat or simply because they were holding hands, and his hands in particular were burning, that it suddenly felt hotter. however, irena did not convey her thoughts and instead followed her servant to the boat they had prepared. ¡°raynard, among the natural elements, water holds the most mana. you remember that from last week¡¯s lesson, right?¡± when irena told dave to hold a lesson at the lake, she wasn¡¯t joking around. the moment dave heard from irena that they weren¡¯t there to play, but rather take a field trip, he diligently started his lesson. he even brought a magic textbook. raynard, who was mentally prepared to relax freely and eat snacks, stopped himself and frowned. ¡°i feel like i¡¯ve been deceived.¡± irena didn¡¯t get a chance to eat her pudding earlier in the study room. she took one bite before shrugging her shoulders. ¡°what do you mean deceived? the lesson was set in stone. i clearly told you.¡± ¡°still, i didn¡¯t think a lesson would actually happen.¡± ¡°if you finish quickly, you can play. concentrate and listen. if you do, it¡¯ll end before you know it. i specifically asked dave to cut the lesson shorter today.¡± he stared at her dejectedly with his puppy eyes. however, she acted as if she didn¡¯t see him and took several more bites of her pudding. giving up his act, he turned his body to face dave. ¡°yes, i remember. that¡¯s why even if you use the same magic throughout all of the natural elements, water will have the strongest power and reaction.¡± ¡°you remembered it well. that¡¯s why whether it¡¯s a river or a lake, you can use a broad or large magic spell.¡± ¡°what about valleys?¡± ¡°the results are the same.¡± raynard, who complained about studying earlier, was now fully concentrating on dave¡¯s words and could barely use the umbrella properly. still opened, the umbrella eventually moved to an area of the boat and lied there without use. under the strong rays of the sun, irena could the sweat brim on raynard¡¯s forehead. in response, she shared her umbrella and leaned over to cover his head. as a result, her left shoulder was exposed and gradually grew hotter. however, she could endure at least this much heat. raynard faithfully brought the ice that wouldn¡¯t melt by his side. because he liked the coolness the ice provided, throughout the lesson, raynard would randomly and mindlessly touch it. with his cool palms, he would reach for his warm forehead and cheeks and then go right back to the ice and hold onto it. he did this several times. irena closed her eyes and raised her head. because she was sharing more than half of her umbrella with raynard, her eyes were out in the open for the sunlight to hit them. it didn¡¯t bother her though. in the surrounding area, the other boats that were out on the lake resonated with children¡¯s laughter. ¡°this is nice.¡± after a long time, she was experiencing a peaceful day. in fact, it¡¯s been a while since irena was able to relax like this. before meeting raynard, she was still adapting to her new life and trying to search for him. then she brought him home. after that, she¡¯s been taking care of him. recently, she was attending his lessons with him. she had no time for a break with how busy she was. as she sat there with her eyes closed, she suddenly felt her cheeks turn cold and flinched. she opened her eyes. right in front of her face, she saw raynard¡¯s red eyes. their eyes met and raynard¡¯s eyes lit up and he smiled brilliantly. ¡°it¡¯s cool, right?¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°if i do this, it feels cool.¡± the hands that were on irena¡¯s cheeks left as they reached for the ice once again to rub against it. from the coldness of the ice, his eyes twitched a bit as he continued to knead the ice until his hands turned red and he returned his palms back to irena¡¯s cheeks. she flinched once more because it felt as if the ice was directly touching her cheeks. she closed her eyes and slightly moved her shoulders. from her closed eyes, raynard let out an innocent laughter. ¡°it¡¯s cool, right? it¡¯s cool, right?¡± ¡°yeah, it¡¯s cool.¡± ¡°it was the right choice to bring this. if i didn¡¯t, we would¡¯ve been burnt.¡± he rubbed the ice once more and lightly slapped his cheeks before returning to irena¡¯s cheek with a strong grip. squish, squish. it felt as though he was touching mixed flour since yurina¡¯s cheeks were so soft. the corners of his lips raised. ¡°the lesson is over. really, it¡¯s fine to play now.¡± ¡°yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± irena opened her eyes the moment she felt his hands leave her face. in that short time, raynard approached the edge of the boat and dipped both his hands in the lake. he leaned forward and from where betsy was standing, it looked dangerous. shocked, she immediately grabbed his shirt. splash, splash. he was hitting the surface of the water and sprinkled on his face. irena wiped off the water that had hit her face too and considered scolding him to stop, yet she held back and decided not to. instead, she approached his side and sat down. she reached with her right hand and splashed some water to him. ¡°ah, it¡¯s cold!¡± raynard yelled as he tried to block his face from the chilly water. he quickly reacted by dunking his hands in the water and readied himself to get back at her. the moment he turned to face her, he was struck by irena¡¯s dazzling smile and was stopped in his tracks. the water just slipped through his finger. ¡°what are you doing ray?¡± irena braced herself to block the water with her umbrella, but saw the blank stare that came across his face. when he finally came to he waved his hands around to dry as betsy came by with glasses of juice. ¡°i got dizzy from the heat.¡± he told her that it was due to studying under this heat as he ate his snack as if he was preparing for war. his eyes looking at the ground. Chapter 17 chapter 17 everyone has a sleepless night. for raynald, today was such a day. he lay in bed and blinked his eyes even though there was no particular reason to sleep. ¡®i can¡¯t sleep.¡¯ thinking about playing with yurina in the lake, i should¡¯ve been exhausted. he tossed and turned and pulled the blanket up to his chin. it has been a month and a half since i came here, and i was not lonely because i didn¡¯t have any children from the orphanage who slept in the same room even if i wasn¡¯t close to them. if you were lonely, you should have done that. what do you mean new? i just couldn¡¯t sleep for no reason. that run is driving me crazy. ¡°ahhhh.¡± after a brief wriggle in the blanket, he soon walked out of the room with his pillow in his arms. at first, he crouched in fear in the wide corridor, where no one was there, but he took courage and stepped forward. it was such a luxurious mansion to leave the candle on even at night when everyone was sleeping. tap, tap, tap. at the sound of his feet, he kept looking back in surprise and rushed to his destination with his feet up. my heart was pounding, perhaps because of the beat or fear. after arriving safely to the destination, raynald took a deep breath and knocked on the door. but there was no answer. ¡®as expected, she¡¯ll sleep, right?¡¯ after thinking about knocking again, i gave up and turned around, and the door opened. ¡°who the hell¡­. at this hour¡­¡± yurina, who seemed to have just woke up, went yawning without being able to finish talking. she was trying to open her eyes that couldn¡¯t even open properly when she found rainard and was busy. raynald smiled awkwardly and waved at her. ¡°he¡­llo¡­¡± ¡°what are you doing staying up so late, ray?¡± ¡°i¡­.. can¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°well, you¡¯re scared of the rain, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°no!¡± no, no, no, no, no. his voice echoed like an echo in a quiet hallway. yurina hurriedly closed his mouth and pulled his arm. ¡°be quiet, everybody¡¯s going to wake up.¡± raynald nodded gently and entered the room as she led him. yurina, who let him go, ignited the match with a clumsy touch and lit the candle. raynald hugged the pillow tightly and squeezed it, until yurina tapped on the bed and then went and sat down. unlike her lazy personality, yurina, who unexpectedly sleeps a lot, yawned again. seeing it, raynald regretted it belatedly. ¡°i¡¯m sorry i woke you up while you were sleeping. i¡¯ll just go.¡± yurina grabbed him by the arm as he was about to get up and sat him back. ¡°it¡¯s all right. i¡¯m already awake anyway.¡± hoam. following her yawning again, raynald covered his mouth with a pillow and yawned. i wasn¡¯t sleepy, but yawning seems to be contagious. ¡°you¡¯re not sleepy?¡± without realizing it, yurina, holding her pillow, asked, leaning her head against his shoulder. raynald¡¯s shoulders are stiff. he answered with a slight push on yurina¡¯s head with his fingertips. ¡°i don¡¯t think i¡¯m sleepy.¡± ¡°are you not sleepy, or are you sleepy and you¡¯re too scared to sleep?¡± ¡°that¡¯s not true.¡± yurina laughed aloud as she watched him mumbling with his face buried in his pillow. ¡°then shall we play until we are sleepy?¡± ¡°what game?¡± raynald asked back in a voice a little slower than before. he yawned loudly when he saw the girl opening the drawer and taking something out. ¡°you¡¯re sleepy, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°no¡­¡± unlike horses, i yawned again, so my voice became strange. without pointing it out, yurina climbed over the bed and sat down to play cards. raynald put down his pillow and crawled beside her with his knees. it was so gorgeous and pretty that even though he didn¡¯t know the cards drawn by a well-known painter in the capital city. raynald thrust his face into the card and blinked his eyes. ¡°this is very interesting.¡± ¡°is this your first time seeing a card?¡± ¡°that¡¯s not true.¡± the only card he has seen so far was a card with a sloppy picture that he didn¡¯t even know who drew it. a card that is nothing more or less than a tool for playing a game. on the other hand, yurina¡¯s white card was beautiful enough to be considered a work. ¡°this is very pretty.¡± ¡°right? i got it as a birthday present.¡± in an insignificant response, yurina shuffled the cards. raynald listened to the game, trying hard not to forget the explanation she gave. what yurina told me was a very easy game where players deal a certain amount of cards and then put out cards of the same number or pattern as the ones presented. even raynald, who was not familiar with the rules, could quickly become familiar with the rules and play the game. even so, yurina helped me a lot because i was not used to the first round. of course, it was yurina who won the first round. ¡°this is fun! let¡¯s do it again!¡± raynald, who was excited at first even if he lost, shook with a reddish face as he lost four rounds in a row. ¡°me too! i can do it!¡± i clearly understood, but why do i keep losing? after a long time, raynald looked at my card sharply on the subject that he had put asleep on his eyelids. i thought i could make a hole in the card just by looking at it well. yurina yawned with a fan-like card covering her mouth. before i knew it, the rain that hit the window was getting thicker and the night was getting more ambitious, but raynald, who was motivated to win, seemed to have no chance of surviving until he won. ¡®let¡¯s lose this round.¡¯ she decided to use the last resort to sleep. she pretends she doesn¡¯t have the same pattern of cards. she brings new penalty cards. since raynald shouldn¡¯t notice them, he¡¯s playing cards from time to time. as he continued to play a strategic game, raynald put down his last card. ¡°i won!¡± he raised his arms high up in the sky and shouted, then lay bare on the bed as he stood. ¡°i¡¯m sleepy.¡± ¡°go to bed early.¡± ¡°it¡¯s hard¡­.. to get up.¡± raynald, mumbling with his pillow, crawled into the blanket. yurina pushed his back with his toes, and she tightened his body to keep from falling off. ¡°don¡¯t be ¡­ it hurts when you fall.¡± it seemed that he had no intention of going back. yurina was forced to settle down with him in a little distance. fortunately, the bed was spacious enough for two small children to roll and play, which allowed them to distance themselves quite a bit. ¡°good night, ray.¡± there was no answer to whether he had already fallen asleep. yurina closed her eyes with a lullaby for her breath. the next day, betsy, who came to wake up yurina, was able to find two children sleeping together on a bed with cards on it. ***** the rainy season has begun since the day raynald came in the middle of the night. all day long it rained so much that i couldn¡¯t see ahead, and when i could forget, the light flashed and a thundering sound was heard. raynald, who had become somewhat familiar with the life of the mansion, seemed to be in low spirits since the rainy season began. when i saw yurina, i kept babbling about what she had to say. yurina didn¡¯t say anything. when i asked why it was so strange, i could only hear that she was tired. ¡®it¡¯s frustrating to just stay inside the mansion.¡¯ i used to go to the garden and play in the garden when the weather was nice, but since the rainy season, the two of us have been staying in the room all day. i thought it would be frustrating to stay in the room because i was old enough to run around. but the strangest thing is that he rarely tries to sleep at night. dressed in her pajamas, yurina looked at raynald yawning with his arms crossed. i¡¯ve already yawned for the fifth time. ¡°go to sleep if you¡¯re sleepy.¡± ¡°i¡¯m not¡­. hoam sleepy.¡± this is the sixth time. when he saw the somber words and he slow blinking eyes, he was sure he was sleepy, but he had been holding out in the drawing room attached to yurina¡¯s room since earlier, saying he was fine. after i finished my homework, i spent some time drinking milk or talking in yurina¡¯s room before going to bed, so it wasn¡¯t unusual. however, raynald, who was going to his room at ten o¡¯clock, was so sleepy that he never thought of going to his room until midnight. not only today, but also since the rainy season was began. when i asked him what the problem was, he replied, ¡°it¡¯s okay.¡± but something must have happened to yurina. ¡®is the rain so scary?¡¯ yurina recalled him coming to her room not long ago. meanwhile raynald was nodding his head and dozing off. ¡°mr. raynald, you should sleep in bed.¡± the poor betsy gently soothed raynald. ¡°i¡¯m not sleepy¡­¡± ¡°but you need to go to bed early to grow taller even if you¡¯re not sleepy.¡± betsy, who had a younger brother with a different age, skillfully escorted him out of the room. ¡®you¡¯re gonna be okay, right?¡¯ standing in place for a long time looking at the closed door, yurina entered the bedroom only after watching betsy put raynald to sleep and come back. i couldn¡¯t sleep well, either because of raynald¡¯s expression, who tried not to go to the room until the end, or because of the loud rain. yurina tossed and turned on the bed several times and finally fell asleep. i wonder if it¡¯s been that long or so hours. yurina stood up in surprise at the deafening thunderclap in her sleep. she looked around, rubbing her eyes that couldn¡¯t even open properly. still, around was dark and outside the window, the rain was falling with a loud noise. ¡®it¡¯s raining more.¡¯ as i was looking at the window where the rain was splashing, a shivering light shone in the room for a very short time and then sagged. the thunder of the cloth, which was so loud that yurina reflexively blocked her ears, shook the mansion again. ¡®i can¡¯t sleep because it¡¯s noisy.¡¯ i was thinking so calmly, but the door opened in a hurry. ¡°are you all right, miss?¡± the nanny, who ran without a cardigan on her pajamas, approached yurina, who was lying still in bed. she seemed to have not realized that she could be more surprised by the sound of the door opening than the sound of thunder. she sighed, sweeping down her chest only after confirming that yurina¡¯s expression was calmer than she thought. ¡°you were surprised by the thunder, right?¡± ¡°no, not really. it¡¯s just a little noisy, so i can¡¯t sleep.¡± ¡°really? that¡¯s weird. you¡¯ve always been looking for a madam because the thunder was scary during the rainy season.¡± after seeing the mysterious face of the nanny, yurina belatedly wanted to cry. ¡®originally, i was really scared of thunder.¡¯ she was only a 10 year old child and it is hard to turn on the light right away because she was afraid of the dark here, so she would scream and find an adult. ¡®if that¡¯s the case, then i¡¯ll have to act childish.¡¯ it was easy because i had already done it to dave and carthia. yurina looked rather sullen and covered herself with a blanket over her head. ¡°but i¡¯m ten years old now. ten is not a child. i can¡¯t cry looking for my mother just because i¡¯m scared of thunder. my brothers were already living alone at the academy at the age of ten.¡± beyond the blanket i could hear the nanny laughing. ¡°when did our lady grow up like this? but since you¡¯re awake, would you like me to bring you a cup of warm milk, too?¡± the way she stroked my head over the blanket felt strange. without realizing it, yurina murmured again in a more subdued voice. ¡°no. it¡¯s allright.¡± ¡°then shall i sing you a lullaby until you go back to sleep?¡± ¡°i¡¯m not a child.¡± the nanny again laughed sincerely. what is this? oh, it felt strange. whenever she treats her as a child, i wonder how raynald¡¯s feelings like, ¡°i¡¯m older than you¡¯. ¡°i¡¯ll be by your side until you fall asleep, so don¡¯t worry and go to sleep, miss.¡± it¡¯s more burdensome to be next to her. yurina closed her eyes, feeling the hand patting her back over the blanket. but the sleep that once ran away never came, and the nanny really seemed to intend to stay with her until she fell asleep. in the end, yurina intentionally exhaled her breath like sleeping. even though it was a rather awkward act, the nanny wondered if she had been deceived. the warmth felt over the blanket disappeared. after hearing the sound of the door opening and closing, yurina came out of the blanket. ¡®it¡¯s not easy to pretend to be ten years old.¡¯ as she was stretching and listening to the sound of the pouring rain, yurina suddenly recalled the face of raynald. ¡®are you sleeping well?¡¯ when he woke up from a deep sleep, i thought raynald was also surprised by the sound. maybe he can¡¯t fall asleep again, shivering alone in the dark, waiting for the thunder to stop. ¡®should i take a look?¡¯ just as my nanny came a little while ago, on a thunder day, adults usually make sure if their children can sleep like this. but there is no one to care about raynald. during the day, the maids who were asked by me to take good care of his appearance, but they will not come running voluntarily until night. then i brought him to this place and reached the thought of whether he, who is acting as my protector, should take over the position. ¡®is it okay to be nosy?¡¯ i glanced at the door for a moment, but it didn¡¯t open again. if raynald was sleeping as expected, he would have come earlier with a pillow like that day. ¡°hoam¡­¡± hugging her pillow and pondering for a while, the little girl soon got out of bed, lit a candle on a portable candlestick and left the room. there was no one in the dark corridor, where the dim candlelit lights shone, but everyone woke up in the middle of the night and somehow the whole mansion seemed to be in a commotion. leaving the uproar behind, yurina walked unhesitatingly to raynald¡¯s room. Chapter 18 chapter 18 ¡°ray, are you asleep?¡± i knocked and asked, but there was no answer. i wonder if he¡¯s sleeping better than i guess. yurina still stared at the unanswered door and frowned gently between her eyes. now that i confirmed that he was sleeping, i thought about going back to my room, but at the same time, i felt determined to check it properly. ¡®i¡¯m just checking to see if he¡¯s sleeping.¡¯ and as soon as i opened the door carefully so that it didn¡¯t make any noise, i saw a giant cocoon, or, this cocoon twisting on the bed. ¡°ahhhh.¡± when the thunder shook the room, the blanket cocoon flinched loudly, and the sound of pain leaked out. yurina hurried to the bedside, closing the door. ¡°ray?¡± ¡°ughh.¡± ¡°ray? it¡¯s me. wake up.¡± when yurina put down the candlestick and comforted him, raynald stopped talking and pushed his head out of the blanket. when he found yurina, he slowly blinked his round eyes. ¡°yu¡­.. rina? why are you here?¡± i could not find him shouting, ¡°what are you going to do to come to my room at this hour?¡± as he rolled around in the blanket, he raised himself by pressing down on his messy hair like a bird¡¯s nest. ¡°is that because you can¡¯t sleep?¡± ¡°what?¡± yurina puffed her forehead as if dumbfounded. maybe he didn¡¯t see her look like that, but he snorted and continued. ¡°you must be scared of thunder. you¡¯re a kid, too.¡± that¡¯s somebody¡¯s point. yurina sat on the bed, pressing her forehead hard. ¡°i¡¯m here to see if you¡¯re sleeping well. i think it¡¯s a good thing i came here to see you.¡± ¡°you didn¡¯t have to come to see me. i was sleeping well.¡± ¡°i saw you shivering in the blanket.¡± ¡°the reason i can¡¯t sleep because it¡¯s too loud.¡± he did not have a mouthful of spit on his face. he do not seem to know that there are faint tear marks on the cheeks reflected by the candlelight. ¡°then shall i go?¡± raynald hurriedly grabbed the hem of her skirt. the light flashed outside the window as if it were impossible for yurina to turn around raynald to make fun of him. a few seconds later the thunder rang out. the light flashed out of the window, terribly, as yurina looked around at raynard in a way to tease him. raynald took off the hand that held yurina¡¯s skirt and covered himself again with the blanket. ¡°ahhhh.¡± ¡°ray?¡± no matter how much yurina shook his body, he just wriggled like a baby, making a sore sound. somehow, normal thinking seemed impossible. she climbed up, looked down at him for a moment, then climbed onto the bed. she opened one eye slightly as if she felt a sign when she lay a little far away from raynald and covered herself with a blanket. ¡°what are you doing?¡± ¡°it¡¯s better to have two than to be alone.¡± ¡°you¡¯re also scared, aren¡¯t you?¡± that sound again. he¡¯s the one who¡¯s shaking. why is he saying that with confidence? yurina pressed the tip of his nose with her fingers. ¡°go to sleep and don¡¯t talk.¡± raynald, regardless of his flattening nose, came close to yurina. ¡°you were scared to sleep alone, weren¡¯t you? now, don¡¯t worry because i¡¯m next to you.¡± his warm breath, just in front of her nose, tickled her face. his voice was quite solemn at the time when he made a moaning noise. yurina pressed harder on the tip of his nose. ¡°you have to say it right. i¡¯m staying with you.¡± ¡°you came to my room because you were scared. don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°so you came to my room last time because you were scared?¡± raynald, who was good at making quick answers, closed his mouth for a moment and rolled his eyes to avoid her gaze. while he remained silent, the light shone over a thin summer blanket, and a loud sound rang out. raynald took a deep breath and grabbed yurina¡¯s arm as hard as he could. even though his sore hand was still trembling, he pretended to be calm and opened his eyes. ¡°it¡¯s all right, this isn¡¯t scary.¡± looking at his grim face, he seemed to be able to protect yurina without being daunted even if a monster broke into the room right now. the devotion was so great that yurina decided to let him have it. ¡°yes, it¡¯s reassuring to have you. i think i can sleep.¡± ¡°as expected, you were scary too.¡± ¡°oh, it¡¯s scary, so you should go to bed too.¡± ¡°yes.¡± since then, there has been constant thunderstorms. raynald, who held yurina¡¯s hand tightly, closed his eyes with a slightly more comfortable face only after putting his forehead on her forehead. ¡°you know what?¡± after a long silence, raynald, who thought he was sleeping, murmured with his eyes closed. ¡°i hate rain.¡± yurina was a little curious about his choice of words. he wasn¡¯t scared, but he hate it? moreover, it was strange to say that ¡®i hated rain¡¯, not thunder and lightning. ¡°why? because it¡¯s cloudy when it rains?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s not that¡­¡± he buried his head on the pillow. just like a sleepy baby rubbing his face on my mother¡¯s shoulder for a long time, he whispered with a slightly smaller sound than just now. ¡°when it rains, it brings back unpleasant memories.¡± ¡°what kind of memory?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± as he got his first chance, he shut his mouth like a clam to yurina¡¯s question. yurina waited silently for an answer, touching his hair, which somehow seemed dispirited. raynald groan, making a painful noise, and barely opened his mouth again. ¡°just, no.¡± that was it. he closed his eyes again after a very short conversation. yurina looked at his closed eyes without saying a word. ¡®what happened?¡¯ he looked a little embarrassed and sad at the same time. i knew his life so far was not smooth. but since mrs. lauren¡¯s case, he¡¯s never shown such a weakness. how painful was he to the point where he was so nervous that he couldn¡¯t recover his senses and reassured by the warmth of nothing but yurina. but his life was full of hardships, so i never even imagined what was going on. ¡®is it like running away from home on a rainy day?¡¯ or were you kicked out of the house on a rainy day? she couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on, but yurina seemed to have a glimpse of the truth in the mind that raynald was hiding. ¡°ray, are you asleep?¡± ¡°¡­¡­mm-hmm.¡± he curled up in a voice full of sleep. ¡°i hope¡­.. that the weather¡­.. will clear up soon.¡± after muttering in an unclear tone, he said no more whether he really fell asleep. yurina closed her eyes, putting her hand on his hand, still clasping his arms. ¡°yes, i hope so.¡± it is dark and rainy now, but this quiet night will pass soon. may the bright and warm summer sun shine over the child¡¯s head, who is afraid of the dark. he just lacked learning, but raynald was born with an extraordinary brain. letters and numbers are basic, and dave¡¯s knowledge of magic quickly absorbed it like a writing paper and made it his own. the crohn¡¯s royal language was also learned little by little, and was at a level where a simple conversation was possible. one day, he proudly spoke to yurina in crohn¡¯s royal language, as if he was proud of it. but as soon as she skillfully continued her conversation in the royal language, he drooped his shoulders with a sullen face. since then, he has never spoken royal language in front of yurina the season has changed only by showing prominence in etiquette and dancing, but he has escaped the appearance of ¡®tom¡¯, who was a commoner, and became a magic prospect ¡®raynald¡¯ sponsored by the marquis of carthia. it would be a lie if there was no awkwardness yet, but even if you eat with someone of another aristocrat right now, you won¡¯t be embarrassed. ¡°can i ask you for a dance?¡± raynald bowed his waist with a clean face that he could not find at all three months ago. the way he spoke was quite like a plausible number of aristocratic accents. the tutor, who corrected his tone of speech, regularly offered thanks to goddess, saying that he did not speak in dialect because he lived in a land close to the capital. ¡®i¡¯m glad to hear that.¡¯ if he spoke in a dialect, he would have had to spend months just correcting his accent. ¡°with pleasure.¡± yurina carefully placed her hand on his hand. her hands touched his fingertips were not rough anymore, thanks to the hard work of the maids. ¡°then shall we go?¡± raynald escorted yurina to the center of the hall in line with the dance teacher¡¯s instructions. there was a smile all the time on his face as if he were wearing a mask. yurina was amazed at the moderate pace, which was neither slow nor fast. ¡®you¡¯ve made a lot of progress.¡¯ even though it is common to not feel anything different every day, yurina could always feel the change of raynald. that would mean he is trying as hard as he can. she was proud of raynald for following her even though it would be hard to come here overnight and take classes every day. this is how a mother bird sees a baby bird that has been flying for the first time. the two people who came to the center of the hall, faced each other and bow down. the eyes of the two people, which were similar at first sight, had changed in two months. thanks to the good food, raynald grew faster and higher than yurina. her cheekbones stood out, and her pretty face stood out even more. ¡°how¡¯s it going?¡± am i a little cool?¡± raised his hand at yurina¡¯s waist, raynald whispered in a small whisper. yurina pressed his shoulder with her palm. ¡°by saying that, isn¡¯t it embarrassing to say it yourself?¡± ¡°well, what do you think? it¡¯s true.¡± that¡¯s a pity. yurina shook her head and waited in a standing position. the violin melody echoed through the hall. unlike his confident smile a little while ago, raynald led her with a rather stiff look. yurina smiled unknowingly at his nervous face. ¡°don¡¯t laugh.¡± even with his sharp voice, yurina smiled and moved her feet as she looked. unlike her, raynald struggled to walk on the floor. it was because he didn¡¯t learn the step perfectly. raynald had as good motor skills as his extraordinary brain, so he quickly learned and copied the steps taught by his teacher. he was praised for his good posture for the first time, but he has only learned it for two months. it was excellent compared to the period he learned, but he still have a long way to catch up with yurina. ¡®i¡¯m so glad i have a buff like this.¡¯ soon after watching raynald¡¯s troubles with his home teacher like nuts, she soon reconsidered the ¡®aristocratic body¡¯ buff that she thought was useless. it¡¯s a relief that i remember yurina¡¯s body, but if i didn¡¯t have any memories of etiquette or dancing, life here would have been very tough. maybe i had to act as a poor boy who lost his memory. ¡°ray, when you dance, you have to look into your partner¡¯s eyes.¡± ¡°i know.¡± ¡°if you know, why don¡¯t you look at me?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± even at yurina¡¯s urging, he kept his mouth shut. yurina stopped talking to him and danced silently. after biting his lips tightly and concentrating under his feet, raynald opened his mouth again only when the music slowed down. ¡°i have something i want for my birthday.¡± Chapter 19 chapter 19 ¡°a birthday present?¡± yurina counted today¡¯s date in her head. ¡®come to think of it, it¡¯s already the month of harvest.¡¯ the year here consisted of twelve months like korea. however, unlike korea, where the name of the month was counted in january, february, etc., there was a separate name for each month. among them, the month of october in korea is ¡®the month of harvest¡¯, and raynald¡¯s birthday was the 19th of this harvest month. i had about two weeks left until his birthday. even though yurina didn¡¯t order a separate birthday party, betsy, who cares about raynald even among the maids, was excited not long ago to throw a birthday party with raynald¡¯s favorite foods. a maid close to her and a few servants agreed to prepare together. he has never really enjoyed a party before, so i¡¯ll prepare a memorable one. raynald raised his head and frowned as yurina laughed at betsy¡¯s face, full of excitement. thanks to the etiquette class, it was a raw look that i hadn¡¯t seen for a while. ¡°what¡¯s the reaction? have you forgotten my birthday by any chance?¡± ¡°no way. of course i remember. it¡¯s the 19th of the month of harvest.¡± raynald¡¯s expression quickly unraveled on the exact date. when i first saw him, i saw tom¡¯s untidy face. ¡°well, ray, what do you want for your birthday?¡± ¡°well¡­.¡± unlike the first time he brought up the story with curiosity, he took the time to look at yurina. ¡°what is it? tell me anything. i¡¯m yurina carthia.¡± yurina had the power and influence to save him no matter what he said. to be exact, it¡¯s what her father has, but her wealth was the same as his soon. raynald, who had been wary of yurina¡¯s boastful talk, sighed and murmured quietly. ¡°but it¡¯s not a thing.¡± ¡°if it¡¯s not a thing, is it a wish?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll listen and i¡¯ll do it if i can. if it¡¯s an unreasonable wish, i can¡¯t accept it even if it¡¯s your birthday.¡± ¡°do you have to put an exception like that?¡± does he know how to use words such as ¡°exceptional clauses¡±? yurina once again admired his change. ¡°of course i have to put it. what do you think you¡¯re gonna do? one wrong promise can ruin a family.¡± raynald hardened his face as if he had sincerely accepted what she said as a joke. ¡°do you think i¡¯m asking you to do that?¡± ¡°you never know.¡± ¡°oh, really!¡± the moment he raised his head, yurina frowned. in amazement, raynald¡¯s gaze moved from yurina¡¯s face to her feet. his feet were stepping on the tiny feet of yurina. ¡°sorry!¡± yurina glanced at him. ¡°you did that on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°no!¡± raynald flinched and dragged yurina to the sofa. no matter how many times yurina said she was fine, he sat on the floor with his knees clenched and looked at her feet on his legs. every time he practiced dancing, he stepped on the same spot so many times that there were bluish marks on her feet. in the meantime, raynald saw the marks on the back of yurina¡¯s white feet for the first time today because she wore shoes that covered the top of her feet. ¡°since when did this happen?¡± ¡°i¡¯ve already told you, it¡¯s allright.¡± yurina felt awkward for no reason and tried to get her feet back quickly, but raynald caught her ankle first. ¡°if you heard people ask you were bruised, why didn¡¯t you tell them?¡± ¡°because i didn¡¯t feel the need to talk. it doesn¡¯t hurt much.¡± ¡°i think it hurts.¡± ¡°if you¡¯re so worried, you can improve your dancing skills and not step on my feet. don¡¯t you think?¡± the joke she gave on purpose didn¡¯t open his face. yurina looked down at his head and had his hair all messed up for no reason. the hair he had cleaned up at best quickly became like a nest, but raynald looked up at yurina to see if it mattered. ¡° time if there¡¯s another one, let me know.¡± yurina could no longer speak playfully to a determined hand. she nodded with a serious look. ¡°yes, i will.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll practice hard so that i won¡¯t step on your foot.¡± raynald gently rubbed her foot on the back of his hand. the bluish bruises disappeared in an instant. after starting to learn magic from dave in earnest, he could now use simple magic as easily as breathing. dave and his colleagues were so impressed. even after treatment, raynald continued to touch yurina¡¯s foot as to what was unsatisfactory. every time he rubbed it with his fingertips, it felt as if her feet were on fire. yurina felt somehow embarrassed and quickly got him up. after tapping the empty side with her hands, he got up and sat next to her. the dance teacher and the violinist, who were watching the conversation between the two in a corner left the hall saying that they would take a moment to rest. ¡°shall we just continue about what we¡¯re talking about? ray, what do you want to do on your birthday?¡± ¡°you don¡¯t have to throw me a birthday party. let¡¯s go out for fun that day.¡± ¡°two of us? just the two of us?¡± ¡°yes.¡± raynald hesitated and asked, looking at yurina, who couldn¡¯t answer readily. ¡°no?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not that i can¡¯t do it, it¡¯s just i can¡¯t. my dad would never allow us to go out. the guards and maids will follow us too.¡± ¡°ah.¡± raynald bit his lips with a face that realized something. then there was no more word for this award. yurina saw him wriggling his hands as if the grass had died ¡°if you don¡¯t mind taking the guards and the maids, why don¡¯t we go out to play? let¡¯s go out and eat delicious food, shop around and buy some presents for you.¡± ¡°really? can i?¡± ¡°of course.¡± when i saw him smiling quickly, i followed him with a smile. after being educated in etiquette, ¡®a nobleman should know how to hide his expression so that his innermost feelings are not revealed, and he should not laugh brightly¡¯. raynald always hid his true feelings as if he were wearing a mask. the tutor praised his change, but yurina sometimes missed his various expressions and frank words. ¡®still¡­.¡¯ i was happy that he still seemed to be a bold and honest kid in front of me. ¡°oh, by the way.¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°you said you didn¡¯t need a birthday party, but i don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. there are people waiting for your birthday even more than you.¡± yurina recalled betsy, who was working hard to prepare a list of raynald¡¯s favorite foods. ¡°so let¡¯s have a party in the morning and go out for lunch or something. what do you say?¡± ¡°okay. let¡¯s do that.¡± nodding his head, raynald rose from his seat and reached out to her. yurina got up holding his hand. after that, raynald seemed desperately focused, but ended up stepping on yurina¡¯s feet twice more. ***** on the 19th of harvest month, raynald¡¯s birthday morning. yurina looked out at the colorfully decorated reception room and shook her tongue. there were four large tables in the drawing room. each was full of appetizers, main dishes, desserts and pretty wrapped gifts. i like the word ¡®full¡¯, but in terms of quantity or number, it was like going to a small party. the size of the tea party, which yurina invited about 10 children of her age last time, was smaller than this. ¡°when did you get up and get ready?¡± ¡°props have been prepared for two weeks, desserts and cold foods were made last night, and warm foods were prepared this morning and at dawn. my master and madam told me to prepare for it, so i worked hard.¡± ¡°it must have been hard, but you did a lot of work.¡± ¡°ay, thank you. i did it because everyone liked it.¡± betsy, who bragged and wiped her forehead with a sleeve, suddenly added in a worried voice. ¡°but will raynald like it? i prepared it with the foods he usually ate, but i didn¡¯t hear what he liked.¡± ¡°he will like it. don¡¯t worry.¡± as far as yurina knows, raynald didn¡¯t have any food that he hates or hides even though he has favorite food. because he have lived a poor life, he have lost his appetite. still, when i looked around the table, i could see a lot of menus that raynald used to enjoy. ¡°i think everyone likes raynald a lot.¡± ¡°of course. is there anyone in the mansion that doesn¡¯t like raynald?¡± ¡°that¡¯s a little surprising.¡± ¡°oh, what makes you think that, my lady?¡± ¡°just¡­..¡± rather than approach people far away due to poor social skills, raynald is so tightly closed that he refuses to touch anyone approaching him. it took a long time and effort to get close to him, and unlike yurina, the employees who had a lot of work to do couldn¡¯t afford to care about him that much. that¡¯s why she knew how to keep her distance even if the employees took care of him. ¡®i¡¯m glad you like him.¡¯ i didn¡¯t know you liked him this much. betsy, who was looking at yurina¡¯s facial expression, explained it on her own. ¡°he looks like he¡¯s clumsy, but he¡¯s cute when you look at it carefully. last time, he even gave me cookies to eat. and because of the age difference, he looks like a younger brother. oh, can i say this to the noble?¡± ¡°why not? dave thinks i¡¯m cute because i¡¯m like a younger sister.¡± in fact, considering the age difference, yurina was dave¡¯s niece. when i asked him why he was not my uncle but her brother, he smiled as if he was crying for the first time and gave no answer. later, when i heard through my father, dave¡¯s sister died as a child. he said he had a younger sister. at that time, he was thirteen, and her age was five. when yurina first saw dave when she was four, she deserved to look like a sister to him. ¡®it doesn¡¯t really matter in this situation.¡¯ as yurina tried hard to erase the gloomy smile from her head, the servant, who was watching, jumped into the reception room. ¡°mr. raynald is coming!¡± all the employees, who were finishing their preparations with smiling faces, stood at the door and held their breath. yurina and betsy also grabbed a handful of tiny, colorful pieces of paper and stood among the employees, focusing on the footsteps heard outside the door. ¡°yurina? are you here?¡± as soon as the door opened carefully and raynald¡¯s voice was heard, everyone sprinkled pieces of paper on his head. ¡°happy birthday!¡± the eyes of raynald, who was looking at pieces of paper and brightly smiling employees in front of his eyes, grew surprisingly round. yurina stood facing raynald, stepping on pieces that fell to the ground. ¡°ray, happy birthday. are you already thirteen? you¡¯re three years older than me today.¡± yurina raised her hand high into the sky and opened her fist. a fluttering piece of red paper fell on raynald¡¯s nose. he still looked slowly around with a puzzled look. ¡°uh, uh?¡± then in an instant, he burst into transparent tears. Chapter 20 chapter 20 ¡°i didn¡¯t cry.¡± raynald snorted and filling his mouth with a cake full of whipped cream. he was the only one who didn¡¯t know that it was not convincing to say such a thing with red eyes like a rabbit. ¡°you¡¯re so slow!¡± he shouted at the employees, who were shaking their shoulders with laughter. when his pronunciation was crushed due to the cake, he moved his chin combatively to eat the cake quickly. the employees, who noticed his discomfort, tried desperately to stop laughing, but it wasn¡¯t easy. in the end, they all went out of the drawing room, using a ridiculous excuse to bring more milk and tea. yurina smiled quietly, looking at the tea still full in the kettle. without realizing it, raynald, who had finished a piece of cake, drank the milk in a gulp. ¡°i didn¡¯t really cry.¡± ¡°yes, i get it.¡± ¡°i¡¯m just¡­. a little surprised.¡± he looked around the drawing room again with moist eyes. ¡°you was so surprised, huh? i¡¯ve already told you we¡¯re having a party this morning.¡± ¡°i know, i know that¡­.¡± raynald poked the green grapes with a fork for no reason. ¡°i thought i¡¯d just have one little cake. i didn¡¯t know there would be so many people.¡± ¡°did you?¡± ¡°yes. and i¡¯ve never actually had a party like this before.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yes. ¡®cause no one¡¯s been paying attention to my birthday.¡± well, it could have been, considering the life he had lived. listening to his depressed voice, yurina recalled her birthday in korea. when i was in the same age as raynald, i invited all of my classmates to my house for a party, and even when it was not easy for me to have a meal with my family, i received a lot of calls and text messages saying happy birthday. her birthday was always a happy day. for raynald, what was his birthday like? since he was born without knowing his father, would he have only been shunned by his mother? if so, his birthday might have been so terrible that he didn¡¯t want to remember it. yurina put another piece of cake on his plate with only whipped cream left. ¡°eat a lot. let¡¯s finish it and go out for fun as i promised.¡± i wanted to make him remember his birthday today as a special memory. ***** ¡°yurina, look at that!¡± to the shame of his hard-working etiquette class, raynald pointed out the outside of the carriage with an unquestioned pure face, as he did when we first met. yurina looked out the window after him, but couldn¡¯t figure out what he was looking at and being so red. ¡®it¡¯s just a normal street scene.¡¯ evan street, which is said to be the most frequented in the crowded capital, was a place where various cultures were mixed, popular with both commoners and nobles. there were few street vendors where commoners could simply eat or watch, and brick-buildings were filled with shops decorated for the nobles. when the spring festival is held, there is a rare scene where bands and wandering performers from all over the empire perform, but there was nothing special to see at this time of the transition from autumn to winter. it was a scene that didn¡¯t impress yurina, who had been to the main street many times. ¡°are you still eating food when you¡¯re out there?¡± raynald urged yurina by grabbing her arm. as he turned his attention along the direction he pointed, he noticed a luxurious cafe. on the sunny terrace, some of the young ladies who came out for an outing were seen having afternoon tea time. ¡°yes. it won¡¯t be a heavy meal, but a simple meal like sandwich or salad will be possible.¡± yurina continued to read raynald¡¯s inner thoughts of looking at the cafe with curious eyes and gestured to betsy. betsy quickly opened a window to the horseman¡¯s side and pulled up the carriage. after finishing a simple meal at the cafe as raynald wanted, the two of them went back to the streets again, unable to relax and enjoy tea time. it was because of raynald¡¯s urge to hurry because the days got shorter because it was autumn and there was a lot to see. yurina followed him without a murmur today as he wanted. ¡°there¡¯s a lot of cool stuff.¡± raynald was conscious of people¡¯s gaze and reduced his voice, but could not hide his curious face. yurina ordered betsy to hold the pen and ink he looked carefully at in his arms. that wasn¡¯t enough, so she took him to a luxury store where only nobles went in and out and bought a ruby brooch that would match the color of his eyes. ¡°is this really for me?¡± raynald looked puzzled as he looked at the brooch on his palm. yurina came close to him, picked up the brooch and pushed it in front of his eyes. ¡°it¡¯s a birthday present. this is the ruby i told you about. what do you think? it shines like your eyes.¡± ¡°can i have something this expensive?¡± ¡°what are you talking about? the clothes you¡¯re wearing now are also very expensive.¡± she deliberately replied that it was nothing more, and broached his left chest. raynald lowered his head and looked at the brooch. his red eyes glistening in the sunlight and ruby¡¯s hard-working light matched very well. betsy, who was watching the two, also nodded with a satisfied look. raynald, looking down at the brooch for a moment, approached betsy, who smiled warmly, and shrugged and whispered to her. betsy opened her eyes wide with surprise, and soon, she nodded with a look of calmness. ¡°what are you two whispering about?¡± ¡°it¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°yes, it¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°what?¡± they smiled at each other and went away without her. yurina, who was left alone, silently waited for the two in front of the store with her guards. ¡®all of a sudden, what is this?¡¯ she was dumbfounded with laughter. should i be proud or disappointed that raynald, like a puppy, who was always chasing after her, abandoned her and shared his secret with betsy? yurina looked around, feeling a mysterious feeling that she couldn¡¯t pinpoint. there were a lot of people on the street maybe because it was the weekend. there were also quite a few carriages with the patterns of the nobility, and the nobles in finely dressed outings were also seen. ¡®it¡¯s a good day.¡¯ yurina enjoyed the warm sunshine pouring over her closed eyes. it was to make good memories for raynald, but in fact she was also enjoying the outing with him. i felt like i came out to play with a really close friend. a pleasant tranquility after a long time. ¡°young lady.¡± no matter how long i waited, when i was wondering that the two had not returned, the guard who was standing behind approached and spoke to her. ¡°i think you should go over there for a while.¡± yurina grudgingly looked at where he was pointing. even on this street, where there are many nobles, a well-dressed man was holding raynald¡¯s arm and talking aloud. no matter how loud his voice was, he could hear his voice clearly even though it was quite far from yurina. ¡°which family are you from?¡± the man grasped his cheek with a big hand as big as raynald¡¯s face and looked at his face quietly. he seemed to think that raynald, who had only one maid, was not a nobleman but a child of some wealthy commoner. when he just met yurina, the free-spirited raynald would have slapped her hand and yelled, ¡°what does it matter?¡± but he just closed his mouth and lowered his gaze. yurina could see that his attitude was to avoid causing trouble to her and the carthia family. betsy, who was following raynald, tried to talk in front of him, but the man¡¯s guard raised the sword and blocked her. the sword was not pulled from the black case but it was threatening enough. betsy, who was startled, stood next to raynald couldn¡¯t do this, she couldn¡¯t stop and looked around. when yurina made eye contact with her, she waved her hand as if she wanted her to come quickly. it was rude to do it to a young lady who served by a maid, but it meant that the situation was urgent. yurina gestured to the guards on the lake waiting behind her and then approached them with quick steps. in the meantime, the man was still staring at raynald¡¯s eyes with an expressionless face. ¡®how dare you¡­¡¯ her anger soared up and yurina clenched both her fists. rumors spread that she had fallen out of the carthia family¡¯s sight, and the abominable face of mrs. lauren, who has now disappeared from all walks of life, passed through her mind. i don¡¯t know exactly what happened, but the situation was obvious. that¡¯s a man who apparently has no fault. he¡¯s making a fuss about raynald¡¯s red eyes. if raynald had been disrespectful to that man first, before he apologized, betsy would have knelt before him and begged him to do wrong instead. as yurina approached her face, betsy sighed visibly relieved. until then, the man did not let go of his hand holding raynald¡¯s face, but rather bowed to his waist and looked into him. ¡°why don¡¯t you answer me? i asked which family you were from.¡± ¡°if the child i¡¯m carrying has been rude, i¡¯d like to apologize for it.¡± yurina approached raynald¡¯s side and told him deliberately to listen. so, it meant to get rid of the hand quickly. in addition, if raynald had not been rude, it meant a little deeper that the man should apologize to me. but the man burst into laughter while only looking at raynald to see if he couldn¡¯t hear yurina. ¡°it¡¯s really red. it¡¯s red.¡± ¡°what is this¡­¡± ¡°i can¡¯t believe it even when i¡¯m looking at it. why hasn¡¯t ¡®beatus¡¯ been found so close? if i hadn¡¯t seen you like this today, i would have wasted my time.¡± yurina, who tried to follow his rudeness, was stunned by the word ¡®beatus¡¯ from his words. ¡®how do you know that?¡¯ the word was barely found by her reading the ancient books related to magic. ¡®beatus¡¯ an ancient term referring to those with red eyes who have long been the spiritual support of the ruined kingdom of denik and blessed by the goddess. but why does the man in front of her not only know the word, but also say it as if he is convinced that ¡°beatus¡± exists? only then did yurina take a good look at the man¡¯s appearance. the middle-aged man, who appeared to be about the same age as her father, the marquis of carthia, seemed to have an inkling of whether he was a nobleman or not. a sharp eye and a firm mouth that seem to see through everyone¡¯s heart. when looking at yurina, the marquis of carthia, whose facial expressions soften infinitely, also had such a stern expression when dealing with his subordinate. however, it was not because he was a high-ranking nobles that yurina was surprised. ¡®red hair.¡¯ today, the red hair shining in the bright sunlight and the untold harmony of gold here also gave us an unusual feeling. a strange and familiar feeling. most of all, in the word ¡°beatus¡± from his mouth, yurina instinctively could realize who he was. ¡°marquis de flon¡­..¡± his golden eyes, which had been directed at raynald all along, had already turned to her. yurina¡¯s hands trembled as she received his cold, harsh gaze, which seemed to even notice that she was a stranger from a strange place. she tried holding her hands together to pretend to be calm, but it didn¡¯t work. ¡°do you know me?¡± it was the correct answer. yurina instinctively stepped back a few steps. however, the stride was small, so he was not far from her. the man, marquis de flon finally lifted himself up from raynald¡¯s cheek. Chapter 21 chapter 21 raynald was strangled and breathed like a man who had been released and held close to yurina¡¯s side. ¡°how many people do not know marquis in the capital?¡± yurina replied with the utmost effort, hoping that her voice would not tremble. marquis of de flon, who rubbed his chin with a puzzled look, gave a look to the guard behind yurina. then he uttered a small exclamation as if he had noticed something. ¡°you¡¯re from the carthia family.¡± her head turned white when the family name came out of his mouth. she was more nervous and wanted to run away than when she met prince curtis before. it was unclear whether it was because of her record of not being able to catch up with him for more than two decades, or because of her memory of the marquis de flon in the original novel, which was driving her directly to death. frowning in pain like the internal organs twisting, yurina wrapped her arms around her stomach. he lowered his head and roughly matched the eye level with yurina. ¡°so this is the one that marquis carthia loved?¡± he spoke as if he were brooding over his anger. it was only for a short time, but yurina clearly saw his eyes twisting and shaking. ¡®why?¡¯ it was too much to say that it was simply an attitude toward a politically confrontational family due to different interests. aristocrats learn to manage facial expressions without revealing their feelings as a child. now, that yurina who is only ten years old, and raynald who is only a commoner sponsored by the nobles, should always show a smile without expressing their feelings for others other than his family. she can¡¯t believe marquis de flon, who spent decades in the political arena and had a hard time dealing with people, has vented his feelings like this. ¡°i hope my daughter will get along with you at a similar age, young lady.¡± the look he just saw, with his face grinding so fast that it felt like a hallucination, gave him a look at the carriage behind him. a platinum-haired girl poking her head out of the window of a luxurious carriage carved with a pattern presumed to belong to de flon. she shook her head as the maid on the opposite side reached out to dry, and kept her eye on yurina and raynald. ¡®lydia de flon.¡¯ the heroine of the original novel, in which ¡®charion¡¯ fell in love. i suddenly came to my senses. ¡®what if raynald falls in love with lydia at a glance?¡¯ yurina knew that this was an unprovoked anxiety. in the original novel, ¡®charion¡¯ came to love lydia when she took care of him with her utmost sincerity. but hasn¡¯t the original been changed already? if raynald falls in love like the original, it was theoretically right that the opponent was yurina. nevertheless, the ¡°if¡± assumption shook yurina¡¯s heart. what if ¡®charion¡¯ fell in love with ¡®lydia¡¯ purely because she was the official hostess of the novel? what if he was set up to love her unconditionally from the beginning? raynald may fall in love with lydia for no particular reason the moment he sees her. what if marquis de flon, with lingering feelings, takes raynald by any means and introduces lydia? so what if rainard fell in love with her at first sight? just the thought of it was terrible. yurina moved her shaky legs to block the front of raynald. there was a greater sense of desperation that raynald could be taken away than the fear directed at marquis de flon. ¡°this is a child sponsored by the carthia family.¡± though it was out of the blue, but marquis of de flon frowned upon the meaning of the remark. yurina reached out to her back and hugged him as if she was going to protect raynald, saying again clearly. ¡°he¡¯s sponsored by the carthia family.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± his gaze shifted to raynald at the back of yurina. ¡°carthia has been holding swords for generations, but de flon has been on the magic path for a long time. i also inherited my ancestors¡¯s honor. your talent is not unusual. i¡¯m sure cartiavo dan de flon would be better off if you wanted to develop your talents properly.¡± ¡°marquis!¡± yurina shouted urgently out of anxiety, but marquis de flon didn¡¯t even blink. taking someone who is already receiving support from another family has been criticized among the nobles. the fact that the marquis, who knew it better than anyone else, tried to take raynald at the risk of all this stigma meant that he had an eye on him that much. ¡°what do you think?¡± unlike yurina, raynald, who had been silently receiving his gaze, walked out in front of yurina. he bowed down to the marquis with the courtesy of a nobleman. ¡°forgive me for the late greeting because i didn¡¯t know about you, marquis. as you have already heard, i am raynald, who is favored by the carthia family. i appreciate your appreciation for my ability, but i am fully satisfied with my situation.¡± contrary to yurina¡¯s concerns, he quietly rejected marquis¡¯s offer with a very straight expression and tone. raised one eyebrow as if the marquis of de flon had heard something he could not hear. ¡°raynald?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°raynald. yes, raynald¡­.¡± the marquis gently rubbed his chin with his eyes fixed on raynald. the marquis¡¯s gaze on raynald was all very explicit, but raynald silently received his gaze without any sign of displeasure. ¡°what an interesting name. it¡¯s an ancient name that means ¡®hope¡¯. did you know?¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t know it was such an undeserved name.¡± ¡°did your parents not even teach you the meaning of your name? i guess you would have been a wizard if your parents had named you in ancient languages.¡± ¡°my parents were not wizards. my name wasn¡¯t given by them either.¡± ¡°then who gave you the name?¡± raynald looked at yurina instead of answering. the sharp gaze of the marquis de flon also turned to her. yurina clenched raynald¡¯s arm unknowingly. ¡®it¡¯s unpleasant.¡¯ no matter how many times she faced it, marquis of de flon had a creepy corner like a bug crawling on his arm. i feel like i¡¯m naked. ¡°did young lady learn the ancient language? i haven¡¯t heard of rumors that you¡¯re talented at magic.¡± ¡°i just learned a few words for fun.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± his eyes were on raynald again. the marquis looked up at raynald¡¯s red eyes and raised one corner of his mouth. ¡°young lady has got a really nice gem. it¡¯s been really fun. i don¡¯t know what kind of talent you have.¡± contrary to the expectation that he would try to persuade raynald more, he turned away without hesitation. ¡°maybe it¡¯s a lot of luck.¡± finally his murmur sounded very small in the wind. it was so small that she couldn¡¯t tell whether he really spoke or whether yurina heard the hallucinations. yurina clenched her fists and stared at the back of the marquis. the marquis of de flon and lydia left, but for some reason the shadow of death still seemed to hold her ankle. ***** yurina, who was shaking her lips until the marquis de flon left, ran to the corner and throw up what was inside her as soon as he disappeared. even though she didn¡¯t usually have a lot of food and she didn¡¯t have anything to throw up because it was before dinner, she grabbed the wall and continued to feel nauseous. betsy ran hurriedly, but yurina managed to gasp out her words before she could even reach her. ¡°don¡¯t come.¡± it was a nervous, sharp voice. raynald has never seen yurina so nervous in her life with him in the last three months. two years younger than him, she always acted like an adult. despite the similar level of eyes, she always felt like looking down at him from above, and said quietly, even if she was angry, she didn¡¯t lose her composure. she never raised her voice when she warned her employees. so raynald would often forget that she was younger than himself. but what broke down her reason? ¡°don¡¯t follow me.¡± yurina stumbled a little further into the alley. the conflict between the command obedience and the protection of personal security prevented the maids and guards from immediately following her. ¡®what a pity.¡¯ raynald glanced at them for a moment and ran in the direction of yurina. yurina speeded up as if she heard the footsteps following her. looking at a precarious step, raynald was forced to stop at the spot. ¡°i¡¯m not coming anymore. so you should stop too. what are you going to do if you fall down?¡± only then did yurina stop walking. she sat down, leaning back against a stone wall, unlike the nobleman¡¯s favor. raynald slowly aproached her and sat down while he was looking at her head resting in his lap. even though he must have noticed, yurina didn¡¯t say anything or running away. ¡®i was like this too.¡¯ raynald found himself in her defensive form. he was wary of everyone when he first came to carthia¡¯s mansion. at that time, yurina was the only one who came close to him, despite his difficult appearance. so this time it¡¯s his turn to approach her. he hesitated and put out a handkerchief stuck in the left chest of his outer garment to her. ¡®i didn¡¯t know why nobles would wear these as decorations.¡¯ he seemed to know a little bit why. ¡°yurina.¡± she didn¡¯t budge at the urging. raynald forced a handkerchief into her trembling hand. the hand that touched was cold. he wanted to blow his breath on her hand, but before he took action, yurina lightly shook her hand. raynald moistened his lips for a moment, looking at her still holding a handkerchief. ¡®what should i say?¡¯ he thought he should say something. yurina looked so precarious that he wanted to joke or comfort her. but he couldn¡¯t think of any words. he has never soothed anyone before. he carefully laid his shoulder on her shoulder. a small tremor passed from shoulder to shoulder. he waited in the same posture for yurina to find stability. yurina, who was still crouching, wiped her face with a handkerchief and clenched her fist. the blue handkerchief resembling her eyes was crumpled in the white hand. ¡°it¡¯s unfair.¡± after a long wait, yurina muttered something she didn¡¯t know if she was talking to herself or him. he wanted to ask again what was so unfair, but raynald kept his mouth shut and waited for her words. for some reason, he seemed to have to wait for her calmly now. ¡°i¡¯ve only been nice so far. it¡¯s you. i don¡¯t think my personality is that good either. i was the most precious to me than anyone else, so i used to act selfishly. but that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about, right? how many people would live in altruism?¡± (yurina) that¡¯s true. you¡¯re right. there are many people in the world who only know themselves. but yurina, you¡¯re nice. i¡¯m the proof next to you. he retorted inwardly, hoping that she would understand his thoughts. ¡°but i didn¡¯t do anything harmful to anyone. i just lived a normal life like everyone else. if you look at it, there are more vicious people here and there than me. but why me? why should i be the only one who should be in this position? what did i do so wrong?¡± the trembling voice made her cry. raynald wondered why she was so anxious. why on earth is yurina suddenly like this? what did the man do to her earlier? Chapter 22 chapter 22 i tried hard to roll my dazed head, but i couldn¡¯t find the reason no matter how much i thought about it. ¡°no. i don¡¯t want to die. i want to live. i¡¯m going to live like a devil. why have i tried so hard so far?¡± especially when death was mentioned in her mouth, her mind became even more messed up. he could not relate her fear at all. unlike ¡®tom¡¯, who desperately wanted to survive every day in an orphanage worrying about food, yurina never feel hungry or shake in the cold. if she had a slight cold, the best doctor would come and take care of her. what is a cold so far? what¡¯s more today. her father, who loves her dearly, sent her out to a small, danger-free downtown, after carthia, and sent her guards and maids in a row for fear that her fingertips would be hurt. regardless of her status, death is something no one can avoid, but at least she, who grew up in this love, had no reason to be so afraid of death. but why is she shivering as if someone has a knife in her neck? ¡®it was strange then too.¡¯ he recalled the story she told when he first met yurina at the orphanage. -i want you to remember what i¡¯ve done for you today. and later, when i¡¯m in danger you have to save me just like how i saved you today. on second thought, there was something strange about it. to dave, yurina said that the reason she recognized raynald¡¯s talent was because of the story of red eyes she had heard once. in other words, when she saw him by chance, she remembered the story and decided to support him as a young man. but in raynald¡¯s view, she acted as if she had been waiting to meet him. she held out his hand, calling out the contract without hesitation, saying, ¡®please protect me¡¯. her words were too systematic to be instantly crossed. just like knowing who¡¯s trying to kill her and getting ready. who is trying to kill the famous daughter of the marquis of carthia, who is considered one of the best in the empire? then why don¡¯t you take any small action after carthia? why is yurina cartia shaking alone in that fear? it was full of strange things. the world of their own that he would never understand with his clumsy head, which still has a lot to learn. but only one thing. ¡°yurina.¡± one thing i could see for sure was that she was so anxious that her mind was shaking dangerously. yurina was a beautiful girl who smiled confidently rather than being so weak. raynald wanted to bring back her smile. ¡°you¡¯re not gonna die.¡± when he said that, yurina looked down at him as usual and said, ¡®yes, i won¡¯t die. because i¡¯m a carthia. who would dare to have the heart to kill me?¡¯ he thought she¡¯d say it confidently. otherwise, he thought she would look at him with the blue eyes that always shone and laugh at him, saying, ¡®you¡¯ve grown up a lot¡¯. however, as expected, she replied with a sharp voice. ¡°how do you know that?¡± raynald, who had been choosing to speak for a moment, carefully brushed her back, which seemed very small. ¡°i know.¡± ¡°no, you don¡¯t. you don¡¯t know anything. oh, don¡¯t give me any consolation that you don¡¯t know anything about.¡± ¡°it¡¯s real. you¡¯re not going to die. did you forget about the contract we signed that time? i promised to protect you in return for your sponsor.¡± yurina turned her head slightly and looked at him. raynald lifted one lip straight. ¡°my teacher told me that my magic skills are improving so fast. well, i¡¯m afraid so. isn¡¯t it rather strange that a talented person like me doesn¡¯t improve when he tries so hard?¡± he peeped at her expression and lowered his voice. ¡°and this is a secret to my teacher, and i think i¡¯ll soon be a wizard beyond him.¡± only then did yurina, who had no expression on her face, have a faint smile on her face. she replied with a calmer voice, as if she had regained her composure. ¡°what is that. you still have a long way to go.¡± ¡°are you saying that you know what you do? at least i know magic better than you do. do you know about elements or mana? you can¡¯t even use magic to heat up your favorite tea. i can do it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°so yurina. just wait a little longer. i¡¯m going to try even harder than i am now and become a magician who surpasses my teacher quickly. you don¡¯t have to worry anymore. just trust me.¡± raynald gently handed her hair down behind her ears. ¡°i promise you in raynald¡¯s name. there will be no one in the world who can harm you in the future.¡± yurina laughed aloud as if she knew he was mimicking her speech. she pressed his forehead with her long white fingers. ¡°i can make a promise by my name because i¡¯m as good as i am. not everyone can do it for anyone.¡± raynald proudly unfolded his chest and put on airs. ¡°as you say, i¡¯ll be a great wizard in the future.¡± ¡°you can¡¯t do that. i gave you that name, but who¡¯s willing to bet on that name? did you get my permission?¡± ¡°oh, really. you¡¯re so tactless in this situation. do you have to argue like that?¡± yurina¡¯s laughter was raised even higher. after laughing at raynald¡¯s disapproving gaze for a long time, she soon put out her pinky finger to him, forced to change her expression. ¡°don¡¯t give me the precious name i gave you, just put your finger on it.¡± he couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of the action, so when he looked at it, she waved her hand before him. ¡°what are you doing without your fingers?¡± ¡°what do you bet?¡± ¡°put your pinky finger on my pinky finger.¡± still, when he showed signs of incomprehension, she pulled his right hand and wrapped his pinky finger around her pinky finger. ¡°now, it¡¯s a promise.¡± clear, blue eyes were directed at him. his eyes are red and moist as if he cried a little because he couldn¡¯t overcome his emotions. as if possessed by a mischievous fairy, raynald looked at her and pulled yurina¡¯s hand, who was still hanging her finger, toward him. ¡°yes, it¡¯s a promise.¡± then, as he learned in the etiquette class, he carefully kissed the back of her white hand. the meaning of a kiss on the back of the hand is respect and devotion. ¡°yurina, i¡¯ll protect you.¡± still the red gaze was on her blue eyes. yurina, who had been silently receiving his gaze as hot as the color, opened her eyes wide for a moment at his words and smiled brightly as soon as her eyes were gone. the pretense was a smile with no tongue in it. raynald looked at the girl with his mouth slightly open and gently stole the tears flowing down her pretty curving eyes. ¡°good boy.¡± as if touching the cat¡¯s back, yurina swept his head. he told her not to treat him as a subject younger than herself, and before that, his two ears were hot. he quickly avoided her gaze and turned his head to hide his blushing face. ¡°let¡¯s go back now.¡± ¡°yes.¡± as raynald stepped up from his seat after helping yurina, the guards who was waiting far away approached them. yurina refused both men and tried to walk alone in the carriage, but her legs were shaking and she stumbled. fortunately, thanks to raynald¡¯s quick grip on her arm, so she couldn¡¯t get back to the cold floor. ¡°i¡¯ll serve you, young lady.¡± the guard bowed politely before her and lifted her up. yurina quietly leaned her head against the wide arms of a guard large enough to be incomparable to raynald. the guard walked her to the carriage without wavering. raynald stood still like a man with his feet on the ground, staring blankly at his back. ¡®i can¡¯t wait to grow up.¡¯ if he had grown taller than her, he could have hugged her instead of the guard. a deep regret settled in his heart. would she be able to rely on himself completely if he grew up more than she is now? before he knew it, under the sun that was fading from the western sky, he made a birthday wish to himself that no one would hear. ¡°i want to be an adult soon.¡± i want to become an adult who can protect those who want to be protect as soon as possible. ***** when she knocked carefully, she heard a sound from inside. yurina took a deep breath and went inside. marquis carthia, who was processing the papers, found her and stood up in delight. ¡°yes, yurina. what brings you here?¡± ¡°do i come to see my father only when i have work?¡± ¡°haha, that¡¯s true.¡± yurina went to the table and sat down as he led her. ¡°yes, i heard about it. the mansion has been noisy since dawn, but have you enjoyed your day?¡± ¡°yes, everyone was very prepared and i enjoyed the party. i had a lot of fun on the street.¡± yurina laughed as she recalled the noisy birthday party. the downtown outing was certainly enjoyable. until long before she met marquis de flon. without realizing it, yurina, who erased her smile from her face, wiggled her cold hands. ¡°father, i¡¯ve heard that the carthia family and the de flon family don¡¯t get along very well.¡± marquis carthia, posed right in the middle of his forehead with his fingertips, perhaps he was tired. ¡°what are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± ¡°am i right?¡± he nodded his head gently, as if he realized yurina¡¯s will. ¡°i can¡¯t say it¡¯s good. carthia and de flon are always on different political lines.¡± ¡°is that really all?¡± ¡°what do you mean?¡± ¡°it¡¯s always the case that families who have different intentions don¡¯t get along. it also means why the two families have a particularly bad relationship.¡± ¡°that can¡¯t be happening. there¡¯s no such thing. and it¡¯s not as bad a relationship as you think.¡± the marquis who said that did not seem to have any emotions, unlike the marquis of de flon. he made a surprised look on his sudden name, but that was all. it was neither nervous, nor angry. the neat response complicated her mind. ¡®is it acting?¡¯ yurina couldn¡¯t take his words for granted. rather than having a doubtful corner in his words or actions, the expression of the marquis de flon, whom she had seen in the afternoon, remained too intense in her mind. he looked overly wary and sharpened his face to simply see a political opponent crossing the line. his expression was distinctly different from that of marquis carthia, who is now in front of her eyes, so she couldn¡¯t tell what was going on. Chapter 23 chapter 23 ¡®or did the de flon family have a one-sided vindictment against the carthia family?¡¯ even so, there was no way that the marquis carthia would not be unaware of the fact. ¡°really?¡± ¡°why would i lie to you?¡± ¡°really, really nothing happened?¡± with a suspicious voice, the marquis smiled and looked at her. his eyes were more serious than usual, as if he was trying to grasp her mind. yurina looked eagerly toward him. she said she was trying to control her facial expressions, but she guess she couldn¡¯t fool him with his old eyes. ¡°did you go out and meet him today?¡± it was an obvious question, but she didn¡¯t expect to be recognized so soon. yurina was trying to get rid of it, but when she realized it wouldn¡¯t work, she nodded. ¡°yes.¡± ¡°what did he do to you? is that why you¡¯re asking this question?¡± his expression and voice made him angry only then. but it was more of a father¡¯s expression of anger at the man who touched his precious daughter. yurina shook her head quickly, looking at his expression. ¡°no, that¡¯s not it. he just want to claim to be ray¡¯s sponsorship. he didn¡¯t care if i tell him that ray sponsored by the carthia family, and he asked ray to come to de flon. he was wondering if the carthia family did it on purposely.¡± ¡°don¡¯t worry. you don¡¯t have to think about that.¡± the marquis carefully held yurina in his arms and patted her back. ¡°it must have been a great day. but you must have been very surprised. it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. because you have this father.¡± how can i not worry? how am i supposed to do that¡­ she closed her eyes, leaving her body to the tender touch of her head. the marquis¡¯s arms were so wide and reliable that they could prevent any harsh wind waves. yurina clung to him, hugging the marquis¡¯s neck. i left all the problems to him as if i were really a 10 year old child, and now i just wanted to rest in his arms. ***** raynald was hanging around in front of yurina¡¯s door, holding a palm-sized gift box with both hands. ¡®i should give this.¡¯ he sighed small, looking down at the box in his hand. it was a gift for yurina that betsy and he bought alone when they went to the main street earlier. i don¡¯t know if yurina has more precious jewels than this, but i wanted to present something to her, who has always been worth giving herself for the past three months. so he took courage and whispered to betsy. -the marquis told me to tell you if there¡¯s anything i want for my birthday present, can i buy yurina a present with it? unexpectedly, betsy seemed surprised, but soon after, she led raynald to a shop that was popular with nobles of yurina¡¯s age. originally, as soon as i left the store, i was going to give her a present, but i missed the right time to meet the strange nobleman at the store. after that, yurina¡¯s mood seemed somewhat depressed, so i couldn¡¯t even give her a present. ¡®but i still have to give it to her.¡¯ he looked down at the brooch on his right chest as he rubbed the outside of the velvet box for no reason. the beautiful ruby, sparkled in the dim candlelight, was clearly different from the cheap jewelry that his mother saved. it looked very beautiful even in his eyes, who did not know the value of jewelry. every time he saw this, doubts kept rising. ¡®do my eyes really look this pretty to yurina?¡¯ i didn¡¯t doubt her words. when she said i was pretty, yurina¡¯s face didn¡¯t contain any lies. it was just him who he didn¡¯t believe. no matter how many times yurina told me i was pretty, he couldn¡¯t think that his eyes were pretty. when i looked in the mirror and ruby brooches with my eyes several times, i couldn¡¯t find any similarities except that they were red. ¡°mmm.¡± while looking down at the brooch with frowning eyes, raynald raised his head in surprise at the sound of the door opening. yurina, who looked at him through the open gap, smiled without showing any surprise. raynald gazed at her eyes curving prettily, that looked like a cat. ¡°i thought there was someone out there.¡± dressed in her pajamas, yurina led him inside without a trace of melancholy. even if it was a room, the bedroom and the small drawing room were separated, so the two sat face to face in the drawing room. betsy, who was called, brought two cups of warm milk with honey. ¡°what¡¯s going on at this late hour?¡± yurina asked without touching the milk. raynald hid the dark red velvet box behind his back and had only sipped milk for no reason. yurina¡¯s eyes bent thinly when she saw him without an answer. ¡°what would you do to a pretty girl like me?¡± yurina covered her body with her x-shaped arm with a stiff look. at one time, it was the words and actions that raynald often spoke to her and others in the mansion. he didn¡¯t know when he said it himself, but when he heard it, he felt guilty as if he had a really mean intention even though he didn¡¯t mean it. ¡°don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± of course, the part ¡®pretty girl like me¡¯ didn¡¯t apply to ¡®nonsense¡¯. he didn¡¯t tell anyone, but yurina was the prettiest person he had ever seen in raynald¡¯s short 12-year-old, or 13-year-old life. the eyes that felt pretty at first sight, as well as the entire face were pretty. and unlike of the children in the orphanage, who had rough hands, the white and smooth hands and the neat teeth that appeared every time she laughed were also pretty. but for one reason or another, he decided to keep this fact as a secret from her, or from everyone. ¡°so what are you really doing here for?¡± ¡°i have to say something first to come?¡± his voice went out bluntly. after speaking, raynald looked up and slapped his lips so that yurina wouldn¡¯t see him. i am an idiot. ¡°it¡¯s not that, but it seems like you have something to say. you look very suspicious right now.¡± ¡°so¡­¡± raynald , rolling his eyes, fiddled with a box hidden behind his back, asked unconsciously. ¡°does my name really mean ¡®hope¡¯?¡± huh? i didn¡¯t mean to ask you this. his eyes were glaring at the thoughtless remark. -what an interesting name. it¡¯s an ancient name that means ¡®hope¡¯. did you know? i thought i heard it, but what this spoiled nobleman said earlier must have been stuck in his head like a stone somewhere. earlier, i couldn¡¯t reflect on the meaning of it because i was in a hurry, but on second thought, it wasn¡¯t something i should just say. hope, certainly hope. tom, the name his mother gave him as a child, was the most common name in the neighborhood. if you go out to the main street and shout ¡®tom!¡¯ two or three little kids will look back. my mother didn¡¯t say anything about the name, but raynald was convinced that she would have given the name without thinking deeply about it. so i didn¡¯t have much affection for the name. sometimes i didn¡¯t like the name that didn¡¯t contain any affection. perhaps because of this that he abandoned the name ¡®tom¡¯, who had spent 12 years there and chose the name ¡®raynald¡¯ that yurina gave without hesitation. at least the name ¡®raynald¡¯ seemed more concerned than ¡®tom¡¯. i also had a desire to live a new life away from the middle class past. ¡®but it¡¯s hope.¡¯ raynald was nervous and waited for yurina¡¯s answer without breathing. 1 second, 2 seconds felt as long as 1 minute and 2 minutes. why is it so suffocating? although he laughed at himself, he sweated out of his palm because of the tension. yurina, who was thinking about something with her arms folded as if she were agonizing, finally nodded. ¡°yes. that¡¯s right. ¡®raynald¡¯ is an ancient word for ¡®hope¡¯.¡± raynald blinked his eyes blankly and asked back. ¡°why?¡± ¡°what do you mean why?¡± ¡°why¡­.. you gave me that name?¡± ¡°why are you asking me that all of a sudden?¡± ¡°that¡¯s¡­¡± all he ever heard was negative. monsters, demons, children hated by goddesses, etc. i¡¯ve never heard of someone¡¯s hope. so yurina was in a desperate need. how could she name him ¡®hope¡¯ when she first met him? no, maybe he want to check. he wanted to be assured by her that he was so special about himself, the fact that he was a hope. ¡°because you are my hope. you promised me that you will protect me.¡± as soon as he heard what he wanted to hear, raynald¡¯s face instantly heated up. he fluttered his hand with his hands to cool his hot cheeks. suddenly, the inside of his throat seemed to be burning, so he drank the remaining milk in a instant. yurina watched the ridiculous figure in silence. raynald, who had been unable to bring up the subject even after emptying the milk, coughed in vain at her urging to sleep and took out the box hidden behind his back. ¡°what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°this is¡­.¡± ¡°did you buy it with betsy earlier?¡± oh, really. why are you so quick? he turned his head for no reason, but quickly sat beside her and swallowed his saliva. he came here to give her a present, but when he tried to give it to her, he felt nervous and thirsty. ¡®if i knew this would happen, i should have saved the milk.¡¯ he moistened his lips with his tongue, then sighed once and opened the box. in the box there was a ruby bracelet, which he and betsy had picked carefully. a ruby brooch and a set he bought for her. ¡°huh? what bracelet is that?¡± ¡°well, that¡¯s¡­.¡± when i saw yurina¡¯s face, my mind went blank and i couldn¡¯t think of what i was going to say. when she saw him with only a sweet lip, yurina asked again. ¡°are you giving it to me?¡± only then could he answer. ¡°yes. you¡¯ve always given something to me, you know. you just buy me a present today¡­..¡± ¡°that¡¯s because it¡¯s your birthday¡­..¡± ¡°anyway, i wanted to give it to you.¡± raynald laid his hand toward yurina. then, he hesitated, and slowly filled the bracelet with a careful touch on the white wrist. Chapter 24 chapter 24 yurina lifted her hand over her head and slowly rubbed the bracelet. in raynald¡¯s eyes, yurina¡¯s white wrist and red ruby ??seemed to go better than his red eyes and ruby ??brooch. the combination of white and red was very pretty. yurina, who was looking at the bracelet around the candle light, smiled with her hands neatly. ¡°thank you, ray. it¡¯s pretty.¡± ¡°you¡¯re welcome.¡± raynald gaze was down because he couldn¡¯t see her eyes for some reason. he looked down at the transparent and white wrists that showed blue veins, and strangely, he felt his neck was hot and itchy. the finger that touched yurina¡¯s hand also felt like it was hot as if it had caught a well-baked egg potato. rather, her hands were a little cooler than hot. the two have been silent for a long time. yurina shut her mouth looking at her wrist and bracelet in her hand, and raynald couldn¡¯t speak because he was trying to calm his belly down. ¡°i¡¯m asking because i¡¯m really curious.¡± yurina broke the silence that had been going on for a while and opened her mouth. ¡°how did the kid, who was burdened with the brooch i bought for him, think of buying this for me?¡± she was genuinely puzzled. raynald had received more than a certain amount of pocket money every month because of carthia¡¯s sponsorship, but he probably hasn¡¯t collected enough money to buy the luxury bracelet yet. of course, even if it wasn¡¯t pocket money, this much could be bought for him by the carthia family if he wanted it. but raynald still felt burdened by the carthia¡¯s excessive favor. but how did he willingly tell betsy that he wanted to buy her a present with the money of the carthia family? ¡°the marquis said it was my birthday, so he asked me to tell him anything i wanted.¡± ¡°a birthday present? did you say you wanted to buy this for your birthday?¡± raynald nodded, looking at yurina¡¯s puzzled face. ¡°yes.¡± ¡°ray, thank you for the present, but you should buy what you want for your birthday. it¡¯s only your birthday once a year.¡± he could answer the remark without hesitation. ¡°this is what i want.¡± yurina rejoices, so smiling face to face with him. that¡¯s all he wants to see the most on this happy birthday. yurina shut her mouth for a moment at his reply and gently rubbed the ruby bracelet with her fingertips, showing him the pretty smile he wanted. ¡°thanks again, ray. it¡¯s really pretty. it¡¯s as pretty as your eyes.¡± it was strange. i¡¯ve always seen this smile, but my heart was pounding so hard today. it¡¯s really strange. even though i was embarrassed of her smile, my heart wasn¡¯t this full. the first unfamiliar feeling was embarrassing, and raynald hurriedly put his hand on his left chest. thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. a small heart beat senselessly. he held his breath to calm the heart of his own free will. thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. his heart beat a little faster and stronger. raynald lowered his head and glared at the invisible heart. this is a demand. ¡°ray?¡± yurina asked with a puzzled look, but he was no longer confident of facing her gaze. his eyes, unaware of his inner affairs, were ashamed. if i could, i wanted to hide in a hole and avoid that gaze. i felt burdened to be in the same space with her. ¡®but¡­.¡¯ ironically, another impulse came at the same time. i wanted to keep looking at yurina¡¯s eyes. i had to go to bed soon, but i wanted to stay with her a little longer. i want to hold hands like this, take classes every day, practice dancing, and joke around. i wanted to be next to her like this. a few months later, i had to leave for the academy where she and dave were preparing hard for admission, but suddenly i thought i didn¡¯t want to leave. even with children from the orphanages, who had been living together in the same room for more than a year, broke up without regret, and now i was afraid to part ways with yurina, who had been together for only three months. i can meet a lot of new people at the academy, but what does it matter? because there¡¯s no yurina in it. she would stay here laughing at me and practicing writing with me. ¡°yurina.¡± i don¡¯t want to go to the academy. can¡¯t i just stay here with you like this? you can work harder here. i will learn magic harder with my teacher, too. i can stay by your side and protect you from now on. raynald swallowed it up from inside his throat, looking at the blue eyes that looked at him. he crave his earnest hope back into his throat. ***** as she read in the book, the winter of that year had a stronger cold wave than ever before. it was her first winter here, but yurina was able to fully agree that this winter is one of the coldest in history. since there is no instrument that can accurately measure the temperature here, an absolute comparison cannot be made. but considering the temperature, it felt much colder than in korea. it was the case even when the carthia¡¯s mansion had enough firewood without worrying about the budget. ¡®it¡¯s so cold.¡¯ she shuddered with a sudden surge of chills and wrapped a thick shawl around her shoulder. she took a sip of the tea betsy brought her earlier to warm up, but it didn¡¯t work well because she got so tired. on the contrary, she felt her body shudder again. ¡°is it that cold?¡± raynald, who was doing the assignment dave gave him, looked at yurina, who was shaking in front of the fireplace. yurina was amazed that he was fine even wearing an indoor uniform. on the other hand, he looked at yurina and said, ¡®she has grown so fine that she can feel this cold¡¯. ¡®that sounds a bit right.¡¯ unlike the dwarf, who seems likely to live with a cold, raynald was not surprisingly cold. perhaps because of the lack of tremor, he grew up in the bitter cold every year and got used to it. on the other hand, yurina, who always wore an electric pad in korea, couldn¡¯t stand the cold when the electric pad disappeared. her possessed body of yurina was also very weak because she would always be cared for with utmost care. ¡°yes, it¡¯s cold.¡± as yurina curled up and barely mumbled, raynald looked at her and held his tongue. he put down the strange magic tool he was doing his homework and came up to her and sat down. ¡°i¡¯ve never seen a child as cold as you. where i used to live, the kids were playing outside wearing thin clothes.¡± he gently rubbed the teapot that had been lukewarm with his palm. soon, white steam rose from the kettle as if it had just been brewed. yurina carefully drank the hot tea he was following. the warm feeling of going down the esophagus made her back warm. ¡°thank you.¡± ¡°this is nothing.¡± raynald shrugged lightly. even though it was an act that seemed arrogant, he nodded his head because he had the ability to match it. yurina grabbed the glass with both hands and stared closely at raynald, who began to do his homework again. suddenly, he grew up to think he was a nobleman if someone saw him who didn¡¯t know his origin. there was dignity even in the hand movements of writing and the hand movements which flowed down his forehead when he turned his hair back. for international students from all over the world in the academy did not need to be proficient in royal language. but the royal language was somewhat learned to prevent any inconvenience in living in the kingdom. according to dave, raynald also learned all the basic magic theories. he is already ready to leave for the academy. now it remains only to accept the admission from the academy. yurina looked at him and looked out the window. as soon as the first snow would come, the sky was white. it was a perfect winter. that meant the time had come for raynald to leave for the kingdom soon. it was what she had hoped for, but her heart was heavy as if she had a stomachache. ¡®i think it¡¯ll be empty when ray leaves for the academy.¡¯ yurina looked at raynald¡¯s side and closed her eyes. ***** one day in winter when the first snow fell. a carriage without a pattern ran vigorously toward carthia¡¯s mansion in the middle of the capital. even though the snow would have piled up and the floor would be slippery, the carriage would not slow down, nor would the wheels slip and stagger. yurina, who was watching the snow hanging from the window with raynald, narrowed her eyes to see a suspicious carriage. ¡®whose guests from this morning?¡¯ then, i suddenly get up from my seat, realizing that i had a guest who could come at this time. ¡°yurina?¡± she led raynald¡¯s hand looking up at herself with a mysterious face and came out on the first floor alone. as if the expectations were correct, the marquis of carthia and dave were coming out before her to greet the guest. there were five guests in all. three of them were guards, with swords on their sides, and the other two were wearing wizard robes. as soon as the five people first greeted the marquis of carthia, dave smiled brightly and hugged the shoulder of the man standing at the front of the guests. ¡°welcome. how long has it been since i saw you?¡± judging from his expression and tone of speech, he did not seem to have known each other for a day or two. the man also responded with a bright smile. ¡°it¡¯s been 10 years since you ran away from the academy.¡± ¡°didn¡¯t we meet once after that?¡± ¡°oh, we did. then, is it the first time in about five years? anyway, dave. it¡¯s a lot of luck getting out of the academy and back to the empire.¡± ¡°haha, your face looks like 20 years older. i think it¡¯s hard to be a professor.¡± the man, believed to be dave¡¯s age, looked in his early thirties, apparently exhausted from the long journey, though his face was dull. it must have been a joke to see you in your own age, but it didn¡¯t sound like a joke to me because it came out of dave¡¯s mouth, who looked like he was in his twenties. whether the man felt what yurina felt, he frowned at once and punched dave on the shoulder. ¡°this guy. the joke doesn¡¯t sound like a joke because you said that.¡± ¡°oh, my god. i¡¯m not kidding. i meant it. why don¡¯t you come out of the academy now? i¡¯m sure the marquis carthia will accept you if i speak well.¡± ¡°i¡¯m telling you, my goal is to educate juniors. who¡¯s going to teach the students if they leave school like you? so where¡¯s the rumored boy?¡± the man raised his hand over the eyebrows and looked around. just when yurina and carthia¡¯s gaze met, marquis cartia called the two young child. ¡°you¡¯ve come down well. yurina, raynald. come here.¡± as the two approached each other, a strange man showed courtesy and kissed yurina on the back of her hand. ¡°nice to meet you for the first time. i¡¯m jeremy hutson, professor of magic theory at the royal academy of crohn.¡± ¡°i¡¯m yurina carthia. nice to meet you, too. you seem to have met dave. are you an academy colleague?¡± ¡°yes, i am.¡± ¡°my skills are much better, young lady.¡± when dave broke in with a smiley voice, professor hutson, who had a good face, first hardened his face when he saw him. ¡°what do you mean? don¡¯t you know that my grades are better than yours?¡± ¡°these grades that those boring professors are evaluating are good for you, but aren¡¯t you even aware that my skills are better?¡± the two men, who had always been close to each other during their teenage years at the academy, fought back and forth just like teenage boys. as this seemed to have no end, yurina stood next to raynald with her arms folded. ¡°you said you were from the academy, right? so are you here to see ray? dave once told me that people might come from the academy to see ray in person.¡± before speaking, professor hutson¡¯s head quickly returned to raynald. ¡°oh, dave! this boy is the one you talked about¡­..¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± he lifted up the glasses that had slipped down with his trembling hand and snapped at raynald¡¯s hand. despite his rude and petty behavior, raynald only slightly hardened his face, and did not make a fuss about letting go. Chapter 25 chapter 25 just as dave looked at his talents the other day, the bright light from professor hutson¡¯s hands began to sweep raynald¡¯s body from his arm. raynald whispered to yurina, shivering with a hateful face. ¡°even though it¡¯s the second time, i don¡¯t get used to this feeling.¡± when asked how it feels, he said it feels like a feather is tickling his whole body. when the light that swept all over his body finally disappeared, professor hutson held his hand tight with a greedy, gleaming face, as dave did. ¡°i¡¯ve been teaching for more than 10 years, and i¡¯ve met a lot of talented students, but i¡¯ve never seen anyone like this before!¡± ¡°then can he enter the academy without taking a test?¡± professor hutson nodded strongly at dave¡¯s question. ¡°of course! pass, pass! you don¡¯t even need to have an interview. why don¡¯t you go to the academy right now?¡± even if he said he wasn¡¯t going, raynald trembled again this time as if he was getting goosebumps over his likely to take him as a kidnapping at night. to explain the admission process and the academic process in earnest after the uproar, professor hutson, marquis carthia, dave and raynald spoke in the best parlor in the mansion. yurina was not able to participate because the conversation included information about the academy. instead, she waited for him to come to the small drawing room where she always studied with raynald. ¡®you¡¯re really leaving.¡¯ yurina looked at the books that raynald had studied without touching the tea brought by betsy. the hand-stained and worn-out books have shown the long, arduous journey of the last six months. memories of only two of them came out from one exercise book that seems trivial. [i¡¯m sleepi.] yurina suddenly burst into laughter after seeing the crappy graffiti written on the corner of the exercise book. i could see raynald lay down on the table and practicing his writing, lifting up the glue of his eyelids that had fallen more than half. ¡°it¡¯s ¡®sleepy,¡¯ not ¡®sleepi,¡¯ ray.¡± that was the case at the time, but the answer was understandably that he could write well now. yurina, who knew it but was embarrassed for no reason, put a scribble of ¡°stupid¡± next to ¡°i¡¯m sleepi¡± and covered the book. she don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on today, but she sat down with raynald and took a sip of the cold tea. maybe because of the tea, her stomach ached. yurina crouched down on the table. ¡®it¡¯s quiet.¡¯ this quiet drawing room was the scene that raynald would face when he left. his absence, which had not been reached until now, suddenly began to feel real. yurina closed her eyes in memory of raynald, who had grown up on this spot. one summer day when the sun was hot, raynald¡¯s face curled up in the shade comes to my mind. a proud voice that smells good from his body, and the expression on his face when he swore to protect her, and his calm hand that filled my arm. ¡®there are more memories than i thought.¡¯ all the pleasant memories that were built apart in this strange world were with him. it¡¯s a pleasant memory, but i¡¯ve been strangling my stomach in a strange way. yurina struggled to get rid of raynald¡¯s face and began to think about other things. i guess i fell asleep. it was not known how much time had passed. suddenly, when she opened her eyes with a tickle on her forehead, she could see raynald lying face down on the table and watching her. raynald, who had been cleaning up her hair with a stiff face, smiled helplessly when his eyes met yurina. ¡°it¡¯s snowing a lot outside. do you want to go see the snow?¡± ***** ¡°it¡¯s cold.¡± raynald, who closed his eyes and was hit with white snow, suddenly laughed with the wind. yurina, who wore clothes that could be worn on her body, as she sat on a chair in the corner of the garden, nodded helplessly. raynald approached her with his long legs and squat in front of her. ¡°your nose is red.¡± ¡°really? sounds like rudolph.¡± ¡°rudolph?¡± ¡°there¡¯s something like that. red-nosed deer.¡± ¡°oh, my god. where in the world is there a red-nosed deer?¡± his blunt nose will suck like rudolph¡¯s. instead of trying to write it down, yurina gently rubbed her nose, which would have been redder than his nose, with her gloves on. however, the warm furry gloves may have a warming effect, but they were not effective to warm other places. ¡°stay still.¡± raynald took off his gloves and rubbed his palms so violently that they made a loud noise. he blew it in and wrapped her cheeks, which were as red as her nose, as if it wasn¡¯t enough. when the only exposed face warmed up, her whole body felt tired. ¡°is it warm?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll do more.¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay. your hands are going to be cold. put your gloves on.¡± ¡°you know i don¡¯t get cold.¡± he laughed mischievously and rubbed his palms again. yurina looked at the red cheek and took off her gloves. raynald, noticed quickly, and put a glove on her hand. ¡°you¡¯re wearing it. it¡¯s cold.¡± ¡°you must be cold, too. your face is also red.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not cold. it¡¯s about this much.¡± he smeared himself with pride and rubbed yurina¡¯s cheeks with his warm palms again. yurina rubbed her gloves around the back of his hand rubbing her cheek. does he know that his fingertips touching my earlobe are cold, contrary to the words ¡®not cold¡¯? ¡°shall we go in now?¡± when yurina asked, looking at raynald¡¯s red nose, he shook his head. ¡°a little more. let¡¯s go a little more.¡± ¡°okay, then.¡± just in time, betsy put a big shawl on my shoulder, saying i¡¯m going to catch a cold. yurina patted the side seat, looking at the raynald blowing his breath on his palm. he brushed off the snow on the chair which he sat with his bare hands, and on the opposite side of the shawl was placed over his shoulder. raynald grumbled to do it because he was okay, and yurina quietly leaned her head against his shoulder. ¡°it¡¯s snowing a lot, isn¡¯t it?¡± raynald nodded as yurina muttered to herself, looking up at the sky. ¡°yes. it¡¯s really coming a lot.¡± ¡°shall we make a snowman a little later?¡± ¡°you don¡¯t need a snowman when your hands are cold.¡± that¡¯s what he said, but he tried to get up straight from his seat. yurina quickly grabbed his arm and put him on the seat again. ¡°never mind. as you said, my hands are cold. what a snowman. just stay like this. let¡¯s get closer.¡± ¡°yes.¡± yurina again leaned her head against his shoulder and stretched her gloved hand into the air. the white snowflake fell on the red fur gloves and soon melted away. somehow, as he tried to catch the snowflake again, raynald quickly reached out without gloves. unlike yurina¡¯s hand that melted quickly, the white snowflakes floating apart from his hands retained their shape. ¡°is that magic, too?¡± ¡°yes, it¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t it?¡± raynald giggled and blew the snowflakes. a snowflake slowly flew and landed on the back of yurina¡¯s nose. ¡°it¡¯s cold.¡± raynald giggled again as he watched her rub her nose with frowns. yurina glanced at him and collected the snow on his shoulder and rubbed it on his cheek. ¡°oh, it¡¯s cold! how can you do this all of a sudden!¡± ¡°you did it first. don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°all right, all right. it was my fault.¡± he raised his hands as if he were surrendering. the snowball fight ended without a proper start. again, the two leaned against each other and looked up at the increasingly thick snowflakes. ¡°as you said, i think this winter is especially colder. how did you know?¡± breaking a moment of silence, raynald asked. ¡°it¡¯s a secret.¡± yurina smiled, covering her mouth with her entire palm of her hand, she couldn¡¯t open her index finger because she was wearing gloves with her fingers in one hand. ¡°it¡¯s all a secret.¡± as he burst into laughter, he stepped on the white snow piled up with his nose in front of his shoes. he wondered if he was thinking something wrong and wanted to make a serious expression, and as soon as he decided, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth. ¡°you know, it¡¯s so cold here, but the orphanage where i¡¯ve been lived is much colder than here, right? actually, i didn¡¯t listen very much at that time, but as you said, i might have died this winter without enduring it.¡± did you still remember that? i was just saying it on the spot to bring him in. yurina looked up at his side with her head leaning on his shoulder. today, no, he has been strangely calm since talking to people from the academy earlier. ¡®what did you say?¡¯ if he had known this would happen, he should have followed her in earlier. ¡°it¡¯s all thanks to you that i can stay warm even on this cold day, i can eat anything i want, and i can learn the magic that i have never learned.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t have to thank me. i said it was an investment.¡± ¡°i know, but it¡¯s you who found me anyway and brought me here.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t answer right away. a bit of guilt poked her conscience. she was not a great woman to be praised for saving him. if it wasn¡¯t for her, he would have enjoyed a life no less than now under the protection of marquis de flon. no, who knows if the life with lydia in the marquis of de flon, like the original one, would be better than it is now. ¡°you never know. another person who recognized your talent could have taken you.¡± the marquis of de flon would have gone. words that couldn¡¯t be said hung in my mouth. i couldn¡¯t take it out until that end. it is a secret to take to the grave. ¡°well, i don¡¯t think such a person would have come all the way to that corner again.¡± raynald turned his head and faced her with a look of conviction. ¡°you saved my life, yurina.¡± yurina didn¡¯t know what to answer. she had no idea what wind was blowing when he was saying this, which had never been done on that day. so she just blinked and stared at his face, which was as serious as his age. raynald stared at her unanswered for a moment,and laughed helplessly as if she were missing. ¡°you¡¯ll catch a cold later. let¡¯s go in.¡± yurina stared blankly at his back as he walked slowly to the mansion, and then hurriedly followed his back. ¡°yurina.¡± before raynald went up the stairs, he looked back at yurina. ¡°me, should i not go?¡± the short words that passed by made yurina feel like her heart was sinking. Chapter 26 chapter 26 ¡°what do you mean all of a sudden?¡± ¡°should i just stay here instead of going to the academy?¡± he looked at yurina with a more serious face than before. yurina couldn¡¯t read his mind at all. ¡°i heard from the professor earlier. if i go to the academy, i can¡¯t be able return to the empire until i graduate.¡± that was a fact that yurina already knew. regardless of their status, the royal academy of crohn provides full tuition and living expenses in the crohn royal. the new students had to work for the royal family until graduation. in order to prevent running away in the middle, students were strictly prohibited from entering and leaving the country. it is known that the system was introduced to allow ordinary people who feel the burden of tuition fees can receive education without discrimination, but in fact, it was a kind of scheme to keep magical talents in the kingdom. very often, if you have a really talented person, you can hold them in the kingdom as a way to defer graduation with various excuses. ¡®raynald is back safely, so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ she wondered why the kingdom didn¡¯t hold charion and let him graduate, but yurina carefully guessed that his skills were superior to the professors and were impeccable. as he looked at yurina nodding her head calmly, raynald asked in an embarrassed voice. ¡°did you¡­ know?¡± his trembling voice sounded as if he were reproaching her. because of that, yurina could not answer at first glance. raynald tangled his hair rather roughly, as if he had realized the meaning of silence. ¡°you already know, but why?¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°you know i won¡¯t be able to meet you for years if i go there, but why?¡± his eyes filled with resentment became a dagger and stuck in his chest. he looked at her then turned his back on her, covering his face with his hands. yurina couldn¡¯t even look at his back, so she bowed her head. the heavy silence crushed the shoulders of the two. unable to bear the awkwardness, yurina opened her mouth first. ¡°ray, you know, the royal academy of crohn is the best of the existing academies. dave went there, too. i thought it was the best option for you.¡± ¡°i can learn it here, too.¡± i could hear the sound of a stifled throat as if i had clenched my teeth. ¡°you said i¡¯d protect you. yeah, you brought me here. i came here believing in you. i don¡¯t need an academy or anything. i only believe in you and i¡¯m here! but you, you¡­!¡± are you throwing me away? yurina overheard words of resentment that did not come out of his mouth. it may have been a hallucination created by her imagination, but what he was trying to say would not have been all he could have said. i couldn¡¯t figure out why i made such a ridiculous suggestion. it just crossed my mind. wouldn¡¯t it be okay to spend time with him every day like now? wouldn¡¯t it be a good idea to forget about the original and enjoy these moments that won¡¯t come again with him? the time with him was so sweet that i didn¡¯t want to lose him. when i saw him for the first time, it was an idea i had never imagined. ¡®maybe, unlike the original, ray wouldn¡¯t give his heart if he saw lydia.¡¯ obviously, there has always been a story about the female characters worrying about the original work in the possessed book that they have read in the past. however, as the story progressed, the male lead or sub male lead fell in love with the female lead¡¯s unique charm. in some cases, she didn¡¯t pay any attention to the heroine of the original work. then there was a groundless expectation that raynald might also be able to go on a different route from the original. so the irrational idea of trusting raynald dominated my mind. raynald, who was biting his mouth without affirmation or denial, came one step closer and asked instead of answering. ¡°i wanted to ask you something at once, can i?¡± it had nothing to do with what i was saying a little while ago, but yurina nodded without pointing it out. ¡°yes.¡± ¡°that¡¯s when we first met. you obviously told my teacher and the marquis that you wanted to support me impulsively with my red eyes. he said he saw my eyes and remembered the story you had heard one day and believed i had magical powers.¡± ¡°yes, i did.¡± ¡°you said you were amazed at me, but my memory is a little different. you obviously weren¡¯t surprised when you saw me then, but were happy.¡± he¡¯s right about that. at that time, yurina was excited with the joy that she could change her fate. but what¡¯s wrong with that now? does he bring up such a story? ¡°yurina, i know it¡¯s funny, and i know it sounds silly¡­.¡± ¡°tell me.¡± ¡°did you know you were going to meet me?¡± he started calmly, but his voice trembled toward the end. yurina looked at his red eyes mixed with all kinds of emotions and closed her eyes. when she first saw him, like his words, she was delighted. the joy of not having to die and the sense of accomplishment that she changed her fate with her own hands. it was her own secret that she would never tell anyone else. to hide this, she even pretended to be a 10-year-old in front of her father and dave. strangely enough, however, it seemed to raynald that she might have a little secret. ¡°yes, that¡¯s right.¡± yurina opened her closed eyes and looked up at him, whose eyes were already wide apart. ¡°i was looking for you then. don¡¯t ask me how i knew your existence. but i knew you¡¯d be somewhere, and i¡¯d been going around the orphanage looking for you. only to find you.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°and when i found you that day, i was so happy. you will never know the joy i felt at that time.¡± yurina took off her gloves and reached out toward him with a clenched molar. i wanted to get a little closer to him. i wanted to feel his warmth. ¡°ray, i¡¯ve been waiting for you all along.¡± he looked at her trembling hands and remained silent for a moment. yurina waited silently for his answer. as he closed his eyes for a while and took a breath, he whispered in a low voice. ¡°yeah, that¡¯s enough for me.¡± he approached and took yurina¡¯s hand and kissed her soft palm. ¡°that¡¯s all i need.¡± every time he uttered a word, yurina wriggled her finger, feeling unfamiliar with the hot breath that touched her palm. when raynald kiss her soft palm with his lips and releases it, there was a bit of a watery noise comes out. it was a minor contact, but yurina¡¯s face also gradually turned red. she must be an innocent 10-year-old child. ¡°you always think and act a lot. there must be a good reason to send me to the academy. i¡¯ll go to the academy. if that¡¯s what you want.¡± he put yurina¡¯s hand on his cheek and laughed. his smiling face in the white snow seemed somewhat desolate and almost to tears. yurina looked at the boy¡¯s face when he was beginning to grow, and touched his cheek with her other hand. ***** a few days later, he left for the crohn kingdom with people from the academy. it was only one person, but the great mansion was as silent as empty. oh no, is it her heart that is empty? yurina sat by the window, gazed blankly at where the carriage had disappeared, and carefully opened the note she had held in her hand before he left. [i will keep my promise. just wait a little bit. i will become a better wizard than my teacher.] it was still a letter in a crooked handwriting. looking at the misspelled letters mixed in the middle, yurina smiled unknowingly. even the sender, the recipient, and the greetings were not written according to the etiquette, but i was able to read raynald¡¯s sincerity. she read the short letter, read it, read it again, and closed her eyes, putting the letter on her cheek that his hand had touched. ¡°yes, i¡¯ll wait.¡± so come back to me soon, ray. the preparations to leave are all done. people who came from the academy with their luggage to take to the academy and dave, who will be with us at the the academy entrance ceremony, were all in the carriage. ¡®now i just need to ride.¡¯ knowing that, raynald seemed willing to know what she knew, and when he found out, it seemed like a ferocious eagle bend his heart with its beak and claws. it was difficult to control the soaring feelings of being sick and bitter somewhere in the body. the sense of betrayal towards yurina, who had always believed she would be with him, was so great. but¡­.. -ray, i¡¯ve been waiting for you all along. just a word. the moment i heard yurina¡¯s words, everything seemed to be resolved. if she wanted to, i could go without hesitation to the faraway place. ¡°i have to go now. everyone is waiting.¡± despite her barely exhaling urging, yurina did not think to let go of his hand. raynald carefully took her hand off and blew his breath into the cold hand. ¡°your hands are cold. get in there quickly. you will catch a cold.¡± yurina¡¯s face changed subtly. even though he didn¡¯t want to see yurina crying, raynald was strangely relieved, looking at her distorted expression as if she was about to cry. ¡®you really don¡¯t want me to go.¡¯ that¡¯s it. ¡°i¡¯ll be right back. take care.¡± raynald spent the night picking up some sheets of paper, giving the barely completed note to yurina¡¯s hand, and then turning around. the door of the carriage closed at the end of yurina¡¯s voice to say goodbye. he wanted to leave a little later, but the carriage, which could not have known his mind, began to move as soon as the door closed. ¡°yurina.¡± raynald looked at the mansion by opening a window without worrying about dave¡¯s words that it was dangerous. yurina, who did not go inside, was waving her hand to the carriage from a distance. seeing her face growing farther away, the tears that had been holding him back were dripping down his cheeks as he had been acting resolutely in front of her. ¡°don¡¯t forget me.¡± he muttered his little wish, which he had never told yurina. of course, i was afraid that i had to spend seven years in a strange land which has different languages and no one i knew. but what was more terrifying than that was that i didn¡¯t see yurina¡¯s face for a long time, and even more terrible than that was the anxiety that i might be forgotten by her for a long time. ¡°don¡¯t forget me.¡± it¡¯s a long time, but it¡¯ll take a long time to get back, but i¡¯ll remember you, so don¡¯t forget me. you promised. i will be a great wizard and come back next to you. to protect you. so don¡¯t forget me. Chapter 27 chapter 27 dave and professor hutson made an effort to soothe raynald, but he couldn¡¯t shake off his feelings. he stared blankly out of the window, curled up in the corner of the carriage, like a kitten that had lost its mother. raynald barely cheered until the carriage ran through the vast empire plains, and crossing the border and the main entrance to the academy in the capital of the crohn kingdom. ¡°this is the room you¡¯ll be staying in until you graduate, raynald.¡± dave showed him to the dorm room and patted him on the shoulder. compared to carthia¡¯s room, which was wider and more luxurious than any other mansion, it was very small and shabby. but the one-room room prepared by the academy had everything to offer, including a private bathroom and a fireplace. it was a great privilege considering that at least two or as many as six other students stayed in the same room. this was all thanks to the donations from the marquis of carthia and the ability of professor hutson to bring them in person. the academy is supported by tuition, but as many of the students are from all over the country, the dormitory is divided by separate donations. the marquis of carthia, who promised to support raynald as much as he could, made more donations than anyone else. ¡°you must be very hungry, shall we go out to the main street for dinner with professor hutson? i know a famous restaurant.¡± ¡°i¡¯m not very hungry. i¡¯m just going to sleep today.¡± ¡°yeah, sure. the long journey must have been hard.¡± dave carefully stroked raynord¡¯s head, whose words were drastically reduced. raynald closed his eyes as if he act like a baby, and silently received his touch. ¡°do you want me to stay with you?¡± ¡°no. it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°yes. if anything happens, call me with this. okay?¡± ¡°yes.¡± dave put a pair of magic tools in raynald¡¯s hand. those who shared this magic tool could hear each other¡¯s voices within a certain distance. unfortunately, the radius was not wide. of course it was impossible to hear yurina¡¯s voice in the empire. dave, who couldn¡¯t leave after giving him a magic tool, managed to leave the room as raynald whispered, ¡°it¡¯s okay¡±. only after hearing the door close, raynald trudged and fell on the bed. he didn¡¯t even think about washing or changing into comfortable clothes. his body was heavy and helpless. he couldn¡¯t think of what to do. rather than the excitement of coming to a new place, the sense of loss was greater. how did he spend this long time? although he tried hard to overcome his helplessness, all he could think of was her sparkling blue eyes that always smiled at him. in the morning, we sat down to have a simple breakfast, after that we took a boring history class together, took an etiquette class in the afternoon, practiced dancing, and sat side by side to practiced writing together in the drawing room after dinner. at night, we drank warm milk and talked about nothing much before going to bed, but we said goodbye to each other¡¯s rooms after saying i¡¯ll see you tomorrow. and the next day, the routine was repeated. it may be boring to think about it, but i have never thought that the repetitive monotonous routine is boring. rather, i prayed that i wanted to study with yurina as soon as morning came. however, the person who became the mainstays of all those days disappeared, so i was not sure what to do. would it be better to have a busy day after the entrance ceremony? ¡®yurina¡­..¡¯ with longing, raynald crept into the blanket, shivering and shedding tears. ***** ¡°yes? betsy? what did you just say?¡± yurina, who was going back to her room after dinner, suddenly turned her back. betsy, who was slowly following her, tilted her head. ¡°i didn¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°didn¡¯t you just say ¡®yurina¡¯?¡± ¡°oh, young lady. how do i call you that? i¡¯ll be in trouble if i do that.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± i thought someone was calling. i smiled awkwardly at the embarrassment and then moved on again. i didn¡¯t walk a few steps, but this time, betsy, really called me. ¡°where are you going, young lady?¡± ¡°where am i going? in the drawing room¡­.¡± i was inadvertently to say that i was trying to help raynald¡¯s homework. betsy laughed somewhat bitterly, as if she knew what was going on even though she swallowed in a hurry. yurina looked at betsy and tried to lift the corners of her mouth, but her lips were twisted in a strange shape and she had to cover her mouth with the back of her hand. ¡°i¡¯ll show you to your room. i¡¯ll bring you honey in warm milk, so drink it and go to bed early today.¡± ¡°yes¡­..¡± bessie, who was quick-witted, naturally began to walk her to her room. walking in the desolate hallway, yurina glanced toward the small drawing room where she always stayed after dinner. ¡®i wonder if i¡¯ll get better when my brothers come.¡¯ the mansion without raynald and dave was somehow desolate, even though there were many employees. the three older brothers who are staying at the academy will be back in the summer vacation, so it will be a little crowded. she felt awkward because they didn¡¯t see each other a few times, but it would be better than without them. yurina headed for the room, barely taking off her particularly heavy feet. ***** after a week that seemed like a year, by the time i began to get used to the unfamiliar air of the academy. raynald looked at the boy with a sullen look on his face as he lifted his face from under his nose. the child, with a reddish brown hair and green eyes, observed him, regardless of the unpleasant look. eventually, the impatient raynald opened his mouth. ¡°what are you looking at?¡± it was a voice that stood me up in an uncomfortable mood. i had no choice but to do it. a little while ago, i came out of the room with dave for lunch, and my eyes met the boy in front of me. i was just passing by because i don¡¯t know what to say, and he said, ¡°wow!¡± with a curious face, and he stood in front of me. then, he has been looking at my face without saying anything. his eyes were hot enough to make three or four holes in my face. raynald reflexively blindfolded and again bluntly said to the unanswered boy. ¡°my eyes are not a spectacle?¡± ¡°oh, i¡¯m sorry.¡± only then did the boy laugh and scratch his head. but raynald¡¯s feeling has long been tangled. sorry? what are you sorry about? is that all you have to do? i couldn¡¯t control my facial expression, so when i made a sulky face, the boy in front of me smiled awkwardly and reached out his hand. ¡°i was so rude without saying hello, wasn¡¯t i? hi? i¡¯m aiden tessie. i¡¯m from a rural area at the southern end of the kingdom. what about you?¡± raynald looked down at his hand, sniffed and passed by. ¡°huh? wait! wait a minute!¡± the boy, who introduced him as aiden, rushed along and grabbed his arm. ¡°what is it?¡± ¡°sorry, i¡¯m so sorry. don¡¯t be angry because i did something wrong. i¡¯m terribly sorry. i just thought it was a little strange.¡± when he said it was strange, raynald finally said what he had endured. ¡°strange? yeah. i know my eyes are strange. so what?¡± it was a kind of defense mechanism. i can get less hurt by talking about my weakness before others find it. adults pointed their fingers that his red eyes as fiery, but the response of the children was usually divided into two. one, the children who listened to their parents not to approach him and avoided raynald. two, the children are interested in seeing red eyes for the first time. either way, the end was always bad. not only the child who was avoiding raynald, but also the children who were interested in him called him strange. it would be better if they thought it was simply strange, but many children pointed out his red eyes and spat out malicious words. monsters, demons, devils. i¡¯ve heard enough to get a scab on my ear. but no matter how many times he heard it, raynald would be hurt again and again every time. so he showed his own interest for any reason and treated those coming in from the very beginning with caution and sharpness. because he already know what the end will be. except for one person, yurina. at the carthia mansion, he was only treated warmly, and the boundaries were slightly loosened, but the memory of that time still remained in the corner of his head. as he was tired of being in a place full of strange things, it seemed that each of aiden¡¯s actions was only negative. at the cold look of raynald, aiden opened his eyes wide and quickly waved his hands. ¡°no! it¡¯s not like that! i was just looking at freshmen younger than me, and it was strange to see my freshmen. you know, well, we¡¯ve been admitted a little later than other kids, right?¡± it was heartbreaking to see him roll his eyes without looking properly. aiden hurriedly added the excuse as raynald refused to answer with his arms folded. ¡°and in fact, umm¡­ it¡¯s strange to be a peer, but the reason i said it was strange was not because of your eyes, but because of your face.¡± he scratched his cheeks as if he were somewhat perplexed. ¡°i¡¯ve never seen such a handsome boy like you. as i said, my hometown is very rural that all the kids feel guilty. no one has a white face like you, and not many have blond hair. after all, the capital kids are different.¡± frankly speaking, i was not impressed with his words. raynald already knew very well that he was handsome enough to attract people¡¯s attention by looking at his appearance. it was nothing new to hear from a boy of his age. ¡°but, it¡¯s a little strange that i¡¯m not a girl and i¡¯m seeing a boy for the first time because he¡¯s handsome.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not a little bit, it¡¯s a lot strange.¡± ¡°that¡¯s true. but you¡¯re still very handsome.¡± it was very strange to hear it from a boy and from a strange boy of his age. raynald stepped back unconsciously. ¡°so can i ask you again what your name is?¡± raynald sighed as he looked at his hands and held his hand. ¡°raynald. there¡¯s no last name.¡± ¡°huh? wasn¡¯t you a nobleman?¡± ¡°no.¡± ¡°you look like a nobleman, though.¡± ¡°listen to that kind of noise. i¡¯m such a snob.¡± aiden nodded hard and said, ¡°yeah, yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± even that proud raynald had to be a little embarrassed at this point. the business must have been finished anyway, so i turned my body to run away quickly, but i got caught again. he looked about the same age just by looking at his face, but his hands were so strong that raynald could hardly shake his hands. ¡°and why?¡± Chapter 29 [dear ray, ray! i heard from dave that you¡¯re doing well. dave told me that you seemed good and he was pleased. i heard you¡¯ve improved your magic skills and have gotten good grades. as you said, i guess you can¡¯t keep up with talented people if they work hard. actually, i really wanted to go to crohn¡¯s kingdom with dave this time, but my father didn¡¯t give me permission to go there because i¡¯m still young. i¡¯m already 12 years old, so i¡¯ve told him several times that i¡¯m not a child, but he¡¯s stubborn. my brothers were already at the academy when they were my age. i¡¯m twelve. riggs entered the academy when he was eight years old. come to think of it, you left for the kingdom when you were 12 or 13. anyway, i could have seen your face if i followed you, which is a bit regrettable. i hope you¡¯re not too depressed that dave¡¯s gone. 28th of the month of flowers, 468th year of the imperial calendar. with longing, yurina. p.s. i received your birthday present from dave. flower-shaped hair decorations are popular these days, so i¡¯ll use them well. it¡¯s a yellow flower, so it won¡¯t stand out if i wear it, but it¡¯s still pretty. thank you.] *** [dear yurina, i also heard your regards through my teacher. i heard your first brother, riggs carthia, saying the mansion is too crowded. i¡¯m glad you have more people to talk to. i¡¯m sorry i didn¡¯t get to see you, but it¡¯s been a long time since we last met. ten days went by so quickly. it¡¯s a shame that the teacher left, but after that, my assignment was so intense that i didn¡¯t have time to be depressed, so don¡¯t worry. 3rd of the month of recordings, 468th year of the imperial calendar. raynald. p.s. i¡¯m glad you liked my birthday present. i was worried that you wouldn¡¯t like it because i didn¡¯t take much time to buy it, and so i was distressed.] * * * [dear ray, i am sorry for the late arrival of this letter. there was a coming-of-age ceremony recently for his majesty the crown prince. because of that, i was a little busy making trips to the estate. what does making trips to the estate and the crown prince¡¯s coming-of-age ceremony have to do with me? it may sound like an excuse, but it¡¯s not. as you know, i¡¯m only fourteen years old. rather than making a debut in society, i still have a long way to go before that happens. but his majesty the crown prince told dave that he would like me to come to his coming of age ceremony. how ridiculous. so, in order to not attend, i went to the fief with the excuse that i was not feeling well. thanks to that, i was able to spend a cool summer. carthia¡¯s estate is located south of the capital, but it¡¯s cool because it¡¯s along the coast. i didn¡¯t feel tired for two months thanks to my twin brothers who came along with me. come to think of it, ray, i heard that the summer of crohn¡¯s kingdom was hotter than usual, didn¡¯t you get hot? i¡¯m worried about you. 20th of the month of clear skies, 470th year of the imperial calendar. with affection, yurina] *** [dear yurina, i¡¯m glad that nothing bad happened. i was worried because i didn¡¯t receive a letter even though it was supposed to come. well, i think it was a good choice to go to the estate without attending the coming-of-age ceremony of the crown prince. this is just my opinion, but i think it would be better not to run into him in the future. if that happens again, go to the fief. i think it¡¯s a good idea to stay in the fief until you make your debut. from what i hear, it¡¯ll be much more fun than the capital life because there¡¯s an ocean there. i¡¯m doing well. although it was hot this summer, the wizards are staying here, so they put magic all over the academy to keep the temperature pleasant. so don¡¯t worry about me and take care of yourself. 2nd of the month of tranquility. 470th year of the imperial calendar. raynald. p.s. you said you went to the estate under the pretext of not feeling well, but you¡¯re not really sick, are you? i know you won¡¯t be, but just in case, i¡¯ll ask. i hope not.] * * * [dear ray, please understand that the handwriting is going to be hard to recognize. it¡¯s because i¡¯m writing a letter in a shaky carriage. you know what, ray? do you know where i¡¯m going right now? i¡¯m going to visit dave and the kingdom of crohn. it¡¯s your 18th birthday soon. i¡¯ve told my father and brothers repeatedly that i can¡¯t leave you alone in a foreign land until you reach adulthood, and i got permission from my father to go to the kingdom of crohn. by the time you receive this letter, i will be crossing the border of crohn¡¯s kingdom. wait a little. i¡¯ll be there soon. 27th of the month of the sky, 471st year of the imperial calendar. i¡¯m on my way to see you. yurina.] chapter 9december 5, 2021in ¡°come on now, even if i¡¯m not a villain¡± (satvc) chapter 9august 29, 2021in ¡°survive as the villain¡¯s cousin¡± Chapter 30 there is a face that comes to mind when i close my eyes. white skin, red cheeks, petite forehead, cute nose, red lips, long and thin fingers. there is no part of her that isn¡¯t pretty, but the most beautiful part would be her sparkling blue eyes. yurina carthia. ¡®how much has she grown?¡¯ raynald laid in bed and imagined her face turning 15. but it didn¡¯t come together in his head. the only thing that came to mind is when she was ten years old. in fact, even that was blurry. it¡¯s already been 5 years since they separated. even though he tried to keep yurina¡¯s face in mind, he kept forgetting it little by little. only her blue eyes were clear in his memory. he tried to draw out that face. the double eyelids were probably a little darker. her cute nose would have become a little more curvy, and there would be a little more emotion in her eyes. ¡®i wonder how tall you would be now.¡¯ when he left the mansion, she was slightly smaller than him, so she must be a lot smaller than him now than 5 years ago. dave also once told raynald that he is bigger than his peers compared to yurina who was slightly smaller than her peers. he imagined her, who couldn¡¯t reach up until his shoulders, looking up at him with moist eyes. he can hear yurina calling his name with her thick red lips. ¨Dray. early in the morning, a soft, fresh voice chimed as if it was like a bird singing. when yurina called his name, raynald felt like the most special person in the world. in fact, he wanted to be the most special person to her, and so clenched his teeth and tried so hard. however, that was only wishful thinking. unlike raynald, who only has her, yurina has a family that cares for her more than anyone else. his imagination became more selfish. her thin, white nape, her white cuff wearing the ruby bracelet he got for her, and her white ankle that seems to be seen through the hem of her dress. and if you travel further up from her ankle¡­¡­. he suddenly came to his senses. raynald got up from his bed and wiped his face dry. he buried his face in his hand because he wasn¡¯t able to calm his breathing. ¡®crazy.¡¯ it was clear he was going crazy. if things go too far, it will be a problem, and he has been holding himself from his longing so hard that he must be losing his mind. he always tries to think rationally without being swayed by emotions, but when he thinks of yurina, his thoughts go out of control. ¡®i can¡¯t do this.¡¯ it¡¯s most probably wrong to say and think that the more she was out of his sight, the more he wouldn¡¯t think of her. because as the time went on, his longing for yurina only grew. thinking that there are still two and a half years left before going back, he tried not to think of yurina, but if he let his guard down for just a short moment like just now, her face would appear even when his eyes are closed. well, if it was possible to forget her, he would have already in the last five years he was here. but the more he tried to forget the more he thought of her face and pure smile. the more he tried, the more he felt like he was drowning. ¡®i¡¯ll do my work¡¯ there was a knock on the door as he got up to go to his desk. normally, it would have been an unpleasant interruption but now he needed it. thanks to this, he¡¯ll be able to clear his mind. ¡°who is it?¡± when he opened the door quickly, he saw aiden¡¯s smiling face and his hand waving. even before the formal entrance ceremony, he ran into him in the hallway of the academy, and at that time, he was friendly and asked questions about this and that. from then on, he¡¯s been at reynald¡¯s side for the past five years. people say they¡¯re close friends because they¡¯re always together, but raynald didn¡¯t think that that was the case. ¡°what happened?¡± ¡°hey ray. guess what i brought?¡± aiden smiled with a playful face as he had always done for five years. reynald quickly noticed that it was a letter that he was waving like a fan. and he noticed the sender of the letter. besides yurina and dave, there were only a few people who send him letters, but there was always a faint smell from yurina¡¯s letter. ¡°give it to me.¡± ¡°what¡¯s the rush? it¡¯s amazing that there are people who send letters every month even though they don¡¯t have a family. i¡¯m thinking about sending my family a letter once a year.¡± ¡°aiden, give it to me.¡± when he reached out with a firm look, aiden handed the letter with suspicion in his eyes. ¡°sorry, here you go. i¡¯ll be careful from now on.¡± ¡°it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°by the way, who is it?¡± aiden tilted his head toward raynald, who was focused on the letter. ¡°yurina carthia? i¡¯ve never heard of that house, are they a noble? did you leave your lover in the empire?¡± aiden is from the kingdom of crohn, he came from the southern region, which is the same as the countryside. even though the carthia family is said to be part of the imperial household, aiden was not interested in the empire enough to memorize the names of the noble families. ¡°you don¡¯t need to know.¡± ¡°well, is this the one you always send letters to with a faint heart?¡± ¡°nonsense.¡± reynard¡¯s voice, which always sounds grumpy, was also somewhat mixed with laughter. at first, aiden¡¯s affection was unfamiliar and embarrassing, but now, five years later, he became accustomed to it. however, because of his personality, raynald couldn¡¯t be nice to him. reynard looked at the back of the letter after the corners of his mouth turned up. he already knew who sent it, but wanted to see it himself. [yurina carthia.] yurina¡¯s handwriting has been so cute since she was young. he bursted in laughter as soon as he saw her roundish handwriting, which is very unlikely of his usual character. raynald, who is completely unconscious of the face he is making, was smiling, then opened his mouth, now showing his teeth. ¡°wow, you look different. why can¡¯t you make that face talking to me?¡± instead of responding, raynald hurried to take off the wax seal before realizing that aiden was still there. he quickly hid the letter behind him. the sudden gesture made aiden squint in return. ¡°what is it? don¡¯t tell me i can¡¯t peek?¡± ¡°no¡­but why are you the one who brought this to me?¡± ¡°it was stuck in my mailbox so i brought it with me. they must have made a mistake because your mailbox is on the opposite side. shouldn¡¯t you be grateful? i wasn¡¯t waiting for a thank you at first, but you don¡¯t have to be so suspicious.¡± despite his grumbling words, aiden couldn¡¯t completely erase his curiosity. ¡°so who is it, ray? who can make you smile like that? do you have a real lover? isn¡¯t it about time for us to have this kind of talk?¡± ¡°you don¡¯t need to know.¡± ¡°why are there secrets between friends? i tell you everything.¡± ¡°you talk too much. and how many times do i have to tell you to call me raynald?¡± ¡°raynald is too long. why do you ask me to call you that when you have a short nickname? and why don¡¯t you call your close friends by their nicknames? i told you to call me eddie.¡± ¡°no. anyway, call me raynald.¡± raynald shook his head, pretending to not see aiden¡¯s look of disappointment. there was only one person in the world who could call him ray. p/r: hihihihihihiihihi *fangirling at max* he couldn¡¯t bear to hear that friendly but awkward nickname come out of someone else¡¯s mouth. ¡®¡­¡­am i embarrassed of it?¡¯ raynald questioned himself for a moment with those thoughts. it¡¯s just not impressive when it comes out of aiden¡¯s mouth, but is it really embarrassing? ray. it doesn¡¯t have a special meaning, but it¡¯s just an abbreviation for ¡®raynald¡¯. even if they are not close, ¡®caitlin¡¯ is referred to as ¡®kate¡¯, and ¡®nathaniel¡¯ is referred to as ¡®nate¡¯. there was nothing to be embarrassed about, nothing that made it extra friendly. raynald remembered how yurina would say it. ¨Dray. he felt giddy and embarrassed thinking of her smiling face with blue eyes. that¡¯s the right one. p/r: whipped much hehehehe ¡®it¡¯s not the right time.¡¯ his senses came back when he noticed the letter in his hand. ¡°anyway, thank you for bringing the letter, but i¡¯m super busy right now. if you need something, come back later.¡± ¡°huh? hey, hey! wait a minute!¡± raynald gave him a firm order, and then closed the door. aiden looked as if he was betrayed, but it didn¡¯t matter to raynald. the only thing that matters was the letter in his hand. he lightly ran his fingers over where yurina¡¯s name was printed and buried his nose to breath in the scent. maybe she liked the sweet fragrant scent now, just like when she was younger. ¡®i have to remember that.¡¯ only a faint scent remained in the letter after it left yurina¡¯s hands, which would have had a strong scent. he felt sad, but whenever this happened, he would realize the far distance between the empire and the kingdom. ¡®i miss you.¡¯ the longing, that wasn¡¯t satisfied by a simple letter, arose in his mind again. struggling to shake it off, raynald opened the seal and read the contents. [dear ray, please understand that the handwriting is hard to recognize. i¡¯m writing to you in a shaky carriage] her letter was written in worse handwriting than usual. however, raynald was already absorbed in the contents of the letter, and was never bothered by the handwriting. ¡®where are you going?¡¯ even after reading the letter, he was dumbfounded and couldn¡¯t think. he read the contents of the letter again in case he missed something, but nothing had changed. [by the time you receive this letter, it should be crossing the border of the crohn kingdom. wait a bit, i¡¯ll be right there] ¡­¡­was she really coming here? really? yurina? to see him? he jumped out of his seat and ran outside while putting on his coat. ¡°oh, oh? ray! where are you going?!¡± aiden shouted with a surprised look when raynald burst through. however, there was no time to correct the nickname ¡®ray¡¯ that rang out in the hallway, raynard hurriedly made his way out of the academy. Chapter 31 ¡°we¡¯re about to cross the border to the kingdom of crohn, either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.¡± dave muttered as he looked outside the carriage. though he was already in his mid-30s, he boasted the appearance of one in his early-20s, no different from five years ago. yurina often wondered if he used specially formulated cosmetics, or if he was an elf or a dragon, creatures you could only find in a fantasy. ¡°really? how do you know? i only see plains.¡± unlike the western part of the empire, where the expansive texian mountain range lies, the eastern part of the empire consists of vast plains. the border between the kingdom of crohn and the empire is formed by the maorun river, which meanders through the fertile plains. but no matter how far yurina looked outside, she couldn¡¯t see the maorun river. dave smiled lightly as yurina frowned while looking at the dust fly outside the window. ¡°my lady, do you remember when i told you in class that the mana concentration in the kingdom of crohn is stronger than in the empire?¡± ¡°of course i remember. you said that is one of the reasons why the kingdom of crohn is much more advanced in magic than the empire, despite being far behind the empire in other aspects.¡± ¡°you remembered well. like mr. raynald, the young lady is also a diligent student.¡± ¡°don¡¯t flatter me¨C that was nothing. this is basic magic common sense, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡®he treats me just like a child.¡¯ even though yurina knew he saw her as one, it was still a little too much. and it wasn¡¯t just now. dave used to give her empty praises all the time, calling her smart when she spouted common sense that everyone knew. he complimented her over everything. she had wondered how dave was able to comfort and teach the tricky raynald, and realized his secret was praise. ¡®but i¡¯m not a child.¡¯ his secret technique, which would have worked on 12-year-old raynald, did not work on her. yurina threw a sharp look at dave, who was smiling happily at her, and then reached out the window. ¡°my lady, it¡¯s dangerous to reach out like that!¡± betsy, who happened to be yawning next to yurina, shouted in surprise. ¡°it¡¯s okay. there¡¯s nothing dangerous about putting your hand out when there¡¯s no tree. by the way, dave, about mana concentration, does that mean the mana concentration here is getting stronger?¡± ¡°if i teach you one thing, you learn two. yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°i¡¯m not a child. you don¡¯t need to compliment me.¡± dave smiled and reached out to yurina, but quickly withdrew his hand. she was already 15 years old. although she was not an adult yet, she was no longer a 10-year-old child who could have her head pat regardless of status differences. despite being three years shy of adulthood, her appearance was already that of a young lady. with a slight grimace, yurina pulled his hand over and put it on her head. he shook his head as he smiled in surprise and tried to pull his hand away. ¡°there¡¯s no one watching, dave.¡± ¡°oh? but my lady, can¡¯t you see me? i also have eyes.¡± ¡°hey, betsy agrees with me. isn¡¯t that right? ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± yurina smiled alongside betsy, and moved dave¡¯s hand to rub her hair. ¡°dave¡¯s like an uncle. i¡¯m not asking you to call me yurina instead of my lady. so isn¡¯t this okay?¡± dave bit his lips for a while and then moved his hand to stroke her head. yurina closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling. his comforting touch made her feel better. she felt like a pet in need of affection, similar to how raynald was when he was younger, trembling alone in the corner. yurina thought, maybe she herself just needed that warmth and comfort. ¡®it¡¯s inevitable.¡¯ when she suddenly lost her life and loved ones and woke up in this world, she was so scared and lonely even though she tried her best to act calm. but now, even the family members that she couldn¡¯t accept at first now felt like her real family. it was all due to their unconditional love. although they had differing statuses and were not related by blood, dave was also one of the family members who treated her with such affection. more than anyone else. ¡°ah.¡± her heart sank as she remembered her pinky-promise of protection with raynald. raynald treated her with more warmth and affection than anyone else, and the thought of him suddenly made her frown and sigh aloud. yurina quickly closed her mouth. she had long sealed her feelings of longing deep within her heart, but she could feel the overwhelming emotions start to overflow. ¡°my lady? what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t suddenly have motion sickness, do you? my lady, do you feel nauseous?¡± yurina shook her head at dave and betsy, who both looked worried, and took a deep breath. she quickly seized control of her heart, which had been wavering dangerously. ¡®we¡¯ll see each other soon anyway.¡¯ she stuck hand out of the carriage again, thinking positively. ¡°let¡¯s continue our conversation. you said the concentration of mana has been increasing since we¡¯re getting closer to the border? how can you tell?¡± dave sighed with relief at yurina¡¯s calm voice and replied. ¡°if you don¡¯t feel it, you should stop practicing magic.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t feel it. should i have quit magic before then?¡± ¡°if you concentrate, you should be able to feel it.¡± ¡°really?¡± yurina closed her eyes and concentrated. she focused on her fingertips, gathering the mana within her body. she could feel the amount of mana on her fingertips now had increased compared to what she had gathered in the imperial capital before. she gathered momentum and released the mana. a glowing sphere of mana that was a little larger than what she could conjure in carthia mansion floated in the carriage. ¡°wow, my lady! it¡¯s a lot bigger than i¡¯ve ever seen before.¡± betsy clapped her hands with surprised eyes. dave also nodded with a satisfied look. ¡®it¡¯s not a big deal.¡¯ somehow, she felt embarrassed by the excessive responses, so she smiled awkwardly. ¡°how is it, my lady? it¡¯s definitely stronger, right?¡± ¡°yeah, it is. look at the size of the light sphere. i didn¡¯t know i could make something this big.¡± ¡°and it¡¯s less physically draining.¡± ¡°oh, come to think of it, it really is.¡± yurina was pleasantly surprised to find that she was relaxed and breathing comfortably. in the mansion, even creating a small sphere had her gasping for air. ¡®i wish my innate ability was this good.¡¯ she sighed as she watched the glowing sphere flying around her. five years ago, yurina did not watch raynald leave for the kingdom of crohn with confidence. it wasn¡¯t that she doubted his skills. but unexpected variables can always occur, so it was best to be ready for them. when she leaves the mansion, she is always accompanied by an escort. when raynald graduates in two years, she will be escorted by him. but she can¡¯t always rely on her escorts to protect her. what if something happens to them or they¡¯re caught off guard? so, yurina decided to learn how to defend herself. in the face of true danger, her meager skills would be useless. but this minimum amount of preparation could still help her. initially, she tried to learn to use a dagger, but she changed to magic part-way through because of marquis carthia. he had come running out, protesting profusely. he refused to allow her to hold such a dangerous object. yurina did agree with him. no matter how skilled you were, there was always a situation where you could be endangered by using a sharp dagger. but while yurina had magical abilities, hers were insignificant. she didn¡¯t feel sorry for herself though. rather, she found it amusing as it was what she expected. ¡®there¡¯s no way the wicked villainess would have a talent for magic.¡¯ in this world, three things are needed to use magic. although there are varying levels of mana concentration, natural mana existed everywhere, so it was mana affinity and mana in the body that determined magic talent. magic can be cast by combining mana within the body and natural mana. the higher one¡¯s mana affinity, the more mana there was in the body, and the more mana in the body, the more advanced magic a wizard could use. yurina had a good mana affinity, but she didn¡¯t have much mana in her body. no matter how hard she tried to increase it, there was a limit to the amount of mana within a body. the maximum amount was set at birth, and nothing could change it. therefore, the magic that yurina could use was simple magic at best that didn¡¯t use a lot of mana. for example, heating cold tea or creating a small light like before was simple magic. if she concentrated, and used all of her mana, she could perform simple healing magic. but in that case, she would end up exhausted and would need to sleep the whole day to recover. she hasn¡¯t even thought of using healing magic ever since she passed out after trying to heal a scratch on her arm. ¡®i understand why dave was surprised to see raynald heal me the first time.¡¯ according to dave, raynald had some of the highest levels of body mana, even amongst the best wizards. he was able to instinctively capture mana, almost as easily as he breathed. his mana affinity was also at the highest levels. it was not always a good thing to have high levels of mana in your body, because if you didn¡¯t also have high mana affinity, you¡¯d end up suffering from constant fevers and dying. yurina watched the light sphere float around the carriage with a smile. it looked like a cute cat. but with a fading breath and a shake of her hand, the light sphere disappeared without a trace. ¡°dave, you graduated from the royal academy of crohn, right? how do you feel about returning to the academy after all this time away?¡± when he heard this question, dave wiped cold sweat off his forehead. he smiled tightly but kept his mouth shut, unlike his usual conversational self. ¡°what¡¯s with that look on your face? are you so thrilled that you can¡¯t speak?¡± but his expression said, ¡®i never thought i¡¯d walk into hell again, miss.¡¯ yurina examined his still smiling face, ¡®i¡¯ve seen that face a lot.¡¯ dave¡¯s current expression was similar to one made by a fourth-grade senior in her past life. he had been on his way to get feedback on his graduation thesis from his academic advisor. she had felt so sorry watching him say comforting words to himself. ¡°if you can¡¯t avoid it, enjoy it.¡± some of the senior¡¯s more mischievous colleagues giggled at him, saying he looked like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse. little did she know, soon she would be suffering the same pain a year later. Chapter 32 yurina felt strangely sympathetic towards dave.. ¡°i¡¯ve heard about the difficulties of your studies, you must have had a hard time.¡± ¡°it wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± ¡°you know your words don¡¯t match your face, right? you look completely dead right now.¡± ¡°no way.¡± dave finally relaxed his shoulders, but his expression was still dark. yurina recalled the contents of raynald¡¯s letter. ¡®he didn¡¯t say anything about it.¡¯ in his letters, he always said positive things, such as ¡°i¡¯m doing well,¡± ¡°i like people,¡± ¡°i¡¯m enjoying studying,¡± ¡°i¡¯ve improved my magic,¡± and so on. but if you think about it, wouldn¡¯t he have been uncomfortable in a foregin country and not yet used to studying or proper etiquette? ¡°since you had a hard time too, is ray doing well? he did say he was fine in the letters.¡± dave tapped her check as if to ask her to not dwell on the topic. ¡°my lady, don¡¯t worry too much. if he couldn¡¯t get accustomed and something happened, wouldn¡¯t you have known sooner?¡± ¡°well, that is true¡­¡­.¡± ¡°besides, isn¡¯t this my student? i¡¯m sure he¡¯s doing better than anyone else.¡± yurina looked at dave¡¯s expression and clicked her tongue. his raised chin looked just like raynald¡¯s when he showed off. raynald had always been arrogant, but it odd to see this change in dave any time the topic of magic was brought up in the last 5 years. ¡®are all wizards this cocky?¡¯ yurina thought about asking but decided against it. ¡°as you know, mr. raynald is quite strong. he can survive even hell.¡± ¡°¡­is that a compliment?¡± ¡°of course it¡¯s a compliment.¡± ¡°but it doesn¡¯t quite sound like a compliment.¡± instead of making any excuses, dave just laughed out loud. * * * there were no suitable villages around since they were near the border, so yurina was homeless for the night. however, unlike the knights that had to sleep on clothes and blankets piled on the ground, yurina slept alone in a spacious carriage. it was a luxurious form of homelessness in its own way. two knights kept watch through the night. the next day they left in a hurry to cross the border before dawn. even so, yurnina did not do much. she got up as soon as betsy did, washed her face, and got dressed before dave got into the carriage. compared to the knights and servants who took care of the horses and slept on piles of clothing, she still enjoyed a sense of leisure. there was no time to eat, so she had some bread and jam they picked up in the last village. everyone else had beef jerky. ¡®i love power.¡¯ yurina rubbed her sore waist. thanks to dave¡¯s magic, the wagon was a pleasant ride without any rough shaking, but yurina¡¯s whole body still ached sitting down all day. she desperately wanted to soak herself in a warm bath. scenes of the wilderness flashed by as they continued their journey. by the time yurina became tired of sightseeing and playing cards, the maorun river finally appeared, shining under the sunlight. her heart was pounding at the thought that there wasn¡¯t much time left before they saw each other again. betsy was excited as well and whispered, ¡°my lady, i¡¯m in trouble.¡± yurina turned her head to see if something was really wrong, but found betsy¡¯s expression was calmer than she thought. betsy took a few deep breaths as if she had been running before laughing. ¡®so the deep breath was a joke huh?¡¯ yurina quickly caught on and played along though betsy was 10 years her senior. ¡°betsy, don¡¯t tell me your heart is pounding at the thought of seeing ray soon?¡± ¡°why wouldn¡¯t it be? think about it, miss. raynald will be an adult soon.¡± ¡°yes, that¡¯s true.¡± yurina answered half heartedly, but betsy tapped her chest as if she was frustrated. it was pretty cute. ¡°it¡¯s not ¡®yes, that¡¯s true¡¯. aren¡¯t you curious how he grew up!?¡± ¡°um¡­¡­ not really?¡± yurina crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side. but, if you asked yurina if she was looking forward to seeing raynald, she would honestly say yes. her heart felt full and she felt she could cry at any moment. these five years apart were so long that she very easily could have forgotten him and stopped missing him. but if you asked her if she looked forward to seeing how he grew up, then her answer would be unclear. she didn¡¯t know. she did wonder how much he¡¯d changed, but she didn¡¯t have any expectations for how he looked now. ¡°to be honest, he¡¯s always been handsome. i¡¯m looking forward to seeing what kind of man he grew up to be. oh, that doesn¡¯t mean i¡¯m interested¡­ it¡¯s just he¡¯s grown up now and¡­¡± ¡°just say you¡¯re interested, betsy.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not like that!¡± yurina laughed at her quick answer. ¡®how much has he grown?¡¯ she was a little curious because betsy emphasized how raynald was so handsome. obviously, he¡¯s been handsome since he was young, even when he was covered in dirt. in the novel he returned from the academy once he became an adult, and his perfect appearance ignited the hearts of many young ladies. even so, yurina could hardly imagine what he looked like. in her mind, raynald will always look the way he did when he left the mansion, a small 13 year old. still, she tried imagining raynald in her head before they met in a few days. he will be 18 soon, so he must have grown a lot and his hands must have gotten bigger. ¡®his frame itself was good, and his shoulders probably got broader¡­ does he have muscles now..? maybe?¡¯ the reason her train of thought ended in a question was because she was skeptical. not all of them, but dave and the other wizards were generally pretty skinny. dave was in that state because he was constantly stuck in his lab and research. he didn¡¯t eat properly and was always stressed out. ¡®i don¡¯t think ray¡¯s any different.¡¯ listening to betsy¡¯s chatter, yurina continued to imagine raynald and burst into laughter. she just imagined 13 year old raynald but with his legs stretched out. it was quite an odd sight. ¡°why are you laughing all of a sudden, my lady?¡± ¡°oh, it¡¯s nothing¡­..¡± yurina tried to hide her smile by covering her face. not just betsy, but even dave, who was reading, gave her a strange look. still, she couldn¡¯t stop laughing. it was a rather mischievous smile for a boring trip. * * * the carthia family was a great and powerful house. their grand carriages proudly boasted the carthia family crest. still, even a carthia carriage could not withstand such a long journey between the empire and the kingdom of crohn. ¡°i thought i would die from how sore my body is, my lady.¡± betsy got off the carriage and stretched into the sky while complaining. yurina smile at her while being escorted off the carriage by dave ¡°betsy, there are people around. you shouldn¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°oh! my goodness!¡± betsy became conscious of the people around her and hurried to cover her mouth. due to the tough journey, they decided to make a rest-stop in the village closest to the border. since the village resided along the maorun river, it was much livelier despite being in the border area. it was, however, still a remote village compared to the border areas in the empire. ¡°may i help you, miss?¡± yurina shook her head at the eager betsy. ¡°i¡¯ll take a break first. i want to soak myself in a warm bath.¡± ¡°we¡¯ve secured rooms in an inn, miss.¡± just in time, dave came out of the best inn in town and showed her to her room. under the helpful eye of betsy, yurina took a warm bath and changed into simple clothes before climbing into bed. after a while, her eyelids drooped from the comfort of the luxurious bed. betsy¡¯s voice saying that she shouldn¡¯t sleep entered one ear and exited out the other. just as she was about to fall asleep, there was a knock on the door. ¡°that must be dave. you can open it¨C i¡¯m dressed well enough.¡± ¡°yes, my lady.¡± as betsy approached the door, yurina continued to bury her face in the pillow. as betsy answered the door, she sounded a bit cautious. ¡°who, who are you?¡± oh? isn¡¯t it dave? yurina was wide awake now. she instinctively got out of bed and ran to a corner of the room. ¡°i asked who you are! no, wait a minute! you can¡¯t come in!¡± she was surprised that betsy did not run away. rather, betsy was blocking the intruder with her whole body, so she rushed to betsy. in her head, she was thinking of what kind of magic she could use in this situation. ¡®fireball? no, if i don¡¯t aim well, betsy could get hit. then, electricity?¡¯ if she shocked the intruder, she could use that time to run to dave with betsy. in the empire, she couldn¡¯t have done this, but mana concentration was high in the kingdom of crohn. she could use the magic, but she would be drained for the night. yurina organized her thoughts, gathered the mana at her fingertips and prepared to save betsy. betsy was still blocking the intruder, but suddenly stepped aside, calling out in confusion. ¡°what? huh?¡± the intruder¡¯s goal was yurina, and now he could get to her without any obstacles to hinder him. she hurriedly stepped back into the corner of the room, not realizing how odd it was for betsy to have stepped aside of her own volition. ¡°don¡¯t get any closer! if you do, i¡¯ll attack!.¡± the man didn¡¯t stop his approach despite her threat. on the contrary, in just a few steps, he was right in front of her, taking off his hood. yurina lost her train of thought as she looked upon his face. the mana gathered at her fingertips had long since scattered. ¡®no way¡­¡¯ bright blond hair and beautiful features lit up the room like the sun. unwavering, ruby red eyes gazed into hers. from the red eyes, she knew immediately that he was the one she had been waiting for. ¡°ray?¡± standing frozen like a statue, yet he responded to the name. she remembered his eyes from when they were young, how could she forget? his stiff expression distorted as if he was about to cry, but he managed a smile. ¡°yurina.¡± it was a low and sweet voice. yurina vaguely remembered the high, tinkling voice of a child from the past. she felt so unfamiliar facing his masculine voice. is this man really ray? when she saw the red eyes, she instinctively knew, but she still doubted herself. while yurina worried over such a ridiculous thing, the man reached for her. Chapter 33 ¡°yurina.¡± in yurina¡¯s arms, he hugged her back tightly, as if he was trying to lock her in his arms forever. ¡°i missed you.¡± he whispered with his face buried in the crook of yurina¡¯s neck. the unfamiliar feeling of his hot breath pouring over her sensitive neck made yurina flinch away in his arms. she didn¡¯t mean to try and pull away, but raynald pulled her waist a little harder, perhaps because he interpreted it differently. ¡°i¡¯ve missed you so much.¡± raynald took a deep breath through his nose as if he was inhaling her scent. yurina closed her eyes as she heard his breathing get deeper. everything was strange. unfamiliar place, unfamiliar face, unfamiliar height, unfamiliar voice, unfamiliar speech, unfamiliar arms. five years had been so long that yurina couldn¡¯t find a trace of the fierce 13-year-old child she knew. that¡¯s why it felt awkward to reunite with him, even though she thought she would have been ecstatic to see him. but in her unfamiliarity, she was able to find one similar thing that she remembered. the comforting warmth that soothed her both five years ago and now. the face of 13-year-old raynald, who was arrogantly smiling and claiming he would become a wizard and surpass dave, appeared in her mind. a small smile came to her face as she closed her eyes and enjoyed his body temperature. yurina gently hugged him back, where hard muscles were now felt instead of his previously boney frame. ¡°i missed you too, ray.¡± it was their first reunion in five years. * * * raynald rushed out of the academy, ignoring aiden who constantly followed him around, and ran to the stable and mounted his horse. aiden, who had learned sword fighting and horse riding from his father, baron tessie, taught raynald to fight and ride over the last five years. horse riding was now as easy as breathing for him. he left the academy and headed for the border between the empire and the kingdom. the letter did not contain details, but there was only one checkpoint where yurina, a noble lady, could safely cross the border with a large group of escorts. thanks to this point, it was not difficult to predict the path yurina would take. ¡°i wish i could see you¡­¡­.¡± when he thought of it, he must¡¯ve been insane. here he was, recklessly rushing to the border because he wanted to see her a bit sooner, no matter if the path he took was wrong or if the timing was off. despite knowing all this, he couldn¡¯t stop himself from running to yurina. she was coming to see him. he could no longer idly listen to aiden¡¯s loud chatter at the academy. raynald rode carelessly, comparing the date yurina wrote in her letter to the time she would reach the river by carriage. fortunately, he could get to the border before her. but just in case, he could arrive at the border even sooner by using space-movement magic from time to time and even enhancing his horse¡¯s speed. ¡®they haven¡¯t arrived.¡¯ only after confirming that the carthian carriage had not crossed the border could he relax and release the tension in his body. one, two, three days. after waiting a time that felt longer than five years, he could finally see a carriage with the crest of the carthia family crossing the bridge from afar. his heart beat harder than even when he rode his horse nonstop. at first, he tried to wait until she exited the inn she was staying at. he thought she would definitely come outside to wash up and dine after a long trip. however, let alone a long wait, he was impatient to see even dave or just another member of the carthia family. his hands trembled with anticipation. eventually, raynald headed to yurina¡¯s room despite the impoliteness. ¡°who, who are you?¡± betsy, who he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time, still had the same face except she seemed much shorter now. raynald was about to say hello to that familiar face, but then he caught a glimpse of someone behind betsy. pink-blond hair, fair skin that shone from afar, a slender build, and a hesitant expression, as if guarding against an intruder. yurina carthia. he couldn¡¯t believe he was looking at her despite her being right in front of his eyes. he needed to hold her with his own hands to confirm her existence. thus, raynald instinctively tried walking into the room without re-introducing himself betsy. ¡°i asked you who you are! no, wait a minute! you can¡¯t come in!¡± after hearing betsy¡¯s sharp voice, he came to his senses and glanced at her. seeing his red eyes, betsy¡¯s brown eyes widened. her mouth opened and closed as if she was trying to say something, but eventually she couldn¡¯t say anything and moved sideways to get out of the way. as a result, raynald approached yurina with no obstacles in his way. yurina, who ran to the corner of her room to hide like prey being stalked by a predator, looked at him with her eyes full of vigilance. raynald was confused. ¡®was this actually yurina?¡¯ the girl standing in front of him was much cuter and prettier than the 15-year-old yurina he had imagined. in particular, the blue eyes were framed by long lashes and glistened as if they were wet from rain. maybe that¡¯s why. unlike his impulsive visit, he hesitated moving closer to yurina. ¡°ray?¡± however, as soon as his name left her mouth, he could no longer control his urge. raynald hugged yurina in his arms. ¡®how small.¡¯ the last time he saw her, yurina was only a bit smaller than him. if they held each other in a hug, no one could tell who was hugging whom. but now, no matter how he looked at it, she was the one in his arms. her neck, shoulder line, and waist were all more slender than he imagined. he couldn¡¯t hug her tightly, fearing she just might shatter like a glass doll if he applied just a bit more force in his hug. the way she leaned her forehead on his shoulder, while she wiggled in his arms, was so cute that he laughed. with a low laugh, he buried his face in yurina¡¯s neck and breathed in through his nose. he had missed this scent. a sweet and fragrant floral scent. the scent of flower soap that always came from her. only then did he believe that yurina was really in front of him. and¡­ ¡°i missed you, too, ray.¡± the moment he heard yurina¡¯s heart, his heart, which had been beating rapidly, suddenly stopped. raynald even stopped breathing for a moment and simply enjoyed yurina¡¯s warmth. if this was a dream, he wished he¡¯d never wake up. * * * clack. clack. the carriage, which had been carrying three people when it arrived in the kingdom of crohn, was now heading to the capital with four people. like when they came, betsy and yurina sat facing each other inside the carriage, dave sat next to betsy and now, raynald sat next to yurina. ¡°there¡¯s only one more person, but the wagon now seems full.¡± betsy, who was covering yurina¡¯s knee with a blanket, smiled happily at raynald. she had always thought of him as her younger brother, so she was proud to meet a new version of raynald. last night, she told yurina, ¡°it must have been difficult for him in a strange place. it might be presumptuous of me¡­ but i¡¯m proud of him. he grew up well.¡± yurina responded, ¡°you can be proud of him. you took care of him when he was at the mansion. ray also appreciates you from the bottom of his heart.¡± ¡°ummm.¡± yurina looked somewhat stiff and glanced at raynald who was sitting to her right. raynald, who had been watching her, smiled as soon as her gaze fell on him. the image of young raynald smiling brightly with no worries flashed before her current view. for a moment, yurina felt a distance between them again. ¡®he¡¯s unfamiliar.¡¯ in her head, she knew the fierce little boy from her memories and the man in front of her was the same person. despite that, she still couldn¡¯t fully accept that fact. to rephrase it, it felt like he was a cute kitten who had left home to return as a dashing, lithe leopard. that was probably the case since raynald¡¯s appearance had changed so much in five years. yurina also shed her baby appearance, maturing and growing taller, but her change was nothing compared to raynald¡¯s. he had really become a different person. if it weren¡¯t for those familiar red eyes, she wouldn¡¯t even believe he was raynald. of course, objectively speaking, he grew up so well that yurina, too, felt proud. if he donned formal attire and debuted in high society right now, his beauty would be so flashy that no one would be able to take their eyes off him¨C regardless of gender. ¡®why are you so tall?¡¯ he was only about two inches taller than her when he left, but now he was so much taller that he was at least a whole head¡¯s height taller. if she threw away her prior knowledge of him being an apprentice wizard, raynald looked so imposing she would have thought he was an aspiring knight at first glance. not only did he grow taller, but he had also packed on a moderate amount of muscle throughout his body, to the point that she could feel it beyond his shirt. it wasn¡¯t too much muscle like that of a sword-training knight, but it made his body muscularly lean, which was quite popular among young people in society these days. that¡¯s why he felt like a man now even though he was just a little boy when they met and parted. as soon as she realized that fact, her pride was hurt somehow. she regarded hes new scent and appearance like spoiled cheese. ¡®just why is he so unfamiliar?¡¯ what¡¯s more is that unlike her troubled self, raynald seemed at ease, feeling no awkwardness at all. she didn¡¯t really expect a special response from him, but she felt awkward nonetheless. and she couldn¡¯t help but continue to feel more strange since he seemed completely at peace and comfortable. she felt silly, as if she were being self-conscious for no reason. ¡°umm¡­.¡± ¡°yurina, what¡¯s wrong? are you not feeling well?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s nothing.¡± instead of saying, ¡°i feel burdened because you stared at me too closely,¡± yurina moved to the side, avoiding his eyes. it was a struggle to even get away from him a little bit since raynald would soon follow after her and narrow the distance again, as if he was subconsciously chasing after her without noticing. Chapter 34 he followed her when she ran away, and he followed her again when she ran away once more. after a meaningless chase, yurina soon hit her shoulder against the wall of a carriage. while yurina gently rubbed her sore shoulder, raynald sat close to her and twisted her hair with his fingers. his fingers were pretty because they were white and long, however, they had calluses that should not have been on a wizard¡¯s hand. ¡°calluses?¡± why did he have calluses as a wizard? but without a doubt, yurina felt strange when she saw her hair curled up on his finger. it was nothing, but she felt ashamed by the physical contact. she pulled her hair out of his hand and came up with a story that would dispel the embarrassing atmosphere. ¡°hey, ray.¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t ask you yesterday, but how did you get here? what about the academy?¡± that¡¯s what she asked, but the answer was obvious. the academy is in the middle of its semester, and today is a weekday with classes. nevertheless, his presence here means that he is playing the so-called ¡°hooky.¡± ¡°umm¡­.¡± perhaps he could have told a lie, but raynald just smiled, blurring his words. it was a pretty smile, but yurina saw young raynald talking away whenever there was an unfavorable situation when he was young. perhaps because of that, she could forget the awkwardness and play a prank on him. ¡°why can¡¯t you tell me the truth that you skipped class? the round trip from the capital to here would last at least a week, so will you continue to skip classes?¡± ¡°are you sure you¡¯re not gonna tell me? well, it¡¯s not the academy that sent you here. in the letter, i was proud of you because you were studying hard every time and your grades were good, but it was all a lie.¡± when she jabbed his side with her elbow lightly so that it didn¡¯t hurt, raynald rubbed the area where he was hit and sobbed that he was sick. raynald sobbed as he rubbed the spot where he had been hit. ¡°it hurts.¡± ¡°that¡¯s because it should hurt. so who told you to skip class?¡± ¡°¡­¡­i didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°don¡¯t lie.¡± as she jabbed him in the side again, raynald quickly grabbed yurina¡¯s arm. ¡°i worked hard. this is the first time i missed a class.¡± ¡°so that means you did skip class.¡± ¡°well, that¡¯s¡­¡­.¡± looking at yurina¡¯s eyes while mumbling words, raynald noticed that her face was playful. he smirked and buried his face on yurina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°seeing you feels like i¡¯m going back to my childhood.¡± unlike him who laughed aloud, the smile disappeared from yurina¡¯s face, embarrassed by his sudden action. when his warm breath landed on her collarbone, yurina¡¯s shoulders flinched in surprise. ¡°give me a break. it¡¯s been a while. and i¡¯ve never really missed a class before. even when aiden asked me to go play, i didn¡¯t miss it.¡± ¡°aiden?¡± ¡°you don¡¯t have to know.¡± ¡°is that your friend?¡± ¡°well¡­.¡± muffling his words, he held himself close to yurina. his hand, which had gotten bigger, hugged yurina¡¯s waist tightly. his body was harder than it looked, and unlike the cool air in the carriage, it was hot. yurina blinked as she couldn¡¯t speak due to the awkward atmosphere hovering over the carriage. since their childhood, when raynald was anxious, he would come up to yurina and hug her or rub his face on her shoulder. he was like a young cat or a dog that craved affection. it was like a habit of his. yurina, who was well aware of his anxiety, always breathed a sigh and comforted him. but now it was different. her head was blank and she didn¡¯t even know how to react. yurina looked at bessie and dave sitting across from her and turned her eyes as she hugged him. while dave was reading without much difference, bessie was looking out the window with a redder face than yurina. yurina pushed raynald¡¯s head away who was rubbing his face against her shoulder like a cat. ¡°ray, back away from me a little.¡± this time, a warm sigh poured over her shoulder. when yurina tapped her finger on his head, he pretended not to hear and the arms wrapped around her waist became tighter. ¡°ray.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°i¡¯m a little uncomfortable¡­¡­.¡± only then did he reluctantly raise his body. yurina closed her eyes, pretending not to see his eyes full of regret. ¡°yuri, are you tired?¡± ¡°yes, i¡¯m a little tired.¡± yurina pressed her hand on her eyes. she closed her eyes to avoid his hot gaze, but it was true that she was tired. her physical strength was already weak from being homeless for a few days and hadn¡¯t slept much because she had been venting her rage with raynald, who had shown up suddenly the day before. ¡°well, you must be tired because you¡¯ve been riding in the carriage. i¡¯ll be free until i get to the next town, so get some sleep.¡± raynald stretched out his long arm and hugged yurina¡¯s head and made her lean on his shoulder. perhaps because she didn¡¯t see his face while closing her eyes, she felt less uneasy. yurina narrowed her forehead while leaning her head against his shoulder, as she often did when she was young. ¡®uncomfortable.¡¯ unlike five years ago, when he was similar in height and did not feel uncomfortable leaning on each other¡¯s heads. raynald¡¯s shoulders, which were tall and broadened, were very uncomfortable. she tried to move around and find a comfortable posture, but yurina eventually lifted herself without overcoming the discomfort. ¡°are there a lot of discomforts?¡± raynald lowered his shoulder height while still hugging yurina¡¯s shoulder. yurina closed her eyes again, leaning her head against his shoulder, which was adjusted to her sitting height. it was more comfortable than before. raynald smoothed her hair and covered his shoulder with a blanket on her lap. ¡°good night.¡± finally, with a sweet voice, yurina began to doze off. because she was closing her eyes, she did not notice bessie and dave, who were looking at each other from the opposite side and smiling happily. the carriage stopped a little suddenly at the entrance of the village where yurina would stay for the evening. raynald hurriedly hugged yurina¡¯s body, which was bent forward. even then, yurina, who had been sleeping lightly, leaned on his shoulder and woke up suddenly and opened her eyes with surprise. outside the carriage, she heard the sound of an angry horse neighing and the voice of a horseman soothing the horse. ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay. it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± while raynald patted yurina on the back and soothed her, dave opened a window connected to the horseman to check the situation. the horseman pointed to the front of the carriage with a serious look and muttered something to dave. yurina listened to the horseman, but she couldn¡¯t hear a word because of how quiet he whispered. ¡°it¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry.¡± when yurina frowned slightly out of concern, raynald patted her shoulder. he seemed to be more worried about yurina than about the situation outside. at the tender touch, yurina put her face on his shoulder again and dozed off. ¡°lady, i think we should get off here and walk to the accommodation.¡± dave closed the window with a rather stiff look. looking at him getting ready to get off right away, raynald asked on behalf of yurina. ¡°what¡¯s the matter, sir?¡± ¡°that¡¯s¡­.¡± dave saved his words by glancing at yurina, who was still sleepy and couldn¡¯t even open her eyes properly. as if he had realized something with that attitude, raynald hardened his face and soon smiled calmly at yurina. ¡°yuri, did you hear that? i think we have to walk to the inn. let¡¯s get out of here.¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± because she was half asleep, yurina couldn¡¯t sense the strange atmosphere of the two men and rubbed her sleepy eyes. dave and raynald, who packed their bags in the wagon, got off the wagon first, and then bessie, who was opening yurina¡¯s collar, got off the wagon with dave¡¯s escort. yurina lifted herself, trying to hold onto her dazed spirit. she held the wagon with one hand and held out her other hand to receive an escort. then, instead of dave, who always escorted her, raynald reached out his hands to her. ¡®huh? two hands?¡¯ yurina sensed his strange behavior even with a blank mind. the rule is to escort with one hand. it was the same when getting off the wagon. i¡¯m sure raynald knows that, but why are his hands suddenly two hands when he¡¯s good at escorting? did he forget the manners he had learned at the mansion while he was at the academy? as yurina hesitated, raynald came close to her and wrapped her waist with his arm. yurina instinctively hugged his neck tightly due to the dizzying sensation of her body. ¡°ray?¡± when she shouted his name in surprise, raynald smiled lightly as she looked into his eyes. he must have seen her surprised look, but he calmly hugged her and dropped her off the carriage without any explanation. in the past, when he was about the same height, he would have never thought of it. bessie, who was watching the scene from the side, said, ¡°oh my. oh my!¡± and blushed on behalf of yurina. ¡°because it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡®no, it¡¯s just going down from the carriage. what¡¯s so dangerous? i wanted to ask bluntly, but when i saw his face smiling, i couldn¡¯t bear to say that.¡¯ instead, he turned his head away from her eyes and looked around, only then could she feel that her surroundings were chaotic. ¡°why are there so many people here?¡± it wasn¡¯t just a problem that there were many people. the problem was the strange atmosphere hovering between them. many of those people were huddling in one place and whispering with serious faces. some were stomping their feet with a pale face, and others were praying for a goddess with their mouths closed. a woman who was walking along the street holding the child¡¯s hand quickly held the child in her arms and hurried her steps. what is it? as yurina tried to turn her head toward the place where people¡¯s eyes gathered, dave quickly blocked her. ¡°you¡¯d better not look over there, miss.¡± raynald hugged her shoulder after receiving his glance without a chance to ask what was going on. ¡°let¡¯s go, yuri. you must be tired, so let¡¯s go get some rest.¡± ¡°i got it.¡± yurina followed raynald with a nervous expression. she didn¡¯t want to look at the situation out of curiosity when the two of them dissuaded her like that. but within a few steps, yurina looked down at dave¡¯s feet and saw the scene that dave wanted to hide. ¡®¡­blood?¡¯ red blood was flowing through the cracks of the uneven stone floor. recognizing her surprised face, raynald quickly covered her eyes with his palm. however, yurina, who had turned her head unknowingly before her eyes were blocked, saw someone covered in blood and their white hands and arms lying on the floor. a person lying dead on the road covered in blood after an accident. it evoked the memory that yurina wanted to forget so much in a flash. yurina was out of breath as her hazy mind lifted. ¡°don¡¯t look.¡± raynald whispers in yurina¡¯s ears, who was breathing heavily. his low voice was gentle, but yurina¡¯s heart began to beat faster, instead of calming down. it was so fast, that she could hear her heart beating. ¡°he¡¯s not moving. oh, my god. is he dead?¡± ¡°look at the blood. i don¡¯t think i can save him even if the senator comes.¡± ¡°that damn aristocrat. is that all you have to do if you hit a person like that and throw a coin?¡± perhaps because her hearing became sensitive as her vision became dark, she could clearly hear the voices around her, which she had not heard properly until earlier. listening to a voice of anger and regret, yurina shook her body like a four-legged tree. ¡°yuri, what¡¯s wrong? yurina, are you okay? yurina!¡± the urgent voice of raynald had been stabbing painfully into her ears like a sharp needle. yurina sat on the floor, covering her ears at the sound of a sudden headache, and tinnitus pricking her ear. she had never been bothered even though she got motion sickness from the carriage, but her stomach was deeply moved by the fishy smell that brushed the tip of her nose. ¡°no, no, no¡­¡­.¡± yurina shook her head violently. however, no matter how hard she tried to shake, the image of red blood was still clearly visible in her closed eyes, and it did not disappear. ¡®no, i don¡¯t want to.¡¯ memories of the day five years ago, that she tried to forget, kept flowing into her head like raging waves. Chapter 35 five years ago on a surprisingly good day, maybe because it was the end of the year when everyone was lively. on that day, snow covered everything. senna was heading home after seeing friends she hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. she even got a piece of cake from a famous bakery and was bringing it to her family. ¡®oh, it¡¯s cold.¡¯ she hugged her coat tighter around her, trembling, but her smile didn¡¯t wane. she walked quickly so she could give her family the cake and warm up with a blanket. it was best to appreciate the sweetness in life and forget the sour experiences. she was thinking about her happy but normal life, and was halfway across the crosswalk when it happened. there was a sharp sound, enough to pierce your ear drums followed by the bright headlights that you couldn¡¯t look directly at. before she even understood what was happening her body was flung forcibly she couldn¡¯t even move her body when she hit the floor with another powerful shock. when her eyes fluttered open slightly, there was only red around her and on the road. ¡®did i die? in vain like this?¡¯ a strong will to survive formed within her from her desire to not die like this. while she sat at the brink of death, the driver, who was the only one around, saw her and quickly drove away. senna couldn¡¯t even shout for help as the car drove off. the snow that slowly blanketed the world continued to fall, covering her body like an icy blanket. exhaling harshly, senna earnestly prayed for someone to come and save her. the word ¡°mom?¡± popped up on the broken cell phone screen. the moment she saw the id, she felt her insides warm up and burst into tears through clenched teeth. ¡°ugh¡­.¡± she reached out her shaky hand through the intense pain wracking her body, but couldn¡¯t reach her cell phone. ring, ring. her cell phone continued to cry out in lieu of her, who was struggling to even move. ¡°¡­¡­ma.¡± ¡®help me.. someone please..i don¡¯t want to die. mom, i- i miss you. please come pick me up.¡¯ the faces of her family waiting for her flashed through her mind. her wish became more earnest. ¡®anyone¡­ please save me¡­please.¡¯ senna made a wish not knowing who she was wishing to. however, as she lost consciousness, she knew. ¡®i¡¯m about to die.¡¯ at the same time, resentment sprang up in her heart. if she were to die, the best way would be a quick, painless death. never had she imagined such a lonely and painful death. after some time, another driver spotted senna and she was taken to a nearby hospital, but senna was already drifting further away. the last memory of her past life was the crying faces of the family members, which she saw just before she completely lost consciousness. when she opened her eyes again, senna was surprised to see the faces of those who were shedding tears, just like when she died. later she learned ¡®yurina¡¯, the original owner of the body, was suffering from a high fever and it was unclear if she would last the night. not knowing what was going on, senna blushed due to the unfamiliar people¡¯s tears. ¡®i don¡¯t want to die.¡¯ senna only had that one wish before she died from the hit-and-run, but now it felt like someone was pulling her leg. she didn¡¯t want to die. she didn¡¯t know where her family was or why she was surrounded by unfamiliar westerners, but she wanted to live. so she struggled to maintain her sanity and continue to live. when she miraculously moved her lips to say that she was thirsty, the marquis of carthia, who had been nursing her, hugged her while giving a prayer of gratitude to the goddess. in the chaotic situation, she burst into tears at the intense memory of death. no one knew the underlying meaning of the tears. perhaps the prayer reached the goddess. as the day went by, her feverish body gradually cooled down, and her hazy consciousness became clear. senna resisted the urge to run out screaming ¡®what is happening?¡¯ and tried to figure out the situation calmly. after overhearing the maids talk, she figured out who she was. ¡®i have become yurina carthia.¡¯ and that meant yoon senna was dead. however, there was no time to grieve over her death or shed tears over her separation with her beloved family. senna desperately needed to visit the orphanages to rewrite her own fate, and avoid the death that awaited her on this path. she couldn¡¯t afford to properly mourn her terrible death or lament over how painfully she died. she was just desperate to not die in intense pain again. since that summer five years ago, she was able to slowly forget. after meeting raynald under the intensely shining golden sun, her hope was renewed and her days busy with him. she thought she had competently forgotten it all, until today. she never imagined that those memories would remain fresh in her mind, even after five years. * * * ¡°yurina, wake up yurina!¡± raynald pulled yurina¡¯s trembling body close and hugged her tightly. yurina clung desperately to raynald as if he were her only lifeline. her hands shook while gripping his shirt. ¡°ray¡­.¡± ¡°yes, i¡¯m here. it¡¯s okay. don¡¯t worry. everything¡¯s fine.¡± raynald asked nothing, showed no signs of irritation, and continued to comfort yurina. yurina buried her face in his arms, feeling a gentle pressure on her back. raynald smelled like flowers similar to when she was young. yurina used to come running, boasting that she smelled good. it was the same scent that brought him comfort when he hugged yurina when he was younger and struggling with his new life. that could be why. yurina had felt like she was alone with no one by her side. the terrible smell of blood clinging to her body seemed to be washed away as she hugged him. yurina was squeezing his hands so tightly they began to turn white. ¡°the man before¡­¡± she was simply asking a question but her emotions took over and caused her to choke on her words. her voice cracked like she was being strangled. ¡°¡­¡­is he dead?¡± like the 22-year-old yoon senna who couldn¡¯t do anything? words that she couldn¡¯t utter lingered in her mind. raynald hugged her tighter and put his chin on her head. ¡°no.¡± ¡°you lie.¡± ¡°why would i lie about that? it¡¯s really okay.¡± ¡°but there was so much blood on the floor¡­¡± ¡°he was injured pretty badly, but he was definitely alive. my teacher went to him right away, so he must have gotten better by now. so don¡¯t worry too much. everything¡¯s fine.¡± yurina could see that his calm words were not white lies. as he said, dave was an outstanding wizard. if the person who had been in the accident was still breathing, dave would be able to heal him. the tension in yurina was relieved and her body lost its strength like a taut thread¡¯s tension suddenly releasing. yurina let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed into raynald¡¯s arms. ¡°that¡¯s good. he¡¯s alive.¡± unlike senna. yurina slowly hugged raynald¡¯s waist while wallowing in her thoughts. when raynald said he was alive, she felt as if she had also been saved. yurina giggled with her nose buried in raynald¡¯s chest. she had heard that you¡¯ll laugh uncontrollably like you¡¯re out of your mind if you laugh after crying. raynald was neither embarrassed nor dumbfounded by the laugh; he just patted her on the back. yurina closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. ¡°it smells good.¡± raynald, who was examining yurina¡¯s condition with a serious face, relaxed his face and burst out laughing. ¡°that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°is that the flower soap from when we were younger?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°isn¡¯t it bad for a man to use?¡± ¡°i like that scent the most.¡± ¡°your taste is unique.¡± ¡°then your taste is unique. you use the same soap as me.¡± ¡°that¡¯s true.¡± as yurina giggled like a child once again, raynald lowered his head and checked yurina¡¯s face. yurina raised her head and their unwavering eyes met. unlike her, who still had a smile on her face, raynald¡¯s face held no laughter. yurina realized that she had been hugging him this whole time. she had been shaking so much that she had not realized but now she felt the heat radiating off him. yurina looked into his calm eyes and then looked down, she saw his shirt was covered in her tears. she rushed to get up. ¡°ah¡­¡­ let¡¯s go back. what are we doing in the middle of the street?¡± yurina didn¡¯t see anyone around. she began checking the surrounding area and asked in a puzzled voice. ¡°ray, where the hell are we?¡± the blood-covered streets of the village had disappeared. instead, there was only an endlessly wide field. a field full of yellow flowers exuding a fragrant scent. a blue sky without a single cloud above their heads and the bright golden sunlight shining down. there were only the two of them in this peaceful field. only yurina and raynald. raynald followed yurina and answered indifferently. ¡°a field near the capital of the kingdom of crohn. i didn¡¯t think that place was good for you.¡± his words couldn¡¯t be overlooked. ¡°a field near the capital. did you use magic?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°when?¡± ¡°when you were sitting on the floor shaking.¡± ¡°you can teleport this far? is that even possible?¡± ¡°yes.¡± raynald smiled, brushing the baby hairs that were scattered on yurina¡¯s forehead. ¡°it¡¯s possible for me.¡± laughing lightly, he buried his face in yurina¡¯s neck and inhaled deeply through his nose. ¡°i often came here whenever i missed you. because i always felt like i was with you when i came here.¡± ¡®it smells the same as you used to smell.¡¯ he whispered silently and a hot breath tickled her neck. the unfamiliar feeling made her shy away, but yurina couldn¡¯t push him away. (cl) chapter 4december 5, 2021in ¡°celebrity lady¡± Chapter 36 ¡®i understand.¡¯ she also took out the letters he sent when she missed him and would read them over and over again. when that wasn¡¯t enough, she¡¯d go to the small drawing-room where they used to study and look at the books, worksheets, and writing instruments that he used. it must have been so hard for raynald to live in a strange place when even she was struggling and missing him in her familiar home. to others, she was like a flower in a greenhouse. they¡¯d always think she could never fully understand how raynald felt. but actually, yurina knew his mind the best. ¡®cause i was like that, too.¡¯ she still remembered the days when she first fell into this strange world, when she couldn¡¯t sleep at night. nothing could ease the sense of loss and loneliness she felt. she felt guilty just thinking about raynald feeling such pain. she knew he would struggle with this distance apart but now had to deal with new surroundings as well. she was disgusted by her own actions. ¡®but, i¡¯m sorry¡¯ yurina was so sorry as she hugged raynald¡¯s back, rubbing her nose against his neck. obviously, he was a man a whole head taller than her with shoulders twice her width, but strangely, he felt small against her. perhaps that¡¯s why the face of raynald¡¯s younger self came to her mind. he was like a small animal craving affection. only then did the man in front of her feel familiar, like the arrogant little boy she had known. ¡®yeah, ray is lazy. anytime, anywhere.¡¯ when yurina gently smoothed his hair like she did when they were young, raynald made a sigh-like sound that a small beast would make when it was in a good mood. yurina also smiled quietly, leaning her cheek against his head. ¡°it must have been difficult.¡± it wasn¡¯t until quite some time later that reynard smiled awkwardly and let yurina go. he took a handkerchief out from his sleeve, put it on a flowerless spot, and let yurina sit on it. then he sat down on the ground not caring if his clothes got dirty. ¡°let¡¯s stay a little longer and go back when things settle down.¡± ¡°okay.¡± ¡°do you want me to make you a flower crown?¡± ¡°a flower crown? you know how to make one?¡± ¡°aiden taught me. he often played in the fields with his younger brothers since they were from the countryside. aiden? yurina chewed the name in her mouth. ¡°oh, a friend from the academy?¡± ¡°he¡¯s not even a friend.¡± ¡°i think he¡¯s a friend. why didn¡¯t you mention him in your letters?¡± ¡°no way.¡± raynald stood up from his spot on the ground, avoiding yurina¡¯s playful smile that seemed to say ¡®i know your heart.¡¯ ¡®you¡¯re not being honest.¡¯ since raynald mentioned his name unconsciously, they must be close. it seemed to yurina that raynald wasn¡¯t honest. however, it was still raynald, so she just laughed. yurina stood up from her seat as well and silently stared at his back while picking flowers one by one and approaching him. raynald looked back when he felt her approach. ¡°sit down.¡± while he said so, he grabbed yurina¡¯s hand and pulled her aside. ¡°i¡¯m bored. let me join you.¡± ¡°then would you like to make a flower crown?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know how to make one.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll teach you.¡± ¡°okay. let¡¯s make one together.¡± yurina rolled up her sleeves slightly and plucked a flower. the scent of fresh flowers smelled good. as raynald said, it smelled like the flower soap that yurina used since she was young. ¡°it smells good. i think it¡¯ll help me relax if i put it in the bath.¡± ¡°really? then let¡¯s pick a bunch for when we go back.¡± he sped up his flower picking. yurina grabbed her dress to make a pouch as she looked at the petals piled up in his hands. ¡°drop everything in here.¡± as she held her dress out, raynald scattered the flowers he had onto it. yellow flowers bloomed all over the red dress. at the same time, the autumn wind blew and rustled yurina¡¯s hair. since she was holding onto the hem of her dress, yurina couldn¡¯t fix her hair properly and repeatedly lowered her head to minimize damage. but her hair became messier and messier. ¡°ah¡­.¡± raynald turned his head at her frustrated voice and burst into laughter when he saw yurina¡¯s face scrunched with a frown. ¡°stay still. i¡¯ll fix it for you¡± raynald skillfully plucked a flower and put it behind one of her ears. ¡°okay, all done.¡± yurina glanced sideways at her ears and made a face. a flower on her head. it¡¯s a strange combination for some reason. ¡°what is this?¡± ¡°a flower.¡± ¡°it¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not weird. don¡¯t worry.¡± smiling with satisfaction, he took yurina¡¯s hand and sat down again. then, she brought flowers piled up on the skirt of yurina and they began to weave them one by one. he didn¡¯t have much experience and sometimes wove the flowers incorrectly, but he still made a passable flower crown. after carefully observing the crown, yurina followed his instructions and mimicked his finger movement. it looked easy, but the problem was the petals kept sticking to her fingers. raynald chuckled as he looked down at the crushed petals. ¡°you¡¯re not as good with your hands as i thought you were. when i was young, i thought you were good at everything.¡± ¡°it¡¯s my first time.¡± ¡°i was much better than this during my first time.¡± before yurina could make another excuse, raynald put down the one he was making and grabbed her hand. ¡°you have to hold it like this so it doesn¡¯t fall out like this.¡± his hands manipulated her fingers and wove the flowers one by one. from both of their hands, a fairly decent flower crown was completed. raynald nodded his head in satisfaction while wiping yurina¡¯s grass-stained fingers against his palm and finished his own flower crown. unlike yurina¡¯s crown with crushed petals and sharp edges, his was round and full. ¡°it¡¯s done. how is it? pretty, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°yes, the flowers are yellow, so they look like real crowns.¡± ¡°if you want, i can cast a protective spell on them? if you put magic on it, it won¡¯t wither and it won¡¯t be crumpled either.¡± ¡°can you do that, too?¡± ¡°it¡¯s basic magic.¡± yurina alternated between the ugly flower crown in her hand and the pretty flower crown held by raynald. ¡°then let¡¯s cast one on yours. mine doesn¡¯t look pretty and it¡¯s already crumpled too much.¡± ¡°okay.¡± when raynald swept the flower crown with his fingertips, bright light like the sun wrapped around the flowers and disappeared. raynald looked up at the finished flower crown raised high in the sky and closed his eyes frowning as if blinded by the dazzling sun. then, he laid down naturally on yurina¡¯s lap. instead of pushing him away, yurina raised her hand to shade his face from the blinding sunlight. ¡°when i was young.¡± with his eyes still closed, raynald suddenly opened his mouth. yurina, who was working hard to adjust her hand¡¯s position to block the sun, waited patiently for him to continue. ¡°when i was younger than i was when i met you¨C so i was about ten years old¨C i saw a wagon accident. so i understand why you were so scared today.¡± she put her hand down, forgetting to make a shade due to his unexpected words. raynald pulled her hand over his eyes. ¡°at that time, a man was hit by a noble¡¯s carriage, and the horseman who was driving the carriage got off, saw the fallen man, cursed him, and threw some gold coins. and then he left. the nobleman inside didn¡¯t even look outside.¡± unlike the grave story, his voice was peaceful, but yurina felt his hand that held hers shake slightly. ¡°blood was on the floor cooling and the person was lying, dying. but no one was willing to help. i had to. a wizard was the only one who could heal such an injury, but how could we call a wizard if we weren¡¯t nobles? even if i tried, they wouldn¡¯t come.¡± his calm voice began to tremble bit by bit. he wasn¡¯t looking at her, but yurina shook her head reflexively. ¡°you don¡¯t have to tell me. it¡¯s a painful memory.¡± ¡°no, listen.¡± was this a memory he had bottled up? yurina could no longer dissuade him. if he could get comfort from just sharing the story, she could listen to it again and again. ¡°there was nothing i could do back then. a person was dying in front of me, but all i could do was cry and beg him not to die. pathetic, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s not pathetic.¡± when yurina saw him in distress, she held his hand and recalled the faces of her family. she had died like the person young raynald saw. she could hear her mother whisper helplessly, ¡°i¡¯m sorry.¡± she couldn¡¯t see her face, but yurina could tell her mother had been suffering from the tone of her voice as she chanted over and over. perhaps her mother¡¯s voice at that time was similar to raynald¡¯s. but yurina never blamed her mother or felt she was pathetic for not being able to do anything. she just felt sorry that her mom had to go through that. but that¡¯s what death is. those who are dying and those who are forced to watch it helplessly are equally pained and tormented. how could little raynald suffer such a terrible experience. ¡°i still remember that scene sometimes. yuri, if i knew magic then, could i have saved them? sometimes i regret it so much.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°i know.¡± he smiled helplessly. ¡°i know, but i still feel guilty about it. now, if something like that happened before me, i can heal them and get them to repent for any sins. if it weren¡¯t for you, i might just leave and run away in such a situation.¡± ¡°yes, i know.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± after those confession-like words, raynald shut his mouth. yurina pondered for a moment about how to relieve his burdens before bending down and bumping him with her forehead. ¡°you know, ray. he would have been grateful to you for whispering, don¡¯t die, please live.¡± it was a comfort that only she could give when remembering a moment of death. from anyone else, it would have felt like a passing comment, but from yurina, he could hear her sincerity. ¡°you were there for them until the last minute. that¡¯s enough.¡± yurina knew. it was so lonely lying alone in the crosswalk, but in the end, she felt at ease since her mom was next to her. yurina laughed as she tried to swallow her pain. as soon as she finished speaking, raynald¡¯s lips trembled. her palm that was covering his eyes began to moisten. yurina patted him on his chest without saying any more. silent tears flowed for a moment in the wide field with yellow flowers swaying in the wind. yurina bit her lips tightly and looked up at the sky. ¡®would it have been comforting?¡¯ she wasn¡¯t sure about that. still, she hoped her words could comfort him. reynard could hardly calm down after releasing his pent-up traumas. yurina kept whispering everything was fine like how he had soothed her earlier. by the time his trembling died down and his breathing had stabilized to some extent, yurina was murmuring close to his ear. ¡°ray, like you said, you have the power to help now. so let¡¯s find that nobleman from earlier and never let that happen again.¡± ¡°huh?¡± yurina smiled at raynald, removing the petals from his hair, causing a puzzled feeling to rise in his body to match his puzzled face. ¡°don¡¯t let something like this happen again.¡± for you, for me. and for others who suffered the same. raynald nodded looking lighter as if he could read her inner thoughts from her eyes. ¡°yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± he placed the flower crown on yurina¡¯s head. the golden sun above her head and the golden petals on the ground colored his world. with a smile that shined more than anything in this world, raynald slowly kissed yurina on her forehead. Chapter 37 ¡°my lady!¡± yurina appeared in front of the inn when the sky was colored red by the setting sun. betsy rushed to her side as soon as she saw her. betsy looked yurina up and down with wet eyes before sighing in relief as she confirmed yurina was uninjured. ¡°we were so surprised when you suddenly disappeared! dave told me not to worry since you were with raynald, but¡­.¡± betsy dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve as her emotions got the better of her again. looking closely at betsy¡¯s eyes, yurina could see they were bloodshot as if she¡¯d cried once already. yurina followed betsy to grab a handkerchief for her tearful eyes. ¡°i¡¯m fine. i¡¯m sorry. you were worried, weren¡¯t you? ¡°how could i not be? you were trembling all of a sudden as something was hurting you.¡± betsy must have been very worried if she wasn¡¯t even saying ¡®it¡¯s okay¡¯ to be polite. yurina laughed even though it was no laughing matter. ¡°thank you for being concerned.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not something you need to thank me for.¡± ¡°still, thank you.¡± betsy started chattering brightly again to calm herself in front of yurina. ¡°of course, i was worried about you. but i¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay. i¡¯ve never seen so much blood before, so my heart is also pounding. you must have been even more surprised. but don¡¯t worry too much, miss. dave treated him with magic right away! i knew he was talented, but i didn¡¯t expect him to be able to fix such a big wound!¡± betsy unknowingly answered the questions yurina couldn¡¯t ask aloud herself. hearing that the person in the accident was safe, she felt the tension leave her body. yurina let out a relieved sigh she didn¡¯t know she was holding in. ¡®so he¡¯s safe.¡¯ she trusted dave¡¯s skills, but she still had her own skepticism. she witnessed a lot of deaths from traffic accidents in a world where the medicine was far more advanced. ¡°where¡¯s dave anyway?¡± ¡°he hasn¡¯t returned since he went to see the mayor of the town with the person who was in the accident. i don¡¯t know what he meant, but he said that even though he treated the wound, the person wasn¡¯t completely healed. oh, that¡¯s right! he lost too much blood, so he has to see a doctor.¡± ¡°oh, blood¡­ i see.¡± yurina nodded and followed betsy to the inn. ¡°so where¡¯s raynald? didn¡¯t you leave with him earlier?¡± betsy asked abruptly while throwing fragrant petals into the warm bath. the topic shifted to raynald, but since he wasn¡¯t around yurina suddenly felt a bit lonely without him. ¡°ray had some business he needed to see to.¡± ¡°it must be urgent then since he left you alone.¡± ¡°yes, that¡¯s right.¡± yurina looked to the entrance of the room, recalling his departure. he said he would go with her, but he instead headed to the place where the accident occurred. he thought it was better to solve the issue quickly himself. before he left, he told her he would come back as soon as possible, but not to worry if he was delayed and just slept normally. ¡®i hope everything¡¯s all right.¡¯ with ray¡¯s skills, she wasn¡¯t worried about him being physically harmed. it was his mental state that yurina worried about. even though he wasn¡¯t hurt by petty insults anymore, someone still might say something overly harsh to him. even if she was weak, she should have followed him. betsy was surprised to see yurina¡¯s sullen expression after she finished preparing the bath. yurina just shook her head and headed to the bathroom. betsy tried to persuade her to stay by boasting about how good the flower-scented bath smelled. despite her insistence to stay and rest after her bath, yurina went to visit the mayor anyway. dave came running in surprise when yurina showed up even though he was in the middle of speaking with the mayor. ¡°my lady, are you all right?¡± ¡°yes, i¡¯m fine. why ask about me? there was someone else who was in an accident.¡± yurina glanced over dave¡¯s shoulder trying to be casual. understanding her intentions, dave stepped aside to let her see. yurina smiled at him and approached the bed the patient was lying on. the woman lay sleeping with a pale face. she seemed to be in her early 20s at most. it was hard to tell whether she was sleeping or unconscious. dave was quick to notice and explained she was just sleeping to help yurina relax. yurina examined the woman a little more carefully. she couldn¡¯t check properly because she was covered with a blanket, but yurina didn¡¯t see any small wounds on the arms, face, or head that was left exposed by the blanket. the sleeping woman didn¡¯t look like someone who¡¯d lost so much blood not too much earlier. ¡°how is she?¡± it was a question directed at dave, but the middle-aged man mayor who kept looking between the two came up and explained. ¡°fortunately, the wizard treated her before it was too late, so she¡¯s fine now.¡± ¡°but why is she still so pale?¡± dave answered her this time. ¡°it¡¯s because she lost too much blood. to make up for the blood loss, she needs to rest. there¡¯s no magical cure for blood deficiency. ¡°even if you healed the wound, wouldn¡¯t a lack of blood make it all for naught?¡± dave replies cautiously as yurina looked worried from thinking about the excessive bleeding. ¡°there¡¯s no magic to replenish blood, but there¡¯s a medicine that can help. i couldn¡¯t get it in this town, so i sent someone to a nearby village. i¡¯ll be able to get the medicine by tomorrow or the day after.¡± he patted yurina¡¯s head since it seemed she still felt uneasy ¡°don¡¯t worry, miss. if she eats and rests well, she¡¯ll be better in no time. i can assure you that.¡± only after receiving the final confirmation from him was yurina able to smile weakly. ¡®i¡¯m so glad.¡¯ the heavy burden on her shoulders seemed to have been lifted. she felt so free as if she could fly away at any moment. perhaps it was the wounds of her past that kept her mind weighed down. twenty-two-year-old yoon senna, struggling alone and in pain, never saw twenty-three, but was finally healed five years later. yurina held the unknown woman¡¯s hand and murmured quietly. ¡°thank you for living.¡± * * * the kingdom of crohn was located further north than the empire which the days were not only colder but also shorter. it seemed sunset was only a moment ago but the sky was already dark above the small village. there wasn¡¯t a single person seen walking on the street. everything was still. betsy prepared yurina¡¯s bed earlier than usual since it was an especially tiring day. ¡°my lady, you¡¯re very tired, aren¡¯t you? i think you¡¯d better go to bed now. we have to leave early in the morning tomorrow.¡± ¡°alright.¡± ¡°and i heard that dave will reach the capital by the afternoon of the day after tomorrow.¡± ¡°okay.¡± yurina answered and looked out of the window from where she was sitting. in her hands, she fiddled with the flower crown raynald made. thanks to the preservation magic, the flower remained perfect even through the rough handling it endured. ¡®when will you come.¡¯ raynald left after the carriage accident but had yet to return. even though he was not her child, yurina somehow felt like a mother worrying over her kid. as time went by, the nervousness still hadn¡¯t subsided. ¡°good night, my lady.¡± yurina tried to shake her head again saying she didn¡¯t want to sleep, but she found betsy¡¯s face full of fatigue and decided to head to bed. yurina was not a child anymore, so betsy didn¡¯t have to stay next to her until she fell asleep. however, sometimes she still insisted on staying to watch yurina fall asleep. looking at betsy¡¯s expression, yurina felt betsy wouldn¡¯t go leave unless she slept. ¡°i¡¯m going to bed. you can go now.¡± ¡°i won¡¯t leave until i see you sleeping.¡± ¡°you¡¯re tired too. go to bed.¡± ¡°i¡¯m not tired.¡± to her shame, betsy couldn¡¯t stifle the oncoming yawn. yurina laughed out loud and lay on the bed, closing her eyes. she was only going to pretend to sleep until betsy left, but turns out she was actually really tired and fell asleep. it was still the middle of the night when she woke. betsy had blown out the candle when she left, so the room was pitch black. yurina fumbled around the bed and made a sphere of floating light. yurina yawned while sitting up in bed. she buried her face in the flower crown raynald made earlier. the flowers had a soothing scent since they were still fresh with magic. ¡®is ray back?¡¯ yurina put on a robe over her pajamas and headed to his room. she wanted to make sure before heading back to sleep. knock, knock, knock. in response to her knock, the door opened to a surprised raynald. he hadn¡¯t even changed out of his outfit from the day. ¡°yurina?¡± he looked around a few times and lowered his voice. ¡°what the hell are you doing up at this hour? i told you to go to bed first.¡± ¡°i woke up in my sleep.¡± ¡°if you woke up, you should go back to sleep. why are you here?¡± ¡°i just wanted to make sure you¡¯re here. when did you return?¡± ¡°a little while ago.¡± reynard stepped aside, opening the door wide. ¡°it¡¯s chilly, would you like to come in and talk?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s okay. it¡¯s late. i¡¯ll go back to my room and sleep.¡± ¡°then i¡¯ll tell you quickly.¡± leaning against the door he began rolling up his sleeve with a slightly more serious expression. yurina waited for him, rubbing her arms, cold from the wind. ¡°he wasn¡¯t a noble, but a trader from the empire. when i asked about what happened today, he got mad at me for bringing up something like that.¡± what do you mean ¡°with something like that¡±? even if she hadn¡¯t met him in person, she could easily imagine the expression and tone of the trader when he said that. yurina was about to say something in anger, but she saw raynald¡¯s stiff expression and closed her mouth. he didn¡¯t show it, but he seemed to be struggling to contain his anger. ¡®is he still suffering from guilt?¡¯ yurina gently rubbed his rough cheek. it felt like he was tightly clenching his teeth. only then did he look into her eyes and relax a bit. ¡°i¡¯m here to make sure you don¡¯t do anything rash.¡± yurina looked at him playfully and poked his arm with her elbow. ¡°with just your words?¡± ¡°well¡­.¡± with his ambiguous smile, yurina suddenly felt unable to ask about the whole story. Chapter 38 aiden tessie, who had been searching for his friend that had disappeared without a word for the past week, rubbed his eyes in surprise at the sight in front of him. what was that? raynald, who had vanished suddenly, was now walking with someone he had never seen before. and this person was a woman. it was clear she was pretty and cute, even from afar! aiden had known raynald for the past five years and he was never interested in women even though he received letters and confessions from female students every day. obviously, with his cold attitude towards women, aiden had questioned ray¡¯s taste. maybe he was more interested in men? but raynald with a woman right now? a woman? a pretty and cute one at that? aiden couldn¡¯t even think about approaching raynald since he was so baffled by this situation, so he just watched from a distance. raynald was brighter than ever now, rather than being hurt or ill as aiden had thought he¡¯d be. he felt a bit embarrassed for being so restless and worried. ¡°is there any place you want to see?¡± ¡°dave said that the library here is huge. i want to take a look.¡± ¡°yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°there is a large grass square in front of the library. when the weather is good as today, no one eats at the cafeteria. we can eat at the square too and visit the library after lunch.¡± ¡°sure.¡± raynald smiled gently and was handed a basket that had been dangling from the girl¡¯s arm. he looked quite natural holding the girl¡¯s pale hand with his other hand. ¡®who is that?¡¯ aiden¡¯s mouth dropped from shock at this scene. he almost missed raynald trying to leave the dorm rooms with the girl and quickly shouted. ¡°ray! you-! where have you been!? and why haven¡¯t you told me? who¡¯s that next to you?¡± raynald had spotted him too late and frowned slightly. he pretended not to see aiden and tried to walk the other way, but aiden was faster. aiden darted after him and snatched raynald¡¯s arm. the girl¡¯s blue eyes grew round in surprise. ¡°oh, i¡¯m sorry. i have something to ask this guy¡­ forgive my rudeness.¡± aiden politely bowed to the girl and apologized, then glared at raynald. ¡°ray, what the hell have you been doing¡­¡± ¡°i told you to call me raynald.¡± ¡°is that important now?¡± ¡°it¡¯s important.¡± aiden was dumbfounded, but he decided to obey his will. strangely enough, raynald never allowed his best friend aiden to call him by a nickname. ¡°yes, raynald. what the hell have you been doing?¡± aiden didn¡¯t show much, but he couldn¡¯t sleep well because he was concerned about raynald. unlike aiden, who sometimes skips classes, raynald was a model student. he never skipped class unless he was too sick to move around. as soon as raynald read the letter he received a week ago, he ran away in contemplation and didn¡¯t contact him for a week. at first, aiden was going to ask if there was an emergency, but as time went by, he became nervous. but when aiden saw raynald with a girl, his anger soared to the top of his head. ¡°do you know how worried i was?¡± ¡°oh, i¡¯m sorry. i had a situation.¡± ¡°no matter how urgent it may be, how¡­¡± at that moment, aiden made eye contact with the girl who blinked with her hand on raynald¡¯s arm. he recognized it from afar, but she was a rare beauty. she had pinkish blonde hair that is rare to find, transparent and white skin that looked as if it had never seen the sun, and had a well-balanced, beautiful look even from a distance. it was different from the trends in the kingdom, so it¡¯s not too fancy, but it was obvious that she took care of herself. in many ways, the girl in front of him was the most beautiful woman aiden had ever seen in the capital. she was not simply outstanding. she was so beautiful that she could shine next to raynald, who was rumored to have no one be able to match his appearance. aiden was able to have a strange experience with raynald, who attracted attention from others. aiden¡¯s cheeks flushed reflexively. raynald looked at aiden with thin eyes and hid the girl behind him. it was not aiden who responded to raynald¡¯s call, but the girl standing behind raynald¡¯s back. ¡°aiden?¡± she peeked her head out to raynald¡¯s side and gave aiden a high exclamation, ¡°ah!¡± ¡°your friend?¡± ¡°maybe.¡± as usual, ¡°maybe, what do you mean?¡± aiden, who would have retorted, ¡®listen to your friends!¡¯ could not say a word. this was because when aiden saw the girl smiling at him, his mind went blank. how can her voice be so pretty? ¡°i couldn¡¯t even say hello properly. mr. aiden¡­ right? i¡¯ve heard a lot from ray. i heard you helped him adapt to the academy.¡± the nickname ¡°ray,¡± which was not allowed by anyone, flowed casually from the girl¡¯s mouth. aiden knew instinctively. this girl had a deep connection with raynald. or raynald was going to take this girl¡­¡­. without realizing it, he looked at raynald and twitched his lips. raynald raised one eyebrow as if he was unhappy. ¡°my name is yurina carthia. nice to meet you.¡± yurina carthia. it was a strange and familiar name. a few times, aiden, who repeated the name in his mouth, was able to recall what was written in the letter raynald received a week ago. over the past five years, aiden had seen a lot of raynald. raynald, who came from a faraway empire and said he knew no one in the kingdom, soon adapted to the academy, unlike other children who were homesick. but aiden, who watched him closer than anyone else, noticed that raynald was often lonely. he used to look up at the sky every month, even though he was focused during classes. the blue sky was similar to the eyes of yurina standing in front of him. at that time, he used to take classes and eat meals. no matter how much aiden went to soothe him and told him a joke, raynald could barely keep his spirits up. just then a letter came to raynald. a letter with a slight scent of fragrant spring flowers. the day after receiving the letter, raynald regained his spirits and became fine as if he had never been depressed. whenever aiden saw him, he felt relieved and wondered who the sender of the letter was. ¡®it was a letter from young lady carthia.¡¯ questions that had not been solved until today were solved. a friend¡¯s precious person needed to be treated well. ¡°help? it¡¯s natural to get along with friends. it¡¯s nice to meet you, young lady. my name is aiden tessie.¡± aiden rubbed his palm hard on his pants and reached out to her. basically, there was not much difference in the aristocratic etiquette of the kingdom and empire. recognizing his intentions, yurina tried to put her hand on aiden¡¯s palm. but before that, raynald held her hand and kissed her fingertips. yurina¡¯s eyes were round at the embarrassing sight, and aiden¡¯s eyes were rounder than that. ¡®who the hell is this?¡¯ raynald, whom he had known for five years, and the man in front of him were completely different. he never had changes in facial expressions, voice, speech, or behavior. although the behavior in front of a friend and a girl he liked was usually different, this was worse. aiden even shrugged his shoulders in a sense of betrayal. ¡®what¡¯s going on?¡¯ from the way yurina talked, she seemed to be a simple friend, but raynald¡¯s behavior did not make it seem like that. well, he¡¯s like a bride before getting married. ¡°let¡¯s hurry up, and go on our way, yurina. i want to show you a lot.¡± ¡°huh? but what about your friend?¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡®no, i¡¯m not okay!¡¯ but while aiden was stunned, raynald began to walk, holding yurina¡¯s hand. as yurina followed him, she bowed down to aiden with perfect aristocratic etiquette. aiden, who greeted her with a reflexive courtesy, shouted at raynald. ¡°hey, wait a minute! ray! what about your class?¡± before he knew it, raynald, who was as far away as he was, lightly waved at aiden without looking back. aiden looked at raynald¡¯s hand, holding yurina¡¯s hand tightly, and clicked his tongue. ¡°you¡¯re more of a woman than a friend, are you?¡± but he didn¡¯t feel bad. rather, aiden felt strangely good. aiden, who laughed like the sound of a clear breeze, went into the room without worrying about the gaze of the children passing through the hallway, smiled widely, and tousled his hair. it had already been a long time since the idea of ¡°you should have told me no matter how urgent it is¡± changed to ¡°it¡¯s such an urgent matter, but you can¡¯t talk and disappear.¡± no wonder it was a day when your heart became as warm as the sunshine. Chapter 39 yurina stood still in the hallway and glanced over her shoulder at aiden looking at them. ¡®i wanted to talk to you more.¡¯ as her steps slowed down a little, raynald, who was ahead of her, slowed his as well. ¡°what are you thinking about?¡± ¡°huh? nothing.¡± yurina smiled at raynald and shook her head. she couldn¡¯t even say hello, but she decided to leave the question as to why she suddenly brought him out of the blue because she couldn¡¯t leave her friend alone like that. somehow she couldn¡¯t say that to raynald, who looked as excited as a child. so yurina just followed his lead. instead, she looked back at aiden¡¯s face once more and engraved his face and the name, aiden tessie, in her mind. ¡°that¡¯s the building with magic and classes. it¡¯s the oldest building in the academy, so it¡¯s very old, right? students have been protesting for a new building for a long time, but they won¡¯t fix it. i can¡¯t do that because history and tradition are living buildings.¡± ¡°isn¡¯t it going to collapse when it¡¯s all cracked up?¡± ¡°there¡¯s a preservation spell on it so it won¡¯t collapse.¡± ¡°that¡¯s a relief.¡± raynald, who introduced yurina to his academy, was somewhat excited. it was yurina¡¯s subjective thoughts, but his reddish ears that peered through his golden hair proved her idea objectively. he looked calm, but he was definitely excited. maybe more than when he first went downtown on his birthday. the two, who had been walking around the academy for a long time shared a lunch box packed by betsy on the lawn in a spot that raynald had chosen. raynald was thrilled with the taste of the food he ate at the carthia mansion after a long time. yurina had to close her mouth to hold back the burst of laughter. ¡®you¡¯ve never eaten the food betsy made.¡¯ betsy had never worked in the kitchen. there was no way that the sandwich that she made, that put only the ingredients in, could have tasted of memories. nevertheless, raynald scarfed down the sandwich. yurina didn¡¯t tell him the truth. because it was lunchtime, there were many students around that ate simple snacks. they all glanced at yurina and raynald with their faces full of interest. one half looked at yurina and the other half at raynald. however, the two ate their lunch without worrying about their gaze. ¡°then, ray. is it okay if we don¡¯t have a separate birthday party?¡± ¡°what about a birthday party? i am not a kid.¡± yurina took a closer look at raynald¡¯s expression as he put the trash from her lunch in the picnic basket. unlike his grumpy tone, his face did not show any signs of reluctance. ¡°if you want, betsy will prepare even a small one. shall we call mr.tessie and have a small party?¡± ¡°that¡¯s enough¨Cit¡¯s just a hassle.¡± after he finished organizing the basket, he flicked his finger once, and the basket on the mat disappeared without a trace. he said he used magic to move it to his dorm room. ¡°the party is over and i have a gift i want to receive.¡± ¡°really? do you need anything?¡± ¡°can i receive a birthday present that i haven¡¯t received before?¡± ¡°a birthday present you haven¡¯t received before?¡± yurina pondered over her memories of the past few years when she woke up holding raynald¡¯s hand that he had reached out to her. but she couldn¡¯t figure out what raynald was talking about. on every birthday, she sent him to the academy, carrying a bunch of things that would suit him, such as his writings and books, as well as his clothes and accessories. however, raynald had never specifically told her about a specific birthday gift that he wanted to receive from her. so there was no way there was a birthday present that he hadn¡¯t received before. raynald tapped yurina¡¯s nose, which was frowning. ¡°don¡¯t you remember the gift i wanted to have five years ago? it wasn¡¯t exactly a gift, it was a wish.¡± ¡°oh¡­¡± only then did he give a small exclamation so that yurina remembered. ¡°the one when you asked me to hang out with you? but you went out to play, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°that¡¯s exactly what i mean.¡± raynald glanced at the knights watching the two from a distance. the knights sent by the marquis of carthia to escort yurina, followed her even inside the academy, where there was nothing dangerous. raynald looked at them with an unpleasant face for a moment, then bowed down to yurina and whispered quietly. ¡°i said, let¡¯s go out to play ¡®only the two of us¡¯.¡± raynald grabbed yurina¡¯s arm and flicked his finger aloud once. at that moment, the mana around him quickly swirled. sensing some strangeness, the knights tried to jump towards yurina, but the two disappeared before they even approached her. in the place where the two were, only the handkerchief that raynald had unfolded for yurina remained. ¡°ray, where the hell are we?¡± she was surprised by the sudden change of scenery, but yurina tried to ask calmly. instead of the lawn where the students ate lunch and flirted with each other, she saw a downtown area where people actively walked around. she had already seen raynald¡¯s magic a few times, but whenever she saw it, she was amazed at his skill. raynald couldn¡¯t keep his balance in the sudden movement magic and firmly held yurina. ¡°ness street. it is also the busiest place in the capital of the kingdom of crohn. let¡¯s go. i know where the cake is delicious.¡± ¡°you might be scolded by sir aaron when you go back.¡± raynald shrugged casually. ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter. unlike before, i can protect you now.¡± * * * ¡°eat a lot.¡± as soon as the staff set the plate of cake down on the table, raynald pushed the plate straight towards yurina. the table where the two people sat face to face was quite wide, but there were a bunch of dishes only in front of yurina. yurina looked at the delicious desserts with a happy face and pushed them back in front of him. raynald liked sweet desserts as much as she did. ¡°don¡¯t just watch and eat. it¡¯s a birthday cake.¡± ¡°the birthday cake reminded me of the birthday party. the whipped cream cake i had at that time was really good.¡± as if immersed in memories, raynald couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the cake full of fruits. looking at it, yurina suddenly wondered how he had spent his birthday in an unfamiliar place. she¡¯s never heard talk of his birthday from him. i wanted to tell him congratulations on his birthday, so i sent gifts and congratulatory letters every year. it would be nice if he wrote what he did on his birthday and what he was pleased with, but the letter always just said thank you for the birthday present, and the details were omitted as usual. she wanted to ask what he did on his birthday, but she couldn¡¯t ask because the letter was long, so when she sent the letter again, his birthday was already a month ago. because i felt like i was behind. she was once so curious that when she sent him a happy birthday later she asked him about his birthday so she could decide what to do about her own birthday. maybe it was when raynald was fifteen. if she sent it like that, she thought he would write a little bit about his birthday and send it, but the content that came back was absurdly plain. [on this birthday, after a long time, i went to a famous restaurant in the capital and had dinner.] what yurina wanted was for him to explain how and with whom he ate that dinner. he said, ¡®i wasn¡¯t able to adapt because i didn¡¯t talk too much about private things, and i was bullied.¡¯ fortunately, dave met raynald two or three times a year, and only after dave told her that he was doing well without having to worry, she was able to clear her worries. ¡®however, it would be great if you write it in detail in the letter.¡¯ it was only now that she met him face to face that she could ask him what she wanted to ask him. ¡°what have you been doing on your birthday?¡± ¡°well, on my first birthday, aiden gave me a surprise party with the other kids. i came out for breakfast, and suddenly aiden popped out, covered my eyes, and took me somewhere, so i wondered what he was playing. but¡­¡± ¡°did you cry because you were touched?¡± yurina laughed loudly without knowing it. five years ago, he was moved to tears by the surprise birthday party prepared by the employees at the mansion. ¡°you were cute back then.¡± raynald¡¯s ears burned red as he poked the cake. from childhood, when he was embarrassed, his ears blushed before his face. looking at this, yurina felt strange as he seemed to have changed but was still the same. ¡°i didn¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°really? somehow, your eyes turned red like a rabbit, so i think that you cried with a sniffling nose. like in the mansion. later, betsy told me, and she said you were so cute at that time.¡± instead of answering, raynald scooped a lot of cake and put it in his mouth. it was an exercise to remain silent. ¡®you cried.¡¯ although he intended to avoid unfavorable topics, yurina decided to pretend she hadn¡¯t seen it. she followed raynald with a bite of a cake in her mouth, and the fluffy cake sheets and sweet cream melted on her tongue. raynald, who was avoiding her gaze, laughed at her as yurina made an exclamation. ¡°is it delicious?¡± ¡°yes, it¡¯s delicious. i think he is more skilled than the chef in the mansion.¡± ¡°right? i told you. this is the most famous place in the kingdom.¡± he puffed up with a happy face as if he had been complimented. yurina nodded and poked the strawberry on top of the cake with a fork. ¡°and it tastes good, but the fruit is more amazing than that. how can you put a bunch of strawberries and green grapes on a cake during this season? it¡¯s been a while since i have seen strawberries.¡± ¡°it¡¯s the crohn¡¯s kingdom. you can also put preservation magic on fruits and so that they can be eaten after the season. it¡¯s a little expensive but much cheaper than the empire.¡± ¡°oh, this is a fruit with a preservation spell? i¡¯ve heard that the palace puts preservation magic on fruits, but it¡¯s the first time i¡¯ve seen it in person.¡± yurina put the strawberries in her mouth while observing the strawberries she had put on her fork. she thought it would be different from fresh strawberries even if it had preservation magic, but there was no difference in texture or taste. she was excited about the strawberry she hadn¡¯t eaten in a long time and immediately put another strawberry in her mouth, raynald put his share of strawberry in front of yurina¡¯s plate. when yurina tried to hand it back, he shook his head quickly. ¡°i told you, it¡¯s easier to eat fruits here than the empire. i¡¯ve been eating a lot, so you can eat it. you like fruits.¡± ¡°you still remember that?¡± ¡°of course.¡± with a shrug of his shoulder, he ordered an additional tart full of strawberries despite yurina¡¯s dissuasion. ¡°why did you order so much? i can¡¯t eat it all.¡± ¡°if you don¡¯t think you can finish it, just eat the fruit.¡± he graciously picked up the cup of black tea in front of her as he answered yurina. in the past, he used to drink only milk with honey, saying that he didn¡¯t like bitter things, but now he was drinking black tea without changing his expression. when asked by yurina if he should use it, he replied that he was no longer a child. yurina also followed him sipping tea and looked around her. she heard that crohn¡¯s kingdom was more active in relationships than the empire, but many men and women seemed to be lovers inside the beautifully decorated kingdom. it felt strange to sit alone with raynald in the middle. she felt different a few days ago being alone in a field. ¡°what are you thinking?¡± ¡°huh?¡± when she came to her senses, raynald bowed his upper body and looked up close. instead of speaking frankly, yurina put down her teacup and pointed sideways at the next table. ¡°you must be very popular, ray.¡± ¡°what are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± ¡°they¡¯ve been glancing at you for a while.¡± he looked at where she pointed. as she said, three girls the same age as yurina, who had been watching him since he entered the cafe, blushed at his gaze. raynald looked at them without expression and laughed at yurina. ¡°it must be because of my eyes. there¡¯s been a lot of research on beatus since you found it.¡± hmm, i don¡¯t think that¡¯s right. yurina took a sip of black tea while looking at the faces of the blushing ladies. maybe it was after eating sweets, but the tea felt sweeter than usual. suddenly, the idea of eating cake disappeared, so she put down her fork. ¡°you¡¯re going to stop eating? let¡¯s eat a little more.¡± ¡°eat slowly. you came right after lunch.¡± ¡°well, you¡¯ve been eating less since you were a kid.¡± fortunately, raynald no longer looked at the table next to him, whether he was fully aware of yurina¡¯s mood or not, and even took her fruits from the whipped cream cake. unlike him, yurina couldn¡¯t stop looking around. ¡®he must be very popular.¡¯ a boy like raynald couldn¡¯t have been unpopular. he never mentioned it in his letter, but of course, many female students of his age had confessed to him. yurina, who realized something she had never thought about before, frowned slightly. ¡°why? what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± she shook her head as if nothing was wrong with her as she quickly captured the minute change. Chapter 40 after she leisurely enjoyed dessert with raynald, they left the cafe. suddenly, yurina felt tense as a chill ran down her back; it was as if someone was following them. ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± raynald looked worried and stopped by the side of the road.. yurina stopped next to him and shook her head. ¡°no, i¡¯m just looking around.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yeah. well, i ate the cake i wanted, what should we do now? shall we go buy a present?¡± ¡°you already gave a gift.¡± ¡°i can¡¯t do that. how about cuffs? you¡¯ll have a lot of occasions to wear them?¡± yurina dragged the reluctant raynald around by his arm in the shopping street. while looking for a suitable store a man rushed out of the crowd and shouted. ¡°lady!¡± ¡°sir aaron.¡± perhaps it was the knights of carthia following them that gave yurina the chills before. since yurina had disappeared sir aaron¡¯s head was all over the place looking for her. ¡®should i go back?¡¯ she was about to approach sir aaron with an apology when raynald clicked his tongue. ¡°you found us sooner than i thought.¡± raynald said he had a wider radius to teleport than others, but there was definitely a limit. no matter how soon he wanted to meet yurina, he could not travel to the border with teleportation. it was possible today because the academy was at the center of the capital. even so, they shouldn¡¯t have been able to catch up to them in the wide capital. then he saw dave coming approaching from behind sir aaron. ¡°dave must have found us. it¡¯s easier to use magic to track movement.¡± ¡°i can¡¯t do that.¡± raynald grabbed her hand while she tried to walk to sir aaron. ¡°yurina, run.¡± ¡°huh?¡± before yurina understood, raynald turned and began to run in the opposite direction from sir aaron. yurina followed behind him, picking up her dress with her free hand. like any noble lady who had never held anything heavier than a fork and knife, yurina did not have much stamina. having grown up in a mansion under excessive protection added to this. soon, she was out of breath and her legs trembled. she felt like her lungs were burning, but yurina smiled through it. ¡®i missed you.¡¯ yurina was so happy that she cried tears of joy from the small amount of time spent with raynald. no, what she really missed was raynald holding her hand. yurina gripped his hand tightly and smiled. sir aaron and dave no longer followed after confirming that yurina was with raynald. they would be less worried about her safety. raynald slowed down after confirming they were no longer being followed. yurina clasped his forearm and released her held breath. ¡°yurina, are you okay?¡± yurina nodded as she let out another breath, huddling her upper body to raynald. ¡°no matter how much i think about it, i think you¡¯ll be scolded by sir aaron if you really go back.¡± raynald gently put his hand on her back and rubbed it. ¡°you can get in trouble, too.¡± his playful smile was strangely much more reliable than the thirteen-year-old raynald, who seriously offered to protect yurina on her birthday five years ago. * * * after they confirmed dave and sir aaron no longer followed them, they went back to leisurely walking down the street. yurina moved fast looking around since there was a different atmosphere compared to the busy streets of the empire. there wasn¡¯t much to it but she was excited about her first outing in a long time. yurina turned to raynald and suddenly ran into him. while yurina was looking around the street, he kept looking at her. when their eyes met he smiled at her. yurina shrugged it off and turned back. she felt his gaze on her but didn¡¯t turn back to raynald on purpose. she saw the square after walking around for quite a bit. at the center was a fountain with a band playing in front and children dancing around it. raynald looked around carefully but then began rummaging around embarrassed. ¡°i definitely brought a handkerchief.¡± ¡°why a handkerchief?¡± he looked at the fountain without answering. yurina quickly understood what he needn¡¯t say and laughed. ¡°i just have to sit down. we must have left your handkerchief on the lawn earlier. i couldn¡¯t grab it because we suddenly used magic. oh, is this an important handkerchief?¡± ¡°no, it doesn¡¯t matter if i lose it. wait, wait. don¡¯t sit down. your clothes will get dirty.¡± raynald quickly grabbed yurina¡¯s arm as she was about to sit on the fountain. ¡°even if they do, it¡¯s okay.¡± it was certainly not noble to sit on the fountain without a handkerchief, but yurina didn¡¯t really care. if they were in the capital of the empire, it would have been a different case, but they were in the kingdom of crohn¡¯s. there was no one to recognize her and blame her. however, he was adamant even though yurina was okay. ¡°wait a minute. i¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°where are you going? we just have to sit down.¡± ¡°or do you want to sit on my clothes?¡± when he sincerely tried to take off his jacket, yurina felt his stubbornness. ¡°then your clothes will get dirty. if that¡¯s the case, get a handkerchief.¡± ¡°there¡¯s a store right there, so i¡¯ll be right back. stand for a moment even if your legs hurt. okay? just don¡¯t sit down. it¡¯s cold because it¡¯s a fountain.¡± yurina burst out laughing as she listened to his way of speaking to her as if she were a child. ¡°okay, i won¡¯t sit down, so go ahead.¡± ¡°yes.¡± he once again emphasized that she should not sit down and wait for him and ran. ¡®it¡¯s funny.¡¯ yurina shook her head in bewilderment. she turned her head when she suddenly felt goosebumps. at that moment, she caught sight of a baby. ¡°ah!¡± the baby smiled so brightly that its eyes seemed to disappear while looking up at her. ¡°kya.¡± it was a baby that looked at most one or two years old. yurina looked at her squishy eyes and breathed a deep sigh of relief. ¡®i was surprised.¡¯ perhaps the gentle baby¡¯s gaze was surprisingly nerve-wracking. yurina leaned her upper body toward the baby and smiled, it was drooling and laughing. ¡°hi?¡± yurina casually spoke in the imperial language and the child blinked blankly at her. ¡°hi?¡± only then did the baby wave at her with a hand half the size of yurina¡¯s. ¡°papa.¡± ¡°that¡¯s a farewell.¡± the child waved both hands in excitement this time and yurina lightly laughed in return. ¡°papa.¡± yuri returned the waved lightly. ¡°okay, bye. but where¡¯d your mom go that you¡¯re alone?¡± ¡°ma?¡± ¡°yes, mom. where¡¯s mom?¡± the baby waddled around behind her. ¡°ma, ma,¡± the baby, who was looking around for a while, looked up at yurina with a sullen face. ¡°ma.¡± tears quickly filled the baby¡¯s blue eyes that were smiling just a moment ago. ¡°maaaaa.¡± the child twisted up their cherry-colored lips and fell to the ground crying. ¡®they¡¯ll be here soon.¡¯ yurina looked around, picking the child up. she didn¡¯t think the child¡¯s mother would have looked away from the crowded square. if you see the child crying, you¡¯ll run straight to them. however, the baby¡¯s family was nowhere to be seen even though it was crying loudly. ¡°maaaaaaah!¡± yurina put the child on the floor again and gave the child a perplexed look. the baby grabbed yurina¡¯s skirt tightly and moved close to her legs. when the baby¡¯s cry rang out in the noisy square, the eyes of the surrounding people turned to yurina and the child. it was easy to tell what they were thinking. ¡®i don¡¯t look like a mother to anyone.¡¯ it was absurd, but she could no longer watch the child cry on the cold floor, so she quickly picked up the child in her arms again. ¡°it¡¯s all right. mom¡¯ll be right back.¡± yurina didn¡¯t know how to handle the child. in fact, you couldn¡¯t say she particularly liked children. however, she quickly stopped their crying when she patted the child on the back and whispered, ¡°it¡¯s okay.¡± the child calmed down and settled with yurina, but was still shedding tears. yurina carefully wiped the child¡¯s eyes with her fingertips and whispered as softly as possible. ¡°mom will be here soon, so don¡¯t worry.¡± even if she lost her child, the mother would be somewhere in this square. perhaps by now, they may be searching hard for the missing child. she thought about going to find the child¡¯s family for a moment, but yurina sat still watching over the child. finding the child¡¯s mother was important, but what raynald said was also important. going around looking for a family with no information was a waste. it was better to wait for the family to come here. if the little kid had been toddling around they¡¯ll be around here. ¡®if they really can¡¯t find us, we can tell ray to look for them.¡¯ yurina didn¡¯t know how, but he could also use tracking magic. if you track the direction the child had walked, they would find a house. she was organizing her thoughts just in case, and fortunately, a young man soon rushed toward her. Chapter 41 ¡°jane!¡± he was a young man who was around raynald¡¯s age or at least a few years older. ¡°papa!¡± the baby, who was playing with her clenched fists in yurina¡¯s arms, smiled and reached for him. ¡®your family, right?¡¯ when yurina handed the baby over, the young man breathed a sigh of relief and hugged the baby. ¡°i¡¯m sure i was watching you well, so how did you get here? i was so surprised when i thought i lost you!¡± ¡°kya.¡± ¡°i was about to break down. i promised my sister that i would take good care of you. you didn¡¯t get hurt, did you? you didn¡¯t fall, right? he scanned the child from head to toe. while sighing with relief after confirming that there was no injury, he looked blank after finally noticing yurina. ¡°uh, i mean¡­¡± yurina opened her mouth first to avoid any misunderstanding. ¡°i took her with me because i thought she lost her family since she was crying alone. if i left her there she would have gone farther.¡± fortunately, he bowed his head to yurina without any sign of doubt. ¡°thank you! i kept watching her play, and maybe it¡¯s because there were a lot of people, she disappeared in the blink of an eye. i could have been in big trouble¡­¡± when the man, who was talking quickly, made eye contact with yurina, he could not speak and closed his mouth. he looked closely at yurina¡¯s face and his cheeks turned red. ¡°hey, you know, i mean¡­¡± when she saw him blushing to his neck, she patted on his shoulder to change the topic and gently rubbed the baby¡¯s cheek that was constantly babbling. ¡°i¡¯m glad, though. i found her dad before it was too late.¡± ¡°dad! no!¡± ¡°ooh!¡± the child trembled at the sudden shouting. however, instead of soothing the child, the man quickly gave yurina an explanation. ¡°it¡¯s not dad, it¡¯s uncle. she¡¯s my sister¡¯s daughter. my sister had something to do today, so she asked me to look after her instead, so i was taking care of her. i came out because i was frustrated from staying at home and jane felt stuffy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°it¡¯s true. i¡¯m her uncle.¡± who said anything? it was unbelievable to see him heated up alone and talking without any hesitation. ¡°you know, i mean¡­¡± the man opened his mouth again when he looked at yurina, who was smiling because she couldn¡¯t find anything to say. ¡°thank you for finding jane, and¡­ it¡¯s fate to have met you like this, so if you don¡¯t mind, can i treat you to dinner?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°if my sister hears about today she¡¯ll ask me to invite you for dinner. i¡¯m indebted to you, so i can¡¯t just let you go¡­¡± ¡°what were you talking about?¡± raynald¡¯s voice, which was lower than usual, was mixed with the man¡¯s voice. although his voice was definitely much louder, strangely, raynald¡¯s voice was clearer in yurina¡¯s ears. raynald, who approached from the back of the man, quickly stood next to yurina and scanned the man up and down. he was smiling, but the face of the still reddish man, stiffened as if he were nervous. the baby named jane, who was in his arms, looked at raynald¡¯s face as if she had become interested in the new face. ¡°oh?¡± ¡°how are you, baby?¡± raynald, who stroked the child¡¯s curly hair, smiled and asked yurina again. ¡°what were you doing? who¡¯s this baby?¡± ¡°oh, she was crying after losing her mom, so i took her for a while.¡± ¡°what about him?¡± ¡°her uncle.¡± ¡°i see.¡± raynald nodded lightly at the man. he didn¡¯t introduce himself because it wasn¡¯t a situation where he needed to. the man raised his head with a puzzled look. unlike her uncle, jane smiled and reached out to raynald. raynald lightly grasped and unfolded the small chubby hand and pulled yurina by the arm. ¡°it`s late so my teacher will be worried. let¡¯s go back soon.¡± yurina asked, looking at the ivory handkerchief in his hand. ¡°all ready to go?¡± ¡°yeah. come to think of it, it¡¯s dinner time soon. let¡¯s go and have dinner with our teacher.¡± yurina looked up at the sky listening to raynald¡¯s whisper. the sky was red before she knew it. yurina greeted the man and the baby and stood in front of the man after stopping raynald, who was about to return. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, but i¡¯m afraid i¡¯ll have to decline your invitation to dinner. i think i have to go back because i have something else to do. you don¡¯t have to worry too much about it because if anyone else saw a crying child, they would have also tried to find their family.¡± ¡°ah yes. thank you anyway.¡± the man gave a look to raynald standing next to yurina and shook the baby¡¯s hand. ¡°jane, say goodbye to your sister. bye.¡± ¡°papa.¡± ¡°yes, bye.¡± yurina waved to the baby. strangely, she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the baby, so she waved her hand until the man greeted her and walked back. sometimes the baby pulled her head over the man¡¯s shoulder and waved to yurina. when yurina smiled unknowingly, raynald asked her a question. ¡°do you like babies?¡± ¡°hmm¡­. i don¡¯t think i like them. actually, i don¡¯t get to see them much. but i keep seeing her smile because she¡¯s so cute.¡± yurina was waving at the baby, so she answered roughly without looking back at raynald. raynald came next to yurina. ¡°by the way, what dinner?¡± ¡°he thanked me for finding her and wanted to invite me to dinner.¡± ¡°that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s a big deal.¡± ¡°yeah, it¡¯s a big deal.¡± ¡°i guess i shouldn¡¯t have left you alone.¡± the quiet, low-pitched words were more like talking to oneself than words to yurina. at the moment, yurina¡¯s hand, which was waving, paused. but she soon waved nonchalantly as if she hadn¡¯t heard him. ¡°yurina.¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°yurina.¡± he called her as much as he could and said nothing. only then did yurina look up at raynald, feeling curious. while she was looking at the baby, he was looking at yurina the whole time, and as soon as she looked up, their eyes intertwined in the air. his eyes, which smiled softly whenever they met, did not smile this time. even though it was minor, the impact of the change was quite large. yurina looked into his cold eyes and murmured to herself. ¡°why¡­¡± why aren¡¯t you talking to me? why are you looking at me like that? what the hell did you want to ask? i didn¡¯t even know for myself. it was like she was talking to herself, but because he stood so close, raynald must have heard the short question. however, there was no answer this time. instead, a big hand behind yurina¡¯s back squeezed her hand. it wasn¡¯t painful, but it was a little stronger compared to his usual gentle hold. perhaps because that wasn¡¯t enough, he intertwined his fingers with yurina¡¯s and no matter how hard yurina tried to pull her hand out, it was too tight. * * * raynald, who had been close to yurina the whole time, wouldn¡¯t stay away from her even for a moment after she had been on the streets of ness. thanks to this, yurina and raynald started eating breakfast together and stayed together until they returned to their rooms to sleep. even at night, raynald escorted yurina to her room. one day they went to the streets, one day they read books in the library, and another day was a peaceful day of leisurely playing in the academy. including the day they first met and traveled together, which was well over a week ago. eventually, yurina couldn¡¯t stand it and asked raynald. ¡°ray, don¡¯t you have to go to class?¡± ¡°huh?¡± raynald, who was organizing the lunch basket, tilted his head as if he hadn¡¯t heard her properly. yurina narrowed her eyes as he seemed to pretend to not hear what she said. ¡°i asked if you don¡¯t have to go to class. it¡¯s already been more than a week.¡± we finally met after a long time, so i tried to overlook this deviation. since raynald had been working hard at the academy for the past five years, i thought it would be no problem if he missed about a week. however, seeing raynald, who felt completely guilty about skipping classes, she began to worry. ¡®are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡¯ i thought that he would stay sincere and not miss class. however, i am starting to worry a little bit about the aftermath that this will bring. yurina could just stay with him and go back, but raynald has to stay here for more than two years. she was worried that this incident might make his life difficult because he would be on the blacklist of the professors and students around him just because he believed in his academic ability. raynald would have said it didn¡¯t matter if he heard this, but yurina couldn¡¯t take it lightly. however, unlike the complex mind of yurina, raynald tapped the basket with his hand without much concern. the light glistened, and the basket on the grass disappeared in an instant. ¡°you don¡¯t have to pay attention. it¡¯s all right.¡± he smiled lightly and pulled yurina¡¯s hand. ¡°where shall we go today? is there a place you want to see?¡± it had already been more than a week since they met, but he still looked excited, so yurina couldn¡¯t force him to attend class anymore. instead, she began to follow him. ¡°let¡¯s go to the library again. there¡¯s a book i want to look for.¡± ¡°really? then let¡¯s do that.¡± however, there was a voice that caught the two before entering the library. ¡°hey, raynald!¡± the male student ran with a thick book in his arms. ¡°uh, patrick.¡± ¡°you were at school? then why didn¡¯t you come to class? the professor is looking for you.¡± the male student who was raising his glasses, which were as thick as a book, found yurina standing next to raynald and exclaimed, ¡°oh!¡± ¡°do you have a girlfriend? i don¡¯t think you¡¯re an academy student¡­¡± ¡°what the hell is this about? did you call me because you wanted to say something?¡± ¡°oh, that¡¯s right. professor hutson is calling you.¡± ¡°me? why?¡± ¡°why? it¡¯s because you¡¯re skipping classes without permission.¡± ¡°you¡¯ve never looked for aiden.¡± ¡°isn¡¯t that because he¡¯s skipped so much that he wasn¡¯t worth looking for? you are very precious to the professor.¡± he answered lightly and tapped raynald on the shoulder. ¡°you¡¯d better go anyway. they told me to tell you to come to the class when i found you, but they told me to catch you and bring you to class today. i think you¡¯d better go if you want to graduate on time. your graduation thesis might keep getting rejected if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°anyway, i made it clear. i saw earlier that aiden was really thinking of tying you up with a rope and taking you with him. i can¡¯t do it with magic, so i need to catch you with my body.¡± he giggled and walked toward the library. yurina shut her mouth and tapped raynald¡¯s arm, who was thinking seriously. ¡°go. professor hutson is the one who came to the mansion before, right? dave¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°you¡¯re right, but¡­¡± ¡°when i heard dave, he seemed to care about you. go ahead. he must be very worried because you missed class without telling him.¡± ¡°what about you?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll be waiting here.¡± ¡°well¡­.¡± raynald looked around for a moment. ¡°go to the dorm in case the conversation is long. i¡¯ll be there when i¡¯m done. let¡¯s look around the library tomorrow and go to the park today. there must be a lot of flowers because it¡¯s autumn.¡± ¡°yes, i will. then come over after that.¡± yurina lightly pushed raynald¡¯s back and turned back without hesitation. for a very short time, she felt like raynald¡¯s eyes were on her back, but yurina walked forward without looking back. Chapter 42 raynald might have said she was cold, looking at her, but this was her own consideration. raynald might have hesitated to go to the professor after looking behind him for no reason. ¡°where are you going, miss?¡± as yurina fell away from raynald, betsy, who was sitting a little far away, approached. yurina didn¡¯t see her, but she was probably following her around sir aaron. ¡°something¡¯s come up with ray, so i¡¯m going to the dorm first.¡± it was noisy all around. it was an atmosphere that students could feel in many academies. in the meantime, yurina, who had been taking classes alone with a tutor at a noble house, didn¡¯t feel the air. ¡®long time no see.¡¯ it was a strange sense of familiarity. it was only a short moment when she had been crossing the university campus square, laughing and talking with her friends, but it passed before her eyes. yurina thought she had forgotten all about it since it had been five years already, but her heart exploded when she witnessed the carriage accident not long ago. yurina stood in the middle of a large grass square in front of the library and looked around. she noticed the students who gathered together, laughing, and chatting. they were reading books together, discussing enthusiastically, and sharing lunch. strangely, however, the face of the young raynald popped up on the students¡¯ faces. the face of raynald, who would have lived alone in this place where the conversation didn¡¯t work properly, and where the culture and atmosphere were, unfamiliar. when yurina first came to the academy, she recalled aiden¡¯s face, which she had seen in the dormitory when she was passing by. there was something she wanted to say and ask. however, ray refused to call aiden, saying, ¡°there is nothing to worry about.¡± ¡®i want to meet you.¡¯ she couldn¡¯t figure out how to see him. ¡°lady? what are you looking at?¡± ¡°nothing. more than that, betsy, today¡¯s lunch was delicious. ray liked it and said that it was delicious.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll make you another one tomorrow, too.¡± ¡°yes, thank you.¡± yurina let go of her thoughts and smiled at betsy. then she moved her foot to the front gate of the academy. betsy said that she was regretful that yurina hadn¡¯t talked much because she had been with raynald. yurina nodded her head and stopped when she felt the mana around her. ¡°lady!¡± at the same time, sir aaron, who was following quietly, ran quickly and wrapped yurina¡¯s shoulder. yurina managed to reach out her hand and roughly pushed betsy¡¯s shoulder, who was standing right next to her. betsy, who lost her balance, fell on her hips as she was pushed back. ¡°ah, my lady!¡± at the same time, there was a faint curtain around yurina and sir aaron. betsy¡¯s appearance completely disappeared after she urgently reached out for yurina. yurina looked at betsy, who suddenly disappeared in front of her, and clenched her teeth tightly, and looked around her. the autumn wind that shook the leaves no longer blew. there was no cheerful sound that she heard every time the leaves shook. no one chatted and wandered around. all she could see was sir aaron holding her. sir aaron had a puzzled look on his face, but yurina could quickly see how this happened. ¡®it¡¯s a space separation magic.¡¯ she had never done it herself, but she heard of it from dave. it was the magic of creating artificial walls with mana to create a new space that was completely separate from the surrounding space. the person inside could feel that there was a wall around, but the person outside could walk by without any obstacles, so they didn¡¯t notice the existence of the magic unless they were sensitive to mana. if it was used well, it was used to talk about secrets, or it was used secretly between lovers, but if it was used in a bad way¡­ ¡°stay back, lady.¡± sir aaron pulled yurina away from his arms and pulled her back to back. her back shivered. yurina glanced over her shoulder and stood as far as she could from sir aaron. five robust men, covering their faces up to their jaws, were looking this way. ¡®the situation is not good.¡¯ yurina looked nervously at the back of sir aaron, who took the sword out, and swept her dry lips with her tongue. sir aaron¡¯s skills were so excellent that the marquis of carthia left him as the youngest daughter¡¯s escort, who had gone a long way, without worrying. he could join the imperial knights, but he said that he remained at the marquis to protect his loyalty with the marquis of carthia, who had sponsored him since childhood. however, there were five opponents in total. it was hard enough to just fight five to one, but it would be even harder to fight while keeping yurina safe. in addition, there might have been a wizard on the other side since they used the space separation magic. if that was true, it would be a fight against the odds. yurina, who looked at the back of sir aaron, who seemed very nervous, slowly stepped back to avoid provoking her opponent. there were two ways to get out of this artificial space created by magic. one was that the person who created it cancels the magic, and the other was to break the invisible mana wall. there was no other way but to break the wall because the opponent knew magic. however, the invisible wall was hard to find outside. if you were a mana-sensitive wizard-like raynald and dave, you could find them in no time¡­ ¡®can we hold on until ray gets here?¡¯ betsy, who was outside the barrier, would have noticed by now and ran to find dave or raynald. however, there was no guarantee that the situation would last until then. then, she had no choice but to break the wall herself from the inside. it was easy to find because you could find something like a hard wall when you touched it with your hand. ¡®the question is, can sir aaron hold on until he finds it?¡¯ yurina kept her eyes on the situation and swept her dry lips with her tongue again. sir aaron and his opponents were watching each other with their swords drawn. in particular, the other side even glanced at yurina, who was behind sir aaron. yurina swallowed her saliva. they didn¡¯t know that she could use magic. there might be only one chance if they were looking for a moment to be vigilant. yurina moved slowly backward and continued to step back. the opponent didn¡¯t react much to yurina¡¯s unexpected behavior, thinking that one incompetent noble lady moving would not pose a threat. yurina, who confirmed their reaction, moved her feet more and more boldly. as if she was scared, she pretended to roll her eyes anxiously, and for a while, she moved her hands until she felt a solid wall touching her fingertips. ¡®this is it.¡¯ there was no joy. while still looking around quietly, yurina gathered her mana at her fingertips and hit the wall quickly and strongly. there was a deafening loud noise. at the same time, the ground shook as if there was an earthquake, and cracks started to form in the air where there was nothing. ¡°oh, damn it! no one told us there was a wizard!¡± ¡°get that girl, hurry up!¡± sensing strangeness, the enemies rushed at her, spouting out swears. sir aaron quickly leveled the sword to stop them. yurina bit her lips tightly and kept hitting the crack. as if she was stabbed by a broken piece of glass, her white hands quickly became bloodstained and blood was on the cracks in the air, but she moved her hands without stopping. she couldn¡¯t even feel the pain. the only fear in her head was that she would die if she didn¡¯t break this crystal wall quickly. behind her back, she could hear the men shouting and the sharp metal sound of knives and swords hitting each other. it was quieter than the sound of breaking the crystal wall, but the sound of the fight was louder in yurina¡¯s ears. perhaps, because of the lack of mana in the body, the barrier that yurina thought would break quickly lasted longer than she thought. yurina clenched her teeth and raked all the mana in her body and punched the wall. ¡®just a little bit, please, just a little bit more¡­.¡¯ thump, thump, thump. the sound of her heart grew to the point where she could hear it in her ears. yurina could hear the loud voices of people between them. through the gaps, she could see the legs of people who were busy walking. yurina put her hands through the hole and pulled the wall to both sides as if tearing a cloth. ¡°lady!¡± at the urgent voice of sir aaron, she looked back, forgetting what she was doing. the first thing she saw was fierce eyes that flashed like a snake. one of the men dealing with sir aaron was close in front of her before she knew it. since then, sir aaron, who had cut down all the rest of their power and covered himself with blood, ran quickly. but the man was faster than that. the man¡¯s sword was lifted high into the sky up to the sun. yurina raised her arm over her head, bending mana. you¡¯ll hurt your arm badly, but if you hold out once, you¡¯ll be able to attack¡­ yurina¡¯s back shivered when she imagined the pain coming. she closed her eyes as she looked at the sword that came down fast towards her. but there was no pain like she had expected. instead, a dull sound of something hitting hard hit the back. yurina opened her eyes. she saw a scratchy wooden sword right in front of her nose. ¡®wooden¡­ sword?¡¯ sir aaron, who came quickly without question, cut the man on the back. the man collapsed toward yurina, coughing up red blood. but before the heavy body hit her, sir aaron¡¯s firm arm grabbed the man¡¯s shoulder and threw him on the floor. ¡°are you all right?¡± a familiar voice could be heard from above her head. yurina looked up, collecting her tight breath as if she had been running. ¡°please tell raynald about today.¡± aiden tessie, whom she had seen a few days ago, was smiling as brightly as he did in the warm sunlight. * * * ¡°where the hell did he go?¡± aiden tessie walked around the academy and gritted his teeth. it was to find an ugly friend who hadn¡¯t been in class for two weeks already. ¡®yeah, so far i thought that might be the case. girlfriend¡­ i don¡¯t know if she is or not, but if i met a close friend from the empire for the first time in years, i would have skipped class too.¡¯ in fact, aiden also skipped classes and played with his younger siblings when they came to the capital. but today was different. professor hutson was determined not to accept raynald into classes if he missed the class again without saying a word. professor hutson was strict with raynald since he cared. it was in a fit of anger, but i couldn¡¯t let it go lightly. so aiden was going to catch his friend and take him to the professor. even if he wanted to miss class, he needed to get permission from the professor first. he didn¡¯t mean to miss class on a fictitious day, but he was proud. as soon as the morning class was over, aiden was hanging around the library, where raynald and carthia appeared frequently. he brought a wooden sword with him intending to drag raynald back with him if he resisted because he didn¡¯t want to go. as he looked through the lawn for a long time, he saw unusual pink blond hair. it was yurina that he saw a while ago. she was walking across the lawn with a maid. ¡®where¡¯s raynald?¡¯ obviously, he couldn¡¯t see his friend who was supposed to be with yurina. she narrowed her eyes and looked around her as she walked away. well, if he was near carthia, he would be here soon. until he would say hello to carthia and talk a little bit. aiden carried a wooden sword on his shoulder and quickly followed. ¡°lady!¡± but when he reached the main gate, a knight suddenly popped out and hugged yurina¡¯s shoulder. at the same time, the mana around them fluctuated. the two disappeared in an instant from aiden¡¯s sight, as if they were using a teleportation spell. ¡°ah, lady!¡± in the end, only the maid, who was pushed to the floor by yurina, was looking around in surprise. Chapter 43 aiden gulped at the sudden sight. wasn¡¯t this dangerous? he was a magic student in the end, even if he played tricks and practiced sword skills harder. he was able to get a grip on the situation in a moment. teleporting people besides yourself was harder to master than just teleporting yourself. the mana wave a little while ago was not so sophisticated. then there was only one possibility left. ¡°separate space wizard.¡± no wonder he felt thirsty, he licked his dry lips. this was a serious situation unless he used magic to be alone with the woman he liked. aiden approached the maid in a mournful voice, shouting ¡°lady!¡± the noisy sound drew attention from the two. ¡°do you know where raynald is?¡± ¡°what?¡± the maid cringed as if wary of his sudden appearance, and then asked again. ¡°ra-mr. raynald?¡± ¡°do you know where he is?¡± ¡°no, i don¡¯t know. i heard he was going to see the professor for a while¡­¡­.¡± it¡¯s frustrating. aiden bit his lower lip. he knew it was teleportation magic but wouldn¡¯t be able to find the location with his skills. it¡¯s only possible if it¡¯s raynald or a professor. but he couldn¡¯t go looking for them himself. he had to find traces of magic here with every possibility. ¡°do you know where the professor¡¯s lab is?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know¡­ oh! i think we can call dave!¡± aiden didn¡¯t ask who that was or if he was any good. just politely brought the maid to her feet and shouted. ¡°hurry up.¡± the maid ran toward the inside of the academy, rubbing her wet eyes with her sleeves. aiden concentrated on where he was sitting. there was no point in swinging the mana around roughly because there was a wall here. he had to find the mana separating the space exactly and instill the mana. he was constantly distracted from being nervous. his hand holding the wooden sword became sweaty. he had only seen the young lady from another country once, yet he was nervous about her safety. was it because of her relationship with raynald? aiden was afraid of what would happen to the guy that smiled like he owned the world next to her. ¡®please¡­¡¯ mana was hard to read. if he had known something like this would happen he would have studied harder. it would be hard but he would have had no regrets at this moment. he called out to the students passing by, but no one could see her. time went by while he mulled over what to do. aiden looked in the direction the maid went but she was not coming back. there was no sign of raynald. ¡°darn it!¡± now aiden had to swing his wooden sword around as if he was venting out his anger. there was the sound of something exploding, similar to when a magic experiment fails. mana swirled around, shining in the air. surprised students took a step back. aiden stood in place, looking into the air that split wide. through the small gap, he could see a bloody white hand. found it. aiden instilled mana and immediately thrust a shining wooden sword into the cracked air. ¡°lady!¡± aiden went inside listening to the urgent call he heard earlier. he blocked the sword aimed at yurina. his wrist was tingling from the shock, but he held on to not be pushed back. aiden grinned as he looked up at yurina¡¯s blue eyes. ¡°tell raynald what happened today.¡± only then did yurina nod her head with a smile. oh, but she¡¯s really pretty. especially her blue eyes that didn¡¯t lose their light even in this situation. aiden understood why his friend fell in love without seeing her for 5 years. * * * things got sorted out quickly after aiden arrived. however, he had a wooden sword, not a real sword. aiden dealt with the raiders with moderate magic. sir aaron, who was struggling to deal with five people alone, faced the remaining people more leisurely when he had someone to help him. out of the five people who attacked three were killed and two had serious injuries. sir aaron tied up the remaining two men with the rope aiden saved. they gave the prisoners gags so they would not be able to take poison. it wasn¡¯t until the whole process was over that sir aaron rushed up to yurina. ¡°lady, are you all right?¡± his eyes landed in yurina¡¯s bloody hands. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, i should have looked at it better.¡± sir aaron¡¯s face had complex emotions. with the support of the marquis cartia, sir aaron remained a marquis despite his ability to join the imperial knights. for that reason, he held the marquis cartia in high regard. he seemed quite distressed by the fact that he had hurt yurina. but he was bleeding from the cuts in his arms and waist. ¡°i¡¯m fine. when dave comes he should treat you first. i¡¯m more worried about your wound. are you alright, sir?¡± ¡°this is nothing. more than that, miss, stop the bleeding¡­¡­.¡± ¡°oh, leave the young lady to me and you take care of your wounds.¡± aiden, who intervened, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and approached yurina. sir aaron wanted to say something but when he saw yurina nodding her head, he kept his mouth shut. ¡°you¡¯re really hurt. are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± aiden carefully wiped the blood off yurina¡¯s hands with a handkerchief. blood continued to swell from the wound that had cracked, revealing the flesh, as if it had been cut deeply by a knife. the handkerchief quickly dampened with blood. aiden pressed his hand down on the handkerchief to stop the bleeding. yurina couldn¡¯t control her expression and frowned at the moment. until a while ago, the situation was urgent so she couldn¡¯t feel the pain, but when the tension was relieved, she felt severe pain that caused her to groan without knowing. her head was a little dizzy, too. ¡°i¡¯m sorry. i can¡¯t do healing magic, so we¡¯ll have to wait until the professor comes.¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay, i heard bessie went to call dave. dave will treat me.¡± ¡°dave must be good at this.¡± ¡°yes, he graduated from crohn academy in seven years.¡± ¡°wow.¡± the heartfelt admiration burst from aiden¡¯s mouth. he chatted while tying the handkerchief tightly to yurina¡¯s hand. ¡°he¡¯s a great man. i¡¯m already worried about when i will graduate. oh, it hurt a lot, right? i¡¯m sorry, but if i don¡¯t do this, the wound could open more.¡± he moved his hands more carefully, looking at yurina. compared to saying that he couldn¡¯t use healing magic because he didn¡¯t have magic skills, he was quite good at wrapping up wounds. ¡°it was¡­magic and?¡± ¡°it¡¯s magical. it¡¯s pathetic that i can¡¯t even use healing magic, right? ¡°healing magic is quite high-level magic. i know it¡¯s not strange that you can¡¯t use it. you¡¯re good at tying wounds.¡± ¡°oh, i get hurt a lot when i practice swordsmanship. i¡¯ve been treating myself every day, and i¡¯ve become an expert.¡± yurina looked at aiden again. come to think of it, aiden had a moderately strong physique like raynald rather than a slender one. you wouldn¡¯t think of him as a magic student from the looks. ¡°you must have had a hard time studying magic and swordsmanship.¡± ¡°it wasn¡¯t that hard. i didn¡¯t study magic very much. well, raynald had a hard time splitting up his time.¡± ¡°ray?¡± yurina was talking about swordsmanship and suddenly couldn¡¯t understand raynald¡¯s involvement. aiden, who had been concentrating on her hands, looked up with a curious look on his face. her voice sounded bewildered. ¡°never heard of it? he¡¯s been practicing swordsmanship with me.¡± she had never heard of it before. he didn¡¯t say that in his correspondence. looking at his muscular, solid body, she thought he was a knight instead of a wizard, but to think he actually learned the sword¡­ ¡°no, i heard.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t speak right away because of her strange pride. ¡°oh, well. you couldn¡¯t have known. you exchanged letters. still, you haven¡¯t seen him practice swordsmanship in person, right? he started when he arrived here, but he improved faster than i thought, so he¡¯s better than most nobles now.¡± ¡°i see.¡± ¡°tell him to show you sometime. while you¡¯re at it, i¡¯d appreciate it if you could bring him to the training center.¡± ¡°i will¡­ when we talk.¡± yurina somehow felt thirsty, so she had to swallow her saliva in the middle of her speech. it may have sounded strange, but aiden focused on yurina¡¯s wounds without any sign of noticing. yurina bit her lips tightly as she looked down at aiden¡¯s head, which was meticulously bandaging her hands. ¡®why didn¡¯t he tell me?¡¯ she knew raynald didn¡¯t tell her anything trivial in his letters. there were times when she felt bad about it, but she didn¡¯t blame him. letters come and go only once a month. the stationery was too small to contain everything that happened in a month. it was the same now. now she didn¡¯t want to argue with raynald about why he didn¡¯t say anything. just, just¡­ ¡®how much don¡¯t i know?¡¯ the fact that she didn¡¯t know, and the boy in front of her did make her feel uneasy. come to think of it, that was a given. she spent just over six months with raynald. still, the two spent six months moving back and forth between small study rooms or each other¡¯s bedrooms. the only things she did every day were basic classes and simple games. their world was small, nothing special. but what about now? raynald spent five years at the academy. he met new friends and learned a lot of things he didn¡¯t learn in a small mansion. his world has become wide and diverse. and there was no yurina in his world. it was natural, but she couldn¡¯t see why she felt defeated. it was just bitter in her mouth. yurina unknowingly tried to clench her fist but quickly straightened her fingers from the pain that felt like it ran from head to toe. ¡°you can¡¯t move like that!¡± aiden quickly looked at yurina¡¯s hand. blood was leaking little by little from the wound that had been mostly stopped. ¡°oh, my god. i think you need to get treatment soon.¡± it was time for aiden to remove the bandage again and stop the bleeding. ¡°lady!¡± in the distance, the weeping voice of bessie was heard, bessie and dave ran toward yurina. bessie dragged dave, who rarely runs, by the arm to stand in front of yurina. Chapter 44 how fast they ran, the faces of the two people who saw them up close were covered with sweat. feeling sorry, yurina just joked about it. ¡°that¡¯s what i told you, dave. i said to do some exercise instead of just doing research, didn¡¯t i?¡± ¡°miss, are you kidding me?¡± bessie sat next to aiden in tears and examined yurina¡¯s hand. she found a wound that was deeper than she had expected and screamed unconsciously. ¡°magician, come on! hurry up and heal! hurry!¡± without being able to calm down his heavy breath, dave took yurina¡¯s hand. he was gasping for air as if he was about to collapse, but he steadily cast healing magic. the white light from his fingertips seeped through yurina¡¯s wound. the wound, which began to heal slowly from the deepest point, healed without a single scar within a short time. if it wasn¡¯t for the blood on her sleeve, no one would have known she was injured in the first place. dave, who was still struggling, sat down on the ground as soon as he finished using his magic, grabbed his chest, and caught his breath. without saying sorry, bessie took yurina by the hand and burst into tears. hot tears fell on her palm, which had been covered in wounds just a moment ago. ¡°huh, i thought you were really gone¡­ if you¡¯re gone, i can¡¯t live.¡± bessie, ten years older than yurina, always seemed like a kind and calm older sister. in terms of mental age, it was probably because of her personality that she thought of her as a younger sister rather than like an older sister. then bessie cried like a child. without being conscious of other people¡¯s gaze she held yurina¡¯s hand and made a croaking sound. yurina had been with bessie for the past 5 years and this was the first time she had seen her cry like this. yurina spoke in a bright voice on purpose because she felt like her conscience was tingling. ¡°bessie, don¡¯t cry. i¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°how are you supposed to be fine? the wound was very severe.¡± ¡°dave healed me. i¡¯m fine now.¡± ¡°even if you¡¯re fine now, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re not hurt.¡± ¡°okay, i¡¯m sorry. stop crying, okay?¡± yurina tried to wipe bessie¡¯s wet cheeks with her sleeve but stopped when she realized there were bloodstains. dave held out his handkerchief tactfully while catching his breath. he asked yurina, who carefully wiped bessie¡¯s cheek. ¡°my lady, what the hell is going on? miss bessie said that you suddenly disappeared.¡± ¡°if you¡¯ve caught your breath a little more, can you help sir aaron, please? sir aaron was hurt more than me.¡± dave, who belatedly cast his gaze behind her, found sir aaron with one arm covered in blood and stood up in surprise. he conversed with sir aaron as he healed him. yurina couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying because he was whispering, but he seemed to be discussing the raid and what to do next. ¡®it¡¯s all over now.¡¯ yurina held bessie, who was still crying, in her arms and patted her on the back. the sound of bessie¡¯s crying that reached her ears was so vivid, but what had happened just before seemed like a dream. ¡°are you okay now?¡± aiden, who had been standing down while yurina was being treated, looked at yurina¡¯s hand once again. ¡°yes, thanks to you. if you hadn¡¯t come, i would have been in trouble. thank you for stopping the bleeding. i¡¯ll make sure to return the favor. and a handkerchief.¡± yurina glanced at the blood-soaked handkerchief in aiden¡¯s hand. ¡°no. it¡¯s used for sword practice, so it¡¯s not expensive. it¡¯s natural to help in such a situation. actually, was there anything i did for you? if it wasn¡¯t for miss¡¯ magic, i wouldn¡¯t have been able to help.¡± aiden shook his head and scratched the back of his head. ¡°and i don¡¯t know what will happen to raynald if miss is seriously upset.¡± he looked around and silenced their surroundings ¡°in fact, i¡¯ve been wondering what miss was like.¡± ¡°me?¡± yurina was a little taken aback by his sudden words. ¡®how do you know me?¡¯ raynald didn¡¯t tell her about aiden. so of course she thought he didn¡¯t talk to him about her either. but did he tell aiden about herself? the bitter sense of defeat that had been forgotten for a while by bessie¡¯s crying weighed on her heart again. noticing yurina¡¯s dark expression, aiden calmly explained. ¡°yeah, i didn¡¯t tell you because raynald doesn¡¯t talk about himself unexpectedly, but it¡¯s obvious to me that he doesn¡¯t know.¡± the words from his mouth were unexpected. ¡°ray¡­ he didn¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°he? he doesn¡¯t talk much about himself. i don¡¯t know how he lived in the empire before coming to the academy. he didn¡¯t tell me anything about his family.¡± aiden briefly recalled the bitter expression that yurina was making a while ago. ¡°anyway, he never said anything, but he was anxiously waiting for a letter every month. the guy who doesn¡¯t eat well and doesn¡¯t have energy all the time gets a letter and suddenly cheers up. you were the one who sent the letter, right?¡± yurina couldn¡¯t answer aloud. so she kept her mouth shut and just nodded. ¡°i think he¡¯s been able to hold out here thanks to you.¡± everything was full of stories she had heard for the first time. yurina had never heard of this from raynald. he never showed any signs of waiting for her letter. ¡°thank you, miss.¡± aiden, whose eyes were red for a moment, politely kissed the back of yurina¡¯s hand. yurina still did not fully understand what he was saying. but one thing. ¡°thank you very much.¡± yurina only knew that something heavy that had been holding her heart down had disappeared at aiden¡¯s words. * * * sir aaron, who took yurina to her hostel, said something unexpected. ¡°the people who attacked you, i think they¡¯re from the kingdom.¡± yurina, who thought they were from the empire, was a little surprised. they targeted her, so she believed it must have been people who had a grudge against the carthia family. the marquis of carthia had an honest and upright character, so he was respected by the people of the land and many knights. but being upright wasn¡¯t always a good thing. as a knight who swore allegiance to the imperial family, there were bound to be people opposed to it. in the past, riggs carthia, yurina¡¯s eldest brother, visited the mansion on vacation and was attacked like yurina today on his way back to the academy. it was done with a grudge by a knight who was expelled from the knight corps for corruption. but if it wasn¡¯t done by the people of the empire then who did it? ¡°are you sure?¡± sir aaron nodded without hesitation when dave, who was listening silently, asked. ¡°i¡¯m pretty sure. the swordsmanship they used was a perfect kingdom-style. the empire and the kingdom differ a lot in their swordsmanship, so it¡¯s not easy for the people of the empire to completely imitate it.¡± ¡°then why did they target the lady?¡± bessie, who was shaking with a pale face next to yurina, wrapped her arms around yurina¡¯s shoulders as if to protect her. yurina gently clasped her hand that was trembling on her shoulder. ¡°i don¡¯t know about that either. we need to do a little more research.¡± ¡°maybe it¡¯s because of sir raynald.¡± dave¡¯s sudden words turned everyone¡¯s attention to him. ¡°what do you mean?¡± ¡°i¡¯ve heard it a few times before. i heard that sir raynald¡¯s skills are excellent and he has a symbolic position called beatus, so many people are aiming for him.¡± ¡°so, you¡¯re saying they tried to use me to capture raynald?¡± ¡°right now, it seems likely.¡± ¡°they tried to kill me?¡± this time, sir aaron answered yurina¡¯s question. ¡°maybe they weren¡¯t after your life.¡± in other words, he rushed to sir aaron, who followed him, and not to yurina. but then, what was the murderous intent that yurina felt at the end? however, among the current hypotheses, the most credible one is that they aimed at raynald with yurina as a hostage. however, since an investigation is needed, sir aaron said he would ask for cooperation from the academy and the crohn royal family. as raynald was a student at crohn royal academy, if they really aimed at raynald, the kingdom of crohn should know about this as well. ¡°yes, do that.¡± as soon as sir aaron heard yurina¡¯s answer, he left the room saying he would contact the royal family. dave didn¡¯t follow him, but came back and ruffled yurina¡¯s hair. only after hearing bessie¡¯s nagging about what he was doing did he withdraw his hand. ¡°i am glad, though. this is why it is helpful to learn magic during this time.¡± ¡°yeah. i didn¡¯t have any talent, so i was wondering if it would be useful.¡± dave looked at yurina, who smiled weakly. it looked like he had something to say, but in the end, he greeted her without saying anything and left the room. yurina roughly guessed what he was trying to say. ¡®you wanted to say sorry.¡¯ dave had cared about yurina like a younger sister since she was young. maybe he was sorry that he wasn¡¯t there for yurina when it happened. ¡®it¡¯s nothing to be sorry about.¡¯ yurina looked at the tightly closed door and sat down on the sofa, pondering what had happened today. belatedly, her hands trembled. ¡®is this really aimed at ray?¡¯ until then, she thought only her life was in danger. however, on the other hand, she did not know that her existence would become a stumbling block to raynald. ¡°yurina.¡± yurina, who was repeatedly clenching and stretching her painless hand, lifted her head at the sudden sound. suddenly, raynald opened the door and approached her. Chapter 45 ¡°yurina.¡± raynald¡¯s face, which strode in front of yurina, was covered with sweat. ¡°you¡¯ve been running¡­¡± before yurina could even finish her words, raynald held her hand with a stiff face. from his gaze sweeping through her palms, yurina knew that he had heard of the incident. yurina felt a long conversation coming so she sent bessie out with a look. ¡°ray.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°ray.¡± whether he heard it and pretended he didn¡¯t or he really didn¡¯t hear, he looked at yurina¡¯s uninjured hand. the sweat from his forehead ran down her cheeks and pooled on his chin. it somehow felt strange. ¡®did he teleport?¡¯ raynald had developed so much skill that he could even perform space movement magic without any notice. the fact that he ran without even thinking of using magic meant that he wasn¡¯t that crazy. ¡°is this the only spot hurt?¡± ¡°this side, too.¡± yurina gently extended her opposite hand to him, he clasped her two hands together. yurina looked down at her hands as he suddenly put her hands together and wrapped his around hers. raynald¡¯s hands were large enough to cover hers. ¡®he grew a lot.¡¯ unlike him who was serious, yurina had such a thought. his hands, which had been thin bones with wounds here and there, now had thick calluses in several places. perhaps because he learned swordsmanship. she tapped his calluses with her fingertips. raynald clenched his hand once as if not to let her go. even though he confirmed that there was nothing wrong, his face was stiff as it was when she came in. ¡°did you teleport?¡± when yurina reached out and touched his hair, raynald took a step back and expressed his refusal to do so. her white hands, lost in her way, wandered aimlessly in the air. yurina smiled and shrugged as if nothing had happened. raynald, who was catching his breath with his eyes closed, belatedly approached again. ¡°sorry. i didn¡¯t mean to avoid it.¡± he bowed his upper body to meet her at eye level, grabbed yurina¡¯s hand, and pulled it toward his forehead. keep going. he didn¡¯t talk, but his expression, calmly closing his eyes, seemed to be saying this. yurina wiped his wet bangs and flipped his hair back. ¡°what did the professor say?¡± raynald opened his eyes. his gaze at yurina was so calm that yurina was embarrassed at the moment. ¡°is that important now?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± he grabbed yurina¡¯s hand and pulled her toward him. ¡°why are you so calm?¡± ¡°calm?¡± yurina was stunned as if she had been hit in the back of the head at the unexpected word. ¡°me?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°why do you think so?¡± ¡°i think you¡­¡± emotions soared, so he closed his eyes and took a breath and opened his mouth again. ¡°you almost died.¡± ¡°yes, i know.¡± raynald raised his eyebrows at yurina¡¯s calm answer. yurina shrugged and opened her mouth as calmly as she did with bessie and dave. ¡°but i¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°yurina.¡± ¡°look at this. even if i¡¯m a little hurt, dave¡¯s treatment¡­.¡± she wanted to talk calmly, but she couldn¡¯t continue. emotions suddenly soared and choked her up. yurina tried hard to swallow the negative emotions that came up her throat and smiled at raynald. ¡°i¡¯m¡­ i¡¯m fine.¡± she knew raynald wouldn¡¯t believe this straight away. he was no longer an innocent 12-year-old child. yurina has also shown him a lot of fear of death so far. he wouldn¡¯t believe it. still, she wanted to tell him an obvious lie. if she said she was not okay, he¡¯d be more distressed, who¡¯d be suffering anyway. she wanted to ease the burden in his mind even a little. ¡°i¡¯m really fine.¡± ¡°i¡¯m not okay.¡± raynald spat out as if he were chewing every word. ¡°you may be okay, but i¡¯m not okay. i¡¯m not okay. when i heard from aiden about you, how much i¡­¡± as it went to the end, his voice went up as if he couldn¡¯t control his emotions. he bit his lips tightly and continued to sigh, perhaps surprised even after he said it. ¡°it¡¯s not anywhere else, here at the academy, it¡¯s not the empire without me, and you almost died here. why did i come all the way here and learn magic? why did i try so hard? why¡­¡± eventually, he couldn¡¯t continue talking and hugged yurina. yurina leaned her cheek against his chest. pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat. she heard his heartbeat so fast that the owner was out of breath. the sound was telling how nervous he was. ¡°yurina.¡± after a long silence, raynald whispered in yurina¡¯s ear. ¡°we¡¯d better go back to the empire as soon as possible.¡± it was a completely different story from being restless because he wanted to be with her for another day. ¡°i think it¡¯ll be better for you.¡± for now. he added quietly with a whisper to himself. * * * the person behind the attack on yurina was caught sooner than expected. as a traitor who opposed the current royal family, the crohn royal family was already eager to seize this opportunity. they said they had a hard time catching them, but thanks to the men sir aron caught they were able to. thanks to this, yurina was able to stay in the kingdom with a little more confidence as originally scheduled. yurina told raynald that she was going to dave and headed toward the dormitory. aiden, who received a note through bessie in advance, first came out at the entrance of the dormitory. ¡°carthia¡¯s lady.¡± he politely held yurina¡¯s hand and escorted her. ¡°are you feeling okay?¡± ¡°yes, thanks to you.¡± ¡°don¡¯t worry about them now, they¡¯ll be caught soon.¡± yurina smiled slightly at him with gratitude. aiden coughed in vain with a slightly reddish face. ¡°i didn¡¯t prepare much. he¡¯s not such a young boy so we can have a party like this!¡± aiden chattled in an excited voice, recalling raynald¡¯s upcoming birthday party. it was aiden who first proposed to prepare a birthday party together. he organized a birthday party every year for raynald, who has no acquaintance in the kingdom, except for some close friends. raynald, who initially shed tears, complained about what he had prepared for from the following year. but he didn¡¯t seem to hate it at all, so aiden and his friends laughed at the blunt voice. ¡®how can you not have a birthday party like that?¡¯ in addition, this year was the year raynald became an adult. as it was a special day, aiden wanted to prepare more carefully than other years. however, contrary to his mind, he couldn¡¯t think of what to do. at first, he wanted to invite a sponsor who was in from the empire, but it was practically impossible. raynald said nothing except that his sponsor was an imperial nobleman. thanks to him, aiden knew nothing about his sponsor even though it had been five years since he met raynald. he couldn¡¯t even send an invitation because he didn¡¯t even know the very basics, like a family name. ¡®even if i sent it an invitation, they wouldn¡¯t have come.¡¯ aiden was quite quick to catch on. although raynald did not tell them about his personal history, aiden noticed that his sponsor was a significantly wealthy and quite influential aristocrat in the empire. this was because among the gifts coming to raynald, there were valuables mixed that not anyone could easily get even if they had money. a student from the kingdom sending a birthday invitation to such a noble? not only would they not come, of course, they were much more likely to not read the letter in the first place. it would be nice if they didn¡¯t get angry. so what he came up with as the next best thing was to prepare imperial food. aiden used the pocket money he had saved so far to order an imperial birthday cake in advance from a bakery famous for imperial desserts in the capital. the biggest and most spectacular cake! since his best friend was going to eat it! yurina appeared in front of aiden, who had been preparing for such a long time. having come from the empire, she looked close to raynald. not only did raynald seem close, but he seemed to feel special feelings beyond just friendship for her. she was simply raynald¡¯s precious person whom aiden wanted to invite to his birthday party. ¡®of course i have to invite you!¡¯ aiden tried to invite yurina to the party from the first day he saw her. however, rather than introducing him to his friend, raynald missed class and he couldn¡¯t see her hair because she was hanging out. meanwhile, helping yurina became an opportunity. raynald also no longer stopped aiden from talking to yurina. looking for such an opportunity, he hinted at yurina. ¡°we¡¯re going to have a birthday party for raynald. do you want to come? it won¡¯t be fancy because it¡¯s prepared by the children, but it¡¯ll be fun.¡± meanwhile, yurina was surprised when she heard the proposal. it was all to celebrate raynald that she came all the way here. so that he wouldn¡¯t be lonely in this distant place. the more people there were, the more enjoyable the party would be. however, unlike the employees who took the initiative to prepare for the party in the mansion, the number of employees who could be brought to the kingdom was limited. so she wanted to invite people who were close to raynald at the academy. however, after she heard aiden¡¯s proposal while she agonized over raynald¡¯s lack of proper introduction to his friends. there was no reason to refuse what she wanted. ¡°okay, let¡¯s get ready together.¡± that was how it happened. Chapter 46 the venue for the party was decided to be aiden¡¯s dorm room. yurina thought that they might be caught because it was right across from raynald¡¯s room, but aiden snorted and boasted after hearing such concerns from yurina. ¡°he never comes to this room first.¡± additionally, raynald should be taking professor hutson¡¯s class by now. raynald had no choice but to go to class even though he was worried about yurina. he was threatened with no graduation thesis if he missed it without permission again. ¡°i have about three hours to go.¡± aiden rolled up his sleeves as he entered the dorm room. in fact, aiden had to go to the same class as raynald, but he was absent to prepare for the birthday party. yurina felt sorry about him missing class, but he said confidently that he had noticed her concern. ¡°i didn¡¯t even want to go to class today, so that¡¯s great. i¡¯ve missed a lot of classes till now, so raynald won¡¯t question it.¡± the sight of him lifting the corners of his mouth, unlike a man¡¯s, was just as naughty as a child¡¯s. yurina smiled at him without realizing it. ¡®you have a good friend.¡¯ even without listening to how raynald and aiden got along, she could picture the two of them. the door opened after yurina was decorating with the help of bessie and aiden for thirty minutes. yurina looked behind her, worried that raynald might have come, and met the eyes of a strange child with his head peeking out through the crack in the door. ¡°huh?¡± the child didn¡¯t come in or move, frozen in place with unblinking blue eyes. aiden straightened and went to the child first, he placed his hands on his hips with a serious look. ¡°it¡¯s class time, so why are you here?¡± ¡°i want to help too.¡± the child licked his lips anxiously. aiden let out a sigh as if he couldn¡¯t stop him, he moved out of the way and stood in front of yurina. ¡°this little boy here is nathan. nathan, this is raynald¡¯s friend, yurina. say hello¡± nathan was a cute boy with plump cheeks. at thirteen he did not resemble raynald, but yurina thought for a moment that he strangely had a similar feeling to raynald. maybe it was because raynald was thirteen when he left the mansion. ¡°sister, hello! i am nathan. can i call you sister?¡± ¡°you learned it in etiquette. you must call her miss carthia.¡± as aiden lightly hit his head with his fist so it didn¡¯t hurt, nathan rubbed the area where he was hit and groaned. ¡°this is the academy.¡± all students were equal at crohn royal academy, where nobles and commoners were both present. and at least within the academy, the students called each other by their first names. there were some who secretly suppressed commoner students by using their status as aristocrats, but they were punished upon discovery. the worst-case scenario was expulsion. discrimination was strictly prohibited not only by status but also by region of origin. this was because such discrimination could interfere with the academic atmosphere. so nathan¡¯s argument was reasonable in a way. the problem was that yurina was not a student here. yurina shook her head at aiden, who was about to say something to nathan and bent down to match nathan¡¯s eye level. ¡°do you call ray brother?¡± ¡°brother raynald? yes!¡± ¡°then you can call me sister. if ray is brother, then i¡¯m sister. because we¡¯re friends.¡± nathan smiled brightly and nodded, but frowned after. ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°why do you call brother raynald, ray?¡± ¡°it¡¯s a pet name.¡± ¡°but he told me not to call him that.¡± yurina didn¡¯t know how to respond to the unexpected comment. ray was a pet name that she thoughtlessly came up with when naming raynald. this is because the name ¡®raynald¡¯ was too long. in fact, it was only yurina who called him ray, but she never felt special about it. she only realized after nathan said something. ¡®did ray think it was special?¡¯ for some reason, a corner of her chest heated up. yurina also smiled at nathan to hide her burning face, then helped bessie with the table. ¡°wow, it doesn¡¯t look like our room!¡± nathan was more innocent and cute than she thought, maybe it was because he grew up with people like aiden. he followed yurina around like a duckling as she prepared for the party with the help of bessie. she was excited about having a surprise party for raynald. ¡°sister, is there anything i can do for you? i¡¯m really good at organizing parties!¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yeah! i¡¯ve been preparing for brother raynald¡¯s birthday party.¡± nathan¡¯s expression full of pride touched yurina¡¯s heart. she wondered how much this little boy could have helped her, but yurina smiled and responded. ¡°well, let¡¯s see what we can do?¡± ¡°yes!¡± nathan nodded with a bright face and ran toward bessie, who was putting dessert on the table. instead of helping he put a macaron that bessie handed him in his mouth and laughed. yurina watched him open his eyes wide, saying it was delicious. ¡°cute.¡± on the surface, yurina and nathan looked like peers. yurina looked taller, but in reality, she could have been slightly shorter if she took off her heels. there was only a two-year age difference but she couldn¡¯t help thinking someone was cute when they were cute. nathan also treated yurina as if she were five or six years older than him. perhaps since she was a friend of raynald, who was about to become an adult, it made her look like an adult as well. ¡®no matter how you look there¡¯s no resemblance to ray at all.¡¯ unlike ray who was scrawny at his age, nathan was of average build. his cheeks were a little chubby as if he hadn¡¯t lost any baby fat yet. unlike raynald, who was shy of strangers, nathan was friendly. there was no resemblance to raynald anywhere, but yurina¡¯s eyes kept seeing the 13-year-old raynald¡¯s face. ¡°sister, this is brother raynald¡¯s favorite! i know him well because he¡¯s my friend!¡± after thinking for a while, yurina finally got the answer when she saw nathan shaking a cupcake topped with whipped cream with an excited expression. he resembled that innocent child-like figure without any pretense. he was similar in that his bright appearance looked pretty. ¡®ray has some good friends.¡¯ yurina waved lightly to nathan, imagining how raynald would have acted. only three days left in the kingdom. with these children, yurina thought she could go back to the empire without any worries. * * * ¡°raynald, where are you going?¡± raynald stopped on his way out of class to the voice from behind. aiden stood smiling when raynald turned around. aiden ran like a horse and clung to raynald¡¯s arm. ¡°where are you going in such a hurry? is there something urgent?¡± ¡°where did you go skipping classes and now you¡¯re coming back?¡± ¡°it¡¯s a nice day. i went for a walk. so what are you going to do now?¡± ¡°what am i going to do?¡± raynald responded bluntly, pulled his arm out of aiden¡¯s, and took a step away. normally, he would have matched aiden¡¯s rhythm, but now he couldn¡¯t afford to. there was only one person on his mind. ¡®yurina said she was with master.¡¯ she had smiled at raynald, who was reluctant to leave yurina, saying, ¡°don¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll be with dave.¡± dave was usually stuck in the library or professor¡¯s lab when he came to the academy. then, was yurina there too? or somewhere else. raynald was agonizing, aiden smiled playfully and opened his mouth. ¡°are you looking for the carthia¡¯s little lady? i know where the young lady is.¡± ¡°where is she?¡± ¡°wow, you didn¡¯t listen to me, but now that i¡¯m talking about miss carthia, you are interested? i¡¯m disappointed.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t know.¡± he wouldn¡¯t know. aiden rushed over and grabbed raynald¡¯s arm as he tried to get away. ¡°wait, i really know. i know!¡± ¡°where is she?¡± ¡°only if you follow me.¡± raynald squinted at aiden¡¯s expression. it was suspicious to keep smirking, but it didn¡¯t seem to be a lie. in fact, he was too active and talkative, but he was not a liar. raynald followed him obediently. however, he soon realized that aiden was walking toward the dormitory and stopped walking. something was off. ¡°where are we going now?¡± ¡°to meet miss carthia.¡± ¡°it can¡¯t be in a place like this.¡± ¡°don¡¯t talk, just follow me. you don¡¯t trust your friend?¡± aiden, who was more powerful physically than with magic, walked into the dormitory as if dragging him. raynald had a suspicious face. ¡®it¡¯s weird to think about it.¡¯ aiden was headed to raynald¡¯s dorm room. no, he thought it was raynald¡¯s room. but aiden looked back at him with a grim look on his face and stood in front of the door. ¡°this is your room.¡± ¡°yes, it¡¯s my room.¡± ¡°yurina¡¯s in there?¡± he meant don¡¯t talk nonsense, but aiden just grinned and shrugged. he pointed at the door with his chin. ¡°open up.¡± still, raynald didn¡¯t want to open the door, he placed his hand on the doorknob. ¡°don¡¯t look at me like that, just open up and be fooled.¡± what the hell are you up to? as he said, raynald turned the doorknob to be fooled. Chapter 47 ¡°hey, hey! nathan, stay still. he¡¯ll be here soon.¡± ¡°my heart is beating so fast that i can¡¯t stand still.¡± ¡°in that case, take a deep breath and you¡¯ll feel a little better.¡± ¡°bessie, really? all right. heup!¡± through the cracks of the open door, a familiar and disparate voice which he had never heard before, came out. after that, the light laughter raynald had always wanted to hear in his dreams followed. it was yurina¡¯s laugh. raynald stood still because he couldn¡¯t believe what he saw through the crack of the door. aiden¡¯s dorm room, which had always been a mess, was neat and tidy. in the middle of the room, which was always littered with clothes and books, there was a table he had never seen before. on top of it was a pile of cute imperial desserts. it was noticeably smaller in size, but it looked very similar to the birthday party that carthia held for him five years ago. there stood yurina. she was much taller than when they first met but small enough to fit into his arms. when she heard the door open she turned her head. ¡°ray.¡± then she closed her eyes and smiled softly towards him. ¡°happy birthday. i really wanted to tell you this.¡± i came all the way here because i wanted to tell you this. her smiling face which only he could see was so pretty and lovely as ever. pieces of paper scattered from her tiny white hand fell onto raynald. yurina¡¯s smile, which appeared and disappeared through the cracks of the glittering colored paper in front of him, was tantalizing. raynald stretched out his arms to hug yurina, without realizing it. behind his back, aiden wrapped his arms around raynald¡¯s neck and clung to his back. ¡°hey, raynald! happy birthday! this little guy grew up so big!¡± ¡°happy birthday, brother raynald!¡± nathan, who sprinted to yurina¡¯s side, looked up at him with round eyes and grinned. ¡°happy birthday!¡± ¡°brother, congratulations!¡± then raynald saw bessie, thomas, and alex smiling and waving. he didn¡¯t feel like crying at all. however, tears that had no sense flowed down his cheeks once again. ¡°still a crybaby.¡± yurina muttered as she wiped raynald¡¯s cheeks with the end of her sleeve, which became damp. * * * aiden giggled while holding his stomach, saying raynald always cried whenever he had a birthday party. nathan came up to raynald with his favorite cupcake and held it out to him. aiden took the cupcake instead and smeared a ton of white cream on raynald¡¯s cheek. ¡°hey, how come you¡¯re still handsome even if i put cream on your face?¡± raynald also smeared cream on aiden¡¯s cheeks, who muttered as if he was dumbfounded and then headed to his room to clean up his face. ¡°brother aiden! this is really delicious!¡± ¡°yes, yes. eat a lot. it¡¯s an imperial dessert, so it¡¯ll be hard to eat unless it¡¯s today. by the way, how long has lady carthia known raynald?¡± ¡°for five years. since ray was twelve years old.¡± ¡°wow, his personality was no joke back then. wasn¡¯t it difficult to get close to him?¡± the room he returned to was much noisier than before. raynald leaned his back against the door and looked at it. it¡¯s a place i¡¯ve been going in and out of every day for the past five years, but just the fact that yurina is there made me feel special. the scene full of warm smiles had a more golden color than the golden sunlight of autumn coming through the window. seeing her with his dear friends and more dear than that, raynald felt like he was getting a fever somewhere in his heart. ¡°ray, what are you doing there? come here quickly.¡± when yurina, who was wiping the cream off nathan¡¯s lips, smiled at him, raynald¡¯s heart began to beat faster and faster. thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. a pleasant sound that started from his heart spread throughout his body. raynald felt a slight motion sickness as he felt the ground shaking. it¡¯s strange. it¡¯s really, really strange. raynald couldn¡¯t tell if he wanted to cry or laugh when he saw yurina¡¯s smile. his heart was about to burst so he felt like he was going to cry, but strangely, the corners of his mouth kept rising uncontrollably. raynald didn¡¯t know love. his parents, who were supposed to teach him the world, never told him they loved him. so it was only natural that he didn¡¯t know what that feeling was. the love between a man and a woman was even more foreign to him. i don¡¯t know what my feelings are, but from a certain moment, whenever i saw yurina, there was a feeling that swelled in my heart. i want to see yurina¡¯s smiling face. i want to hold her soft hand and enjoy a walk alone. i want to hug her small warm body in my arms and kiss her smiling lips. i want to swallow her warm breath that is sweet like honey, share my breath, and become one with her body and mind. i want to do everything with her. i want her everything. and i also want to be her everything. is this what love is? i don¡¯t know. i¡¯d rather have someone tell me. ¡°ray?¡± however, raynald realized the moment he looked into yurina¡¯s blue eyes was the moment he felt greedy for wanting those eyes to always turn towards him instead of elsewhere. i don¡¯t know if this is love. but maybe i¡¯m¡­ ¡°yurina.¡± it seems that i have always held you deep in my heart. * * * after the day they gathered together and enjoyed the birthday party, yurina was able to learn more about raynald¡¯s daily life. nathan, who followed her well, was a very good informant who told yurina every little thing without asking. yurina and raynald took classes together during the day, and in the evening when classes were not in session, they went out downtown and had dinner together. although it was nothing special, yurina was never bored. rather, it reminded her of the memories she spent with him when they were young. ¡®it was quite fun to find out how ray had changed.¡¯ raynald took notes in beautiful cursive, concentrated on the professor¡¯s words, answered questions quickly, sat in an unobtrusive posture during a long class, and looked at the professor with clear eyes. every little change touched her heart. yurina no longer saw him writing squiggly letters in a posture that looked like he was about to lie down, enduring the constant yawning. yurina was proud of him, so she laughed for no reason, but when he made eye contact with her in the middle of class and smiled, she had a strange feeling, like something tickling in her stomach. whenever that happened, yurina pretended to read a book and avoided his gaze. ??on the last day before leaving the capital, they ate at a famous restaurant in response to aiden¡¯s statement that it would be a shame to leave like this. that day, yurina was able to observe raynald and aiden a little more closely throughout the dinner. ¡°raynald was stuck at the academy because he couldn¡¯t go to the empire during vacation, right? so, a few years ago, i once persuaded raynald to go to my estate together. then one of my younger sisters fell in love with raynald and made a fuss about getting married to him¡­¡± ¡°aiden, stop talking and eat your meal. yurina, don¡¯t worry about it and eat quickly. the food is going to get cold.¡± ¡°since when did you start caring for people like that? lady carthia, i work so hard to keep up with this guy¡¯s rhythm.¡± aiden continued to care about raynald and tried to lead the conversation, and raynald, who was somewhat bothered by aiden still answered him. at first glance, they seemed to have polar opposite personalities, but the two got along very well. raynald would have said no when he heard that thought, but it seemed to be the case in yurina¡¯s eyes. although aiden was talkative and nosy, he was smart enough to not get on raynald¡¯s nerves. even though raynald was annoyed by him, he didn¡¯t really push aiden away. rather, aiden was a necessary friend to raynald because he was actively guiding him to not stay alone in the room. ¡®thank goodness, ray has a good friend.¡¯ yurina looked back at the first letter raynald had sent from the academy. it was a short and clumsy reply that was more like a note than a letter, but his squiggly handwriting was still clear in her mind. [everyone is good.] maybe that good guy was aiden. if he has aiden now it would be a little reassuring to leave him and return to the empire. as the cruel hands of the clock went by, the day yurina had to leave the kingdom approached. yurina was about to say goodbye to the capital, but raynald said he wanted to see her off at the border this time, just as he had picked her up at the border. yurina happily accepted his offer. the atmosphere inside the carriage going to the border was very different than when she came. raynald gradually spoke less, so he spent more time looking at yurina without saying a word. yurina, who was trying to keep the conversation going, also couldn¡¯t find anything to say as she got closer to the border. ¡®today is the last night.¡¯ after today, she would truly part ways with raynald and leave for the empire. yurina, who was staying at the place where she and raynald had been reunited, felt so uneasy that she could not sleep. yurina, who had been wandering around the room for a long time, suddenly approached the window and opened it. she reached out her head to take a closer look at jewel-like stars in the black sky when someone next to her spoke. ¡°yurina?¡± it was raynald. he was sticking his head out the window just like yurina. ¡°ray, why aren¡¯t you sleeping? you have to go back to the academy tomorrow.¡± ¡°that¡¯s what i want to ask. why haven¡¯t you slept yet when you have to leave for the empire tomorrow? it only takes me a minute to get to the academy, but it takes you over a week to get to the capital.¡± ¡°i can¡¯t sleep¡­ and if i¡¯m sleepy, i can sleep in the carriage. but you ride a horse to the academy. come on¡­¡± you should sleep soon. those simple words couldn¡¯t come out of her mouth easily. it was the same for raynald, so he kept his mouth shut and remained silent. unlike the daytime when there were a lot of people, there were no people passing by at night, so there were hardly any lights to illuminate the town. a dark night with a faint moonlight. yurina inadvertently lowered her upper body to see raynald¡¯s face, a little closer, which was difficult to see in the dark. then raynald put his hand on the window sill and leaned out as if he was jumping out of the window. ¡°yurina, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± an urgent cry rang out in the quiet town where everyone was asleep. yurina crouched reflexively in surprise. woof woof, she heard a startled dog barking loudly from somewhere. under the dormitory, meow, a cat cried and hid in the bushes. yurina took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart that was beating like a bat. it was dark, so it was hard to see, but she smiled calmly at raynald. he was still looking at her, half leaning over the window, screaming loud enough to wake everyone up. ¡°i won¡¯t fall off. don¡¯t worry. i¡¯m not a child.¡± his face was serious even as he joked. ¡°you haven¡¯t even had your coming-of-age ceremony yet. i¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t fall. what would i have done if you had accidentally fallen?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not even that high. are you nagging me now that you¡¯ve become an adult 3 years older than me? and if i fall, you can save me. can¡¯t you do something like levitation magic?¡± ¡°i can. but what if you fell to the ground before i could use my magic?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not going to happen. i trust you. you said you would protect me.¡± as he said, it could have been a groundless belief. it was not even the 30th floor, but the speed of falling from the 3rd floor was probably faster than raynald¡¯s awareness of the situation and memorization of magic spells. if she was lucky enough to get hurt, he would use healing magic, but if she was unlucky and died instantly, everything would be over. but strangely, yurina had the belief that raynald would protect her no matter what. the words he swore to her when he was young: ¨Cyurina, i will protect you. even though it was a promise from a 13-year-old boy who had just learned magic, he kept that promise in his heart. and as she spent time with him, her trust in him grew stronger. he would protect her. as she had always wished from the moment she met him. ¡®should i be happy?¡¯ the question came to her mind without realizing it. no, i should be happy, but strangely, rather than being happy, my heart just felt heavy. yurina couldn¡¯t guess what this heavy and bitter emotion was. ¡®can i be this selfish?¡¯ five years ago, the worries yurina had when she met his eyes popped up again. is it okay to be happy that i won¡¯t be able to die anymore after driving him, who was young and very clumsy because of my own greed, to such a distant place? a slight sense of guilt gripped her conscience, which she had never felt when she had first met him and made him an offer. Chapter 48 ¡°¡­yurina?¡± she lifted her head at the worried voice, pulling her from her thoughts. ¡°what were you thinking that you couldn¡¯t hear me?¡±¡± ¡°i¡¯m sorry. i must have spaced out for a while. what did you say?¡± ¡°i asked you to go see the stars¡­ if you¡¯re sleepy, hurry up and go to bed. it¡¯s very late.¡± ¡°no, let¡¯s go see the stars.¡± yurina quickly went into the room and put her robe over her pajamas before he urged her to sleep again. she looked in the mirror, straightened her hair once, and opened her door to see raynald in regular clothes, unlike her. ¡°not pajamas?¡± ¡°i couldn¡¯t change because i had something to think about. then let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°where are we going? do you have any ideas?¡± ¡°it¡¯s late, so i don¡¯t think we can go far, but if we go up on the roof, wouldn¡¯t we be able to see better than here? what do you think?¡± ¡°okay. let¡¯s do that.¡± yurina grabbed his hand. in fact, it didn¡¯t matter where they saw it. she agreed to go see the stars, but in fact, she wanted to spend more time with him than looking at the stars. when raynald flicked his finger once, the landscape changed without notice. sitting on the roof with a single blink of an eye, yurina trembled in the sudden cold wind. ¡°it¡¯s cold even though i¡¯m wearing a robe.¡± ¡°i knew this would happen, so i brought a blanket.¡± raynald shook the blanket in front of her nose and covered yurina¡¯s shoulder with a blanket. yurina rolled herself up in the blanket and looked down at her feet. ¡°if i move a little wrong, i¡¯ll fall down. will it be okay?¡± ¡°you said you trust me. why are you worried when i¡¯m here?¡± it was a confident voice that made her worries of falling off earlier disappear. he crept out and pulled her back. his firm arms really felt as if they would not let her go no matter what. yurina yawned lightly, wrapping one side of the blanket around his shoulder. ¡°are you sleepy?¡± ¡°no.¡± ¡°you can sleep if you¡¯re sleepy. if you fall asleep, i¡¯ll take you to your room.¡± ¡°how reliable, but i¡¯m not going to sleep.¡± however, she yawned again, overshadowing what she said as if the exhaustion was determined. ¡°i wasn¡¯t sleepy when i was in my room¡­¡± raynald burst into laughter as he watched yurina muttering awkwardly. perhaps because it was a quiet night, his soft voice was as sweet as listening to a lullaby. yurina leaned her head on his shoulder like a nodding child. raynald¡¯s hand, which was wrapped around yurina¡¯s waist, strengthened. ¡°don¡¯t worry and sleep.¡± his voice in her ear disrupted her. yurina shrank her shoulders in surprise at the feel of his warm breath. raynald leaned over her surprised head. ¡°i¡¯m here, so don¡¯t worry about anything.¡± the feeling of hugging the whole body was familiar and unfamiliar. she couldn¡¯t breathe well as if her heart was pressed down by his weight. familiar arms, but unfamiliar feelings. yurina slowly looked up at raynald. he smiled with his eyes and bumped his forehead into yurina¡¯s forehead. she thought he was in a good mood as she heard his low laughter scattering in the wind. his smile seemed like a cheerful boy or a soft young man. yurina couldn¡¯t smile after seeing raynald smiling with their foreheads pressed together. at that moment, she thought she got used to it but it felt unfamiliar again. his face, which looked like a man, his firm arms, wrapped around her waist. why is it so strange and awkward tonight? yurina unknowingly stepped back from him and removed his hand. raynald quickly grabbed it and pulled her back as she almost slipped after losing her balance because of the wind. ¡°are you okay?¡± as if his hand was comforting her, he gently swept yurina¡¯s hair. yurina tried to push him away again, but she hit her nose on his shoulder and closed her eyes. somehow, her cheeks felt like they were burning because of the mood. * * * yurina, who was held in raynald¡¯s arms for a while, drooped as if she had fallen asleep. the pleasant sound of her breathing resonated in the quiet dawn. raynald wrapped yurina¡¯s head, which was about to fall forward, with a careful touch. he tried to change his posture so that yurina could sleep comfortably, but he couldn¡¯t find the right position. perhaps he felt uncomfortable, but when yurina frowned in her sleep, he eventually moved to the dorm with yurina in his arms. he felt strange when yurina moved in search of a more comfortable position and buried her face in his shoulder. his face suddenly got a little hot. maybe it was because the weight that filled his arms was warm. since he left the carthia mansion and came to the kingdom, he had never been so close to anyone. suddenly, he remembered his 13th birthday. one day, he felt sorry when he saw a servant lightly carrying yurina, who was tired, but now he was so proud that he could walk with her in his arms so easily. -i want to be an adult soon. as he wished while looking at the sunset, he was now an adult who could protect those he wanted to protect. no matter who threatened him, he had the power to protect himself. to do so, he had been working hard all this time in this strange place. ¡®but why am i so nervous?¡¯ he knew in his head that nothing would happen to yurina. there was a time when yurina appeared weak as if someone would strangle her at any moment, but next to her was dave, who recognized her skills, and there were many talented escorts attached by marquis carthia. when she came to the kingdom this time, he could tell by the spirits of the knights who followed her. they would protect her well while raynald was away. ¡°i know it.¡±¡¯ raynald lay yurina on the bed and looked down at her with a stiff face. no matter how much he thought about it, he wasn¡¯t relieved to just let her go like the way it was. would this anxiety disappear if he just quit the academy and returned to the empire with yurina tomorrow and stay next to her? ¡°yurina.¡± she didn¡¯t answer as she fell asleep deeply in the meantime. only the soft breath reached his ears like an answer. yurina¡¯s regular yet drowsy breathing somehow made him feel comfortable, so he let go of his stiff face and knelt down next to the bed. when he felt yurina¡¯s warmth by putting his forehead against her pretty forehead, his selfishness that he had pressed down grew again. ¡°wait a little bit.¡± when he brought it up, he choked up. his voice, opening his mouth again, was slightly filled with tears. ¡°i¡¯ll go back as soon as possible.¡± actually, he wanted her to be by his side all the time. even though there was no one listening, raynald couldn¡¯t say what he wanted to say the most. * * * the next day, yurina couldn¡¯t get out of bed easily. originally, she slept a lot and her mind was clear, but strangely, her body did not move as she wanted. maybe it was because the feeling of not wanting to leave was stronger than the thought of having to leave quickly. yurina, covered in a blanket, stayed in bed for a long time, and barely got up at bessie¡¯s urge to get up now. she was led by bessie¡¯s hand, took a bath in oil-filled water, and even after simple preparations, it was difficult to move as if she had a sandbag on her body. ¡°is he really leaving?¡±¡¯ yurina came out of the building and looked up at the sky. unlike her restless mind, the sky was clear without a cloud. if it had been cloudy and rainy, her mind would have been gloomy, so she thought it was better to be clear, but when she saw the bright sunlight, her judgment was strangely twisted. yurina frowned to the fullest in the bright sunlight and turned her head to bessie¡¯s voice calling her. ¡°lady, i brought a parasol. it¡¯s autumn and the sun is burning, so hurry and use it. or your skin will get damaged.¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s okay. i will get on a carriage soon.¡± ¡°you have to use it for a while. and i don¡¯t think the farewell will be over anytime soon.¡± well, it certainly seemed so. yurina was persuaded by bessie¡¯s last words and was gently handed the parasol. when she opened the embroidered parasol and looked sideways, she saw raynald only looking at the pitiful sky from afar. his expression was so stiff that even from a distance, she could feel his expression harden. ¡°ray, aren¡¯t you going to see me off?¡± yurina joked with a playful voice and reached out to him. turning his head, he smiled helplessly and approached her. perhaps they thought the greeting would be prolonged, so bessie and dave headed to the carriage, saying they were arranging the inside. raynald, standing in front of yurina, was silent for a long time, fiddling with yurina¡¯s hand. yurina also couldn¡¯t think of a suitable word, so she saved her words by looking at her hand. even though she knew she had to go quickly after saying goodbye, her lips hardly opened as if they were sealed with wax. ¡°yurina.¡± raynald, who had remained silent, took a deep breath and was the first to speak. ¡°can you use mana well?¡± ¡°yes. dave said that even though the amount in my body is small, the affinity is good. why did you ask that?¡± ¡°can you really use it well?¡± ¡°i heard recently that i tore up the space separation magic. i can use it well.¡± she was joking, but raynald didn¡¯t take it lightly, and his dark face stiffened even harder. ¡°i shouldn¡¯t have brought that up.¡± yurina belatedly regretted and focused mana on her palm to change the atmosphere. a chunk of nail-sized light protruding from her fingertip fell onto the back of raynald¡¯s hand, touching his finger. raynald lifted the corners of his mouth helplessly. ¡°yes, you¡¯re good.¡± ¡°that doesn¡¯t sound like a compliment.¡± ¡°it¡¯s a compliment.¡± ¡°really?¡± raynald, who nodded without an answer, took something out of his pocket and put it in yurina¡¯s hand. yurina stretched out her hand and checked the object on her palm. what he handed over was a necklace that looked somewhat rough at a glance. the necklace string was not metal, but a thin leather strap, and the red jewel pendant, the size of a little nail, was shaped like a gemstone without any decoration. yurina looked into the transparent red pendant and asked. ¡°is it a ruby?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not a ruby, it¡¯s my mana condensed.¡± raynald, who took the necklace back from yurina¡¯s hand, placed the necklace on yurina¡¯s neck. ¡°keep this on until i get back.¡± ¡°what¡¯s this?¡± ¡°magic pendant. i prepared it for self-defense.¡± ¡°self-defense? this?¡± yurina observed the pendant hanging around her neck. no matter how much she looked at it, it was just an ordinary pendant. ¡°i can¡¯t be next to you until i get back from graduation. before that, i prepared it just in case something happens.¡± when raynald tapped the pendant in yurina¡¯s hand with his fingertips, a bright light shone from the transparent jewel and disappeared. Chapter 49 ¡°if you hold this in the palm of your hand and use magic when something happens, you will be able to use strong magic just once. if it¡¯s not too far away, you can also use the magic to teleport to carthia¡¯s mansion. or go to master. if it¡¯s master, he¡¯ll be able to keep you safe.¡± ¡°but i don¡¯t know how to use such high-level magic.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t use it even if she learned, so she didn¡¯t learn the spell for teleportation in the first place. however, unlike yurina, who wasn¡¯t confident, raynald held the pendant in her hand without much fuss. ¡°don¡¯t worry. just hold the pendant like this and think of the magic you want. the mana required for magic, as well as the magic circle, are all in here.¡± ¡°is that really possible?¡± ¡°all magic tools available on the market are made on the same principle. however, other magic tools cannot use magic this strong.¡± while looking at yurina, who had the pendant in her palm, he spoke in a soft but firm voice. ¡°okay, yurina? don¡¯t take it off even when you¡¯re sleeping or bathing until i go back.¡± ¡°yes, i promise.¡± yurina checked raynald¡¯s serious frowning face and added. ¡°and don¡¯t worry too much. no such thing will happen. there¡¯s always an escort following me. when i go somewhere far, i¡¯ll have dave to be around me.¡± she had a rough idea of ??what he was worried about. in the beginning, when yurina brought him in, she added the condition that he should save her when she is in danger later. moreover, raynald had watched yurina become anxious about her death several times. perhaps he was also feeling a vague anxiety. ¡°so, relax and smile a little. it¡¯ll be really okay.¡± it¡¯ll be safe until the novel begins. there¡¯s no way an actor will disappear before they even go on stage. yurina just smiled while hiding her true feelings. unlike raynald, who was overly worried, she could confidently guarantee that nothing would happen because she knew the future to some extent. the fact that yurina and lydia were mentioned as candidates for the crown princess and that she was killed by marquis defron and ¡®charion¡¯ all happened after the coming-of-age ceremony. in other words, if something dangerous enough happened for him to worry about, it would only happen after he graduated and returned to the empire. ¡°my lady, it¡¯s time to get going. if we¡¯re late, we¡¯ll have no choice but to stop in an obscure place to rest.¡± at bessie¡¯s urging from behind, yurina gently pulled off his hand that was still holding the pendant. ¡°let¡¯s go. i¡¯ll take you to the carriage.¡± raynald held her hand. ¡°oh¡­¡± the moment she touched raynald¡¯s cold fingertips, who seemed nervous, her heart fluctuated like a wave in the still sea. yurina unknowingly smiled and hugged raynald¡¯s neck. at first, raynald, who stiffened in embarrassment, soon bent his knees slightly to her height, grabbed her waist, and hugged her tightly as if answering. yurina put her heel back on the ground and brushed his hair. ¡°i¡¯ll miss you a lot, ray.¡± ¡°me too¡­¡± ??raynald couldn¡¯t speak, and as if collapsing, he buried his face in the nape of her neck and hugged her around the waist. his cheeks, which reached the nape of her neck, were clearly dry, but somehow seemed to be wet with tears. yurina muttered in a higher-pitched voice than usual, trying to swallow the emotions that were rising in her stomach. ¡°don¡¯t cry because i¡¯m not here.¡± it was a joke, but raynald nodded gently. ¡°i¡¯ll write you a letter as soon as i get there. when you send a reply from now on, please write it in detail. write down stories about nathan and aiden.¡± ¡°yes.¡± the parting, which i thought would be easy because i had experienced it once, was more difficult than the first time. because i know all too well how lonely the time we were apart was and how happy our time together was. yurina patted him on the back and got out of his arms. raynald, who had let her go, tried to smile and held yurina¡¯s hand to help her climb onto the carriage. when the carriage began to move with the loud sound of the coachman, yurina opened the window and waved to him. ¡°goodbye, ray.¡± as he quickly moved away, he pointed a finger near his neck. yurina nodded, grabbing the pendant hanging from her neck in her hand. ¡°i will never let it go.¡± the pendant in her hand felt hot as if she was holding raynald¡¯s hand. yurina looked out of the carriage and waved until he was out of sight. on that day, the bright blue autumn sky, without a single cloud, was pouring with dazzling sunlight that brought tears to her eyes. Chapter 50 after looking at the letter for a while, yurina sealed it and sprayed a lot of perfume as usual. it was the same scent as the floral soap that raynald loved when he was a kid, saying it smelled good. yurina, who was fluttering like a fan, shook the bell with the letter exuding a pleasant scent. soon after, bessie brought a simple cookie with hot tea. ¡°did you call me, my lady?¡± yurina looked at bessie, who was setting the teacup on the table, with puzzled eyes. ¡°i didn¡¯t need tea.¡± however, this was not the time when yurina usually drank tea. bessie smiled as she poured the steaming tea into the cup. ¡°because the weather is cold. also, you still have a fever.¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay. i¡¯m all better.¡± although she spoke casually, yurina was actually a little bit sick. ??she had been living with a cold ever since she suffered a severe fever a while ago. in fact, even this morning, her head was heavy and her body felt stiff as if she had muscle pain, so she was only able to get up after lying in bed for a while. how did bessie know when i didn¡¯t even tell her? as if yurina¡¯s heart was revealed from her expression, bessie touched her forehead and laughed out loud. ¡°it¡¯s been 10 years since i¡¯ve served the young lady, did you think i wouldn¡¯t know? in winter, i can tell whether or not you have a cold just by looking at your face. you seemed to have a hard time waking up in the morning today. fortunately, you don¡¯t seem to have a fever. should i call the doctor just in case?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s okay. i don¡¯t have a cough or sore throat. my head is just a little heavy, so if i rest well today, i¡¯ll be fine tomorrow.¡± yurina took a sip of the warm tea as she watched bessie place a couple more firewood in the fireplace. instead of her usual black tea, the scent of chamomile tea, which is said to calm the mind, lingered in her mouth. bessie¡¯s consideration of the littlest things made her smile. ¡®consideration for the small things¡­¡¯ she didn¡¯t know why raynald¡¯s face came to mind at that phrase. yurina looked at the tin case on the table. it was the herbal tea that raynald had sent along with a letter. although he said it plainly as if it were nothing, the fact that aiden tessie noticed and prepared the finest tea leaves meant that raynald had worked hard to find a tea that was good for a cold so others could see it. ¡°bessie, make that tea next time.¡± yurina suddenly became very curious about the taste of that tea. even if it didn¡¯t taste good, she was determined to drink it. bessie, who was observing while holding a mint-colored tin case that looked luxurious at first glance, exclaimed. ??¡±these are tea leaves from the kingdom of crohn. did raynald send them?¡± ¡°yes. dave must have told ray about the fever i had last time i went to the crohn kingdom. he sent me a tea that¡¯s good for colds. they say it¡¯s a special product of the tessie territory.¡± bessie carefully opened the lid to smell the tea leaves so that they wouldn¡¯t spill out. ¡°it smells good too. but i don¡¯t know what kind of tea it is. it¡¯s my first time smelling such a sweet scent.¡± ¡°this is the first time i¡¯ve ever seen this tea too. it must only be produced in the crohn kingdom. they say you can add milk, so you can drink it as milk tea.¡± bessie quickly spoke to yurina, who took her hand back to the teacup. ¡°my lady, please wait a minute.¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll make a new cup of tea for you quickly!¡± yurina lightly shook her head. ¡°no, you don¡¯t have to. you can just make it next time.¡± ¡°no! i think this tea would be better. i¡¯ll warm up the milk and bring it to you.¡± it was really okay. however, even though it would be cumbersome to go back and forth, she couldn¡¯t say it was okay anymore because bessie looked happy. eventually, when yurina nodded reluctantly, bessie left the room with an excited expression on her face. ¡°oh, by the way, bessie.¡± recalling the reason why she called her in the first place, yurina pointed back to the table. ¡°please send that letter to the crohn kingdom.¡± ¡°yes, my lady.¡± bessie smiled brightly and left the room with a letter and a tin case. * * * the tea that raynald gave her was much better than she expected. although he said it was a good tea for colds, he also took yurina¡¯s taste into consideration, and as soon as she took a sip, she smelled the sweet fruity scent she liked. the sweet scent lingered on the tip of her tongue, but at the same time, it felt bitter, so it wasn¡¯t burdensome even when served with sweet desserts. she thought it would taste like medicinal herbs because it was said to be good for colds. however, it was not so burdensome and it could be enjoyed lightly all year round. even if it didn¡¯t taste good, yurina tried to drink it with sincerity, but she liked the tea enough to empty the kettle in no time. ¡®i¡¯ll have to ask you to send me a little more the next time i send you a letter.¡¯ yurina thought it would be nice to give it to the people she¡¯s close with. after having tea time with bessie, who was sitting across from her, she said it was okay and yurina got up. this was because one of the maids from marquess carthia came and told her that marquess wanted to meet yurina. even though she was only moving inside the mansion, bessie made a fuss as she followed. ¡°my lady, why don¡¯t you just leave?¡± bessie had a scarf, gloves, and earmuffs in her hands. when yurina nodded in refusal, bessie pouted her lips. ¡°then you¡¯ll catch a cold.¡± ¡°i¡¯m going to be back in a bit, so it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°no. last time you said it was okay because you were only out for a little while, but you caught a cold.¡± when she said that, yurina didn¡¯t have much to say. since she already had a record, yurina gently approached bessie. ¡°then i¡¯ll just wear a scarf. i¡¯m not even going out, so earmuffs and gloves are too much.¡± ¡°yes.¡± yurina, wrapped in a red scarf, entered marquess carthia¡¯s room and looked around. even though it was midday, the room was dark because the curtains were closed. there were only a few candles lit to light up the room. she felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere that was different from her room, which was always bright. yurina paused for a moment, then passed the drawing-room and headed to the bedroom. the marquess was sitting on the bed, giving instructions to the maids who were taking out dresses one by one. as yurina approached the bedside, the marquess finally looked at yurina and gave her a light smile. ¡°you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°mother.¡± yurina held her hand as she sat on the chair the maid had placed in front of the bed. although it was winter, warm air lingered in the room because of the fireplace, but the marquess¡¯ hands were as cold as ice. ¡°how are you feeling?¡± ¡°how? i¡¯m very good.¡± contrary to her calm voice, her complexion was so pale that it was noticeable even in the dark. as with other noblewomen, the marquess was originally on the weak side. even so, surprisingly, she hardly had any small sicknesses, but strangely, her body started to get worse from the fall of last year. the family doctor, as well as dave, tried to figure out the cause, but several months later, they still couldn¡¯t find the cause. there was no particular illness, and there were no symptoms of poisoning. the doctor cautiously said, ¡®people who have poor physical strength can get sick rapidly as they get older.¡¯ the marquess stayed healthy last summer, even when it was hotter than usual. if there was an abnormality, it should have appeared from then on. both the doctor and the people of the carthia family knew it was just an excuse because they couldn¡¯t find the cause. the people of the whole mansion stuck together and took care of her with all their hearts, but her condition did not improve at all because the cause was unknown in the first place. for now, it was best that her health did not deteriorate further. ¡°you should worry about yourself more than me. i don¡¯t think your complexion looks good. is your fever rising again?¡± the marquess patted yurina¡¯s cheeks and forehead with her cold hands. the marquess was worried that yurina¡¯s face was hot, but no matter how much she thought about it, yurina¡¯s cheeks weren¡¯t hot, but instead, her hands were cold. yurina continued to hold her hand that was caressing her face and neck, blowing a breath. ??¡°don¡¯t worry about me, i¡¯ll worry about my mother first. the room is so warm, but your hands are so cold. are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°sure. i feel light today after a long time. i feel refreshed. why don¡¯t we go for a walk together later?¡± ¡°even if the sun is shining like that, the wind is quite chilly. rest in your room today and go out next time when the weather is a little warmer. even if you¡¯re frustrated, spring is coming soon, so hang in there a little more.¡± ¡°you guys treat me too much like a patient that i¡¯m going to get sick.¡± ¡°you guys?¡± ¡°riggs came earlier and said the same thing.¡± the marquess grumbled in a clear voice so it was hard to believe that she was a patient with a horrible illness. yurina gently rubbed the back of her hand and examined the marquess¡¯ face. the marquess had always been like a pure iris flower. it was unbelievable that she was a mother of four children, and still so pretty and youthful. her wrinkles were barely visible on her white, firm skin that was envied not only by wives of her age but also by girls of yurina¡¯s age. her bright, curious personality and behavior, and her way of talking made her feel like a teenage girl, so yurina sometimes thought that she was not just a mother but a friend. her face had become more emaciated over the past few months, and her eyes had darkened. she lost a lot of weight and said that the dress she bought before was now very loose around her waist. ¡°madam, what should we do about this?¡± ¡°ah, that¡¯s a dress i really cherish¡­ i can¡¯t wear it anymore because it¡¯s too big, and it¡¯s a waste to throw it away.¡± Chapter 51 ¡°huh? what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s nothing. i¡¯m just happy to think that i inherited a pretty dress.¡± her voice sounded like she was crying without even realizing it because the words were caught in her throat. fortunately, the marchioness seemed to accept that it was because yurina was emotional. ¡°he¡¯s so- what are you doing? oh, okay. since you¡¯re here, take the jewelry that goes well with that dress. let¡¯s see. there was a set of pearls that i used to enjoy wearing.¡± when the marchioness lightly clapped her hands, the maids who were organizing the dresses entered the dressing room and began unpacking jewelry boxes. she took the pieces one by one and put everything on yurina¡¯s neck and ears. ¡°oh, you¡¯re pretty no matter what you wear. of course, parents say that their children are the prettiest, but you would have looked pretty even if you were not my daughter. pearls look good on you, but these diamond earrings look better on you.¡± yurina barely lifted up the corners of her mouth by moving the muscles she was trying to harden, but it felt more difficult than lifting a big rock. the marchioness, who had no idea of her feelings, handed three boxes to the maid waiting next to yurina. ¡°take it all. it¡¯s better for you to have it than for me.¡± yurina nodded silently at her bright smile. seven years ago, when she first fell into this strange world till now, the marchioness had given her warm love. when she first fell into this world she was confused and the marchioness held her hand at her bedside all night and sang a lullaby for her. not long after, despite the dissuasion of her family and employees, the marchioness stood by yurina suffering from a fever, wiping her face and body constantly with a cold wet towel. perhaps that was why yurina relied the most on the marchioness when she first came to the world and was very confused. it took quite a long time to recognize her as a mother, but as a person she was the most open-minded to her. because she was reminded of her mother who always smiled and took care of her warmly. ¡®if i hadn¡¯t turned to her, i would have died from loneliness.¡¯ at first, she had no choice but to rely on the marchioness even more after raynald, who she could rely on, left. seven years with her. at first, she was just a caring and kind lady, but she quickly became a friend who she could rely on with her heart. now the marchioness was her one and only beloved mother. it wasn¡¯t just the marchioness. marquis carthia, who was a little strict and friendly, and her three brothers, who couldn¡¯t spend time properly while at the academy when she first came here, gave too much affection. they became annoying but comfortable brothers when they were together. the stranger, who had been shaken by the inability to establish her identity for the past seven years, finally became ¡®yurina carthia¡¯. but still, whenever yurina saw her bright smile like a child, her heart ached. even if she was not the marchioness¡¯ real daughter, would she still look at yurina like she did now? it was a question that yurina desperately wanted to ask, but she could never ask. she had never thought that before, not even in passing. this was why she was afraid of what would happen after thinking that. yurina swallowed down what was stuck in her throat and asked another question instead. ¡°by the way, what brought you here?¡± ¡°oh, my. look where my mind is at.¡± the marchioness clapped her hands so that the maids, who were busy organizing dresses and accessories, could hear it. they put down what was in their hands and left the room. ¡°is it serious?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s not like that. i just wanted to talk comfortably with you.¡± the marchioness picked up the teapot left by the maids and poured tea into yurina¡¯s cup. ¡°there will be a hunting contest soon.¡± ¡°it¡¯s already that time.¡± yurina nodded as she quickly counted the days in her head. in the month of sprouts from winter to spring, the imperial family hosted a hunting competition in the jenus mountains, which was said to have been blessed by the goddess. there was only about two months left. the origin of this hunting competition dated back to the founding of the empire. at that time, the boundary magic protecting the empire was not as developed as it was now. so at the beginning of spring, animals that awoke from hibernation frequently attacked houses to find food. it was the most basic duty of the nobleman to keep the people safe. to this end, the origin of the hunting competition was that in early spring, a group of knights were set up in all villages to start hunting around the mountains so that animals did not attack them. now that the boundary magic was so well developed that there was no reason to go hunting, emperor leander ii, feeling sorry for the loss of the tradition that had been passed down for a long time, held the hunting competition. there was a grand cause for continuing tradition, but the competition created was very different from the spring hunting from the early days of the empire. now, only the nobles or knights belonging to the nobles were allowed to participate. ¡°it¡¯s like a picnic for nobles.¡± in the past, there were quite a few people who were bitten or killed by animals, so it was said that the whole empire was engulfed in tension in early spring, but now it was different. the dangerous animals, such as bears and wolves, were handled by professional hunters in advance. only animals such as deer and foxes ran around when nobles participated. it had been a long time since it turned into an annual event with nothing at risk. the meaning of the hunting competition was also focused on raising the honor of the family by catching many prey rather than protecting the empire. ¡°why are we talking about the hunting contest so suddenly? ¡°as you know, i get tired these days. i don¡¯t think my body will recover completely until the hunting competition.¡± ¡°don¡¯t say things like that. you¡¯ll get better soon.¡± ¡°i want to think so, but i know my body best. if i went to the hunting contest with a body like this, i¡¯d be nothing but a burden.¡± yurina wanted to comfort the marchioness more, but she couldn¡¯t help but talk. she was nervous that the marchioness health would not improve and that it would only worsen. ¡°so, why don¡¯t you participate in the hunting contest instead of me this year?¡± yurina blinked blankly, which was advantageous for the sudden proposal, and belatedly opened her mouth. ¡°what? but mother, i¡­¡± ¡°i know. you¡¯re not an adult yet. but you¡¯ll be seventeen soon. with the permission of your father, you are old enough to participate in the hunting contest on behalf of our family.¡± yurina had not participated in official social activities because she was not an adult. she took part in private gatherings and birthday parties, but nothing in the name of her family. it wasn¡¯t particularly impossible, but she was reluctant to come out and meet curtis, the crown prince. until the beginning of the original novel, yurina didn¡¯t want to be exposed to society as much as possible. during the hunting competition, she would spend time leisurely at the villa in the jenus mountains without officially showing her face. the only thing she had to do throughout the hunting competition was to stay locked up in the villa and play with the maid and hear the news from the servants in real-time. ¡®will it be okay for me to go?¡¯ yurina could not readily answer. curtis was the crown prince, but he also did not show his face outwardly before the original work began. it would be nice to know if ¡°yurina¡± participated in the competition around this time in the original work. it was not mentioned at all because it was a story before the beginning of the original work. ¡®well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡¯ little things might have changed when she brought raynald, but the big picture hadn¡¯t changed yet. she thought that she must have participated in a hunting contest even in the original. after a brief thought, yurina nodded. ¡°yes, i¡¯ll go instead.¡± the answer to this question had already been decided anyway. what noblewomen did in hunting competitions was boost the morale of families and interact with other families if they did not participate. nothing particularly strained your body, but you had to spend a few days in the sun. if you were healthy, there would be no problem, but it could have been poisonous to the marchioness, who had to stay indoors comfortably if possible. even though yurina knew that, she couldn¡¯t accept it heartily. marchioness carthia was now the most precious mother to yurina. ¡®well, nothing¡¯s going to happen.¡¯ yurina smiled calmly and held the marchioness¡¯ hand tightly. ¡°i don¡¯t know if i can do it well, but i¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°you¡¯re my daughter, so you¡¯ll do well.¡± yurina had to smile brighter to swallow the guilt that came to mind again. * * * the decision to participate in the hunting competition was somewhat abrupt, but after that, yurina began to make necessary preparations quickly. along with bessie and other maids, she chose dresses to wear throughout the hunting competition and accessories that match them. the marchioness educated her to appear externally to people during the hunting competition. marquis carthia informed her of the main contents of the family that frequently interacted with the carthia family and the family that needed exchanges in the future. even though yurina had more than a month of preparation, she was so busy that she didn¡¯t even know how her days passed. there had been many times when she wished she had two bodies. among them, what yurina paid the most attention to was handkerchiefs for the marquis and three older brothers during the hunting competition. ¡®it¡¯s a classic event of a hunting contest.¡¯ the young knight vowed in front of the lady, saying he would catch the best prey and make them shine the most, and the lady handed over a carefully embroidered handkerchief to pray for the safe return of such a knight. usually, these handkerchiefs are given to lovers or fiancees, but people who did not have lovers or fiancees, such as yurina, used to give them to their families. she was making four handkerchiefs in all because she was not confident that one wouldn¡¯t get it. she was worried that if she made the embroidery pattern different, there would be another fight, so she decided to embroider the family crest. ¡°but i didn¡¯t know it would be this hard.¡± yurina sighed, pressing down her stiff eyes. objectively, yurina¡¯s embroidery skills were pretty good. her embroidery teacher said that she was sarcastic, but she was praised for being one of the best in the empire. she only found that her family crest was too difficult. it was a perceived notion that the more prestigious a family was, the more complex the family crest was. an eagle holding a sword was nice. but having four in the crest made it difficult. ¡®when will i finish making it?¡¯ it had already been a week since she started embroidering, but hadn¡¯t completed a single handkerchief. yurina lifted her embroidered handkerchief to her eye level and observed it, then sighed. at this hour, she thought she had to keep going, so she picked up the needle again but heard a knock. ¡°yurina, what are you doing?¡± ¡°can i come in?¡± a familiar voice flowed into the room with the sound of the door opening. yurina quickly hid her handkerchief and embroidery tools behind her back. at the same time, edwin and justin carthia came close to her. ¡®i would have gotten caught if i was a little late.¡¯ yurina smiled in relief. ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± edwin and justin were yurina¡¯s second and third brothers, respectively. they were twins so yurina tied them together and called them ¡°little brothers.¡± ¡°just wanted to see your face.¡± ¡°we couldn¡¯t have dinner together because we came late today.¡± the two men sat opposite of yurina and laughed with the same expression. it was only after a brief look that yurina noticed that the person sitting on the left was edwin and the person sitting on the right was justin. they were so alike that it was hard for their families to recognize them, but if you looked closely, edwin¡¯s eyes were slightly more droopy than justin¡¯s. ¡°i¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning anyway. why are you here? you must be tired, go to your room and rest.¡± yurina said this because she was worried that the two couldn¡¯t even change their outdoor clothes, but rather, the two eyes were wild as if they were shocked. the blue-gray eyes inherited from marquis carthia shook like an earthquake. ¡°yurina, you aren¡¯t¡­happy to see your brothers?¡± ¡°are we bothering you?¡± whew. yurina inadvertently tried to sigh, but belatedly swallowed it in her throat. Chapter 52 ¡®my brothers are fools.¡¯ yurina¡¯s three older brothers, riggs, edwin, and justin carthia really cherished their youngest sister, yurina, like the silly older brothers in romance fantasy novels. they literally, ¡®terribly¡¯ cherished her. riggs, who had a calm personality, was a little less, but edwin and justin, who were hot-tempered, uncharacteristic of the carthia family, were so affectionate to yurina that she could not handle them. ever since she was little, whenever they saw yurina, they held her in their arms and kissed her on the face, saying she was cute, and they also sent yurina letters and gifts every week from the academy. ¡®it was really hard back then.¡¯ now they felt like real brothers, but when everything was unfamiliar shortly after she came here, their affection was just burdensome. she couldn¡¯t help it. when yurina was 10, riggs was 16, and edwin and justin were 13. unfamiliar boys, who felt much younger than her, poured out excessive affection to yurina, which made her feel embarrassed. still, yurina couldn¡¯t express her dislike openly because of her conscience that hated her older brothers, so she slowly avoided them. however, when edwin, who had been chasing after her, tried to kiss her on the mouth, she could not bear it and quickly ran away, getting fed up. at that time, the three older brothers were speechless with very shocked faces. she thought she did something very mean, but yurina was also in shock and didn¡¯t even look at them. ¨C this is ridiculous! edwin, who saw it, jumped like an angry foal, saying that yurina must have forgotten his face because she had not seen him for a long time since he was attending the academy. in the end, the servants were stunned by his ridiculous insistence that he did not want to return to the academy. at that time, yurina thought that he was pathetic from a really objective point of view. in the end, after yurina kissed edwin on the cheek, he returned to the academy with a satisfied face. since then, the three men have worked even harder at the academy to send letters and gifts, and often visited the mansion whenever they had the chance. perhaps thanks to such efforts, yurina became familiar with the three older brothers and they felt like her real older brothers. ¡®although the excessive affection is still a little strange.¡¯ yurina smiled naturally to comfort the two men who were still in shock. ¡°my brothers are bothering me. it¡¯s because i¡¯m worried about my brothers getting tired.¡± only then did the two men smile brightly. ¡°i¡¯m not tired at all!¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. if you¡¯re tired of training this much, you can¡¯t be called a knight. i didn¡¯t see you this morning, so i wanted to see you now.¡± ¡°that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°by the way, yurina, who is your escort for the hunting competition?¡± ¡°escort?¡± yurina could not answer immediately. there were so many things to prepare that she didn¡¯t even think about it because she was busy. after hearing edwin¡¯s question a little while ago, yurina belatedly thought, ¡®that¡¯s right, i have to think about an escort as well.¡¯ ¡°won¡¯t father do it for me?¡± ¡°did father say he would?¡± ¡°no, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± in hunting competitions as well as in public places, escorts are usually lovers or fianc¨¦s. if there is no lover or fianc¨¦, it is common for family members to do it. since yurina doesn¡¯t have both, her family has to do it, but she wondered if her father, the oldest, would do it. however, as if it wasn¡¯t the answer he wanted, edwin raised his eyebrows and rubbed his chin. ¡°hmm, is that so?¡± as he glanced at justin with a strange expression on his face, justin also faced edwin with a look that seemed to be up to something. ¡°what are you thinking about?¡± ¡°it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°yeah. it¡¯s nothing.¡± their smiles seemed too suspicious to pass over as nothing. however, yurina did not ask anymore. * * * ¡°lady.¡± yurina, who had already completed two handkerchiefs and was making the third handkerchief, looked up at the door. one of the servants bowed towards her in front of the door. ¡°the young masters said they had something to tell you.¡± ¡°yes?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll guide you.¡± yurina followed the servant and left the room. as she walked down the bustling hallway with servants, she suddenly had a question. ¡®why are you looking for me?¡¯ her brothers came directly if they had something to say, so they didn¡¯t tell yurina to come. the reason was that her pretty older brothers would have a hard time. when yurina expressed her doubts, the servant stopped and smiled awkwardly. ¡°well, you¡¯ll know when you go, my lady.¡± instead of questioning further, yurina motioned to guide her quickly. it was only after she arrived at the training grounds after following her that she could understand what she meant. edwin and justin, who had called her, were fighting with the support of the knights. ¡®you called me?¡¯ ??when yurina silently looked at the servant, she was restless and placed a chair in the corner of the training hall. ¡°he said to wait a moment.¡± ¡°yes?¡± yurina sat down on the chair she prepared for her without further voicing her thoughts. she couldn¡¯t figure out why her brothers were asking her to wait, but she decided to wait silently because there was nothing urgent. only then did the servant bow with a relieved face and hurried into the mansion. ¡®it¡¯ll be over soon anyway.¡¯ however, contrary to her expectations, the two continued their fierce confrontation for quite a while. whenever she heard the sound of wooden swords clashing, suppressed exclamations leaked from the knights who were holding their breath. unlike them, yurina watched their spar with a gloomy face. she had no interest in swords at all and was more concerned about the sand in the training grounds than the twin¡¯s battle, who had a lot to learn just by looking at them. besides, sitting still for more than ten minutes under the scorching sun was like death. it was still the end of winter, so the sun wasn¡¯t too hot, but bessie made a fuss and gave her a parasol, so that she could not bask in the sunlight. there were a lot of eyes on yurina, so she pressed down on her hot face with a smile, and suddenly a shadow fell over her head. ¡®is it bessie?¡¯ yurina looked back slowly to say thank you and smiled brightly when she saw the man smiling. ¡°older brother.¡± it was riggs carthia. yurina¡¯s eldest brother. he was wearing a training uniform, perhaps because he found her while going out to the training grounds to practice. ¡°what are you doing here?¡± ¡°i was watching my brothers spar.¡± riggs raised his eyebrows slightly as if he were surprised. ¡°what kind of wind suddenly blew? are you interested because the hunting competition is getting closer?¡± yurina shook her head lightly. ??¡°it¡¯s not like that, i came out because my brothers said they were looking for me, but i was waiting because they were in a match. i thought it would be over soon, but it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°hmm, really?¡± riggs glanced at edwin and justin with unimpressed eyes. he immediately shrugged his shoulders once and slightly pinched yurina¡¯s cheek. yurina deliberately looked at him with a pouty face, but in reality it didn¡¯t hurt at all. unlike the twins who were hot-tempered, riggs carthia was so calm that anyone could tell that he was a member of carthia. unlike the twins who had been constantly sticking to yurina since childhood, kissing and hugging her, his expressions of affection were also tame. all he did was pinch her cheeks or pat her head when yurina looked as cute as she was now. yurina thought that he was more sparing of her than she thought, but that wasn¡¯t the case. one day, when he returned to the mansion from vacation, yurina fell ill with a serious fever, and he cried next to yurina saying that his sister must not die. it happened when she was sixteen. of course, compared to the twins who were bawling with tears and runny nose, he was calm, but yurina fully felt his affection at that time. ¡®it¡¯s better to be calm like this.¡¯ now, she feels like they¡¯re her real older brothers, but at the time when she wasn¡¯t completely yurina, she liked the calm riggs the most. it was also riggs who opened her heart first. ¡°brother, doesn¡¯t your leg hurt? shall i ask them to bring a chair?¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay. i¡¯m going to practice right after they¡¯re finished. by the way, are you preparing for the hunting competition well?¡± ¡°there¡¯s nothing to do well at. there¡¯s nothing for me to do.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± he let out a small laugh. unlike his mature face, he had a youthful smile. somehow, she felt better, so yurina laughed too. then riggs suddenly asked with a voice mixed with laughter. ¡°oh, right. who is going to be your escort?¡± ¡°isn¡¯t father going to do it?¡± in particular, marquis carthia did not say he would do it, but yurina naturally thought so. however, looking at him tilting his head, she asked back in an unconfident voice. ¡°no?¡± ¡°didn¡¯t father tell you?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°yes, one of us was supposed to be the escort. father said he might return to the villa early to see mother.¡± ¡°oh, really?¡± riggs looked at yurina who nodded without much emotion, leaned his back to meet her eye level. then he smiled with his eyes. ¡°yurina, do you want your older brother to escort you?¡± ¡°okay.¡± ¡°that¡¯s good, but aren¡¯t you answering too quickly?¡± yurina shook her head at him, who was playfully complaining that it didn¡¯t matter who it was. Chapter 53 excited cheers erupted from the training grounds, which was as quiet as a dead mouse. yurina looked at riggs with bewildered eyes. ¡°how did you know?¡± ¡°for a moment, justin¡¯s movements slowed down. if you miss that gap, you can¡¯t be called a carthia.¡± can you see that? while yurina was still confused after hearing the explanation, riggs waved at edwin and justin and whistled. the two, who were cleaning up their swords, turned to riggs and smiled brightly when they found yurina sitting next to him. in particular, edwin smiled triumphantly and pointed his thumb at justin. it was a face boasting, ¡®i won!¡¯ justin pushed edwin¡¯s wooden sword with a rough touch. ¡®i can¡¯t stop you, really.¡¯ the two men quickly handed their wooden swords to the servant and ran towards yurina. as the sand fluttered through the wind in the training grounds, yurina waved her fan with a smile. ¡°it¡¯s blowing dust.¡± ¡°sorry, i was in a hurry.¡± first, justin approached yurina and shook off the fine grains of sand from yurina¡¯s cheek with an apologetic face. edwin stood in front of yurina, pushing his shoulder with his. ¡°yurina, did you see that?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°i won.¡± ¡°yes, i saw that, too.¡± ¡°i did a good job, right?¡± ¡°yes.¡± as if yurina¡¯s dry answer was just as good, edwin¡¯s face was still smiling. on the other hand, justin glanced at edwin and bit his lip tightly. ¡®what¡¯s wrong with him?¡¯ it was an overreaction to simply say that it was because he lost the spar. in fact, whenever the two had a spar, they always laughed and praised each other for being a good match, regardless of victory or defeat. although the conflicting appearance of the two was strange, yurina did not pay any more attention and gestured to the servant in the corner of the training grounds. the servant who was called brought the towels and cold drinks he had prepared and handed them to edwin and justin. the two of them wiped their dirty faces and necks with rough hands. ¡°why did you call me?¡± ¡°yurina, i¡¯ll be your first escort.¡± as justin spoke, edwin pushed his shoulder with his own once more. ¡°justin, your promise is different. obviously, i won the competition. yurina, don¡¯t listen to him. i¡¯ll do it.¡± yurina looked alternately at the two people whose faces were still red. unlike their fiery personality, their eyes were slightly drooping, and it was also very burdensome for the two to look down desperately at the same time. ¡®what is this?¡¯ then, belatedly realizing the meaning of their conversation, she asked. ¡°did you bet on being my escort?¡± yurina wondered why they were rushing to death like they were in a duel, but she also wondered why they hid it. she thought about it for a moment, but yurina had no choice but to admit it. if it was those two people, it was likely enough. naturally, riggs had agreed to it too, but he answered instead of the twins. ¡°why not? they could do that.¡± having already received yurina¡¯s consent to escort her, a winner¡¯s smile appeared on his face. he tapped edwin and justin on the shoulder, quietly waiting for yurina¡¯s answer. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, but i¡¯m yurina¡¯s escort.¡± ¡°what? when?¡± ¡°wait, brother! how could you do that!¡± edwin and justin¡¯s blue-grey eyes turned to riggs first. their faces contorted into similar shapes as if they were identical twins. ¡°this¡¯s not polite! we even went all the way to spar to be yurina¡¯s escort!¡± ¡°that¡¯s what i¡¯m talking about, justin. you lost the spar. if it¡¯s unfair, it¡¯s unfair for me. why are you upset? you¡¯re being rude and ignoring your promise and asking to be her escort. and like justin said, this is not the right thing to do.¡± riggs crossed his arms, looking at the two people who seemed to have a lot to say. ¡°it¡¯s none of my business that you guys had a spar. why didn¡¯t you ask sooner if you feel like it¡¯s unfair?¡± he watched the twins¡¯ hardening faces and reluctantly added. ¡°well, if it¡¯s unfair, you should fight with me again. i can give you that much.¡± at first glance, it sounded like he was saying that they should compete fair and square in a spar. however, edwin¡¯s face, who knew what it meant, was even more contorted than before, and yurina clicked her tongue slightly. ¡®you¡¯re mean.¡¯ if raynald had been said to be a magical genius since childhood, it was riggs carthia who constantly heard that he was talented since the time he started walking and held a toy wooden sword. as soon as he graduated from the academy 5 years ago, he was rumored to be one of the most prominent knights in the empire as he became the youngest winner of a swordsmanship competition hosted by the imperial family at the age of 18. edwin and justin were also recognized for their skills as they were from the carthia family, who were famous for their swordsmanship, but they couldn¡¯t even reach riggs¡¯ toes¡­ riggs once proudly said to yurina. the twins, who were looking at riggs¡¯ soft but determined expression, turned to yurina as if they had changed their goals. yurina shrugged lightly. ??¡°i can¡¯t help you even if you look at me like that. brother riggs came first. if you wanted to do it, you should have come a little earlier.¡± disappointment flashed across edwin and justin¡¯s faces as yurina placed her hand on riggs¡¯ hand. but they couldn¡¯t say anything anymore and just muddled their wet hair. ¡°i just lost my energy before the hunting competition. i need to wash up.¡± ¡°me too.¡± the two of them headed to the mansion, glaring at riggs for the last time. yurina smiled slightly as she watched the backs of the two moving away. * * * ¡°my lady, what kind of handkerchief is that?¡± yurina, who had been concentrating on embroidery for a while, looked up at bessie¡¯s voice. bessie blinked curiously as she looked at the handkerchief in her hand. ¡°my lady, you¡¯ve already completed the handkerchiefs for the master and young masters.¡± ¡°oh, this?¡± yurina laughed playfully at bessie, who was waiting for an answer with curious eyes. ¡°secret.¡± ¡°yes?¡± ¡°it¡¯s a secret, bessie.¡± she put her index finger to her lips. bessie didn¡¯t ask any more, knowing that yurina wouldn¡¯t answer. instead, bessie went out to bring tea because she said yurina must be tired. yurina did not realize that bessie was smiling before she left. only after she heard the door closing did yurina look at the handkerchief again. as bessie said, the handkerchiefs for the four men in carthia were already completed last week. this was a handkerchief to send to raynald at the academy. however, she couldn¡¯t bear to say that she would give a handkerchief to him, who doesn¡¯t even participate in hunting competitions so she decided to keep it a secret from bessie. yurina hummed without realizing it as she looked at the yellow flowers embroidered on the corners of the ivory-colored handkerchief. this flower reminded her of the field full of flowers that she had visited with raynald at the academy last fall. ¨C i often come here whenever i miss you. because whenever i come here, i always feel like i¡¯m with you. yurina wanted to embroider the yellow flowers she saw at that time to give him even a little memory of his hometown. it wasn¡¯t that difficult to create a design because the flower wreath he had made at that time still remained. yurina moved the needle again, looking at the wreath of yellow flowers placed on the table. thanks to raynald¡¯s magic, the flower wreath was as fresh as if it was made this morning. not only the shape but also the scent was as fresh as freshly picked flowers. ¡®i have to finish it soon.¡¯ there was not much time left before the hunting competition. when the hunting competition began, yurina would be busy and wouldn¡¯t have time to embroider, so she wanted to finish it and send it to the academy before then. yurina thought it would be perfect if she sprayed floral perfume on the letter and sent it together. ¡®wait a minute.¡¯ while thinking about the letter, yurina blinked blankly as she looked into the air at a thought that suddenly came to mind. ¡°my lady, i brought tea. after seeing the embroidery that the lady was doing, i thought flower tea would be good, so i prepared it. doesn¡¯t it smell good?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°my lady?¡± yurina, who was spaced out until bessie poured the tea, finally opened her mouth. ¡°bessie, what¡¯s the date today?¡± ¡°today? well¡­¡± it was a random question, but bessie diligently answered while counting the date by folding her fingers one by one. ¡°it¡¯s the 4th day of the month of sprouts.¡± the month of sprouts is the third month of the year, and it can be said that it is the month that usually marks the beginning of spring among the four seasons. bessie¡¯s eyes widened as if surprised by what she said. ¡°wow, it¡¯s already the month of sprouts, time goes by so fast. i was so busy preparing for the hunting competition that i didn¡¯t even know the time was passing. we¡¯ll be leaving for the zenus mountains soon. i¡¯ll have to hurry up and get ready. my lady, you haven¡¯t picked out all the dresses you want to take with you yet.¡± ¡°my lady?¡± yurina got up from her seat while listening to her words through one ear. then she quickly headed to her desk, which she usually uses to read books or write letters. ¡®it¡¯s weird.¡¯ she opened the drawer attached to the desk and opened the topmost letter among the many letters. [to yurina. not long ago, i heard from master that you are suffering from a cold. the empire wasn¡¯t very cold this year, so what did you do to catch such a bad cold?] it was the most recent letter from raynald. yurina skipped all the contents and checked the last part. [year 473, the 19th day of the month of silence, raynald.] the month of silence is the last of the twelve months. yurina couldn¡¯t remember exactly when she received this letter. however, considering that it takes 10 days at the earliest to receive letters from the crohn kingdom to the empire and 15 days at the latest, it must have been received at the beginning of january. yurina glared at ¡®the 19th day of the month of silence¡¯ with the spirit to make a hole. ¡®now it¡¯s this the month of sprouts?¡¯ the moment she recognized it, an unexpected realization came to her. ¡°what?¡± raynald¡¯s letter, which had been coming every month for six years, had not come for two months already. Chapter 54 * * * ¡°come to think of it, the student sponsored by the tessie family was the top student at the royal academy this time, right?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. i heard it too. my father praised count tessie for having a very good eye.¡± ¡°is he going to join the imperial knights right after he graduates?¡± the stories of the girls came and went on the table with sweet desserts. the tea time atmosphere was always friendly as only young girls from families with the same political background as the carthia family gathered. there were no checks or strife to be found anywhere. tl/n: checks meaning to keep each other in line starting with those words, the topic of the conversation shifted to the talents sponsored by each family. as if in a warm atmosphere, everyone praised each other¡¯s family¡¯s ability to sponsor and discerning eye to discover such talent. yurina responded with a noble smile that was now almost a habit. in fact, she was caught up in other thoughts and couldn¡¯t think of the conversations around her. this was because there was someone who came to mind about the sponsorship story. ¡®ray¡­¡¯ it wasn¡¯t just now. after realizing that she hadn¡¯t received a letter from raynald a few days ago, she thought of him from time to time. no matter how hard yurina tried not to, whenever her concentration was a little disturbed, his face popped up in her head without her realizing it. ¡°oh, lady carthia.¡± at the sound of her suddenly being called, yurina quickly raised her head. a straight smile appeared on her face, as if she had been worried. ¡°yes, lady baron.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve never seen these gloves before. which store¡¯s design is it? it¡¯s so pretty.¡± lady baron¡¯s brown eyes turned to yurina¡¯s hand, which was trembling in nervousness. perhaps it wasn¡¯t a formal compliment because lady baron¡¯s face was full of curiosity. starting with those words, the eyes of the girls sitting at the same table turned to yurina¡¯s hand, which was trembling in nervousness. ¡°i know, right. it¡¯s an unusual design, but it¡¯s really pretty.¡± ¡°why haven¡¯t i seen it before?¡± ¡°if you don¡¯t mind, can i ask which store you ordered it from?¡± ¡°oh, this?¡± yurina looked at the gloves she was wearing. it was the first time that all the young girls had seen it. ¡®it¡¯s unique.¡¯ this was a gift that raynald sent last fall in return for the birthday present from yurina. he said that gloves are popular among young women in the crohn kingdom recently, and he hoped she would like them. when yurina first saw these gloves, she was also surprised by the unusual design. unlike the long gloves that are popular in imperial society these days, these were a short length that only slightly covered the wrist. but what was more unusual was the material of the fabric. unlike imperial gloves, which were embroidered with colorful embroidery on opaque fabrics, these were made of transparent fabric. there was no special decoration, but the lace decoration in the middle stood out. it would take some time for the trend to spread to countries other than the crohn kingdom by using magic to make it a little more robust and sophisticated, raynald added at the end of the letter. ¡°it was a gift. it¡¯s a design that¡¯s trending recently in the crohn kingdom.¡± as yurina placed her hands on the table, the girls bent over and began to observe a little more closely. some even took turns comparing the gloves they were wearing. ¡°the crohn kingdom? no wonder it¡¯s a style i¡¯ve never seen before.¡± ¡°how did you get the gloves from the crohn kingdom?¡± the people of the empire, who were ahead of the crohn kingdom in all aspects except magic, naturally had a fixed notion that the empire¡¯s culture and clothing were also superior to those of the kingdom. the leader of fashion trends should of course be the empire, and other countries, including the crohn kingdom, would follow such an empire. for that reason, few people in the empire paid attention to the fashion of the crohn kingdom. however, why couldn¡¯t there be something pretty and unique about the design of the crohn kingdom? besides, the person wearing it wasn¡¯t even from a small family, it was yurina carthia. it was natural for them to be interested. however, it must have been a little surprising that yurina came wearing the gloves of the crohn kingdom all of a sudden. one of the young girls, blinking and waiting for yurina¡¯s answer, exclaimed softly as if something suddenly came to mind. the gaze that was directed at yurina turned to her. suddenly, the young girl murmured with a slightly red face at the sudden attention. ¡°i heard that a person sponsored by the carthia family is attending crohn royal academy. did that person send it to you?¡± ¡°yes, that¡¯s right. they often send me items from the crohn kingdom as gifts.¡± ¡°oh my, they have a good eye.¡± yurina could neither affirm nor deny those words, but only laughed meaningfully. the gloves that raynald gave her were definitely pretty, but saying he has a good eye? i¡¯m not sure. yurina experienced firsthand how ignorant raynald was of fashion while staying at the mansion. it wasn¡¯t bad, but it wasn¡¯t good either. i didn¡¯t see it, but i can assure you that these gloves were also chosen by aiden, who has wide feet, or nathan, who is a socialite, naggingly. tl/n: ?? ?? or wide feet means to have a wide circle of acquaintances/well connected ??perhaps they interpreted yurina¡¯s smile in a positive way, this time the young girls naturally shifted the topic to raynald. ¡°i have heard rumors about him. they say he¡¯s famous not only in our country but also in other countries?¡± ¡°my cousin is studying at crohn¡¯s royal academy, so he actually saw him and he said he was amazing. he said he was surprised that he could use magic more easily than breathing, is that true?¡± it wasn¡¯t a formal compliment, but sincere admiration sprang from all over the place. yurina continued to lightly nod her head without saying anything in particular. as they said, raynald has become a celebrity in the empire in recent years. the skills he showed at the academy were outstanding, but there was also a big reason why he was called ¡®beatus¡¯. tl/n: beatus means blessed in latin after yurina found an ancient book about the existence of ¡®beatus¡¯ who was born with red eyes and loved by the goddess, dave continued his research with a fellow wizard. then, he found additional ancient books to support the hypothesis that ¡®beatus¡¯ existed and published a book about ¡®beatus¡¯. however, the most decisive role was his performance in the crohn kingdom a year and a half ago. ¡°i think it¡¯s cooler that he helped the crohn royal family and captured the rebels than anything else. doesn¡¯t that mean that he has skills and courage?¡± a year and a half ago, raynald learned that the person who attacked yurina in the crohn kingdom was a rebel force against the crohn royal family and volunteered to track down the forces. then, he succeeded in wiping them out without leaving a single trace. as crohn¡¯s royal family officially recognized his contribution, rumors of him spread throughout the empire. the young girls in front of her were saying he was cool, but yurina was shocked the first time she heard the rumor. ¡®i didn¡¯t know you would do such a dangerous thing.¡¯ i thought you were studying diligently, but you¡¯re acting like that without telling me. yurina understood how he was involved in it, but she couldn¡¯t stand still. so she asked him several times not to do such a thing again in a letter, unlike her. in any case, since then, the people of the empire have had a vague liking for raynald, who they had never seen before and was loved by the goddess, hoping that he would return soon. ¡°rumors say that the crown prince is also keeping an eye on him¡­¡± yurina, who felt uneasy by raynald¡¯s story again, came to her senses in an instant. the crown prince. it was an unpleasant topic. perhaps, the lady, who spoke about the crown prince, was thinking to praise yurina as a talented person that would even attract the crown prince. however, yurina had to clench her lips tightly so her expression would not be distorted. ¡®curtis xenosian.¡¯ thinking about the past, she inevitably ground her teeth. when yurina first met him, she felt a vague fear that he was the male protagonist of the original novel, but now it¡¯s different. yurina now began to feel annoyance from him instead of fear. seven years ago, after meeting him by chance at the imperial palace, yurina had never met him. it was natural. he was such a busy prince that he didn¡¯t have time to roam around. however, yurina deliberately did not go to an official event where he could show his face. she thought she could avoid him well until the original novel began. until a few years ago, curtis expressed to dave that he wished yurina would come to his coming-of-age ceremony. ¡®funny, really.¡¯ as yurina remembered, the story about ¡®beatus¡¯ was announced around that time. in line with that, rumors began to spread that raynald was standing out at the academy. from crown prince curtis¡¯ point of view, raynald was a worthy prey. however, it was difficult for him to directly access the crohn kingdom. perhaps that was why he chose yurina. if he caught her, he could catch two rabbits, marquis carthia and raynald. after hearing dave and his story, marquis carthia expressed signs of serious concern when he realized it. the imperial palace was an unbearable place even if they were to get married because they loved each other passionately. if marquis carthia was blinded by the desire for power, he would have tried to connect yurina with curtis, but he was a father whose daughter¡¯s happiness was more important than power. after thinking about it for a few days, he struggled to talk to yurina. ¨C his highness the crown prince seems to be interested in you. what do you think, yurina? he pretended that curtis was interested in yurina as the opposite sex, but yurina quickly realized what he was worried about and declared firmly. ¨C i have absolutely no desire to be the crown princess, father. marquis carthia simply nodded that he knew yurina¡¯s answer. and a few days later, yurina was not feeling well, so she spent time in the southern province on the pretext of going to recuperate. however, after raynald made a big contribution to the crohn kingdom, curtis¡¯ interest in yurina began to change blatantly. he expressed his interest in meeting with yurina through the marquis and dave. marquis carthia and yurina¡¯s three older brothers quickly noticed curtis¡¯ intention to use yurina to get to raynald, so they thoroughly protected yurina. ¡®it¡¯s not even funny.¡¯ after raynald, the topic was about curtis, so it was not easy to maintain her composure. yurina barely maintained her smile and lightly touched the earring she was wearing on her right ear. to others, it looked like an ordinary earring, but in fact, it was a magic tool that was specially requested by dave. if you gently touch it and inject mana into it, bessie¡¯s necklace would ring as a signal to her. soon after, bessie, who was waiting in the waiting room for the maid, came up to ask for her understanding and approached yurina and whispered in her ear. ¡°shall we prepare a carriage?¡± yurina nodded her head once, and bessie took a step back and left the garden where tea time was in full swing. yurina smiled at the young girls who were looking at them with confused eyes. ¡°something has happened at the mansion, so i think i will have to go back. if it¡¯s okay, can i leave first?¡± it was a tone of asking for understanding, but in reality, it was more of a notification. no one questioned yurina¡¯s words, as to how sly her lies were. ¡°i hope it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± when they said ¡®big deal¡¯, they probably meant something related to the ill marquess carthia. yurina stood up, thanking them for their concern. ¡°today was fun. you seem to be interested in gloves, so i¡¯ll try to contact the crohn kingdom.¡± yurina bowed her head in courtesy and left the garden under the guidance of a maid in the mansion. Chapter 55.1 ¡°i didn¡¯t know until now, but at a party i found out that reynard is now a truly famous figure,¡± betsy muttered in an excited voice as they rode in the carriage. ¡°really?¡± ¡°yes! all the maids rushed to me with questions about reynard!¡± as if she took this interest personally, betsy excitedly recounted one story after another. most of the gossip of the maids was related to reynard¡¯s skills and appearance. yurina looked out the window and said dryly: ¡°dave has always been a prominent talent. probably, when he returns from school, everything will turn around even more than before.¡± ¡°i think so too. but i told them that he was very handsome, and no one believed me!¡± betsy was very angry and blew her red cheeks. the maids laughed in chorus as soon as betsy said, ¡°he¡¯s the most handsome guy i¡¯ve ever seen!¡± ¡°they didn¡¯t believe it because reynard wasn¡¯t of noble birth.¡± ¡°it¡¯s a pity.¡± knowing reynard¡¯s appearance, yurina was able to fully feel betsy¡¯s anger. she patted betsy on the back of her hand as if to comfort her. ¡°don¡¯t be so angry. if they see ray, they will bite their tongues.¡± ¡°then i¡¯ll have the last laugh. so what did i tell them? i said he is the most beautiful!¡± yurina laughed heartily as she saw betsy clenching her fists. so far, she¡¯s been upset about the upcoming events involving reynard and curtis, but talking to betsy has given her some sort of relief. hearing yurina laugh, betsy also laughed and clutched her cheeks, flushed with excitement. contrary to her excitement seconds ago, she now muttered in a somewhat grim tone: ¡°he used to be like a little brother to me, but now reynard has become so important. when he comes back, i won¡¯t be able to treat him the way i used to. right?¡± ¡°when did ray care about such things? rather, he would feel uncomfortable if betsy pulled away from him. just treat him like a brother. just like before.¡± ¡°like before¡­¡± ¡°when we paid him a visit to the academy, remember? his manner was the same. just like how betsy treats ray like a little brother, ray probably thinks betsy is like a sister, no?¡± even though she said ¡®maybe it¡¯s right¡¯, in yurina¡¯s eyes, that¡¯s exactly what happened. after all, betsy reacted to ray¡¯s red eyes without prejudice, then he opened his heart to her, as if in return. ¡°is that so?¡± ¡°hm. you remember the first time i brought ray into the mansion, right?¡± ¡°right.¡± ¡°so, it turns out that you caught the moment of his first bath?¡± ¡°oh, right. i was there. raynard didn¡¯t let anyone touch him, so i just walked out¡­¡± yurina remembered those times and sighed. the carriage they were riding right now was the same one she had used to pick up raynard from the orphanage. although it didn¡¯t smell, yurina felt like the whole carriage smelled of nasty, moldy cheese. ¡°at that time, the fragrance was just wonderful.¡± betsy laughed at this sarcasm. she couldn¡¯t confirm such a statement, but it seems that she couldn¡¯t deny it either. yurina covered her nose with her hand and then peeked out of the carriage again. talking to betsy, she felt lighter, but depression suddenly overtook her again. the more they talked about reynard, the harder it got inside her. her anxiety grew. as if she noticed yurina¡¯s discomfort, betsy asked cautiously, lowering her voice. ¡°milady, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°it¡¯s nothing. i¡¯m just a little tired. lately, i¡¯ve been so busy preparing for the tournament.¡± yurina¡¯s voice didn¡¯t tremle, but betsy, who had been around for many years, immediately recognized this lie. but she didn¡¯t ask further. the maid wasn¡¯t supposed to ask questions to the lords and ladies. however, this time the reason was different. yurina considered betsy as her sister, and didn¡¯t take offense at excessive familiarity. bets didn¡¯t ask just because she already knew the answer. ¡°i miss reynard too.¡± yurina just shrugged her shoulders and turned away. back at the mansion, yurina asked the servants if a new letter had arrived. this was common these days. and that day after day received only a negative answer. today, everything has changed. ¡°the letter is already in your room.¡± yurina hurried to her room. she knew that even in the mansion she needed to step slowly and gracefully, but her steps sped up without her knowledge. as she climbed the stairs faster than usual, she caught her breath, but yurina didn¡¯t slow down and walked into the room. the letter lay on a table in the living room adjoining the bedroom. once yurina picked up the letter and checked the sender, she couldn¡¯t hide her disappointment. [chloe deonora] it was a letter from a childhood friend. chloe had been sitting at her estate since last fall, so yurina hadn¡¯t seen her face in a while. although it was a beautiful letter, it was more annoying than welcome. yurina realized this late and regretted her reaction. ¡®what the hell am i thinking?¡¯ yurina bit her lips tightly and then opened the letter with the seal of the deonora family. Chapter 55.2 as soon as she saw chloe¡¯s smooth handwriting, her complex thoughts unraveled on their own. yurina calmed down, sat on the sofa and carefully read the letter. it all started with a greeting, then there were words of encouragement about the upcoming tournament, and a desire was expressed to see her. at the end, there were good wishes addressed to marquise carthia. yurina immediately pulled out the writing paper. everything was going well while she was writing her answer. however, after the sealed envelope had already been sprinkled with perfume and delivered to the servant, a sense of melancholy washed over yurina again. she tried to brush off the feeling, but her eyes kept darting to the drawer that contained reynard¡¯s letter. ¡®you just have to be patient.¡¯ dave said graduation was like going through hell. moreover, perhaps the new semester has only recently begun. reynard has always been busy, but now that he¡¯s entered his senior year, it¡¯s safe to assume he¡¯ll be doubly busy. ¡®you have to be understanding.¡¯ yurina scolded herself for her earlier thoughts. ¡®so what if i didn¡¯t get the letter?¡¯ she gets so nervous every time she finds out that there are no new letters. ¡®i know what is right. i know but¡­¡¯ her very nature was opposed to this opinion. yurina has always considered herself a reasonable person. now her emotions overwhelmed her mind. yurina sighed and sat down at the table again. it was necessary to prepare for the tournament, but now it was impossible to find motivation in it. day passed. two days passed. a week and even ten days passed. the letter that yurina was waiting for, repeating the mantra, ¡®you just have to wait. it will arrive tomorrow,¡¯ never came. in the meantime, yurina reread reynard¡¯s last letter several times a day. it happened because she wanted to check if there was a word that he was very busy. however, these words couldn¡¯t appear in the letter by themselves, if you look at it over and over again every new day. the letter still contained nothing new, and yurina had to fold the letter over and over again in frustration. ¡®what¡¯s going on with us?¡¯ yurina unconsciously murmured as she put sugar cubes into her tea. it was like talking to herself, but her voice was louder than intended. yurina hurriedly added to betsy, who was about to reply: ¡°i was just talking to myself.¡± but betsy missed yurina¡¯s line. after all, she was focusing on yurina¡¯s hand as she endlessly added sugar cubes to her tea. yurina said that she doesn¡¯t like sweet tea. even if she added milk to black tea, she didn¡¯t add sugar. betsy, who found this action strange, belatedly realized what yurina had said, and asked: ¡°yes?¡± ¡°i was talking to myself.¡± ¡°but what did you mean?¡± ¡°i hope you didn¡¯t hear that.¡± yurina replied and shook her spoon hard to make the sugar cubes dissolve in the tea cup. betsy looked at yurina, who was frowning as if she was concentrating or didn¡¯t like something. then, as if a revelation had come to betsy, she chuckled and smiled. ¡°i haven¡¯t seen a letter from reynard in a while.¡± yurina was taken aback by the sudden statement and dropped her spoon into her cup. glass clinked in the room. but right after, she picked up the cup again, feigning calmness. ¡°yeah. it haven¡¯t come for a long time.¡± yurina tried to speak as if she only realized it now. but betsy couldn¡¯t be fooled. ¡°why are you looking at me like that?¡± yurina spoke to betsy, who couldn¡¯t stop smiling. betsy answered that she always smiles like that when she sees her lady. yurina looked at her, still smiling, and took a sip of her tea. as soon as the sweet tea touched the tip of her tongue, yurina unconsciously frowned. ¡°what the¡­¡± ¡°because you put in four sugar cubes, milady.¡± betsy poured new tea into the extra cup and looked yurina in the eye. ¡°i think reynard is just really busy.¡± yurina nodded as she sipped her hot tea. encouraged by her reaction, betsy sat across from yurina and began to chat. ¡°anyway, don¡¯t worry too much, milady. you always knew that this is the busiest time of the year. reynard is in his senior year now, so he won¡¯t have time to write letters. if he has a little time, he will immediately send you a letter. if something really happened, the academy would contact the estate. or¡­¡± ¡°or¡­ what?¡± ¡°or how about asking dave? he recently met reynard. doesn¡¯t he know anything?¡± ¡°dave has gone south for magic materials. and as far as i know, he met ray a few months ago. and besides that¡­¡± betsy looked at her and made a puzzled look, but yurina shook her head as if nothing had happened. she could always ask dave, but if she found out about raynard then other people, it would upset her even more. she had a conflicting desire to know what was going on with reynord, but also a hope that dave didn¡¯t know anything. yurina sighed as she leaned on the table. ¡®it¡¯s all too complicated.¡¯ Chapter 56.1 rationally speaking, betsy was right about that. yurina also tried to explain it by saying that reynard had been very busy for the past few weeks. but on the other hand, yurina also thought that there was an oddity in his silence. yurina knew him well enough to be proud to say that she knew raynard better than anyone in the world. even if reynard had been busy, he would have stopped for a moment and sent her a message, even if it was a one-line note saying ¡®letter will be later because i¡¯m busy.¡¯ moreover, when yurina visited the cron kingdom, he threw everything aside and met her right at the border. yurina herself would prefer to think that it was all about banal employment. but in her heart she knew it wasn¡¯t. therefore, her thoughts continued to go to the dark side. ¡°you didn¡¯t get sick, did you?¡± betsy whispered softly as she looked at yurina, who set down her full cup of tea. ¡°if you¡¯re so worried, why not send the letter again? the last time you wrote a letter, you didn¡¯t even send it.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll be even worse if i don¡¯t get an answer.¡± ¡°but the tournament is coming soon. if you go to the mountains, you¡¯ll have nowhere to send a letter. you wove raynard¡¯s handkerchief, didn¡¯t you? how about sending it in advance?¡± ¡°umm.¡± yurina pounded on the table and was lost in thought. but soon her fears gone. because betsy¡¯s words were quite reasonable. soon she leaves for a villa in the jenus mountains. looks like she¡¯ll be there for about a month. ¡°i haven¡¯t received a response, but i think i¡¯ll be busy for a while, so i can send him a letter in advance.¡± she made a great excuse. yurina beckoned to betsy with a nonchalant look. ¡°put away the cups, bring me writing supplies.¡± ¡°yes, milady.¡± betsy cleared the table, smiling all the time. [dear ray. how are you? i don¡¯t receive letters, so i¡¯m worried about what¡¯s going on. it happens for the first time that you don¡¯t send me news for such a long time. a few days ago, i was at a tea party wearing your gloves, and the other noblewomen showed great interest in them. perhaps thanks to your gift, the gloves of cron kingdom will become fashionable among high society. it would be great to follow this trend in the future. i¡¯d like to ask you a question about fashion, but i know what a dark forest means to you. you couldn¡¯t even tell coral from scarlet and turquoise from cyan. and don¡¯t say you¡¯re better at it now. in my opinion, nothing is better. i think i won¡¯t be in the capital for some time, so i¡¯m writing you a letter before your answer to the previous one comes. in a few days i¡¯m going to the villa in order to participate in the upcoming hunting competitions. did you even know that a hunting tournament is held every spring in the empire? do you remember? if so, then you should know that there is a tradition of giving handkerchiefs, telling the knights to return alive. so far, i couldn¡¯t even come close to such a tournament, because it was dangerous, but this time i¡¯m participating instead of my mother. thanks to this gift of fate, i spent the last weeks sewing handkerchiefs for my brothers. and while i¡¯ve been suffering over those few handkerchiefs, i haven¡¯t forgotten about you either. your handkerchief will be in the parcel along with the letter. perhaps when you read this, i will cheer for my brothers on the hunt. my brothers¡¯ hunting skills are so good that they are called one of the best in the empire, so i believe that this time we will return in triumph. and that makes me even more responsible. i¡¯ll send you news after i¡¯m done with this tournament and come back. 15th day of the month, 473 years were overgrown, yurina. p.s. i turned inside out while embroidering that handkerchief. so don¡¯t you dare to lose it. when you return from the academy, i will definitely check. if you lose it, be prepared for the fact that you won¡¯t be allowed to step into the mansion.] yurina wrote the letter without pauses and then skimmed through the contents. ¡®it doesn¡¯t looks bad.¡¯ the content didn¡¯t seem to be tacky¡­and the rounded handwriting looked neat. satisfied, yurina sealed the letter with wax. as a matter of course, she took the perfume from betsy¡¯s hands and sprayed it on the back of the envelope. yurina handed over the letter to betsy for a while and then went to the closet. from within, she took out a folded handkerchief, looked again at her embroidery, and frowned. Chapter 56.2 betsy followed her, laughing and grumbling: ¡°milady, if you frown like that, you will get wrinkles.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t like it.¡± a yellow flower embroidered in the corner of the handkerchief, and the name ¡®reynard¡¯ in brown underneath. as mentioned in the letter, the work was painstaking. before the embroidery felt solid. but now¡­ why do the petals look crooked? why does the embroidery with reynard¡¯s name look like it did when he first started learning to write? this didn¡¯t mean that yurina had mediocre skills. she was nimble enough to receive compliments from her usually prim teacher: ¡°lady carthia is the most experienced of the students i have trained.¡± and yurina objectively knew that her hand was proficient in this. but, oddly enough, now she became dissatisfied with the future gift to reynard. the handkerchiefs for the brothers and father were fine, but this one was not. yurina stared at the embroidery for a long time and frowned. then betsy quickly clapped her hands and babbled. ¡°wow! what a beautiful handkerchief!¡± ¡°yes? and i don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°ah, aren¡¯t you being overmodest? i¡¯m sure reynard will like it too.¡± betsy looked around to make sure no one was around, and then whispered: ¡°and this is our secret, but i think that this one turned out much more beautiful than the handkerchiefs for the four masters.¡± it would be impolite to say such a thing, but betsy was trying to cheer up yurina like this. yurina smiled and handed her a handkerchief. ¡°send it with the gift i bought last time. put everything so that the handkerchief doesn¡¯t fall out.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll do it!¡± betsy shot out of the room faster than ever, as if she was afraid that yurina¡¯s mind would change. yurina shook her head, looking at her back. ¡®i just hope reynard doesn¡¯t laugh at this creation.¡¯ preparations for the tournament were in full swing. three brothers, direct participants, should once again become more adept at hunting. yurina, on the other hand, was preparing for something else. the tournament was a place where all sorts of nobles would gather, and talk about this event would go on for a long time. yurina really wanted to prepare in order to leave a good impression and not be underestimated by others. days turned into nights, and time flew by so quickly that the opening date of the tournament came close. even today, carthia estate was busy preparing to leave. ¡°milady, leave this to us. you need to sleep.¡± betsy gently pulled yurina¡¯s hand, who was now watching the carriage being loaded. ¡°everything will be okay?¡± ¡°you don¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°of course i do. where can i find someone as skilled as betsy?¡± ¡°alright then, hurry up and rest.¡± yurina walked into the room, pretending to give up under betsy¡¯s insistence. so she entered the room, smiled at the welcoming servants, went to the chest of drawers and opened the drawer. reynard¡¯s letter lay in plain sight. yurina, who picked up the letter as usual, closed the drawer and turned away from it somewhat nervously. now her attention was drawn to a wreath of yellow flowers hanging on the wall. this is the same wreath that reynard wove for her in the cron kingdom. how powerful was his magic if the flowers were fresh, like they were cut that very morning? not long ago, yurina felt better just by touching this wreath and smelling the flowers. now she hated the wreath. and her anger didn¡¯t stop at the wreath. everywhere she looked, the whole room was full of reynard¡¯s prints. as soon as he went to the academy, he sent her first a doll, then a hat, a fan, and so on. previously, when yurina looked at those gifts that filled the room, she could even forget about his absence and laugh happily. now everything was different. things that used to be funny now annoyed her. ¡®but why am i¡­¡¯ meanwhile, reynard hasn¡¯t received the letter. the letter wouldn¡¯t even have crossed the border yet. if she leaves for the mountains without receiving his answer, she will not receive it for at least a month. and this is with condition that he wants to write to her. yurina clenched her fists to rein in her mixed feelings that were shaking her from the inside. ¡®i know you¡¯re busy.¡¯ yurina sat on the bed and covered her face with her hands. she was even more upset because she didn¡¯t know why she would be so nervous and annoyed. ¡®we have been exchanging letters every month for more than seven years. i don¡¯t know what the hell it is, but this thought has been in my head all day.¡¯ ¡®why, why, why, why the hell? what is it all about?¡¯ ¡®i am annoyed by reynard, from whom there was no news, but more than that, i¡¯m mad at myself, and at my worries, to which there is no end in sight.¡¯ Chapter 57.1 yurina took a deep breath and tried to calm down. but then there was a knock at the door. she answered without raising her head: ¡°later.¡± she did not know what was happening, but now she couldn¡¯t appear in front of people in such an absent-minded way. however, there was another knock on the door. yurina tried to answer a little louder than before, but suddenly froze at the words she heard from behind the door. ¡°a letter from reynard, milady.¡± unfamiliar male voice. too short for a page boy, and too soft for a servant. however, yurina didn¡¯t think about such details. her whole mind was fascinated by the name that sounded outside the door. as soon as she opened the door, she accepted a letter from a servant who was a head taller than her. on the back of the letter was the signature ¡®reynard¡¯ in the same round handwriting. ¡°finally.¡± yurina¡¯s patience was running out. ¡°thanks for bringing it.¡± yurina grabbed the letter with both hands and then wanted to go back to the room. suddenly that servant seemed strange to her. ¡®how long have we had such a tall servant?¡¯ since yurina mostly crossed paths with maids, she didn¡¯t have to deal much with male servants. but it seems that she had never seen this servant before, to whom she had to turn her head up to the point that her neck ached. this time she was struck by the clothes in which he appeared. a neat shirt without a pattern, and trousers without much decor, but both are made of quality fabric. what was also strange was the hat that covered the face. ¡°who are you?¡± overcome with a bad premonition, yurina stepped back and asked in a trembling voice. she quickly looked around, but, oddly enough, there was not a soul around. before yurina could even get scared, the man pretended to reach for the doorknob and grabbed her arm. with his other hand, he quickly took off his hat, and raised his index finger to her mouth. ¡°yurina, it¡¯s me.¡± yurina, hearing the familiar voice, widened her eyes and looked at him in horror. ¡°i am back.¡± raynard, who hadn¡¯t been heard from in months, now stood right in front of her. the moment yurina saw his smiling face, her indignation melted like chocolate in the sun. ¡°how the hell do you¡­?¡± yurina impulsively threw her arms around his neck, muttering something under her breath. she should have started by asking how this even happened, but yurina was so happy that all her thoughts were forgotten. ¡°i¡¯m really back.¡± yurina silently buried her face in his neck. raynard wrapped his arms around her waist and gently ran his hand through yurina¡¯s hair. he kissed her beautiful hair flowing between his fingers. ¡®i am back.¡¯ yurina, who i only saw in my dreams before, is now standing in front of me, and more than that, right in my arms. the desire that i had suppressed burst out of my head, as if a sprout had sprouted somewhere in my body.¡¯ ¡®now i will be with her until the very end. i must always be there so that our hearts beat in unison. if danger comes to yurina¡­¡¯ ¡®¡­what should i do then?¡¯ ¡®i¡¯ll think about it later. now i just enjoy spending time with her.¡¯ raynard chuckled and pressed his cheek against her head. the two were silent. however, they already knew each other¡¯s hearts just by being in contact without saying a word. well, some path from heart to heart has already run between them. 8. hunting competition as the euphoria gradually subsided, yurina lifted her head and pushed reynard¡¯s shoulder, who was still holding her and stroking her head. ¡°yurina?¡± raynard was confused, but yurina had already prepared her answer. ¡°what are you doing here?¡± reynard studied 7th year at the academy. the regular course of the crohn¡¯s royal academy is 7 years. no matter how famously raynard became with his studies, he would return to the empire only next spring. in fact, that¡¯s exactly what happened in the original novel. and, in principle, students receiving academy scholarships cannot leave the crohn kingdom until they graduate. so, in terms of common sense, there was no reason for him to be here. after some thought, yurina left the room with reynard, who carefully grabbed her arm and trotted along. the corridor was empty due to preparations for the upcoming tournament. before anyone else showed up, she quickly led reynard into the small living room that had once been their office. this room was a great place for a secret conversation. ¡°how the hell did you end up here?¡± Chapter 57.2 however, there was no answer. she turned her head in surprise to find reynard looking around the room with a whitened face. ¡°ray?¡± ¡°everything is still the same.¡± raynard was now looking around the room with a face that seemed soaked in emotion. now his eyes were red. he laughed, holding his eyes tightly with his hand. ¡°i thought everything would change.¡± yurina scanned the room with her eyes, following reynard¡¯s gaze. ¡°yes, like this.¡± as he said, everything here was exactly the same as seven years ago. all thanks to the fact that yurina instructed the servants to leave everything as it is. the servants only cleaned the office regularly after raynard left and did not touch anything. the table where he sat every night to do his tedious homework, the sofa where the two sat face to face to eat or play games when he got bored of studying, and the piano he played whenever yurina was bored. even reynard¡¯s book, his tattered notebook and writing materials were still on the table. it seemed that time itself stopped at the mark of seven years ago. the only thing that has changed is two people who have grown so much. yurina felt her heart pounding hard. ¡°all this is very strange.¡± she didn¡¯t answer, but yurina fully sympathized with his words. it was really strange. and until yesterday, she found it hard to believe that she would run into reynard like this, out of nowhere. at the same time, she felt her heart gradually heat up like a boiling cauldron. it frustrated her to think that the two of them were now sitting face to face in the place where yurina had sat alone for six years. up to this day, even the very air in the office seemed cold, no matter how many lamps you turned on, but now the whole room seems to have warmed up from reynard alone. is this my textbook? noticing the books and exercise pages on the table, reynard walked over to the table. he took the notebook from the table and carefully flipped through the pages. every time he turned over a new page, a peculiar smell of old paper wafted from there. he carefully looked at the text, not even noticing the unpleasant smell. on every page he unfolded were written in rounded letters, which differed sharply from the small type written in his recent letter. raynard laughed. ¡°i couldn¡¯t write it.¡± yurina laughed at the page he opened. ¡°you don¡¯t have a single right word here. ¡°don¡¯t look.¡± raynard raised his hand. due to the difference in height, yurina could no longer see his notebook. ¡°and still i know everything.¡± somehow, reynard completely forgot the fact that it was yurina who corrected his works every night. ¡°did you put it in here?¡± reynard opened a page of text to yurina. there were illegible scribbles, and the word ¡®fool¡¯ written in neat, rounded letters next to it. ¡°yes, i wrote it.¡± ¡°when did you do it? i haven¡¯t seen it before.¡± ¡°the day the people from the academy came. i was here alone while you and dave listened to the instructions for entering the academy.¡± ¡°but what is a ¡®fool¡¯?¡± ¡°i have explained it to you many times, but if you continue to be wrong, you are the fool.¡± ¡°you are the only one who calls me a fool. at the academy, professors carried me in their arms.¡± raynard grumbled, but didn¡¯t look particularly upset. rather, yurina quickly turned the page so as not to draw too much attention. ¡°it¡¯s the only thing i wrote there.¡± ¡°but why did you have to do it?¡± ¡°it¡¯s just¡­¡± at that moment, yurina was speechless and only clapped her eyelids. ¡®why did i even do this?¡¯ when she remembered that time, the first thing that came to her mind was the atmosphere of the quiet study room. ¡°it doesn¡¯t ¡®graduate¡¯ here, it writes ¡®sleepy¡¯, ray.¡± looking at this scribble, yurina became irritated, unable to explain herself to reynard. however, she didn¡¯t want to get hung up on this topic. yurina deliberately responded more harshly than usual. ¡°you was bad with the writing.¡± ¡° i¡¯m sorry, what?¡± even under criticism, reynard just laughed out loud and picked up another notebook. yurina remembered why she brought him to this office at all, and grabbed his arm. Chapter 58.1 ¡°why have you been missing for the past few months?¡± initially, her first interest was how he got here at all and why not in the academy. and if it was revealed that he ran off on a whim, yurina would have to get mad at him. but even thinking about it, yurina said something completely different. although she understood with her mind which moment was the most important now, her emotions prompted her to ask a completely different question. ¡°i don¡¯t think you were sick. it looks like you were doing well. why didn¡¯t you write to me?¡± in contrast to her burning heart, her voice sounded calm. however, she still couldn¡¯t keep her expression on her face. yurina eventually stopped smiling and crossed her arms over her chest. whether he was embarrassed by her behavior, which was now so different from previous moments of euphoria, or not, raynard also stopped smiling and lokked at her face. ¡°i was very busy in winter.¡± ¡°no matter how busy you are, you would have found time to write one letter.¡± ¡°what¡­¡± ¡°i know you¡¯re busy, unlike me sitting here doing nothing. however, if you are busy, can you at least write me a line about being busy and send it? that¡¯s what i would do, no matter how busy i was.¡± yurina kept firing words at him without giving him a chance to respond. ¡°have you ever thought about the person who has been waiting for you for six years? have you ever thought about how i felt if your letters do not arrive for the second month? there was no news from you for two months, but suddenly you appeared in person.¡± yurina tried to look as calm as possible, but her voice kept rising and trembling, as if her emotions had overheated and exploded. she felt a surge of heat and covered her face with both hands. even now, while she was saying all this, she felt sorry for scolding him like that. but there was no stopping her now. ¡°how i¡­¡± ¡®i really don¡¯t want to admit this, but i think i was hurt by this attitude. everyone consoled me, saying that everything was fine, that he was just busy. i tried to persuade myself like that, but my heart simply refused to believe.¡¯ ¡®what really happened there? perhaps he is in such trouble that he cannot even write a letter? at times such a thought stuck in my head like a sharp stone, and every time my heart was heavy.¡¯ ¡®then, as my thoughts drifted into the darkest places, there were times when i was angry at myself for sending reynard to the academy because of my selfishness and greed.¡¯ ¡®i would just ask dave to teach him magic. why send it to the kingdom of crohn, where the letter goes all month?¡¯ ¡®and my sincere feelings, which i did not show to anyone, surprisingly easily came out before reynard.¡¯ ¡®why do you have to¡­ ¡­bring me grief.¡¯ ¡®however, no matter how open i was to him, i still didn¡¯t manage to say this.¡¯ ¡®otherwise, i would feel truly miserable and worthless.¡¯ she didn¡¯t know what to say, so yurina closed her eyes and tried to calm her emotions. reynard was silent. was he embarrassed or angry? or maybe now he regretted? yurina couldn¡¯t imagine the expression he was now looking at her with. ¡®i was proud of the fact that i know him better than anyone in the world. right now it¡¯s the other way around. i¡¯m most perplexed, what is in his heart?¡¯ was the gap between them so great? he¡¯s closer than ever, but why does he seem so far away? raynard, who was breathing softly and raggedly, carefully removed yurina¡¯s hands that were covering her face. ¡°yurina.¡± he grabbed yurina¡¯s cheek. ¡°i did everything wrong. so¡­ don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°i¡¯m not crying.¡± that was a lie. this was her last pride. yurina avoided his gaze as she rubbed the area around her eyes with her cuffs. raynard took her hand and wiped her eyes instead. feeling itchy, she reflexively closed her eyes. his touch to the eyelids was gentle. his palms were warm as he gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks. at this touch, the rarely soothing mood immediately subsided. ¡°i am very sorry that i couldn¡¯t write earlier. i didn¡¯t know you thought so. it seemed that it would be easier for me to come personally than to write you a letter. if i knew that you think so, i would send you at least ten of them.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t immediately accept his excuses. whatever he said, she absolutely couldn¡¯t calm down and easily accept it after all she had endured. so, instead of further pressing on the sore spot, she decided to change the subject: ¡°but why the hell are you here? what happened to the academy? raynard was still rubbing yurina¡¯s face and replied as if it didn¡¯t really matter. ¡°i finished everything.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t think through those short words at first. she looked at reynard¡¯s face. however, there was not a single sign of a lie on it. Chapter 58.2 ¡°what are you talking about?¡± ¡°what am i talking about? it¡¯s how it looks. i finished the academy.¡± ¡°there is one more year left.¡± ¡°so i finished early.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve never heard anything like that before.¡± crohn academy was notorious for being even harder to get out of than it was to get in. but an early release a year early? ¡®this wasn¡¯t in the novel.¡¯ if such a grandiose event happened, a lot of attention would be paid to it in history, but to make everything so simple? raynard, looking at yurina¡¯s incredulous expression, suddenly raised her hand and touched the necklace hanging from her neck. it was his gift a year and a half ago, before yurina left the crohn kingdom. as he had ordered her back then, yurina always wore the necklace no matter what. ¡°remember what happened in the kingdom of crohn?¡± ¡°your birthday?¡± ¡°no, not that. you were attacked.¡± a year and a half ago, yurina remembered that day like it was yesterday. sometimes there were days when that episode visited her in nightmares. ¡°how can i forget?¡± it was the day she could have died. as if he read something in yurina¡¯s expression, raynard frowned. ¡°from that day on, i had nightmares.¡± he pulled the necklace off yurina¡¯s neck and closed his eyes. the day yurina left the crohn kingdom and returned to the empire, raynard had a nightmare. it wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d had a nightmare. he often had nightmares when he was nervous. raynard once had a nightmare in which yurina kicked him out of the carthia mansion. finding himself at the academy, reynard further dreamed that she had completely lost her memory and didn¡¯t remember him. however, one moment was much more shocking. ¡°your image appeared to me in my dreams.¡± and for yurina, the next words would be more terrible than for reynard himself, who saw this in a dream. in the nightmare, yurina was lying on the ground covered in blood. lonely, in a place where no one is around. yurina was in such a state that she couldn¡¯t even close her eyes. and raynard always came to her too late. and even when he hugged yurina¡¯s cold, stiff body and tried all the magic he knew, she never came back to life. his whole world collapsed. with yurina¡¯s death, he felt that his life was meaningless and more than that not worth it. when he woke up in a cold sweat, raynard realized that what he saw was just a dream. but after that, reynard couldn¡¯t calm down for a long time. his whole body was trembling like an aspen in the wind, and he couldn¡¯t breathe properly. although he knew very well that nothing would happen to yurina, his heart was constantly troubled. for the past few months, nightmares have tormented him daily. and every time in the nightmare yurina invariably lay on the road, covered in blood and paralyzed. when he woke up from his dream and tried to remember yurina¡¯s smile, he only thought about the corpse he saw in his nightmare. he was seriously struck by the incident when yurina was attacked at the academy while he wasn¡¯t around. ¡®i never would have thought this would happen.¡¯ raynard was well aware of yurina¡¯s fear of death. but he had no idea where the threat might come from. this is because yurina and death were incompatible. the yurina who lives in prosperity and under the protection of many people. he promised to protect yurina just to calm her down, but he still hoped he wouldn¡¯t go to extremes. back then, while tormented by nightmares, he was able to sincerely sympathize with yurina¡¯s fears. yurina must have had dreams like this all the time. she is the beloved youngest daughter of the marquis carthia. twelve-year-old raynard didn¡¯t know that she could become a target for a huge number of people. but 19-year-old reynard knew. he gave yurina the necklace just in case, but that alone wasn¡¯t enough to calm raynard¡¯s heart. he was afraid of what he couldn¡¯t predict. and then he found a way to get home early. ¡°i was so worried that i couldn¡¯t sit in that place.¡± ¡°ray.¡± ¡°i went crazy. i was afraid that something else might happen while i was gone.¡± yurina closed her eyes, breathing heavily. ¡°you kept all this in your heart for so long.¡± ¡®but what will happen now?¡¯ she knew the contents of the original, and she knew that she would be fine until reynard graduated. but what bothered her was that reynard was unaware of all this. and yurina could no longer find similarities with the original story, so she decided not to rely on it anymore. ¡®things have changed anyway.¡¯ she had already been attacked at the academy. subsequently, reynard¡¯s early graduation could reshape the plot even further. when yurina came to that conclusion, she suddenly laughed at something. yurina gently touched reynard¡¯s closed eyes, pursed her lips to hold back her laughter, and shuddered. it was raynard who grabbed her arm and foolishly rubbed his cheek against her palm. Chapter 59.1 ¡°how did it happen that you came back earlier?¡± ¡°i would continue to torture myself if i didn¡¯t personally check that you are all right.¡± ¡°so you didn¡¯t send me letters because you were so busy preparing for early graduation?¡± raynard opened his eyes wider and looked at yurina. then, when he found her previously displeased face relaxed, raynard burst out laughing. ¡°there is such a thing. and i wanted to tell you about it personally.¡± raynard let go of yurina¡¯s hand and stepped a little closer. ¡°moreover, yurina¡­¡± yurina¡¯s earlier anxiety vanished. now, yurina was surprised by the sudden change of mood, hiding her smile and only blinking frequently. in an instant, the distance between them was so greatly reduced that only a fist would fit between them. suddenly startled by the red eyes in front of her nose, yurina retreated reflexively. however, raynard immediately followed her to the distance she had gained. retreat, pursuit, run, chase. yurina, who was repeating this pointless chase, bit her lip as she felt her thigh rest against the corner of the table. she quickly turned and tried to run away, but reynard was faster. he stretched out and locked yurina between his arms. desk in back, reynard in front. yurina looked into reynard¡¯s eyes, unable to read his mind, and leaned back as much as possible. she felt her thighs pressed hard against the table. at the same time, the heart in her chest seemed to burst from an invisible pressure. it was difficult to breathe. and the air between them was highly irritated. ¡°listen, ray.¡± yurina carefully grabbed his arm. but she couldn¡¯t find the strength to push him away. ¡®no, just tell him to get out of the way, he will definitely leave. he couldn¡¯t hypnotize me, could he?¡¯ although she knew it, yurina couldn¡¯t tell him to get out of the way, and she couldn¡¯t push him away and run away. she could only stare at him stupidly, as if she was captivated by those red eyes right in front of her nose. ¡®like the novel said, everything will play out from his return.¡¯ ¡®i don¡¯t know why at that moment i remembered his appearance depicted in the book. however, as has been said, his appearance made him stand out from the crowd.¡¯ ¡®at the time of our meeting in the crohn kingdom, i thought he looked great, but a year and a half later, he was different again. there were no significant changes in appearance. however, his aura was now completely different.¡¯ ¡®he is still very confident, and at the same time, he doesn¡¯t let himself waver in front of anyone. even now, looking at me, he slightly pursed his lips and smiles, albeit playfully, but somehow relaxed.¡¯ ¡®is it because i am in his hands? now he seems to me like a beast with a full belly. when he was very young, he seemed to be a soft herbivore. now before me stands a terrible predator that has already driven me into a corner.¡¯ ¡°yurina.¡± raynard, who was silently watching yurina, suddenly spoke, his hot breath tickling her forehead. as yurina reflexively lowered her head, he leaned in after her and caught her eye again. ¡°yurina.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t answer. she couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of voice would come out of her throat if she spoke right now. ¡°are you longing for a letter?¡± ¡®if he asked me about it all of a sudden, i would blurt out ¡®no¡¯. but if you think about the heart with which he rushed to me across the border¡­¡¯ ¡°yes.¡± then reynard held his breath. after a while, he asked in a lowered voice. ¡°then how do i¡­¡± a year and a half ago, when yurina reunited with him in the crohn kingdom, she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to reply that she really wanted to see him. but, oddly enough, this time her tongue did not move. ¡®but why?¡¯ ¡®what has changed since then?¡¯ ¡®it¡¯s not that i wasn¡¯t expecting him. i waited for him so much that i was annoyed by his silence. however, i can¡¯t tell him that.¡¯ ¡®because i realized the importance of the meaning of these words.¡¯ while yurina remained silent, raynard raised his eyebrows in displeasure and pressed his lips to her forehead. the tip of his nose dipped lower and suddenly their lips were even. his red gaze fell on yurina¡¯s blue eyes. ¡°do you think i didn¡¯t wait long?¡± yurina wanted to break free from the pressure, but her body didn¡¯t obey her. as yurina¡¯s silence continued, raynard squeezed her hand and whispered softly. ¡°do you think i didn¡¯t want to see you?¡± ¡°wanted.¡± ¡°did you want to see me or not?¡± ¡°i¡­¡± ¡°milady, are you here?¡± betsy¡¯s voice followed the sound of the door opening. yurina quickly pushed reynard¡¯s shoulder. betsy, who was looking around the room, found yurina and smiled brightly. ¡°i knew you were here. if you¡¯re not at home, then be sure to be in this room¡­ umm?¡± raynard was now standing in front of yurina. betsy bulged her eyes and screamed. ¡ª milady! * * * ¡°well, i didn¡¯t know who might have broken in here¡­ i wouldn¡¯t have screamed if i knew it was raynard.¡± Chapter 59.2 betsy muttered softly upon seeing yurina¡¯s surprise. ¡°i understand. i was scared too when i saw ray.¡± yurina had no intention of blaming betsy. she did something for granted as yurina¡¯s personal maid. however, the consequences couldn¡¯t be avoided. yurina sighed as she watched edwin and justin now watch reynard from the sidelines. when the usually quiet betsy screamed, everyone in the neighborhood immediately rushed to the office, thinking that something had happened. if it was limited to servants, one could send them away saying that nothing was happening. the problem was that they were twins who had just returned to the mansion. as soon as edwin and justin saw reynard, they were startled, thinking he was the killer. but yurina rushed to cover him. while the brothers were in the academy, while raynard lived in the mansion, they only knew about him from stories and never saw him in person. it was good to eliminate this misunderstanding at the root, but from that moment on everything became somehow awkward. ¡°why the hell did you show up without announce?¡± edwin and justin became suspicious to the fact that reynard returned in secret, not telling anyone about his early graduation. it¡¯s strange in general that not a single soul in the mansion knew about his return. besides, being alone with yurina in the living room is also very suspicious. ¡°it¡¯s called a surprise.¡± however, their reaction was understandable. yurina and reynard were no longer children. raynard was already an adult, and yurina will also become an adult in a year. yurina sighed as she looked at the backs of the twins in front of her. she moved closer to see reynard, but the two stood firmly in the way between reynard and her. finally she craned her neck over edwin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°and why did you sneak into the mansion secretly?¡± ¡°he didn¡¯t sneak. he just walked into the hallway and walked towards me.¡± reynard nodded at yurina¡¯s words. however, edwin and justin were not finished with their suspicions. ¡°then why were you alone in the living room? you didn¡¯t even call betsy.¡± ¡°we needed to discuss something.¡± ¡°and what¡¯s that?¡± the twins looked at each other and threw their questions. they had shocked faces, as if they had been betrayed by someone they trusted. ¡°why?¡± ¡°what do you two mean by that?¡± ¡°what is not clear here?¡± yurina rubbed her temples and sat down on the sofa. ¡°i was surprised to hear about his early graduation from the academy. where is this seen at all? and if the case turned out to be dirty, i would have to secretly return him to academy so that others wouldn¡¯t know about it.¡± justin narrowed his eyes. ¡°yeah, this is all very strange.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± yurina, who had previously tried to calmly explain herself, now covered her mouth, losing all will to resist. it was because her and reynard¡¯s last situation came to her mind. the one right before betsy shows up. and, of course, this scene would have turned out even worse if the twins had seen it. ¡°why are you silent?¡± yurina shrugged at edwin¡¯s question. ¡°that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°really?¡± this time, justin shot a glance at reynard. he also just shrugged. ¡°that¡¯s all.¡± the twins still harbored distrust, but they didn¡¯t ask yurina anything else. instead, they took on reynard again. ¡°you learned magic, right? i heard you¡¯re dave¡¯s student.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t look like a wizard at all.¡± ¡°it¡¯s just a prejudice.¡± her three brothers, knights, were larger than average men. yurina, who is slightly younger than them, often thought that she was a dwarf among giants. but, by the way, reynard was so good-looking that he didn¡¯t stand out from the background of her three brothers. ¡°it¡¯s not prejudice. it¡¯ss the norm.¡± ¡°even if it¡¯s the norm, i¡¯m not the norm.¡± they would be great to get along, but why are these people fighting a war of attrition? yurina crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the tension rising between them. it didn¡¯t look like she should intervene, so she just watched. fortunately, this delicate situation was quickly resolved by an unexpected visitor. hearing the noise, riggs carthia rushed to the place. always calm, he didn¡¯t overreact like the twins, even after hearing everything from edwin. rather, he quickly wanted to get used to reynard. ¡°i heard a lot of stories. dave¡¯s student? there were rumors in the empire.¡± it was unusual for a marquis¡¯s son and a knight to treat a man without a title like that. as if he was noticing this, raynard took his outstretched hand in a gentle motion. ¡°i¡¯m not that good.¡± riggs laughed at this false modesty. ¡°you don¡¯t have to be embarrassed. the fact that you are dave¡¯s only student is enough of that fact. i thought dave would live his whole life without students.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t think he will have a second one.¡± reynard¡¯s voice was proud. his message was this: in the future, no one will be found who can surpass me. Chapter 60.1 ¡°i have also heard rumors about lord carthia. his glory even spread throughout the crohn kingdom.¡± riggs then looked at him with even more interest. ¡°and therein lies the strangeness, because future wizards rarely hear my name.¡± riggs, muttering to himself under his breath, raised reynard¡¯s hand, which he held for a handshake, and examined his palm. he threw, looking at the calluses and wounds on his palms and fingers: ¡°did you learn swordsmanship?¡± ¡°yeah. but i learned the basics.¡± ¡°that¡¯s where you heard my name from. but why did the wizard suddenly decide to learn swordsmanship?¡± reynard¡¯s gaze shifted to yurina next to him. riggs smiled at his beautiful little sister and nodded towards the window. ¡°if that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s take a look at your skills.¡± ¡°huh? duel? great. we will go with you!¡± ¡°i haven¡¯t had a new partner for a long time.¡± edwin and justin were overjoyed at the duel even before they knew reynard¡¯s opinion. raynard looked at all three of them in turn and snorted. ¡°okay.¡± there seemed to be a silent understanding between the three knights. at the same time, yurina couldn¡¯t catch their train of thought. ¡°what is this news all of a sudden?¡± one just returned from a long trip, and the other three needed to save energy for the tournament, didn¡¯t they? whether yurina thought it was absurd or not, the three men beckoned their sister to follow them and left the room. yurina stared at the rapidly retreating backs of the three, and then slowly walked on. when yurina finally entered the field with her umbrella, the whole place was filled with people. it is understandable. the participant in the duel was none other than riggs carthia. yurina didn¡¯t know much about sword fighting, but she had heard that there were a lot of things that could be learned just by watching great swordsmen fight. moreover, one of the opponents was not a knight or a squire, but a wizard. it was also a mage whose talent was rumored to be on par with riggs. ¡°no, if he is a wizard, then he is a wizard. what did they think of fighting with swords?¡± sir aaron listened to his student¡¯s indignation. ¡°i heard he learns swordsmanship at the academy.¡± ¡°and what can he do, even if he studied for a hundred years? wizards have no strength.¡± ¡°most importantly, don¡¯t say that in front of dave. no matter how frail they are, anyone can offend a wizard. and then¡­ you can accidentally fry on his rune.¡± a knight of the same age as sir aaron intervened. the student still looked unhappy, but quietly closed his mouth. sir aaron patted him on the shoulder again. even if it wasn¡¯t a jousting tournament, there was enough going on to get people¡¯s attention. yurina even saw the maid aside and sat down in the chair that the maid had brought. riggs and reynard with wooden swords now stood in different corners of the field. unlike riggs, who could afford to relax, reynard had a tense face. ¡®everything will be okay?¡¯ yurina had already heard from aiden that reynard had learned to swing a sword. aiden praised him with such fervor, one would have thought that reynard¡¯s skills were above average. however, this story came to her from an ordinary person. riggs, on the other hand, was professionally trained in swordsmanship, and he was one of the best in his generation. no matter how good reynard¡¯s dexterity was, it looked like a one-sided beating was about to happen. ¡®can he last?¡¯ the battle started amid yurina¡¯s worries. however, contrary to fear, reynard withstood riggs¡¯s attacks well. and although it was only an assessment of yurina, a complete underdog in swordsmanship, it was obvious that just holding on against riggs was already great. as the speed of the blows increased, exclamations were heard among the servants. betsy and the others enjoyed the spectacle as the two¡¯s swords flashed here and there. but the duel didn¡¯t last long. at the moment when riggs increased his attack speed and put all his strength into the blow, rey¡¯s backgammon wooden sword flew into the air. ¡°ahh?¡± the servants, who saw the wooden sword flying at them, screamed and ducked. just before he reached it, the wooden sword froze in mid-air. it was reynard¡¯s magic. when he snapped his finger, the wooden sword returned to his hand. when raynard cleaned the wooden sword and bowed to riggs in a knightly manner, applause broke out among the servants again. to these onlookers, reynard¡¯s magic was an even rarer sight than a duel. ¡°reynard was just great,¡± betsy whispered to yurina with an excited face. yurina nodded. after the fight ended, riggs and reynard approached yurina. at this point, both faces were covered in sweat. yurina handed them towels and water that betsy had prepared. ¡°you both did a good job.¡± ¡°although i am not a match for the great master, but it turns out good.¡± riggs patted reynad on the shoulder, wiping away sweat. ¡°are you going to the hunting tournament this year?¡± ¡°tournament?¡± reynard¡¯s gaze turned to yurina. ¡°oh, right. i forgot. like my brother said, there will be a hunting competition soon. you heard this at history classes, didn¡¯t you?¡± before the onset of spring, it has long been customary for the imperial family to hold hunting competitions. ¡°yes, i remember it. you also wrote about it in a letter. every year around this time you leave for a villa in the jenus mountains.¡± ¡°right. this time my mother is sick, so i decided to participate instead of her. so¡­¡± ¡°wait a minute.¡± yurina covered her mouth as she remembered something. ¡°i think i¡¯ve already explained all this.¡± ¡°i distinctly remember saying the same thing, and not to anyone else, but to reynard.¡± Chapter 60.2 ¡°yurina?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°why are you frozen?¡± ¡°mm?¡± raynard now turned to her three brothers, but yurina couldn¡¯t tell them anything either. things were too mixed up in her head. ¡°oh, i¡¯m confused.¡± edwin and justin echoed each other like parrots: ¡°what, what?¡± yurina soon smiled as if nothing had happened. ¡°there is nothing. i forgot about my luggage. i need to see betsy.¡± turning towards the mansion, yurina glanced at reynard. he noticed her signal and turned to riggs. ¡°i haven¡¯t had such a fierce battle in a long time. if it¡¯s all right, can i go?¡± ¡°oh, it looks like i shouldn¡¯t have fight a person who has yet to participate in the tournament like that. see you later then.¡± suddenly, raynard was rushing after yurina with quick steps. ¡°yurina, what¡¯s up?¡± raynard proved to be more sensitive to her mood than her three brothers, who, however, also really cared about yurina. ¡°what¡¯s happening? are you feeling bad? hunting competitions, is it difficult?¡± ¡°nothing, no, no.¡± however, he couldn¡¯t shake off his worries, so he placed his hand on yurina¡¯s forehead and cheek. ¡°fever? are you sick?¡± ¡°it¡¯s your hands that are hot after the fight.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t think so. let¡¯s go to the room. you need to go and rest.¡± ¡°there¡¯s no need.¡± ¡°why?¡± then reynard held his breath. yurina hesitated, touched her earlobe, and timidly spoke after. ¡°i sent a letter to the academy before you returned.¡± ¡°letter? oh, i kept them all.¡± ¡°not those.¡± ¡°what then?¡± yurina hesitated again because she couldn¡¯t figure out how to explain it. ¡®i couldn¡¯t wait for your letter, so i sent the letter again¡­ i know i have to say it.¡¯ ¡®but my lips are so dry.¡¯ ¡®that was the truth, but for some reason i didn¡¯t want to say that.¡¯ ¡®how ridiculous and funny would that be?¡¯ ¡®and yet¡­¡¯ yurina spoke as she removed reynard¡¯s hand from her cheek. ¡°you didn¡¯t answer me, so a few days ago i send you letter again to find out what was the matter. most likely, the messenger with the package has not even left the lands of the empire.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°then we can write to aiden and ask him to send the letter back. in any case, even if we don¡¯t write, i know that he will save the letter and send it to me.¡± in contrast to yurina¡¯s tension, reynard was now whispering to her in a soothing tone. he then laughed as he pinched yurina¡¯s cheek, but in a way that didn¡¯t hurt. ¡°you were really worried.¡± yurina quickly removed his hand because she felt like he was treating her like a child. ¡°i also sent a handkerchief.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°during the tournament, women give men handkerchiefs of their own embroidery, praying for their safe return. this time i made one for you too. and i sent it with a letter.¡± ¡°well, we can just ask aiden to send it back. this will happen in a month.¡± ¡°then the tournament is over.¡± ¡°there¡¯s nothing you can do about it now¡­ so that¡¯s how you behave when you don¡¯t receive my letter for a long time?¡± yurina just shrugged, handed the umbrella to betsy, and headed towards her room. she was worried that the handkerchief would evaporate, but if aiden sent it back, everything was okay. upon entering the mansion, she suddenly realized that reynard wasn¡¯t following her and looked around. raynard was still standing there, thinking about something with a serious face. ¡°what are you doing? are you not going?¡± ¡°oh, i¡¯m going.¡± even so, he still stood there for a while. Chapter 61.1 that evening, reynard met marquis carthia for dinner. marquis carthia was very pleased with his early release and promised to help him establish him in the empire. the marquise, who took care of reynard as if she were her own son, hugged him at the meeting and said that he should now decorate the room. at first, reynard was embarrassed by the marquise¡¯s hospitality, but then he laughed and murmured ¡®thank you¡¯. being stuck in his lab for days on end, dave nevertheless went out to the living room at the call of yurina, and as soon as he saw reynard, he raged. ¡°damn it, where did you come from? shouldn¡¯t you be at the academy?¡± dave, who experienced the hell of crohn academy, didn¡¯t quite believe reynard¡¯s words about him graduating early. at the same time, he grabbed raynerd, saying that he would take him away by force if there was anything wrong with his story. ¡°i¡¯ve never seen dave grumble like that.¡± reynard, too tired to listen to this grumbling, proudly showed dave the diploma he had never shown to anyone before. but dave couldn¡¯t even believe that. he branded it as a fake, and only calmed down after using verification magic three times. ¡°i raised a tiger cub,¡± he muttered in a trembling voice. when yurina asked if he was proud of his only student, he gave an ambiguous answer. ¡°i am proud, but, on the other hand, i am now afraid of him.¡± as a teacher, dave was proud, but now he even envied reynard¡¯s growth. ¡°is dave trying to hold you back?¡± yurina asked as soon as dave left. the two sat facing each other in the living room, which was currently being used as a classroom. when they were young, they often went there alone. now betsy was with them. edwin and justin left her as their watchdog. but betsy was on yurina¡¯s side. she silently read the book, ignoring yurina and reynard¡¯s conversation. ¡°it¡¯s not that he¡¯s trying to hold me back. but now he has a desire to compete with me. wizards are like that.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t understand him.¡± ¡°me too.¡± ¡°but i think victory will choose you.¡± raynard just laughed out loud. ¡°by the way, yurina, what about that letter?¡± ¡°letter?¡± yurina frowned and poke betsy by the knee. ¡°betsy, do you remember the last time i sent ray a letter?¡± betsy answered quickly, without hesitation. ¡°it¡¯s been about a week.¡± ¡°then the letter must be at the border.¡± raynard rubbed his chin and murmured softly: ¡°yurina, did you spray the letter with perfume again?¡± yurina was somewhat surprised by this question about the perfume. he never seemed to pay much attention to this matter. ¡°hm. i always do this. but why are you asking?¡± ¡°you¡¯ll soon find out.¡± he further stated that he was tired from his journey and needed to go to bed early. ¡°what the hell is this? it seems he won¡¯t go to sleep.¡± yurina knew his way of life well. even when he was a little boy, no matter how tired he was, he didn¡¯t sleep until ten o¡¯clock, even if his eyes were closed as he walked. but when he returns and reunites after a long time, he just leaves and falls asleep? in addition, the question about the letter was extremely unexpected and suggestive. betsy shook her head and said: ¡°i also think it¡¯s something ominous.¡± next morning. after everyone had breakfast, raynard was about to leave, but he ran into yurina. ¡°where are you going?¡± ¡°i need to take a break for a while.¡± he answered with a riddle and grabbed yurina¡¯s arm. then he put a bracelet on her wrist. if you look closely, he had a bracelet of the same shape on his wrist. ¡°what¡¯s this?¡± when yurina raised her wrist to eye level and asked, reynard hesitated for a moment. ¡°hm, so?¡± ¡°location tracking artifacts.¡± what? a very brief embarrassment appeared on yurina¡¯s face, which disappeared in an instant. ¡°why do you need to track me?¡± as she quickly tried to remove the bracelet, reynard grabbed her arm. ¡°don¡¯t misunderstand. it¡¯s not about that¡­¡± ¡°i think i got it right.¡± raynard glared at yurina¡¯s fingers. now his fingers were intertwined between hers, and in several places were covered with calluses. Chapter 61.2 yurina had felt it before, but the man¡¯s touch now seemed absolutely mesmerizing. but at the same time, something felt awkward, so yurina quickly withdrew her hand. raynard silently stared at the empty hand for a moment and grabbed yurina again, who was trying to loosen the bracelet. ¡°there is nothing strange about this. of course, there are people who use this for ¡®weird¡¯ purposes, but¡­¡± ¡°you¡¯d better keep quiet.¡± ¡°i need to go somewhere, but i think you will already be leaving for the tournament when i return. i will need to know where to reach you later. in any case, the bracelet doesn¡¯t work while i am away, so the first thing i will arrive at is villa carthia in the jenus mountains.¡± ¡°and where are you going?¡± raynard laughed mischievously. ¡°it¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡®that¡¯s what i¡¯m thinking about, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ yurina shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the doubts that had arisen. reynard, who she hasn¡¯t seen in so long, now disappears while yurina leaves the capital. ¡®why are you not with me, so that you are so¡­¡¯ yurina fiddled with the bracelet while sitting in the carriage on the way to the jenus mountains. she waited for him to catch up with her along the way. but he was nowhere to be seen until the next morning. ¡®nothing happened, did it?¡¯ as betsy and the other maids fussed around her, yurina couldn¡¯t shake her worries about reynard. she wouldn¡¯t have worried if ray had bothered to tell her what was going on. but he just disappeared, and there was no news. yurina, who was frowning and worried, suddenly cried out in pain in her neck. ¡°ah!¡± it was a loud, ear-piercing voice. it didn¡¯t really hurt that much, but while she was stuck in her anxious thoughts, the sound burst out of its own. however, the maids who didn¡¯t know this fact looked at yurina¡¯s neck and became worried. in particular, emily, who helped dress from yurina¡¯s right side, was now trembling with a pale face. yurina looked at the emerald earrings she was holding and quickly noticed what had happened. ¡°i just scared¡­ ¡± it looks like her hand slipped off and scratched yurina¡¯s neck with a needle. emily barely moved her lips, shuddering. ¡°excuse me, my lady!¡± ¡°get away.¡± betsy pushed emily away and pressed a handkerchief over yurina¡¯s wound. ¡°what are you doing? didn¡¯t think to call the doctor?¡± under betsy¡¯s glare, emily hurried out of the room. betsy sighed, looking at emily¡¯s back. ¡°milady, are you in a lot of pain?¡± yurina smiled and said: ¡°not at all.¡± ¡°don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°why should i lie? it really doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°it¡¯s a lie.¡± betsy took the handkerchief away, looked at the wound, and became even more depressed. yurina just smiled. ¡°this is really not true. however, i didn¡¯t want to disturb betsy once again, who every time starts to fuss, as if i were badly injured. yurina said mischievously while looking at betsy: ¡°it hurts, but why is betsy crying? you¡¯d think it was betsy who got hurt.¡± ¡°it¡¯s because i¡¯m upset. i get upset when a lady gets hurt.¡± ¡°well, is it just a needle? i think betsy is exaggerating.¡± suppressing the emotions coming from within, betsy sobbed and said: ¡°i treasure my lady so much.¡± even though the situation was unpleasant, yurina was in a good mood. it¡¯s so nice that someone cares about you. ¡°but don¡¯t scold emily too hard. she must have been very surprised.¡± ¡°she will pay me for this.¡± ¡°she is still too young. she was just nervous, because such an incident happened before her eyes.¡± emily was the new maid at carthia mansion, and had only worked for six months. she was 16 years old, a year younger than yurina. emily, who began working as a maid at the age of 12 to care for her sick mother and younger siblings, did a good job for a 16-year-old. marquis carthia has been keeping an eye on her, and has recently appointed emily as yurina¡¯s personal maid. yurina really liked emily. she was fun and friendly and did a good job. so she, without hesitation, brought her to these hunting competitions, the first in her life. yurina wasn¡¯t very angry with emily. people are always wrong. and this wasn¡¯t done on purpose, so she didn¡¯t want emily to be seriously punished. however, unlike yurina, betsy couldn¡¯t just put it out of her mind. ¡°emily is no good for my lady.¡± ¡°you¡¯re wrong. emily has been doing a good job all this time.¡± ¡°i can¡¯t leave things as they are. i¡¯m going to teach her a lesson.¡± as much as she cherished emily, yurina was forced to side with betsy, who ended up being with her for several years. ¡°don¡¯t punish her too hard.¡± ¡°yeah.¡± betsy quit while looking at yurina¡¯s wound. ¡°is it that bad?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not that serious¡­ but the cut is already swollen. if you put on a dress, everyone will see this scratch, and dave isn¡¯t around. so what do we do?¡± Chapter 62.1 yurina touched her neck, where she felt a tingle, and looked into the mirror. fortunately, as betsy said, the wound wasn¡¯t serious, but the place was visible, because it was under the earlobe. and her skin was white, but the wound was reddened and swollen, which made it even more pronounced. it was a wound that usually didn¡¯t cause any problems. the wound wasn¡¯t very deep, so it would have healed in a few days. there was a high probability that there would be no scars. however, today was the first day of the three-day hunting competition. all people¡¯s attention will be focused on the house of carthia, about which there are so many rumors. what if people see the wound on her neck? it was like arbitrarily giving them a reason to gossip. yurina would have tried to cover the cut with her clothes anyway, but it was difficult because the place was on her neck. ¡°my dress also has an open neck.¡± normally, she would just ask dave to heal her with magic, but unfortunately, dave didn¡¯t participate in this hunting tournament. wizards can¡¯t compete in hunting competitions, and injuries are usually treated by healers. sometimes, in the event of a life-threatening injury, imperial wizards take over the treatment. dave had never followed a hunting competition before as there was no need to field a wizard on behalf of the family. it would have been much more efficient for him to stay in the capital and continue his research, instead of wasting his potential on an event where he was¡¯nt needed. ¡°who would have known that this would happen.¡± it was unfortunate, but yurina couldn¡¯t just sit back and regret it. she looked in the mirror, turned her face back and forth, and thought about this and that. ¡°let¡¯s try to cover it up with makeup.¡± ¡°makeup?¡± betsy asked, as if in doubt. ¡°no. if we do something wrong, the cut will open.¡± meanwhile, emily made a circle and returned with a doctor. the latter seriously examined yurina¡¯s wounds, applied a medicine with a refreshing scent of herbs, and issued a recommendation. ¡°if possible, it is better to apply the medicine and leave the cut like this.¡± after the medicine had soaked into the wound, betsy, with the help of other maids, applied the powder to the wound. however, they still lacked cosmetics that would completely cover spots or scars like in korea, so yurina still saw the red cut on her neck. yurina looked in the mirror unhappily and spoke to betsy again. ¡°betsy, it¡¯s all useless, right?¡± it was a question for betsy, but it was answered by emily, who was constantly fussing around. she turned around with concern in her eyes and touched yurina¡¯s hair. ¡°what if we change the lady¡¯s hairstyle?¡± ¡°hairstyle?¡± yurina asked without thinking, but emily cringed like a frightened turtle, as if she felt rebuked. ¡°well. show me your idea.¡± ¡°uh¡­ i think the redness won¡¯t be as noticeable if you lower the hair from the side of the cut. if you decorate your hair with colorful pins, people¡¯s eyes will diverge.¡± it made sense. ¡°then will you do it?¡± ¡°me? but what if i do something wrong, milady?¡± ¡°you will do well. let¡¯s do it the way you think. what do you think, betsy?¡± betsy nodded lightly and let go of yurina¡¯s hair, which was already tied in half. ¡°i think it¡¯s a good idea.¡± when betsy agreed, emily¡¯s face relaxed a little. she still hesitated, but she walked over to yurina and touched her head. since this was done in order to cover up the wound, the hair was left loose. the maids brought yurina a box of accessories and decorated her head with colorful hair clips. after everything was over, the wound that worried her was barely noticeable. her hair completely covered the cut, so it was difficult to see even up close, and her new hairstyle was much more than planned. even if it was because of a cut, yurina really liked her new look. ¡°thanks. so much better.¡± ¡°no, milady. it was all my fault.¡± emily¡¯s freckled cheeks reddened. betsy, pleased with yurina¡¯s hairstyle, lightly patted emily¡¯s shoulder. emily always followed and admired yurina¡¯s most accomplished maid, betsy. with betsy¡¯s approval, her emotions overflowed, and emily sniffled, crying again, and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. ¡°betsy, time is running out. we need to finish faster. where is the second earring?¡± Chapter 62.2 ¡°oh, i have it!¡± emily reached into the pocket of her white apron and bulged her eyes as if surprised. she trembled, then took off her apron and turned it inside out. ¡°weird. i remember exactly that she was there,¡± the other maid who was watching her quietly whispered. ¡°are you sure you didn¡¯t lose it?¡± ¡°no, i put it in this pocket¡­¡± yurina also saw emily leave the room with her bloodied earring. looks like she lost her earring somewhere? yurina sighed and pulled out the earring hanging from her other ear. betsy immediately noticed this, opened the box and silently presented it to yurina. ¡°the hair is great, and the earrings would have been a little more modest.¡± ¡°as you say, milady.¡± betsy pulled out a white pearl earring. considering that the pearl was the size of a fingernail, it couldn¡¯t be said that the earrings were modest, but the other earrings yurina had brought were a bit monotonous. yurina nodded and betsy carefully slipped the earring into her ear. ¡°i will ask the other maids to find the lost earring.¡± ¡°yes, thank you.¡± ¡°won¡¯t that disturb you?¡± betsy, who looked yurina up and down, pointed to the necklace around yurina¡¯s neck. ¡°why don¡¯t you take off your necklace? it will rub on the cut.¡± ¡°and if i take it off, then my neck will be empty. and the necklace will cover the wound, so i think that¡¯s even better.¡± ¡°so what about something else? the necklace is certainly beautiful, but it doesn¡¯t match your clothes. and that leather strap¡­¡± it wasn¡¯t that betsy tried to rip off the necklace by force, but yurina reflexively grabbed the pendant. ¡°no, it¡¯s okay.¡± yurina looked at the necklace in her hand. a ruby-like transparent stone that shone brightly. it was the same necklace raynard had given her before parting on the border of the crohn kingdom a year and a half ago. ¡°don¡¯t take it off, even when you¡¯re sleeping or taking a bath, until i get back.¡± reynard¡¯s voice buzzed in her ear. as he had instructed her, yurina never parted with the necklace. she always wore it when she bathed and slept, and when she stayed with other family members, such as during tea parties. that was reynard¡¯s request, but even if it wasn¡¯t for that request, yurina had no choice but to continue wearing this necklace. because, so it seemed to her that reynard was somewhere nearby. whenever she suddenly felt lonely, even after a day of being surrounded by so many people, she felt like she was looking into reynard¡¯s eyes when she saw that red stone. ¡°it¡¯s surprisingly comfortable.¡± she looked at the rough leather strap and smiled. at first, she doubted reynard¡¯s aesthetic perception, but later the necklace seemed more convenient to her than the products of the best jewelers. even when she slept with the necklace on, her hair never got tangled and her neck never hurt. in addition, as if a preservation magic had been cast on it, the strap remained soft and dry even after a bath. it was nice that reynard thought of even such trifles. people who saw that yurina was always wearing this necklace always guessed that there was some special story behind it and asked about it, but yurina never told anyone. it was a secret only for him and for her. ¡®even though ray has already returned¡­¡¯ but she didn¡¯t want to take off her necklace. and generally speaking. raynard wasn¡¯t around right now, and she wanted to leave that as a memento of him. yurina smiled while looking at the pendant and shook her right hand in front of betsy¡¯s eyes. a bracelet with a red stone flashed on her wrist, like a pendant on a necklace. it was the location bracelet that raynard had forced on her a couple of days ago. despite the intimidating name ¡®location tracker¡¯, it looked like an ordinary bracelet, so it seemed that it could be worn with a dress. ¡°it¡¯s a necklace and a bracelet. they can come off as a set, can¡¯t they?¡± ¡°yes, it¡¯s cute. but this is the first time i see him, what kind of bracelet is this?¡± ¡°it¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°yeees?¡± yurina smiled at betsy and stood up from her seat. she had been a little nervous all this time, but after remembering the pendant and bracelet, yurina was relieved, as if reynard had been by her side the whole time. Chapter 63.1 geographically, the farther to the north of the empire, the colder the weather. in particular, in winter, snow falls before the growth of an adult woman, and since the winter is long, this place is also famous for the fact that the snow in the mountains doesn¡¯t melt until flowers bloom in the capital. however, only in the jenus mountains, which are believed to be guarded by the goddess herself, the weather was strangely mild all year round. even in winter, the temperature wasn¡¯t so low, snow rarely fell, and in spring the flowers bloom before the capital. yurina, who had attended every tournament since she was a child, was amazed at the sight of the flowers in the garden of the villa, unlike in the capital, where the branches were still bare. she didn¡¯t believe it was due to the protection of the goddess, so she thought there might be other, more scientific reasons. but she couldn¡¯t find a single explanation, even after searching the books. ¡°it looks like this goddess really exists.¡± yurina looked at the flowers blooming around her and thought all sorts of stupid things. the secular life of the capital¡¯s nobility ends every time at the beginning of winter and begins again in the spring, when the first flowers bloom. thus, the hunting tournament, held at the turn of winter and spring, became the first social event of the year. for the nobility, this was an important opportunity to exchange gossip and make new connections before the season got underway. on the one hand, knights with the coats of arms of each family were waiting, and on the other, groups of three or five, divided according to common interests. among the many people, yurina¡¯s attention was drawn to a couple of young lovers who were talking to her right. the girl timidly held out a handkerchief to her lover, and the young man with a sword on his belt smiled broadly. it was a young couple of yurina or reynard¡¯s age. the knight who was handed the handkerchief kissed it with a pleased face, and then tied it around the hilt of the sword. the blonde girl blushed as she looked at it. ¡°something fresh.¡± yurina always thought it was a boring novel whenever she remembered such scenes in her head. sewing handkerchiefs for her brothers, she didn¡¯t attach much importance to this. she simply reasoned that it would be more difficult to propitiate them and keep them from paying too much attention to her if they didn¡¯t enlist the handkerchiefs laid down for them. however, when she looked at the favors of this young couple clinging to each other like they were anointed with honey, yurina felt envious. ¡®do i envy them?¡¯ while her thoughts led her into the unknown wilds, she accidentally glanced at her own three handkerchiefs. oddly enough, yurina looked at the three headscarves with the same crest and remembered another one that wasn¡¯t even with her. there was one particular handkerchief that took much more time and effort into its creation than others. a handkerchief embroidered with yellow flowers, holding memories of the time spent with him. ¡®what a pity.¡¯ yurina wasn¡¯t too sad now knowing that aiden tessie would send the handkerchief back. but, on the other hand, the burden of regret still remained. yurina wanted reynard to get his handkerchief on the hunt. but where is the handkerchief now? eaten by regrets, yurina unconsciously glanced at those two lovers. suddenly, the man knelt in front of the woman and kissed her hand. the meaning of such a kiss is respect and devotion. ¡°yurina, i will protect you.¡± in the blink of an eye, yurina saw an illusion of her own face and reynard¡¯s face on top of the pair opposite. then she shook her head, surprised at her own thoughts. ¡°you¡¯re going crazy.¡± she patted her cheek with her hand and looked back in surprise at the sound coming from behind her. ¡°yurina.¡± riggs, dressed in a hunting suit with the crest of the carthia family on his chest, walked over and stood in front of her. ¡°what were you looking at?¡± ¡°oh, i just watch people. i hope everything goes well.¡± yurina looked at that pair of lovers again. following her gaze, riggs turned away and laughed at the scene. ¡°in the end, our main point of hunting is scarves from the lady of the heart.¡± he then asked in an inappropriately playful voice. ¡°are you jealous that you have to perform with your brother?¡± ¡°ah, it looks a bit like that. but what¡¯s the point of getting a knight¡¯s oath from a brother?¡± yurina handed him a handkerchief with riggs¡¯s name on it. ¡°okay then. here is the handkerchief.¡± ¡°did you make a handkerchief?¡± ¡°of course.¡± ¡°looks good.¡± ¡°i had to suffer with it.¡± yurina just shrugged. riggs exclaimed, looking at the meticulously embroidered family crest, and then tied a handkerchief around his wrist. then, instead of kneeling down to imitate the other knights, he just patted yurina on the head. when he noticed her displeasure, he quickly removed his hand. ¡°in exchange for this handkerchief, your brother will make you the first lady.¡± first lady is a title given to the winner¡¯s companion. yurina had little interest in such things, but for girls her age, it was the highest honor. but what is the point of receiving such a gift from your own brother? for a moment, she had some grotesque thought, but yurina kept that thought in her heart and only laughed. ¡°mm. i¡¯m looking forward to it. get me a lot of things.¡± riggs also won the hunting competition last year. yurina firmly believed that he would win this year as well. ¡°but you have to take care of yourself. much better to return home unharmed.¡± ¡°oh, i want to catch something too. will i get a handkerchief? with it, i can even catch a deer.¡± the voice of the intruder wedged between the two. at that moment, edwin and justin looked at the two with their arms crossed over their chests. Chapter 63.2 ¡°i couldn¡¯t beat brother riggs in swordsmanship, so¡­¡± yurina laughed at the twins and beckoned to them. two pairs of gray-blue eyes sparkled with anticipation. ¡°what? what¡¯s there? do you have something to say to your brother?¡± ¡°yurina, what is that in your hand?¡± even though their names were embroidered on their handkerchiefs, the two men were trembling, pretending to be surprised. ¡°well, whose handkerchief will it be?¡± thinking of playing a trick on them, yurina carefully waved her handkerchief in the air. the heads of the two moved after her hand. now it seemed that she had become a trainer, taming animals with a piece of meat. yurina gave everyone a handkerchief. edwin and justin quickly wrapped a handkerchief around the hilt of their sword. ¡°of course, thanks to the beautiful embroidery, the sword has taken on a new look.¡± ¡°it seems that no embroiderer in the empire can catch up with our sister.¡± ¡°you should have been careful. your deer didn¡¯t give up to me. come back unharmed.¡± ¡°i¡¯m thinking of catching a fox.¡± ¡°what? a fox?¡± edwin asked hastily. ¡°let¡¯s make a shawl out of the tail, it will be warm.¡± ¡°winter is over. and i don¡¯t need anything like that.¡± so, a fox tail shawl. for some reason, yurina had a vision of a whole fox around her neck. suddenly, goosebumps spread across my skin. ¡°then i¡¯ll catch you a rabbit.¡± ¡°and why a rabbit?¡± ¡°if i bring it back alive, can¡¯t we keep him as a pet?¡± ¡°he will nibble all the flowers in the garden. and i don¡¯t think i want to court¡­¡± ¡°what about the deer? stuffed head¡­¡± ¡°oh, really, brother¡­¡± the start was still a long way off, but the twins were already glowing with enthusiasm. yurina decided to interrupt this conversation. she always tried to be calm. but it is in front of the twins that she always grumbles. ¡°don¡¯t worry about me and do your thing. just bring something like a fox tail or deer head.¡± the two men laughed. ¡°you have beautiful hair today.¡± belatedly emphasized edwin. yurina gently touched her head. it was a hairdo because she was afraid that everyone would see the wound. but no one seems to have noticed. ¡°indeed. modest, but beautiful.¡± ¡°is it so good?¡± ¡°umm. yes, it is.¡± ¡°then i should do this hairstyle more often.¡± the three men who stood close didn¡¯t see the wounds. yurina breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°yurina, you be careful too,¡± justin suddenly muttered as he patted yurina on the head. ¡°do i have anything to fear? i¡¯ll be at the villa.¡± at the villa, where all the servants remained, magical prohibitions were imposed by the personal wizards of the imperial family. the principle of operation was unknown, but it was said that the whole place was safe and wild animals couldn¡¯t get inside. if a member of the imperial family participated in the event, there was no need to worry about safety. but justin still looked over yurina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°i¡¯m not talking about wild animals¡­¡± yurina suddenly froze and looked around. ¡®curtis.¡¯ the protagonist of the original and the prince of the empire now competed in the tournament from the royal family. curtis had already entered his age, and was interested in yurina. after trying to invite her to the ceremony, the three brothers began to guard her. ¡®i¡¯ll manage it somehow without you three.¡¯ the moment she tried to nod her head, to tell justin that she understood his advice, yurina met curtis¡¯s gaze, who was looking around at that moment. even from a distance, his startling golden eyes stared at yurina like they were nailed down. the curtis¡¯ lips, who never took his eyes off yurina, slowly drew a crooked line. yurina hurriedly hid behind justin¡¯s back, avoiding that gaze. ¡®it will be a headache.¡¯ ¡®because it was an official event, i thought i would meet curtis, but i didn¡¯t know i would see him so soon. in addition, even if i met him, i would wish that he didn¡¯t show interest in me. but seeing his face now, my hopes flew to the wind.¡¯ riggs now noticed curtis too. ¡°listen to justin, yurina. if possible, hide.¡± yurina suddenly opened up and laughed at her three older brothers who were more serious than herself. ¡°don¡¯t worry about me. and come back with the loot.¡± Chapter 64.1 but why did an unknown sadness gnaw at her again? ¡°lady carthia.¡± yurina saw off her three brothers and hurried back to the villa. suddenly, a sound came from behind. it seemed that he was far away, but now curtis¡¯ steps were heard right behind her. ¡®will i be able to break out this time?¡¯ ¡®something clearly hints to me, but it would be impossible. be that as it may, my counterpart was the crown prince of this country. no matter how famous a daughter of the house of carthia i am, he is an adversary who can¡¯t to be taken lightly with.¡¯ yurina put up a straight face, turned around and bowed. ¡°greetings to his highness the crown prince.¡± ¡°rise your head.¡± as yurina lifted up, she saw curtis¡¯s face right in front of her nose and held her breath. he looked into her wide eyes in amazement and smiled slowly. ¡°it¡¯s hard to find you lately.¡± ¡°how can i distract a great man? i know perfectly well that you¡¯re so busy that you don¡¯t have time for people like me.¡± ¡°i feel that i have more time than you.¡± hidden in those words was a hint that it was yurina who avoided meeting him. seven years ago, there were very few moments when these two accidentally crossed paths. this is because yurina didn¡¯t go where the prince could appear. unlike the original, not only did she not intend to become a princess, but she would also like to not mess with a prince at all. ¡°i¡¯m glad to see you after all this time, but you look unhappy.¡± he spoke kindly. however, yurina didn¡¯t sense any friendliness in his face or voice. his smile, as beautiful as the portraits, was also cold. ¡®he just needs strength to strengthen his position.¡¯ if he fell in love with yurina at first sight, he wouldn¡¯t treat her like this. however, his target wasn¡¯t yurina, but only reynard. ¡®i would prefer that he honestly disclose his desire to see ray.¡¯ the emperor¡¯s eldest son had enough legitimacy to succeed to the throne, but he had one drawback. his maternal line didn¡¯t promise him much power. empress eileen, who died when he was eight years old, was the princess of the crohn kingdom. as far as yurina knew, the current emperor of this country left to study in the crohn kingdom as a teenager and fell in love with her at first sight. they got married after a passionate romance. romantic marriages among those in power were rare, as their marriage was more of an opportunity to form an alliance between noble houses. but this time it was different. empress eileen was beloved by the imperial people for her benevolent nature and for giving the emperor her first child, curtis. but she didn¡¯t have a political foundation. after her death, even the reason for the crohn kingdom¡¯s involvement in imperial politics disappeared. on the other hand, empress janice, who became empress after eileen¡¯s death, came from the house of a duke, of which there were four in the empire. if empress janice gives the emperor a new prince, how quickly will the duke¡¯s family pull the strings to name him crown prince? even when she wasn¡¯t empress, the nobles who marched in line with the duke praised the intelligence of the second prince philip, but after janice became empress, she became much more outspoken and aggressive. meanwhile, curtis was alone and struggling to survive, both as a child and as an adult. there was also a lot of news about assassination attempts on him. perhaps with such a backstory, it is clear why he was so insensitive and calculating. yurina was a very good nourishment for him. the only daughter of the carthia family and the patroness of ray, the first genius of the younger generation. this must have been the reason why curtis chose lydia after betraying yurina, who was his love in the original. it was only a choice between karion, who brought with him great opportunities, and a loved one. knowing curtis¡¯s personality, it¡¯s not surprising that he preferred the former. he was a man who, unfortunately, knew nothing but his ambitions. and what did the real yurina like about him so much that she ran after him? ¡°how is it possible? i am also very glad to see your highness after a long time.¡± ¡°stories reach me about that man supported by your family.¡± when the topic of reynard suddenly popped up, yurina quietly clenched her fists. ¡°he was a great help to the crohn royal family. as you know, my mother came from the crohn kingdom, so i have a special attachment to that place. if i have the opportunity, i would like to meet him in person and have a talk. but as far as i know, graduation is still a year away¡±. reynard¡¯s early return was still a secret to the outsiders. ¡°yes that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°it¡¯s just fate that we met like this. how about a cup of tea and a chat?¡± it sounded like a suggestion, but it was actually an order. ¡°it¡¯s a great honor for me. but how dare i waste your highness¡¯ time? i¡¯m not the only one looking forward to meeting you, am i? how many nobles are gathered here, but you chose me?¡± curtis tried to protest with a still forced smile. however, a young man who seemed to be his assistant suddenly approached and caught his attention with a cough. ¡°your highness, i¡¯m sorry, but we have been expected since yesterday.¡± ¡°i trust that the crown prince will make a sensible decision.¡± as expected, he declined to hang out with yurina after a momentary display of feigned disappointment. ¡°looks like we¡¯ll se you next time.¡± yurina bowed and answered. ¡°i¡¯m looking forward to a new chance.¡± of course, she planned to avoid such a chance. the assistant politely said goodbye to yurina and directed curtis. ¡°the marquis de flon is first in line.¡± Chapter 64.2 what? hearing the familiar name, yurina bit her lips tightly. ¡®oh yes. he¡¯s a mage.¡¯ yurina soon realized. in the past, when magic was underdeveloped, not as it is now, hunting was done using only practical weapons like swords, spears, and bows. but even now, the use of magic is forbidden in hunting competitions to honor the spirit of chivalry. instead of participating in the hunt directly, the mages create a magic circle to make sure the area around the villas is safe and stand guard in case of an emergency. whatever it was, dave didn¡¯t want to participate and said that he was tired of pointless squabbles with other mages. during this time, it would be better to conduct an extra experiment, and dave stayed in the capital for the duration of the competition. the marquis de flon was also trained in swordsmanship, as befits a nobleman, but he was basically a mage. when he was young, he led the knights of the family in tournaments, but now it would not be easy for him. this is probably why he stayed at the villa, not participating in competitions. ¡®i don¡¯t know why you need to see curtis, but¡­¡¯ usually in these places nobles seek good luck, to whom the crown prince is usually unattainable. in the case of the marquis de flon, he could see curtis at any time in the capital. ¡®are you following other families?¡¯ well, it¡¯s true. yurina decided not to pay much attention to the marquis de flon anymore. ¡°who is this man?¡± yurina, who was watching curtis leave, was startled by the sound from behind. there was an unexpected guest in front of her. ¡°ray? when did you come?¡± raynard, who had been missing for several days now, approached yurina with a wide stride. she was even more surprised to see his face. ¡°what is that purple color all of a sudden?¡± his red eyes were purple now. purple eyes are beautiful too, but reynard now seemed a little strange to her, accustomed to seeing red eyes. raynard pointed to his eyes and laughed. ¡°it¡¯s a secret that i¡¯ve already returned. i changed it. if they don¡¯t see my red eyes, they won¡¯t think that i am me.¡± ¡°right. rumors of the blessed one with red eyes had already spread throughout the empire.¡± yurina looked into his eyes with a mysterious look. when she looked closely, it seemed that she still saw the red color. ¡°if you were thinking of changing it, couldn¡¯t you choose a more common color? this is better than red, but purple will also attract attention.¡± ¡°i tried, but it only came out purple. if you forget about them for a while, then they will turn red again. it is said that red eyes are a symbol of the goddess. so there must be something in them that rejects the flow of mana.¡± ¡°this is the first time i¡¯ve heard this. if dave finds out, he will torture you with his curiosity.¡± raynard winced. ¡°however, i am glad that the young master didn¡¯t come to this tournament. if he were here, he would be stuck in the lab again, researching new hunting magic.¡± yurina, who laughed, looked at his clothes this time. he wore the uniform of the knights of carthia. on his chest was an eagle with a sword, the crest of the carthia family. ¡°where did you find these clothes? when did you come?¡± ¡°i just arrived. betsy gave me the clothes. by the way, who was that person?¡± raynard glanced at curtis, who had already gone a long way. ¡°his highness the crown prince.¡± ¡°crown prince?¡± muttering the word ¡®prince¡¯, he crossed his arms over his chest and lowered his head. ¡°what did he want from you? isn¡¯t that the one who invited you to the coming-of-age ceremony? you described to me in a letter.¡± ¡°nothing special.¡± ¡°there are a lot of people here, but he was looking for you. and nothing special?¡± ¡°i think he just wanted to get to know you.¡± confused, he slightly raised his eyebrows. what was happening was no secret, so yurina decided to be honest. it was also an issue that directly affected reynard. raynard listened seriously to the brief retelling from yurina. yurina finished the story and added a final note. ¡°however, you can do as you wish.¡± ¡°and what do you think?¡± ¡°me? okay¡­¡± yurina gave the best answer she could give in this situation. ¡°do what you want. because i can¡¯t control your life. but i hope you don¡¯t mess with the crown prince, if possible.¡± ¡°no, i¡¯m not talking about that.¡± he stepped closer to yurina. his shadow was now blocking out the sunlight and falling on yurina¡¯s head. ¡°what do you think of this prince?¡± Chapter 65.1 ¡°hm?¡± ¡°are you seeking marriage with him in order to become an empress?¡± ¡®what are you talking about? that¡¯s what i¡¯m trying to avoid at all costs.¡¯ ¡®however, i couldn¡¯t state it directly, because reynard¡¯s face was now serious, without a hint of humor.¡¯ raynard grabbed yurina¡¯s hand. his long fingers slipped between hers and squeezed tightly. in their case, such a gesture was like insisting on an answer. ¡°you wrote about him in a letter. i don¡¯t like him.¡± ¡°i hate him more than you. and i¡¯m not interested in the place of the empress.¡± raynard laughed, breaking the oppressive atmosphere. ¡°may it be so. if you don¡¯t like it, i don¡¯t like it either.¡± yurina changed the subject, looking at reynard¡¯s face. ¡°now it¡¯s my turn to ask questions. where the hell have you gone again?¡± ¡°oh, right.¡± raynard put his hand in his pocket, as if he had just come to his senses. yurina¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as she saw the thing in his pocket. a handkerchief was in his hand. the same handkerchief she had recently sent to reynard. ¡°did you really go to get it?¡± on the day of his departure, yurina already guessed that it was all about the handkerchief. it would seem that the only thing that could separate them after a year of separation was this handkerchief. but soon this ridiculous assumption flew out of her head. but reynard still went for such an absurd thing. ¡°the messenger went further than i thought. everything took longer than expected. my luck that you sprayed the letter with perfume. i tracked the package by scent.¡± he slipped the handkerchief into yurina¡¯s hand, who was still standing there puzzled. ¡°you need to hand it to me personally.¡± yurina smiled and covered his hand with a handkerchief. at that moment, raynard grabbed yurina¡¯s hand and kissed her fingers. it wasn¡¯t a kissing dance, a cycle of touching and retreating, but a kiss that lasted longer than usual. he smiled at yurina, bit her fingertips, and then let go. his warm breath touched her fingertips and yurina somehow felt her cheeks get hot. yurina avoided his gaze and saw that riggs was looking in that direction. ¡°we need to go. my brother has been staring at you all this time.¡± ¡°yeah.¡± ¡°and one more thing¡­ be careful. i didn¡¯t give up on a deer¡¯s head, a fox¡¯s tail, or a rabbit. just come back safe.¡± raynard chuckled, as if wondering what the hell she was talking about. yurina laughed after him, saying that this story is about her brothers. ¡°but before i left¡­¡± he folded the handkerchief and put it away, then leaned down to the level of yurina¡¯s eyes. now, he gently took yurina by the cheek, tilted her head to the side, and felt her neck. suddenly, yurina frowned at the tingling in the cut. ¡®how did you even notice it?¡¯ he removed the bandage the healer had put on her and carefully rubbed the scratch with it. soon the tingling pain subsided. ¡°how the hell did you see it? i hid the cut.¡± raynard, who was stroking yurina¡¯s now clean neck with the back of his hand, now came out with a touch of arrogance. ¡°how could i have missed any detail about you?¡± after escorting raynard and her brothers out hunting, yurina went to the temporary tent assigned to marquis carthia. there were already several people in front of the house. that was the purpose of her arrival at the tournament. the primary purpose of yurina¡¯s participation was to contact other noble houses on behalf of her sick mother. she greeted the guests with a gentle smile on her lips. the age of the guests who arrived varied. there were children the same age as yurina, and there were middle-aged nobles, their parents, as well as the old nobles who were those grandparents. yurina was completely exhausted even though she had just met them and greeted everyone. it was the first time she had met so many people, so even before dinner she felt exhausted. ¡°i¡¯ll take care of them.¡± when yurina showed some weariness from the constant crowds of visitors, sir aaron noticed this and sent the guests back. thanks to that, yurina was able to catch her breath. refreshing her makeup with betsy¡¯s help, yurina suddenly looked into the corner of their house. ¡°she won¡¯t stop.¡± emily sat alone in the corner, storm clouds gathering over her head. she had been in a bad state ever since she cut yurina¡¯s neck in the morning. ¡°she was really looking forward to the tournament.¡± emily, who was born and raised in the capital, didn¡¯t leave the capital until the age of 16. it was understandable. a commoner like emily could rarely leave the capital with the luxury of traveling by carriage. besides, she had to take care of her family, so she had neither the time nor the money for such an undertaking. she said that she had never even been with her family at leman lake, located on the outskirts of the capital. emily was overjoyed when she heard that yurina would take her to this hunting competition. it was very sweet to see a girl of the same age blush as she imagined great knights competing in skill. until last night she was agitated, but now she was sitting there dead. ¡°emily.¡± when yurina called out to her, hugging her knees and drooping, emily suddenly woke up in amazement. ¡°yes? did you call me, milady?¡± she hurried and stood next to yurina. ¡°should i fix your hair again? i think it¡¯s all right.¡± Chapter 65.2 ¡°my hair is okay. but what about you? aren¡¯t you bored sitting here?¡± ¡°yes?¡± yurina stood up from her seat and pointed at emily, who looked confused. ¡°sitting in the walls is stuffy and boring. let¡¯s go for a walk.¡± betsy, who noticed yurina¡¯s intentions, followed the two of them. emily looked into betsy¡¯s eyes in bewilderment and stepped cautiously forward. when all three had gone out, sir aaron stopped them at the door. ¡°you want to go for a walk?¡± ¡°yeah. i don¡¯t like sitting inside. i used to always stay at the villa. now i want to see the mountains. is there anywhere to go here?¡± ¡°there¡¯s a boardwalk. i¡¯ll go with you lady.¡± sir aaron summoned other knights scattered here and there and went out with them. as already mentioned, hunting tournaments are nothing more than an opportunity to make connections. since the main purpose of the nobles here is to exchange gossip and weave intrigues, there were not so many people in nature. yurina deliberately wore a wide-brimmed hat so as not to draw too much attention. although most people don¡¯t know her face, they all knew the crest of the carthia family very well. the knights wisely covered the emblems on their robes so that they weren¡¯t visible. passing the tree-lined embankment, a view of the valley opened up to the right of the group. as soon as she saw the clear and pure water glistening in the sun, emily, who followed yurina, became very happy. ¡°wow! milady, just look! it¡¯s called the valley¡­ ¡­right?¡± yurina laughed at the naivety of her maid. ¡°yes. this is the valley.¡± ¡°my god, i could only hear about such a thing! is this place very different from leman lake?¡± emily with now red cheeks walked to the edge of the embankment, grabbed a tree, and looked down into the valley. she would like to rush there at any moment and dip her feet in the water, but it would be impossible to go down. yurina looked at emily¡¯s back and asked sir aaron who was following her. ¡°sir aaron, is there a path to the water?¡± ¡°if we go a little further, we will probably find one.¡± ¡°then can we go down to the valley and stop there?¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay, the whole place is protected by magic. would you like me to lead?¡± ¡°i would be grateful.¡± sir aaron ordered the knights in the escort to follow them, while he went ahead. emily, who was staring blankly at their backs, suddenly puffed out her cheeks and cried out: ¡°milady, thank you! i dreamed of one day visiting a place like this!¡± ¡°thanking for such a small thing? we moved here because the house was hot.¡± ¡°anyway, thank you, milady!¡± emily hummed something under her breath, and now and then jumped around the whole group, especially behind sir aaron. yurina looked into betsy¡¯s eyes and laughed. then everyone slowly moved on. soon after, sir aaron descended into the valley and approached yurina. ¡°there are a lot of stones there, so be careful.¡± as they descended to the water, holding the hands of the knights, sir aaron led them to a wide flat rock. yurina sat down on the handkerchief that betsy placed on the rock. ¡°milady! the water there is so clean!¡± emily ran into the valley and bared her legs. she wanted to look around for a moment, but soon she lifted the hem to her knees and dipped her feet in the water. the accompanying knight of her own age quickly turned to face her flushed face. ¡°it¡¯s dangerous if you run like that.¡± ¡°oh, it¡¯s all right. i¡¯m slowing.¡± emily laughed and stepped into the water. then, as she lost her balance and staggered, the knight hurriedly ran over and caught her in his arms. ¡®how cute.¡¯ yurina smiled involuntarily as she looked at the two of them. it was the same with other people around. and betsy, who was holding the umbrella next to yurina, muttered with a laugh in her voice. ¡°i was reminded of my lady¡¯s and raynard¡¯s youth. ¡°hm?¡± ¡°because milady and reynard were so cute. oh, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s the other way around now. you are still cute!¡± ¡°is such a word suitable for a person who will become an adult in a year? and ray is already an adult.¡± ¡°but you are still like a child in my eyes.¡± the difference is only 10 years, but betsy spoke to her like a nanny who raised yurina since childhood. however, it was betsy who said it, and yurina didn¡¯t see anything wrong with that. because the only people who could treat yurina like a child were her family, betsy and dave. ¡°don¡¯t stand there, sit next to me. and take that umbrella away. your hand will fall off.¡± betsy sat down next to her, but didn¡¯t fold her umbrella. even if yurina said it was fine, she insisted on it. Chapter 66.1 tl/note: i decided to divide the chapters from now on, but because of this, chapter releases will be more frequent, so don¡¯t worry. ___ ¡®well, what am i to do with you?¡¯ betsy was stubborn when it came to yurina. yurina just sighed and looked around. the knights had been fussing around all this time, and yurina wanted to beg them for a break. but sir aaron shook his head, as if he had read such a thought. ¡°but what about a little break?¡± ¡°it sounds great.¡± he left the two knights next to yurina and led the rest back down the road that yurina had just descended. yurina didn¡¯t say anything else and looked around. ¡°good day.¡± hot sunlight from above, ripples of water in front of her, birds chirping, emily playing in the water, betsy laughing loudly from the side, and a young knight who glances at emily. their time passed slowly, while fierce competitions were going on in the distance. yurina looked around carefully, covered her mouth and yawned. she woke up very early to dress up and put on makeup, and being in the middle of such a landscape, she was suddenly inclined to sleep. bets, noticing this, whispered in her ear. ¡°if you¡¯re tired, you can sleep. i will cover you with an umbrella.¡± ¡°yes, thank you.¡± yurina leaned on betsy¡¯s shoulder and closed her eyes. betsy covered yurina¡¯s face with an umbrella so people couldn¡¯t see her. yurina immediately fell asleep. who knows how long she spent like that. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t go.¡± yurina, who was dozing, suddenly opened her eyes at the sudden voice. sir aaron, who was guarding the road, raised his sword and blocked someone in front of him. yurina couldn¡¯t see his face, but she could understand that sir aaron was very wary. there was only one person standing next to sir aaron. and this was a man who didn¡¯t have weapons like a sword or a spear, and he was not considered a knight. ¡®what¡¯s going on?¡¯ in this peaceful place, yurina wondered what circumstances forced sir aaron to draw his sword? ¡°and why can¡¯t i get in? is this private property?¡± yurina stood up from her seat after hearing an unfamiliar voice. the surprised knights approached and tried to stop yurina, but she raised her hand to stop them. ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡± if there was a conflict with another noble family here, she, a member of the carthia family, would be responsible. moreover, as the stranger had said, it was not the property of their house, so sir aaron had no right to bar anyone¡¯s entrance. ¡°stay away, milady.¡± ¡°milady, please come here.¡± betsy also appeared in front of her, as if covering yurina with herself. sir aaron looked at the knights behind yurina and looked back at the stranger. yurina glanced at the man who was detained by sir aaron. blond hair shining in the sunlight. and although he was tall, he didn¡¯t look like a knight at all, because he was thin. they didn¡¯t look much alike, but looking at him, yurina remembered reynard, who by this time was in the middle of hunting with her brothers. yurina, who had a curiosity about strangers, largely due to her resemblance to reynard, suddenly realized that the flow of mana around him was strange. ¡®a mage?¡¯ now it became clear why sir aaron had reacted so harshly to the newcomer. and judging by the mana fluctuations, this man seemed to be a very skilled mage. the man only looked at sir aaron with an expressionless face, and raised his arms slightly. ¡°i just wanted to go down to the water while walking. you shouldn¡¯t have followed me. and i don¡¯t think you¡¯re from the royal family. and there is no law in our empire that would prevent me from walking where i want.¡± ¡°nonetheless¡­¡± ¡°sir aaron, he¡¯s right.¡± yurina then approached sir aaron. ¡°we have no right to stop him. anyway, it¡¯s time for us to head back, so we¡¯ll just leave.¡± ¡°milady, but¡­¡± ¡°no need to fuss. we¡¯ll leave.¡± ¡°as you say.¡± yurina looked at sir aaron, and turned her gaze to the stranger. the man¡¯s eyes, until recently expressionless, now showed some surprise. he didn¡¯t move when yurina interrupted the conversation and didn¡¯t greet her. it was an act contrary to etiquette, but yurina accepted it without resentment. ¡°i think sir aaron was more worried than usual because this is my first time in a tournament.¡± again, there was no answer from him. yurina gave him a meek look, and noted how he blinked a lot, and how his eyes flickered now. ¡®as usual.¡¯ it was embarrassing to say this to herself, but her appearance was definitely outstanding in the empire along with lydia de flon. even when she was very young, yurina was beautiful. now, after growing up, her appearance stood out to such an extent that sometimes she admired herself. men who saw yurina for the first time often reacted just like the one in front of her. in any case, she was lucky that the situation ended without much friction. yurina now turned to sir aaron. ¡°sir aaron, let¡¯s go. guests are waiting for us.¡± ¡°then let¡¯s go.¡± and then, when yurina had already turned to the road, an insistent speech was heard behind her back: ¡°hey, have we ever met before?¡± yurina laughed at those trite words, knowing their purpose in advance. ¡°is this thing still working in this place?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know. first time i see¡­¡± it was then that yurina looked back and was confused by what she saw in front of her. Chapter 66.2 the man burst into tears, and his face was whiter than snow. tears streamed down his cheeks and trickled down to his chin. but he didn¡¯t seem to realize he was crying. he wasn¡¯t embarrassed and didn¡¯t wipe away his tears. yurina, embarrassed by the stranger¡¯s sudden tears, stared at him. the man approached her. yurina backed away, but soon the man caught her by the wrist. his purple eyes filled with tears now turned to yurina. yurina looked into strangely familiar purple eyes and yanked her hand away. ¡°sir aaron!¡± turning to the knight, she couldn¡¯t find other words. obviously, the scenery in the forest was still the same, but moments before, the knights and maids accompanying her had disappeared from view. yurina had experienced this before. ¡®the magic of dividing space.¡¯ however, it was a little strange that she couldn¡¯t feel the flow of mana. even in the crohn realm, after experiencing space division magic, she clearly felt the flow of mana. given that she had delved deeper into magic than then, she must have sensed something. ¡®is it possible that he¡¯s a more talented mage than then?¡¯ as soon as she thought about it, yurina rushed back from the person and fumbled around. she had already done it once, and thought she would succeed now. shortly after, she groped for the wall, gathered her mana in her hand, and tried to force a breach, but the man who approached quickly grabbed her arm. even though he didn¡¯t call back his space dividing spell, the prepared mana in his hand suddenly crumbled. obviously, it was his will. ¡°take it easy. i didn¡¯t mean to harm you.¡± ¡°you¡¯re using space division magic without my consent, and i have to trust you?¡± ¡°really, i want to speak to the young lady, but i don¡¯t think i can do it with an escort.¡± yurina roughly pushed his hand away. however, his words that he didn¡¯t intend to harm her turned out to be true, and the man retreated. ¡°it is only natural for an escort to protect me from strangers. if you want to talk, you have to ask the family to have a formal meeting, not like this.¡± ¡°sorry. i¡¯m unfamiliar with the manners of aristocrats.¡± ¡°if so, cancel this magic immediately. or should i break the barrier myself?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll cancel it in a second. but i want to ask you one thing.¡± there was no talk of any kind. yurina once again gathered her mana into her hand and walked along the barrier. the man insistently exclaimed: ¡°is it true that we¡¯ve never met?¡± yurina laughed. ¡°right. but even if we met, such rudeness is unacceptable.¡± yurina dispelled her mana and looked at the man again. ¡°but what family did you come from?¡± while there was a conflict with sir aaron, she didn¡¯t bother to ask for his name. at that moment, she felt that sir aaron¡¯s behavior of being overly vigilant was wrong. now everything was different. such behavior has crossed the border of banal rudeness. besides, it was magic. it¡¯s terrible to imagine how this could end. yurina wasn¡¯t going to be nice to him any further. the man kept his mouth shut. then yurina decided to push. ¡°i¡¯m from the marquis carthia house. insulting me is like insulting the carthia family. this will not end with my displeasure. we will protest at the family level.¡± the very name of the carthia family put pressure on people. as soon as he heard that name, the man¡¯s purple eyes trembled. ¡°carthia¡­¡± before yurina even asked his name one more time, he asked the question: ¡°are you yurina carthia?¡± yurina wasn¡¯t surprised that he knew her name. in the secular circles of the capital, there were quite a few people who didn¡¯t know the name of the daughter of the carthia family. when yurina nodded slightly, he curled his lips slightly. perhaps he regretted his actions? and again, when she tried to open her mouth to ask his name, the man bowed politely to her and said: ¡°i apologize.¡± at the same time, yurina felt the mana scattered around her. the figure of a man instantly disappeared, and then a roar was heard. ¡°milady!¡± betsy rushed over to yurina, who had disappeared moments before. ¡°something happened again!¡± she grumbled with a tear-stained face. yurina called out to sir aaron, who was still holding his sword at the ready. ¡°sir aaron, do you remember the face of this man?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°please find out who this man is and quickly. from what family? right now.¡± it was no longer a desire to protest his rudeness. rather, her instincts were screaming at her, she had to find him. Chapter 67.1 sir aaron returned without success. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, milady. but i couldn¡¯t find him.¡± sir aaron was so sensitive to mana that he knew immediately that the unknown was a mage. that he didn¡¯t find him meant two things. one: the master mage is no longer around, he has disappeared. two: the mage hides mana to hide his identity. in any case, it became clear that he had swept all tracks and escaped persecution. ¡°would you like to continue searching?¡± yurina shook her head. ¡°no. if you couldn¡¯t to find him earlier, i don¡¯t think it will get any easier later on. quite the opposite.¡± even if sir aaron is mana sensitive, he was a knight. if a mage chooses to hide his mana, it would be difficult to trace him unless the other side was a fellow mage. ¡°then i¡¯ll wait outside.¡± after sir aaron left, yurina was lost in her thoughts. ¡®what the hell?¡¯ even after casting space division magic, he really didn¡¯t do anything to her. he just asked if they¡¯d seen each other before. just one question? and he cast such magic just for this? of course, space division magic was used so that mages could exchange secrets. but does a stranger need to talk to her using this magic? or rather, he approached her with some intention, but he heard the name of carthia and ran away. ¡®but why the hell was he crying?¡¯ purple eyes continued to flicker in yurina¡¯s face. she wished she could chalk the whole thing up to someone¡¯s prank, but to be honest, it didn¡¯t look like it. yurina wasn¡¯t very good at reading people¡¯s expressions, but at least his tears didn¡¯t seem faked. if all of his reactions were false, that would mean that he had deliberately contacted yurina. he would have known who she was from the start. there were more questions than answers. all the commotion gave yurina a headache, so she lay down on a simple couch. normally, she wouldn¡¯t do that, but she didn¡¯t have the luxury of thinking about etiquette because her whole body felt strangely broken and heavy. ¡°you must be very tired doing makeup early in the morning. please sleep. i¡¯ll tell sir aaron to send the guests out for a while,¡± betsy whispered, covering yurina with a blanket. yurina nodded and closed her eyes. * * * ¡°milady! milady!¡± yurina, who had fallen asleep at betsy¡¯s insistence, now lifted her heavy eyelids. before she could regain consciousness, betsy grabbed her arm and lifted her up. ¡°betsy, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°faster, plese!¡± with a stern face, betsy grabbed yurina by the arm and dragged her out of the house. emily approached yurina with tears in her eyes. ¡°milady?¡± ¡°we need to be faster!¡± ¡°what the¡­¡± ¡°we need to hurry!¡± yurina, who had rushed out of the house at betsy¡¯s urging, instantly turned pale at the sight unfolding before her eyes. ¡®what is that?¡¯ outside the idyllic cottages reigned disorder. like her, the people who used to rest in the houses now rushed around screaming, surrounded by knights of the escort. ¡°milady.¡± aaron came up with a drawn sword. ¡°no matter what anyone tells you from now on, you must hurry and leave the hunting grounds. find the coachman and return to the estate immediately.¡± ¡°what¡­¡± before she could finish speaking, yurina heard the low roar of a wild beast among the bushes. yurina reflexively turned her head to see several pairs of red eyes shining in the bushes and stepped back. ¡°milady, don¡¯t look back, run.¡± betsy took yurina by the hand and ran. behind them, a howl could be heard, either of people, or of wolves. yurina was losing her sense of reality. and the pulse continued to give in her head. the ferocious wolves were getting closer. ¡®no¡­¡¯ in an instant, yurina stumbled, losing all strength in her limp legs. while betsy and emily squealed in horror, yurina lost her concentration and fell to the ground. yurina looked around. a pack of wolves ran past the knights of the house of carthia and ran towards her. ¡®they will kill me.¡¯ there were a lot of people around, but yurina somehow felt that the wolves were targeting her. she knew that she needed to run, but she couldn¡¯t get up, as if her legs wouldn¡¯t obey her. betsy grabbed her by the hand and lifted her up, but her body continually sank to the ground. meanwhile, one wolf bared its sharp teeth and ran towards yurina. the alarming situation now seemed to flow before my eyes barely, as if in slow motion. Chapter 67.2 ¡®to die like this suddenly, and like this in vain? i¡¯d never have thought of such a death.¡¯ it is said that when a person dies, all the bright moments of his life flash before his eyes. the white veil before yurina¡¯s eyes has now been replaced by something like a kaleidoscope. reynard, who abruptly asked her if she needed him as a ¡®toy¡¯. reynard, who quietly cries during a thunderstorm. reynard, who sniffs and carefully eats his birthday cake. raynard, who promises to protect her with an oath on the little finger, is preparing for that distant kingdom of cron. and. ¡°wear it until i return. don¡¯t forget about it, even when you sleep or take a bath.¡± raynard whispered to her with a face like he was holding back tears. as soon as she remembered that, yurina quickly pushed betsy aside. she then grabbed the necklace that was still hanging around her neck. a bright light erupted from the necklace as soon as a bit of mana touched it, and at the same time, the wolves running towards her fell to the ground bloodied, as if they had been cut with a sharp knife. everything happened in an instant. yurina exhaled as she looked at the dead wolf right in front of her nose. she felt cold sweat running down her back. here she was dizzy from the sudden use of magic, and her body, still weak, went limp even further. ¡®i¡¯m alive?¡¯ feeling her own heartbeat, yurina breathed a sigh of relief. but betsy, who had fallen next to yurina, screamed sharply. ¡°milady!¡± the wolf, which had strayed from the pack, roared sharply and ran towards them. sir aaron drew his sword and blocked the wolf¡¯s way, but in vain. the wolf easily jumped over him and already opened his mouth. yurina grabbed the necklace and tried to inject mana, but it didn¡¯t work. it was then that she remembered reynard¡¯s words that magic could only be used once. ¡®and what now?¡¯ yurina closed her eyes, clutching the necklace tightly. the cry of the wolf came right in front of her nose. ¡°milady!¡± however, she didn¡¯t feel the pain that, as it seemed, would come along with these teeth. instead, yurina felt a strong and warm embrace. she also felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her back and waist. at the same time, yurina felt hot liquid dripping onto her shoulder. from that moment on, everything around became quiet, as if everyone held their breath. no, it looks like there was a lot of noise around. it¡¯s just that yurina didn¡¯t hear anything, as if she was left alone in the whole world. all she heard was her frantic breathing¡­ ¡°yurina, are you okay?¡± only reynard¡¯s voice sounded in her ears. the voice she longed to hear came right in front of her, but she couldn¡¯t even open her eyes. it happened because at the moment when she opened her eyes, it seemed that this dream would dissipate in a fog. yurina touched her body with her eyes closed. hot liquid continued to flow down her trembling hands. yurina hardly dared to open her eyelids. his eyes turned red again and appeared right in front of her nose. when their eyes met, raynard sighed heavily and laughed. ¡°thank the goddess.¡± with these words, and reynard plopped down beside her. Chapter 68.1 9. mind and heart yurina hurriedly checked reynard from head to toe. the latter lay motionless and with a pale face, as if a real dead man. if she hadn¡¯t put her finger under his nose again and again, yurina would have thought that raynard was dead. now yurina put her hand under his nose once again and exhaled in relief. despite this, reynard¡¯s breathing was so weak that yurina couldn¡¯t calm her worries to the end. ¡°he¡¯ll be all right, won¡¯t he?¡± ¡°yeah. even though the wound was serious, the imperial mages made it in time. i was worried that he had spilled a lot of blood, but mr. reynard passed fencing as a pastime, didn¡¯t it? his stamina shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± the physician of the carthia house, rodrik, replied in a calm tone. he had known yurina since she was born, and he spoke to her as if comforting his frightened granddaughter. however, his words reached yurina as if through a veil. ¡°will there be any side effects?¡± ¡°he may be ill for a couple of days. because the torn flesh and muscle had been forcibly spliced together by magic.¡± and when yurina¡¯s expression quickly changed to panic, he hurriedly added: ¡°even so, his pain will be no worse than after over-training with a sword. don¡¯t worry too much, milady.¡± even if it was just muscle pain, as he said, the pain was still pain. yurina shivered and bit her lip as complex emotions flooded in her heart. rodrik hesitated, and then patted yurina on the shoulder. yurina looked at him and, under an effort of will, forced out a smile. but it was a smile that looked more like tears than laughter. ¡°when will he wake up?¡± ¡°i think it¡¯s tonight or tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°i¡­¡± yurina was momentarily speechless due to the emotion that took her breath away and took a deep breath through her nose. ¡°is there anything i can do?¡± rodrik looked into yurina¡¯s reddened eyes, and then moved his gaze to reynard, who was still motionless. he had seen raynard since he arrived at the carthia mansion. in his eyes, yurina and reynard, who hung around the mansion all day long, were as cute as his own grandchildren. it was nice to see these sweet little children grow up so well, but it always bothered him that one of them was suffering and the other kept blaming himself for it. that¡¯s when he grabbed yurina¡¯s hand and placed it on raynard¡¯s arm. ¡°just hold his hand and you will give him strength.¡± yurina nodded slowly. even after rodrik left the room, yurina continued to hold reynard¡¯s hand. his normally warm hand was now like ice. yurina slipped her fingers between his and squeezed his hand tightly. usually reynard responded in kind, but this time there was no movement. ¡®and why am i so upset about this little thing?¡¯ yurina, who still managed to swallow her rising emotions, carefully folded reynard¡¯s fingers, which were helplessly outstretched. his hand clasped hers like she wanted it to be, but yurina was completely unhappy about it. ¡®everything is fine.¡¯ she tried her best to convince herself. ¡®the doctor said everything was fine.¡¯ however, despite such words, reynard¡¯s tightly closed eyelids reminded her of the scene she had seen before. the figure of reynard, lying on the ground, and his entire torso is completely covered in red blood. rodrik was afraid that she would be shocked, which is why he spoke as calmly as possible. but reynard¡¯s injuries were not to be taken lightly. yurina gasped at the terrible sight and couldn¡¯t bear to look at it anymore. his wound was so deep that even his right shoulder blade was visible. not a sharp blade, but they were large wolf teeth, and the flesh was torn to shreds. it was such a serious wound that the three imperial mages were only able to heal it by joining powers. at the end of the procedure, the mages were exhausted with fatigue. yurina personally saw the process, but of course, the memory of that scene wouldn¡¯t leave her mind for a long time. besides, if he got hurt because of her¡­ yurina covered her eyes tightly with her free hand. it looked like she was about to cry, but suddenly she was interrupted. ¡°milady.¡± the lock clicked, and betsy stepped inside. ¡°i¡¯ll take care of reynard. so go ahead and rest. if it goes on like this, you will fall unconscious.¡± yurina shook her head helplessly while continuing to hide her eyes. ¡°stay there.¡± ¡°milady?¡± ¡°stay there.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll wait in the next room. so if you need anything, call me.¡± ¡°betsy.¡± betsy, who was about to leave the room, returned to the call. ¡°yes, milady.¡± ¡°did you mention that reynard suddenly jumped out in front of me? where?¡± ¡°so it was. raynard suddenly appeared from nowhere. probably used his abilities. and then¡­¡± betsy glanced at yurina and paused. ¡°say it.¡± ¡°a wolf was about to attack you when reynard hugged you from behind.¡± betsy¡¯s voice trembled slightly at this point. for betsy, who considered reynard to be a little brother, this also became a horror. Chapter 68.2 ¡°but how did he know?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°i¡¯m talking about ray. he was on the hunt. then how did he know?¡± yurina looked down at her palm, and at reynard¡¯s hand in it. on her wrist was the red stone bracelet that reynard had given her earlier. as he told her, the tome bracelet had the potential to track the wearer. even if it was now clear how raynard deftly found out yurina¡¯s whereabouts, the question still remained, how exactly did he manage to do it right at the moment of need? betsy thought about it, but just shook her head. ¡°i don¡¯t even know. maybe he heard screams?¡± yurina didn¡¯t think so. hunting grounds and cottages were at a decent distance. what¡¯s more, the forest was dense and the members focused on hunting, it would be difficult to hear the screams from afar. ¡°nevertheless¡­ i¡¯m glad it worked out.¡± yurina¡¯s shoulders trembled at betsy¡¯s words. ¡°reynard got hurt, but you¡¯re still unharmed. now, if reynard hadn¡¯t had time¡­¡± ¡°i would be dead.¡± ¡°yeah.¡± raynard also whispered to her before fainting. ¡°thank the goddess.¡± when yurina remembered that voice that was extremely relieved, all her thoughts seemed to freeze. yurina ran her tongue over her lips and gestured at betsy. betsy bowed her head and cautiously left the room. there were only two people left in the spacious room, but the place was quiet. it reminded yurina of the scene in their office, where after reynard left for the academy, there was always silence. while she stayed with reynard, she never had a quiet and peaceful day. as a child of his age, naturally, he was very talkative. even though he was afraid of people and shunned others, he seemed to pour out everything he wanted to yurina. then, after reynard¡¯s departure to the academy, silence reigned forever in that room. obviously, yurina had lived in that silence all her life until they met. but when she heard his voice at that moment, she realized how lonely her whole life had been before meeting him. and raynard was now in this room, right in front of her. however, now this room was no different from the cold office where reynard was missing. yurina squeezed raynard¡¯s hand even tighter and put her ear to his chest. ba-dump, ba-dump. a heartbeat was heard. although it was slow and weak, it was definitely alive. yurina felt her pulse as well, slowly picking up speed in alarm. the sound of the two hearts was a cacophony, but in the end they began to beat together as one. ba-dump, ba-dump. this sound continued to flow into yurina¡¯s ears, just like that resonant voice that didn¡¯t stop until the night. he¡¯s alive. but yurina won¡¯t be relieved until she sees him open his eye. ¡°ray.¡± yurina fell asleep in this position. reynard¡¯s pulse began to feel louder as her hearing became more sensitive in her sleep. ¡®wake up.¡¯ reynard, who was supposed to wake up no later than the next morning, didn¡¯t wake up until the next day. and by the evening it didn¡¯t get better, but, on the contrary, the temperature rose. doctor rodrik rushed in for an examination and said that there was nothing to worry about, because it was a natural reaction. ¡°didn¡¯t i say it¡¯s not worse than muscle pain? so that¡¯s why the heat is on. there may be a slight fever for the next few days, but the condition hasn¡¯t worsened, so don¡¯t worry too much, milady.¡± ¡°how can you be so sure he won¡¯t get worse?¡± ¡°like i said, the wound healed perfectly.¡± he comforted her, and repeated the same thing over and over again. but when reynard lay in front of her eyes with a white face, yurina couldn¡¯t help but worry. betsy, watching her lady unable to eat or sleep, grabbed yurina¡¯s arm and forcibly forced her to stand up. ¡°milady, this is no good. what if you faint and reynard wakes up at that moment? what will he think? i made soup, so please eat it.¡± yurina, who was sitting with a blank stare, no emotion, just like a doll, only reacted to the word ¡®reynard¡¯. she meekly followed betsy to the dinner table. but tormented by her own emotions, yurina couldn¡¯t even eat a few spoonfuls of the cooked soup before she vomited. the next few attempts ended in the same. in the end, she drank a glass of warm water, returned to the bed and sat up. betsy followed her with a worried face and grabbed yurina¡¯s arm again. even if she didn¡¯t get to eat, she should at least get some sleep. but yurina stood up and firmly threw at her: ¡°i¡¯m alright.¡± Chapter 69.1 ¡°but milady¡­¡± ¡°if i fall asleep, i will have nightmares. i¡¯ll just stay sitting here like this.¡± for the past two days, all she did was sit next to the bed and nod off. but yurina couldn¡¯t help. it was now almost impossible for her to sleep through the night without losing her mind. yurina had been having nightmares as of late. in one of these, she dreamed of reynard, covered in blood, as a consequence of the accident. now, in those two days, yurina felt like she¡¯d had a year¡¯s worth of nightmares. betsy couldn¡¯t challenge the determination of her lady. she left the room with a pitcher to fetch warm water. yurina closed her eyes as she heard the door slam shut. the image of a wounded raynard constantly flickered before her closed eyes. one of his shoulders was torn open by wolf teeth, and white bones were exposed. ¡®i think i¡¯ll go crazy like that.¡¯ yurina got up and went to the bathroom. she washed her face with cold water and put her hair in a semblance of order. after that, she nervously washed her hands, and then left. at the exit, yurina paused for a moment, amazed at the spectacle in front of her. there was no sound either. but now reynard was awake and looked around the room anxiously. for a while, yurina stood motionless. reynard¡¯s awakening seemed like a mirage to her. raynard, who was constantly looking around, hurriedly got out of bed as soon as his gaze found yurina. and when yurina noticed how his body was still shaking, she quickly ran up to him. she ran to support him, but she didn¡¯t get the chance as raynard pulled her tightly into his arms. ¡°yurina.¡± he was still tormented by fever. his voice was so hoarse that he couldn¡¯t speak properly. yurina wanted to touch his forehead, but this time without success as reynard grabbed her arm. after a full two days, raynard¡¯s tormented eyes scanned yurina from head to toe. his gaze was tenacious, as if he was trying to find something in her. yurina¡¯s cheeks turned red even though she knew he had no bad intentions. his gaze first moved to yurina¡¯s face, then to her neck, from her neck to her wrists, and finally to her ankles. perhaps that wasn¡¯t enough, he rolled up yurina¡¯s sleeves and looked at her hands. ¡°thank the goddess, you¡¯re safe.¡± her annoyance and anger once again formed a lump in her throat when yurina saw reynard smiling with a completely pained face. she was happy that he opened his eyes. but she couldn¡¯t even look directly at him, so yurina bit her lip and lowered her head. she wanted to tell him many things when he woke up. ¡®thank you for saving me, but aren¡¯t you hurt yourself? are you feeling well? why the hell did you have to suffer instead of me?¡¯ in fact, when he lay unconscious, she took his hand and muttered these words under her breath, like an obsessive fanatic. now, no words came to mind. the only thing that lingered on her mind was guilt. guilt for hurting him through her own negligence. although marquis carthia, her three brothers, and sir aaron said it wasn¡¯t her fault, for the past two days, yurina¡¯s guilt had been eating away at her. ¡°yurina.¡± raynard gently grabbed yurina¡¯s cheeks and lifted her head up. yurina lowered her gaze to avoid him. then raynard leaned down and looked into her eyes. ¡°why are you avoiding me? hm?¡± he should have been worried about himself, but that wasn¡¯t what he was thinking at all. yurina closed her eyes as the sight upset her even more. ¡°were you very scared? i¡¯m sorry, if i had time earlier, i would have chopped off the whole thing at the root.¡± hearing his words, one might think that it was she who was the main victim, and not him. when he himself was hurt, he treated her as if yurina was injured. and yurina was unhappy about that. ¡°and what about you? are you okay?¡± ¡°hm. yes.¡± ¡°you were bitten in the back.¡± ¡°they already helped me. see?¡± he moved his injured shoulder back and forth. however, yurina saw that he was frowning slightly as he moved. ¡°it¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°now i¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°you can¡¯t be okay. you haven¡¯t woken up for two days.¡± raynard smiled mischievously. ¡°i have been in bed longer than i thought. it seemed like i had only slept for a few hours.¡± ¡°but why¡­¡± yurina paused and bit her lip. thinking about what happened that day, her emotions were so shaken that she no longer had the strength to control them. ¡°why didn¡¯t you use magic then?¡± Chapter 69.2 it was a question she had wanted to ask from the moment he fell beside her. sensing that yurina had cast a spell with his necklace, raynard immediately moved to her. if so, he should have used magic, but why did he just hug her from behind. ¡°and i used it.¡± ¡°what does it mean?¡± ¡°i used physical protection magic as soon as i saw you. but for some reason it didn¡¯t work. i wouldn¡¯t have had enough time to sort out the situation and try again¡­¡± ¡°do you even understand how this could end?¡± ¡°whatever happens, it¡¯s better than you being bitten.¡± raynard grimaced as if imagining something terrible. yurina felt that his statement was very contradictory. ¡°you could have died.¡± feeling her voice grow harsher, reynard was unable to answer and covered his mouth. yurina continued to speak while looking into his eyes. ¡°in the end, i was lucky to survive. but why did you have to behave like that? don¡¯t you have to think about your own life?¡± ¡°you survived, that¡¯s all. thank the goddess.¡± yurina had heard those words countless times in the past two days. marquis carthia, her three brothers, betsy, servants in the villa and even the crown prince himself. they felt sorry for the injured raynard, but everyone understood that such was the price of yurina¡¯s safety. if not for reynard, yurina would already be dead. yurina wondered what all those people were thinking. she survived only by putting reynard under attack. and reynard didn¡¯t even wake up for two whole days. nothing to thank the goddess for. but now even reynard said it himself. and he said this not to someone else, but to yurina, who had been sitting with him for the past two days, fearing that he would get worse. now it got on yurina¡¯s nerves. yurina felt her face light up with her rising emotions and continued. ¡°why are you like this? is it more important to you that i don¡¯t get hurt than your life?¡± yurina continued without giving him a chance to reply. ¡°why did you have to push yourself? why do you have to suffer instead of me? why?¡± ¡°yurina.¡± tears, barely contained before, now flowed down her cheeks. yurina bit her lip and tried to control herself, but unsuccessfully. there was no immediate response from reynard. instead of answering, he slowly approached yurina and put his arm around her shoulders. when yurina tried to step back, reynard added strength to his grip. ¡°i did promise.¡± ¡°what are you talking about?¡± yurina stopped struggling and turned to raynard. he wiped yurina¡¯s cheeks and calmly explained. ¡°so you forgot it already? i said i will protect you.¡± despite the annoyance in yurina¡¯s voice, reynard was still whispering in a calm voice. it was a voice that seemed to speak the most natural truth in the world, such as that it is cold in winter and flowers bloom in spring. yurina felt like she had been hit in the back of the head. she knew well what promise he meant. it was probably the promise he made on his thirteenth birthday. ¡°yurina, i will protect you.¡± the words he whispered as he kissed her trembling hand when she met marquis de flon in the middle of the city. however, yurina never imagined that the story of this promise would come up in a situation like this. and the matter wasn¡¯t limited to the promise he made. after all, initially, yurina put forward conditions for him at their first meeting. ¡°remember what i did for you today. then, when i¡¯m in danger, you must save me.¡± everything went according to the agreements that the two concluded in childhood. in exchange for saving his life, she asked to be protected no matter what, and he said yes. the true meaning of what was said at that time was that he wouldn¡¯t betray yurina, and protect her from the intrigues of de flon. but reynard simply didn¡¯t know such details. and thanks to his ignorance, yurina was still in the world of the living. everything happened as it was once decided. but raynard now couldn¡¯t understand why yurina was so unhappy and desperate. ¡®didn¡¯t you think it would come to this?¡¯ she asked herself. ¡®when i told reynard to save me, i had no idea that he would be in such danger.¡¯ ¡®on reflection, i came to a conclusion.¡¯ ¡®i never wanted to put you in danger.¡¯ ¡®hypocrite, hypocrite, hypocrite. someone shouted it in my head.¡¯ ¡®yes, when i first met reynard, i was aware that something dangerous could happen to him.¡¯ ¡®back then it was all about politics. there was no guarantee that i would have time to get him ahead of marquis de flon. i didn¡¯t have to be shy about methods.¡¯ ¡®and then karion just disappeared, but the threat from the marquis was still alive. if he had aimed at me, the first thing he might think of was to demolish the obstacle in front of me, reynard.¡¯ ¡®but i swear i never wanted him to suffer.¡¯ ¡°what good is it that you suffer for me? what is the use of this promise?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not just about the promise.¡± raynard lowered his hand and wrapped his arms around yurina¡¯s waist. his movements were careful. he rested his chin on yurina¡¯s head and then yurina was completely in his arms. ¡°even if there wasn¡¯t a promise between us, i would still do the same. do you know that?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°i can¡¯t imagine you die, yurina. without you, there will be no me.¡± his words were romantic. words that expressed devotion and said that ¡®you¡¯re my everything¡¯, but also showed his desire to possess. those words that would make anyone at yurina¡¯s age blush. ¡°then what do you think about the future?¡± instead of rejoicing at those words, yurina felt as if all the blood in her veins had gone cold. she alone knew what would wait them in the future. ¡°does that mean it doesn¡¯t matter what happens to you as long as i¡¯m safe?¡± then he answered without hesitation. ¡°as long as you¡¯re safe, i don¡¯t care what happens.¡± if he pretended to hesitate before answering, yurina wouldn¡¯t be so angry now. now yurina escaped from his grasp and pushed reynard¡¯s shoulder as he clung to her again. ¡°did you forget to think of me?¡± Chapter 70.1 it was just one short question, but yurina¡¯s feelings once again sowed confusion inside. now yurina barely moved her lips, unable to control her emotions. ¡°i say, what would i do without you? is it okay if i¡¯m alone? have you forgotten to think about me? do you think i¡¯ll be fine in your absence? do you think i¡¯m okay now?¡± yurina finally grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to her. tears rolled down to the floor again. ¡°answer me now. do you see what happened to me? i look good, do you think?¡± yurina spent the last two days neither dead nor alive. she couldn¡¯t even calmly take a sip of water and couldn¡¯t sleep from nerves. if someone looked at her and asked if she was alive, she would confidently answer ¡®no¡¯. during this time, yurina blamed herself for what had happened countless times. and her whole worldview was shaken after the incident. obsessed yurina¡¯s body, yurina believed all her life that there was nothing worse than her own death. and she had no choice but to judge like that. her most terrible memory, both in her past and in this life, was the thought of her death in loneliness and agony seven years ago. it¡¯s been seven years. yurina barely remembered her former life in korea. even her mother¡¯s face and voice faded and chased from memory. but remembering the moment of her death was a different story. although she tried to put it out of her mind, from time to time that image popped up on its own and got on her nerves. it was a terrible memory. however, the moment she saw reynard who was covered in blood and passed out, yurina realized something for the first time. an empty office, an unwritten notebook, a pile of dusty books, eating alone, silence and loneliness in the bedroom before going to bed. the only reason she could bear that emptiness was because she believed that reynard would return someday. she had been waiting for him for five whole years, and all five of these years she was overshadowed by an empty and quiet office, where there was no heat since he left. ¡®but what if ray dies now?¡¯ it was so terrible that the mere thought of it felt like she was being pressed on her throat. and if it turned out that raynard would suffer because of her, yurina would experience pain more excruciating than death agony. ¡°ever since you¡¯ve been like this, i¡¯ve been having nightmares about your death. did you say you had a nightmare that i couldn¡¯t remember you? in my dreams i see you dying for me. you¡¯re dying because of me. look at it from my point of view. do you think i¡¯ll be okay?¡± yurina took a deep breath. ¡°are you doing this for me? and i should be happy about that? how can you be so careless?¡± over the past two days, yurina had accumulated a lot of questions that she had no one to express. yurina¡¯s legs lost strength and she sat down on a chair. raynard followed her and only stared at the floor the whole way. after a series of questions, there was not a single answer. not that yurina really wanted to hear them, so she didn¡¯t get angry or upset at his silence. raynard looked at the crying yurina, then knelt down and hugged her. yurina tried to push his shoulder again, but she couldn¡¯t as reynard grabbed her tightly. he was no longer the fragile child she could take down with her own strength. yurina eventually stopped pushing and buried her face into his shoulder. ¡°sorry. i shouldn¡¯t have to do it.¡± ¡°promise me. promise me you won¡¯t do that trick another time.¡± ¡°i can¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°why¡­¡± ¡°if this happens again, i would make the same choice,¡± raynard whispered in a soft but determined voice. and there was no hesitation in this answer. yurina jerked back, feeling his hand caressing her hair gently. ¡°don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°yurina.¡± ¡°if you really like me, don¡¯t do it.¡± raynard sighed quickly, as if frightened. the hand stroking her hair tightened. he only gave her an unintelligible hum, then pushed yurina away and took a few steps back. in an instant, his face and even his neck became hot and red. raynard looked straight at yurina, who was wiping her tears with her palm, stared at the floor, then at yurina again, again at the floor, and in the end he barely spoke: ¡°how¡­¡± but he couldn¡¯t continue and bit his lip. ¡®you want to ask how i knew? doesn¡¯t this come through after lines like ¡®without you there is no me¡¯?¡¯ ¡°¡­did you know?¡± it would be strange not to know this. yurina wasn¡¯t stupid enough not to know what reynard felt for her. the meaning of his words and actions was clear as day. it would be a stretch to claim that his behavior came only from their closeness in childhood. however, yurina tried to ignore those feelings whenever he meekly revealed them. because she thought she didn¡¯t deserve his affection. she searched raynard out of her selfishness and enlisted him to help her for her own survival. she then played to win his affection. she gave him a new name, raised him so he couldn¡¯t do without her¡­ it was all for her, not for him. as yurina intended at the very beginning, he opened his heart to her and eventually developed feelings that went beyond mere sympathy. as his feelings for her grew, so did yurina¡¯s guilt. she didn¡¯t know if she could even accept his heart, because the whole story spun out of banal selfishness. so her own feelings for him were also unclear and repressed. but this new incident forced her to sort out her thoughts. her feelings for raynard were much stronger than she thought. to the point where she feared his death more than her own. she turned away from her heart, and indeed her own mind, because of the guilt of having used him from childhood until now. but since all the drama stemmed from her selfishness, why not turn the heat up now? ¡°if it¡¯s really for me, don¡¯t do it. you¡¯re more valuable to me than myself. just like you put me before your own welfare.¡± ¡°it means¡­¡± ¡°i like you, ray.¡± Chapter 70.2 and this recognition was also a manifestation of selfishness. if you become attached to me and really think of me, then you should do as i direct you. she will put those shackles on him again. ¡°so don¡¯t be so reckless.¡± from start to finish, the game remained the same. his love for her was sincere, but her confession to him wasn¡¯t pure. raynard held his breath and blushed. there was an awkward silence in the heated room. raynard couldn¡¯t keep talking and even forgot how to breathe. yurina had nothing to say because she poured out everything that was languishing inside. after a long silence, raynard, whose cheeks were still red, took a step closer to yurina and asked. ¡°this is true?¡± ¡°yea.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°really.¡± there was no more room for words. instead, raynard wrapped his arms around yurina¡¯s waist and pressed his lips to hers. not knowing what to do at that moment, yurina wrapped her arms around his neck. the force of his previous impulse was such that her body stragged slightly. she tried to tighten her hold on reynard, but eventually she couldn¡¯t overcome the momentum and ended up on the carpet. the moment before she fell, raynard grabbed the back of her head to soften the blow. both of them were breathing faster. reynard¡¯s body, which still had a fever, was getting hotter and hotter. yurina¡¯s breath hitched and she pulled away for a moment to breathe, but then returned to the kiss again. no one knew how much time had passed for this action. regained his senses, raynard was the first to speak as he kissed yurina on the tip of her nose. ¡°i like you, yurina. much more than you like me.¡± the previously happy yurina, who had established herself in her selfishness, was once again overwhelmed by guilt. * * * ¡°yurina.¡± yurina, awakened by the gentle touches on her head, stiffened at the sight in front of her. reynard¡¯s face was right in front of her to the point where his breath fell on her cheek. ¡°good morning¡­ i think?¡± raynard¡¯s lips, dry and rough from the heat, now touched yurina¡¯s forehead. yurina couldn¡¯t comprehend the whole situation, so she blinked frequently and looked around. the light of the red sun shone through the thick curtains. neither betsy nor the other maids were around. ¡®what am i doing here?¡¯ since she couldn¡¯t leave reynard alone, she had stayed at his bedside the previous night despite her and betsy¡¯s resistance. even when she saw that raynard woke up, she insisted on her because she couldn¡¯t relax. however, after her two sleepless nights, reynard woke up and relieved her stress in an original way. it was the last thing yurina remembered. now she wondered why she was in his bed and how they slept side by side under the same blanket. she had never slept in the same bed with reynard before. however, there was a story seven years ago, but then they were 10 and 12 years old. in fact, no matter how young the child was, in a noble family, the age of ten was considered considerable. it wasn¡¯t customary for a child to sleep with someone in the same bed, even if it was her own family. seven years ago, this was only possible because yurina treated ray like a child, and her parents, who were supposed to stop her, let her do whatever she wanted. upon hearing the news, the marquise didn¡¯t criticize the two, although she was saddened by the news, saying, ¡®when the thunder started, you came to your mother. now you¡¯re going to your friend¡¯. the marquise, of course, didn¡¯t even realize that it wasn¡¯t yurina who was afraid of thunder and lightning, but reynard. many years later, after their reunion, if reynard was happy to see her, he could hug her or kiss her on the hand or on the forehead. holding her as if he didn¡¯t want to let go, or kissing her on the forehead didn¡¯t seem like the innocent behavior of a childhood friend. but there are limits to be observed, right? as innocent as it is, they are in the same bed at that age. raynard met her surprised eyes and smiled softly. ¡°you really wanted to sleep. i was afraid you¡¯d be in trouble if people saw us.¡± it is true that such a thing promised her problems. but now that wasn¡¯t the point. ¡°how did it happen that i fell asleep here? we are¡­¡± Chapter 71.1 ¡°you would be so uncomfortable. so i put you to bed.¡± he spoke as if he didn¡¯t understand what the problem was. ¡°you seem to be very tired since you slept so soundly. what the hell were you doing while i lay unconscious?¡± ¡°you¡­¡± yurina realized the situation again and tried to stand up. however, raynard put his arm around her waist and pinned her down. although he was injured a couple of days ago, now he just smiled, showing no signs of suffering. rather, it was yurina who was horrified by his behavior. ¡°are you okay? but your back¡­¡± ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°i¡¯m glad for that, but still let me get up.¡± yurina wanted to get rid of his arm around her waist, but raynard put even more strength into his grip. perhaps it seemed to him not enough, so in addition he crushed her legs with his own. ¡°i want some more.¡± in his old habit, he now buried his face into yurina¡¯s neck. in their childhood, when he did this, yurina brushed his hair or stroked his back every time, as if comforting a small child. this time, she couldn¡¯t. after all, she no longer took his actions for friendly gestures. last night, when they were exchanging confessions, yurina was blunt. but after, when she met raynard in bed in the morning, her face instantly turned red. all her life, yurina believed that she wasn¡¯t one to be shy of men. it looks like things were different. seeing yurina blush up to her neck, raynard laughed out loud. ¡°you¡¯re just like a tomato.¡± when raynard bit her neck lightly as if he had found a real tomato there, yurina forgot about his injury and pushed him away. before he could find any support, raynard flew off of the bed. raynard¡¯s merry laughter followed her as yurina hurried out. raynard laughed even louder as the door slammed shut. raised in a noble family, yurina had a strict etiquette and never slammed doors. and if she made such a loud sound, this should be regarded as extreme embarrassment. whoever heard of sleeping in the same bed? both of his ears were now also red even at the mere thought of it. yurina overlooked this, overwhelmed by her own embarrassment. but in fact, he was also very nervous while lying with yurina. or was it just tension? after laying yurina down next to him, raynard couldn¡¯t close his eyes afterwards. ¡®besides, how can i fall asleep in front of this sleeping little human, defenseless like a child? even if i close my eyes, the sound of yurina¡¯s breathing keeps trying to wake me from my sleep, as well as the proximity of her soft and warm body.¡¯ ¡®plump lips and white skin that shone in the dim candlelight. this face once appeared to me in my dreams. now that i know that it is mine, i can¡¯t bear the instinctive craving that keeps growing in my womb.¡¯ ¡®yes, and if i hadn¡¯t been tormented by desire, i still wouldn¡¯t have been able to sleep, because how i was afraid that it would all fall apart, like a mirage. the whole last evening is unreal. everything was like a dream.¡¯ ¡®a voice whispering that she likes me, soft lips that i bit and sucked until i was out of breath.¡¯ ¡®i couldn¡¯t miss my happiness, that¡¯s why i was in such a hurry. when yurina was out of breath, she pulled away for a moment, but after catching her breath, she kissed me again. i don¡¯t know how many times we repeated this cycle.¡¯ even after yurina disappeared through the door, he smiled for a while, albeit with pain in his right shoulder. he told yurina that he was okay, but the pain in his muscles was worse than expected. if you complain to the doctor and get from that medicine, everything will straighten out right away. but if reynard went for it, yurina would once again blame herself for what happened. ¡®i¡¯m even glad she came out.¡¯ if she watched him all the time from the side and saw his pain, of course, there would be no end to her worries. yurina¡¯s crying was enough to touch the hearts of many men. raynard didn¡¯t want to see her cry, if that was possible. raynard held his breath, enduring the pain, and leaned lazily against the head of the bed. when he saw yurina¡¯s face turn red like a ripe tomato, a smile appeared on his lips. ¡®it was so sweet.¡¯ and although she wasn¡¯t embarrassed at the moment of their confession, reynard subsequently felt a change in her attitude. she must have been embarrassed by his sharp impulse and their kiss? reynard once again remembered yurina¡¯s expression at the moment of her confession, and covered his face with both hands. his cheeks burned with fire, so much so that, without looking in the mirror, he could imagine how much he blushed. Chapter 71.2 yurina, who returned about an hour later, managed to wash her face in warm water and change her clothes. and her mood was more alive than when she left. sitting by the bed, she kept her head down, as if in fear of looking raynard in the eye. and reynard didn¡¯t like it. ¡®these eyes are mine now. now my mind has found meaning.¡¯ ¡°yurina.¡± ¡°what?¡± but her gaze was still directed at the floor. ¡°look at me.¡± however, she persisted and avoided his gaze. raynard, looking at her displeasedly, grabbed her cheek. but then a knock was heard. ¡°milady, i brought food.¡± it was betsy¡¯s voice. yurina slapped reynard¡¯s arm and stood up from her seat. ¡°come in.¡± ¡°today i cooked with a special feeling. raynard, you have to eat too.¡± betsy, unaware of their situation, placed a tray of food for two in the corner of the room. raynard looked at her with a displeased face. betsy had nothing to do with it, but now it seemed that she had ruined the moment. ¡°then i¡¯ll go. if you need anything, please call me.¡± betsy looked at reynard, whose eyes were already watery, and left. the door was left slightly ajar, so the two still didn¡¯t get complete privacy. in fact, betsy would have been instructed to stay in the room and wait for her lady, but she left the final word to herself. ¡°yurina.¡± raynard turned to meet yurina¡¯s gaze. but she didn¡¯t look at him and took a bowl of soup from the table. ¡°how can i eat? i¡¯ll gain weight at this rate.¡± ¡°you? i don¡¯t believe it even if you eat the whole table. i already know you didn¡¯t sleep. i suppose you also refused to eat?¡± his voice was harsh. ¡°i ate well, there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± raynard looked at yurina¡¯s chin and understood her lie, but didn¡¯t push the subject. yurina frowned slightly as she tried to pass the spoon and bowl of soup to reynard. ¡°it¡¯s hot. will you eat it?¡± ¡°cool it.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°if you¡¯re worried about the soup being hot, then cool it yourself.¡± a small conflict has brewed within yurina. usually she would respond to such impudence by saying bluntly: ¡®so you will eat when it gets cold¡¯. but at that moment, yurina pursed her lips, opened the lid, and stirred the soup with a spoon. raynard leaned against the head of the bed and silently watched her. yurina was so focused that she didn¡¯t even feel his gaze and started blowing on the soup. thin golden hair fell down her cheekbones, and her beautiful forehead slightly frowned. whenever yurina blew on the soup, her plump lips pucker up a bit, causing strange emotions even though they look attractive. again, a thirst flared up inside, which couldn¡¯t be quenched with plain water. raynard ran his tongue over dry lips. ¡°i think now you can eat¡­ why are you looking at me like that?¡± yurina, who offered him a bowl of soup, studied his face and frowned. ¡®he seems to be tense, but trying not to show it?¡¯ however, yurina was pleasing to the eye, no matter what expression she made. in fact, even when he first saw her, yurina was pretty enough to grab his attention right away. and by this point, reynard still couldn¡¯t believe that such a beautiful girl liked him. ¡°what? where does it hurt?¡± yurina put down her bowl of soup and leaned over to check on reynard. raynard cupped her cheeks with both hands and kissed her lips, which were constantly touching the strings of his mind. at first, yurina seemed to freeze in embarrassment, but soon agreed to his kiss. raynard bit her bottom lip, sucked it in, and hurriedly stuck his tongue between her slightly parted lips. yurina¡¯s lips, even though she didn¡¯t eat chocolate, tasted bittersweet. the hand that was now holding yurina¡¯s waist strengthened as if by reflex. some time later, yurina pulled away from him, took a deep breath, and handed him a bowl of soup. both her cheeks were glowing pink. ¡°eat now.¡± ¡®we can eat after¡­¡¯ raynard kept those words inside. ¡°ah.¡± ¡°mm?¡± ¡°feed me.¡± confusion flickered across yurina¡¯s face. ¡°i was hurt, do you remember? oh, how it hurts to move my hand. feed me.¡± yurina narrowed her eyes and examined his right shoulder. she didn¡¯t say anything, but with her appearance she asked: ¡®didn¡¯t you recently say that you¡¯re okay?¡¯ yurina bit her lip slightly as if she was in trouble. when raynard gave up and was about to eat himself, yurina took away his spoon and plate. she scooped up the mushroom soup with a spoon, blew it again, and handed it to him. ¡°here.¡± ¡°oh, but i can¡¯t do that.¡± and instead of reacting to the spoon, raynard dug into yurina¡¯s lips again. Chapter 72.1 the next day, when it was time for dinner, dave showed up at the cottage. on the day of the incident, dave received a signal from the marquis and rushed headlong into the jenus mountains. now he had to investigate the entire course of events on behalf of the carthia family. yurina, who was currently buttering bread for reynard, greeted dave with a smile as soon as she saw his face. ¡°milady.¡± ¡°come in quickly.¡± yurina pulled an extra chair to the edge of the bed and invited dave to sit down. ¡°will you go to my father?¡± ¡°i should have reported to the marquis and master riggs first.¡± he had rushed so desperately out of the capital to the jenus mountains that even his chin was now covered in stubble. after all, he didn¡¯t get a chance to shave. now dave politely declined yurina¡¯s offer and turned to reynard. fortunately, reynard¡¯s health improved markedly on the last day. but still, tears welled up in dave¡¯s eyes at the thought of a serious injury to his beloved student. leaving the bowl of soup, reynard hesitantly said to him: ¡°you don¡¯t have to be so pissed.¡± ¡°great. is that what i taught you? you couldn¡¯t even use magic and you got hurt. and at the academy they taught you in vain?¡± ¡°you said yourself that no other genius like me was born. i even graduated from the academy ahead of schedule.¡± ¡°anyway, you should think about your behavior.¡± despite the grumbling, dave¡¯s face expressed relief. then he asked, covering his face with both hands, as if he couldn¡¯t bear reynard¡¯s self-confidence. ¡°i heard that you were badly hurt. but what happened to you?¡± ¡°as you can see, everything is okay. yurina and i don¡¯t understand why everyone is so fussy.¡± raynard raised his injured right hand, then frowned slightly. although it was only for a moment, yurina caught that detail. ¡°are you really okay?¡± ¡°the muscles seem to hurt a little.¡± raynard immediately kissed yurina on the cheek, who looked like she was about to cry. then he turned to dave. after confirming that he was still hiding his face behind his hands, he also kissed yurina on the lips. raynard smiled at yurina, who raised her eyebrows as if to scold him, and then he asked dave. ¡°did you find out anything about this case?¡± ¡°right, dave. did you know something? my father said there was magic involved.¡± yurina remembered the words she had heard from the marquis and riggs. at first, they were reluctant to give out details, but when she asked the same thing over and over again, they shared explanations. ¡°they say the magic circle has been damaged.¡± unlike the hunting grounds where competitions were held, the area around the cottages was strictly controlled by a protective magic circle. since this is the place where the prince himself stayed, the imperial mages always took maximum measures. it¡¯s said that sometimes small animals such as mice and rabbits crossed the circle, but that wolves and bears, this has never happened before. however, this time it wasn¡¯t even a loner, but five wolves broke through the barrier. when the imperial mages carefully examined the place where the wolf was first seen, they said that there were traces of an invasion on the magic circle. it was said that this was the work of a rather experienced mage, who wasn¡¯t noticed by mages in the service of the imperial family. ¡°besides, they said that the wolves were chasing yurina specifically.¡± it was an unconfirmed theory. however, according to sir aaron, who was present at the scene, a pack of five wolves rushed to yurina. with that, such a move didn¡¯t make much sense. even if yurina was small and weak, there were knights with swords on the spot. there was no point in ignoring such a threat and heading straight for yurina. besides, it was said that it was very suspicious that a pack of wolves suddenly rushed to the gap in the circle. ¡°and it¡¯s strange that ray¡¯s magic didn¡¯t work.¡± so marquis carthia cautiously suggested that the wolves were also hypnotized. some mages scoffed at this theory, saying that there wasn¡¯t logic in it, but crown prince curtis took this opinion very seriously. in the end, under the orders of curtis, the imperial knights pursued the person who caused damage to the magic circle. at that moment dave hesitantly continued. ¡°as a result, we are in the dark.¡± ¡°what are you talking about? so many days have passed, and nothing has even been found?¡± the royal family knights are a squad that only the most talented can join. knowing what they were capable of, yurina and marquis carthia believed that they would be able to catch the intruder in the shortest possible time. but they returned empty-handed? reynard also expressed doubts. ¡°they didn¡¯t cope with a trifling task? and they are called imperial knights?¡± ¡°it has been reported that there are definitely traces of tampering in the magic circle. but there was nothing unusual about the wolves.¡± ¡°have you personally checked, master?¡± dave shook his head wildly. ¡°unfortunately, i didn¡¯t personally look in this. they said it was the work of the imperial knights, so i wasn¡¯t even allowed to. fortunately, i have an acquaintance among the knights. this is the only reason why i was able to ferret out at least this.¡± raynard thought for a moment, then stood up. ¡°i¡¯ll go there.¡± ¡°no.¡± yurina grabbed his arm as he was about to get out of bed. ¡°where are you going with your shoulder?¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay now. the doctor said everything was healed.¡± ¡°lies.¡± raynard gently rejected her hand. ¡°i¡¯ll go for a minute. and do without magic.¡± ¡°you could have left it to dave.¡± ¡°i think it will be easier for everyone if i also go and see everything in person.¡± yurina folded her arms across her chest. ¡°then let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°stay here.¡± ¡°ray.¡± ¡°if we go together, i will be worried. you just need to sit here, okay?¡± his tone sounded more like an order than a request. yurina glanced at reynard, who was smiling, and at dave, who only nodded in agreement, and reluctantly let go of her hand. Chapter 72.2 as they rode the carriage to the scene, reynard¡¯s mind was in chaos. he had only been away from yurina for about thirty minutes, but he still couldn¡¯t get her out of his mind. ¡®are you okay?¡¯ now the cottage of the carthia family was guarded by many barriers of magic, as well as knights. in case of new trouble, dave cast alarm magic around the villa before leaving the house. raynard wanted to be around yurina all the time, but seeing how things were shaping up, he just couldn¡¯t help but go. if he doesn¡¯t shed light on evil intentions and cut them off at the root, then he will never experience relief. if this entire incident was indeed an assassination attempt on yurina, perhaps another attack would be not long in coming. raynard clenched his trembling hands. he knew in his head that yurina was safe, but his heart still felt uneasy. dave asked after watching him: ¡°are you really okay?¡± raynard smiled and replied: ¡°is there a reason for me not to be okay? i was cured immediately after the bite.¡± ¡°but what are the consequences?¡± ¡°there is none. yesterday my muscles hurt a little, but now i¡¯m like new.¡± ¡°but your hands are shaking¡­¡± dave¡¯s gaze turned to the hands in reynard¡¯s lap. raynard quickly put them behind his back. ¡°it¡¯s not because of the injury. it¡¯s just¡­¡± then he bit his tongue. it wasn¡¯t a lie. it¡¯s not the result of an injury. it¡¯s just because he was very nervous. raynard smiled smugly at dave and then pulled out the necklace he wore around his neck. it was a necklace with a red pendant, exactly the same as yurina¡¯s. the stone was smooth a few days ago. now it was covered in a web of cracks, as if it could crumble at any moment. seeing this, he felt his excited heart slowly subside, as if he had been doused with cold water. ¡®i¡¯m so glad i did this thing.¡¯ he didn¡¯t mention this to yurina, but the necklace given to yurina a year and a half ago had another function. instant alarm function. when yurina used the mana invested in the stone, a signal was sent to his necklace. for the last year and a half in the crohn kingdom, reynard had been checking the necklace several times a day. every time he saw that the stone was in good condition, he was relieved. even if another nightmare woke him from sleep before dark, the sight of this necklace gave him little consolation. however, while chasing a deer, when the alarm suddenly went off, he even seemed to have forgotten how to breathe. forgetting everything else, he was shocked at the sight he saw after teleporting to yurina. he couldn¡¯t even imagine what would have happened if yurina didn¡¯t wear that necklace. ¡°by the way, what did you learn at the academy anyway? you couldn¡¯t cope with a single wolf, and i also put your back under attack. don¡¯t tell anyone that you¡¯re my student.¡± dave, seeing the serious expression of reynard, took it into his head to joke about this in order to cheer him up. but this joke didn¡¯t succeed in smoothing out the atmosphere in the carriage. ¡°no matter how you look at it, it¡¯s very strange.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°i moved through space and saw a wolf running towards yurina, so i used physical protection magic. the situation was urgent, so i reasoned that it would be better to save yurina and deal with the wolf afterward than use attack magic on the wolf.¡± ¡°and then?¡± ¡°protective magic had no effect, as you can see.¡± dave¡¯s face became serious. he kept his mouth shut and touched the frame of his glasses. ¡°if a wild animal is rushing towards you, you should certainly resort to physical protection magic. that¡¯s what they taught at the academy. as troubling as the situation was, you couldn¡¯t go wrong with such a small thing. so something is definitely weird here.¡± ¡°you know what¡¯s even weirder? after i got bitten by a wolf, everything worked again. because i used a magic protection spell just in case.¡± ¡°what? not a physical protection spell, but a magic protection spell?! hold on, what mage would use magic protection for a simple wolf?!¡± ¡°it was clear to me right away that the wolf was targeting yurina, that the physical protection magic didn¡¯t work, and that external factors were involved. but i don¡¯t know why the imperial knights haven¡¯t been able to find the mastermind behind all this chaos yet.¡± dave grabbed reynard¡¯s shoulder, who was breathing heavily at that moment. ¡°don¡¯t worry so much. we¡¯ll find out.¡± ¡°how can i not worry!? yurina almost got hurt! if only i were a second too late¡­!¡± raynard screamed, but later realized that the man in front of him was dave, his master, and his object of admiration. inside the carriage, in the following moments, only reynard¡¯s ragged breathing and the noise of the wheels were heard. ¡°i thought you were grown up. but you¡¯re still like a child.¡± dave patted reynard on the shoulder and remembered his childish face. in his teachings, reynard kept getting angry with himself and complaining about slow progress. ¡°i need to learn magic and protect yurina!¡± although he protected yurina with his magic, he was still angry at himself for not being able to nip this danger in the bud. meanwhile, the carriage stopped. dave looked outside and opened the door. ¡°reynard, get out. let¡¯s check what you see. and don¡¯t worry so much.¡± raynard nodded and left the carriage. despite the fact that the place had already been tidied up, the landscape around the cottages was so horrific that it was difficult to describe in words. the cladding of the walls was torn by wolf claws, dark red blood in some places, and the corpses of wolves left for the investigation. raynard was now staring at the wolf in a frenzy. dave stopped behind and grabbed him by the shoulder. ¡°reynard.¡± dave looked into reynard¡¯s eyes. ¡°i think you¡¯d be better off changing your eye color.¡± raynard¡¯s eyes were purple, just like the day of the hunting tournament. he still had to hide the fact that he was ¡®blessed¡¯. yurina and marquis carthia concluded that it would be better to keep his return hidden until the situation calmed down and the social season began. ¡°purple is also catchy. you¡¯d better blend in with the crowd, if possible.¡± raynard chuckled. he still remembered yurina¡¯s words that dave would be unhappy with his eye color. ¡°i can¡¯t help it. they only turn purple. no wonder dave will be intrigued by this. ¡°your eyes reject mana?¡± ¡°looks like it.¡± ¡°it¡¯s interesting. we¡¯ll have to study this matter in more detail when we return.¡± ¡°i knew the master would be interested in this.¡± raynard grinned. dave laughed, took off his hat and threw it on reynard¡¯s head. ¡°still, you better not show your face to strangers. someone could see you at the time of the attack. and if someone saw your teleport, it doesn¡¯t need decades to recognize you as a mage.¡± raynard dutifully put on his hat. it seemed that this wasn¡¯t enough, then he covered his eyes with bangs so that the purple color stood out even less. then dave nodded approvingly and directed reynard to the place. since the incident happened at an event organized by the royal family, the investigation was also carried out by the imperial knights. when dave and reynard tried to get closer to the scene, a knight in the form of an imperial unit stood in their way. Chapter 73.1 ¡°i¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re not allowed.¡± dave got ahead of reynard and didn¡¯t let him talk nonsense. ¡°we have come on behalf of the house of carthia. the marquis demanded an answer, has the investigation progressed?¡± after the word ¡®carthia¡¯ the knight reduced his impudence a little. but he still blocked the two of the way. ¡°we didn¡¯t find anything remarkable. we¡¯ll send a letter to the carthia family when we have solid evidence.¡± ¡°may i come and have a look?¡± ¡°sorry. outsiders aren¡¯t allowed.¡± ¡°that goes for house carthia as well. we will also start investigating.¡± ¡°i¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s not going to happen.¡± contrary to what he had said, there wasn¡¯t a trace of regret on the knight¡¯s face. unable to stand and watch anymore, raynard pushed dave away and stepped forward. dave grabbed his hand, as if telling him not to interfere. but it was pointless. ¡°so many days have passed since the attack. are you telling me you ¡®didn¡¯t find anything special¡¯? who knows what power is behind this attack? we can no longer sit on our hands. give me the way.¡± the knight¡¯s face hardened. ¡°does this mean that you now doubt the strength of the imperial knights?¡± ¡°if you had the strength, you would have already somehow fished the answer: what to do and who is to blame.¡± the knight glanced at reynard, not concealing his hostility. after that, he openly laughed at him in the face. ¡°you¡¯re a child who knows nothing in life. that¡¯s why you speak loudly. before doubts about our abilities, i think it would be great for you to find yours.¡± ¡°i will¡­¡± ¡°stop.¡± dave forcefully deflected reynard¡¯s hand away from the knight. ¡°master!¡± ¡°we don¡¯t need to play with fire. don¡¯t you know that you can be arrested for disrespecting the imperial family?¡± ¡°what does it matter?¡± ¡°maybe none for you. but if they put you in a prison, do you realize what will become of the house of carthia, your patrons? and can you guarantee that this won¡¯t affect the girl who brought you to this house?¡± when the story about yurina surfaced, reynard had nothing else to do. but his anger never went away, so he clenched his fists and held his breath. dave gently patted him on the shoulder. ¡°i understand your feelings. but still, now is not the time. let¡¯s wait a little.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve waited long enough. clearly, there is some magic involved here. but if there are no traces, is it possible to doubt the strength of the knights? or something else, they didn¡¯t think to look for the culprit!¡± when raynard yelled like that, some of the knights turned to him. dave waved his hand at them, pretending that everything was okay. ¡°sir gerard, in charge of the investigation, is revered as one of the best mages in the empire. they say that the crown prince himself oversees this matter.¡± ¡°and yet¡­¡± raynard was speechless and shook his head. ¡°¡­master, you¡¯re right.¡± there was nothing he could do about the current situation. he learned magic, and now and then heard about the ¡®blessed¡¯, the favorite of the goddess. but now he didn¡¯t have the strength to change anything. once in the empire, he was just a mage who never graduated from the academy. no more, no less. moreover, now he even has to hide his face. he had the ability to suddenly jump out and take down all those knights. but he didn¡¯t have a strong rear behind him. after all, he didn¡¯t even receive the knighthood that all mages receive. but still¡­ ¡°i can¡¯t stand and do nothing.¡± no arguments mattered if yurina was involved. he rushed to solve the whole matter as soon as possible and without a trace. ¡°what if i reveal that i¡¯m blessed? will he listen to me?¡± raynard stared at sir gerard, who was wearing a magical robe bearing the imperial crest. now no one would take his words into account. but if it had been ¡®blessed¡¯ himself, sir gerard might have listened to him. ¡°no.¡± ¡°master.¡± ¡°stop.¡± ¡°but master!¡± ¡°it¡¯s useless for you to reveal your identity to them now. this will only add to our problems.¡¯ a sound of grinding of teeth was heard. ¡°are you saying that you will continue to stand and watch?¡± ¡°don¡¯t be arrogant. what do you think will change if you throw yourself at them?¡± ¡°master!¡± although reynard had a shocked face, as if his cold mind had finally left him, dave still spoke firmly. ¡°i recognize your skills. but that doesn¡¯t mean you should underestimate the skills of others. gerard, he¡¯s just like me. he¡¯s a gifted man, graduating from crohn academy in seven years. besides, you¡¯re still inexperienced. if you believe you¡¯ll find the key, why do you think they won¡¯t?¡± dave couldn¡¯t resist and, sighing sharply, pressed hand against reynard¡¯s shoulder in order to seat him on a small stool. ¡°trust me and wait. if magic is involved, sir gerard is sure to find a clue.¡± raynard covered his face with both hands. dave gently patted him on the shoulder, bending as if in front of a child. ¡°i know what you feel. of course you will be worried. but thanks to you, she survived.¡± his voice was as soft as when he tried to comfort the young raynard, who was disappointed in his own abilities. raynard kept his mouth shut and didn¡¯t move. just like when he was a child, and now. ¡°i promised to protect her.¡± raynard¡¯s voice trembled, as if he were about to cry. ¡®i swore that i would protect her in exchange for my own salvation. that i would protect her, no matter what the circumstances. and what¡­?¡¯ he was determined to protect not only her body, but also her mind. but all he could do this time was hug her from behind at the last moment. he failed to save her heart from the fear of death. he should have guessed everything beforehand. Chapter 73.2 raynard looked around the cottages, where people were still standing, through the slits in the fingers covering his face. ¡®how frightened she must have been.¡¯ ¡®how scared could she be? how much was she afraid of dying? she has shown fear before. now this is also¡­¡¯ ¡°there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything useful.¡± hearing the voice of the imperial knights, raynard raised his head and sighed. a black-haired man in a particularly flamboyant suit was standing in front of sir gerard. raynard got a good look at his face for the first time, but immediately recognized it. ¡°crown prince¡­¡± sir gerard, whom dave had mentioned earlier, reported to the prince sedately about his failures. ¡°we know the wolves have focused on the young lady of the carthia house. this kind of thing makes me think that someone gave them the order. but there are no traces.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yes. neither the wolves nor the area around them show any signs of magic.¡± ¡°then, are you thinking of reducing it to an accident? even if the pack only targeted yurina?¡± ¡°that¡­ perhaps, because lady carthia is the smallest, the easiest prey¡­¡± ¡°tell me, is it true or not?¡± curtis¡¯ voice, mingled with anger, echoed throughout the precinct. raynard heard that voice and remembered curtis talking to yurina a few days ago. ¡®i don¡¯t like it.¡¯ having tasted the feeling of being in love with someone, reynard could now recognize the expression and look of the person who was in love. according to the letter yurina sent, curtis was interested in her as a girl. therefore, raynard advised yurina to dodge him as she can. at that time, reynard didn¡¯t understand why he wrote her such a thing. perhaps it was jealousy. a few days ago, when he saw yurina with curtis, it seemed to him that everything went dark before his eyes, and he wanted to run up and immediately separate the two. and if common sense hadn¡¯t prevailed, perhaps this would have happened. as he watched curtis harbor an attraction to yurina, raynard noticed something else strange. he looked at yurina with curiosity, but didn¡¯t show that he loved her. ¡®maybe he¡¯s trying to use yurina.¡¯ he was in many ways an unpleasant person. but if dislikes aside, for the moment reynard agreed with curtis that this was more than just an accident. ¡°that makes no sense, master.¡± reynard again sorted out the whole story he heard from dave. ¡°a whole crowd of people participated in the hunt. animals know better who is threatening them. in that situation, they should have taken down the escort knights first. why would they push through the knights and attack yurina?¡± ¡°reynard, calm down. you scream too loud.¡± ¡°what¡¯s the point of this?!¡± raynard couldn¡¯t restrain himself and jumped up. ¡°how long will you keep repeating the same thing? yurina almost died!? because of his loud voice, the eyes of those around him were now focused on reynard. dave got up and tried to hide him behind his back, but reynard started staring at the cottages. the dead wolf was also left nearby. the corpse was untouched. perhaps conservation magic? raynard gnashed his teeth again and at the same time clenched his hands into a fist. the feeling of his nails digging into his own palms dampened his ardor a little. then he felt an energy he had never felt before. no, to be precise, he had felt like that once before. and the feeling tickled his nerves. it¡¯s like a swarm of bugs crawling up his bare legs. the vile feeling persisted from the moment he approached these cottages. the first time, reynard chalked it up to frayed nerves. but now he saw the picture more clearly. this terrible feeling came from outside, not from within him. it was from that corpse of a wolf that died without even closing its eyes. ¡°master, don¡¯t you sense anything strange about that wolf?¡± ¡°what? that¡¯s what we came here to find out¡­¡± ¡°i¡¯m not talking about that¡­¡± master doesn¡¯t feel it? ¡°there is a strange energy coming from this wolf.¡± he approached the wolf as if possessed by something. dave tried to grab him from behind, and the knights crowding around the wolf wanted to intervene. but reynard brushed them off easily and stood in front of the corpse. ¡°your highness, if you don¡¯t mind, may i have a look for a moment?¡± dave bowed to curtis and asked. after curtis¡¯ approval, the vigilant knights immediately retreated. ¡°i told you to be careful. but what are you doing all of a sudden? at least you should warn me.¡± dave leaned closer and whispered in his ear, but reynard didn¡¯t heed his words at all. standing in front of the wolf, it seemed to him that something formless gnawed at his nerves even more. reason, instinct called out to him. this wolf, it contains the whole clue. raynard grabbed his waist, suddenly realized that he had forgotten his sword, and pulled the sword from the scabbard of a certain knight. surprised by his boldness, the other knights pointed their swords at him. ¡°drop it now!¡± however, raynard only indifferently plunged the point into the belly of the wolf. directly to where the flow of the most vile energy was felt. blood soaked the grass, and the stench filled the area. then the green grass began to dry before their eyes. raynard plunged his sword into the belly of the wolf and swung his arms, sending mana through the metal. at that moment, as if receiving the desired reaction, he invested even more heavily into the sword. feeling his arms about to burst, raynard gritted his teeth and send more mana. as soon as he broke through the invisible mana-rejecting wall, blood gushed over reynard, and something rolled down and touched his boot. it was a ball the size of half a thumb. raynard picked up the red, blood-stained stone, wiped it with his shirt, and examined it carefully. inside the transparent stone, black smoke unknown to him swirled like a whirlwind. Chapter 74.1 ¡®that¡¯s it.¡¯ a strange stream of nasty energy that always tugged at his nerves. it flowed from this stone. raynard gave strength to his hand with the desire to break that bead. a woman¡¯s earring appeared from a broken stone. and on that earring was dark red blood. raynard knew instinctively that the earring was leading him to yurina. ¡°master, have you seen these earrings before?¡± it was a question asked to dave. the answer came from curtis, who was surrounded by an escort of knights. ¡°what did you find?¡± he was surprised, left his knights, and approached reynard. raynard dropped his sword to the floor in courtesy. ¡°the earring is covered in blood. i think it was the reason.¡± curtis looked warily at the earring reynard was holding. ¡°what¡¯s this about? is it possible that the wolf swallowed it?¡± ¡°sure, it may seem that way, but¡­¡± raynard was now slowly building his thoughts into a logical chain. he had seen it before in the academy, but now he saw it in action for the first time. so he couldn¡¯t be completely sure. however, there was only one explanation. ¡°it¡¯s black magic.¡± curtis frowned. ¡°black magic?¡± ¡°yeah. unlike normal magic, which uses both internal and external mana, black magic uses internal mana, and instead of external, blood. if this earring belongs to the young lady carthia, it is quite logical that the wolves aimed only at her alone, as if blinded.¡± raynard walked up to the wolf¡¯s head and put his foot in the wolf¡¯s mouth. the wolf¡¯s fangs were slightly blackened, as if from poison. ¡®it¡¯s strange that physical protection didn¡¯t work then.¡¯ but if it turns out that the teeth of the wolf are bewitched, everything becomes clearer than ever. it would be like an enchanted sword wrapped in mana. and you can¡¯t protect yourself with physical protection magic. it made them think. it isn¡¯t known who it was, but the organizer wished yurina dead and beat him for sure. just like dave said, it would never occur to any mage to use magic protection on a wolf that rushed towards yurina. one more thing¡­ ¡®it¡¯s strange that i lost consciousness in an instant after just one bite.¡¯ raynard glanced down at his still aching shoulder. he wasn¡¯t a knight, but he practiced swordsmanship and trained. although he wasn¡¯t up to the level of the knights, he thought his vitality wasn¡¯t weak. now it seemed strange that he had been unconscious and feverish even after the bite had healed. however, let¡¯s say the teeth of a wolf were covered in a curse and poison. then everything would be different. ¡®if yurina had been bitten, she would have died immediately.¡¯ if yurina had been lucky enough not to die instantly from the bite, she would have suffered from the poison or the curse, and would have died in even greater agony even with her wounds closed. and although everything worked out, raynard now stood there with glassy eyes, and in his mind the saddest outcomes were hovering. ¡°it¡¯s black magic¡­ it doesn¡¯t make any sense. black magic is long gone. are you saying that black magic is still alive?¡± curtis¡¯s suspicions were reasonable. more than a hundred years ago, when a force crept out into the world that decided to stage a coup, enlisting black magic, the empire caught black mages on a countrywide scale. it was debatable whether the warlocks were completely uprooted or just lay low. but since then, black magic hasn¡¯t made itself felt. raynard himself wasn¡¯t entirely sure. although he studied the basics of black magic at the academy, he never saw its actual use. he had never witnessed such a thing before, so he wasn¡¯t sure that this vile feeling was caused by black magic. but under the circumstances, that was the only explanation that made sense. ¡°if you take a look at what the imperial mages didn¡¯t see, everything will become clear.¡± curtis laughed. ¡°how did you so famously capture something that my court mages didn¡¯t? perhaps you¡¯re also a warlock?¡± ¡°no.¡± reynard himself wondered how he had discovered the hitherto unseen. but, one might assume, the reason was simply that he was blessed. ¡°your highness, i can¡¯t take his word for it. from dark magic remained only history. everything is nonsense. don¡¯t you think he¡¯s the real culprit?¡± the mage, who was watching the conversation, suddenly screamed. ¡°he posted everything right away. after all, the attack is his idea.¡± ¡°if i were a conspirator, why would i come here and pretend?¡± ¡°that must have been your plan to glorify your house and gain recognition for your services. let me think. did you say you¡¯re from the house of carthia? i heard there was a mage here shortly before the attack. is it possible that it¡¯s you?¡± the mage came close to raynard and tried to pull off his hat. raynard grabbed his hat with one hand and slapped the mage on the arm with the other. the sorcerer looked embrassed at curtis. ¡°just look at this. to be honest, at first i wondered how you could show up at that critical moment. now it has become clear. it¡¯s all a plan, it¡¯s all prearranged. you tried to make carthia a hero!¡± he snorted. ¡°not black magic, but plain forgery! this would be much more believable. isn¡¯t that right, idiot?¡± ¡°you yourself are an idiot if you haven¡¯t figured out the matter after messing around here for several days.¡± ¡°i¡¯m sorry, what?¡± the grumpy mage¡¯s face turned red with anger. ¡°your highness, look at his arrogance. this is a forgery, a deception of the imperial family¡­¡± ¡°stop.¡± curtis raised his hand to stop the mage. then he spoke to reynard. ¡°i will ask you one last time. why are you so sure it¡¯s black magic? i need good reasons.¡± without thinking twice, raynard threw off the hat that hid his face. his eyes, which instantly turned red, now blazed with rage towards the annoying mage. as soon as the latter¡¯s eyes met reynard¡¯s, he took a deep breath and stepped back. this time reynard turned to curtis. ¡°well?¡± raynard raised his voice and asked again: ¡°now let¡¯s talk?¡± Chapter 74.2 yurina stared at the necklace in her hands for a long time, as well as the bracelet on her wrist. ¡®that¡¯s so strange.¡¯ worrying about raynard had taken all of her attention lately, so she didn¡¯t think too much about it until this morning. it is said that on the day yurina was attacked, raynard saw the stone in his necklace crack and intuitively sensed that something was happening to her. so he immediately tracked her on the bracelet and moved to where she was. when he arrived, he found yurina surrounded by wolves, who had already resigned herself to everything and closed her eyes. it remains a mystery why, but the physical defense magic didn¡¯t work, so he instinctively covered yurina with his body. according to sir aaron, if she had been bitten by a wolf, he would most likely have been drawn to her throat. and that is certain death. yurina¡¯s hands were shaking and sweating just thinking about it. even now, when everything was behind. whenever yurina¡¯s family or reynard recalled the whole incident, they all breathed a sigh of relief, saying that luck was on their side. however, there was one person who didn¡¯t consider it a simple stroke of luck. yurina was the only one in this world who knew everything in advance. she barely remembered the details of the novel, but she knew that her character would be fine, at least until she was 18 and before her debut. then everything will begin. yurina gripped the necklace so tightly that her hands turned white. ¡®this assassination is a blow to our entire home.¡¯ the marquis suggested that the attack was orchestrated by someone targeting the carthia family. the marquis was relatively pure compared to other nobles, but he was not without enemies. he also reasoned that it would be difficult to get close to the marquis or her three brothers while they were out hunting. so yurina was the easiest target. and if there was the marquise instead of yurina, it must be assumed that she would be the first target. yurina herself thought that a conspiracy against their house was more plausible than an assassination attempt on her personally. but that didn¡¯t change the fact that she almost died. ¡®i survived thanks to ray.¡¯ and if, as was the case in the original, marquis de flon had taken reynard to himself, if he had not been by her side¡­ no, what if reynard didn¡¯t graduate early and still sit in the academy¡­ ¡®then what would happen to me?¡¯ thinking about it made yurina dizzy. she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to clear her mind. in the books she read, there was often a heavy price to pay for distorting the original. due to the content being changed, the story developed differently from the original, and there were instances where the protagonist couldn¡¯t predict the future at all. ¡°i have been attacked before.¡± a year and a half ago, yurina was attacked in the crohn kingdom. she didn¡¯t remember well, but perhaps this triggered the butterfly effect. the real yurina shouldn¡¯t have entered the crohn kingdom by that time. at that moment, she almost died, but yurina didn¡¯t really think about what happened. she was just trying to get reynard and change the original. but what now? was yurina attacked by wolves in the original too? maybe she just avoided this risk in some other way? ¡®or is it connected to ray?¡¯ yurina seemed to have been struck by lightning. naturally, the story changed after she brought reynard into the house. now it is not clear: has it changed for the better? yurina stared at the necklace and bracelet with a strained mind. the door clicked and opened. reynard, who had left with dave, returned to the room alone. ¡°where is dave?¡± ¡°i think he had something to talk about with the imperial mage. they turned out to be classmates at the academy.¡± ¡°are you tired?¡± raynard sat down next to yurina and laughed. ¡°i¡¯m not a child, and there¡¯s nothing to worry about. i even learned swordsmanship.¡± ¡°but still¡­¡± raynard kissed yurina on the lips as she blew her cheeks in displeasure. it was the first time she had been interrupted in this way, so she stared at him with wide eyes. raynard rested his head on her shoulder. ¡°very smart.¡± he rubbed his nose against yurina¡¯s shoulder and took a deep breath, trying to catch her scent. every gesture he made still seemed a little awkward. however, it wasn¡¯t as uncomfortable as before. ¡°you¡¯ll have to get used to it.¡± after hesitating for a bit, yurina gently stroked his hair while he wrapped his arms around her waist. raynard laughed softly. ¡°why do you have such a gloomy face if you say everything is fine?¡± ¡°do i? i¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°have you got any problems? do you think i can¡¯t see it?¡± after a moment¡¯s hesitation, raynard pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to yurina. ¡°have you ever seen it?¡± yurina¡¯s face turned to stone in an instant. emerald earring. a dark red liquid, presumably blood, had dried on the pin. yurina¡¯s hands were trembling at the sudden ominous thought that came to her mind. raynard, who studied yurina¡¯s expression, also became serious. ¡°did you see it?¡± but she didn¡¯t just see it. ¡°this is my earring.¡± it was the same earring that emily ¡®lost¡¯. Chapter 75.1 yurina sat on the sofa in the middle of the room and watched as emily entered the room, guided by sir aaron¡¯s iron grip. perhaps sensing something amiss in the atmosphere, emily closed her eyes tightly and frowned, in contrast to her usual cheerful manner. then, as soon as her gaze met yurina¡¯s, she ran up to her and knelt down. ¡°milady!¡± ¡°do you know why i called you?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t.¡± yurina looked at emily and bit her lips tightly. she tried to hide her emotions from her face, but she never succeeded. ¡®would it be easier if ray did it?¡¯ in such a situation, it wasn¡¯t funny. but it was no less amusing that, in her hour of need, it was reynard who first came to her mind, and not betsy, or even the marquis. yurina was now wondering how she had dependent on him? sympathy for him was only recently realized by her and accepted as a fact. in fact, years had passed since those feelings took root in her subconscious. perhaps seeing a ray of hope in yurina¡¯s smile, emily jumped up from her knees and grabbed her hem. sir aaron hastened to intervene. yurina then gestured for him to leave. ¡°but lady¡­¡± sir aaron led the knights out of the room under yurina¡¯s determined gaze. with the sturdy knights gone, emily was able to speak more calmly. ¡°lady, i really don¡¯t know why you called me. i, i really¡­¡± ¡°don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°what?¡± emily blinked rapidly. her bloodshot eyes were wet, as if she might burst into tears at any moment. she seemed to want a detailed explanation, but yurina didn¡¯t do anything but ask the same thing over and over. ¡°i ask you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°i, i have no idea what the lady is talking about¡­ i don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°emily.¡± yurina took out an earring that she kept in a drawer next to the sofa. she kept it the way she got it from reynard. therefore, there was still dark red blood on the earring pin. when she waved the earring in front of emily¡¯s nose, emily¡¯s face turned white. ¡°something familiar, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°lady, i¡­¡± yurina took her time with emily and calmly waited for the continuation. emily looked at yurina, then at the earring, and finally burst into tears. ¡°milady, i¡¯m so sorry. please forgive me.¡± there was no need in other words. yurina felt like the last hope inside emily had vanished as the latter sobbed and clutched at her hem again like a straw. ¡®so that¡¯s how it was.¡¯ previously, yurina held some hope while sir aaron took emily to her for questioning. could it be that emily really just lost her earring? and then the insidious enemy, who planned intrigues, found it? if not, then someone deliberately stole earring from emily¡¯s pocket? the whole family would have thought that was ridiculous, but yurina really didn¡¯t want to believe that emily was one of the conspirators. only for 6 months. they hadn¡¯t known each other for very long, but yurina really liked her. she worked complaisantly, and didn¡¯t show discontent. even mired in work, emily always kept a smile on her lips. but now, looking at emily¡¯s reaction, yurina felt that her previous assumptions were indeed absurd. ¡®betrayal is the price of faith.¡¯ this new discovery wan¡¯t pleasant. yurina hesitated for a moment and then threw away emily¡¯s hand. when yurina got up and turned to leave the room, emily desperately grabbed onto her dress again. ¡°milady, milady! please listen to me!¡± ¡°is there anything else i need to know?¡± ¡°please, just once¡­¡± ignoring her insistence, yurina continued on her way to the door. emily, having fallen to the floor, couldn¡¯t even get up, and dragged herself along the floor. cuffed with a heavy weight on her dress, yurina staggered, unable to take even a few steps. she could have just kicked emily and left her laying like that. otherwise, she could call sir aaron and ordered to take emily away. however, the reason that prevented yurina from doing so was probably due to her still smoldering compassion. ¡°what do you want to tell me?¡± when yurina turned around, emily knelt down and wiped her face that was flooded with tears. Chapter 75.2 ¡°i didn¡¯t want to do that.¡± such an answer was of little use. emily, not noticing that yurina¡¯s face was getting colder and more irritated, continued to gibberish. ¡°i was threatened, i was threatened!¡± ¡°yes, and?¡± ¡°i was ordered to bring any item stained with the lady¡¯s blood. before the tournament! otherwise, my mother and sisters would¡­¡± ¡°when did it happen?¡± emily bowed her head. ¡°before i arrived at your mansion¡­¡± ¡°it¡¯s been six months. but why didn¡¯t you say? not a day or two. a whole six months.¡± ¡°my family¡­¡± ¡°didn¡¯t you think that i would protect your family if you told me the truth?¡± ¡°no.¡± emily clung to yurina¡¯s dress even tighter. ¡°i was afraid that something terrible would happen if i told you. i also hesitated.¡± yurina roughly pulled on her dress and pushed emily away. ¡°after all, didn¡¯t you keep it from me until the very end?¡± ¡°i swear i didn¡¯t think it would hurt you.¡± ¡°but why didn¡¯t you tell me all this after the attack?¡± emily could no longer speak, as if her tongue had been torn out, and burst into tears again. ¡°the threat? you must be being threatened right now. otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have gone this far. i understand your reluctance to hurt your loved ones.¡± ¡°milady¡­¡± ¡°but because of your actions, i almost lost something precious to me.¡± in this situation, it was funny and a bit surprising to say that she ¡®almost lost something precious¡¯, instead of something like: ¡®i almost died¡¯. presumably, the risk of losing reynard was now a greater blow to her than the possibility of her own death? yurina giggled softly, then beckoned sir aaron inside. ¡°sir aaron, take her.¡± sir aaron saluted her and dragged emily outside. emily¡¯s alarmed cries echoed throughout the cottage, but yurina only looked out the window and tried to distract herself from the extra noise. ¡®emily had something to defend. not that her actions didn¡¯t make sense. but that¡¯s all. i had no intention of forgiving her or sympathizing with her.¡¯ however, for some reason, yurina felt a pinch in her chest. ¡°milady, milady!¡± emily grabbed the doorknob, but sir aaron pulled her roughly and dragged her away. after leaving yurina¡¯s room, emily was expecting a full-scale interrogation. as they talked, raynard, who was waiting outside the door, stared indifferently at emily¡¯s back. his expression was blank, but his gaze was cruel. still replaying what happened to yurina in his head, it seemed like reynard even bled backwards. ¡°she¡¯s just following orders.¡± raynard suddenly turned and quickly ran towards emily. sir aaron, noticing his presence, stopped. ¡°what are you doing?¡± ¡°wait a minute.¡± raynard knelt down on one knee and looked at emily, who was now lying face down on the floor. emily met his bloodied eyes and stuttered. ¡°this is¡­¡± she spoke unintelligibly, but reynard already knew what she wanted to say. however, it didn¡¯t matter now. he was no longer the little boy who would be embarrassed by annoying looks and slander about his eye color. raynard, his face unmoving, suddenly reached for emily¡¯s neck. she staggered as a large hand carelessly touched her neck. ¡°f-forgive¡­¡± ¡°even if i don¡¯t touch you, don¡¯t you realize how many people will want to take your life now?¡± it was a cold tone that he had never shown before yurina. emily winced. raynard looked at her and plucked the necklace from her neck. ¡°agh!¡± emily suddenly clutched her neck. raynard was now staring at the necklace in his hand, emily forgotten. in appearance, it was an ordinary decoration. a necklace with beautiful stones that any maid of her age could wear. but this has never been common. raynard smiled, feeling a tingle in his stomach, just like when he saw the corpse of that wolf. the question, which hadn¡¯t yet been answered, was now resolved. ¡°and how the hell did the house of carthia get one like that?¡± he gripped the necklace so tightly that even his hands trembled. ¡°probably used illusion magic.¡± who is pursuing yurina with such ingenuity? Chapter 76.1 after emily was dragged away, yurina stood at the window for a long time. her gaze rested on the flowers in the garden, but in reality she was distracted and the flowers didn¡¯t catch her eye. in fact, she didn¡¯t even think about anything in particular. her thoughts wandered here and there. ¡®it¡¯s because i¡¯m tired.¡¯ yurina tried to justify it like that. however, the throbbing in the stomach still didn¡¯t subside. she closed her eyes and slammed her forehead against the window until there was heard a bang. she felt pain in her forehead, but it didn¡¯t seem enough, so she hit her forehead a few more times. at some point, instead of hard and cold glass, yurina felt a familiar warmth. ¡°why are you doing this?¡± raynard gently kissed yurina¡¯s red forehead. ¡°don¡¯t do that. you¡¯ll hurt.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°that¡¯s not your fault.¡± reynard muttered as if reading yurina¡¯s mind. ¡°she was by my side for six months. but i never, not once, doubted emily.¡± looking back, she should have been suspicious of some of those around her. had such thoughts come to her mind earlier, all this could have been prevented. raynard pressed his thumb against yurina¡¯s pale lips and rubbed them. ¡°don¡¯t do that. why do you keep doing that?¡± you almost died because of my incompetence. yurina held back those words. ¡°and it¡¯s not your fault.¡± raynard presented her with the necklace he held in his hand. ¡°what¡¯s this?¡± ¡°it was worn by a maid named emily. this necklace had an illusion spell on it. needless to say, no one from the carthia house doubted that maid. so there is nothing for you to reproach yourself like that.¡± yurina quietly took the necklace and examined it. even knowing in advance that there was some kind of magic in it, yurina didn¡¯t feel any energy. ¡®are you saying it¡¯s black magic?¡¯ even dave didn¡¯t notice, so it was only natural that she didn¡¯t realize it either. but that didn¡¯t stop her from feeling guilty. yurina grabbed the necklace tightly and handed it to raynard again. ¡°give it to dave. this will help us figure out the whole backstory.¡± ¡°don¡¯t worry too much. we are already figuring out the whole course of events. they didn¡¯t have much time to hide the evidence¡­¡± ¡°wait a minute. ray. give me a minute.¡± yurina returned the necklace from reynard¡¯s hands. she was furious when she spoke to emily earlier. she didn¡¯t listen to her, but if you think about it calmly, there was something about it. ¡°i was threatened, i was threatened!¡± ¡°yes, and?¡± ¡°i was ordered to bring any item stained with the lady¡¯s blood. before the tournament! otherwise, my mother and sisters would¡­¡± ¡°when did it happen?¡± ¡°before i arrived at your mansion¡­¡± apparently, she had been threatened even before she started working at carthia house. she was also ordered to steal yurina¡¯s things. ¡°yurina?¡± ¡°how did they know?¡± ¡°hm?¡± ¡°at the beginning of this year, we decided that i would go to the tournament. if my mother were in good health, i wouldn¡¯t even go on this hunt. but why did they make emily steal my thing?¡± emily arrived at the estate last autumn. and in the autumn of last year, the marchioness fell ill for no apparent reason. when she finished her thoughts, yurina¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°yurina? what¡¯s the matter?¡± yurina grabbed reynard¡¯s hand and hurriedly screamed. ¡°i need to get to the capital as soon as possible.¡± ¡°this suddenness?¡± yurina looked at him and firmly said: ¡°right now.¡± * * * it takes one day by horse or three days by carriage to get from the jenus mountains to the capital. yurina and reynard could use magic and arrive at the carthia mansion in half a day. ¡°yurina? what are you doing here alone?¡± embarrassment flickered across the marchioness¡¯ face when she saw yurina returning with only reynard. ¡°what about your father and brothers? something went wrong?¡± yurina found out that her mother hadn¡¯t reached the news from the tournament. ¡®well, i wouldn¡¯t say that.¡¯ the weakened marchioness might have fainted in shock as soon as she heard everything at once. ¡°i just missed my mother. i couldn¡¯t wait there anymore.¡± raynard squeaked, trying to contain his burst of laughter. yurina firmly dug her nails into his hand. ¡°i wanted to see you too. since you¡¯re here, i¡¯ve been waiting for you to come quickly because i¡¯m alone. come on ray too. let¡¯s go in and have a cup of tea together.¡± now they were adults, but the marchioness still treated them like little children. Chapter 76.2 ¡°tea can wait. i have work.¡± ¡°what¡¯s this? i knew you had a good reason to hurry home? but how can you be so tricky with me?¡± marchioness playfully glanced at yurina. ¡°i¡¯m sorry. but the matter is urgent. mother, can i see your room?¡± at that moment, the playfulness vanished from the marchioness¡¯ face. ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°i¡¯m not sure yet. i¡¯ll let you know when i check everything.¡± even in spite of such uncertainty, the marchioness understood that the matter was rubbish. ¡°is it serious?¡± yurina couldn¡¯t say a word even though she knew it would be better to tell the truth than to gloss over things like this. your daughter was almost killed by wolves recently. and i don¡¯t know if you¡¯re in danger yet. how could she say such a thing? yurina licked her lips as she looked at the marquise and then shook her head. ¡°i don¡¯t know yet. i¡¯ll tell you later how it all works out.¡± * * * ¡°sit here.¡± as soon as raynard entered the marchioness¡¯ room, he seated yurina on the sofa. when yurina tried to stand up again, he pressed his shoulder against her and firmly stated: ¡°sit. i¡¯ll do everything myself.¡± ¡°how are you going to search in such a big room alone?¡± raynard grinned as if he had heard the most ridiculous. ¡°if i had been so weak, i wouldn¡¯t have dragged us from the cities straight to the capital.¡± and it was true. remembering the journey from the jenus mountains to the capital, yurina couldn¡¯t find more words to refute. raynard kissed yurina gently on the forehead as he began to explore the room. he took the first step towards the chest of drawers, and instead of looking at the chest of drawers, he looked under it. ¡°if i wanted to hide something here, i wouldn¡¯t have targeted a place so obvious.¡± he even created a fist-sized sphere of light and went on a search. behind the frame, in a vase, under the bed, under the carpet, through the window. yurina asked as she watched him fuss non-stop. ¡°is the mother¡¯s illness a curse?¡± raynard wiped his forehead with his sleeve and answered: ¡°i¡¯m not sure yet.¡± sweat poured into his eyes and raynard frowned. yurina pulled a soft handkerchief from the marchioness¡¯ closet and walked over to him. the day was not very hot, but his face and neck were wet with sweat. ¡°is it that hot in here?¡± raynard bent his knees to be at eye level with her. he smiled and closed his eyes as if enjoying yurina¡¯s touch. ¡°not very hot, but i think it¡¯s because i ran around the room.¡± raynard opened his eyes and looked at yurina, then grabbed her hand and brought it to his neck. ¡°i¡¯m sweating here too.¡± yurina suddenly froze and looked at his face. ¡®what, are you fooling around?¡¯ reynard¡¯s foolishness was something he had always seen since childhood. as much as he followed her in the mansion, he would either show her callused hand to get her attention, or draw her glass, saying that she was tall. but now, something feels different. if his intentions were obvious when he was young, now he was so natural that it was hard to notice that he was fooling around. it was quite fresh and interesting, so when yurina just looked at it, reynard opened his eyes again and tapped yurina¡¯s wrist. ¡°why don¡¯t you wipe it off?¡± yurina wiped his neck and back as he wanted. raynard laughed softly, and loosened his tie. as if that wasn¡¯t enough, he also undid a pair of cufflinks. yurina asked as she watched him unfasten the cufflinks on his wrists. ¡°can you help me with this?¡± ¡°you alone is enough.¡± raynard folded the ruby cufflinks into yurina¡¯s hand and started rummaging through the wardrobe drawer again. as the two moved to the capital, they exchanged ideas about what had happened. reynard agreed that the marchioness¡¯ illness didn¡¯t seem natural. reynard said that if the marchioness¡¯ illness had been caused artificially, there must be an object somewhere in the her room. and that in the current situation, none of the servants could be trusted. ¡°even if a curse is in place, it won¡¯t be at the level to threaten life. at best, it will ruin your health.¡± ¡°so the mother¡¯s health can be returned?¡± ¡°hm. if we find that damn thing.¡± raynard lifted the heavy cabinet with magic and peered in. ¡°it¡¯s a little strange here.¡± he lay down on the floor, looked under the closet and climbed further. a moment later, he stood up, holding a white ribbon covered in dust in his hand. ¡°found it.¡± the white ribbon, the symbol of innocence, had ominous crimson blood stains everywhere. it was the moment when it became clear that it was yurina who was supposed to go to that hunting competition. Chapter 77.1 after raynard found this tape, the entire mansion was turned upside down. upon returning to the capital, marquis carthia arranged an interrogation of all servants in order to find the culprit. as a result, two maids were found wearing the same necklaces as emily, were the culprits. reynard and dave secretly followed the work of the imperial knights. behind all this enterprise was a certain count from the southern edges of the empire. or at least he once held the title of count. no one ever had a chance to reliably find out what his motive was. it was because he committed suicide by poisoning himself the very night he was captured by the imperial knights and imprisoned. the opinion was put forward that the count was killed by someone who stood an order of magnitude higher, just to cover his tracks. but the investigation declared the incident an ordinary suicide. no other traces were found either. it wasn¡¯t possible to reveal the exact thoughts of the count, but everyone agreed that he did this out of dissatisfaction with marquis carthia. around the same time, but last year, marquis carthia issued a report to the emperor, which shed light on the sins of that nobleman. because of what the latter was deprived of the title. however, there was another mystery: why was yurina chosen as a target, and not the marquis himself? one could only guess: was it done to inflict even more pain on the marquis? ¡®is it more painful to experience the death of a loved one than your own?¡¯ it was a banal ending, but it ended just like that. ¡®and it¡¯s all?¡¯ that night, when all the details were told to her, yurina couldn¡¯t sleep. the marquis took her by the hand and said, ¡®it¡¯s all right now, so don¡¯t worry¡¯. but she couldn¡¯t shake the anxieties from her heart. yurina, now suffering from insomnia, got out of bed and headed to the marquis¡¯s office. fortunately, it was still bustling with work, and a faint light seeped through the cracks in the locked door. yurina knocked gently and heard a voice telling her to enter. ¡°yurina? why are you awake at this hour?¡± perhaps he didn¡¯t expect yurina to be his visitor. marquis carthia approached her with a look of surprise. he examined her pale face and stroked her daughter¡¯s cheek, as if in sorrow. ¡°are you still not sleepy?¡± ¡°yeah.¡± ¡°should i tell the servants bring you a cup of tea that is good for a good night¡¯s sleep?¡± yurina shook her head silently. she didn¡¯t come here for tea. reading something in yurina¡¯s expression, the marquis sat her down on the sofa. instead of sitting, as usual, facing his daughter, he sat down next to her and tightly squeezed her cold hand. ¡°i came here because i have something to say.¡± ¡°yeah. is your story what keeps you awake at this late hour?¡± yurina swallowed nervously as she looked at the marquis¡¯ serious face. ¡°the whole thing smells bad.¡± ¡°what exactly do you want to tell me?¡± ¡°the one behind this incident.¡± in fact, it wasn¡¯t only yurina who had doubts about the end of this case. and not only the marquis, but also yurina¡¯s three older brothers insisted on the need for further investigation, since there were gaps in this story. however, the imperial family decided to close this case. and this was due to the fact that the count had a fairly good motive to hate the house of carthia, and teachings about black magic were found in his residence. although the organizers of the hunting tournament were actively investigating the whole incident, from the point of view of the imperial family, it was nothing more than another petty conspiracy unworthy of undue attention. even if marquis carthia, who was loyal to the family of the ruler, fell under attack. marquis carthia decided to continue the investigation on his own, without the participation of the imperial family. however, he couldn¡¯t find anything on his own. the knights of the emperor cut all the strings clean. the marquis faced difficulties from the very beginning. ¡°you have nothing to worry about. your brothers and i will take care of you. you can relax.¡± yurina shook her head. ¡°this is my job too. i can¡¯t just shift everything onto other people¡¯s shoulders and sitting doing nothing.¡± apart from this moment, she was the only one who had a clue. yurina took a deep breath and meekly said: ¡°marquis de flon.¡± she repeated it again to her father, whose face was now covered with bewilderment. ¡°investigate the marquis of de flon.¡± ¡°what are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± the marquis¡¯s voice was calm, though he was embarrassed. yurina tightly squeezed his hand and closed her eyes. ¡°when i was little, you once mentioned that you knew marquis de flon, didn¡¯t you? i will never forget the face of the marquis, whom i saw then.¡± before tossing and turning in bed, yurina thought a lot. her father and older brothers could only suspect who was behind all this. she asked the fundamental question: ¡°why has history been rearranged so much?¡± who would want to encroach on her life, because the plot of the novel has not yet begun? in the end, only one came to mind. marquis de flon who killed yurina in the original story. however, assuming that this is the work of a marquis, the question remains. in the original story, yurina was the crown prince¡¯s former lover, and had all sorts of grudges against him, fought with lydia for the position of princess, and eventually fell. now everything is different. far from being the prince¡¯s lover, yurina had never even had a relationship with him. and lydia de flon had nothing to do with curtis. as yurina knows, lydia has been living far from the whole secular world since she left the capital seven years ago and moved to the estate of marquis de flon. but the look on his face that yurina saw in the capital seven years ago¡­ the hostility of the marquis towards the carthia family deepened so much that he couldn¡¯t bear and couldn¡¯t curb his anger even in public. so, yurina put forward a certain hypothesis. ¡®maybe marquis de flon didn¡¯t kill yurina because of their rivalry with lydia.¡¯ perhaps the two families hated each other so much that they aimed at each other in the neck. Chapter 77.2 perhaps marquis de flon might have had a plan to destroy the carthia family even before yurina and lydia confronted each other over curtis. seizing the position of the princess in the meantime was just a convenient opportunity to put this whole plan into action. but doubts remained. ¡®so why did the marquis strike a year earlier, unlike the original?¡¯ shaking her head, yurina reached a new conclusion. ¡®could it be because of ray?¡¯ two years ago, yurina almost died because of reynard in the crohn kingdom. she brought him in to rewrite her fate, but now history has changed too much. marquis de flon had also seen reynard before. wouldn¡¯t that have affected him? in fact, yurina was skeptical about her thoughts. after all, there was no objective evidence for this, and it is unlikely that marquis de flon would have gone on such a big adventure. if he was aiming at yurina, it would be more careful to do everything quietly than to arrange a massacre in the tournament. he quietly managed to send emily to their house. so poisoning yurina¡¯s food would be much easier. however, perhaps because yurina was killed by marquis de flon in the original story, the current yurina blamed him for everything. seeing yurina¡¯s serious face, marquis carthia rubbed his temples tightly. he didn¡¯t ask why his daughter was suddenly suspicious of marquis de flon. he didn¡¯t even criticize it as a stupid idea. after a moment¡¯s thought, the marquis said seriously: ¡°if that¡¯s what you think, i will also keep an eye on the de flon family.¡± even if marquis de flon were the real culprit, there was little chance that marquis carthia would find anything. however, yurina felt that this answer made her heart feel lighter. ¡°thank you for trusting me, father.¡± * * * after leaving the marquis¡¯s office, yurina couldn¡¯t immediately return to her room. she stared down the empty hallway for a moment before moving into the back garden of the mansion. unlike the jenus mountains, where it was warm and flowers were blooming, the capital had just begun to bloom. as night fell, the deserted garden looked even bleaker. yurina sat down on a stool in the corner of the garden and stared stupidly at the plants. ¡°it¡¯s windy.¡± after a while, she heard reynard¡¯s voice. at the same time, something heavy covered her shoulders. yurina looked down and saw that it was a large coat that clearly belonged to reynard. ¡°how did you know that i would be here?¡± ¡°i just felt it.¡± he smiled and sat next to yurina. ¡°i would like you to go inside. but you don¡¯t think so, do you?¡± when yurina nodded her head, he carefully buttoned the buttons on his coat without asking twice. then he reached out and gently put his arm around her shoulder. unlike yurina, who easily got cold, reynard was warm. yurina rested her head on his shoulder and muttered, ¡°it¡¯s warm.¡± ¡°your body is cold.¡± raynard rubbed his palms and squeezed yurina¡¯s cheeks. ¡°what were you thinking that you couldn¡¯t even sleep?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know.¡± yurina closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against his palm. raynard briefly withdrew his hand for a moment, surprised by the sudden gesture, but then squeezed her cheek even tighter. ¡°we¡¯ve been through a lot. naturally, you will be confused. in fact, i haven¡¯t really recovered yet.¡± there is such a thing, but¡­ yurina sighed and then continued. ¡°i think i¡¯ve been pretty self-confident up until now.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°yes, confident.¡± ¡°why would you suddenly have such thoughts?¡± ¡°it¡¯s just¡­¡± yurina couldn¡¯t explain further, so she paused. as the only being who came from outside, she didn¡¯t know this world, but she thought she knew everything and everything, being also the only being who saw the future. when she found reynard, she was blinded by a sense of accomplishment, as if she had changed her destiny with her own hands. she thought that everything would turn out well. she relaxed, having got reynard before marquis de flon. but what really happened? she was fooled by a maid she trusted, and her mother was cursed to be barely alive. even reynard got hurt saving her. in the whole process, she was helpless. even as she pursued her forces behind the scenes, there was nothing she could do. in the end, she achieved absolutely nothing. all the efforts of the last seven years flew in the wind. it seemed like it was all in vain. ¡®and now that marquis de flon is targeting me again, will i be able to respond properly?¡¯ even if it wasn¡¯t marquis de flon¡¯s plot, it could be that yurina would actually run into him sometime in the future. and if so, will she be able to stop him with her own powers? of course she could protect her own life. but for yurina, survival was no longer paramount. ¡®there are many precious people to me.¡¯ ¡®my parents, my three brothers, betsy, dave. and even reynard. there are people who are dearer than my life. will i be able to save them and do everything right?¡¯ ¡®i¡¯m not so sure of myself anymore. i feel helpless and i¡¯m afraid of what¡¯s to come.¡¯ ¡°i don¡¯t know what to do now. i feel lost.¡± ¡°yurina.¡± raynard carefully gathered up her wind-blown hair and slung it over her left shoulder. then he pressed his lips to the back of her head. ¡°you need to sleep.¡± as he muttered this, hot air hit the back of her head. yurina was frightened for a moment and grabbed his hand at her waist. ¡°you have something that no one else will ever have.¡± his lips ran down the back of her head and touched her earlobe. his soft lips lightly nibbled on yurina¡¯s earlobe and let go. ¡°what?¡± ¡°me.¡± Chapter 78.1 he spoke as if proud of it. ¡°you found me and sponsored me. you can be proud of that alone.¡± what will reynard think when he finds out i found him on purpose? yurina swallowed those words. ¡°i¡¯m no longer the incompetent, bad-tempered kid you brought into your home. i can do anything for you. so there¡¯s nothing for you to worry about. after all, it is thanks to you that i¡¯m now here, in front of you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°so don¡¯t worry about anything.¡± ¡°then promise me one thing.¡± yurina held out her little finger to him. raynard asked carefully, touching his finger reflexively. ¡°what promise?¡± ¡°promise you¡¯ll never do anything like that in the future.¡± ¡°anything like that?¡± ¡°put your life on the line for me.¡± his face tightened slightly. yurina spoke again with a firm voice, as if she was pounding a wedge. ¡°promise me now. i no longer want to suffer thoughts of your death.¡± ¡°¡­i will try.¡± ¡°it should be a promise, not an attempt.¡± but reynard ignored it. he silently looked at yurina¡¯s white little finger, then gently grabbed her hand and kissed it. ¡°i will try. but i can¡¯t promise that.¡± ¡°ray.¡± ¡°if something like this happens again, i have no other choice but to choose you. and you already know it. and why do you insist knowing?¡± ¡°ray.¡± ¡°yes, i love you too.¡± he laughed happily, as if he heard a declaration of love from yurina in those words. yurina couldn¡¯t help but laugh at his cheeky remark. ¡°do you know how stupid you look right now?¡± ¡°yes, i know.¡± ¡°do you know how ridiculous this is?¡± ¡°i know that too.¡± ¡°do you know how stubborn you¡¯re?¡± ¡°i have been like this since childhood.¡± ¡°do you know that i like you too?¡± ¡°¡­¡± although it wasn¡¯t the first time he heard it, he blinked in puzzlement. yurina cupped his cold cheeks from the night wind and kissed him first. obviously, it was a confession made out of selfishness, like: ¡°i like you, so if you like me too, then do as i say.¡± however, yurina already knew that he wouldn¡¯t change his mind even after hearing that she loved him. he was just that kind of person. he was the kind of man who would put her above him at a crucial moment. yurina already knew that even if she confessed to him, nothing would change. so, presumably, this wasn¡¯t selfishness at all, but simply a sincere confession, covered with imaginary selfishness. if not for that excuse, yurina wouldn¡¯t be able to say anything due to the pressure of guilt. 10. sea travel marquis carthia, as if taking yurina¡¯s words seriously, kept a close eye on marquis de flon¡¯s house after that night. but, from that moment until now, he couldn¡¯t find anything reprehensible. there was no trace of the connection between the marquis and the guilty count. ¡®then maybe they are not related?¡¯ yurina had no choice but to brush off her doubts. and after that, peaceful days continued. all the turmoil around the carthia family was cleared up and nothing much happened. however, yurina continued to suffer from inexplicable anxiety. she often skipped meals because she had no appetite, and when she did, she ate less than half of her usual amount. at night, she couldn¡¯t sleep soundly, and couldn¡¯t sleep normally, waking up every now and then, and then the whole day was like a fog. ¡®i¡¯m like a weak chicken.¡¯ yurina was currently looking at the handkerchief she was embroidering. the embroidery didn¡¯t have a special meaning, and was rather just geometric. yurina couldn¡¯t even recognize what the pattern was. yurina sighed as she looked at the colored handkerchief. ¡®it¡¯s boring.¡¯ she didn¡¯t really like embroidery, so quickly lost interest. she wanted to go out for a walk, but she didn¡¯t feel like it. yurina threw her handkerchief on the table and looked around the room, where it was empty. she missed reynard¡¯s presence. unlike their childhood, when he lived in a room on the fourth floor, where only the people of the carthia family lived, upon returning to the capital, raynard moved to the guest room on the third floor. this was done to avoid possible gossip. the two were children before. now, even if yurina and reynard lived as one family, they couldn¡¯t help it since they became adults. perhaps, if he¡¯s knighted, he will have to acquire his own mansion altogether. as a result, yurina and reynard couldn¡¯t be together all day long like before. they refrained from visiting unless it was a special occasion. there was nothing shameful to stay there, as before. but a the problem was in the fact that they kept their relationship a secret even from the carthia family. there was no particular reason to keep it a secret. although they were sure in their feelings, this is because their hearts weren¡¯t yet ready to be called a couple. ¡®even if we become a couple, things will be a little difficult.¡¯ Chapter 78.2 although he was a talented person who made the whole empire buzz, reynard wasn¡¯t of noble birth and hadn¡¯t yet acquired a knighthood. if he had told the marquis that he liked yurina, the latter probably wouldn¡¯t object. rather, he could try to somehow solidify reynard¡¯s position in the empire and tie him to it. but others were different. the daughter of an influential marquis and a commoner. it was obvious how the public would gossip about this relationship. ¡®i thought it would be okay if we liked each other.¡¯ yurina rubbed her throbbing temple as her mind suddenly felt complicated. just a few days ago, she had seriously wondered if her feelings for raynard were much less than his feelings for herself. after all, reynard was already ready to sacrifice his life for her, but she was just beginning to honestly confess her feelings. however, after a few days off, she was able to become a little more aware of her emotions. she wondered how reynard hadn¡¯t gone mad. yurina couldn¡¯t understand how he endured that loneliness while he was at the academy. yurina sighed once more and stood up from her seat. usually she left the room and went to the living room, which was used as an office. now it was empty inside. ¡°do you know where ray went?¡± yurina asked betsy, but she hesitated to answer. if he wasn¡¯t in the living room, he was either at the gymnasium or at dave¡¯s lab. ¡®couldn¡¯t he be practicing swordsmanship again?¡¯ yurina repeatedly told raynard to refrain from practicing swordsmanship since his body had not yet fully recovered, but he didn¡¯t listen. on the contrary, he said that if you neglect the loads, then the recovery will be slow. yurina¡¯s three older brothers agreed with reynard¡¯s words and even sparred with him every day. yurina began to doubt the results, but reynard fought again and again, mixing magic with sword. he was a kind of magic swordsman. in the empire, magic swordsmen were rare. this is because children who showed talent for magic were too busy with magic itself, and didn¡¯t look towards swordsmanship. the three older brothers, especially the twins, didn¡¯t even think of missing out on this chance, and stating that fighting the magic swordsman was a new experience. yurina was startled whenever she heard the wooden sword clattering violently. but she was helpless to do anything when reynard kept telling her that everything was okay. luckily, betsy gave her her the answer she was looking for. ¡°reynard said earlier he was going to the annex.¡± this meant dave¡¯s lab. if so, dave and reynard are doing magical research right now. their research topic these days was ¡®why does reynard¡¯s eye color only change to purple?¡¯ although she studied magic out of necessity, yurina wasn¡¯t particularly enthusiastic, and now wondered if this was such an important topic for the whole study? however, how important it was in the magic world that those two even sent a letter of inquiry to crohn royal academy. ¡°let¡¯s go to the lab.¡± ¡°yes, milady.¡± when yurina left the living room and was about to move down the hallway, a maid came out of yurina¡¯s room. it was the marchioness¡¯ personal maid. ¡°i was wondering where you were going because you weren¡¯t in the room, but you were here.¡± ¡°was my mother looking for me?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°now?¡± ¡°if you have nothing else to do, the mistress asked you to come to her right now.¡± ¡°okay.¡± after thinking for a while, yurina followed the maid to the marchioness¡¯ room. it was rare for her to send her maid to call her yurina, so she wanted something urgent to say. ¡°mother, did you call me?¡± when yurina entered the room, marchioness carthia, who was distributing instructions to the maids, approached yurina with a smile. ¡°yurina, please come here.¡± she took yurina¡¯s hand and sat down at the tea table. looks like it was prepared it in advance. after all, colorful desserts and black tea now stood on the tea table. the freshly baked cakes were still emitting smoke. ¡°you have liked those cakes since childhood. it¡¯s still the same.¡± yurina just nodded without saying a word. who knows what the past yurina was like, but the new yurina likes these cakes the most. she still couldn¡¯t forget the taste of the first buns with jam after coming to this world. yurina looked at the snacks on the table again. scones, chocolate cakes, cookies, salmon sandwiches. among the offered items were only snacks that yurina especially liked. she was blown away by the care and attention to detail. yurina smiled meekly as she sipped her tea. now she felt a soothing warmth in her stomach, down her esophagus. Chapter 79.1 yurina only took a sip of her black tea, but didn¡¯t touch the scones. so marchioness cut the steaming scones in half, smeared them with apricot jam and cream, yurina¡¯s favorite, and put them back on the plate. ¡°don¡¯t just drink tea, eat some scones.¡± although she had no appetite, yurina took a bite of the scone because she couldn¡¯t ignore the marchioness¡¯ attention. the taste of sour apricot jam now whetted her appetite. yurina slowly ate half of her scone served with black tea. the marchioness looked at her with satisfaction, and handed her the other half. yurina shook her head, sighed, and left the scone on her plate. ¡°i¡¯m sorry. but i have no appetite.¡± ¡°what are you sorry about here? rather, i should be sorry. time has not spared me, and it seems that my eyes are not the same anymore. i can¡¯t take a good look at the maids.¡± ¡°no, wait, that¡¯s¡­¡± it was because of the magic. yurina couldn¡¯t finish and held her words. on the day when the bloody ribbon was found in the mansion, yurina explained everything to the marchioness. although yurina emphasized that emily had used illusion magic to keep her face down, marchioness blamed herself for yurina getting hurt. yurina fully understood what was in her heart. although she knew that she was also possessed by deception magic, in her heart she kept rebuking herself. marchioness carthia, seeing yurina biting her lips, got up from her seat and walked close to her. ¡°you¡¯ve been frowning for days now.¡± her soft hand caressed yurina¡¯s cheek gently. her hands, which had been cold as ice for the past six months, were now warm. yurina gently rubbed her cheek against marchioness¡¯ hand like a child and closed her eyes. ¡°it will all get better soon. moreover, i¡¯m glad that my mother is well again.¡± marchioness quickly recovered after the tape was burned. only a few days passed, and her pale face turned red, and her sunken cheeks regained their roundness. yurina thought it was for good, but on the other hand, she felt uncomfortable now. after all, it was yurina who was the target of the exiled count, the organizer of that assassination attempt. marchioness carthia had to suffer just because of yurina, for no particular reason. although it was the former count who had planned this, and even though she knew she had no reason to feel guilty, yurina was now hesitant in front of her mother. and this time she couldn¡¯t bear those clear blue eyes, so she lowered her head. then the marchioness bent her knees and met yurina¡¯s gaze. ¡°i know you are not comfortable.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°you might have had a hard time. it¡¯s not good to be betrayed by someone you trust. even if it was a servant, which is easy to replace at any time. you¡¯re such a nice child.¡± was she nice? yurina was a little stunned by something she had never thought about. until now, she thought that she wasn¡¯t very affectionate. especially when she arrived in a world strange to her. ¡°however, betrayal is not enough, you also suffered during the attack. it must be very difficult for you.¡± ¡°no. i¡¯m really fine.¡± yurina tried to get away, but the marchioness patted her arm as if she was seeing it inside out. ¡°so, yurina. how about breaking out of the manor once before social season starts? it¡¯s getting warmer, so it would be nice to play near the water.¡± ¡°near the water?¡± ¡°the air by the sea is better than in the capital, so much so that it is useful for healing both body and mind. and the atmosphere there is different from the capital, and good, so wouldn¡¯t it be good to get rid of bad memories?¡± yurina was unable to answer right away and hesitated for a moment. ¡®are we going to the villa?¡¯ it was an enticing proposition. even though the mansion in the capital was spacious and the garden was well-decorated, there were few people in it. and the atmosphere here was different from the villa, where the endless sea stretched. as marchioness said, it seemed that if yurina went there, she could rest without any worries. but there was only one thing. ¡®what about ray?¡¯ she will be gone for at least two or three weeks. it was painful for them not to see each other for several hours, but to be apart for so long? just thinking about it was terrible. marchioness looked at the hesitant yurina, smiled and opened her mouth. ¡°by the way, i heard that reynard was also badly hurt.¡± ¡°yes?¡± yurina was startled by the sudden name and asked in a voice higher than usual. marchioness continued to stroke yurina¡¯s hand. ¡°rodrik says he¡¯s all better, so don¡¯t worry, but from your mom¡¯s point of view, he still need more rest. but your brothers don¡¯t seem to be leaving reynard alone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i was told he learned swordsmanship. but i have no idea why those three are fighting the mage so hard.¡± ¡°brother edwin said it¡¯s good to learn how to deal with mages while sparring with ray. dave and other mages have weak stamina, so they are no match for the older brothers.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± the marchioness laughed lightly. ¡°still, i¡¯m worried that leaving things as they are will only worsen reynard¡¯s condition. so i think it would be nice if reynard also went to a villa by the sea. what do you say?¡± yurina couldn¡¯t reply right away this time either. will it be like a vacation with reynard? it was a good suggestion, but the words stuck in her throat. ¡®did she notice something?¡¯ those two were hiding everything, but it looked as if the marchioness had caught the connection between them. however, yurina couldn¡¯t read her thoughts from the marchioness¡¯ expression alone. although she had a kind and gentle nature, she was also a member of an aristocratic family. from an early age, she learned to hide emotions from her face, so her thoughts and feelings were rarely reflected in facial expressions. Chapter 79.2 the marchioness added as she studied yurina¡¯s face. ¡°by the way, your mom is coming too.¡± this time, yurina didn¡¯t know what she was thinking when she said that. but she didn¡¯t have to worry anymore. she hesitated for a moment, then nodded her head. ¡°if ray says he agrees, then so be it.¡± the decision to go on vacation was made in just one day. * * * through the window of the carriage, the emerald-colored sea began to appear. the sea with a clear horizon without a single island. the vast sea, which seemed to touch the sky, was the pride of the carthia house. not only the nobles, but also the commoners said that they would like to visit carthia villa at least once before they die. raynard, who during the carriage ride looked more at yurina than at the landscape, exclaimed as soon as he happened to see the sea. ¡°wow.¡± yurina, who was reading a book, turned towards the sound and looked out the window. today, a golden sun shone in a clear sky without a single cloud. with each wave, the emerald-colored sea shone in the sun and shimmered with many colors. yurina came to carthia villa about two or three times a year to spend time. seeing the sea every year, she got tired of it and didn¡¯t seem to be very impressed. this time, her gaze was more focused on raynard, who was hanging out of the window and smiling like a child. he said that he had never seen the sea since he was born, and could hardly take his eyes off the water. his red eyes lit up in the sunlight, and his white cheeks flushed with excitement. just like when he was a child, he didn¡¯t shout it out loud, but yurina could see the excitement on his face. yurina opened her mouth and asked him who couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the sea. ¡°what do you think?¡± ¡°that is amazing. not at all like rivers and lakes.¡± he answered in a tone higher than usual, and his gaze was still directed outward. it was unusual considering that he always made eye contact with her when he spoke to yurina. he was so amazed. ¡°can i swim there?¡± ¡°not worth it. the water on this bank is not very deep, and there are many children running around. it¡¯s kinda chilly today, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°ah, of course. that must be it.¡± raynard replied in a sad voice. yurina silently watched him straighten his hair in the sea breeze. golden hair shone in the sunlight streaming through the open window. the sounds of seagulls came from afar and the smell of the salty sea tickled the tip of the nose. just three weeks ago, yurina sat with him unconscious. now she couldn¡¯t believe that he was spending time with her so peacefully. yurina glanced at marchioness and betsy, then covered her shoes with the hem of her dress. when she hit his boot with the toe, reynard¡¯s eyes turned to yurina. very surprised, he immediately wanted to counterattack, and hit yurina on the toes. despite the secret and tense exchange of blows, bright smiles shone on their faces. ¡°if we don¡¯t swim, can we at least go to the beach? shall we go for a walk when we arrive? what do you think?¡± inside the dress, his feet slowly moved up. yurina hurriedly tried to avoid his feet, but he grabbed yurina¡¯s left foot with both feet. his ankles touched her bare ankle bone, where wasn¡¯t even stockings on. he slowly rubbed yurina¡¯s ankle with his. scorching heat rose from where he touched her. ¡®it¡¯s just his legs, but i don¡¯t know why my breath catches and my face turns red, as if he kissed me.¡¯ it was the same with reynard. his chest rose and fell under his neat shirt. yurina saw raynard press down on his lower lip with his thumb while looking at her as if desiring something, and then tap his right foot on her leg. ¡°what¡¯s happen?¡± marchioness carthia, who had been napping next to yurina, opened her eyes and asked, apparently feeling uneasy. yurina clutched her burning cheeks and dodged her mother¡¯s gaze. ¡°nothing. my feet were numb, so i twitched and accidentally stepped on ray¡¯s foot.¡± ¡°reynard, are you okay?¡± ¡°oh, it¡¯s all right. it was my own fault that i stretched out my long legs.¡± ¡°how can you be so arrogant about your long legs?¡± marchioness carthia covered her mouth with her hand and laughed out loud. ¡°we¡¯ll get there soon, so be patient.¡± ¡°yeah.¡± yurina glanced at reynard. raynard, smiling softly at the marchioness, noticed her gaze and pursed his lips, as if he wanted to say: ¡®you started first.¡¯ roughly interpreted, it seems that he said so. but again, that wasn¡¯t wrong, so yurina had nothing to say. ¡°so how about a walk? are we going?¡± raynard tapped yurina¡¯s shoe again when he saw the marchioness close her eyes. yurina moved her legs as far as possible and looked at the sea, avoiding his gaze. ¡°let¡¯s see what mood i¡¯m in.¡± ¡°hm.¡± he made a sound of pain as if he was displeasure, but yurina pretended not to see his expression and closed her eyes. his feet were clearly away, but the area around her ankle bone that he had touched was still as hot as if it were on fire. Chapter 80.1 usually, when family members came to the estate by the sea, they stayed at the carthia mansion, but this time they decided to settle in a small three-story villa right on the seashore. access there was strictly limited, except for the fact that the blue sea lay ahead, and the rear was covered by a pine forest. once she arrived at her room, yurina opened the door and walked out onto the terrace. the three-story villa stood right on the beach, and every room had a view of the landscape. among them, the room yurina chose was the one with the best sea view. originally, the room was occupied by marquis carthia, but the marquis gave it to yurina. the emerald sea glittering in the bright sunlight, fluttering seagulls, the golden sun shining in the sky, and the unhurried sea breeze. the whole picture was so peaceful. yurina closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. it felt like her stomach was full of salty sea air. at that moment, she forgot all the worries that had been shaking her heart lately. ¡°so good.¡± yurina involuntarily muttered. betsy smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder from behind. ¡°i¡¯m glad you like it.¡± ¡°don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°me too. but that¡¯s why it¡¯s even more pleasant for me if you like it here too.¡± ¡°what does that mean?¡± yurina laughed. ¡°my lady has been quite languishing lately. i was very worried while we were driving here.¡± ¡°why?¡± ¡°the way from the capital isn¡¯t easy. these days you were not feeling well, but i was worried that things could only get worse. but looking at the look on her face, i think you did well.¡± ¡°my expression?¡± when yurina fumbled her cheek, bestsy smiled brightly and pointed at the corner of her mouth. ¡°you smile all the time as soon as you see the sea.¡± yurina followed betsy¡¯s words and groped her lips. she didn¡¯t even notice that she was smiling all this time. but the corners of her lips were slightly raised, as betsy had said. ¡°you must be tired. are you going to rest in your room today?¡± betsy asked yurina as she took clothes out of her bags. at her signal, the maids who were waiting outside entered the room and arranged the clothes in the closet. yurina looked around the sea once more and shook her head. i¡¯m tired, but i also want to take a walk. the weather is so good. ¡°walking is good too. if you take a walk, you will sleep better at night. however, we have just arrived, and i think it would be better to take a break. i will prepare water for your bath.¡± ¡°okay.¡± as soon as yurina agreed, betsy ran to the bathroom and started pouring hot water into the clean white tub. in this magical world, there was no need to go far for water, because the water supply was organized no worse than in korea. just turn the faucet in the bathroom and hot water will pour out. betsy checked the temperature, took the perfume out of her luggage and threw it into the tub. the maid from the villa even brought dried petals and poured them out, and the bathroom was filled with a floral scent. guided by betsy, yurina plunged into the water. in an instant, her body warmed up and her mind clouded. it seemed that the fatigue that had accumulated in the last few days of the journey immediately passed. after taking a bath, yurina beckoned to the dark-haired maid who used to help betsy. betsy asked on behalf of yurina: ¡°name?¡± ¡°mary.¡± ¡°this is the first time i see your face here.¡± ¡°i¡¯m new here.¡± while talking to betsy, mary looked curiously at yurina. it was obvious that she was surprised to see a girl she could only hear about. yurina tried to ignore her. as usual, yurina wouldn¡¯t hesitate to talk to the servants. now it wasn¡¯t easy for her to open her heart because of the story with emily. ¡°can you tell ray we¡¯re going for a walk later?¡± ¡°yes, milady!¡± luckily, mary walked out without showing any disappointment despite the coldness in yurina¡¯s tone. after drying yurina¡¯s hair and applying oil, betsy went to the closet, checked it, and pulled out a white dress. ¡°lady, how about this?¡± ¡°but is it white?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°it won¡¯t be easy to wash it off all that sand.¡± ¡°don¡¯t worry, i can handle it!¡± yurina was literally forced to wear this dress. but when she succumbed, and then looked in the mirror, everything was perfect, so she couldn¡¯t say anything more to bestsy. betsy, who looked at yurina with satisfaction, tied her hair into a single bun and tied it with a ribbon. otherwise, the hair would now and then flutter in the wind. ¡°the sun id hot, but it will be hard to cover yourself with an umbrella. a hat would be better, although there is a risk of being blown away by the wind.¡± finally, betsy put a hat on yurina¡¯s head and tied a ribbon under her chin. as soon as she finished with the perfume with the scent of spring flowers, she heard a knock. betsy gently released yurina and smiled. ¡°all is ready. so, therefore, enjoy the sea view.¡± ¡°umm? betsy?¡± ¡°i still have to unpack the luggage. even though i only brought what i needed, i still¡­¡± ¡°still¡­ what?¡± after yurina hesitated for a moment, betsy gently pushed her away. ¡°go now. after all, reynard is already waiting for you.¡± yurina moved away and looked back. when their eyes met, betsy narrowed her eyes and smiled. ¡®can¡¯t be. betsy¡­ and you too.¡¯ but yurina couldn¡¯t think more. betsy had opened the door wide. and as soon as raynard, who was waiting in front of the door, saw yurina, his eyes widened for a moment, then he extended his hand and smiled. ¡°shall we go then?¡± yurina saw betsy beckoning her to go, then put her hand on reynard¡¯s palm. ¡°yes.¡± Chapter 80.2 the weather was clear, the sky without a single cloud, the wind wasn¡¯t strong, so the waves were not very high. yurina held her hat down with her other hand, which was not holding reynard¡¯s, and looked out to sea. every time the waves hit, she was blinded by the sparkling sea water. ¡°really beautiful.¡± raynard, who first arrived on the beach, couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut and admired every now and then. yurina nodded softly. raynard let go of yurina¡¯s hand for a moment and then took off his shoes. he laughed like a child, wiggling his toes in the white sand. ¡°this is so strange.¡± ¡°but it¡¯s nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± when yurina tried to take off her shoes, reynard quickly grabbed her hand. thanks to this, yurina was able to take off her shoes without stumbling. yurina wiggled her toes after reynard, shivering at the feel of the sand moving between them. that feeling was strange, but not bad. yurina and reynard, hand in hand, walked side by side to the sea. clear sea water wet the feet of two people, then receded. a new wave came, this time reaching to the ankles. ¡°they say the sea is salty.¡± raynard dipped his finger into the sea and tasted it. then he shrugged and frowned. ¡°it¡¯s really salty.¡± ¡°was it really necessary to try it yourself?¡± ¡°how else will i know? do you want to try too?¡± ¡°no.¡± ¡°try it once.¡± raynard dipped his hand into the water again and walked over to yurina. yurina shook her head vigorously and backed away. now she turned and ran. but there was no way yurina could escape from reynard. she couldn¡¯t even run a few steps before being caught by him. raynard put his arm around her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder. ¡°it¡¯s good that no one sees us.¡± perhaps reynard was sorry that the two of them had to hide from the eyes of the last weeks. so raynard hugged her tightly, as if wanting to catch up. yurina lazily leaned on him and said: ¡°yeah.¡± the cries of seagulls fluttering overhead, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, and reynard¡¯s slow breathing. all those soothing sounds made yurina feel like her nerves, which were on edge after the tournament, were suddenly relaxed. ¡°you wanted to see the sea, and now you just stand like this?¡± ¡°i wanted to see you more than some sea.¡± ¡°sounds like a reunion after years apart.¡± ¡°actually, we¡¯ve been apart for six years.¡± raynard bit her ear lightly as if scolding yurina. ¡°we have a long way to go to fill this gap.¡± yurina closed her eyes as she heard a whisper in her ear. ¡°then let¡¯s see a lot while staying here.¡± * * * yurina immediately went to bed because she had played in the water right after the long carriage ride, she should be able to fall asleep soon, but yurina could hardly fall asleep and wriggled on the bed. it was because she had been chronically sleepless since the hunting competition, and it was uncomfortable because her bed had changed. the bed in the villa was as soft and comfortable as in the capital¡¯s mansion, but the atmosphere in the room was somehow unfamiliar. ¡®i think it¡¯s a bit cold.¡¯ yurina looked out the window. instead of the usual scenery from the mansion, she saw the beach in darkness. she heard the sound of the cool waves. hearing that sound on a bright sunny day, yurina was calm. now, in the dark, that sound was unsettling. ¡®well, what¡¯s wrong with me this time?¡¯ yurina looked out the window and bit her lips, then pulled the covers over her head. ¡®i still need to get some sleep at least.¡¯ it was time to close her eyes. but then she heard a knock. yurina lowered the blanket and looked at the door. ¡°who¡¯s there?¡± she wondered who dared to appear at such an hour. but there was no answer. ¡®did i hear wrong?¡¯ thinking so, yurina was about to cover herself with the blanket again, but the knocking repeated. this time louder than before. even if it seemed to her once, it was impossible for her to imagine it twice. yurina put out the fire and got out of bed. just as she was about to go to the door and check, the strange sound came again. and it was from the side of the terrace, not from the side of the door. ¡®what¡­?¡¯ yurina put on a bathrobe over her pajamas and went out onto the terrace. as soon as she got out, she saw small stones falling onto the terrace from the floor below. ¡®what¡¯s this?¡¯ yurina, who was shivering from the cold wind, straightened her robe and looked around the entire terrace. ¡°ray, what are you doing¡­¡± before yurina could ask, raynard quickly put his index finger to his lips. yurina covered her mouth with her hand and looked around her, then asked with her mouth, ¡®what are you doing here?¡¯ reynard slightly frowned and tilted his head, as if it was difficult to see the shape of his mouth because he was on the third floor. then he smiled brightly and waved her hands at yurina. yurina burst out laughing because the gloomy scenery and his cheerful face didn¡¯t go well together. reynard then gestured that he was waiting for her to come down to him. being dumbfounded, yurina asked silently again this time. ¡®this is the third floor. how do i suppose to get down?¡¯ after reading yurina¡¯s puzzled expression, raynard put on a serious expression and then punched himself in the chest. ¡®are you telling me to trust you?¡¯ yurina was now dangling from the terrace railing and staring at him as he thumped his chest. her thoughts didn¡¯t last long. ¡®it¡¯s ray.¡¯ she had a strange confidence that in his presence she would not hurt. yurina took a deep breath and stood on the railing. for a moment, she lost concentration and staggered, and then raynard quickly reached out his hands, about to catch her. luckily, yurina didn¡¯t fall. raynard smiled at her, arms still outstretched. it was a little scary as her body was shivering in the wind, but yurina believed in reynard and relaxed. from somewhere a stream of air blew and engulfed her entirely. unlike the cool sea breeze, it was a warm and cozy, like a spring breeze. thanks to this wind, yurina didn¡¯t fall to the ground, but floated in the air and now slowly moved towards reynard. ¡®it¡¯s ray¡¯s magic.¡¯ reassured, she opened her eyes to see reynard approaching her with a smile on his face. when yurina stretched out her hand, he grabbed her with his one and wrapped the other around her waist. ¡°didn¡¯t i just tell you to trust me?¡± Chapter 81.1 he put yurina¡¯s foot on top of his own and laughed. yurina smiled after him and put her hand around his neck. his body was so warm against her, that her body, that had been chilled by the cold night air, seemed to heat up as well. ¡°what happened all of a sudden in the middle of the night?¡± ¡°let¡¯s go for a walk. the stars are pretty.¡± ¡°yes. the sea you see at night will be different.¡± ¡°then let¡¯s go.¡± raynard was about to put yurina on the floor, but froze when he saw yurina¡¯s bare feet. ¡°and why are you without shoes?¡± ¡°oh, i didn¡¯t think we¡¯d go this far¡­ it¡¯s a sandy beach, so you can walk barefoot. let¡¯s just go.¡± ¡°wait a minute.¡± raynard hugged yurina tightly and cautiously moved forward. like a baby learning to walk by standing on her father¡¯s feet, she had no choice but to follow his feet as they walked. raynard then carefully seated yurina on the terrace railing and took off his shoes. he then knelt down in front of her and gently touched yurina¡¯s foot. every time he touched her fingers, yurina twitched them as if she were being tickled all over her body. he carefully placed his shoes on yurina¡¯s feet. since the difference in size between them was obvious, the shoe size of the two was also very different. every time yurina took a step, those shoes rattled and kept falling off. yurina swung her legs from side to side. ¡°i told you i don¡¯t need them. ¡®cause we¡¯re going to a beach full of sand.¡± ¡°what will you do if you step on something sharp?¡± ¡°but the shoes are so big for me that i would rather fall in them.¡± ¡°don¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll hold you tight.¡± reynard, who boasted, held yurina by the waist and lowered her to the floor. ¡°and you?¡± yurina looked at reynard¡¯s feet. socks aren¡¯t much better than barefoot, but that doesn¡¯t mean the socks will protect him from debris and rocks on the beach. he was worried that yurina would cut his leg, but there was no guarantee that he himself would avoid the same. ignoring yurina¡¯s worries, he just shrugged his shoulders. ¡°everything is fine. i have magic. what are you worrying about?¡± that¡¯s the same for me too. before yurina could get the words that popped into her mind out of her mouth, she muttered as if he had read her thoughts. ¡°i hate to see you get hurt, even if it can be healed.¡± suddenly, a sphere of light, created by reynard, appeared in the air. instead of continuing to insist, yurina slowly trudged along behind him. the boots were loose, so she had to step carefully. but it wasn¡¯t as uncomfortable as she¡¯d thought before. in the darkness of the night, only reynard and yurina were now here. perhaps it was the time of low tide, and the sea moved further than during the day. in the sky, as dark as the sea itself, one could see a month that had not yet reached the full moon, and countless stars shining endlessly, like sand under the sun. ¡°don¡¯t go far, let¡¯s take a look here.¡± as usual, raynard took a handkerchief from his pocket and laid it on the sand. he sat yurina on in, put his hands on the back of his head, and lay down too. ¡°you can see so many stars here, unlike the capital.¡± ¡°it¡¯s dark all around. the darker it gets, the better you can see the stars.¡± ¡°that¡¯s why you can see the stars well from home.¡± ¡°home?¡± when yurina looked back and asked, raynard smiled and closed his eyes. yurina wanted to ask again, wondering if he had heard, but stopped. ¡®there¡¯s no way he couldn¡¯t hear it.¡¯ it was a little strange to think that, but reynard usually had a tendency to listen to yurina without missing a word. in particular, after yurina confessed her feelings first, there were times when he could understand even therhe smallest self-talk. so, this time she hears and pretends to not. ¡®his hometown.¡¯ he would have wished to avoid such a topic, even if this story surfaced by accident. his mother ran the hangout, drunken harassing patrons, and his peers who see him as a monster because of his unusual appearance. well, of course, the word ¡®home¡¯ gave him bad memories. yurina recalled karion¡¯s backstory from the original story. raynard, who was lying with his eyes closed, sensed concern from yurina, quickly reaching out and supporting the back of her head. his hand, which wielded a sword, was as strong as if carved from stone. however, it is strange that it wasn¡¯t rough. instead of removing his hand, yurina moved little by little to find a comfortable position. raynard played along with her, then turned to her with a question: ¡°are you uncomfortable?¡± ¡°a little harsh, but it¡¯s all right.¡± ¡°then i¡¯m glad.¡± in fact, they were lying on the sand. fine grains of sand clung to her hair. ¡°it will be difficult for you to wash off. the head is full of sand.¡± ¡°i think you will suffer more than me.¡± raynard stroked yurina¡¯s head with the hand that had previously served as a pillow. the back of her head didn¡¯t touch the sand, but her wavy hair, stretching in all directions, was now all covered with grains of sand, like reynard¡¯s. Chapter 81.2 yurina touched her curly hair and smiled disappointedly. ¡°what should i do?¡± ¡°don¡¯t worry. i¡¯ll fix it with magic.¡± ¡°can you do that too?¡± ¡°what can¡¯t i do? in fact, purification magic is the most popular in the academy.¡± ¡°isn¡¯t it easier for you to wash yourself?¡± ¡°when you¡¯re bombarded with exercises from head to toe or a thesis on your nose, washing and eating is a waste of time. don¡¯t look at me like that. i do wash sometimes though. aiden used only magic.¡± yurina frowned as she spoke in more detail. ¡°i think i heard a story i didn¡¯t want to know.¡± ¡°anyway, don¡¯t worry about the sand. let¡¯s keep looking at the stars.¡± raynard kissed yurina on the forehead again and pointed to the sky with his hand. ¡°do you see that constellation over there? a jar-shaped constellation.¡± ¡°where?¡± ¡°here, here it is.¡± however, when yurina couldn¡¯t find it, he drew a pitcher in the air. yurina followed his fingers with her eyes and found the constellation he was talking about. ¡°oh yes, i see.¡± ¡°next to it is the constellation of a girl who went to fetch water.¡± yurina asked in a bit of surprise, trying to hold back a yawn. ¡°how do you know everything so well?¡± ¡°i learned this at the academy. ancient magic related to astronomy.¡± after that, reynard continued to tell stories about the constellations and the academy. his voice sounded like a lullaby, and although yurina tried to resist the drowsiness, at some point she gave up and fell asleep. * * * the next morning, as soon as yurina woke up, what she saw wasn¡¯t a blue sea and sky, but a white canopy. ¡®was it a dream?¡¯ lying on the sandy beach with reynard and looking up at the stars. now yurina couldn¡¯t understand if it was real. but at that moment, yurina found a sink next to the pillow. yesterday, before going to bed, she definitely didn¡¯t lie there. ¡®it wasn¡¯t a dream.¡¯ if so, it looks like raynard took it to the room and left it as a gift. as he said, the sand from the head was cleaned by magic. therefore, her hair was dry and without a single grain of sand, as if she had just taken a bath. yurina took the shell left by reynard and brought it to her ear. there was a sound in her ears that sounded like the sound of waves. hearing this, she clearly remembered what happened last night. hard hands supporting her head, warmth from touch, a soft voice that whispered rubbish to her until she fell asleep, and lips that kissed her all over. it was a landscape that warmed her heart even at the mere thought of it. yurina turned around and looked out the window, then stood up. however, then she immediately fell back. ¡®it hurts.¡¯ her whole body throbbed as if she had been beaten. moreover, her head ached, as if a woodpecker was pecking at her temple, and her throat was hot. she muttered a small ¡®ah, ah¡¯ and the pain got worse. yurina sighed as she placed the back of her hand on her forehead, which seemed a little warmer than usual. she seems to be getting her cold from the sea breeze last night without her clothes on. ¡®i caught a cold in the wind.¡¯ she knew her physical strength was weak, but she didn¡¯t expect it to be this weak. yurina, lying down raised her body to wash face. even with slight movement, a throbbing pain could be felt. she wished she could lie in bed all day, but she couldn¡¯t. after all, if reynard would have found out about the cold, he would definitely reproach himself. ¡®i shouldn¡¯t have.¡¯ raynard invited her to go, but he didn¡¯t drag her by force. yurina went on her will. it¡¯s nobody¡¯s responsibility, but reynard wouldn¡¯t see it that way. although he seemed quite reasonable, he couldn¡¯t think rationally when it came to yurina. yurina wrapped herself in a blanket to protect herself from the wind a little, and she remembered what happened yesterday again. ¡°milady, wake up¡­ uh? do you feel bad?¡± betsy, who entered the room with a bright smile, was surprised to see yurina¡¯s red face and ran towards her. she placed her hands on yurina¡¯s forehead and neck and widened her eyes. ¡°looks like you have a fever. were you cold last night?¡± ¡°i¡¯m not cold, but i¡¯m tired.¡± she couldn¡¯t reveal that she went out with reynard, so yurina answered noncommittally. fortunately, betsy didn¡¯t doubt those words. ¡°well, of course, you¡¯re tired. as soon as we arrived, you went for a walk to the sea. i¡¯ll ask to call the doctor.¡± yurina hurriedly grabbed betsy¡¯s hand as she was about to leave the room. ¡°for that, you have to go to the mansion.¡± unlike the mansion, there were no healers in the villa. therefore, the servants who lived in the villa went to the village to visit the doctor. however, if a member of the carthia family fell ill, they would have to call the family doctor from the carthia mansion, and it would take about an hour to travel from the villa to the mansion. it wasn¡¯t that bad, but she didn¡¯t want to disturb the doctor. but the main reason was that she didn¡¯t want to let reynard know. ¡°it¡¯s not that serious, but i don¡¯t want to call the doctor for nothing and make my mother worry.¡± ¡°but still.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll just lie down in the morning and everything will be all right. but if it gets worse, we can call the doctor at any time.¡± betsy touched yurina¡¯s head and neck as if worried, and eventually gave up. ¡°if it gets worse, tell me immediately. there must be some medicine that the servants kept in the villa. i¡¯ll bring you tea. would you like to have breakfast in your room?¡± ¡°hm. tell my mother and ray i¡¯m tired, so i¡¯ll get some more sleep.¡± bets hurried out of the room. yurina watched as the door closed and lay down on the bed. her body was trembling and the dry cough continued. ¡®i should get well soon.¡¯ soon, betsy brought a light breakfast and medicine, but she had no appetite, so yurina barely touched her food and closed her eyes. thanks to the medicine, she fell asleep quickly. Chapter 82.1 yurina tried to hide her cold, but it wasn¡¯t so easy. she skipped breakfast, under the pretext of being tired, but then lunch was waiting for her. yurina went down to the dining room for lunch, because skipping lunch might also make raynard or the marchioness suspicious. however, she still had a dry mouth and yurina didn¡¯t taste as if she was eating sand, and she had no appetite. she tried to eat some soup, but she couldn¡¯t take it properly because her throat was burning. in the end, raynard looked at yurina, who put down the spoon, and a look of concern appeared on his face. ¡°yurina, what¡¯s wrong? do you feel not good?¡± yurina took a sip of water, trying to hide the pain as much as possible. ¡°i just have no appetite.¡± ¡°your complexion doesn¡¯t look good either.¡± yurina took a bite of the charred cheese toast to show reynard that she was fine. since she had no appetite, it seemed to her that she wasn¡¯t chewing cheese, but rather grains of sand. and while she slowly moved her chin, yurina suddenly laughed at herself and her tricks. ¡®i never thought i¡¯d go this far.¡¯ if she was still a child, she would never hide her pain. but now she seemed to be in a panic, afraid that reynard would find out everything. for some reason, it tickled inside her now. both her cheeks became hot, as if a temperature was rising. yurina drank the juice to finish the toast in her mouth. her cough burst out with a stabbing pain in her throat. raynard, who had been watching her, raised an eyebrow. ¡°have you caught a cold?¡± ¡°no. i just choked.¡± ¡°but you¡¯re coughing so much.¡± ¡°even so, it¡¯s okay.¡± raynard, who was studying yurina¡¯s reddish cheeks, got up from his seat. ¡°you¡¯re lying to me.¡± he grabbed yurina¡¯s arm and hurriedly led her into the room. one of his servants left the villa to call the doctor. * * * ¡°i think it¡¯s all because of the accumulated fatigue and the sea breeze. although the sun is warm here, cold winds blow from the water. you have a little temperature, but not too bad. therefore, if you take your medicine and rest well, you will soon feel better.¡± a middle-aged doctor, competent enough to serve the carthia family, assured the marchioness that there was nothing to worry about. marchioness finally sighed and relaxed. ¡°mom, what did i say? did i say everything is fine? you don¡¯t need to be so worried.¡± ¡°i know that, but how can i not worry?¡± yurina fully understood the marchioness¡¯ words. her worries have been chronic since yurina was ten years old and suffered from a severe fever. just thinking about those times made both of them bitter in their hearts. yurina smiled awkwardly and lifted the covers. ¡°you¡¯re very pale. are you really okay? are you cold?¡± unlike the marchioness, there was someone else who couldn¡¯t be appeased like that. raynard was still standing by the bed with a troubled face despite the doctor¡¯s words. ¡°reynard seems to be more anxious than i am.¡± the marchioness, who had been watching reynard for a while, burst out laughing as if it was a bit absurd. ¡°it will be enough without my mother.¡± marchioness kissed yurina on the forehead and left the room, confident of her speedy recovery. it was a little different from how the marchioness used to stay with yurina in her room when she was in even the slightest pain. even after the marchioness had gone, reynard didn¡¯t sit still for a moment. a huge blanket came from somewhere, there was more firewood in the fireplace, games and books appeared. at the end, he even stated that the air in the room was too cold and cast warming magic around the bed. warming magic is a magic that continuously absorbs mana and is usually used with mana crystals. if you didn¡¯t use mana crystals, such magic would drain mana within the caster. when yurina reprimanded him for such waste, he only casually replied: ¡°i have a lot of mana.¡± oh, indeed. when dave first saw him, he said that reynard was born with an incredible amount of inner mana. yurina thought such a waste was unreasonable, but she couldn¡¯t find anything to say, but she can¡¯t find anything to say, so yurina just gave up her rebuttal. ¡®because he¡¯s so overprotective.¡¯ even as yurina voiced her displeasure, reynard continued to fuss here and there. ¡°would you like me to raise the temperature in the room a little more? you almost didn¡¯t have dinner, are you hungry? to take the medicine, you need something to eat.¡± ¡°betsy.¡± in the end, yurina pointed to betsy and said firmly: ¡°take him away.¡± raynard had a face that looked like he was betrayed and abandoned, but yurina didn¡¯t even pretend to care. Chapter 82.2 ¡®ah, i¡¯m thirsty.¡¯ yurina, who had fallen asleep after taking the medicine, was now unable to open her eyes due to the burning pain in her throat. ¡°betsy, i water¡­¡± then she remembered that she escorted betsy out of the room before going to bed. there would be no one in the room besides betsy. she tried to get up to take water, but collapsed back onto the bed. even after taking the medicine, her cold got worse, and if she moved only a little, all the muscles in her body ached. ¡®i¡¯ll just go back to sleep.¡¯ betsy had left the water bottle on the side table right next to her, but she seemed to have a hard time picking it up. after thinking for a bit, yurina raised her hand and fumbled to the side. every time she took a breath, it seemed to her that her throat was about to burst into pieces, and she felt that she couldn¡¯t survive without water. and then, when yurina closed her eyes tightly and tried to stand up: ¡°are you thirsty? would you like some water?¡± a low soft voice was heard from the side. it was reynard¡¯s voice. ¡®why is he here?¡¯ raynard was shaking every time she coughed and moaned as if it was he who sick, so yurina had to kick him out of the room. it was obvious that he hadn¡¯t been around before going to bed, and she didn¡¯t know when he came at all. but her throat hurt and she wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk about this and that. as yurina nodded, raynard gently lifted her up and brought a glass of water to her mouth. ¡°let¡¯s take one more pill and go to sleep. you couldn¡¯t take your evening medicine because you were sleeping.¡± raynard gave her some round pills and brought her a glass of water again. yurina frowned as she felt a terrible bitterness on her tongue, and then quickly swallowed the medicine with water. raynard immediately shoved something into her mouth. it was sweet caramel. yurina didn¡¯t bite, but kneaded it with her tongue and swallowed it. the bitter taste left on the tip of the tongue was gone, leaving a sweet caramel taste in the mouth. ¡®it seems like i¡¯ve become a child.¡¯ but it wasn¡¯t bad either. yurina lay down on the bed again and looked around. on the table was a basin of water and a wet towel, probably to wipe off the cold sweat, and reynard¡¯s shirt sleeves were rolled up to the elbow. ¡°ray.¡± ¡°yes, do you want more?¡± ¡°no. but why are you here?¡± ¡°of course, because i¡¯m worried about you.¡± he replied in a tone as to why she was asking such a question. he then placed his palm on yurina¡¯s forehead. his hands, with which he must have scooped cold water again and again, were now like ice. however, the sudden cold was more of a relief than a discomfort. ¡°you still have a fever.¡± ¡°your hands are cold.¡± ¡°i know. even with that, you¡¯ve got a fever.¡± ¡°nothing to worry about. today i will feel better after a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± ¡°i hope so.¡± this time, the back of raynard¡¯s hand touched yurina¡¯s cheek. ¡°it¡¯s so cold. good.¡± yurina involuntarily muttered, and raynard chuckled. ¡°is it good? i¡¯ll give you more.¡± he wiped his cold water-soaked hands with a towel and then grabbed yurina¡¯s cheeks again. his cold hand slid up the back of his head and went to his collarbone. anything to cool the fever. he probably didn¡¯t have any other sneaky thoughts besides cooling off yurina, but the position of his hands wasn¡¯t very good. yurina crossed her arms, covered the area around her chest, and expressed her displeasure. ¡°what the hell are you doing here at this hour? betsy and the others aren¡¯t even here. what are you doing here while i sleep?¡± her voice was playful, but also half sincere. of course, she knew that he wasn¡¯t going to do anything, but how was it necessary to worry about her to sneak in the middle of the night? raynard looked at yurina¡¯s hand covering her chest and touched her cheek again. when he was just an innocent child, he would have gone mad with shame for something like that. now he wasn¡¯t at all worried and accepted it calmly. ¡°i don¡¯t do anything like that with sleeping people. i didn¡¯t know if you were awake.¡± yurina narrowed her eyes even more. ¡°if i didn¡¯t sleep, what would you do?¡± ¡°well, how about this?¡± he leaned down and kissed yurina on the lips. his breath on his lips was warmer than her cheeks, burning with heat. he parted his lips for a moment, studied yurina¡¯s expression, and kissed her longer this time. his lips lightly pressed against yurina¡¯s bottom lip, then released, his tongue touching her dry lips and moistening them. however, the heat left her mind blank and her brain seemed to be melting. yurina took a deep heavy breath and pushed his shoulders. raynard pulled away for a moment, but then he pressed his forehead against yurina¡¯s. their noses touched as if they were kissing, and their lips remained in a position where they could collide at any moment. every time he exhaled slowly, hot breath continued to tickle yurina¡¯s lips. ¡°smells like caramel.¡± ¡°you gave me caramel for this?¡± ¡°of course not. but it smells very good.¡± ¡°don¡¯t i always smell good?¡± ¡°right. it¡¯s very good because it¡¯s you.¡± raynard pressed his nose against yurina¡¯s cheek and took a deep breath. ¡°i have a cold.¡± yurina pushed his shoulder again, but he didn¡¯t back down. ¡°don¡¯t move. how weak do you think i¡¯m to catch a cold like that?¡± ¡°what if you get infected?¡± he gently caressed yurina¡¯s cheek and whispered: ¡°i would prefer it. aiden said that if you give someone else a cold, you will feel better. so aiden said that when his younger siblings caught a cold, he purposely went over to them and kissed and slept with them.¡± it was an absurd story. neither reynard nor yurina were old enough to believe such nonsense, and neither was the character to believe such a thing in the first place. however, raynard¡¯s eyes were sincere now. and instead of believing in it, there was a desire to believe in this nonsense. so instead of laughing, yurina asked him not to talk nonsense. ¡°and did it have any effect?¡± ¡°aiden said yes. when aiden caught a cold, the younger siblings miraculously got better, but the younger siblings said that when aiden caught a cold, he would catch it and didn¡¯t even come nearby.¡± ¡°what such a touching concern they have there.¡± when yurina smiled lightly, reynard, who had laughed along, pressed his lips again. ¡°if i can do it like aiden, i want to be sick instead of you.¡± Chapter 83.1 ¡°you don¡¯t have to. it¡¯s just a mild cold.¡± ¡°i hate your cold.¡± ¡°seeing you trembling, i don¡¯t have to be sick in the future.¡± yurina raised her hand and pinched his cheek hard. ¡°by the way, it¡¯s not like using aiden¡¯s words as an excuse to secretly kiss someone who is sick. leave quickly. i want to sleep.¡± at the word ¡®sleep¡¯, reynard rose from the bed. he covered her with a blanket and sat down on the chair next to her as if it were natural. yurina pointed her chin at the door. ¡°why don¡¯t you go?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll watch you sleep.¡± ¡°aren¡¯t you tired? hurry up and go to sleep. i won¡¯t be able to sleep because i¡¯m nervous that you¡¯re sitting next to me.¡± ¡°and i won¡¯t be able to sleep, because i¡¯m very worried about you. i¡¯ll stay here a little longer. hm?¡± it seemed that he had no intention of leaving. yurina closed her eyes, seeing his determined attitude. a cold hand touched her forehead again. yurina closed her eyes for a moment and then relaxed. even at the moment when she was already asleep, she constantly felt a cool touch on her face and neck. * * * yurina woke up the next morning feeling very refreshed, whether it was thanks to the medicine of the doctor who was said to be competent, or the sincerity of reynard, who nursed her until late at night. not only did the fever completely go away, there was no pain in the muscles that throbbed even with a slight gesture, nor the most painful discomfort in the neck. even if it was just a mild cold, it would hardly have receded without a trace in just one day. ¡°your fever is completely gone. what a relief.¡± betsy checked yurina¡¯s forehead and smiled happily. ¡°i think it¡¯s because i¡¯m rested. not only the fever, everything else got better as well.¡± ¡°your complexion is much better now. it must be good, the air is cleaner here than in the capital. by the way, can i bring food to your room?¡± ¡°no, you don¡¯t have to. i feel much better, so i¡¯ll go to the canteen myself.¡± with betsy¡¯s help, yurina took a warm bath, changed into soft clothes, and headed to the dining room. marchioness carthia, who arrived first, stood up with a smile on her face. ¡°yurina, i just told the chef to send food to your room, but here you¡¯re. are you okay?¡± ¡°yes, the medicine helped me. but where is ray?¡± yurina sat down and looked around. raynard, according to his habits, should have been there by now. ¡°yeah. it¡¯s time to come, but it¡¯s still not here. maybe he went to see if you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°oh, maybe. then he will be soon.¡± the warm mushroom soup was already in front of yurina and the marchioness. according to the most common courtesy, they should have waited for reynard to arrive. but yurina took the spoon to eat quickly. unlike yesterday, when she had no appetite, now yurina was drooling even though it was just soup. the pain in her neck also vanished, and yurina was able to finish the soup in the blink of an eye. around the time the servant placed the steaming plate of scrambled eggs in front of yurina, reynard entered. he bowed to the marchioness first, and sat opposite yurina. hot mushroom soup was placed before him. ¡°i went to the room and didn¡¯t find you.¡± reynard, who didn¡¯t pay attention to soup, looked at yurina and made a worried face. ¡°i was worried because i thought you would get worse. glad to see you in good health.¡± ¡°the fever is gone and the body is light. i think it¡¯s all right.¡± ¡°then i¡¯m happy.¡± it was when reynard, smiling lightly, took up a spoon to eat the soup. but a dry cough escaped his mouth. yurina looked at him, forgetting about her omelet. ¡°are you okay?¡± ¡°i¡¯m okay¡­¡± unable to finish the sentence, he coughed again. even after drinking the water that the servant quickly poured out, he coughed again and again. ¡°don¡¯t worry. it¡¯s not big deal.¡± however, contrary to what was said, he continued to cough intermittently while eating. he slowly put food in his mouth and ate less than usual. the marchioness was seriously concerned that he might catch a cold. ¡°i suppose it¡¯s a cold?¡± yurina asked as she finally left the dining room. raynard shook his head casually, but as soon as he did so, another cough escaped his mouth. so his words didn¡¯t inspire much confidence. ¡°you said you¡¯d be healthy.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not a cold. just something in my throat.¡± ¡°even if not.¡± she couldn¡¯t believe it. when yurina reached to his forehead to check if he had a fever, raynard quickly grabbed her hand and kissed it. there was no one in the corridor. betsy, who was always by yurina¡¯s side, headed to the kitchen to make hot tea. ¡°how strange. i got better in just one day. and you, boasting of your health, suddenly caught a cold? i thought that story about aiden was nonsense. but is it true?¡± it would be funny to think so, but also too weird to call it just a coincidence. ¡°yeah. there were times when aiden was right.¡± ¡°seeing that you are positive, you must have caught a cold.¡± ¡°um¡­¡± raynard smiled shyly, but avoided her gaze. making sure once again that no one was around, yurina took a step closer to him. ¡°by the way, ray. if you want your cold to get better quickly, shouldn¡¯t i bring it back?¡± then yurina, with a playful smile, stood up on her toes and reached out towards him. but reynard quickly covered her mouth with his hand. yurina accidentally kissed his palm instead of lips. raynard smiled as he tilted yurina back and gently patted her shoulder. ¡°don¡¯t come next to me for a while.¡± and as yurina looked around the hallway, he hurriedly pulled away. Chapter 83.2 a week has passed since the two arrived at the villa. from that day on, yurina felt great, and reynard, who caught a cold along with yurina, also recovered in one day. however, for the past few days, yurina has been almost locked in her room, unable to get out. this is because whenever yurina tried to get out, she was held back by reynard out of concern. ¨C are you serious about going for a walk? it¡¯s cold outside. ¨C i learned a fun game, let¡¯s play at home. ¨C i¡¯m tired, let¡¯s play inside today. there were various excuses, but the bottom line was that yurina shouldn¡¯t stick her nose out. if yurina insisted, even if she dressed up in warm clothes, it seemed like he wouldn¡¯t let her go anyway. however, yurina remembered his face when he whispered to her that he would rather get sick instead of her, so yurina gave up and stayed at home. the two spent most of their time sitting on the terrace overlooking the sea, talking or playing games. that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t went out at all. two days ago, on a particularly warm day, yurina went to a cafe in the city center to play. by forgetting everything and having a peaceful time, yurina was able to get rid of all the worries that weighed on her heart. after the cold passed, she ate well and was able to sleep peacefully at night. yurina was able to talk a little more comfortably with the new servants. but, unlike in the past, she could no longer open her heart to them. when everything calmed down, yurina felt like she had missed something. yurina watched betsy closely as she read a book on the terrace alone. betsy mumbled something under her breath, and seemed to be excited about something. ¡°betsy, is something good going on?¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°you seem to be in a good mood.¡± ¡°thanks to the lady, i can¡¯t help but feel good because i¡¯m here in such a nice place and i¡¯m spending time leisurely.¡± yurina put down her cup and crossed her arms over her chest. betsy, who has been busy in the capital all the time, also came here on vacation, so it must be a good feeling. but it seems there was something else. even if no one else knew, yurina, who had been watching her for the past few years, couldn¡¯t be fooled by betsy¡¯s words. yurina narrowed her eyes, looked at betsy and softly asked: ¡°betsy, are you in love?¡± ¡°yes? no, no! it¡¯s not like that! it¡¯s time for me to fall in love with my lady!¡± it was even more suspicious to see her twitching and painfully sharply in denial. ¡°why are you so reluctant? you can¡¯t sit with me all your life. of course, i wouldn¡¯t mind, but betsy also needs to build her life.¡± ¡°where am i going to leave my lady? you are the most important to me.¡± betsy whispered in yurina¡¯s ear, making sure no one was around. ¡°actually, it¡¯s not like that. i¡¯m preparing a party in the villa.¡± ¡°party? what party?¡± yurina answered the sudden words a little louder, and betsy put her index finger to her lips. ¡°milady, don¡¯t be so loud.¡± ¡°there¡¯s no one here.¡± ¡°still. someone might hear it.¡± ¡°who would listen? if you¡¯re planning a party, won¡¯t everyone know?¡± ¡°not all, but only reynard.¡± ¡°ray?¡± ¡°yes.¡± why can¡¯t ray listen? yurina tilted her head to one side for a moment before she asked again. ¡°is this a surprise party?¡± ¡°yes.¡± it was just a random question, but after receiving a positive answer, yurina felt a little embarrassed. ¡°what is your idea?¡± ¡°reynard¡¯s graduation party!¡± betsy raised her voice, as if excited herself, whispered again with a puzzled face: ¡°he graduated a year earlier. to be honest, i don¡¯t know much about these academies, but dave said it was a great thing?¡± ¡°yes, that¡¯s right. it is very rare that students finish their studies ahead of time.¡± betsy blushed, as if she were being praised. ¡°this is such a big event, and of course we should celebrate it! oh, but don¡¯t get me wrong, milady. even if it wasn¡¯t for his early graduation, i¡¯ve been thinking about having a party for a long time. however, it was postponed because reynard came back too suddenly, and after that tournament¡­ but we have to do something.¡± betsy was excited by the thought of an accident while hunting. but she smiled again and poured tea into yurina¡¯s empty cup. ¡°anyway, now i have a little bit of free time. i wondered what it would be like to prepare a party.¡± ¡°if that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t we go back to the capital and do it there? it¡¯s getting late, so i guess it doesn¡¯t matter if it happens a little later. ray also knows more people in the capital than here.¡± yurina recalled the faces reynard had prepared for his birthday party in the past. some of the servants quit, because that was 7 years ago, but most of them remained in the mansion. most of them were in the capital now, and there were many strangers at the villa that raynard didn¡¯t know. so, she wondered if it would be easier to do this in the capital. betsy shook her head, wondering if it would be better to do it in the capital. ¡°it has been quite a while since he graduated. we will make a party here, and then we will go to the capital and do it again!¡± Chapter 84.1 yurina wondered if it was necessary to bother, but she nodded because betsy was so excited. it wasn¡¯t bad for her, it¡¯s a good thing, but she wondered what could be bad about doing it twice. ¡°oh, and i¡¯ve already got permission from your mother. she told me to prepare with the utmost care.¡± ¡°my mother?¡± yurina asked in bewilderment. now it became clear, betsy not only thought about it out loud, but seriously working on it idea. ¡°then why didn¡¯t you tell me? if i didn¡¯t ask you now, i wouldn¡¯t even know?¡± if she knew that she was preparing a party for reynard, yurina would be the most excited to prepare it. however, it felt strange to think that everyone in the villa knew, but she was the only one who didn¡¯t. ¡°if the lady knows, milady, reynard will also find out. that¡¯s why i just couldn¡¯t. now that you know it, still keep it a secret.¡± betsy once again put her index finger to her lips and hissed. * * * it was decided that reynard¡¯s graduation party would be held the next day. the servants at the villa, including betsy, have been busy since dawn. the villa, built solely for the carthia family¡¯s resting, had no banquet halls. since there were very few guests and there was no large drawing room, the party was decided to be held in the garden overlooking the sea. it was an outdoor party. instead of helping with the preparations, yurina had been following raynard since early morning to prevent him from going outside or into the garden. because of yurina¡¯s cold, raynard didn¡¯t leave the four walls that often, so hiding the preparations wasn¡¯t worth much effort. in the middle of all their trips to the library for a book, to the bathroom, or to the terrace, reynard broke down and grabbed yurina¡¯s cheeks tightly. he smiled broadly as he looked down at her lips jutting out from the pressure on her cheeks. ¡°you¡¯re just like a duckling.¡± ¡°um-m-me?¡± her cheeks were compressed and her voice was unintelligible. ¡°ducklings always follow their mother duck. why are you following me like this today? with your lips stick out like that, you look even more like a duckling.¡± he took advantage of the lack of servants in the room and cheekily kissed yurina on the lips. ¡°but i¡¯ll be your favorite duckling, won¡¯t i?¡± yurina tried to speak firmly, but this time too, her pronunciation was broken. raynard heard this and laughed again. ¡°sit down and read a book.¡± yurina and reynard were now sitting in the living room, relaxing, reading books or playing games. yurina kept looking at the door, waiting for betsy, but as soon as reynard went to the window, she quickly ran up and threw him back onto the sofa. what was happening was more than obvious to him, but, fortunately, reynard didn¡¯t show it. he just watched yurina stalking him and was happy. ¡°it¡¯s time for dinner,¡± betsy entered the living room. ¡°milady, reynard. the dinner is ready.¡± this was their conventional sign, meaning ¡®everything is ready¡¯. yurina grabbed reynard¡¯s hand and quickly ran out of the room. ¡°where are you going?¡± yurina was now leading him past the dining room. that¡¯s when reynard asked. yurina suppressed her laughter inside and calmly replied: ¡°the weather is good. we decided to eat outside. how about looking at the sea?¡± ¡°well, whatever.¡± as they left the mansion, a loud noise was heard from afar. yurina escorted reynard into the garden, feigning spontaneity to the very end. ¡°outdoor barbecue today. fresh seafood, isn¡¯t it delicious?¡± ¡°oh yes.¡± ¡°you won¡¯t find anything like that in your capital, so don¡¯t be shy.¡± seeing the two of them, the servants with excited faces rushed to the entrance to the garden. yurina pushed reynard in the back. no, she tried to push. raynard managed to advance, grabbed her by the shoulders and placed her in front of the servants. ¡°huh?¡± as yurina turned to raynard in confusion, she heard the loud voices of betsy and others from behind. ¡°milady, happy birthday!¡± ¡°happy birthday!¡± what? birthday? yurina was so embarrassed that for a moment she had a crazy thought: is today ray¡¯s birthday? yurina looked at reynard in bewilderment at those strange words. raynard, whom she was trying to trick, showed no surprise at the scene unfolding before him. rather, he smiled brightly at her. ¡°yurina, happy birthday.¡± ¡°yes?¡± ¡°my lady, you need to blow out the candles!¡± betsy approached yurina with a three-tiered cake decorated with fruit. there were seventeen candles in total on the cake. raynard snapped his finger and the candles lit up one by one. ¡®ah¡­¡¯ upon seeing the cake, yurina counted down today¡¯s date. 21st of the month of flowers. it was her birthday, after all. she forgot about everything in the world and didn¡¯t even know that her birthday would be soon. as yurina stared dumbfounded at the cake, raynard took the cake from betsy and placed it in front of her. ¡°why don¡¯t you blow it out the candles?¡± ¡°uh?¡± ¡°make a wish and blow out the candles.¡± seeing his calm manner, yurina realized that reynard also knew about the party. the moment she realized this, reynard¡¯s smiling face and the cake in front of her began to blur. tears flowed down my cheeks. yurina hurriedly wiped her cheeks, but the tears continued to flow treacherously. ¡°really¡­¡± it was only today that yurina realized why reynard had tears in his eyes when she threw him a birthday party. reynard must have felt as if his heart was going to burst like this. yurina cried while looking at reynard and blew out 17 candles at once. but before blowing them out, she thought of one thing. ¡®i hope it will be filled with only happy things like this.¡¯ no more, no less. be as happy as you¡¯re now. Chapter 84.2 ¡°milady finally understood.¡± those two, reynard and betsy, who had conceived the whole plan, suddenly laughed triumphantly. from her flowing, natural eyes, yurina was convinced that reynard knew about the surprise party as well. in the way she naturally accepted the cake without being surprised earlier, she said ¡®maybe¡¯ but ¡®as expected¡¯. the two people who led all of these plans laughed as if they were happy that the surprise party was a success. ¡°knowing milady¡¯s perspicacity, i think you would have noticed that we are preparing something. so i rather¡­¡± ¡°not to hide, but to outsmart me?¡± ¡°this turned out to be much more effective.¡± when yurina clicked her tongue, feeling betrayed for some reason, betsy, who had been cutting the cake for reynard as well, looked sideways at reynard. ¡°don¡¯t look at me as a traitor. that was reynard¡¯s idea.¡± this time, yurina¡¯s gaze turned to raynard, who was sipping his tea imposingly. he calmly shrugged and placed the fork in yurina¡¯s hand. ¡°eat your cake. all your favorite fruits are there.¡± ¡°you mean it was your plan to trick me, and no one else?¡± ¡°since you said i cheated, it seems like i did something really bad. please tell me it¡¯s not cheating, it¡¯s a white lie. you were more moved because you didn¡¯t know. know in advance, you wouldn¡¯t be so happy, would you?¡± ¡°it is, but¡­¡± ¡°then eat quickly.¡± as yurina turned up her nose, raynard skewered the cake onto a fork and shoved it right into yurina¡¯s mouth. ¡°is it delicious?¡± raynard smiled as he wiped the cream from yurina¡¯s lips. he licked the whipped cream on his finger, waiting for a response. ¡°yes, it¡¯s delicious. by the way, betsy. where are these fruits from?¡± her favorite strawberries and various berries were laid out on a cake with whipped cream. it didn¡¯t have a lot of sugar, but it had fresh fruits. the ones that were out of season in the empire. ¡°they are all canned. before returning from the academy, reynard sent us a package.¡± ¡°ray?¡± it was early last month that raynard left the crohn kingdom. so that plan has been dragging on ever since then? tears welled up in her eyes again when she found out that this surprise party was planned not just upon arrival at the villa, but long before. few people came to the party, but the atmosphere was hot and noisy. the mansion¡¯s chef grilled fresh seafood, meat and vegetables, while the servants chatted over wine specially provided by the marchioness. marchioness placed a pearl earring on yurina¡¯s ear, saying that this would be her birthday present, and then gently kissed her on the cheek. ¡°when we return to the capital, you will have a party again, so don¡¯t be so upset that neither your father, brothers, or friends were invited. i think today we¡¯ll just have fun together.¡± ¡°i am not disappointed. not at all. i love it now.¡± given her past birthdays, it was understandable why the marchioness had said not to grieve. the marquis and the marchioness each year celebrated the birthday of their beloved daughter in grand style. in addition to inviting peers, she received a whole mountain of gifts. and her three brothers couldn¡¯t come because of their studies, but every year they sent congratulatory letters and hosts of generous gifts. from an objective point of view, yurina¡¯s birthday was a day anyone would envy. however, yurina didn¡¯t attach much importance to this for the past 7 years. after all, the age when it was possible to enjoy birthdays has passed. so she always forgot her birthday. when her parents informed her, she said, ¡®oh, another birthday¡¯. but today was different. in terms of the size of the celebration, it was nothing compared to the celebration in the capital every year. although it was homemade, the food on the table wasn¡¯t as good as the skill of a chef in the capital, and as the marchioness had said, there was no father or older brothers. however, yurina felt that today¡¯s birthday was really special. food with abundant seafood, which isn¡¯t easy to get even in the capital, the ribbon that betsy bought with her salary, and the sincere smiles of the servants, all this was good. the best part was reynard¡¯s presence by his side, holding his hand tightly. Chapter 85.1 looking back, he wasn¡¯t always around on yurina¡¯s birthday. every time after a wild party, yurina felt strangely empty before going to bed, but if you think about it, it was because reynard wasn¡¯t around. and today, even if the evening is over, yurina foresaw one thing: she would never be bored now. ¡°ray.¡± yurina smiled brightly, suppressing the urge to kiss him. ¡°thanks.¡± ¡°what did i do? everything was prepared by others.¡± ¡°still, thank you. now i don¡¯t even know how to repay you for this.¡± raynard smiled and pressed his lips against the back of yurina¡¯s hand, which was frozen in the sea breeze. ¡°i¡¯m fine with that if you¡¯re happy.¡± * * * the party lasted until late into the night. it all started as yurina¡¯s birthday, but over time, it turned into a holiday for the servants. marchioness carthia finished her dinner long ago and returned to her room. raynard and yurina drank a glass of wine and watched the others dance and sing. the fire that had been lit for cooking was still burning, driving away the chill of the night, but the wind was still chilly. as yurina rubbed her hands together, raynard took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders. ¡°it¡¯s getting late, so it¡¯s time to finish. if you catch a cold again, i won¡¯t forgive myself.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± yurina and reynard sneaked out of the garden so as not to spoil the atmosphere for the others. there was no one in the dark corridor, but it was still loud because of the voices outside. yurina looked around and took reynard¡¯s hand. as if in response, raynard squeezed it, then relaxed it. ¡°did you like it?¡± raynard, who was escorting yurina to the exit of the garden, grabbed her cheeks and asked. even though they were in the wind, yurina¡¯s cheeks were warm from the wine. yurina placed her hand over reynard¡¯s and declared. ¡°hm. it was fun.¡± ¡°do you want a present for your birthday?¡± ¡°you already gave it to me. fruit cake.¡± ¡°it can¡¯t be called a gift.¡± ¡°it was good enough.¡± it wasn¡¯t that she wouldn¡¯t turn down a new offering, but yurina really liked that fruit gift. more specifically, she liked reynard¡¯s sincerity, who remembered exactly what fruits she liked. ¡°still, i would like to give you something better.¡± ¡°umm¡­¡± she never thought about birthday presents. yurina had to think seriously as she rolled her eyes and turned away. but she didn¡¯t have much to ask for. enough to keep reynard around. ¡®ah, that¡¯s it.¡¯ realizing belatedly, yurina bit her lips. it¡¯s not that she didn¡¯t want anything from life. however, her wish sounded unexpected and a little awkward, so yurina was playing for time. ¡°why? are you having a hard time talking? looking at your expression, it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s not there.¡± ¡°could it be a wish, not a thing?¡± ¡°is that what you said on your thirteenth birthday?¡± raynard folded his hands on yurina¡¯s cheeks and said to her somewhat arrogantly: ¡°as soon as you name your wish, and if it is in my power, it will be granted. if it¡¯s an unreasonable wish, i won¡¯t be able to grant it, even if it¡¯s your birthday.¡± yurina giggled when she saw his playful face, then sarcastically replied: ¡°was such a clause about exceptions really needed?¡± ¡°of course. one wrong seal can ruin a family. i already have nothing, so what if something goes wrong?¡± ¡°do you think i would ask for this?¡± ¡°it could be something you can¡¯t predict.¡± reynard continued to fight back firmly. ¡°so what is your wish? i¡¯ll give you whatever you want.¡± ¡°do you remember what you asked me to do for my thirteenth birthday?¡± ¡°of course. i said that i want only two of us to go out.¡± ¡°and i want the same. i want to spend time just the two of us without any interruptions.¡± ¡°then shall we go out tomorrow? dessert at that cafe was good, how about this?¡± yurina shook her head. it was good, but she really wanted something else. ¡°not tomorrow, but now.¡± ¡°right now? do you want to go to the sea together? however, i¡¯m worried about the cold. but if you get dressed, then everything will be okay.¡± ¡°no, not even that.¡± yurina stepped closer to reynard. her hand gently caressed his firm chest over his shirt. raynard got scared and tried to pull away, but yurina grabbed his hand. as yurina¡¯s hand passed over his chest and gently caressed his belly where his abs were, reynard¡¯s muscles tightened. ¡°i want to be with you.¡± Chapter 85.2 ¡°¡­¡± raynard didn¡¯t answer right away. he looked into yurina¡¯s eyes, who was looking up at him, and then sighed, avoiding her gaze. however, his breathing became louder and faster unconsciously. his breathing was louder than the sounds of singing in the distance. his chest was also noticeably moving up and down. ¡°and you¡­ won¡¯t you regret it?¡± it was difficult for him to utter such a short phrase. he sighed and frowned. ¡°why would i?¡± ¡°but so suddenly¡­¡± ¡°not suddenly.¡± yurina started to get annoyed and touched reynard¡¯s neck. after returning to the estate, yurina began to consider a more serious relationship with reynard. as the two grew closer and her feelings for him grew rapidly, a desire to take another step arose in her heart. not long after the two made sure of each other¡¯s feelings, yurina also thought that everything happened somehow quickly. however, after all, her feelings for him accumulated for seven years. if you think about it, it wasn¡¯t at all fast, on the contrary. ¡°i want you, ray.¡± no further explanation was needed. as soon as that sounded out, reynard bit into yurina¡¯s lips somewhat sharply. with one hand, he grabbed yurina around the waist. with his other hand, he found the door and opened it. as soon as the door slammed shut, raynard grabbed yurina by the hip and lifted her up. yurina quickly grabbed his neck as she felt her body suddenly rise into the air. reynard¡¯s tongue hurriedly parted yurina¡¯s lips, and rested against her hesitant tongue. unlike a soft kiss, what was happening was rough and impulsive. it was like a white mist rose up in yurina¡¯s head. all thoughts vanished. she just followed her instincts. in the midst of the distant chanting was a mixture of muffled voices, sighs, and stifled groans. they rushed at each other without even having time to catch their breath. sweat trickled down his back. yurina felt like an electric current was running through her body, and it was as if her hair was disheveled. when the two finally came to their senses, both were already on the bed. yurina held her breath as she looked down at reynard. his gaze, lost where to go, could not reach yurina and only circled around her. yurina burst out laughing as she looked at reynard, who had such a tense face. ¡°why are you so nervous?¡± in fact, having moved into the bedroom in his arms, she, too, became nervous, her mouth dry. but seeing him more tense than herself, yurina slowly relaxed. ¡°you don¡¯t have to be that nervous.¡± she took raynard¡¯s hand and kissed his callused palm. raynard held his breath and bit his lip. yurina watched his chest rise and fall wildly and put his hand to her cheek. at the same time, she slowly lowered her hand. raynard swallowed nervously and watched in silence. yurina smiled and slowly moved reynard¡¯s gaze moved along with yurina¡¯s hand. from her cheeks to her neck, from her neck to her collarbones, and from her collarbones down. is this sadism? watching him gulping down his saliva with a nervous face made her want to torment and tease him a little more. but yurina wanted to tease him a little more. ¡°just do whatever you want¡­ it¡¯s okay.¡± at that moment, raynard stood up and bit yurina on the neck. yurina dug her nails into his shoulder, but he didn¡¯t even seem to be in pain. his lips gradually drooped as his hand untied the ribbon hanging from yurina¡¯s chest. feeling her body getting hotter, she let out a quick breath, but he slowly unbuttoned one of her buttons, and she undid both. however, when raynard¡¯s palms touched her sensitive, bare waist, yurina seemed to be electrocuted again, so she grabbed his shirt tightly. a wrinkled white shirt fell to the floor, and yurina¡¯s dress fell helplessly from above. suddenly, all that was left of the room was the sound of breathing. raynard whispered as he bound yurina¡¯s body with both of his legs. ¡°i want you to remember this day for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°you can make it.¡± yurina wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his earlobe. it wasn¡¯t enough, so she bit her a little, and raynard took a deep breath. it was sweet to watch him tremble with his eyes tightly shut at such a small gesture. if he feels cute when she sees a man one head taller than herself, does she become weird? ¡®but he¡¯s cute.¡¯ but there was no time to tease him and torment him. reynard¡¯s body temperature touched her as well, and her body began to warm up. yurina whispered softly, pressing her lips to the back of his neck, which was wet with sweat. ¡°are you going to do that?¡± Chapter 86.1 raynard opened his eyes from the sound of wheezing beside him and looked around. the air in the room was still cold, and there was darkness outside the window. it¡¯s getting light, but the villa is still asleep. ¡®it could be a little longer.¡¯ he gently wrapped the blanket around yurina¡¯s delicate body and tightly hugged her. although she was covered with a blanket, the morning air that touched her skin was cold. on the other hand, his hands holding yurina were always hot. then it suddenly dawned to him that just a blanket wouln¡¯t be enough. it¡¯s a big deal if she gets a fever again after being exposed to cold wind. as soon as raynard tried to stand up, wanting to put on her and the shirt that had been thrown on the floor in a hurry, yurina, who seemed to be sleeping, tightly grabbed his waist. ¡°¡­are you going already?¡± her voice cracked as she calle his name all night. raynard felt sorry and gently stroked her back. yurina¡¯s expression softened as reynard pumped mana into his palm to ease her muscle pain. ¡°where are you going?¡± hr didn¡¯t originally intend to go, but even if he did, he wouldn¡¯t fall at all if she asked so nicely. raynard kissed yurina¡¯s bulging forehead. ¡°so far, nowhere. we have a little time before betsy arrives.¡± ¡°so why did you get up?¡± raynard laughed as he felt yurina put her strength into her grip around his waist. ¡°i¡¯m afraid you were cold.¡± ¡°i¡¯m okay.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not okay.¡± raynard carefully slipped the shirt on her. in fact, there was little heat from it, but he felt a little better. due to the noticeable difference in height, yurina now looked like a child in adult clothes. her arms were hidden from behind the sleeves of her shirt, and more than half of her thighs were covered by the hem. raynard inadvertently shifted his gaze to her white thighs and quickly pulled the blanket over her chest. her white chest, previously uncovered by a blanket, was covered in reddish spots. raynard resorted to magic to erase the traces, albeit with regret. ¡®i have to erase it before going.¡¯ he wouldn¡¯t have been able to brag about his accomplishment to anyone, but still he wanted to leave a mark after the night. leave a sign that she belonged only to him, as a sign of possessiveness and obsession. ¡°the clothes are too big.¡± not knowing what he was thinking, yurina shook her long sleeves. she was still half asleep and seemed relaxed. raynard had never seen such a defenseless yurina before. even from a young age, she tried to look perfect, as if she weren¡¯t a child. even with him, the same child, it was no exception. now that they are adults, yurina hasn¡¯t become more open to people. so her current appearance was available only to him. his heart skipped a beat at the thought. raynard smiled at her good looks and simply rolled up his shirt sleeves. when he bit her fingers, which were exposed from under her sleeves, yurina shot him a sharp look. raynard spoke first before she could say anything. ¡°i did it because it was pretty.¡± ¡°but why are you laughing so much?¡± ¡°because you are pretty. even just looking at you makes me smile.¡± as raynard laughed softly, yurina continued to glare at him. but in fact, even such a judgmental look from her didn¡¯t knock the smile off reynard¡¯s face. the way yurina narrow her eyes like this and make a pouty expression, the way she open her eyes wide as if she is surprised, and the way she looks at him and smile prettily is all so lovely. ¡°it¡¯s not funny.¡± ¡°i know. i just like it.¡± raynard kissed her forehead again and rolled up his sleeves and. yurina, who had barely woken up and blinked her eyes slowly, sniffed the hem of his sleeve and spoke. ¡°smells good. smells like you.¡± although it was obvious that the two had already passed that stage, reynard¡¯s ears quickly turned red at what he heard. he quickly covered yurina¡¯s head with the blanket. yurina protested and stuck her head out. ¡°sleep more. you¡¯re tired.¡± she whispered the words in his ear and again squinted his eyes and glanced at him. ¡°and who is to blame for this?¡± ¡°me. i did everything wrong.¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t expect to hear that.¡± she grabbed reynard¡¯s arm. raynard lay down beside her and yurina wrapped her arms around him. ¡°if you¡¯re sorry, give me an arm pillow.¡± raynard found out for the first time that even her complaints were so cute. then he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. ¡°as you wish.¡± there was a soft laugh. ¡°hey, yurina.¡± ¡°hmm?¡± perhaps falling asleep again, yurina put her nose into his chest and murmured. ¡°i¡¯m so happy.¡± yurina stopped yawning and looked up at reynard¡¯s face. her reynard smiled brightly as he hugged her tightly. even if he didn¡¯t say that he was happy, he had a face that showed that he was extremely happy just by looking at it. that word and that expression made yurina¡¯s heart boil. Chapter 86.2 ¡°i didn¡¯t even know that i could be so happy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i never dreamed that a day like this would ever come. i always thought i was going to die in that damn orphanage. either freeze that winter or starve to death. my life has changed so much just because you came. who would have known it would turn out like this. i just thought that if i followed you, i could get anything. and then i was very hungry.¡± ¡°ray.¡± ¡°i¡¯m glad i went with you that day.¡± yurina remained silent about her thoughts. when reynard says something like that, yurina slowly regrets everything that happened. if she really was yurina carthia, if she had found raynard at the orphanage and taken him in with a pure desire to take care of him¡­ ¡°did i tell you that i was happy with our meeting?¡± he took yurina¡¯s hand and brought it to his cheek. ¡°how happy i¡¯m to have met you.¡± he kissed yurina on the hand. ¡°yurina, are you happy to meet me?¡± after hearing such a question, yurina imagined her life without reynard. this would certainly have disappointed the latter, but yurina didn¡¯t think she would be miserable without him. mother and father, three older brothers, betsy, dave and many others. in their love, she would forget her past, accept yurina¡¯s new life and live happily ever after. yes, if only reynard was excluded, it wouldn¡¯t mean that her happiness would disappear somewhere. however, if you ask her if she would be happy as she¡¯s now, the answer was no. the happiness and comfort that reynard gave her was somehow greater than from all the others put together. so, now more than ever¡­ ¡°yes, i¡¯m happy.¡± yurina buried her face into his bare chest and muttered in a voice mixed with laughter. then she suddenly realized that this was the first time she had said such a thing since coming to this world. ¡°yurina?¡± raynard asked with a worried look, seeing yurina¡¯s blank face. ¡°yes, i¡¯m happy.¡± yurina took a deep breath and then opened her lips again. ¡°ray, i love you.¡± reynard¡¯s hand, which was stroking yurina¡¯s hair, suddenly froze. he even stopped breathing. as if time had stopped for a moment, raynard hugged yurina tightly and responded with a voice mixed with tears. ¡°i love you too.¡± 11. omen marquis de flon lived in the northern regions of the empire, covered with rugged mountains. the marquis decree ordered everyone to maintain a cold temperature all year round, even if spring had come. and the atmosphere inside the marquis¡¯ mansion, located at the foot of the mountain, was now colder than outside. and this was because, after participating in a hunting tournament, the owner of the castle was more upset than ever before. a few days ago, out of nowhere, rumors spread that a certain groom, disobeying the marquis, had been flogged to the point of blood. the butler called all servants and categorically forbade them from spreading rumors, but the servants, who were familiar with the character of the master, realized that those rumors were true. since then, the servants were frightened by every rustle, as if every day they walked on thin ice. even in their separate house, where they seemed to have all their own, they couldn¡¯t utter an extra word. and today, in his office on the third floor, a voice full of anger was heard. ¡°that crazy bitch!¡± the flushed marquis de flon thumped the table with his fist. the inkwell on the table overturned, rolled and fell to the floor. lydia de flon silently picked up the fallen ink bottle and stepped back. even though she was his daughter, she had learned from experience that it was better not to make harsh gestures when her father was like that. marquis de flon didn¡¯t scold his daughter, but it was obvious who he could now choose as a scapegoat. lydia bit her lip as she looked at the enraged marquis de flon. ¡®you¡¯re especially bad today.¡¯ marquis de flon didn¡¯t specify who this girl was, but lydia could easily guess. yurina carthia. beloved daughter of the famous marquis. lydia knew well that de flon and carthia had been in conflict for a long time. the fact that two families were separated all the time, like oil and water, is a story known to all high society. even if it wasn¡¯t the two families, there were many families that were like enemies, so it wasn¡¯t anything special. however, the case of marquis de flon was slightly different. unlike marquis carthia, who had no personal interest in lydia or her brothers, marquis de flon seems to have a grudge against the carthia house as a whole. at least in lydia¡¯s eyes it was. ¡®i don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s so obsessed with lady carthia.¡¯ marquis carthia was too smart in politics? or he is jealous that his three sons have already made their names in the empire? at the very least, if her father¡¯s anger had been directed at marquis carthia, lydia would have understood. but yurina carthia? it is said that it was yurina who decided to support the now well-known as ¡®blessed¡¯ mage in the empire, but she was a girl with nothing special besides that. she hasn¡¯t even officially made her debut on her social scene yet. but the interests of marquis de flon went far beyond common sense. ¡®besides, my father showed interest in lady cartia a long time ago.¡¯ lydia tried to remember the day her father suddenly developed an interest in yurina. it was a long time ago, but the impression remained so deep that lydia remembered it as if it had all happened yesterday. Chapter 87.1 at the time, lydia and her father were visiting a store in the downtown area to look at jewelry. the father, who was escorting lydia into the store with a smile asking her to buy everything she wanted, saw a boy inside and muttered an incomprehensible word. she didn¡¯t know what that unfamiliar word was then, but now she does. ¡®blessed.¡¯ the whole empire was interested and making noise, so she couldn¡¯t help but notice. the marquis then grabbed him by the shoulder and asked in an excited voice if he would like to learn magic. when the boy politely refused and left the store, her father followed him. as if lydia had been completely forgotten. lydia watched in bewilderment as her father left. the nanny took her back to the carriage. and then from the carriage, lydia saw the same yurina. even from a distance, she stood out with white skin and elaborate features. after talking with the unknown boy and yurina for a while, her father returned and smiled at lydia. but it was at that moment that lydia felt for the first time that her father¡¯s eyes were furious. that¡¯s where it all started. her father began to show undisguised hostility towards the carthia family. not only that, at every opportunity, he whispered to lydia that she was should become an empress. that crown prince curtis would choose the wrong yurina, but lydia. the marquis kept repeating it endlessly, as if he wanted to brainwash his own daughter. she was terrifying at times. once she even became curious, and therefore lydia asked her father: ¡°father, why did you hate carthia so much?¡± hearing the question, he changed in the face and replied that they had a certain debt to him. and what debt did they undertake to repay? no matter how she looks at it, she couldn¡¯t understand it. lydia wondered how her father had butted heads with carthia. so she asked her mother or the people around her, but they didn¡¯t hear anything like that. ¡°lydia.¡± the sudden call snapped lydia out of her thoughts. ¡°yes, father.¡± ¡°do you remember what i told you?¡± he said a lot of things to her. but lydia knew exactly what he meant now. ¡°you said you should become the empress.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. you should become the empress, not that fox carthia.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°that¡¯s the only way we¡¯ll all survive, lydia.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°this bitch is fake from head to toe. you¡¯re the only one who has the right to become the empress. understood?¡± again and again the same words. father always called yurina carthia a ¡®fake¡¯. lydia couldn¡¯t find any justification for this choice of names. as well as the fact that she ironically should become the empress. ¡°¡­father.¡± instead of answering, he looked at lydia, as if he wanted to tell her something. those golden eyes in front of her seemed to hint to lydia ¨C hatred for carthia was stronger than affection for her daughter. lydia felt threatened and swallowed what she really wanted to say. ¡°your ink has spilled. fortunately, i don¡¯t think it¡¯s broken.¡± ¡°okay.¡± ¡°if you have nothing more to say, i¡¯ll leave.¡± and when lydia turned towards the exit with an inkwell in her hands, the voice of the marquis stopped her. ¡°we will soon be returning to the capital. so get ready.¡± ¡°really?¡± lydia asked in a slightly agitated voice. she hasn¡¯t been to the capital since she arrived at this estate a few years ago. the reason for this was father¡¯s order. he kept saying that he would take her to the capital when she was 18, when she would officially debut in the social world. but to go to the capital right now? could it be that her father understood her longing for life in the capital? lydia looked back at the marquis, but he only crumpled the paper with a stern expression, and didn¡¯t even look at his daughter. ¡°okay then. a grand party will soon be held at the imperial palace. you will go there too.¡± ¡°but, father. i¡¯m still seventeen¡­¡± ¡°surely the fox from the carthia house will also be there. and she will bring that boy, who named blessed. i won¡¯t leave it like this. she¡¯ll show off the child she has been raising with great care in carthia.¡± ¡°so that means¡­¡± ¡°i can¡¯t see the whole empire supporting carthia. lydia, that girl debuted a year early, so there¡¯s no way you can¡¯t do it. you have to prepare properly and be the main character that evening.¡± after all, this yurina carthia again? lydia clenched her fists. her father was madly chasing a distant and unsteady dream. yurina carthia, yurina carthia, yurina carthia. what the hell is this girl? ¡®calm down. there is nothing wrong with lady carthia.¡¯ lydia tried her best to smile. but it didn¡¯t come out too sincerely. Chapter 87.2 ¡°i¡¯m nervous, because i haven¡¯t been to the capital for a long time. i will prepare everything wisely to meet my father¡¯s expectations.¡± the marquis didn¡¯t answer. lydia smiled shyly at this awkward silence, then bowed and left. as soon as lydia returned to her room, driven out of the study by the indifference of the marquis, the maid ran up to her in alarm. ¡°oh my god, milady! what happened?¡± lydia followed the maid¡¯s gaze and looked down at her hand. her palm was covered in ink. it was covered in ink, so it was hard to see anything there, but every time the maid wiped off that hand, lydia seemed to be in pain. ¡®is the ink bottle broken?¡¯ lydia laughed at the black ink that didn¡¯t wash off no matter how much she wiped it off. she laughed not because it was funny, but because it was absurd. lydia didn¡¯t even notice that the inkwell had cut her hand. ¡°i must have been out of my mind.¡± maybe she was scared, like a deer before a predator. lydia tossed to the maid, who asked what was the matter: ¡°nothing special.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll call the doctor.¡± ¡°no. it¡¯s just a scratch. no need to fuss. and what¡¯s more, maria, i will need to buy a new dress. call mrs. white here.¡± ¡°oh, of course. it¡¯s spring now, i think you could use a light dress.¡± ¡°no, not like that. i need a dress for a banquet. looks like the imperial family will have a big event soon. tell that to mrs. white.¡± ¡°yes? are you going to the capital?¡± ¡°yes. tell mrs. white to hurry up.¡± ¡°as you wish, milady!¡± lydia glanced at the maid rushing away and then glanced towards the door. the man stood in the corner of the room, where no light even fell. she smiled at him and whispered. ¡°you¡¯d better not go to my father. he was very angry with lady carthia. if you go there, you might catch fire.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°you know what i mean?¡± there was no answer this time either. it was a common occurrence, so lydia shrugged her shoulders once. ¡°and by the way, kai. was that tournament fun? i heard something is about to happen to yurina carthia. were you involved?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°you haven¡¯t said anything since you went to jenus mountains. was you scolded by my father?¡± not so long ago, walking past her father¡¯s office, lydia heard his angry voice addressed to this man. who knows what caused his anger, but out of the corner of her ear lydia heard something about a hunt, and she became interested. lydia waited in front of the office for him to leave, but the man just gave her a worried look, and then disappeared, as if running away from her. only his cheeks were reddened from something. there was still no answer in the dark. ¡®something happened there.¡¯ normally, she wouldn¡¯t care too much. however, not so long ago, this man went to a hunting tournament with her father, and after that the number of words he hadn¡¯t known had drastically decreased. she wondered if it was because he was scolded by the marquis, but it didn¡¯t seem to be the case. since childhood, he has been used to being scolded by the marquis. to that extent, he dismissed it lightly and moved on. ¡®is there another reason?¡¯ lydia asked consciously. ¡°you don¡¯t share anything with me anymore?¡± ¡°¡­no.¡± ¡°now i can hear your voice at least.¡± ¡°¡­¡± and again he closed his mouth. but lydia wasn¡¯t angry with him. rather, it caused laughter. after all, what he was always stubborn. lydia laughed, got up from her seat and walked over to him. the man who was a head taller than her bent his knees a little like a frightened herbivore and stepped back. ¡°we are returning to the capital earlier than i thought. looks like i¡¯ll finally get to see this yurina carthia i¡¯ve been hearing so much about all these years.¡± at the words ¡®yurina carthia¡¯ it seemed that this man flinched for a moment. however, the change was so minor that lydia didn¡¯t take it too seriously. ¡°i haven¡¯t been to the capital for a long time, that¡¯s why i¡¯m nervous. i think it would be better if you came with me¡­¡± lydia smiled softly and reached out to him. the man, staring foolishly at the outstretched hand, frowned and grasped it roughly. ¡°when is this¡­¡± only after that lydia remembered that her palm had been cut. but the man didn¡¯t think to let her go. she looked down at the top of the man¡¯s head as she looked at her hand and smiled shyly. ¡°i was cut by a stupidly broken ink bottle. isn¡¯t it stupid?¡± ¡°¡­¡± he was still silently stroking lydia¡¯s hand with his fingertips. suddenly, a bright light burst from his hand, and the red cut on her palm quickly disappeared. ¡°thanks.¡± ¡°it¡¯s nothing.¡± he tried to pull away, but lydia quickly grabbed his hand. ¡°kai.¡± ¡°¡­¡± lydia smiled shyly at him, who was still blinking quietly. ¡°will you come with me to the capital?¡± you never know what impact those words will have. Chapter 88.1 raynard stared at the chessboard as if he intended to break it apart. yurina looked at him, frowning, and laughed. ¡°that¡¯s enough for you. no matter how much you will look at it, the figures won¡¯t change because of that.¡± he didn¡¯t even laugh at yurina¡¯s joke. originally, she should have limited the time to think about it, but she waited for him leisurely as she drank lukewarm tea. it wasn¡¯t urgent anyway, and reynard¡¯s expression was funny. seeing all the changes on his face was even more fun than playing chess. by the time yurina finished her tea, raynard, who was still sitting like a statue, moved his hand and ate the black horse with the white elephant. he gently waved the black horse and smiled with a triumphant expression. ¡°look now what will happen. i may be slow thinking, but i plan for sure. the problem is that you play without thinking too much.¡± to anyone who heard this, it would seem that yurina lost to reynard every time. however, in reality, yurina¡¯s playing skills were much higher than reynard¡¯s. already three games were behind, and yurina came out the winner of them all. and also yurina won all four games yesterday. now, in the fourth game, yurina was even more dominant. snorting once, yurina glanced at the chessboard and, without thinking twice, moved the black rook. the white queen, hit by yurina¡¯s black rook, fell behind the chessboard. reynard¡¯s triumphant face darkened instantly. yurina smiled as she waved his white queen in front of him, just like reynard did a moment ago. ¡°am i playing without thinking too much?¡± ¡°oh, i thought i could win this time.¡± raynard ruffled his hair convulsively and looked back at the chessboard. betsy, who came in with snacks, swallowed her laughter and put the three-tiered tray on the table. there were sandwiches and buns, as well as sweet biscuits and cakes. ¡°how many rounds are you playing?¡± asked betsy, pouring out steaming tea. she watched yurina win the second round and headed to the kitchen to prepare her snacks. ¡°the fourth one is coming to an end.¡± ¡°not the third? then who won the third round?¡± when yurina silently smiled, betsy shook her head as if she knew it. ¡°my lady has won.¡± ¡°huh. and i think i will win this round too.¡± raynard said nothing, perhaps because he was too focused to hear it. yurina glanced at him and shrugged. ¡°come to think of it, even when you were very young, my lady always won.¡± ¡°yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°since the lady has no one to play with, her skills should be the same, so why is reynard-sama still the same?¡± ¡°i know.¡± yurina was a bit taken aback by such a statement, which she had never thought of before. she thought that reynard was the same as her, but it was a little strange when she thought about it. when he was a student, didn¡¯t he play with his friends every day? was he just learning magic and swinging a sword? ¡°ray.¡± ¡°hm?¡± he replied languidly, still looking at the chessboard and thinking. although he couldn¡¯t hear yurina and betsy¡¯s conversation, it was a bit strange that she immediately recognized yurina calling her. ¡°didn¡¯t you play at the academy? aiden would surely propose to you at least once?¡± at the word ¡®aiden¡¯, raynard softened and smiled. ¡°you¡¯ve only seen aiden a couple of times. how would you know?¡± ¡°his personality is so obvious that it was enough for me to know this.¡± yurina smiled as she remembered the aiden she saw two years ago. if reynard was like a cat who was afraid of people, then aiden tessie was more like a dog that wags its tail and approaches strangers in a friendly way. although their personalities were opposite, was it because these two were able to get closer because they were diametrically opposed? ¡°well, it¡¯s not like that.¡± reynard moved the chess piece and leaned back on the sofa. ¡°i didn¡¯t play much chess in the crohn kingdom.¡± ¡°then what?¡± ¡°i mainly played card games. to be honest, i didn¡¯t really like them either. but when aiden was bored, i just had no choice.¡± ¡°but you don¡¯t even know how to play cards.¡± reynard immediately objected. ¡°what are you talking about? i beat aiden every time.¡± ¡°you always lost to me.¡± yurina still remembered the day reynard came in the middle of the night to play cards with her like it was yesterday. ¡®it was very difficult back then.¡¯ it was difficult for him to take defeat, and he insisted on a new fight until he won. in addition, he didn¡¯t even go back to his room afterward, and fidgeted in yurina¡¯s bed. it didn¡¯t seem funny to her at that time, but now, looking back, it was all her precious memories. whether reynard remembered the same thing or not, he now smiled happily. ¡°i¡¯m tired of chess. let¡¯s play cards.¡± yurina took the cards out of the box, skillfully shuffled them, and smiled at him. ¡°now you will see what i have learned since then.¡± ¡°oh, whatever.¡± this time, the two decided to play poker, which was a bit more difficult than the game they played as children. reynard was sure that he had learn a lot at the academy, but soon lost the first game to yurina. Chapter 88.2 reynard wasn¡¯t very good at hiding emotions at his face. unlike yurina, who kept a blank expression the whole time, he hesitated, glancing at yurina every now and then when the big cards came to him. it wasn¡¯t very visible, but yurina immediately noticed the strangeness. ¡°looks like you¡¯re not very good, are you?¡± ¡°next time i will win for sure.¡± ¡°in which of the following games?¡± yurina shuffled the cards again with a teasing smile. there was a knock. betsy opened the door. one of the servants entered cautiously and bowed. yurina became suspicious looking at his stern face. the servant wasn¡¯t from the villa, but a page who worked in the capital¡¯s mansion of carthia. he was mainly responsible for letters and parcels. ¡®but why are you here?¡¯ seeing the letter in his hand, yurina felt a little puzzled. there would be no one who would dare to send her an urgent letter from the capital. if only¡­ ¡°what¡¯s happen?¡± when yurina extended her hand to the servant and asked, the page hesitated for a moment. he saw betsy approaching to receive the letter and then turned towards reynard. ¡°this letter is not for my lady, but for mr. reynard.¡± ¡°for me?¡± raynard, who showed no interest in the servant, reacted only then. ¡°i have no one to send letters to.¡± ¡°could it be aiden?¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡± he received the servant¡¯s letter with a slightly twisted lip, showing how much he didn¡¯t like it. reynard, who had studied the seal on the letter, said: ¡°this isn¡¯t the seal of the academy.¡± yurina quickly got up and walked over to him. ¡°look at it.¡± yurina carefully looked at the letter reynard handed her. she was wrong in her assumptions. golden seal with an eagle. obviously¡­ ¡°this is the seal of the imperial family.¡± the golden color, which was the color of the eyes of the first emperor, was the color representing the imperial family. and this golden seal could only be used by members of the ruler¡¯s family. moreover, the eagle symbolizes the imperial family. undoubtedly, it was a letter from the imperial family. ¡°why the hell did the imperial family send you a letter?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°more than that, how did they know you were in the empire? it¡¯s still a secret, after all.¡± raynard, breaking the seal, suddenly exclaimed: ¡°ah.¡± he looked at yurina like a child who has committed a misdemeanor. ¡°actually, i betrayed to someone that i¡¯m blessed.¡± ¡°what? when?¡± ¡°the day i went to check on that wolf. i just showed them my red eyes. but they must have sniffed it all out.¡± ¡°why did you have to do it?¡± ¡°otherwise i wouldn¡¯t be able to find anything. no one believed that attack was the work of a mage. rather, it was a situation where i could have used a dumper if i made a mistake¡­¡± yurina couldn¡¯t say anything further at the explanation that followed. ¡®well, there¡¯s no way i¡¯d listen to ray¡¯s words.¡¯ if a child who had just become an adult noticed something that even the royal mages couldn¡¯t figure out, it would be natural for them not to believe it. the words of ¡®blessed¡¯, who was born as a genius, must have been credible. but that was that and this was this. then yurina slapped reynard¡¯s arm. ¡°why didn¡¯t you tell me? you should have told me earlier!¡± ¡°sorry, i forgot. after all, we experienced so much drama at that moment.¡± it shouldn¡¯t have hurt that much, but reynard rubbed the spot where he had been slapped and looked in yurina¡¯s eyes. yurina sighed and returned the letter to him. ¡°let¡¯s talk about it later. first tell me what¡¯s in the letter.¡± ¡°okay.¡± it was rude to look at someone else¡¯s letter, so yurina calmly waited for him to speak for himself. ¡°hm.¡± raynard, who had been slowly reading the letter, was now frowning seriously. ¡°what is there? is it bad?¡± if the imperial family favors reynard, the tone of the letter will be friendly, not hostile. as a puzzled look appeared on yurina¡¯s face, reynard handed her the letter instead of explaining. ¡°read it yourself.¡± he placed the letter in yurina¡¯s hand, crossed his arms over his chest, and closed his eyes. ¡®what the hell is that?¡¯ yurina looked at the letter nervously. unlike reynard¡¯s reaction, the contents of the letter was not bad. rather, it was only good things about him. ¡°they want to give you a title of a knight and hold a celebration party.¡± it was a little sudden, but it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if the imperial family had already known that reynard had returned. if the title ceremony had already been scheduled, and even a celebration was planned, it meant that the imperial family considered reynard a valuable talent. ¡®but why are you reacting like that?¡¯ surprisingly, yurina was able to understand why reynard was like that when she saw the phrase at the end of the letter. ¡®next month?¡¯ the date chosen was the end of the next month. then there was about a month to prepare. if those two were in the capital, they would have received the news a little earlier. but the news reached them late, because they were far from the city. ¡°we¡¯ll have to rush to the capital right now.¡± raynard lamented a little as he saw yurina fold the letter in half. Chapter 89.1 it was the same with yurina. after all, she wanted to spend another two or three weeks here and return when the season of social events came. however, yurina hadn¡¯t made her debut in secular society yet, so a reception at the imperial palace might have passed as an opportunity for her. yurina and marchioness carthia had planned to return when social gatherings were due and hold a modest feast to introduce reynard to the crowd. ¡°i know. it¡¯s sad, but maybe it¡¯s even better? because my mother originally wanted to have a party to introduce you to the world. now it will happen right in the palace. there will be the most titled nobles. you¡¯re already a famous person, in the end, your name will sweep through the entire empire. doesn¡¯t it make it hard to see your face like this?¡± despite yurina¡¯s joke, reynard¡¯s expression remained serious. he looked at yurina and buried his face into her shoulder. ¡°i would choose to be here with you a little longer than all this.¡± ¡°is it like that? if others hear it, they will call it insult to the royal family.¡± yurina gently brushed his hair, which seemed to be somewhat downcast. raynard rubbed his face against yurina¡¯s neck. yurina shifted her eyes to betsy, who turned her head away, then grabbed reynard¡¯s cheek and pulled his face away. ¡°i¡¯m sad about that too. but let¡¯s go back to the capital this time, and later come here again. in summer the days will be hotter, so we can play by the sea as much as we like. and in the summer, my brothers can take a vacation so that the five of us can go together. that will be even more fun.¡± raynard¡¯s face instantly turned pale as he heard the last detail of their upcoming journey. ¡°it¡¯s good that we were alone this time.¡± it was a voice more like a whine. out of nowhere, her older brothers appeared in this story, who didn¡¯t give him a pass. yurina laughed at the reaction. ¡°as you say. we can split up with them and leave together. are you okay then?¡± ¡°it¡¯s still a pity.¡± ¡°yes, for me too. but we can¡¯t help it. i just can¡¯t ignore the party.¡± ¡°shall we not go?¡± yurina clapped reynard on the shoulder. she didn¡¯t hit lightly as a joke, but it took quite a bit of force.¡± ¡°you have to go if you don¡¯t want us all to be accused of disrespect for the crown. not only you, but i will be dragged along.¡± ¡°then no. of course i will go.¡± ¡°you should have said that earlier.¡± after stretching once, yurina stood up from the couch. ¡°we have a lot to prepare. i think we return to the capital tomorrow morning. yurina tried to get up so she could go back to her room to unpack her luggage. but reynard took her hand and pulled her back into place. ¡°what? do you have anything to say?¡± ¡°let¡¯s play another card game.¡± ¡°it is still daytime. let¡¯s just do one more game.¡± yurina wondered if he was so resentful that he kept losing today, but his eyes looked somewhat desperate rather than burning with the desire to win. yurina looked at him and studied reynard¡¯s face, who was blinking at her, then without hesitation she went back and sat. ¡°just one more game.¡± ¡°okay.¡± reynard skillfully shuffled the cards. he said that he played a lot in the academy, and his hand movements for shuffling the cards were quite natural. yurina gazed with admiration at his long white fingers deftly interfering with the cards. ¡°shall we bet?¡± because of that, yurina understood reynard¡¯s words one beat late. ¡°¡­huh? bet?¡± ¡°yeah. simply, it will be more interesting. this is the last game before sending. how about this, who loses grants the winner¡¯s wish?¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡± because it was such a sudden proposal, yurina didn¡¯t immediately accept it, but looked suspiciously at reynard¡¯s face. ¡°what are you up to?¡± ¡°i do all this without a second thought. just to have some fun. i bet on meals with the kids when we played at the orphanage. don¡¯t agree if you don¡¯t like it.¡± he clearly had something on his mind, but his expression and voice were clear. yurina hesitated to take the cards reynard handed her. but then she nodded. ¡°okay, let¡¯s do it.¡± based on the previous record, yurina¡¯s chances of winning were high. and even if she loses, there¡¯s nothing wrong with that. reynard wouldn¡¯t make a weird wish, would he? ¡°get ready to fulfill my wish.¡± Chapter 89.2 after making up her mind, yurina unfolded the card with a confident express. the fact that the combination of cards wasn¡¯t bad gave her more confidence in winning. and exactly ten minutes later, yurina looked at reynard¡¯s hand on the table in bewilderment. ¡°this is nonsense.¡± red heart-patterned cards were arranged neatly from 5 to 10. it was a royal flush, the best hand in poker. there was no need to even look at yurina¡¯s cards. after all, in front of her lay an ideal combination that couldn¡¯t be beaten by anything. he was yielding to her all this time, but as soon as the two made a bet, he put up such cards? ¡°are you not cheating?¡± ¡°cheating? you don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°but how could this¡­¡± ¡°i told you. i¡¯m good at card games.¡± raynard sighed and looked at yurina¡¯s cards. ¡°two pairs? looks like i won.¡± ¡°no, but wait. it¡¯s some kind of nonsense.¡± ¡°where is the nonsense? i didn¡¯t do any tricks.¡± he slowly showed his cuffs and pockets. there were no cards to be seen anywhere. yurina narrowed her eyes and looked at reynard¡¯s cards. meanwhile, the latter approached yurina and whispered. ¡°a bet is a bet. fulfill my wish.¡± yurina stopped thinking about this bizarre situation and sighed in defeat. there is nothing wrong with granting reynard¡¯s wish. in any case, even if he had deceived her, he must have had some special desire that he had previously hesitated to tell her. ¡°and what will be your request?¡± ¡°come to this party as my partner.¡± ¡°partner?¡± ¡°yes, partner.¡± he looked into yurina¡¯s eyes and emphasized it once more. yurina couldn¡¯t reply right away, so she fidgeted nervously with the cards. ¡°you don¡¯t want?¡± ¡°that¡¯s not the point, but how can i?¡± although she entered the official tournament on behalf of marquis carthia, yurina had yet to make her debut in high society. this is because the age required to debut is usually 18 years old. in the original story, yurina and lydia debuted at the age of 18. if she participates in this party as reynard¡¯s partner, it will also be her debut night. and the debut of the daughter of the famous marquis carthia will attract a lot of attention. and that¡¯s not counting the fact that her partner is ¡®blessed¡¯ reynard, the favorite of the goddess, and who graduated from the academy ahead of schedule. if these two enter the hall arm in arm, this will cause an explosive resonance in noble circles. in addition, the partner was of great importance at the debut evening. usually the whole family decides this. therefore, no matter how much her lover asked, yurina couldn¡¯t decide on her own. she needed to talk to her father and mother. ¡®but¡­¡¯ yurina studied the expression on raynard¡¯s face, who was looking at her with a serious look. he didn¡¯t say anything, but continued to bite his lip in impatience. she rubbed her lower lip gently with her thumb. ¡°what are you biting?¡± ¡°i¡¯m worrying.¡± he closed his eyes tightly, as if he wasn¡¯t confident enough to meet her gaze. ¡®is it okay for someone other than ray to be my partner?¡¯ it doesn¡¯t look like it. if the three older brothers became partners at the first debut party, it would be convenient in its own way, but it would also leave some regrets. moreover, if reynard enters the banquet hall holding another woman¡¯s hand¡­ ¡®i would feel bad.¡¯ just thinking about it made her angry. to the point of laughing at herself for thinking like this. if they arrive for the evening as partners this time, there will be a lot of talk around them. along with the rumors that the two are lovers, there may be rumors that are hard to put into words. but yurina wondered how reynard would feel about it. ¡®because it¡¯s true.¡¯ it is true that they were lovers, and it is unlikely that they will love anyone else in this life. if so, her answer was simple: ¡°okay. let¡¯s go together.¡± raynard slowly opened his eyes and looked at yurina in disbelief. ¡°really?¡± ¡°but a bet is a bet, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°do you really agree?¡± ¡°what is this reaction? did you think i¡¯d say ¡®no¡¯?¡± ¡°to be honest¡­ yes.¡± ¡°don¡¯t you know that i¡¯m very proud?¡± yurina flicked her finger on the tip of reynard¡¯s nose, who was still dazed. ¡°and now honestly. you¡¯re kidding, right?¡± ¡°no.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t have time for this. come on, we need to get ready.¡± raynard hurriedly picked up yurina and walked towards the door. yurina, unable to resist, glanced over her shoulder at the cards betsy was laying out. at that moment, it became clear that all of reynard¡¯s cards were red as long as the latter held them in his hands. now they are all different colors. * * * ¡°how about this?¡± yurina came out wearing a new dress and spun around in front of reynard. it was exactly that dress, inherited from marchioness carthia. the chest and waist were pulled up to fit the curves of her body, and below the waist, the fabric was draped profusely. therefore, whenever yurina moved, the hem of her dress floated in the air. raynard, who was looking at the tailcoat design book, looked at yurina admiringly. his lips twitched, but no words came out. it was clear why he was making such a face, but yurina asked, pretending not to know: ¡°something is wrong? this is my mother¡¯s dress. probably doesn¡¯t fit me¡­¡± but he remained silent. betsy looked at his frozen face, sighed and laughed. ¡°ray?¡± as yurina patted his shoulder, reynard barely spoke a single word. ¡°pretty.¡± he stood up and approached her with a hazy look, as if driven by something otherworldly. ¡°really pretty.¡± the moment she saw his smile, yurina¡¯s cheeks turned red. it was a desired reaction, but yurina felt a little embarrassed as it was an overreaction. ¡°i¡¯m going to wear this dress to the party.¡± ¡°this? but why?¡± the questioning voice was a little strange. besides, why? why is he asking her why she wants to wear a dress like this? Chapter 90.1 yurina looked at reynard, who was frowning disapprovingly, and asked again: ¡°why? you said it¡¯s pretty. is it not?¡± ¡®did you lie to me?¡¯ but he quickly shook his head, as if he understood her question. ¡°no, it¡¯s pretty. it¡¯s pretty and beautiful¡­¡± ¡°then what is the problem? is it because the style is old fashioned?¡± to be honest, this dress was a little different from the dresses popular these days in the social world. the lace embellishments at the neck and the backs of the hands were dusted with pearl powder to make it softly shiny, but the dress was somewhat monochromatic. it was definitely a departure from the current trend of using colorful jewelry for the ultimate in luxury. so, if yurina wears this dress to the party, he will be talked about for a long time. however, yurina didn¡¯t think the reaction would be negative. after all, this dress is worn by a member of the carthia family. moreover, it was a dress with history, and inherited from the marchioness. but when did reynard care about fashion at all? he lacked knowledge in aesthetics compared to his superior physical and magical abilities. ¡°no. everything is beautiful, and it suits you¡­¡± raynard spoke carefully, looked at yurina¡¯s dress again, and sighed. ¡°never mind. you can wear it. if you like it that way, i¡¯ll like it too.¡± ¡°do you really like it? but the main character of that party is you, not me. if you don¡¯t like it, i¡¯ll wear another one.¡± yurina was really ready for this, it wasn¡¯t empty words. she considered wearing the dress she had inherited from marchioness carthia one day, but it didn¡¯t have to be an upcoming party. as she had already said, this evening was arranged for reynard. yurina could order not only a new dress, but anything he wanted. however, unlike his recent tense look, reynard was now holding yurina¡¯s hand and smiling happily. ¡°i really like everything. and i like that dress.¡± yurina looked into his face and tried to read his thoughts. but there were no more signs of irritation on him. ¡®is it really okay?¡¯ it left a bad aftertaste. but now, since they said that the dress was pretty, yurina would be embarrassed to change the design. yurina then called out to mrs. anderson, who was waiting outside the door. mrs. anderson stepped inside and bowed her head. marchioness carthia hired her after lady lauren¡¯s incident in the past. who knows, maybe she simply didn¡¯t pay attention, or because the dislike for red eyes in the empire disappeared, but mrs. anderson¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change much at the sight of reynard. yurina looked at mrs. anderson, who was smiling softly, and then asked: ¡°i¡¯d like my dress to match his outfit. do you have any ideas?¡± mrs. anderson took the sketchbook that reynard had been looking at some time ago and marked one or two options for yurina. ¡°my lady¡¯s dress is modest, so i think we can make mr. reynard look a little more glamorous.¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay to be flashy, not a little.¡± ¡°i think it would be okay to be modest.¡± but yurina protested: ¡°you are the main character. you have to stand out.¡± it wasn¡¯t just a party, it was a party hosted by the imperial family itself. both men and women will come in colorful clothes to stand out from the crowd. if reynard dresses modestly, even the main character won¡¯t be noticed. ¡®however, ray¡¯s face alone will attract attention¡¯. yurina looked at reynard¡¯s face and nodded in satisfaction. despite the fact that he was casually dressed in a summer shirt and trousers, and his hair was tousled in all directions, reynard¡¯s smile still made him stand out from the crowd. even if you send him to the evening in this form, you can safely say that he will get a lot of attention. however, yurina couldn¡¯t be satisfied with that alone. right now, the existence of ¡®beatus¡¯ is receiving attention in the empire, but among the nobles, there must be some who regard reynard, who was born as a commoner. in fact, some people said how red eyes could be a symbol of a goddess. if presented in the best light, evil tongues can no longer openly criticize reynard, who was raised by the carthia family and graduated from the royal crohn academy. it would be nice to click on their nose in advance so that they don¡¯t make noise in the future. luckily, reynard didn¡¯t mind yurina¡¯s comments. yurina and reynard chose one of three styles recommended by mrs. anderson, with colorful embroidery. the reason was that the embroidery was glamorous, but not too provocative, except for lace or jewelry. ¡°then i will take measurements.¡± ms. anderson wrote down yurina¡¯s demands on a notepad and approached reynard with a tape measure. raynard, who had previously been standing with a smile on his face, suddenly backed away with a stiff face. mrs. anderson moved closer in bewilderment, but he retreated again. at the obvious refusal, mrs. anderson¡¯s face showed embarrassment. sensing the awkward atmosphere between the two of them, yurina signaled to betsy. ¡°betsy, can you help me?¡± ¡°yes, yes? me?¡± betsy looked into mrs. anderson¡¯s eyes in amazement. yurina walked right up to mrs. anderson and cautiously extended her hand. ¡°sorry. betsy has been on ray¡¯s side since he was little, so i thought it would be more comfortable, would that be okay?¡± even though yurina apologized, mrs. anderson couldn¡¯t say anything else. she nodded, handed the tape measure to yurina, and stepped back. Chapter 90.2 betsy was still looking between yurina and reynard, and then raised her hands as reynard approached. ¡°i never took measurements.¡± ¡°mrs. anderson will tell you.¡± raynard smiled, spread his arms and turned around following mrs. anderson¡¯s instructions, but yurina noticed that he was a little nervous. it was a very subtle difference that only she could feel. it pleased her to think that she knew him so well. but at the same time, yurina felt uneasy. ¡®does he still have wounds?¡¯ at the academy, it seemed that the problem of red eyes didn¡¯t bother him anymore, because how he walked with friends and didn¡¯t show it. however, the wounds received from mrs. lauren in childhood still seemed like sharp stones in his heart. meanwhile, mrs. anderson looked into his eyes and didn¡¯t move, not wanting to get closer. ¡°then i will come to you next week.¡± ¡°time is running out. i beg you to do everything quickly.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll try my best.¡± after checking the dimensions once more, mrs. anderson gathered her tools and left. at that moment, raynard sat down on the couch with relief on his face. he tilted his head and stretched out on the couch. yurina stepped closer and saw that his forehead was covered with sweat. although it was a warm day, it wasn¡¯t warm enough to make me sweat. therefore, yurina realized that he was so nervous to sweat. ¡®the wound is deeper than i thought.¡¯ yurina winked at her and bestsy quickly went out to bring her a cold drink yurina looked at the door and sat next to reynard. ¡°are you tired?¡± ¡°a little. but it¡¯s over, so it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°sorry, but there¡¯s a lot more to do than this. you have to match your belt and shoes to your outfit, you have to think about your hairstyle and¡­¡± raynard covered his eyes with his hands and sighed, not listening to yurina. ¡°i¡¯ve felt it before, but you seem really tired.¡± yurina laughed softly and tucked his hair back. his bangs were wet with cold sweat. ¡°now you will be pestered even more than me. it¡¯s because you¡¯re more famous than me, and you¡¯re attracting attention.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t need that much attention.¡± ¡°although it¡¯s easier for you than for me. you don¡¯t have to wear a corset. it may happen that i have to starve before party.¡± ¡°but why?¡± ¡°in the empire, a thin waist is the standard.¡± he lifted the hand that covered his eyes and looked at yurina before pulling her towards him with his other hand. yurina glanced at the half-open door and sat on his hip, following his hand. raynard lifted his head back and looked yurina in the eyes. ¡°is it really necessary?¡± his fingers caressed yurina¡¯s sides gently. ¡°you are beautiful without any corsets.¡± this time, his hand slid up yurina¡¯s back. yurina hugged him tightly, feeling the touch of his fingers slowly pressing against her back as if he were playing a piano. she swallowed nervously as she looked at his face. contrary to his usual self-confidence and imposing air, he now looked strangely erotic. ¡°when will betsy be back?¡± reynard asked, gently rubbing yurina¡¯s back with his palm. yurina watched as he ran his tongue over his lower lip, then shifted her gaze to the door. it was more about avoiding his gaze than trying to see if betsy was coming. for some reason, today his eyes were so hot, it seemed that her very skin was heated from his gaze. ¡°i think she will come soon.¡± ¡°mmm.¡± he frowned in displeasure, and then the door moved slowly and closed soundlessly. there was a click, and the sound of the door locking itself. yurina was startled and tried to stand up, but reynard tightened his arms and put her back on his leg. ¡°and what are we going to do when betsy comes?¡± ¡°betsy will be late.¡± yurina raised her eyebrows as if asking what he meant. raynard smiled languidly, closing his eyes. ¡°she needs to do something.¡± raynard calmly replied and lowered his gaze. his gaze passed through yurina¡¯s neck and turned to her chest and waist. even though she was dressed, yurina felt that he could see through everything. her face instantly turned red and she covered his eyes with her hands. ¡°but can i really wear this dress?¡± yurina turned around and tried to pull away from him to fix the thin atmosphere in the room, but she couldn¡¯t because reynard wouldn¡¯t let her go. ¡°no, just. it seems like you didn¡¯t like it earlier.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not like that. it is really pertty. i like the dress, but¡­¡± ¡°but?¡± ¡°you are so beautiful¡­¡± reynard¡¯s lips touched yurina¡¯s ears. he moved his lips along her neck and whispered softly: ¡°i don¡¯t want to show you to others. this belongs to me alone.¡± Chapter 91.1 this time, yurina felt soft lips touch her collarbone. his breath tickled his skin, and yurina shuddered. raynard removed yurina¡¯s hand from covering her eyes and pressed his lips to hers. a deep-rooted sense of possessiveness oozed from the red eyes staring at yurina. the feeling was a strange one that she had never experienced before. yurina was a little embarrassed, but didn¡¯t show it. but what¡¯s more embarrassing than that is that she doesn¡¯t hate this possessiveness. rather, it turned out to be a joy for her. ¡°then shall we wear another dress?¡± ¡°it will the same even if you wear a different dress. i just don¡¯t want to expose you to the people. what if everyone falls in love with you?¡± ¡°does they really fall in love?¡± yurina laughed, but his expression remained serious. ¡°it¡¯s quite possible. you don¡¯t know, but i know how many times people asked about you who you met at the academy.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°really.¡± ¡°so what did you say to them?¡± yurina was interested in a new story. it wasn¡¯t that interesting who showed interest in her, but rather reynard¡¯s reaction to it. in those days, they weren¡¯t even a couple, not to mention sorting out feelings for each other. ¡°what else could i say? i told them to get lost.¡± for some reason, his stern and straight face came to mind. yurina laughed out loud, while reynard narrowed his eyes, apparently unhappy about something. yurina quickly caught the change in his expression and gently rubbed his shoulder. ¡°and what if they fall in love? after all, i¡¯m all yours.¡± ¡°i still hate it.¡± he rubbed his face against yurina¡¯s shoulder, just like a child complaining. ¡°and what if you don¡¯t like it? are you going to lock me up where no one can see me?¡± the answer yurina expected was ¡®it won¡¯t happen¡¯. however, the answer she got from him was very surprising. ¡°i would do this if i could.¡± ¡°what?¡± yurina pinched reynard¡¯s cheek. and although it was painful, the latter didn¡¯t show it. this angered yurina even more. yurina moved her hand to the side. his soft and supple cheeks now stretched like dough. ¡°there is no sound! what did you learn from the academy while i was gone? now you say you¡¯ll lock me in a cage?¡± ¡°it¡¯s just how i feel, it¡¯s not like i would really do it.¡± yurina tugged harder on his cheek. reynard¡¯s mouth extended horizontally. since his expression was serious, his distorted face became even more funny. ¡°you can¡¯t even name it like that. it¡¯s an obsession.¡± ¡°so what if it¡¯s an obsession?¡± his pronunciation was a bit slurred due to his stretched cheeks. he looked at yurina and smiled. ¡°i can¡¯t wait to secure that title and tell people about us. i wish to be with you always, and not look back at others.¡± it was the same with yurina, so she nodded instead of commenting. ¡°we have to be patient a little more.¡± ¡°it¡¯s hard to wait.¡± raynard sighed and whispered softly. ¡°yurina, kiss me.¡± ¡°let¡¯s see how you get it.¡± yurina wanted to tease him for some reason, which is why she responded so harshly. ¡°and what can i do to deserve it?¡± ¡°hmm, well. will you listen to my request?¡± ¡°all i do is listen to you. i even picked up the clothes for the party.¡± ¡°hmm, yes, but¡­¡± ¡°hmm?¡± however, when yurina just looked at him and didn¡¯t kiss him, raynard gently rubbed his palms over her protruding shoulder blades as if urging her on. yurina gently stroked his face with her palm. his once-white cheeks were now reddened, because she had overdone with strength before. ¡°does it hurt?¡± ¡°not at all.¡± raynard responded immediately and closed his eyes. seeing this, she again wanted to play a joke. instead of kissing his lips, yurina kissed the bridge of his nose with a loud sound. raynard frowned, clearly unhappy with this maneuver. ¡°not there.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not that i don¡¯t like it, but i think it would be better if you do it here.¡± raynard patted his lips with the tip of his finger, eyes still closed. once again, instead of complying with his request, yurina gently rubbed his lips with her thumb. his long, thick eyelashes fluttered with the tickle. yurina continued to tickle his lips while smiling. it was then, raynard opened his eyes and bit the finger that was moving back and forth across his lips. it was a little revenge for being teased, but it wasn¡¯t painful. when yurina tried to remove her finger, he swallowed it even deeper. ¡°ray. don¡¯t play around.¡± ¡°you did it first.¡± he muttered, still holding her finger in his mouth. every time he spoke a word, yurina squirmed with itching as his tongue touched her fingertip. reynard stared into her eyes with his half-open eyes and bit her fingers with his teeth. Chapter 91.2 her face that received his gaze felt hotter than the fingers touched by his warm breath. yurina bit her lip, then she touched his forehead with hers. ¡°my fault. i won¡¯t do it again.¡± raynard then let go of her hand and closed his eyes again. yurina glanced at the closed door, then leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. then he raised his upper body again, and reynard grabbed the back of her head and hurriedly bumped her lips. without the slightest embarrassment, his lips parted and his hot tongue slid into her mouth. the thrust of it was so strong that yurina¡¯s body kept pulling away. yurina wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and gave in. in an instant, she felt her body soar into the air. yurina was startled and couldn¡¯t even let out a scream, only desperately clinging to reynard¡¯s neck. she felt the soft sofa under her back, and opening her eyes, yurina saw that reynard was looking down at her. he asked, untying his tie: ¡°can we continue?¡± but yurina stood up and pushed him on the shoulder. ¡°no. betsy will be back soon.¡± ¡°oh¡­¡± raynard wiped his lips and lifted yurina up. she stood in front of the mirror and straightened her disheveled hair and dress. raynard looked at her back and snapped his fingers. the door that had been locked opened slightly with a click and twist of the doorknob. after arranging her clothes, yurina walked over to reynard and touched his tie. betsy entered with a tray of cold drinks just as yurina was about to leave. ¡°sorry for coming late. on the way, the marchioness gave me an assignment.¡± did she really have other things to do? yurina glanced at reynard as she watched betsy place the drinks on the table. ¡®did you set it up?¡¯ but reynard just shrugged his shoulders with an innocent expression. yurina smiled and thanked betsy, then narrowed her eyes at reynard as he drank. as with the cards, it remained a mystery whether he had resorted to magic or simply cheated and overheard the conversation between betsy and the marchioness. * * * yurina stared at reynard in bewilderment, who bowed and politely held out his hand to her. ¡°will you give me the honor of dancing with the young lady?¡± even if that strict mentor had taught him well as a child, the truth lay in the fact that he was irritated by the very need to ceremoniously ¡®invite¡¯ her to the dance. yurina vividly recalled their childhood when rey kept stepping on her foot while dancing. reynard¡¯s hard work was so admirable, but in fact, every time he stepped on her foot, it hurt so much that she couldn¡¯t control my expression. even though he was small, he was a twelve-year-old boy and didn¡¯t know how to control himself. ¡®now it¡¯s even bigger.¡¯ yurina looked at his large feet and his overall physique. if he accidentally steps on her foot, the foot will swell, as if from a bee sting. yurina just stared at him all this time and didn¡¯t even think to take his hand. so he stepped a little closer and whispered. ¡°i won¡¯t step on you anymore.¡± he seemed to figure out what yurina was worried about without further ado. but just because he said it doesn¡¯t mean it will be so. yurina narrowed her eyes and asked in a slightly harsh voice. ¡°did you dance a lot at the academy?¡± she knew very well that this couldn¡¯t be. yurina had heard that the academy also held balls, like at the end of the school year, but yurina was sure that reynard would never go there. even if he went there with aiden, he wouldn¡¯t take a partner because of his nature. he definitely wouldn¡¯t dance with a woman he wasn¡¯t even intimate with. it follows that the last time he danced was 7 years ago, before leaving the mansion. yurina couldn¡¯t even imagine what his skills would be like now considering how many mistakes he made even then. ¡®do you still remember it?¡¯ as yurina wished to pull away and cross her arms over her chest, raynard quickly grabbed her wrist. ¡°i didn¡¯t dance, but still i won¡¯t crush your feet. you know i learned swordsmanship.¡± yurina, who was suddenly dragged to the center of the hall, laughed at his calm assurances. ¡°and how will swordsmanship help in dancing?¡± he stated as he grabbed yurina by the waist. ¡°this develops coordination and agility.¡± his hand slid down her back and moved up. when he looked at the empty piano and nodded in that direction, the keys began to play on their own. a slow waltz rang through the small hall. Chapter 92.1 raynard snapped his fingers, counted in his mind, and began to skillfully lead yurina along. everything was going more naturally than she expected, so yurina relaxed a bit. but her happiness didn¡¯t last long. at some point, reynard¡¯s gaze, which had been smiling at yurina¡¯s face, slowly moved downward, and when yurina turned and walked towards him again, his feet landed on yurina¡¯s. along with the heavy weight, yurina felt a dull ache in her foot. raynard reacted before yurina could say anything. he knelt down and rubbed her foot. the white light emanating from his hand gently wrapped around yurina¡¯s legs, and then the pain disappeared. the white light from his hand wrapped her softly, and soon the pain disappeared. reynard looked up at yurina and smiled awkwardly. ¡°are you okay?¡± ¡°yes. ¡°then shall we continue? i won¡¯t really step on you this time.¡± yurina looked at him with suspicion in her eyes and put her hand on his palm again. ¡®it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ at the party in honor of his knighthood, reynard would have to dance at least one song with his partner yurina. as the main character of the party, he couldn¡¯t avoid it, because he was supposedly tired or not feeling well. it would be better for both of them if he stepped on yurina¡¯s feet now than he stumbled and embarrassed himself in front of many people in the ruler¡¯s palace. however, despite the boastful words, he stepped on yurina¡¯s feet again soon after. ¡°i¡¯m really sorry. are you okay?¡± and again. ¡°i think i stepped on it a little too hard this time, doesn¡¯t it hurt a lot?¡± and again. ¡°this time, i really won¡¯t step.¡± and for the third time. ¡°¡­¡± and in the fourth. including the first step, there were five misses in total. it¡¯s amazing to think, but it all happened before the end of one song. in the next moment, raynard looked at yurina¡¯s feet and kept his mouth shut as if he had nothing more to say. yurina lightly shook her legs as if to show her readiness. ¡°it¡¯s okay, let¡¯s continue.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not okay.¡± ¡°but you can¡¯t quit right now.¡± ¡°wouldn¡¯t it be better if we didn¡¯t dance that day?¡± ¡°of course not.¡± he grunted in displeasure and looked alternately at her legs and then into yurina¡¯s eyes. after standing like that for a while, he walked over to yurina and grabbed her waist with both hands. then he easily lifted her up and set her on his feet. ¡°let¡¯s do this. it will make it easier for me to learn.¡± ¡°it will be hard for you. just go back to how it was.¡± when yurina tried to get off his feet, raynard wrapped his arms around her waist. yurina reflexively wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°it¡¯s better to practice like this.¡± ¡°what?¡± yurina slapped his arm. however, he didn¡¯t move. ¡®it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ instead of coaxing him, yurina lifted her right leg and took off her shoe. then she took off her left shoe and threw it away too. ¡°isn¡¯t it better like this?¡± ¡°yes, you¡¯re right.¡± raynard pressed his forehead against yurina¡¯s. when he kissed yurina on the lips, the piano played without any help. ¡°i suspected this for a long time. looks like you¡¯re wasting your magic on all sorts of stupid things. that¡¯s not why i sent you to the academy.¡± despite the displeasure in yurina¡¯s voice, he didn¡¯t care. ¡°i¡¯d rather use it for stupid things than for anything else. as for example, protection from another attack.¡± reynard began to move slowly to the sound of the piano. suddenly, yurina felt him begin to slouch, hugged his neck tighter and pressed her whole body against him. ¡°if there is no need to resort to self-defense, this is a good thing. so i say that any other magic is better than this.¡± raynard laughed out loud. yurina laughed at him. for a while, only a slow melody and the laughter of two people sounded in the small hall. Chapter 92.2 ¡°are the preparations going well?¡± on the day of reynard¡¯s ceremony, yurina, who had been sitting in front of the mirror and changing with the help of betsy and the other maids, turned at the click of the lock. marchioness carthia entered with a smile on her face. the maids assigned to yurina retreated. marchioness stood behind yurina and looked at her reflection in the mirror. ¡°it is good to be young. even a little decoration makes the skin glow.¡± there was false modesty in those words, as the marchioness now only looked ten years older than yurina. it¡¯s been a month and a half since that damn tape burned down. and now the marchioness looked better than ever. ¡°don¡¯t say that. if you stand side by side like this, others will see us as two sisters. i want to look like my mother later.¡± ¡°even if you give something up, the other person will happily accept it. i can¡¯t use it too much.¡± ¡°but everyone is think so. yes?¡± when yurina looked back at the maids, they called out impatiently. ¡°you are right, miss!¡± ¡°you still look young enough, madam!¡± their words were sincere, for the most part. the marchioness laughed sarcastically, as if she didn¡¯t like that flattery, absurd, and mean. ¡°you haven¡¯t even touched your food. looking good is good, but starving is no good. you¡¯ll have to stay on your feet at that party.¡± the marchioness¡¯s gaze turned to the appetizer on the table. it was prepared by wrapping smoked salmon, ham or cheese in a biscuit so that you can conveniently eat it on the go. but yurina didn¡¯t touch anything. but it wasn¡¯t that yurina was very worried about her figure. ¡°i have no appetite because i am nervous.¡± ¡°your mom was also very afraid of debut day.¡± ¡°is it so?¡± ¡°then it was fashionable to tighten the waist even more than it is now. then i regretted that i refused to eat.¡± yurina looked in the mirror, saw the marchioness there, and smiled. she was always told to smile naturally, but now her smile reflected in the mirror was awkward. in fact, yurina wasn¡¯t nervous because it was her debut. of course, it was hard to appear in front of strangers, to attract all the attention, but yurina wasn¡¯t shy in front of the crowd. there was only one reason why she was so worried. marquis de flon. for the past few days, yurina has been seriously thinking about this. ¡®how will the story unfold in the future?¡¯ in the original story, yurina carthia debuted at the age of 18, and since then she has been in constant conflict with lydia, also fighting for the favor of the crown prince. in the original story, yurina was the crown prince¡¯s former lover, and she apparently had affection for the crown prince and tried to stay close to him. it is unknown if the crown prince had feelings for yurina. but in the end, he chose lydia. of course, it could also be love, but most likely it was a simple calculation ¨C to attract blessed karion to his side. ¡®and now curtis was also trying to contact ray through me.¡¯ and yurina carthia, unable to give up the crown prince, meets the end at the hands of the second protagonist, karion. to avoid a tragic ending, yurina finds reynard and takes him for herself, while desperately avoiding the prince. what bothered her about the script, which she had already altered so much, was that in society she was mentioned as a candidate to marry the prince, regardless of her will. and that would have contradicted the intentions of marquis de flon. even without the ¡®karion¡¯, marquis de flon could attack the carthia family, and who knows, maybe he wants to encroach on yurina¡¯s life? to prepare for this, yurina made a deal with reynard to save her when yurina was in danger. but what now? reynard suddenly returned from school a year early, and yurina was set to debut at 17, a year earlier than in the original. ¡®i don¡¯t even know why i keep worrying.¡¯ yurina clutched her chest to calm her heart that was beating like a hammer. but in vain. while yurina was at the villa, marquis carthia and her three brothers watched over the de flon family. however, there has been no evidence so far that the marquis was involved in a conspiracy at the tournament, and there has been no particular movement since. it is said that marquis de flon returned to the estate after the tournament and lived in peace. ¡®is it just because i¡¯m afraid to see marquis de flon?¡¯ yurina trembled as she remembered the shining golden eyes she had seen before. maybe it was just that the shock she felt upon seeing him that day in the capital was so great that when she thought of the marquis, yurina felt fear for no apparent reason. like pavlov¡¯s dog. ¡°by the way, given my age, i¡¯m still underage, and since i¡¯m debuting now, the situation has become more ambiguous.¡± yurina, who was engulfed in her thoughts, suddenly turned her head towards the marchioness¡¯s voice. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, what?¡± ¡°usually, this isn¡¯t accepted immediately after the debut. i don¡¯t know yet whether to announce your engagement this year or wait for your birthday next year.¡± she spoke as lightly as if to say, ¡®the weather is fine today.¡¯ but yurina couldn¡¯t take it lightly. both her cheeks flushed. Chapter 93.1 ¡°¡­yes?¡± ¡°what surprises you? i got engaged to your father when i was nineteen.¡± the marchioness smiled meaningfully with a playful face like a naughty child. ¡°since you will officially appear in front of everyone today, aren¡¯t you thinking about marriage? ah, just thinking about it already gives me a headache¡­¡± she pressed her fingers to her temples. ¡°if you continue to go to balls and parties, you too will someday fall in love and dream of a greater future with your chosen one. so, as a parent, shouldn¡¯t i get excited and prepare ahead of time? but don¡¯t worry too much though. mom and dad won¡¯t accept arranged marriages. therefore, you will marry whenever you want.¡± ¡°ah, that¡¯s what it sounded like.¡± isn¡¯t it because of ray? yurina clutched her hot cheeks, still trembling at the marchioness¡¯s words. ¡°well, maybe you already have someone you love.¡± ¡°yes?¡± ¡°who could have known how greatly everything will spin.¡± seeing the marchioness shrug unnaturally and look away, yurina was convinced that her mother had already found out about her relationship with reynard. but instead of being offended by this, she was surprisingly pleased with it, so she just laughed. ¡°i know, right.¡± ¡°yes. oh, i have to prepare, but i took too much time. i wasn¡¯t here to talk about this.¡± marchioness looked at the half-open door and clapped her hands. one of her maids, who had been waiting outside her, entered her with a dark purple box. she opened the box in front of yurina. ¡°uh? this¡­¡± inside the box was a headdress with a rose flower, the symbol of the carthia family. until last year, this hat was worn by the marchioness whenever she went to an important event. yurina picked up the hair ornament and carefully brushed the rose ornament with her fingertips. ¡°this¡­¡± can i wear this? these words got stuck in her throat and didn¡¯t come out of her mouth. during this time, yurina received many gifts from her family, but the symbol of the family was on a completely different level. when yurina looked at the evening hat and hesitated, the marchioness took it out and carefully placed it on yurina¡¯s head. marchioness¡¯s hair was as blonde as yurina¡¯s. in view of this, the hat sewn for the marchioness fit yurina as well. ¡°now it¡¯s ready.¡± the marchioness looked into the mirror and smiled in satisfaction before gently kissing yurina on the cheek. ¡°it suits you much better than me. seeing this reminds me of when your mother was young.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°do you like it?¡± yurina put her hand on the cheek where the lips touched her and nodded. ¡°yes.¡± she murmured again as she looked at her smiling face in the mirror wearing a rose headdress. ¡°i really like it.¡± for the past seven years, yurina had experienced a strong sense of guilt whenever she had a serious conversation with the marchioness, like a mother would with her daughter. but this time everything turned out differently. instead of bitter guilt, yurina felt as if the passions in her heart had subsided. although she had already received a lot of affection from her, it seemed that right now she was truly recognized as a daughter. no, perhaps only now she recognized in the marchioness her real mother. * * * ¡°um, but doesn¡¯t yurina need to be with a partner?¡± edwin muttered angrily as he saw yurina trying to get into the carriage, accompanied by reynard. next to him, justin also silently nodded with a face no different from edwin¡¯s. yurina apologized to reynard and looked back at the two men. ¡°what kind of questions is it? everything is already decided without you.¡± ¡°maybe so. but seeing the two of you together¡­¡± edwin muttered as he looked at reynard standing behind yurina before elbowing justin in the side. ¡°it¡¯s just so weird.¡± ¡°yes, that¡¯s what i meant.¡± ¡°what is bad? just know that what your brothers are doing now may make you feel worse.¡± yurina clicked her tongue at their lines. then edwin and justin looked at riggs as if asking for help. riggs looked at yurina once and then at reynard. Chapter 93.2 he was a person who couldn¡¯t freely express his emotions through facial expressions, but strangely enough, yurina sensed that he, too, was unhappy with reynard, just like the twins. but instead of taking the twins¡¯ side, he took yurina¡¯s side. ¡°don¡¯t you know that going to your own debut hand in hand with your brother would be much more humiliating than coming there with the main character of the evening? raynard was a child who was more cared for by mother and father than anyone else. they are more like family than sponsors.¡± ¡°right. he looks more like a family member than a servant.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°also, even if there are a lot of people who are interested in blessed¡¯s story and skills, there are definitely people who didn¡¯t like him. it would be good to take their pride down by showing these people that carthia will stand up for raynard. there is no better way to do this than by assigning someone from our family to be her partner. but since the mother can¡¯t do it, we have no choice but yurina. you knos?¡± ¡°yes, but¡­¡± the twins looked at riggs and grunted in displeasure. they could understand it with their head, but they couldn¡¯t accept it with their hearts. ¡°so, this discussion is closed? riggs, thanks for explaining to them.¡± but instead of responding to yurina with mercy, riggs stared at reynard as he reached out to escort her. yurina tried to pretend not to notice riggs¡¯s expression and climbed into the carriage with reynard. since all the members of the carthia house were gathering for the party, a total of three carriages advanced. the marquis and the marchioness were in one, the three brothers sat in the other, and yurina and reynard used the third. all the way to the imperial palace, yurina stared out the window, silently fumbling for her hat, or fiddling with her dress. ¡°why are you so nervous?¡± yurina, who clasped her hands nervously, raised her head at the call. raynard leaned towards her with a worried face. in an instant, his face was right in front of her eyes. raynard stared at yurina¡¯s face so intently that she could feel his breath on her. quiet laughter echoed in the carriage. yurina, who was biting her lip anxiously before, laughed along with him. ¡°really. why? after all, you are the main character, and why am i nervous?¡± ¡°maybe because it¡¯s your first time at a big party? surprisingly, i didn¡¯t think you¡¯d panic.¡± raynard reached out, grabbed yurina¡¯s cold hand and brought it to his lips. ¡°your hands are cold.¡± ¡°i think it¡¯s because i¡¯m nervous.¡± he blew warm air on yurina¡¯s hand and warmed it up. yurina quietly watched him. as soon as his hand warmed up, he kissed it and raised the corner of his mouth. ¡°are you a bit better now?¡± ¡°yeah, i am.¡± yurina answered helplessly as she leaned her head against the side of the carriage and closed her eyes. raynard might have been confused right now, but yurina couldn¡¯t have the confidence to smile at him now. ¡®i¡¯m sorry¡¯. even though she had been so anxious since the morning, she still couldn¡¯t shake off this negative feeling. as yurina pondered this, she felt warm, soft hands gently clasping her numb palms. raising her head, she saw again reynard¡¯s face looking at her in concern. ¡°should we just go back now?¡± oddly enough, upon hearing his suggestion, yurina felt her pounding heart slow down a little. ¡°what are you talking about? what happens if the main character of the evening leaves?¡± ¡°i told you already. you are more important to me than anything else.¡± yurina quickly shook her head. ¡°don¡¯t be silly. i¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°then i¡¯m glad.¡± still not feeling relieved, he gently rubbed yurina¡¯s hand. ¡°i¡¯ll be there, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about. if anything happens, i¡¯ll take care of it.¡± yurina breathed a sigh of relief at those words. even if marquis de flon tries to harm her, reynard will probably stop everything and everyone. ¡°it¡¯s good that you are strong.¡± yurina pressed her cheek against the back of his hand and closed her eyes. she felt her stomach, which had been rumbling uneasy, settle down calmly. * * * the main character usually appears later than the others. yurina arrived for the evening when the party had already begun, so that all eyes would be on reynard. ¡°young lady carthia and sir reynard!¡± although he hadn¡¯t yet been officially titled, reynard¡¯s title was ¡®sir¡¯. already by this one can tell how much the emperor was interested in him. Chapter 94.1 ¡®it¡¯s all bad.¡¯ yurina was suddenly amused by her own thoughts. it was just a simple greeting. but she didn¡¯t even want to think what she would feel if reynard kissed the palm of chloe now, even her best friend. after talking about this and that, chloe went to other friends. after that, people who knew yurina, as well as curious people who were interested in reynard, gathered around. already feeling exhausted, yurina took reynard to a less crowded corner. then raynard said, fanning her: ¡°i¡¯ll bring you something to drink.¡± ¡°no need, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°i will be right back. wait a minute.¡± raynard brushed yurina¡¯s hair away from her face and behind her ear, and turned around. ¡°lady carthia?¡± yurina, who was watching reynard¡¯s back, reflexively put on a polite smile and turned around at the call behind her. ¡°i never thought that i would see you here today.¡± the person who spoke was an ordinary brown-haired, blue-eyed man. he seemed to be around yurina¡¯s age and was slightly shorter than reynard. in appearance, he was more of a scientist than a knight. with that, and the body was puny, compared to reynard. and his voice was also higher than reynard¡¯s. having gone so far in her thoughts, yurina suddenly burst out laughing as if she was disappointed in herself. ¡®i compare everyone to ray¡¯. if you think about it, from a certain point, yurina started comparing all the men in the empire to reynard. it must have been like this since the first time she saw him grow up in the crohn kingdom. perhaps it was when reynard settled in her mind as a man, and not just a friend. ¡°young lady?¡± hearing a new call, yurina came to her senses and extended her hand to him. the man bowed his head and kissed her hand nobly. unlike reynard¡¯s recent manner, his lips still touched the back of her hand. ¡°i haven¡¯t seen you for a long time, so i hardly recognized you. and yet, when i look closely, i see your childish face. you are still beautiful.¡± the man¡¯s eyes sparkled like a child¡¯s. he wasn¡¯t particularly handsome like reynard, but he did have a pretty sweet smile. i guess they¡¯ve known each other for a long time? yurina once again carefully looked into his face after such familiar words. he was a man whom she had never met before, but, oddly enough, his smiling eyes weren¡¯t unfamiliar to her. ¡®where did i see you?¡¯ yurina really wanted to ask such a question, but the etiquette of aristocrats didn¡¯t allow it. usually in this case, you need to pretend that you remember something, and then deftly slip out of the dialogue. but yurina, who was recalling her memories couldn¡¯t reply right away. as yurina¡¯s silence dragged on, the man seemed to scratch the back of his head hesitantly. ¡°i don¡¯t know if you remember, because that was a long time ago. i¡¯m rupert kinsell.¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± yurina couldn¡¯t remember his face, but she did remember that name. rupert kinsell. he was the second son of earl kinsell. as a child, yurina met him several times. ¡®so this is rupert kinsell?¡¯ yurina looked at the man¡¯s face again. when she found out who the man was, she could definitely see his old face. ¡°you have changed a lot compared to the past. i heard you applied to the academy, but you have already graduated.¡± ¡°i finished my studies this winter. and all this time i longed to see the young lady. i never thought that you would attend today¡¯s party because you haven¡¯t made your official debut yet, but it feels like i¡¯ve been given an unexpected gift.¡± the man¡¯s voice was filled with emotion. and he was smiling all the time, as if he wasn¡¯t going to hide his emotions. ¡®do you still like me?¡¯ the first time yurina met him was on her tenth birthday. for yurina, this was the first meeting, but in fact, those two had known each other in absentia before. this was due to the fact that count kinsell was a close friend of marquis carthia, and the families kept a strong bond. rupert¡¯s older brother was also close to riggs carthia. rupert, who came to celebrate yurina¡¯s birthday with the count and countess, became very shy and blushed as soon as he saw her. noticing this, yurina immediately knew what was what. if the real ten-year-old yurina was there, she might not have noticed, but inside her lived a 22-year-old senna. it was easy to read the child¡¯s heart, blushing up to the neck. perhaps count kinsell and his wife knew this too, and secretly pushed the shy rupert to yurina. with words that are fun to play with children. y although yurina was reluctant, she decided to spend time with rupert in order to match the rhythm. and after half an hour she regretted my decision. he was a year older than yurina and really looked like a child. he was a child at the age of eleven, but he was so innocent that he couldn¡¯t even look into the eyes of the girl he liked. no matter how hard yurina tried to smooth the atmosphere, he avoided her gaze whenever he said something and stuttered over every word. ¡®compared to this rupert, ray was fun to play with.¡¯ at that time, 11-year-old rupert and 12-year-old reynard were equally small children in yurina¡¯s eyes, but reynard was always more fun to talk to, because he quickly reacted to every word he said to her. but rupert was different. and after that, when rupert was supposed to reappear at the mansion, yurina hid in her room, fighting back with all sorts of excuses. then she learned that rupert had left for the academy. it was only natural that yurina would never meet him again. ¡®i really hated it back then.¡¯ maybe because he had secured some sort of life experience, or maybe because he was an adult now, yurina no longer harbored such distaste for him. Chapter 94.2 ¡°we haven¡¯t seen each other for five years?¡± ¡°yes, yes.¡± ¡°did you follow the count kinsell to study political science?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± however, after exchanging a couple of remarks with him, yurina reconsidered her conclusions. ¡®he¡¯s the same as then.¡¯ compared to the past, when he couldn¡¯t even speak properly due to embarrassment, now rupert looked at yurina more naturally and even responded to her. however, the interests and topics of the story continued to subtly diverge. even though it was a small thing, yurina felt some discomfort. something she would never feel with reynard. yurina wanted to interrupt this conversation, but rupert didn¡¯t think of going anywhere. ¡®why isn¡¯t ray coming?¡¯ yurina glanced in the direction where reynard had disappeared and found him walking with a glass. ¡°oh, there¡¯s my partner. it was nice to meet you today.¡± saying goodbye, yurina approached reynard. ¡°why so long?¡± ¡°i was looking for something without alcohol. this is harder to find here than i thought.¡± yurina really wanted to drink the green cocktail he handed over. the sweet aroma of melon reached her scent. as yurina sipped the cocktail, raynard smiled in satisfaction. ¡°is it delicious?¡± ¡°it¡¯s sweet. i like it.¡± ¡°i¡¯m glad. but who were you talking to?¡± raynard narrowed his eyes at rupert, who was still staring at yurina from behind. ¡°rupert kinsell. you probably don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°rupert?¡± ¡°but you¡¯ve heard of him before, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°oh, right.¡± yurina sighed. raynard grabbed her hand, as if urging her on, and pulled her aside. ¡°he was once in a mansion. right before you entered the academy. do you remember?¡± yurina laughed as if teasing him when she remembered this incident. ¡°you came here stealthily and secretly.¡± rupert once visited carthia¡¯s mansion when raynard was already settling in there. count kinsell brought him under the pretext of visiting marquis carthia, but yurina saw that the count had done it on purpose to set rupert up with her. at the time, reynard had somewhat adjusted to the mansion and wasn¡¯t intimidated by its guests. but at that moment, some wind brought him into the living room, where rupert and yurina were. he stated that he came to ask a question about spelling, but his trembling eyes told yurina that it was just an excuse. ¡°oh, that rupert kinsell,¡± reynard snapped, remembering the incident. then he muttered so quietly that only yurina could hear. ¡°i didn¡¯t like him back then.¡± he grabbed yurina¡¯s hands and squeezed them tightly. ¡®it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ raynard looked around at the men glaring at yurina and clenched his jaw tightly. some of them turned away in surprise when their eyes met, but some still didn¡¯t take their eyes off yurina, ignoring his silent warning. some even laughed at him when he held yurina¡¯s hand. you may have come today as her partner, since you have the patronage of house carthia, but don¡¯t think that a mere wizard can actually get her. even if he was given the title of knight in recognition of his abilities, there was a gigantic wall between them. ¡®even if you guys are like that, it¡¯s me who is by yurina¡¯s side right now.¡¯ when reynard raised one corner of his mouth with such feelings in mind, the man who had been laughing at him twisted his face. ¡®the only thing you have in your arsenal is a noble background. my pride is built on merit. his self-esteem was so high that it pierced the sky when the only thing he could boast was that he was born as an aristocrat. ¡°ray.¡± hearing yurina¡¯s friendly voice, raynard relaxed, looked at her and smiled. ¡°hm?¡± ¡°don¡¯t think about it. they are not worth your attention.¡± ¡®but how did you notice?¡¯ yurina read his mind as if she could see right through reynard¡¯s heart. at the same time, raynard felt how much she loved him, and his heart began to pound like crazy. ¡°i don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°now you are part of the carthia house, and no one will be able to look down on you. so don¡¯t be offended.¡± ¡°i understand. i¡¯m not a child.¡± ¡°than i¡¯m glad.¡± yurina looked at him and smiled. that eternally beautiful smile. it was natural for her to attract people¡¯s attention, because she was pretty and sweet. ¡®i would prefer that all this was seen only by me. but that¡¯s not possible.¡¯ reynard, feeling thirsty for some reason, licked his dry lips. ¡®i can¡¯t believe yurina would swap me for one of these. but i wouldn¡¯t want others to even look at her.¡¯ ¡®however, i can¡¯t pressure yurina or build barriers for her. yurina is only the most feminine and beautiful when she can do whatever she wants.¡¯ ¡®so, i have no choice but to conquer her entire world. so that there is no place left for other men here.¡¯ Chapter 95.1 yurina¡¯s three older brothers, who had circled the entire hall, returned to find for her. ¡°did you talk to your friend from the academy?¡± ¡°well, sort of.¡± ¡°looks like you had a lot of fun.¡± yurina let out a sarcastic expression as she looked at edwin, but suddenly noticed a fair-haired young lady in the distance and abruptly turned away. from the moment yurina entered the hall, the smile never left her face. but now it disappeared in an instant. ¡°yurina, what¡¯s wrong?¡± quickly noticing the change, raynard whispered in her ear, but yurina was in no mood to explain. her whole focus now lay on the girl with the platinum hair. ¡®lydia¡­ de flon?¡¯ yurina, in her youth, saw lydia¡¯s face, the main character of this novel, but only once and briefly. after that, she saw her from afar and in the carriage, and not face to face up close. however, given that platinum hair wasn¡¯t common in the empire, and especially rare among the nobility, who could be invited to the palace. it is very likely that it was lydia. in addition, a red-haired man was standing next to her. it was marquis de flon. ¡®but why are you here?¡¯ lydia was 17 years old, the same age as yurina. by her age and by the content of the original, she wasn¡¯t yet ready for her official debut. because of reynard, yurina was forced to debut a year early at 17, but lydia had no particular reason to. yurina frowned as she looked at lydia¡¯s profile from afar. perhaps feeling that gaze on her, lydia suddenly turned towards yurina. their eyes met. lydia, who found yurina, suddenly widened her eyes in surprise. and at that moment. lydia smiled broadly, narrowing her eyes. it was a childlike smile. it was as if she had met an old friend and was happy for him. ¡®are you looking at someone other than me?¡¯ lydia¡¯s reaction so strange. yurina looked around, but around her were only reynard and her three older brothers. there was no one in sight with whom lydia could be so delighted. yurina turned back to lydia and saw her staring at her. ¡°it¡¯s the first time i¡¯ve seen this young lady, do you know her?¡± edwin asked from behind yurina. ¡°no. and i see her for the first time.¡± ¡°oh yeah? she seems happy to meet you.¡± yurina asked edwin without taking her eyes off lydia. ¡°happy to meet me?¡± ¡°i think so. it doesn¡¯t seem possible for her to shine like that from justin or me.¡± edwin¡¯s answer made it clear. ¡®but why?¡¯ yurina only crossed paths with lydia once, seven years ago. in any case, yurina was talking to marquis de flon, and lydia only watched from the carriage that was standing nearby. luckily, yurina was wary of de flon and lydia¡¯s house even then, so she remembered that brief encounter in detail. but lydia wouldn¡¯t memorize such a small thing, would she? moreover, given the relationship between carthia and de flon, it would be understandable if lydia were hostile towards yurina. but what is this? yurina was confused. ¡°wait, who is she? isn¡¯t that marquis dephron over there?¡± justin muttered in a trembling voice. narrowing his eyes, edwin followed where his brother was looking. ¡°yes. so, then she is lydia de flon and she is pretending to know yurina?¡± ¡°looks like it. but why is she smiling so happily?¡± edwin snorted at justin¡¯s question. ¡°perhaps she has mistaken the person? i don¡¯t believe lydia is happy to meet yurina, whom she doesn¡¯t even know.¡± at that moment, lydia moved towards yurina. however, after only a few steps, she stopped and was distracted by another young girl. lydia smiled and spoke to the young lady. justin looked at it all and clicked his tongue. ¡°maybe she really thought something? yurina, if possible, don¡¯t mess with their house.¡± ¡°justin is right. even if lydia is pretending to be friendly, give them an appropriate response and keep a reasonable distance.¡± ¡°why?¡± even though she knew why the two older brothers were saying that, yurina still asked the question. because she wanted to hear the opinions of those two about the de flon family. she smiled innocently, as if she knew nothing. ¡°is it because of the tournament? but i was told that de flon house had nothing to do with it. and lydia looks harmless. there simply can¡¯t be evil in the heart of a person with such a smile on her lips. can¡¯t we just talk and work things out? become friends or keep a distance?¡± ¡°how are you going to survive in this world being so naive? if you judge a person by their appearance, you will get into big trouble in the future. besides, you¡¯re the only girl in our family. many people will wish to take advantage of it in the future. therefore, don¡¯t open your heart to them just because they smile at you.¡± edwin muttered as if wailing. ¡°in the end, we had to insist on our own. you should have debuted next year.¡± justin mumbled something unintelligible. they seemed to think yurina was a child who had thrown herself into the water. Chapter 95.2 ¡°you say there is a difference between 17 and 18? however, i will take note of what you two have said. by the way, why don¡¯t you get close to the young lady de flon yourself? she just made her debut in the world. and i haven¡¯t heard anything bad about her.¡± ¡°but this is the de flon house.¡± ¡°so what?¡± ¡°you know our families don¡¯t get along very well?¡± ¡°yeah, i know that. but why are you on so bad terms?¡± ¡°just because we¡¯ve bumped into each other for a long time in the past. our family from generation to generation held a sword in their hands, and the de flon family raised magicians. they say things are a little better now, but initially the relationship between knights and wizards wasn¡¯t very good.¡± only and everything? their areas of interest were completely different, and it doesn¡¯t look like the two groups were tripping over each other. but knights and wizards have long bared their teeth. the wizards say that the knight relies on the sword because of his stupidity, having nothing in his head, and the knights laugh at the wizards, they call them weaklings. however, from yurina¡¯s point of view, the feud between the two families didn¡¯t stem from that at all. ¡°and that¡¯s all?¡± ¡°that¡¯s not all.¡± edwin sighed and looked at riggs. ¡°is there another reason?¡± ¡°the behavior of marquis de flon is suspicious.¡± the answer was given to her by riggs, who silently listened to the whole story. ¡°and what is there suspicious?¡± and then riggs said something completely unexpected. ¡°i have heard rumors that marquis de flon has conspired with his highness the second prince.¡± ¡°second prince?¡± ¡°did you know that our father supports the crown prince? if marquis de flon bets on the second prince, there may be civil strife in the future.¡± ¡°i see.¡± yurina muttered something and clenched her fists. ¡®are you interested in the second prince instead of charrion?¡¯ she never thought about it. even if there was no connection between lydia and curtis until now, and the marquis had no intention of making yurina crown princess, relying on the second prince, such a move was completely unexpected. is it simply to take a different route from carthia, or is there more? while yurina was making all sorts of assumptions in her head, the ballroom suddenly became noisy. yurina tightly clenched her fists and turned to where the people were looking. a middle-aged man with dark hair strode across the hall, leaning on a cane. this cane, adorned with precious stones, was needed more for demonstration than for its intended purpose. next to him was a middle-aged woman in a dark emerald dress with the hem of her skirt puffed out like a blossoming flower. they were followed by curtis genosian, dressed in uniform, red-haired young man, presumably the second prince, and a blonde-haired girl. as the emperor and other members of the imperial family took their seats, everyone in the hall bowed in accordance with the etiquette. ¡°everyone get up.¡± the emperor¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t so loud, since he didn¡¯t resort to sound amplification magic. however, there was an unfathomable sense of depth and horror in that. crown prince curtis also had dignity beyond his age, but the emperor was definitely on a different level. yurina straightened her back, feeling her entire body tremble at those few simple words. glancing to the side, she saw that reynard was also a little nervous. ¡°don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°don¡¯t be nervous yourself.¡± ¡°i will be here.¡± that was the moment when raynard smiled and squeezed yurina¡¯s hand. ¡°sir reynard, please come forward.¡± the voice of the servant who used amplification magic echoed through the hall. ¡°well, i¡¯ll go.¡± he approached the podium with a calm face. everyone who belatedly discovered the color of his eyes suddenly started whispering. ¡°really, red eyes. i¡¯ve heard things, but to be like this¡­¡± ¡°is it true what they say, he is so good that he will be called a knight?¡± ¡°he graduated from the academy earlier then he have to. i heard that he found the culprit in what happened at the tournament. even the imperial mages had a hard time, but here it is¡­¡± ¡°they said it was black magic? but how did he figure it out? isn¡¯t it true that he is blessed by the goddess?¡± there were people who liked it and there were people who didn¡¯t like it. raynard had heard both admiration and humiliation many times before. ¡°but are those red eyes really a symbol of the blessing of the goddess? whatever one may say, it looks ominous. i think it would be more reasonable to call it the sign of the warlock.¡± ¡°imperial magicians couldn¡¯t find those involved, but it is strange that he was so famously found the culprit. maybe it was all just an invention of the marquis?¡± ¡°hush. be careful. be that as it may, it¡¯s better not to mention the carthia house.¡± yurina paid little attention to those conversations, and looked at reynard¡¯s back, which was moving further and further away. ¡®i knew not everyone would like it.¡¯ there are people who respect and appreciate outstanding characters. there will also be people who envy them. however, she didn¡¯t really worry before, because there are far more people who are kind to him than those who are not. however, yurina was a little worried that reynard will be offended by those random words. but she didn¡¯t see his face, and she didn¡¯t know what expression he was making. Chapter 96.1 raynard walked to the podium and got down on one knee in front of the emperor. the §åmperor slowly rose from his seat, picked up the ornate sword that the servant had given him, and placed it on ray¡¯s shoulder. ¡°will you swear allegiance to the empire and the imperial family?¡± the emperor¡¯s voice was so weighty and powerful that even hearing it not for the first time, raynard¡¯s heart began to pound faster. ¡°i swear.¡± ¡°i, johann alessandro genosian, honor you with the title of knight in recognition of your abilities and the merits you have rendered to the empire and the imperial family.¡± and then the emperor held out the ornamental sword to reynard. when raynard politely accepted the sword with both hands, the entire hall erupted in applause. he stood up from his seat, looked around at the people, smiled meekly, gave his sword to the servant, and walked over to yurina. now the real banquet began. ¡°lady carthia.¡± reynard, who had come close to yurina¡¯s nose, lightly bowed. ¡°will you give me the honor of dancing with the young lady today?¡± raynard held out his hand to her and spoke softly. and quickly added before yurina could reply. ¡°today, i¡¯ll really try not to step on your feet.¡± yurina took his hand and resolutely looked at his face. ¡°i¡¯ll believe you.¡± raynard led yurina by the hand and directed her towards the center of the hall. the people around them parted and stared at the two of them. yurina ignored the stares of others and struck a pose. starting with the melody of the violin, music in the palace magically sounded, incomparable to the piano of reynard. perhaps due to more practice, raynard began to guide yurina more gently than he had a few days ago. every time yurina moved, the hem of her skirt wrapped around reynard¡¯s legs and their gazes continued to meet. obviously, there were a lot of people in the palace, but yurina had the illusion that she was alone with him. as the two moved naturally, as if a stream was flowing, the song ended in the blink of an eye. ¡°look, you never stepped on me?¡± it was hard to believe that her dance partner was the same reynard. ¡°yes, that¡¯s right.¡± she was about to take a step back and disperse. ¡°yurina.¡± but reynard suddenly pulled her close to him. ¡°let¡¯s dance one more song.¡± ¡°why all of a sudden?¡± yurina asked, puzzled. a few days ago, raynard practiced a dance that was close to a mock sword fight, and later announced that he would only dance one song. ¡®it doesn¡¯t matter to me, but¡­¡¯ yurina wondered why he had suddenly changed his mind. ¡°if we split up now, the other men will ask you to dance too.¡± raynard looked around and frowned as if he didn¡¯t like it. yurina laughed. ¡°and what if i dance a little with the others? even when lovers come to the party, everyone dances with others. and anyway, i had to dance with my brothers.¡± ¡°i still can¡¯t. just imagine that you are holding hands with other men is terrifying.¡± yurina paused and imagined reynard dancing with another girl. ¡®well, that definitely not feels good.¡¯ the thought of him putting his hand on another woman¡¯s side and clinging to her seemed irritating. even knowing in advance that he doesn¡¯t have feelings for another, it¡¯s all the same. yurina had never even known that she could be jealous of even an imaginary person. ¡°besides, it seems that his highness the crown prince is also looking at you.¡± this time, reynard looked to his left. yurina, who turned her head after him, met curtis sitting on the podium and their eyes met. as if curtis had really been watching her all this time. curtis, who met yurina¡¯s eyes, cautiously got up from his seat. seeing this, raynard¡¯s hands were now full of strength. ¡°don¡¯t worry. even if they ask me to dance, i will refuse them all.¡± yurina added before reynard could answer. ¡°ah, but if it¡¯s the crown prince himself, it might be a bit difficult to refuse.¡± raynard smiled slyly. ¡°do you know what i will do in this case?¡± ¡°what?¡± at that moment, a violin melody sounded. it was a little faster than the old waltz. raynard put his hand on yurina¡¯s waist and struck a pose. ¡°you just need to keep dancing with me so they don¡¯t have time to ask for a dance. let¡¯s dance until this prince is out of sight.¡± yurina laughed, but still put her hand on his shoulder. ¡°okay, let it be as you said.¡± with a satisfied smile, raynard began to slowly guide yurina. * * * after dancing three songs in a row, the couple nevertheless left the center of the hall. then a certain woman suddenly approached yurina. yurina looked at her face and tensed up. ¡°nice to meet you. you are young lady carthia, aren¡¯t you? and next to you is sir reynard, who was knighted this time. i heard a lot of rumors.¡± lydia now smiled at her with a friendly face, not at all evil. the friendliness that yurina had previously seen from afar wasn¡¯t an illusion. however, unlike before, yurina was more worried about the name reynard coming out of her mouth than lydia¡¯s attitude. ¡®are you interested in ray?¡¯ as a child, yurina was extremely reluctant to let reynard meet lydia. it was because she was afraid that reynard would fall in love with her at first sight, just like in the original plot. Chapter 96.2 but now the original has been radically changed. raynard loved her so much that he valued yurina more than his own life. even if he sees lydia, his heart won¡¯t change in an instant. but even though she knew this, yurina shielded reynard from lydia with some hesitation. it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t trust him, it was that she didn¡¯t trust lydia de flon. ¡®what did you want from ray?¡¯ yurina still remembered the moment seven years ago, on reynard¡¯s thirteenth birthday. although the marquis showed hostility towards the carthia family, he also showed his affection to raynard. even knowing that he was patronized by another family, he tried to take him away with him. to be honest, yurina knew that marquis de flon would go after reynard one way or another. fortunately, so far there have been no intrigues on his part. ¡®maybe lydia is trying to impress ray with her sweet smile?¡¯ however, contrary to his fears, raynard didn¡¯t even look at lydia, but went straight to yurina and looked her in the face. ¡°yurina, what¡¯s wrong? what¡¯s going on?¡± yurina relaxed at his caring look and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°never mind.¡± then she smiled again and looked at lydia. what was surprising was that lydia was also looking at yurina all the time, not at reynard. ¡°oh sorry. didn¡¯t i introduce myself? i was afraid we wouldn¡¯t be able to meet until next year, but i¡¯m glad i met you here. i am lydia. from the house de flon.¡± lydia bowed and straightened her knees. her tone suggested that she had met an old friend. however, yurina, unable to take it for granted, carefully studied lydia¡¯s expression as she curtsied. ¡®if your target isn¡¯t rey, why the hell are you playing with me?¡¯ marquis de flon hated the carthia house. if she had been raised under such a person, lydia should also be hostile to the carthia family and yurina. and although the daughter didn¡¯t have to harbor the same hatred as her father, even if she didn¡¯t feel hostility, at least she wouldn¡¯t impose herself on a girl she didn¡¯t even know. ¡®what are you thinking?¡¯ could it be that she has other ulterior motives? did the marquis send lydia to meet yurina, to gather information that could be fatal to her family? however, lydia was so sincere right now, yurina even felt sorry for her suspicions. there were only two reasons for lydia¡¯s behavior: she really liked yurina, without a second thought. ¡®or maybe she¡¯s good enough at acting to be able to make a face like this.¡¯ yurina turned to the second one and laughed along with lydia. ¡°nice to meet you. i wouldn¡¯t have thought i¡¯d see you at the party today either.¡± ¡°all the preparations were done in the manor and i came up to the capital a few days ago, so maybe the rumors about my arrival didn¡¯t spread. anyway, did you know that this is not our first meeting?¡± ¡®how could you know that?¡¯ ¡®how well do you remember the day i met the marquis?¡¯ lydia grabbed yurina¡¯s arm, unaware of the her doubts. ¡°actually, i wanted to say hello to you that day, but i couldn¡¯t because my father wouldn¡¯t let me. i know it was bad. and from that day on, i was looking forward to our meeting, but the opportunity never came. if i lived in the capital, we would see each other at a tea party or at a birthday party.¡± no, even if lydia had been in the capital, none of this would have happened. because yurina wouldn¡¯t invite her. the previous yurina was like that. because the relationship between carthia and de flon wasn¡¯t very good. still, lydia was talking like someone who didn¡¯t know that fact. ¡®or are you pretending not to know?¡¯ if you intend to use yourself on the other side, you can use the other side as well. yurina squeezed lydia¡¯s hand in her own. ¡°be that as it may, on that day, my father also said that it would be great if the two of us became friends, because we are the same age. so he wanted us to be friends, what a pity. why did you stay at your territory all the time?? if you had been in the capital, he would have been able to meet him often.¡± ¡°ah, that¡­¡± lydia looked at yurina in embarrassment and hid her gaze. she turned away and began to roam the banquet hall with her eyes. ¡°looks like i asked a difficult question.¡± ¡°oh, it¡¯s not. but rather than explain, i¡¯ll just introduce you¡­ ah, there he is. kai, come here.¡± lydia beckoned to a certain man who was watching them from afar. lydia¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t very loud, but the man immediately noticed and approached her. ¡°i still wanted to introduce him to lady carthia and sir reynard. it would be fun if we became friends, and kai and reynard could get to know each other better.¡± ¡°it would be great. after all, ray has been at the academy all this time, and doesn¡¯t know anyone in the empire. if we make friends, i will too¡­¡± yurina couldn¡¯t continue and widened her eyes. although the distance was still quite great, he got close enough to make out his features. ¡°young lady?¡± but she no longer reacted to lydia, but only looked at that man. ¡®i¡¯ve seen that face before. if i remember correctly, this is the same guy with blond hair and purple eyes that i accidentally met on a hunting competition a month ago. very suspicious guy. who, at the same time, shed tears when i said that i had never seen him before.¡¯ ¡®so you¡¯re from the de flon family?¡¯ then it is understandable why he knew yurina carthia, and why he disappeared so suddenly, as if retreating. as someone from the de flon family, he probably didn¡¯t want to mess with carthia for nothing. but something was strange. yurina remembered purple eyes. as he approached, step by step, the anxiety within her grew more and more. when he finally appeared at lydia¡¯s side, she smiled as she handed yurina the glass he had brought. ¡°it¡¯s probably the first time i¡¯m introducing you to the young lady. this is a wizard sponsored by our family.¡± as if seeing yurina for the first time, the man calmly bowed to her. ¡°nice to meet you. my name is karion.¡± the moment the two eyes met, yurina covered her mouth with both hands against the sudden urge from inside her abdomen. the pair of eyes in front of her were as red as reynard¡¯s. Chapter 97.1 12. two blessed yurina briefly said goodbye to lydia and ran out of the hall as if she were running away. she didn¡¯t even think about the fact that this was rude, if done wrong, it could be taken as a weakness by de flon. her foggy mind was occupied by thoughts of getting out of her sight as soon as possible. raynard politely ended the conversation on yurina¡¯s behalf and hurried after her. yurina was walking away staggering and didn¡¯t notice the pursuit. upon arriving at the empty garden, her legs gave out. ¡°yurina!¡± luckily, before she fell, raynard grabbed her tightly and hugged her. yurina was breathing heavily, resting her head on his shoulder. she wasn¡¯t particularly sick, but her stomach was in a hurricane, as if from seasickness, and her head was throbbing, as if a woodpecker was pecking at her temple. ¡°yurina, why are you suddenly like this? where does it hurt? your face is pale.¡± reynard quickly looked up and down at yurina. these days, no major accidents have occurred because he corsets weren¡¯t tight, but he heard that in the past, many women fainted because they couldn¡¯t breathe properly because of corsets. in addition, yurina said that she hadn¡¯t eaten anything all day, so it wasn¡¯t surprising if she suddenly felt unwell. young couples were cooing from behind, so reynard quickly performed space-dividing magic. the surrounding landscape was still the same as before, but the sounds no longer reached them. the spring wind that had been rustling also disappeared. ¡°should i unfasten your corset?¡± he looked at yurina, who was breathing heavily, and tried to reach for the button on her back. but yurina grabbed his hand and pushed it away. ¡°i¡¯m okay. it¡¯s not because of the corset.¡± ¡°you haven¡¯t eaten well today. then you may feel dizzy all of a sudden. and even if you feel better for a while, it might be worth loosening your corset. don¡¯t worry, no one sees you.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not really like that.¡± yurina pushed his shoulders and fixed her eyes on him. red eyes that stand out even in the dark. how happy she was to find reynard with these eyes seven years ago behind the shabby orphanage. feeling of joy, confidence that she will stay alive. ¡®despite the hostility shown by marquis de flon, the only reason i was able to feel at ease was thanks to reynard, who was by my side.¡¯ there was never a single doubt that he wasn¡¯t karion. until yesterday, no, even when she danced with reynard, yurina naturally thought he was karion. there was no reason to doubt that. blond hair, good looks, age 12-13, and above all, red eyes that are hard to find anywhere else. all this said that he was karion. ¡®but what if ray isn¡¯t karion?¡¯ yurina closed her eyes tightly, replaying the original content of the novel in her head, especially all the evil intentions of marquis de flon. the accident of seven years ago, about which she had long forgotten, also returned to her mind. the sharp winter wind and white snowflakes hitting the face, the red fingers that throbbed whenever they moved as they cooled down, the blurry vision, the terrible pain, and the loneliness. ¡®i thought i was finally free from that terrible memory, but it felt like the shadow of death, which had disappeared for a moment, was strangling me. i have just seen a man who may be the real ¡®carion¡¯.¡¯ however, unlike her cold head, her body couldn¡¯t withstand such a blow. her legs buckled and her body fell without strength. startled, raynard grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°yurina, yurina!¡± yurina opened her closed eyes and stared hard at the red eyes approaching her. the very eyes she believed in were her hope and her salvation. ¡®or maybe not.¡¯ chances are slim, but it was possible to find another red-eyed boy. could it be that marquis de flon saw reynard and then turned the empire upside down and found a new child with red eyes? indeed, in the last 7 years, he was sticking out at a distance from the capital. so, it wasn¡¯t yet clear who was the real hero from the original, reynard or karion. the first thing to do was to check something. yurina raised a trembling hand and touched the corner of reynard¡¯s eye. raynard took her hand, his eyes still worried. ¡°your hands are cold. are you really okay?¡± yurina cleared her throat while watching his face warming her hands by blowing on them. however, her voice trembled slightly as she said. ¡°the person lydia introduced to me earlier. did he have red eyes?¡± in fact, yurina hoped that reynard would deny it. but he gave her an answer she didn¡¯t want. ¡°hm. would that person be blessed like me? until now, i thought i was the only one with red eyes. the next time we meet, i¡¯d like to talk to him.¡± it looks like he thought he was meeting with a comrade-in-arms. he must have been filled with solidarity, knowing how much such red eyes cost the other. if lydia de flon hadn¡¯t brought the man, or if his name wasn¡¯t ¡®karion¡¯, yurina would have been happy to protest reynard¡¯s words. but she still couldn¡¯t. yurina bit her lips as she looked at him, whose eyes were shining, just like the first time he tasted soft bread. ¡°is the man¡¯s name really karion?¡± he tilted his head for a moment at yurina¡¯s question, then nodded obediently. ¡°yes, that was his name. did you know? karion in ancient language means ¡®winner¡¯. did you know the ancient language?¡± perhaps that¡¯s how it was. according to the original, marquis de flon gave him a name to show his ambition. what was he thinking when he named karion? must have fallen into arrogance, convinced that he could finally rein in the carthia house and yurina personally? just like yurina thought when she found reynard. ¡®this alone is not enough.¡¯ while thinking about karion¡¯s setting, yurina struggled to open her mouth with her last hope. ¡°i will ask one more thing.¡± ¡°but why are you so worried?¡± ¡°it could be a very sensitive question.¡± unlike the serious yurina, reynard laughed lightly. ¡°i don¡¯t care what you say except that you don¡¯t like me.¡± is it really so? yurina swallowed her dry saliva, feeling her mouth dry up. ¡°did your mother run a brothel when you were little? did you go to an orphanage to escape your mother¡¯s abuse?¡± Chapter 97.2 in an instant, raynard¡¯s face, as he gently caressed yurina¡¯s cheek, visibly hardened. he took a step back from yurina and asked, ¡°¡­what?¡± ¡°did your mother raise you alone while she worked in a brothel? you don¡¯t know who your father is?¡± before yurina could finish her words, he let out a heavy sigh. he strained his eyes, examined yurina¡¯s expression, and tousled his hair roughly. his hair, which had been neatly brushed with oil, was tousled. ¡°what is that now¡­¡± his chest rose and fell rapidly as he found it difficult to control his emotions. if reynard wasn¡¯t karion, he wouldn¡¯t have reacted so violently. ¡®then is it possible that ray is the real karion?¡¯ yurina thought his reaction was anger at her for bringing up a past he wished he could forget, or for revealing a secret he didn¡¯t want to reveal. other than that, there was no other way to explain why his face turned red in an instant. in this case, for reynard, yurina was nothing less than rubbish on his wound. even though she had mentioned beforehand that it would be a delicate matter, this wasn¡¯t a strong excuse. ¡°ray, i¡¯m so sorry. i lied¡­¡± when yurina tried to get closer, reynard raised his hand to stop her. it was a clear rejection. he looked at yurina with a reddened face and turned away from her. then, with long strides, as if running away, he took a few steps forward. looking at his trembling back, yurina kept raising and lowering her hand, but in the end she couldn¡¯t get close. for a moment there was an awkward silence between them. reynard was the first to break the silence. he took a few deep breaths and opened his mouth, still turning away from yurina. ¡°why are you suddenly asking all this?¡± ¡°this¡­¡± yurina couldn¡¯t find the words to respond so easily. if she wanted to explain herself, she would have to tell him the whole story about her coming here. the story would begin by reading a fantasy novel that yurina couldn¡¯t even remember. and after the accident, she wakes up as yurina carthia. also the story of how she was doomed to die and found him to rewrite her fate. even thinking about it now, it was pure nonsense, so yurina couldn¡¯t understand how she was supposed to explain everything. no, that was just an excuse. yurina was simply afraid. she was terrified because she couldn¡¯t imagine how ray would react when he found out that she only took reynard out of her own selfishness. -you have no idea how happy i am to meet you- ¡®i¡¯m afraid i¡¯ll never see his smile again, which makes my heart beat faster¡¯. raynard opened his mouth again because she couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°from the moment you asked if this guy¡¯s real name was karion, something was strange¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. if you had misheard, you would have simply asked me, ¡®is his name karion?¡¯ but you were just whispering under your breath if he was the ¡®real karion¡¯. like¡­¡± raynard closed his mouth and swallowed nervously, again hiding his rising emotions, clenched his fists and turned around. ¡°as if you already knew who this karion was.¡± it was a sharp point. and this was also an indirect answer, that he wasn¡¯t karion. ¡°yurina.¡± there was a feeling in his voice calling out her name that yurina had never experienced before. even his face, approaching yurina, expressed complex emotions that couldn¡¯t be described in simple words. sadness, despair, suffering. however, the anger yurina feared was nowhere to be seen. raynard, who had come close to her, grabbed yurina¡¯s shoulder. ¡°my mother worked in a brothel? no. my parents were simple farmers. we grew vegetables, potatoes and carrots in the field near our house, sold them in the market and survived that way.¡± this has definitely been decided. ¡®ray is not karion.¡¯ her heart began to pound like a blacksmith¡¯s hammer. the plot, which she had hoped had been rewritten, was now reverting back to the original. and now lydia will contact curtis, and she will fall at the hands of karion? but at the same time, she wondered why reynard was suffering so much? if he¡¯s not karion, then why the hell does he hurt so much, like she has torn out all of his innermost secrets? a conflicting feeling arose in yurina¡¯s mind, she wanted to know this, but she was also afraid at the same time. as she instinctively avoided his gaze and tried to move away, raynard grabbed her cheek and met her gaze. ¡°before i left for the academy, you said you were looking for me. and you said it for a reason. you saw my talent and brought me to your place. you spoke in such a way that you supposedly knew that i would be waiting for you somewhere.¡± reynard¡¯s red eyes, without trembling, now turned to yurina. raynard leaned over and muttered softly, keeping his eyes on yurina. ¡°actually, i¡¯ve always been interested. were you looking for me, or were you looking for the ¡®blessed¡¯? however, since i was the only blessed, it didn¡¯t really matter. whether you were looking for tom or blessed, i was exactly what you needed.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°but now, when i see you like this, i keep getting strange thoughts.¡± the whisper began to rise slightly. he couldn¡¯t control his intense breathing and closed his eyes. when he opened them again, tears rolled down his cheeks. ¡°it wasn¡¯t me you were looking for, but perhaps it was karion, the guy you saw earlier.¡± Chapter 98.1 yurina couldn¡¯t say anything. as if every word he said turned into a spike and hit her in the throat. yurina bit her lips and hid her eyes. raynard lifted her face with a trembling hand to meet her gaze. ¡°the person you mentioned, whose mother worked in a brothel¡­ you are talking about karion, right?¡± yurina could neither confirm nor deny what was said. to deny it is a deceit, and if she confirmed it, she would feel that she had committed a great sin. however, reynard¡¯s face twisted as if he was about to cry, as if he had found the answer he was looking for in that silence. his hand holding yurina¡¯s cheek strengthened for a moment, but then he hurriedly removed it as if surprised by his own gesture. he clenched his fists so hard that the veins stood out on his arm and his knuckles turned white. then he covered his face with both hands. ¡°i couldn¡¯t even think¡­ all this time.¡± ¡°ray.¡± ¡°i thought everything, i¡¯m someone special for you¡­¡± ¡°ray, listen to me. i¡­¡± ¡°but you know what¡¯s worse?¡± he looked at yurina through his fingers. ¡°now listen to me and don¡¯t say anything. if you told me about everything yourself, it wouldn¡¯t be so bad.¡± he chuckled. his initially quiet laughter grew louder and louder. ¡°yurina, i wasn¡¯t the one you were looking for. so?¡± ¡°ray, i¡­¡± ¡°you didn¡¯t want me, but that karion.¡± no. it¡¯s not like that. yurina knew she should deny it, but her tongue didn¡¯t move. after all, everything he said was an indisputable fact. ¡°no.¡± raynard immediately grabbed yurina¡¯s arm. ¡°no? i made a mistake? what?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°please say it. please¡­¡± raynard threw away yurina¡¯s arms and fell helplessly to the ground, as if under yurina¡¯s continuous silence, a sand castle was collapsing. both of his hands hung desperately on yurina¡¯s dress. ¡°you said you were looking for me. you said you were glad we met. and now¡­¡± tears streamed down his cheeks and dripped onto his thighs as he knelt before her. ¡°you said you were waiting for me all this time.¡± at the age of 12, when he was hurt by mrs. lauren, he burst into tears in yurina¡¯s arms. he was in more pain now than then. from that day on, he never cried like that, only quietly poured out his emotions in silence. even if he cried when he was happy, he tried to control his emotions, hide them from others. now he didn¡¯t even seem to want to stop. ¡°why in the world is it that guy and not me, shy the hell¡­¡± yurina raised her head to the sky and closed her eyes. the existence of karion in this world has long been forgotten. at that moment, it wasn¡¯t karion that hung in front of her eyes, but reynard¡¯s crying face. it seemed that she had inflicted an indelible wound on him, before accidentally saying that she was happy to meet them. a wound that can¡¯t be compared to the one left to him by mrs. lauren. until now, she tried to protect him from all sorts of troubles, but it was yurina who left him the deepest scar. holding her breath, yurina crouched down and took reynard¡¯s hand, which was still hanging from her dress. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, ray. i¡¯m sorry.¡± raynard, who was still crying before then, hugged yurina tightly. he buried his wet face into yurina¡¯s neck. ¡°yurina, when you met me, you asked me to save you when you were in danger. is it all because of this? is that why you were looking for that karion?¡± when yurina nodded, and he asked in a trembling voice. ¡°do you still need that bastard?¡± it couldn¡¯t possibly be like that. yurina tried to get away, but reynard was unable to catch her reaction. ¡°i¡¯ve been learning magic all this time like a lunatic. oh, i graduated from the academy a year earlier. i can do better than him, right? i will be better. if not enough, i will work even harder. so don¡¯t leave. stay with me, huh?¡± yurina raised her hand and wrapped around his trembling body. he was big, but his body was now soft and vulnerable, like that of a 12-year-old child. ¡°i can protect you better than anyone else. i won¡¯t even ask why you wanted to find this karion. so stay with me. okay?¡± ¡°ray.¡± ¡°i can¡¯t live without you. so yurina. please¡­¡± ¡°i¡¯m not going anywhere. what are you talking about?¡± raynard raised his head and looked at yurina¡¯s expression. yurina gently rubbed the corners of his reddened eyes, wondering how to rell it to him without harming him in the future. ¡°it is true that i once looked for karion. but it doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± Chapter 98.2 the tremor in his body gradually subsided. yurina tightly gripped reynard¡¯s cheeks and met his gaze. however, his red eyes were full of concern, like those of an abandoned child. suddenly, the red blood on his lips caught yurina¡¯s attention. did he bite his lips hard out of nervousness? yurina wiped his lips, frowning at it as if she had taken a bitter pill. ¡°ray, i was very afraid of dying.¡± ¡°i know. but everyone is afraid to die.¡± ¡°no, you don¡¯t know. you never know how it feels when you die.¡± yurina firmly shook her head. just as she couldn¡¯t sympathize with his pain, and he couldn¡¯t fully understand her fear. ¡°i needed someone who could protect me, whoever it was. so i was looking for that karion. but i don¡¯t need him anymore.¡± yurina tried her best to smile. ¡°you are here.¡± raynard¡¯s eyes widened, and he bit his bloody lip again, barely holding back another sob. yurina was frightened and tightly grabbed his cheek. ¡°don¡¯t do that. you have blood.¡± he carefully opened his mouth and rubbed his lips with his thumb. yurina looked at his bitten red lips and gathered mana at her fingertips. a bright light streamed from her fingertips, and his chapped lips became clean. at the same time, yurina felt the last of her strength drain from her body. yurina took a deep breath, pretending to be as calm as possible. ¡®i can¡¯t even use this little magic properly.¡¯ while she pretended to be calm and covered herself with self-irony, raynard grabbed her hand, as if realizing her true state. light seeped out from where they touched, and mana seeped out from the fingertips. the body that had lost strength quickly revived. ¡°it¡¯s a small wound, but you don¡¯t have to do it. you¡¯re going to have a hard.¡± there was a strange joy in the worried voice. he was delighted with her attempt to treat him. ¡°yurina, can i ask you one thing?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°are you sorry you brought me that day instead of him?¡± this was the moment yurina wanted to ask herself. it is true that after meeting with karion, everything was jumbled in her mind. it was instinctive fear. the shadow of death fell over her life again. but, oddly enough, there was no regret that reynard wasn¡¯t the real karion. rather, seeing his pain, she felt sorry for him. ¡°no. i don¡¯t regret.¡± ¡°lie.¡± ¡°is¡¯t true. i¡¯m glad i met you that day.¡± yurina ran through her memories of the last seven years with reynard. those memories that she might not have been able to get if it was karion and not him. the man who was recently in front of her is karion. but it didn¡¯t matter anymore. the man with whom she still exchanged letters wasn¡¯t karion, but reynard, in past tom. ¡°even if i could go back in time¡­¡± ¡®even if i can¡¯t change my fate and die at the hands of karion, like in the novel.¡¯ ¡°i will choose you, ray.¡± ¡°is it so.¡± reynard lifted the corners of his mouth with difficulty. his cheeks were still damp from tears, but he was smiling happily. it was a very strange sight. as yurina looked at his emaciated face and wiped the tears from his cheeks, he pressed his cheek against her palm. ¡°that¡¯s enough.¡± he closed his eyes and muttered indistinctly. just like on a snowy winter day seven years ago. * * * even after that, raynard didn¡¯t think of letting yurina out of his embrace, because he wasn¡¯t relieved. even when yurina was in front of him, he was worried if she would just be a mirage that would disappear at any moment. yurina nevertheless freed herself, saying that her family could have lost her. ¡°that¡¯s better.¡± she wanted to heal his swollen red eyes as well, but she couldn¡¯t bear to use magic because she was afraid that reynard would hear what yurina said. as she was groping around his eyes with a sad heart, reynard, as if he had noticed her feelings, pressed his eyes with the palm of his hand and took them off. ¡°now is it okay?¡± as if he hadn¡¯t cried, his face cleared. yurina nodded, and he held out her hand toward her. ¡°let¡¯s go. the marquis will be worried.¡± ¡°yes.¡± yurina returned to the banquet accompanied by reynard, and stopped when she saw the one walking ahead. karion, who had found the two of them, hesitated for a moment, but then turned and walked towards them. raynard quickly hid yurina behind his back. ¡°is there a problem?¡± although he was respectful, there was clear hostility in his sharp voice. Chapter 99.1 karion stared into reynard¡¯s eyes, then turned his gaze to yurina. ¡°i was worried because your complexion didn¡¯t look good earlier. are you okay now?¡± ¡°everything is okay¡­¡± ¡°thank you for your concern, but the gentleman doesn¡¯t need to care. i¡¯ll take care of my partner, so why don¡¯t you go check on young lady de flon? perhaps he didn¡¯t even get the hint, so karion stubbornly continued to stare at yurina without even thinking of leaving. ¡°i would like to have a little talk with lady carthia.¡± ¡°you have nothing to talk about, so please, that¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not for the gentleman to decide, but for lady carthia.¡± ¡°my partner thinks so. is that right, yurina?¡± in reynard¡¯s opinion, it was right to reject karion¡¯s offer. but yurina couldn¡¯t refuse so quickly. there were many things she wanted to ask him, for now she knew that the suspicious man she met during the hunting competition was ¡®karion¡¯. ¡®did you say you saw me somewhere?¡¯ at the time she thought it was the most banal way in the world to meet a beautiful girl. when he used space separation magic to say he wanted to have a conversation with just the two of them, and ran away after hearing that she was yurina carthia, she obviously thought it was strange and told sir aaron to pursue her. however, if she thought it was the action of ¡®karion¡¯ of the de flon family, she couldn¡¯t just let it go. ¡®why did you even run away?¡¯ if the incitement of marquis de flon had fallen into fertile soil, and karion came upon her with the intention of taking her life, then there was no point in running away. there were only two of them, and in a separate space without anyone interfering. if he wanted to kill her, he would have done it a thousand times. ¡®in other words, you could have killed me back then.¡¯ her shoulders trembled at the thought of something she had never thought of before. it was strange that he was so surprised and ran away only after finding out that she was yurina carthia. but finally she was unsettled by the fact that her counterpart was karion, her killer from the original plot. why did he act like this towards yurina, who was nothing but a villainess in the original story? and what¡¯s more, why was he crying while looking at yurina? ¡®i don¡¯t understand why you want to keep talking even though you know i¡¯m from carthia house.¡¯ both lydia and karion, why were the two so eager to get close to her? just as a tangled ball of thread gets more tangled the more you try to unravel it, there were so many unanswered questions that the more she tried to find an answer, the more complicated her mind becames. as yurina¡¯s silence got longer, reynard¡¯s face stiffened slightly. ¡°yurina?¡± ¡°i¡¯m sorry, but like my partner said, i have no reason to talk to a gentleman. i want to spend time with my partner.¡± but now was not the time. she had a lot of questions, but she couldn¡¯t act hastily. it won¡¯t be too late to talk with reynard a little more, organize her thoughts, and then take action. ¡°but¡­¡± ¡°what kind of tone is it to impose on someone who doesn¡¯t want it? i hope you understand that the actions of a gentleman serve as the face of his entire family. we already demolished your rudeness once. if you don¡¯t want to make things worse, leave.¡± ¡°i apologize if i caused discomfort. however, my lady was very worried about you, because you disappeared in a hurry. do you have something to tell her?¡± ¡°lady?¡± ¡°lydia de flon¡­ my lady.¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± yurina remembered lydia, who was overly friendly, and then remembered both her hasty departure and her being on the verge of passing out. ¡°it was hot in the hall, so my head was spinning. i¡¯m fine now, can you tell her not to worry and thank her for worrying?¡± ¡°yes.¡± after these words, karion turned around and left. yurina calmly watched karion¡¯s retreating back. although karion immediately bowed, he kept looking back halfway. whenever their eyes met, yurina avoided his eyes. ¡®why is he doing this?¡¯ like lydia, is this all acting? showing interest in her, trying to get close to her. they do all this at the behest of the marquis. if so, then it makes no sense. however, yurina couldn¡¯t shake off the uneasy feeling. a scene flashed before her eyes of this guy crying next to her during the tournament. ¡°yurina.¡± raynard watched her silently all this time and suddenly grabbed her cheeks. yurina turned her head as he led her and met his red eyes. ¡°i¡¯m here.¡± ¡°huh?¡± when she frowned at his sudden remark, raynard leaned over and looked into her eyes. ¡°i¡¯m here, so who the hell are you looking at?¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± ¡°don¡¯t look elsewhere.¡± he growled like an angry cat. the hand holding her cheek was careful, as if he was afraid to hurt her, but his eyes burned with irritation. ¡°have you forgotten?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°only i can save you, but also kill you. so stay with me.¡± Chapter 99.2 it was obviously a threat, but to yurina, it was more like a pleading than a threat. and so it became clear that reynard carried through the years all his childhood complaints and requests. the anxiety was sad but cute at the same time, so yurina laughed. ¡°are you going to change tactics and threaten me instead of begging?¡± there was no reason to fear insincere threats. ¡°can you kill me?¡± he was unable to answer immediately. yurina¡¯s calm tone knocked him out of the saddle. yurina gently rubbed his cheek and started again. ¡°while it¡¯s true, you are the only one who can save me, and that i should be by your side, that too. but are you the only one who can kill me? do you think this is normal? you can¡¯t kill me.¡± raynard nodded obediently. ¡°but look at it this way. i¡¯m the only one in the world who can harm you. but i won¡¯t even think of laying a finger on you. and where else can you be safer than next to me?¡± ¡°well, obviously you let yourself touch me.¡± yurina patted his hand that was holding her waist. then his hand got stronger. ¡°i don¡¯t mean it. so, yurina, even if you are afraid of death, as long as you are by my side, you have nothing to worry about. you just need to be by my side, not by karion¡¯s. okay? from now on, don¡¯t even look at him.¡± ¡°do you know what i want to tell you?¡± yurina got up and wrapped her arms around his neck. ¡°it was me who brought you to my house. it¡¯s not me who should be by your side. but you have to be by my side. right?¡± yurina whispered softly and kissed him on the lips. raynard suddenly widened his eyes, as if in surprise. ¡°it¡¯s not the first time, so why are you surprised?¡± he let out a light sigh. hot breath escaped from parted lips. ¡°but i¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°just like me.¡± yurina pretended to be serious and frowned pointedly, and he sighed again. ¡°where did you learn to play like that?¡± ¡°that doesn¡¯t mean i¡¯m lying. i¡¯m really serious.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°so you don¡¯t like him?¡± ¡°no.¡± raynard hugged yurina tightly. his body was hot, as was his breath. ¡°i only like you.¡± * * * ¡°yurina!¡± as soon as they returned to the hall, one of the twins deftly pushed the crowd with his elbows and jumped out to her. yurina slowed down a bit at the sight. looking into the corners of the eyes, she quickly realized that it was edwin. ¡°where the hell have you gone? we¡¯ve lokked for you.¡± yurina smiled brightly when she saw the sweat on his forehead. ¡°sorry. but my head was spinning, so i went out to breathe.¡± ¡°so it¡¯s dizzy? you are pale. you don¡¯t like this place?¡± yurina shook her head, carefully deflecting edwin¡¯s hand that was touching her forehead as if checking her temperature. ¡°but it¡¯s all right. i breathed fresh air and feel much better.¡± ¡°and you¡¯re not lying?¡± ¡°i thought it would be great if my brothers, mother and father coming together. but this is my first big party, so i guess i was nervous. but what about the rest?¡± ¡°mother and father went to the break room, and riggs and justin are running around looking for the two of you. i stayed here to search this part of the hall.¡± ¡°but i¡¯m not a child, so why were you looking for me in such a sweat? i¡¯m not alone, i have ray.¡± yurina pointed this out on purpose. she knew that the affection of the three older brothers was excessive, but she had a premonition that her further relationship with raynard would be hampered if the three continued in the same way. however, edwin couldn¡¯t calm down despite yurina¡¯s grumbling. ¡°are you really okay?¡± ¡°like i said.¡± ¡°what were you talking about with lydia?¡± ¡°what?¡± yurina froze at the unexpected name. ¡°you were talking to lydia and suddenly went out. what the hell did she say to you?¡± while yurina hesitated, unable to find an excuse, edwin said. ¡°now marquis de flon has ruined the evening.¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± yurina guessed what he was talking about. ¡°blessed¡­ you mean?¡± karion no longer concealed his red eyes. it must be assumed that marquis de flon arrived this evening to announce publicly that he also raising the blessed. reynard, already rumored to be blessed, revealed the existence of another blessed at a party where he was ordained a knight. it was so obvious that they couldn¡¯t even laugh. ¡°you knew it too.¡± ¡°huh. i saw you with lady de flon earlier.¡± ¡°i still don¡¯t like it.¡± edwin whispered while clenching his teeth and frowned as he looked behind yurina. yurina followed his gaze, turned around, and found lydia smiling innocently. Chapter 100.1 ¡°lady carthia, are you okay?¡± lydia approached her with a worried face. karion was no longer in sight. yurina gently shook her head to ward off reynard, who was trying to block lydia¡¯s path. raynard, noticing this, sighed and stepped aside. ¡°i¡¯m sorry. it was rude, but i suddenly felt dizzy, so i left without even explaining myself.¡± yurina smiled as sweetly as she could, and lydia took yurina¡¯s hand. yurina intertwined her fingers with lydia in an intimate gesture, though still for no apparent reason. ¡°no. on the contrary, i am sorry that i didn¡¯t pay attention to the person who felt bad.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not like that, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°if not, did i make a mistake?¡± ¡°no, nothing like that.¡± at that moment, lydia breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°i¡¯m glad then.¡± she glanced at edwin and raynard standing next to yurina, then tilted her head and whispered into yurina¡¯s ear. ¡°actually, i didn¡¯t interact much with other young girls while living in the manor. if i make a mistake, please understand me.¡± she spoke as if she were telling a secret to a close friend. but now that yurina knew that there was karion in the camp de flon, she simply couldn¡¯t accept her favor. yurina took her hand away from lydia as naturally as possible. raynard bowed politely to lydia. ¡°don¡¯t take it as rudeness, but can i take my partner from you?¡± ¡°oh, i¡¯ve been pushing myself on someone who¡¯s not feeling well for too long.¡± lydia stepped back, adjusted her hair ornament, and smiled shyly. ¡°i hope to see you more often in the future. i will send a letter to carthia soon. is that okay?¡± there was no particular reason to refuse. ¡°sure. i will wait for your letter.¡± a whole avalanche of suddenness confused yurina¡¯s mind, and it took her a while to process everything. but it was necessary to develop their connection at least a little. since no one knows what marquis de flon is up to, it would be better to approach them cautiously and elicit answers than to blindly avoid their house. lydia lifted the hem of her dress to say goodbye, and then walked towards karion, who was approaching from afar. raynard looked at her back and grabbed yurina¡¯s hand. he quickly led her out of the hall so that yurina wouldn¡¯t see karion. * * * today reynard was uncharacteristically rough. when yurina couldn¡¯t handle his affection and tried to escape from his grasp, he tightly grabbed her waist and didn¡¯t let go. her body was so hot that the air on her cheeks felt cool. it was difficult to breathe. yurina gripped the pillow so tightly that her hands turned white and turned her head to the side. ¡°yurina.¡± raynard called out to her, biting her earlobe and sighing. ¡°look at me.¡± his words sounded more like a request than an order. ¡°look at me.¡± yurina opened her eyes and looked at him. beads of sweat hanging from reynard¡¯s chin fell on the back of yurina¡¯s head. perhaps because of her sensitive skin, the sensation of sweat dripping down her neck was terrifyingly intense. when yurina reached out, grabbed his neck and hugged him, raynard snuggled even closer to her. yurina kissed him, who was suffering from shortness of breath. ¡°i¡¯m here.¡± ¡°yurina.¡± ¡°i have always been here¡­ mm.¡± yurina threw back her head at his sudden pressure. as she dug her nails into his shoulder, a strangled groan escaped reynard¡¯s mouth. after a moment¡¯s hesitation, he grabbed yurina¡¯s thighs and began to move again. his affection and emotion showed up simultaneously in his every move. he transmitted his anxiety from body to body. ¡®don¡¯t worry so much.¡¯ yurina wanted to say those few words, but she couldn¡¯t because reynard was pushing her without a break. instead, she tightly hugged his hot neck in the hope that her sincere feelings would reach him at least that way. * * * yurina resisted the urge to wrap herself in a blanket and sleep. after their intense activity, the duration of which no one could even count, the energy in her entire body dried up, and yurina was so tired that she wanted to sleep right now. she opened her eyes with difficulty and buried her face in reynard¡¯s bare chest, who was holding her as an arm pillow. reynard combed her hair with the hand on which she had placed an arm pillow. ¡°ray.¡± ¡°huh?¡± yurina got closer and hugged him. ¡°i have a question.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°i wonder how you lived as a child.¡± reynard¡¯s hand froze. since she was in his arms, yurina couldn¡¯t see what his expression was now. is he puzzled or upset? or angry? yurina thought she knew him well, but this was the first time she had come across such a topic. however, she didn¡¯t even have the confidence to check it out herself, yurina pulled her arm out of the blanket and hugged him tightly. reynard¡¯s body, which was still hot, flinched. Chapter 100.2 ¡®come to think of it, i don¡¯t know anything about him.¡¯ yurina firmly believed that reynard was karion. after all, his imaginary backstory, as it turned out recently, belongs to someone else. then she literally knew nothing about how reynard lived before he met her. for some time there was no answer from him. ¡®i know it¡¯s hard to say.¡¯ he is not karion. his mother¡¯s abuse and client harassment were not his past. however, yurina vaguely guessed that his life was as turbulent as karion¡¯s. red eyes attracted unwanted attention. that alone was enough, but more than that, he lived in an orphanage, without a family. can life in such conditions and at the age of twelve be smooth? he must have lived a different life than karion, but the wounds he received were no less than that. ¡°why are you suddenly asking? you¡¯ve never before¡­¡± raynard, who broke the silence, closed his mouth again as if he couldn¡¯t control his emotions. yurina patiently waited. ¡°you¡¯ve never asked before.¡± after a while, his voice became calm, but yurina read the rebuke contained in it. however, she couldn¡¯t understand the essence of the reproach. is it because she asked him so late? or because she brought up an uncomfortable topic? yurina bit her lip, feeling that her chest was tight, and she barely answered. ¡°until now, there was no reason to ask.¡± because she firmly believed that reynard was karion, yurina thought she knew everything about him. she decided not to ask about his past. after all, it meant digging into his wounds. ¡°but why are you asking now?¡± ¡°i want to know everything about you.¡± reynard is not karion. so, what was his past like that hurt him so much? why was he trembling alone in this orphanage? this question might hurt reynard, but yurina wanted to find out just as much. she wanted to get a straight answer and cover his wounds again. ¡°but if you don¡¯t want to tell me, you don¡¯t have to. i don¡¯t like it, but there¡¯s no need to force yourself.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not that i don¡¯t want to.¡± reynard muttered softly as he fiddled with yurina¡¯s hair again. his voice sounded surprisingly relaxed, so yurina lifted her head and looked at his expression. ¡°i was just a little surprised by the sudden question that you¡¯ve never asked before. i thought you weren¡¯t that interested in me.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not that i wasn¡¯t interested.¡± ¡°really?¡± yurina got up and lay down on reynard¡¯s body like a blanket. ¡°i thought it would hurt you if i asked.¡± ¡°but besides you, no one else asked questions either. marquis, marchioness, master¡­¡± ¡°i told them not to ask.¡± ¡°but why?¡± ¡°like i said, i didn¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡± raynard laughed. he took a short pause and covered yurina¡¯s bare back with a blanket. ¡°the only thing you asked was my name. that¡¯s why it was so strange to me. is it true that they accept me just for patronage? and by the way¡­¡± ¡°by the way?¡± ¡°you told me then that i have very beautiful eyes.¡± ¡°hm, i don¡¯t remember anything like that.¡± ¡°what?¡± raynard tickled yurina¡¯s side under the covers. yurina screamed and then clapped him on the shoulder. he smiled amusedly and grabbed her by the waist with both hands. his lips touched yurina¡¯s. ¡°anyway, when i heard that, i realized that you weren¡¯t interested in me. i thought it was because there was no need to ask about me. except for the past, you asked me what i like and what i want to do. actually, it would have been better if i hadn¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°did you not want to talk?¡± ¡°no, i didn¡¯t know what to say other than that.¡± as soon as he said that, he shook his head, as if denying his own words. ¡°no. in fact, i think i was afraid that you would turn away from me after hearing what i said.¡± ¡°but why?¡± ¡°because¡­¡± he avoided yurina¡¯s gaze and bit his lip. yurina touched his lips to mean not to do it, and then when he kissed her, he smiled and opened his mouth again. ¡°i thought you would be afraid of me and run away. i always brought misfortune.¡± he spoke calmly, but just looking so calm made yurina¡¯s heart hurt even more. he seemed to be speechless because he had been tormented by someone else¡¯s contempt over and over again. how many times do you have to listen to that to be able to say it casually like that? although his wounds weren¡¯t physical, yurina gently rubbed his chest where his heart was. raynard looked at yurina, who was stroking his bare chest with a serious face, and whispered in a playful voice. ¡°are you flirting now?¡± ¡°uh?¡± ¡°your hands¡­¡± it was then that yurina realized that her actions were misleading him. ¡°oh, that¡¯s not what i meant¡­¡± ¡°i¡¯m fine, but if you continue, i think it won¡¯t end there¡­¡± yurina quickly covered her mouth with both hands. Chapter 101.1 ¡°there¡¯s nothing i can¡¯t say, really.¡± reynard smiled with his eyes, wondering what was so good about hearing the criticism. that laugh was hard, but instead of forcing herself to laugh, she felt like he really liked her, so yurina shook off her depressed mood and laughed along. reynard, who had kissed yurina¡¯s palm loudly, quietly asked, removing his hand. ¡°or should i do it one more time?¡± ¡°never.¡± yurina slapped him on the shoulder, then slid off his body and sat on the edge of the bed. she lowered her gaze, surveyed her reddish-marked skin, and picked up the dress she had left by the bed. as she hurriedly put it on, she felt reynard hug her tightly from behind. after tying the laces at the back of her dress, he carefully brushed away the hair that was trapped under the fabric. even without looking at his expression, yurina could tell that he was worried about something, because the hand that held her waist was full of strength. but instead of asking if everything was okay, she patted him on the outside of his arm and calmly began to wait for his story. raynard buried his face into yurina¡¯s neck, which was damp with sweat. at night, when everyone was sleeping, only the sound of his breathing could be heard in the room. ¡°yes, yurina.¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°¡­my mother died three days after giving birth to me.¡± just one sentence. but now, having only heard the first sentence of the story, yurina¡¯s heart was already shaken. ¡°my father loved my mother so much that he sat in front of her grave for several days. if aunt marie, next door, hadn¡¯t looked after me, i¡¯d be dead. aunt marie always wanted to have a baby, and this is how it turned out. you could say i grew up on aunt marie¡¯s milk.¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± ¡°my father, who came home at aunt marie¡¯s urging. but he came back a completely different person. he hated me. just because my mother died because of me.¡± it was a self-deprecating voice. yurina shook her head, noticing in his voice that he was still guilty of his mother¡¯s death. ¡°but it¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°i know. and aunt marie said the same. in addition to my mother, there were many others who also died in childbirth. however, i didn¡¯t feel comfortable¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­but think about it this way. my mother died in childbirth and my eyes were red. what did my father think when he saw me like this? yes, if i were in his place, i would also hate myself.¡± reynard asked to think about it, but yurina couldn¡¯t dare imagine what he must have been through. the child who brought the death of his mother. he probably grew up on such accusations. even though it wasn¡¯t his fault. yurina thought of the face of the 12-year-old boy who had been hurt by mrs. lauren, who had been pointing at his red eyes as unlucky, so he had damaged his own face. at the time, she thought he was in pain when people pointed him out. but that wasn¡¯t it. he was denied from his very existence. -everyone didn¡¯t pay attention to my birthday. before her eyes flashed the face of a little boy who cried at his own birthday party. yurina and the servants thought he was shy. but in his head there was only the thought that by his birth he had killed his own mother. ¡®that¡¯s why he cries every time we have a party.¡¯ yurina now knew why, even as he got older, he cried every time his friends threw him a birthday party. if he had been raised by a normal father, he wouldn¡¯t have faced this. rather, his father would have tried to give him twice as much love so that the little son wouldn¡¯t notice the absence of his mother and wouldn¡¯t blame himself. unfortunately, however, his father blamed his wife¡¯s death on his son. yurina¡¯s face flushed red and her vision was blurred. yurina pretended to touch her cheek so that reynard wouldn¡¯t notice and wiped the tears from her eyes as quietly as possible. ¡°however, i don¡¯t think my father hated me very much. if he really hated me, then he wouldn¡¯t give a damn and dumped me. still, my father never starved me or neglected me.¡± raynard spoke up to this point, stopped for a moment and muttered something soft, like talking to himself. ¡°he didn¡¯t love me¡­ but.¡± ¡°at first it wasn¡¯t easy. i was little, i went to kindergarten and cooked with my own hands. and then my father remarried. my stepmother bathed me, cut my hair hair grew back, and bought me new clothes when my clothes got smaller.¡± ¡°huh.¡± ¡°however, i couldn¡¯t call him a good father. he didn¡¯t beat me, but sometimes when he came drunk he threatened me and kept saying that my mother died because of me. i was so scared. when he woke up the next day, he always said that he was sorry and that he wouldn¡¯t drink anymore. but he drank again and it happened again. so i pretended to sleep under the covers whenever he came in late. i thought it would make him less angry.¡± yurina bit her lips hard enough to hold back the tears that were about to leak out again. abuse is not just hitting and neglecting. reynard¡¯s father didn¡¯t beat him or starve him, but he was obviously abusive. suddenly, the figure of reynard flashed before yurina¡¯s eyes, shivering and tormented under the covers. perhaps from a very young age, such a thin blanket was his only refuge. her heart broke at the thought of young tom shivering under the covers in the corner of the room, avoiding his father¡¯s shouts. ¡°however, he wasn¡¯t a very bad father. if the neighbors beat me or teased me, he would go and scold them. you don¡¯t know how supportive my father was every time that happened.¡± raynard, who was seriously continuing the conversation, suddenly laughed. it was a mock laugh, as if he had heard a joke that wasn¡¯t funny. ¡°isn¡¯t that funny? my father was always angry with me, saying that i have ominous eyes, but he told them: what is so special about red eyes? but why did he never tell me that everything was okay with me?¡± yurina couldn¡¯t say anything. your father couldn¡¯t bear to tell you, but he must have loved you. even if the words were cruel, in reality, he would have loved your eyes too. yurina couldn¡¯t bear to tell such an outrageous lie. those words only served to further pierce reynard¡¯s heart, which had already been hurt. Chapter 101.2 perhaps he didn¡¯t really want an answer, he shrugged his shoulders and muttered playfully. ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter. i don¡¯t care what everyone else says as long as you say you like my eyes.¡± ¡°where are your father and stepmother now?¡± ¡°nowhere.¡± ¡°don¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°not in that way.¡± having said this, reynard stopped for a moment and added: ¡°both are dead.¡± ¡°¡­¡± yurina turned around and was dumbfounded. not wanting to show his face, raynard buried his face into her neck as soon as their eyes met. yurina patted his back and then finally opened her lips. ¡°what¡¯s happened?¡± ¡°it was a carriage accident. they were hit by the carriage of some nobleman.¡± ¡°carriage accident?¡± ¡°yeah. father pushed me before i was hit, so i was fine with only a small scratch on my arm. but my father and stepmother¡­¡± yurina felt strangely dizzy listening to his words. of course, she had already seen a similar story somewhere. ¡®so, when i was younger than when i met you, maybe when i was 10 years old. in fact, i¡¯ve seen carriage accidents myself. so i understand why you were so scared that day.¡¯ could it be that the carriage accident she was talking about back then was the same as the one he was talking about now? but yurina couldn¡¯t bear to ask if it was his parents who died in that carriage accident. yurina asked as she turned her face as hard as she could without realizing it. ¡°how old were you then?¡± ¡°ten.¡± reynard smiled and gently rubbed yurina¡¯s cheek with his hand, perhaps realizing that yurina had noticed even though he said he wasn¡¯t showing off. ¡°you don¡¯t have to do that face. it was a long time ago, so i don¡¯t even remember.¡± lie. the words stuck in her throat like a stone. that day, lying on yurina¡¯s leg and confessing his past as if confessing, he told a completely different story. ¡°i still sometimes think about the past. yurina, if i had learned magic back then, would i have been able to save these people? sometimes i really regret it.¡± he suffered so much from the death of his family that he blamed himself for not saving them. raynard, who was studying yurina¡¯s distorted face, spoke in a nonchalant tone to soften the atmosphere a bit. ¡°after that, i lived in a shelter¡­¡± but yurina couldn¡¯t listen to him anymore. she gently put her arms around his head and wept. ¡°i¡¯m sorry.¡± she didn¡¯t even know what those apologies were for. she was just sorry. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, ray.¡± ¡°what are you sorry for?¡± reynard only wiped yurina¡¯s tear-stained cheeks with her reddened eyes. ¡°i¡¯m just sorry about everything.¡± yurina thought she healed the wounds of his youth to some extent. because of his red eyes, he was pointed at with a finger. yurina stayed by his side and was a friend. unlike everyone else, she thought she sympathized with his pain and shared her warmth. but that was conceit. all she did was those things. what the hell was she like, did she think she was a great person? even she started it all with selfishness. in fact, she did absolutely nothing. it is absurd to say that she will heal his wounds, because she didn¡¯t even look at them properly. ¡°i didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°what didn¡¯t you do?¡± raynard hugged yurina and lay down on the bed. ¡°the day i told you the story about the carriage, you convinced me that i wasn¡¯t to blame. that my father would be grateful just for the fact that i was there while he was dying. to be honest, sometimes i was tormented by the memories of my father¡¯s last moments. but after hearing you, it was fine. really.¡± however, yurina couldn¡¯t stop crying so he kept telling her that everything was okay until she calmed down. ¡°do you have a headache? my head hurts when i cry a lot.¡± raynard stroked yurina¡¯s back and tried to change the subject by looking into her reddened eyes. when he gently rubbed the area around her eyes with his thumb, the burning pain subsided. ¡°now it¡¯s your turn.¡± he whispered softly, wiping tears from her cheeks. ¡°i told you my story, now tell me yours.¡± he looked at yurina¡¯s expression and paused for a while before asking quietly. ¡°there¡¯s something you haven¡¯t told me either. yes?¡± Chapter 102.1 yurina looked at his complex looking face and closed her eyes. she wasn¡¯t surprised by his sudden question. she actually thought she would tell him all of her story since she asked him about his past. however, despite such determination, she couldn¡¯t open her lips easily. ¡®can i really tell you everything?¡¯ yurina had faith that reynard loved her and would be by her side no matter what, but she was a little skeptical about whether he would believe her true story. it was so absurd that it was hard to believe even with his love for her. no, it was natural not to believe it. what yurina was really worried about was something else. ¡®what if i¡¯ll disappoint you.¡¯ seven years ago, she was afraid of what she would look like when he learned that she had been looking for him, offered to support him, and tried to buy him favors by being deliberately nice to him, all because of her own selfishness. but she couldn¡¯t keep it a secret forever. and yurina continued to hesitate, knowing that it was a truth she would have to reveal someday. she didn¡¯t want to be hated by him. yurina never thought the day would come when she would have such thoughts, but she realized that her feelings for him was deeper than she thought. ¡°how the hell did you know about red eyes?¡± as yurina¡¯s silence continued, reynard pressed his body closer and asked. yurina took a deep breath through her nose and opened her eyes. the red eyes of her raynard were staring at her unwaveringly at her, containing her uneasiness. ¡®i wonder if ray felt the same way as me.¡¯ when he realized that the person she was looking for was karion, not him, he must have felt the same way. as he who cried like a child while holding yurina by the hem of her skirt. he wouldn¡¯t want to be hated by her, and he wouldn¡¯t have wanted to be abandoned either. perhaps it was similar to the feelings she felt now, but more desperate. he would be greatly shocked if yurina didn¡¯t tell him. according to his personality, he would rather scratch his wounds and hurt himself again, blaming himself rather than blaming her for not speaking up. he would blame himself for why he wasn¡¯t ¡®karion¡¯. even though it was absolutely not his fault, he was a man who could blame even that on himself. after thinking about that, yurina was finally able to make up her mind. ¡®i can¡¯t hurt you anymore.¡¯ even if all the people in the world pointed at him, she had already promised herself long ago that she would embrace his wounds. yurina took a deep breath through her nose and smiled. even if he doesn¡¯t believe all of this, she¡¯ll be honest. ¡®no, he¡¯ll believe it.¡¯ and his feelings for her won¡¯t change. yurina touched his cheek with both hands. reynard lowered his head, as if begging for more, and pressed his forehead to hers. when he put his hand down and rubbed her neck gently, she let out a small sigh as if she had relaxed. ¡°remember what i said before? the story i told you when i was very young.¡± ¡°what story?¡± ¡°about my dream. i said i actually saw the man that i was in love in my dreams.¡± reynard frowned slightly, then nodded. ¡°i remember. you mean the dream of being killed by the father of the woman who became his new lover?¡± ¡°how¡­ how do you remember that?¡± although she asked if he remembered, yurina didn¡¯t expect him to really remember. that¡¯s right, it¡¯s already been 7 years. it was a big shock to her to meet curtis, the main character of the original work, but it was a very trivial thing to reynard. he sincerely comforted her, saying that it was natural to be scared even if it was a dream that day, but as time passed, yurina assumed that he would have forgotten not only to hear the story, but also to have comforted her. reynard laughed lightly at yurina, who blinked her eyes wide open like a surprised rabbit, then kissed her on the tip of her nose. ¡°how can i forget? this is a serious story for you. stories that are important to you are important to me.¡± ¡°but it was a long time ago¡­¡± ¡°i remember everything from long ago.¡± does that mean that he has already valued her as much as yurina treated him with sincerity? she was vaguely feeling it, but she was honestly moved by his newfound heart. but now, there was no time to wallow in such emotions. ¡°so why are you talking about dreams all of a sudden?¡± yurina licked her lips with her tongue as she watched him silently wait for her answer. reynard¡¯s gaze moved to her lips for a moment before he gulped. was he nervous or did he have other dirty thoughts? either way, he looked cute, so she opened her lips a little lightheartedly. ¡°you may not believe what i¡¯m about to tell you.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll believe anything unless you say you hate me.¡± ¡°you can¡¯t say something like that.¡± yurina pressed her cheeks with her fingers with emotion. reynard buried his face in the nape of her neck as if he was trying to play her. yurina, feeling his lips pressed against her still sensitive neck, pulled her back and opened her mouth to speak. ¡°what i said then was actually not just a dream.¡± ¡°then?¡± as the hot breath touched the nape of her neck, she grabbed his shoulder and took a deep breath. ¡°i saw the future.¡± reynard raised his head and met her gaze. unable to look into his eyes, yurina turned her head away. ¡°look into my eyes and tell me.¡± yurina bit her lip once and turned her head back. ¡°the lover i was talking about back then was the crown prince.¡± before she could finish his sentence, reynard clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw stiffened. because she was so close to him, she could vividly hear the grinding of teeth. ¡°somehow, from the first time i saw him, i said i didn¡¯t like him. he¡­¡± yurina quickly covered his mouth with her hands. ¡°be careful. the opponent is his highness the crown prince. no matter how much soundproofing magic you use, you have to be careful.¡± Chapter 102.2 he wiggled his eyebrows in displeasure, but nodded his head obediently. he asked as soon as yurina removed her hands. ¡°so? if that man is the crown prince, who is that woman?¡± ¡°lydia de fron.¡± ¡°i think i saw her before, that¡­?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. a young lady with blonde hair and green eyes.¡± ¡°but she treaed you that well?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know why either.¡± yurina thought of lydia¡¯s bright face and shook her head to shake off the image. as if reynard was consoling her, he kissed her on the corner of the eye. ¡°so the person who killed you is marquis de flon, whom you saw?¡± yurina again shook her head lightly. ¡°no. it¡¯s not exactly marquis de flon.¡± ¡°then who?¡± ¡®can i say this name?¡¯ when yurina heard karion¡¯s name, she hesitated for a moment because she couldn¡¯t imagine reynard¡¯s reaction. however, she had no choice but to open her mouth to his actions as he stroked her hair as if to urge her. ¡°¡­it was karion.¡± his hand, which was twirling yurina¡¯s hair in his fingers, stopped. she heard the sound of reynard taking a deep breath. he didn¡¯t respond right away, only blinking his eyes and studied yurina¡¯s expression. yurina cautiously added her words. ¡°he must have thought that i would get in lydia¡¯s way. so marquis de flon ordered karion to kill me.¡± ¡°then¡­¡± his voice cracked =. reynard cleared his throat few times before asking again. ¡°then why did you think of me as karion, that bastard, and find me¡­¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t want to lose karion to marquis de flon. if marquis de flon takes karion, i might die again.¡± reynard¡¯s eyes trembled because of emotions. yurina covered her eyes with the backs of her hands to avoid his gaze. reynard gently removed yurina¡¯s hand, intertwined his fingers with hers, and pressed her hand to the top of her bed. ¡°so, you sponsored me because you were afraid that i would kill you?¡± yurina closed her eyes and nodded slowly. ¡°the only clue i knew about karion was that he had light blonde hair and red eyes and that he was away from home and living in an orphanage. so i went looking for an orphanage. red eyes are rare, so of course i thought you were karion.¡± ¡°then you were afraid that i would kill you every time you saw me?¡± this time she shook her head quickly. ¡°i¡¯ve never had any thoughts like that. i was scared when i met marquis de flon, but i never thought that you would harm me. really.¡± reynard, who had a nervous face, let out a sigh of relief over yurina¡¯s closed eyes. ¡°that¡¯s it.¡± yurina narrowed her eyes and examined his expression. unlike when she found out that the person yurina was looking for was actually karion, not herself, he didn¡¯t show a strong reaction. ¡°but how do you know the future? did you dream, no, just because you had a dream¡­ how did you know that it was really the future? even if the face of the marquis de flon or the crown prince you saw in your dream was the same, it would be a bit strange. you found me before then.¡± this is where the real story begins. yurina gripped her heart tightly with his fingers pressed against hers. ¡°don¡¯t be surprised no matter what you hear.¡± ¡°i won¡¯t.¡± yurina swallowed, feeling her mouth dry up. the story she wanted to tell from now on was a story on a different level from the story of simply seeing the future. even reynard, who believed her story of seeing her future, would have a hard time accepting the fact that she came from another word and that this is actually the world of the book she read. as yurina continued to hesitate, reynard smiled as if to reassure her. ¡°really. i won¡¯t be surprised.¡± however, after that, yurina looked at his expression and kept quiet. perhaps he realized her seriousness, reynard also silently waited for her words instead of urging her. after a long thought, yurina opened her mouth with difficulty. ¡°i¡¯m¡­ i¡¯m not from this world.¡± reynard¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. he didn¡¯t say anything, but for some reason, yurina felt as if he was asking what she was talking about, so she grabbed his hand, which was holding her own, without realizing it. ¡°the place where i lived was completely different from here. there is no king, no nobility, no magic.¡± fortunately, reynard didn¡¯t make a face like he was looking at a crazy person, even if he looked surprised. that alone made her feel relieved, and yurina continued her story calmly. ¡°instead of magic, technolody developed, so there was a means of transportation that was faster than a carriage, and there was no movement magic, but it was possible to move across the continent in half a day. from here to the capital of the crohn kingdom, it will take a few hours. no matter how far away you are, i could hear your voice, whenever you were at the academy, and furthermore, i could see your face.¡± there was still no answer from reynard, but yurina continued talking in silence. at first, she intended to tell a brief story. however, when she tried to tell him that she had died in an accident, negative emotions soared and choked her. watching her catch her breath, unable to speak, trying to control her emotions, reynard picked her up, seated her, and carefully fed her with water. yurina spoke calmly again after emptying the glass of cool water. ¡°there i got into an accident and died.¡± ¡°an accident?¡± ¡°yes. in terms of this woeld, i was hit by a carriage and died. it was a snowy winter night, and the person who caused the accident left me on the road and ran away. it was a deserted place, so by the time someone else found me, it was already too late¡­¡± ¡°stop, you can stop.¡± reynard hugged yurina¡¯s body. the nape of her neck, where his face touched, quickly became wet. Chapter 103.1 he was speechless for a moment. after sobbing in silence for several minutes, he rubbed his wet cheek against yurina¡¯s neck and finally uttered a word. ¡°sorry.¡± it was the same apology she made when yurina heard about his past. yurina understood that he was crying for her, but she couldn¡¯t figure out why he was apologizing. she apologized to reynard for a good reason. she said she¡¯d take care of him, so she brought him in. she felt sorry for her for not taking good care of him, but reynard had no reason to feel sorry for her. it all happened before she met him, and there was nothing he could do about it if he knew this beforehand. ¡°why are you sorry?¡± ¡°i couldn¡¯t be by your side, for giving it to me. it must have been very painful, i think.¡± he couldn¡¯t even control his emotions properly, so he couldn¡¯t speak properly because he was giggling. could it be that he discovered the image of his parents who died in a carriage accident in the appearance of yoon se-na, who said that she was unable to do anything except die in an accident where no one was there. yurina deliberately pretended to be more calm and whispered in a bright voice. ¡°it wasn¡¯t a situation where i could be by your side. but what are you sorry about?¡± ¡°i¡¯m sorry though.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t have to be sorry. it¡¯s already past.¡± yurina answered with a smile and felt that this conversation flowed the same way as when she had just heard his story. ¡®is it the same mind as me?¡¯ accept the pain of the other person more than your own pain and suffer together. she thought this was real love. yurina patted him on the shoulder, but reynard continued to tremble as if he couldn¡¯t calm down. after a while, he seemed to have calmed down a bit. he lifted her head, took a look at yurina, and then put her back on her bed. ¡°do you believe everything i say?¡± ¡°huh.¡± ¡°even if i just said something strange?¡± ¡°to be honest, i didn¡¯t know what this meant at first. but after hearing what you said, i understand everything that has been strange.¡± reynard¡¯s lips touched yurina¡¯s temple. at the same time, she felt angry and felt an intangible energy flowing through her body. yurina noticed at once that he had used healing magic. his lips touched the nape of her neck this time. the same warm feeling ran down the back of her neck. ¡°even when i first met you, you didn¡¯t look like a 10-year-old child, you seemed like a grown adult. at the time, i thought it was something else because you was an aristocrat, but after meeting aiden and other kids at the academy, i realized that not all aristocrats are like that.¡± ¡°huh.¡± ¡°besides, i always thought it was strange that you were overly afraid of dying. people are all afraid of dying. even now i am afraid of dying. but you¡­¡± he gritted his teeth and caught his breath as if his emotions were running high again, and he fumbled with his fingertips on yurina¡¯s bare skin, which was slightly exposed through the tight gown. it was a gentle, gentle touch, like touching a scar from an accident that doesn¡¯t even exist on her current body. ¡°it was like you was afraid of dying. i wondered what a 10-year-old child would be afraid of indefinite death. there are no such people around like you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°but when i saw the attack in crohn kingdom, i thought you always lived in danger. i didn¡¯t know it when i was young, but after i grew up to a certain extent, i realized that being born into an aristocratic family isn¡¯t always good. especially if you¡¯re at the level of carthia, you¡¯ll have a lot of enemies. of course, i¡¯m not saying that the marquis and the marchioness are bad. both of them are good people. but there might be people out there who don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°but that wasn¡¯t it.¡± he lowered his head, not even thinking to wipe the tears running down his cheeks. tears dripped onto his face, leaving marks. reynard kissed yurina¡¯s stomach with trembling lips. the feeling of anger unique to healing magic was felt, and the energy of mana filled with the whole body spread. on the spot where his hot breath touched, tears filled with even hotter feelings fell. ¡°so much¡­ ¡­ i think it must have hurt so much.¡± yurina lifted her head slightly and looked at him trembling above her, then carefully combed his hair. ¡°it¡¯s okay. it¡¯s already been 7 years. i¡¯m fine now. i don¡¯t remember anything.¡± it wasn¡¯t until after she had said something she didn¡¯t mean to appease him that she realized again that reynard¡¯s words about her being okay earlier had been a lie. he must have had the same feelings as her now. the tears of her beloved were worse than the wounds that had already festered and rotted in her own body. ¡°i¡¯m really fine.¡± actually she wasn¡¯t. still, if she could reassure him, she could have told him this white lie again and again. however, despite yurina¡¯s comfort, he continued to kiss her body and use healing magic. as if doing so would cleanse the wounds of the terrible accident seven years ago. * * * ¡°so you¡¯re saying that the future you saw is a story from a book you read in the place where you lived before?¡± reynard asked in a calm voice if he had calmed down before he knew it and gave yurina an arm pillow. he didn¡¯t cry anymore, but his whites were bloodshot red from crying so hard, and the corners of his eyes were red too. yurina wanted to treat his swollen eyes with her modest skills, but she couldn¡¯t because he grabbed her hand before she could even touch it. as if he was scolding a child, he stared into yurina¡¯s eyes and shook his head. the expression was so determined that instead of using her healing magic, yurina kissed his red eyes. reynard asked to do it once more, turning his head to show the other eye. yurina kissed him on his right eye as well. as if satisfied, reynard smiled with satisfaction and pressed his lips on yurina¡¯s eyelids for a long time. ¡°you died in an accident, but when you woke up, you were yurina carthia.¡± ¡°hm.¡± ¡°because of what you saw in the book, you were afraid that karion would kill you if you continued like this, so you went around the orphanage looking for karion before marquis de flon did. then, you mistook me for karion, who had blonde hair and red eyes, and brought me here. that¡¯s right?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°you mean you thoroughly avoided his highness the crown prince to avoid being chosen as the crown princess because you were still anxious?¡± yurina couldn¡¯t even speak properly because she was crying, but his summary was perfect. yurina lightly nodded her head. ¡°that¡¯s right. since i have karion, i thought everything would be fine as long as i didn¡¯t get involved with his highness the crown prince. because what marquis de flon wanted was for his daughter to become the crown princess. if he doesn¡¯t see me as a rival, he has no reason to kill me.¡± ¡°but then you found out that, just like the story in the novel you read, karion was sponsored by the marquis de flon family. is that why you were so surprised? you¡¯re afraid karion will kill you like he did in that novel.¡± ¡°right, but¡­¡± yurina looked at reynard¡¯s expression, blurring her words. ¡®why are you so calm?¡¯ Chapter 103.2 unlike the way he lost his composure when he first saw karion, now he only felt sorry for yurina, who had suffered terribly, but showed no other reaction. however, yurina felt that his excessively calm appearance was somewhat foreign to him. ¡°do you really believe everything?¡± ¡°i said i believe you.¡± he replied in a tone of asking why he asked such a thing again. however, yurina was still bewildered. ¡®is everything really okay?¡¯ he said he believed everything yurina said, which might sound absurd. but believing it and accepting it casually were two different things. at least, if you know that the world you live in is a world created by someone, and that is also a world in a book, you might be agitated. ¡°aren¡¯t you scared? i said i came from somewhere else and knew the future?¡± ¡°why are you afraid of that? because you knew that, you came to see me.¡± ¡°but¡­¡± yurina hugged his waist tightly and buried her face in his arms. she thought she had confided everything to him, but in fact she hadn¡¯t spoken the words she held most deeply in her heart. the heart that pricked every time she saw him smiling happily. ¡®can i tell you?¡¯ she thought for a moment that it would be okay if she pretended not to know, but she couldn¡¯t. in her nervousness, yurina groped for no reason on his muscular back before opening her mouth. ¡°i was trying to use you.¡± it was a guilt that had been sitting in his mind ever since she knew he had a heart and that he had given it to her. such guilt that she didn¡¯t deserve his pure affection for choosing to support him out of selfishness. even after knowing each other¡¯s hearts completely, there was anxiety that if he knew all this, he wouldn¡¯t love her purely like before. ¡°i brought you here and was good to you, it was all for my sake. but are you okay?¡± but raynard didn¡¯t show much agitation this time either. ¡°so what?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°in the first place, you said you weren¡¯t purely supporting me either. i do remember this? what you brought me into was a deal from the start. in exchange for you bringing me out of that hell, i agreed to protect you.¡± reynard hugged her tightly as if he would never let her go. ¡°and you said it once. it¡¯s okay if i don¡¯t keep my promise to protect you. would you have been able to find me if i ignored all that promise and stayed in crohn kingdom or made up my mind and went into hiding?¡± ¡°no.¡± sos?¡± he laughed lightly ¡°i came back to be used by you.¡± used. the meaning of the word was obviously not light, but he spoke lightly as if it was nothing. ¡°i love just being by your side, being used by you the way you wanted, but you even say you love me. is there anyone in the world as happy as me? but weren¡¯t you?¡± yurina shook her head while burying her face in his arms. ¡°i¡¯m very happy too.¡± ¡°that¡¯s it. right?¡± that one word mixed with laughter made her feel as if her breath had been cleared. she somehow felt relieved and confident that now she could truly and truly love him. yurina nodded vigorously, and reynard kissed her on the forehead. ¡°by the way, after hearing your story, the things you went through keep coming to my mind.¡± ¡°yes.¡± yurina remembered the hunting competition. ¡°in the novels i read, i definitely went through my coming-of-age ceremony safely. unlike in the novel, things can change because i went to see you, but why did that happen in the hunting competition? if you hadn¡¯t graduated early and never returned, no, if i had found the real karion, i would have died.¡± ¡°what?¡± reynard was the first to show agitation. ¡°the story has changed.¡± at first, she thought the story had changed since reynard had graduated early. however, now that she thinks about it, unlike the contents of the original story, it would have been possible because he was a different person from karion that he graduated early and returned. if yurina had brought karion instead of reynard, she might have died in this hunting competition. if so, who the heck did it? if yurina died that day, who would benefit the most from it? after thinking about it, the conclusion was the same. ¡°anyway, marquis de flon keeps getting stuck in my heart.¡± ¡°what are marquis de flon and karion planning?¡± yurina shook her head as she heard his voice filled with hostility. ¡°i don¡¯t know yet. however, if there is a real mastermind behind the count who was cited as the mastermind last time, it is highly likely that it is marquis de flon. in fact, i told my father after the hunting contest tolook after de flon. however, my brother and father have been researching for a while, but the family of marquis de flon said they couldn¡¯t find any connection with the count at that time.¡± so, yurina really wondered if de flon wasn¡¯t involved in this incident. until she met karion today. ¡°if karion had been there, we might have been able to contact him without leaving a trace.¡± reynard added seriously. ¡°or maybe he used black magic. even the royal mages didn¡¯t notice black magic.¡± yurina nodded slightly. Chapter 104.1 ¡°in any case, we should check everything over again.¡± in an instant, goosebumps ran through yurina¡¯s skin, as if a cold wind blew through her body. yurina shuddered and reynard wrapped her in a warm blanket. however, she was still cold, perhaps more from nerves than external factors. ¡°don¡¯t worry so much.¡± reynard whispered as he hugged her tightly onto the covers. ¡°i told you. i¡¯m the only one who can save you or kill you. no one can touch you. whatever they¡¯re up to, i won¡¯t let them.¡± apparently he said the same thing to her as he had said then. but now there seemed to be a hint of hope in his voice. it might have sounded creepy, but strangely, yurina¡¯s heart sank at his threats, so yurina smiled involuntarily. ¡°it¡¯s good.¡± it seemed that reynard really could save her from all danger. maybe it¡¯s because yurina shared the secret she¡¯s been struggling with for the past 7 years, but her head cleared up a bit. and then a new question arose in her mind. ¡°ray, the karion we saw earlier¡­¡± ¡°why is that child suddenly?¡± yurina gently stroked his cheek to calm him down. ¡°you don¡¯t have to react like that.¡± ¡°i know. but i hate the thought of you thinking of him.¡± ¡°please understand me this time. hm?¡± yurina closed her eyes and smiled. his expression softened a little. he gently stroked yurina¡¯s red eyes with his thumb. ¡°you know perfectly well that your smile is my weakness. and you use it like this?¡± ¡°no. i like you, so i smile. i smile just looking at you.¡± but as if he was still unhappy, he just grinned and got down to business: ¡°so what¡¯s up with karion?¡± ¡°do you remember his face?¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t.¡± seeing her say this so sternly, it must have been very shocking to know that the person yurina was looking for was karion, not himself. ¡°did you see that guy at the academy? if he entered the academy, he would enter the same year as you.¡± he shook his head without even thinking. ¡°nothing like this.¡± ¡°don¡¯t answer right away, think about it.¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡± this time he hesitated for about five seconds, but then he repeated again: ¡°no. i don¡¯t know why you¡¯re asking, but he¡¯s not from our academy.¡± ¡°really? didn¡¯t you see him?¡± ¡°as you know, the crohn royal academy is famous for not selecting people who are not good enough even if the quota is full. since the professors in the department of magic have very high expectations, the number of students per grade is very low because the number of students is particularly low. there are many overlapping classes over the course of 7 years, so regardless of grade level, everyone knows at least a face. if it¡¯s a classmate, there¡¯s no way you wouldn¡¯t know. i¡¯m sure. he¡¯s not the student of our academy.¡± ¡°that¡¯s how it is.¡± yurina held it out with a serious face. raynard asked, as if in pursuit. ¡°but why do you ask?¡± since there was no more reason to hide, yurina dutifully confessed. ¡°in the novel i read, karion was a student at crohn royal academy. in fact, that¡¯s why i sent you there.¡± she saw that his face was slightly contorted, and hastily added. ¡°oh, of course, i thought it would be better for you without it.¡± although everything was solved, yurina still felt guilty for sending young raynard alone to that distant land out of her selfishness. now it hurt even more to think that he didn¡¯t have to go there. after all, as it turned out, he is not karion. at that time, his tear-stained face flashed before her eyes, as did his cries of reluctance. as yurina rolled her eyes and turned away, raynard smiled and kissed her on the tip of her nose. ¡°it¡¯s all in the past. i don¡¯t care. and, as i told you, i listened to you and didn¡¯t run away. and as a result, studying at the academy was better for me.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yes. because that¡¯s where i met aiden and the others.¡± although aiden was annoying, deep down reynard thought of him as the best friend in the world. ¡°so, if karion was going to enter the academy, then what happened to him?¡± ¡°this is now the main question. why didn¡¯t marquis de flon send karion to the academy? no, why didn¡¯t he reveal karion¡¯s existence to the public? usually, when a nobleman patronizes a promising talent, he invariably boasts about it.¡± no matter how much she thought, it was strange. ¡®i remember he should have become famous even before entering the academy.¡¯ in the original work, it was later revealed that the red eyes were a symbol of the goddess, but karion¡¯s genius was already known. this is because marquis de flon threw a grand party and introduced karion to the people. yurina also remembered reading the episode in which lydia stepped forward and stood up after seeing envious people vilify his red eyes. and if you remember the reaction of the marquis when he saw reynard as the blessed, one would think that when he got karion, he should have made a fuss in high society. but what had gone into his head if the marquis had hidden karion from the crowd? ¡®could it be because of ray?¡¯ yurina believed that the change in content had something to do with reynard. marquis de flon also met ray, the new blessed, and that could change the whole story. but yurina immediately shook her head. ¡®it can¡¯t be just because of that.¡¯ there was no way he could hide karion¡¯s existence just because marquis de flon had met reynard. ¡°ray, suppose you discovered a new theory of magic that no one else knows about. so are you going to hide it and open it later, or will you open it as soon as you find it?¡± despite the suddenness of the question, he honestly answered: ¡°of course, i will open it right away.¡± ¡°is that right?¡± ¡°hm. all people are like that, but wizards are especially vain. we are obsessed with letting people know that we are better than others.¡± ¡°then why did marquis de flon hide the existence of karion?¡± the concepts of ¡®magic theory¡¯ and ¡®personal servant blessed¡¯ are slightly different, but still there was no obvious logic in the marquis¡¯s actions. marquis de flon considered the carthia family as an enemy. if so, shouldn¡¯t he reveal karion¡¯s existence, and show everyone that he¡¯s one step ahead of the enemy? Chapter 104.2 ¡®it¡¯s more suspicious that he didn¡¯t send karion to the academy.¡¯ while it is possible not to inform people of karion¡¯s very existence, it was surprising to turn down the academy, which is considered the best choice for wizards. yurina remembered the day when reynard and marquis de flon met on the street. the marquis laughed gleefully when he said that she had found the blessed one. ¡®wait a minute.¡¯ from there, something was already going wrong. at the time, yurina only had doubts about how he knew about blessed, but if you think about it, there were quite a few strange things. ¡®he tried to take ray, even though he knew he was under the patronage of house carthia.¡¯ this wasn¡¯t all that strange, given the marquis¡¯s hostility towards the carthia family. rather, yurina was afraid that he would try to take reynard at any cost. although karion attended crohn royal academy in the original work, yurina was desperate to hide reynard in the academy to prevent him from meeting the marquis and lydia. however, surprisingly, marquis de flon did nothing. he didn¡¯t even try to take him away, much less come to see him. ¡®but why?¡¯ yurina used to chalk it up to luck. now, everything seemed strange. if the marquis was ready to give up so easily, he should have left already when he found out that reynard was serving the carthia house. but what the hell had changed in marquis de flone in such a short time, during that conversation in the street, that he had decided to abandon reynard? yurina narrowed her eyes, replaying the vague memories in her mind. ¨C forgive me for the belated reply, because i didn¡¯t recognize you, marquis. as you have heard, i am reynard under the patronage of the carthia family. i appreciate your recognition of my abilities, but i am completely satisfied with my current position. ¨C reynard? ¨C quite right. ¨C reynard. yes, reynard¡­ at this very moment, the marquis abandoned his attempts to drag reynard into the camp de flon. was it because of ray¡¯s confident refusal? ¡®it can¡¯t be.¡¯ he wasn¡¯t a man who would give up so easily. after much thought, yurina remembered that marquis de flon reacted to reynard¡¯s name. ¨C what an interesting name. this is an ancient name which means ¡®hope¡¯. did you know? ¨C i didn¡¯t know i had been given such an undeserved honor. ¨C didn¡¯t your parents even explain to you what your name means? i think you might be a hereditary wizard if your parents named you in the ancient language. ¨C my parents were not wizards. and it wasn¡¯t them who gave me that name. ¨C then who gave you that name? when reynard pointed to yurina, marquis de flon looked at her with his creepy eyes. ¨C did the young lady learn the ancient language? i haven¡¯t heard that you¡¯re talented in magic. at that moment, yurina was suddenly struck by a realization. ¡°i guess he knew there was another blessed besides you.¡± there was no other reasons. marquis de flon, according to the idea of the novel, didn¡¯t accidentally find karion in the orphanage, but rather wandered around the shelters looking for karion, just like yurina. when she saw the original work, yurina thought that marquis de flon, who was wandering around the orphanage, accidentally discovered the talented karion and sponsored him. he believed that red eyes were the symbol of a goddess, and that all those with red eyes were gifted with magic, something that would later be revealed. however, when marquis de flon met yurina 7 years ago, he spoke as if he already knew about ¡®blessed¡¯. he looked like he was looking for ¡®blessed¡¯ as well. is it correct that such a person discovered karion by accident, or was it correct that he was looking for him deliberately? ¡®but how did you know karion was in an orphanage?¡¯ a skeptical question popped into her head. but there was no evidence to support it. their meeting with karion came to mind. as soon as he met her, karion cried, asking if they had met before, and approached her supposedly to say something. what the hell was he trying to say? ¡°ray, don¡¯t get me wrong, listen.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°i think we should see karion.¡± yurina quickly added before strange thoughts entered his mind. ¡°actually, i¡¯ve met karion before.¡± his arm wrapped around her waist tightened. ¡°when?¡± ¡°on the hunting competition. we bumped into each other for a moment while i went for a walk to get some fresh air. and he said something strange.¡± ¡°what do you mean?¡± ¡°he looked at me and asked if we had seen each other before.¡± raynard leaned closer and whispered: ¡°you don¡¯t have to listen.¡± ¡°but he saw me and cried. like seeing someone you really know.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i know you don¡¯t like it. but what came to my mind were the words he said then and the fact that he wanted to talk. if we want to investigate the marquis, i think we should talk to karion.¡± yurina gently stroked his tense back. ¡°i¡¯m not saying we¡¯re going to meet one on one. i also don¡¯t want to face karion alone. if you don¡¯t mind, let¡¯s go to him together. what do you think?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°do you remember what lydia de flon said? i think a letter will come soon. at that time, she insinuates that if you say that you want to be friends with karion, i think we can meet, how is it?¡± he didn¡¯t say anything for a long time, as if thinking about it, but he reluctantly nodded. ¡°okay. if it¡¯s for you, then so be it.¡± Chapter 105.1 a few days later, a gift came along with a letter to yurina. the caller, as expected, was lydia de flon. ¡®i¡¯m not very happy about all this.¡¯ yurina guessed that lydia would send a letter. but when she got it, she didn¡¯t want to know what was inside. yurina looked at the letter and gift box betsy placed on the table with a slight frown on her face as if she had seen something very strange. she guessed that lydia would send her letter, but when she received another paccage from her, she couldn¡¯t guess what she was thinking, and she was reluctant. when yurina looked at the letter as if she was listening to the speeches of the enemy, betsy, who was fussing around, suddenly asked in a serious tone: ¡°milady, what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°ah, nothing. i¡¯m just tired.¡± ¡°then, shall i prepare some refreshing tea to help you wake up?¡± ¡°no, everything is okay. no extra hassle needed.¡± ¡°but i don¡¯t mind. it¡¯s just one visit to the kitchen.¡± ¡°that¡¯s cumbersome. thank you for your words.¡± yurina, who smiled slightly at betsy, frowned again and tapped the table with her fingers. but she soon caught the edge of the letter with the tips of her index and thumb. seeing as if she was grabbing at least a foul-smelling mop after not washing for ten days, betsy put on an even more puzzled expression. whether betsy said it or not, yurina stretched out her hand as far as she could and checked the name written on the letter once again. [lydia de flon] the handwriting was neat, which corresponded to the elegant image of the daughter of the marquis. next was the seal of the de flon family with a painted lily on pink wax. outwardly, everything looked innocent, but in yurina¡¯s eyes, everything just became more suspicious because of that. while yurina was looking at lydia¡¯s name and the seal of the de flon family to see if there was anything suspicious, betsy held up a cup of steaming black tea with her left hand and placed it in front of yurina. it was a consideration that allowed her right-handed person, yurina, to hold the handle of her teacup with her right hand. in that little thing, betsy¡¯s consideration and skill were seen. frequently, maids who were clumsy at work unconsciously lifted a glass with their right hand, put it down, and moved the handle to the right belatedly. yurina smiled at betsy as a thank you and took a sip of black tea. as her refreshing fruity scent filled her mouth, she felt her complicated mind clearing up. ¡°betsy.¡± ¡°yes, milady.¡± ¡°could you get ray and dave over here? they¡¯re probably both in the lab right now.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll be right back!¡± yurina hid lydia¡¯s letter as far away as possible. ¡®no matter how you think about it, it¡¯s suspicious.¡¯ the letter and gift box looked nice, but since the sender was lydia de flon, she couldn¡¯t accept it as a pure favor. who knows, maybe black magic is hidden inside the envelope? it would be great to just throw it away if possible. but yurina couldn¡¯t act so recklessly. after all, she still needs to maintain contact with lydia in order to reach karion and through them to reveal the secret of marquis de flon. it was time for yurina to pretend to be at ease and empty her cup of tea. the mana in the room trembled, and reynard, dave, and betsy appeared out of nowhere. ¡°wow! is it space travel magic? i¡¯ve never before¡­ oh, so great!¡± betsy clapped her hands in excitement like a child. when she looked back at raynard, her face showed a sense of awe and pride, as if a parent were thrilled to see a well-bred child. although it wasn¡¯t a short walk from the lab to yurina¡¯s room, reynard didn¡¯t show any signs of exhaustion even after moving along with the other two. betsy, who was studying his face, then looked at dave, who was standing next to him, and seriously asked: ¡°by the way, why can¡¯t mr. dave use space travel magic?¡± ¡°i can do everything!¡± as if betsy¡¯s question seemed to have hurt his ego, he pushed up his glasses, which had fallen down on his nose, and barked at her. ¡°but before, at the academy, when milady was in danger, you said you couldn¡¯t move there, so you had to run on your own two feet. yes, and that was¡­¡± betsy wasn¡¯t in the habit of pointing out other people¡¯s shortcomings or weaknesses. perhaps she was only saying all this because yurina was in great danger. ¡°then everything was different! the coordinates were inaccurate! we moved from the lab to this place because we know the exact coordinates¡­¡± ¡°i said then that everything happened at the front door!¡± ¡°and i remember you said that your lady suddenly disappeared? the probability of teleporting with sir aaron and yurina in a short period of time is low, so i concluded that space travel magic was used on them. then the mana around them was distorted, and if movement magic was used incorrectly, serious problems could occur.¡± unconvinced, betsy looked at him suspiciously. ¡°if you don¡¯t do it right, you could have your limbs torn off.¡± betsy gasped and covered her mouth. ¡°uh, uh, how? why is that?¡± ¡°if the coordinates are wrong, the torso can move to one place, the arm to another, and the leg to a third¡­¡± betsy and dave in their own way, and dave in his own way, probably had feelings that had been piled up for years without speaking, and the two continued their trivial bickering. reynard laughed as if they were cute, like watching five-year-olds fighting while playing house. actually, yurina found him the funniest. ¡®how pampered betsy and dave are.¡¯ reynard thinks he¡¯s grown up, but he probably still looks like a kid to those two. ¡°by the way, why did you call me? betsy said you were looking for me and dave, so why i came here with magic.¡± yurina quickly took care of her expression, put down her glass, and pointed at the letter and gift box to him. ¡°could you check if there is some evil magic in there?¡± ¡°letter? but who sent it?¡± ¡°lydia de flon.¡± reynard, who was looking at the letter, crumpled his face. ¡°maybe we just burn it and that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°hmm, i¡¯d like to, but i¡¯ll have to check what it says¡­ no! you can¡¯t burn it!¡± yurina stood up from the unusual energy she felt from reynard¡¯s hand and reached out to him. raynard quickly drained the mana from his hand. ¡°it¡¯s ominous.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll check it out and burn it right away if it looks weird. is it okay?¡± he sighed in displeasure, but still gathered mana at his fingertips. the light that escaped from his fingers wrapped around the letter and gift box and disappeared in a green flash. ¡°i don¡¯t think there is anything wrong with it.¡± ¡°isn¡¯t there a curse with black magic?¡± so far, there has been no direct evidence that the black magic first discovered at the tournament is connected to de flon. however, yurina and reynard were still suspicious of the de flon family. fortunately, reynard shook his head. ¡°if there was something strange, i would feel it.¡± ¡°then can i open the letter?¡± ¡°hm. just in case, i think i¡¯d better check it out myself. is that okay?¡± ¡°huh.¡± as soon yurina gave him permission, he carefully ripped the seal off the letter. yurina was nervous for the next few moments, but nothing happened. reynard scanned the letter with his eyes and read it slowly. Chapter 105.2 [dear lady carthia. how are you doing? that time you didn¡¯t look very good, so i¡¯ve been worried since that day. actually, i wanted to send the letter the next day, but didn¡¯t know what to say. so i wrote and burned letters time after time, and now i¡¯m finally sending it. later i realized that the lady must have been embarrassed by my intrusiveness that day. i think it all happened because i wanted to be closer to lady carthia. like i said, i want to keep in touch with yurina in the future. i think it would be great if not only we, but also sir reynard and karion could become friends. after all, they are both blessed, can¡¯t they find common ground?] raynard read this far, raised his eyebrows and tensed. ¡°she¡¯s up to something.¡± ¡°i agree. there¡¯s no way it will work.¡± in fact, yurina thought for a moment that lydia¡¯s words might be sincere. but yurina immediately dismissed such a ridiculous thought when she saw reynard¡¯s eyes. when she patted his hand, reynard calmed down a bit and started reading the letter again. [so, i want to invite a young lady to our mansion this weekend. the roses in our garden are already in full bloom. and i want to drink tea there and talk. i know this offer is sudden. if you don¡¯t like it, feel free to refuse. in the meantime, i look forward to lady carthia¡¯s response. rose month 7th, 473 imperial year lydia de flon. p.s. what i send along with the letter are tea leaves and tea cups, which are the special products of our de flon estate. i hope the young lady likes it.] after reading the letter, raynard folded it in half and spoke calmly. ¡°don¡¯t go there.¡± however, yurina couldn¡¯t immediately agree with him. seeing her thoughts whirring, raynard pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. ¡°it is clear that lydia is up to something.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t believe her either, but i need to meet lydia and karion.¡± ¡°it¡¯s still ¡®no¡¯.¡± reynard flatly rejected this. yurina didn¡¯t want to go either. ¡®i don¡¯t have to step into the tiger¡¯s den stupidly with my feet.¡¯ then there is only one way out: ¡°instead of going myself, how about inviting lydia to our mansion?¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡± reynard said nothing about it. ¡°if lydia really invited me to marquis de flon¡¯s residence, wouldn¡¯t she somehow persuade me to come to de flon¡¯s mansion? i think the reaction will give you an idea of ??what they¡¯re really up to, or if they¡¯re doing it out of favor for me.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°it would be better if lydia came to our mansion. everything will be fine as long as you and dave are both here. and here we can talk to her.¡± there was still no answer from reynard. ¡®it¡¯s not an easy decision.¡¯ she seemed to know what reynard was thinking, so yurina decided not to rush him, but wait for him to speak. to be honest, even though she believed in raynard¡¯s powers, yurina was still a little nervous about inviting lydia to her mansion. however, just because she was worried, she couldn¡¯t easily put de flon and karion out of her mind. after a moment¡¯s reflection, reynard nodded. ¡°i really don¡¯t like this. but there¡¯s nothing i can do about it. i¡¯ll make sure i¡¯m well prepared.¡± ¡°thank you.¡± yurina, who smiled at him, quickly took out a letter and a pen from the drawer and began to write a reply. there was nothing special about that. she issued a formal greeting, as all nobles do, and then hinted that she, too, wanted to get to know lydia better. ¡°the whole capital is full of rumors that the roses in your house are beautiful. i appreciate the lady¡¯s invitation, but if lydia doesn¡¯t mind, i¡¯d like to invite you over. if you come, i¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have a good time together.¡± yurina held out the letter, written in elegant handwriting, to reynard as if it were being examined by a teacher. he read the letter from cover to cover and nodded reluctantly to her. ¡°it¡¯s better than going to marquis de flon¡¯s house yourself, but i don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be all right.¡± yurina folded the letter, sealed it with wax, and shrugged. ¡°if you are here, why should i be afraid? and if karion comes along, it¡¯s good that we can talk.¡± she smiled as she watched him purse his lips in displeasure. ¡°they told me it was a duckling, and there really is a duckling here.¡± yurina saw that dave and betsy were still talking passionately about teleportation, then she grabbed reynard¡¯s arm and hid behind a closet. making sure once again that the two weren¡¯t looking at them, she suddenly kissed reynard cheekily. raynard, who was unhappy with the mention of karion, quickly shook off his stern expression as if nothing had happened. after kissing him again, yurina went to the chest of drawers and took out the perfume out of habit. ¡°what are you doing?¡± reynard asked, following her. ¡°putting some perfume on the letter.¡± holding the letter in one hand and aiming at the perfume with the other, he reached out from behind her back and grabbed yurina¡¯s hand hastily. when yurina looked behind her with her puzzled face, reynard shook his head slowly. ¡°why not?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not that you can¡¯t, but¡­¡± he muttered something, as if hesitating. ¡°i just hate it.¡± what do you hate? spraying perfume on letters is what all high society girls do. she looked at her perfume and reynard¡¯s face alternately a couple of times while wondering, and suddenly a thought flashed through yurina¡¯s mind. ¡°do you hate it when i put perfume on other people¡¯s letters?¡± raynard didn¡¯t answer, but yurina quickly realized his silence was an affirmative answer. ¡°even if it¡¯s for a woman, not a man?¡± ¡°i still hate it.¡± what the hell was this? even his ears turned red. yurina suppressed her chuckle and sprayed perfume on the nape of his neck instead of her letter. ¡°you smell good.¡± as yurina breathed in through her nose and whispered, raynard took hold of yurina¡¯s hand holding the perfume. instead of spraying yurina with perfume, he rubbed the back of her hand on the nape of her neck where yurina sprayed her perfume. then he lifted the corner of his mouth and smiled. ¡°you smell like me.¡± yurina sighed, pressed his shoulder once, and called betsy as she walked out from behind the closet. betsy, who nodded with a half-convincing look at dave¡¯s words, sprinted over. ¡°do you have anything to do?¡± ¡°can you pass this on to the messenger?¡± bessie quickly left the room after receiving the letter yurina gave her. that evening, yurina got a direct reply from lydia de flon. the reply was that he would gladly accept the invitation. Chapter 106.1 that morning when lydia de flon decided to visit the mansion. reynard, who had been stuck in dave¡¯s lab lab for several days and didn¡¯t even show his nose out, came to yurina with pockets full of interesting things. he kissed yurina¡¯s cheek once as he greeted him and started laying out all kinds of accessories. more specifically, there were magical artifacts disguised as accessories. ¡°do you remember this? it¡¯s the same necklace. you can use it the same way as last time.¡± raynard carefully placed the red-pendant necklace around her neck. betsy, who was preparing a light snack at the time, responded: ¡°isn¡¯t this the same necklace the lady was wearing during the hunting competition?¡± she suddenly burst into tears as she looked at yurina¡¯s neck where the pendant was dangling. even just remembering the events of that day, her emotions seemed to fluctuate. betsy blushed as she glanced at yurina and reynard, then tapped her eyes with her sleeve and headed to find a dress to match the necklace. raynard silently looked at betsy¡¯s back, then pulled out a red gem bracelet from his pocket and waved it in front of yurina¡¯s eyes. it was the location tracking artifact that he had filled in for yurina while he was looking for a handkerchief that he didn¡¯t even know where it was before the hunting competition started last time. even after the hunting competition, yurina kept it, and on the day lydia sent a letter accepting the invitation, he took the bracelet back from yurina. yurina now watched with a slightly embarrassed face as he opened that bracelet. raynard asked for her hand, but she hid both behind her back and threw him: ¡°are you continuing your weirdness?¡± last time, she agreed because there was a good reason to wear a tracking bracelet, even if she didn¡¯t want to. now there is no particular reason for that. they will be in the garden all the time, and there is no reason to track her. however, raynard approached yurina with an innocent expression on his face, as if he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, and gently grabbed her hand from behind her back. ¡°i said it wasn¡¯t weird.¡± he smiled softly at yurina and gently rubbed the inside of her wrist with his thumb. the place where his fingers brushed became hot. ¡°there is a reason for this.¡± ¡°what reason?¡± ¡°this is not just a tracking artifact, but it contains new abilities.¡± ¡°and what abilities did you add to give it to me, even though we are in the same mansion?¡± ¡°space-travel magic.¡± ¡°really? is it possible?¡± yurina¡¯s eyes narrowed in surprise and a bit of doubt. then he showed her the bracelet he himself wore on his wrist. ¡°it¡¯s not just space-travel magic, it¡¯s magic that allows you to move to where i am. the location shouldn¡¯t be too far, but being in the same mansion should be enough. however, it requires slightly more mana than the necklace, so you can become completely exhausted.¡± so he added that it should be used with caution. as yurina nodded to indicate that she understood, raynard put the bracelet on her wrist. regardless, he looked at yurina¡¯s white hand without saying a word, and then kissed the back of it briefly. then a satisfied smile appeared on his lips. ¡®would it be good like that?¡¯ yurina shook her head as she watched him kiss her wrist this time. he always cared for her and looked at her with eyes that seemed to ooze honey, and he was impatient to see if she could repay this great love. ¡°and this¡­¡± raynard, who had been calm before putting on the tracking bracelet, seemed to hesitate as he fumbled in his pocket. yurina raised her eyebrow at his behavior, which was like a mischievous child. ¡°what are you so hesitant about? something more than spying on me? something weird?¡± ¡°no. and it¡¯s not weird at all¡­¡± it seemed that he didn¡¯t know that the way he looked away and blurted out his words was very strange. yurina continued to look at him with her suspicious eyes, then moved closer and tried to look into his pocket. but before that, reynard raised his hands high into the air, so she couldn¡¯t check the contents. she stretched out her hands on tiptoe, but her hands couldn¡¯t reach because of the fundamental height difference. grabbing reynard¡¯s arm with one hand and extending the other arm as far as it could go, reynard ironically did the same tiptoe when her fingertips reached the pocket. the pocket that she had barely reached was farther away again. ¡°what¡¯s this?¡± despite repeated persuasion, he kept his mouth shut. yurina reluctantly let go of his hand and stepped back. ¡°if you don¡¯t want to talk, then you don¡¯t have to. if you¡¯re not going to give it to me, i won¡¯t insist. in that case, i need to go and get ready¡­¡± ¡°wait, wait, yurina.¡± he hurriedly took yurina¡¯s hand. however, he still hesitated. ¡°i really need to go. i have no time.¡± after yurina spoke firmly, unable to take it anymore, he swallowed nervously and pulled out what was in his pocket. it was a simple ring without patterns or ornaments. however, there was a small red stone in the center that was similar to the others on the necklace and bracelet he had given her. it wasn¡¯t a necklace or bracelet, but a ring. and the meaning of this ring was completely different than that of other jewelry. yurina crossed her arms over her chest and turned serious. ¡°what is this ring all of a sudden?¡± ¡°just don¡¯t get me wrong¡­¡± ¡°it¡¯s not that i find it strange, but it¡¯s a bit sudden.¡± ¡°this is also an artifact. an artifact that detects poison or magical energy.¡± he held a ring in one hand and yurina¡¯s right hand in the other. ¡°you may not have gone to the de flon mansion, but you don¡¯t know what lydia is capable of. she can poison your tea in a second or slip you something damned.¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°if i¡¯m around, i could sense it right away. but it¡¯ll be just you and betsy. and i can¡¯t meddle in your girls¡¯ affairs.¡± ¡°but why is it a ring?¡± as in korea, the meaning of the ring here was different. considering that in korea, couples exchange couple rings or wear rings as simple accessories a lot, the weight of rings here was heavier. the ring given by reason had a special meaning. even between lovers and fiancees, even if other accessories were given as gifts, rings were usually given at the time of marriage proposal. reynard said it was just an artifact and didn¡¯t really matter. even yurina gave this ring a special meaning. however, the latter was a little afraid of the reaction of people who will see when she comes out in this case. ¡®especially brothers.¡¯ they were unhappy only because reynard accompanied yurina to the party. if they find out about the ring¡­ ¡®i don¡¯t even want to imagine it.¡¯ Chapter 106.2 at times like this, she felt sorry for having a younger brother and an idiot older brother. as her family, she sincerely loved and cared for edwin and justin, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel that their excessive affection was burdensome. ¡°i thought it would be better to wear such an artifact on the hand so you can quickly check things. it is rather strange to bring tea to your neck or ears, isn¡¯t it? and the wrist is a little uncomfortable. when i thought about it, i settled on the ring.¡± ¡°um, yes, but this¡­¡± when yurina showed hesitation, he quickly added. ¡°i will cast invisibility magic on it. then only you and i will see it. what do you think?¡± ¡°so it will be really invisible? even for dave?¡± ¡°anyway, because there are traces of mana left, master might notice that your hand is enchanted. he won¡¯t be able to see it, though, unless he casts a nullification spell. you know that i am the one who put the magic on your hand, so he won¡¯t bother using nullification magic, but isn¡¯t that fine?¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡± despite his calm explanation, yurina hesitated, but immediately held out her right hand to raynard. then she noticed that he was trying to put the ring on her ring finger, and quickly closed her fingers. it was a movement close to instinct. the only ring worn on the ring finger was an engagement ring. no matter how inconspicuous it was to others, yurina didn¡¯t dare to wear the ring on her ring finger. ¡®it¡¯s not that i don¡¯t like it¡­¡¯ to be honest, yurina could have agreed without hesitation even if reynard proposed to her right now. there was no other man in her life but reynard. if she didn¡¯t get married him, she couldn¡¯t imagine herself marrying someone else. but she didn¡¯t want to wear that ring on her ring finger for no reason. raynard looked into her eyes with a disappointed look. yurina felt sorry for him at the sight of a wounded animal. thinking about how to console him, she playfully waved her ring finger. ¡°i don¡¯t know if you know this, but you can only wear a ring on your ring finger when you propose. are you proposing marriage to me?¡± his eyes, filled with disappointment, were now wide open. he quickly shook his head. ¡°no, i just¡­ not right now. well, not the same ring, but something better¡­¡± he closed his mouth tightly, held his breath, and began again: ¡°what about the index finger?¡± but his gaze was nonetheless focused on yurina¡¯s ring finger. ¡°put on the little finger rather than the index finger. i think it would be inconvenient if it hangs on the index.¡± ¡°huh.¡± as yurina opened her fingers again, raynard put the ring on her little finger. the ring, which was loose enough to fit on the thumb, shone and gradually shrunk in size. yurina, who was carefully examining whether reynard was wearing it on her ring finger, let out an exclamation as she turned the ring around as if it had been pre-measured. ¡°no matter how you look at it, magic seems miraculous.¡± ¡°there are many more strange things.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yes. i¡¯ll show you one trick later.¡± raynard fiddled with yurina¡¯s little finger, which had a ring on it, and then kissed the top of the ring. at the same time, light leaked out from the redstone area. yurina realized that he cast invisibility magic on the ring, but she wasn¡¯t sure if it was really enchanted. this was because the ring remained unchanged even after the lights was gone. raynard told her that it would only be visible to their eyes, but she assumed it would still look a little blurry or something. ¡°does it really work?¡± ¡°of course.¡± ¡°no matter how i look at it, it desn¡¯t look like that.¡± yurina took a closer look at the ring, hoping to find it as a small flaw, but gave up and went to betsy. ¡°betsy!¡± ¡°yes, lady!¡± betsy, who had been looking at yurina¡¯s dresses, approached her, wiping her clean hands on her apron. ¡°how about this?¡± yurina waved her right hand and betsy stepped a little closer and looked at her wrist. ¡°isn¡¯t that the bracelet you used to wear to the hunting competition?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. do you remember?¡± ¡°of course. it¡¯s my lady¡¯s bracelet, and how could i not remember?¡± yurina flicked her pinky finger at betsy, who answered with a proud face. ¡°then how about this?¡± embarrassment flickered across betsy¡¯s smiling face. however, she soon clapped her hands. ¡°the fingers of a young lady are always white and beautiful. how much have we cared about you since childhood? of course, you¡¯ve always been pretty anyway.¡± ¡°other than that, anything else?¡± ¡°um, um¡­¡± again, embarrassment appeared on betsy¡¯s face. there was some hesitation, but this time she answered confidently with a bright smile. ¡°as expected, my lady has pretty nails too.¡± Chapter 107.1 yurina laughed out loud as soon as she heard the answer. it wasn¡¯t the answer she expected, but it was because betsy¡¯s answer was cute. she said exactly that, and her smile came out because her shy face was cute. ¡°betsy, if you said this in public, everyone would look at you strangely.¡± ¡°what¡¯s strange about that?! my lady has beautiful hands!¡± after reynard¡¯s return, the twin brothers often visited yurina and talked to betsy, so it seemed that betsy had become a little similar to the two men these days. that is why she cares for yurina. ¡®betsy is also out of control.¡¯ a slight smile appeared on yurina¡¯s lips. after making sure that the ring wasn¡¯t visible, she left the dressing room and approached reynard. ¡°it really is invisible.¡± ¡°yes? didn¡¯t i say that?¡± ¡°but how can i use it?¡± ¡°if you see anything suspicious, point this ring there. and if the stone turns white, then everything is okay. if it turns black, then there is something suspicious about it. poison or dark magic.¡± ¡°okay, i get it.¡± yurina nodded, took reynard¡¯s hand and kissed the inside of his wrist, which was wearing the same bracelet as the one on hers. ¡°a little later.¡± ¡°huh.¡± ¡°you know what. if karion shows up with lydia, i¡¯ll talk to him myself.¡± reynard¡¯s fingers, which were gently caressing the back of yurina¡¯s hand, froze in an instant. yurina continued talking while fiddling with his bracelet. ¡°if karion doesn¡¯t come today, i¡¯ll tell lydia to come with him next time.¡± raynard kept his mouth shut. he clenched his jaw and looked at her chin, but apparently he wanted to say that he didn¡¯t like it. yurina placed her hand on his cheek and smiled gently. ¡°do you believe me?¡± he gently rubbed yurina¡¯s cheek with his thumb and sighed. ¡°i believe.¡± ¡°do you really believe me?¡± ¡°yes, i really believe you. however¡­¡± he took a step closer to yurina. his face looked even darker and more worried up close. seen from up close, his face was a little more shaded and full of worry. ¡°however?¡± at yurina¡¯s urging, he spoke again. ¡°but i can¡¯t trust that bastard.¡± ¡°the same with me. that¡¯s why i decided to meet the two of them. as long as you¡¯re around, not even karion will be able to threaten me.¡± after the day yurina told the story of her past, raynard harbored hostility towards marquis de flon and karion. when he first saw karion, he could no longer find the vague impression he had for blessed. whenever the story of marquis de flon or karion came up, yurina felt apologetic for his sharp appearance, but on the other hand, it was nice to have someone who fully understood and supported her. but reynard shook his head. ¡°no, i¡¯m not talking about that.¡± he made a small pained sound and hugged yurina tightly. ¡°the words he said to you that time. they still haunt me.¡± ¡°where do you think he could have seen me?¡± ¡°hmm.¡± raynard gently rubbed his cheek against the nape of yurina¡¯s neck, as if feeling uneasy. yurina patted him on the back to reassure him. ¡°you said you believed me. if he tries to force himself on me, i¡¯ll kick karion¡¯s knee.¡± raynard chuckled, thinking that yurina could actually do that. ¡°but if karion deliberately approached after being instigated by marquis de flon, you should protect me. got it?¡± ¡°yeah.¡± while answering, he continued to bury his face in yurina¡¯s neck. yurina patted him on the back several times until betsy called. * * * ¡°lady carthia!¡± lydia, who got out of the carriage, accompanied by the knight of the house de flon, rushed to hug yurina, who came out to meet her. at best, yurina was counting on a curtsy, so now she was embarrassed and anxiously closed her eyes. two hands were awkwardly stopped in the air. ¡®why is she really like this?¡¯ in formal social circles, it was not common to express intimacy with a hug. yurina has interacted with quite a few young ladies of her own age, but only her best friend, chloe deonora, was the only one worth hugging. lydia was overly friendly right from the party, so it¡¯s easy to assume that today will be the same. but now, lydia¡¯s actions were beyond what yurina could imagine. ¡®are you going to do something?¡¯ poisoning through clothes or using black magic? she suddenly felt a chill, and as naturally as she could, but quickly, she grabbed lydia by the shoulder and pulled her away. raynard, who seemed to have had the same thoughts thing as yurina, approached the two of them, greeted lydia, and patted yurina¡¯s hand with his palm. the warm feeling unique to reynard¡¯s mana spread to yurina¡¯s arm, starting with the back of her hand. as soon as that feeling faded, raynard meekly nodded to her. he meant nothing is wrong. yurina looked at him and reflexively tried to smile brightly, but managed her expression and looked at lydia. instead of the wide grin she would have when she looked at reynard, her face was replaced by a soft, formal smile. ¡°good to see you again.¡± when yurina took a step back and gave her usual polite greeting, lydia winced slightly and laughed as if she realized her rudeness. her white cheeks flushed slightly. ¡°i¡¯m sorry. i¡¯m so happy to come here¡­ how have you been? are you feeling better?¡± ¡°yes, it has improved a lot thanks to you. were you uncomfortable while coming?¡± the carthia mansion and the marquis de flon mansion were quite far apart, even within the same capital, as if they represented the relationship between the two families. even if lydia had arrived in a carriage, it would have taken more than two hours. ¡°it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable at all. it¡¯s been a long time since i came to the capital when i was young, so i was carried away by the view and didn¡¯t even notice how time flew by. especially since i rarely come here, there are so many new things to see.¡± why the hell was lydia stuck in the manor all this time, not in the capital? although there were nobles like yurina who mostly stayed in the capital and occasionally went to the manor, young nobles who hadn¡¯t debuted in the social world often lived in the manor. even if they spend most of their time at the estate, they visit the capital at least a few times a year. they need somehow know about fashion in high society and get an education. Chapter 107.2 why did lydia, who didn¡¯t even go to the academy, spent the past few years hiding in the manor without interacting much with other nobles? ¡®could it be because of karion?¡¯ but there was no reason for lydia to avoid the capital, just to hide karion¡¯s identity. and even marquis de flon didn¡¯t stick his nose out of the manor. there were many things yurina wanted to ask, but these were not the kind of stories to be told standing at the front door. yurina smiled brightly, pretended to be sincere, and grabbed lydia¡¯s hand. ¡°let¡¯s not stand here, but let¡¯s go inside and talk? the place in the garden is already ready.¡± lydia grabbed yurina¡¯s hand. ¡°great. since the day i received your letter, i¡¯ve been looking forward to seeing the roses in the carthia mansion.¡± yurina naturally led lydia to the garden and glanced at raynard trotting behind. he looked at her and patted the bracelet on his wrist as if to remind her. there were two main points yurina had to figure out during today¡¯s meeting with lydia. the first: why lydia shows so much favor to her, the second: why lydia and karion hid from the capital and lived in the manor. ¡°by the way, karion¡­ didn¡¯t come today?¡± yurina looked carefully at the knights and servants of the de flon family as they retired to the waiting room, led by the butler. there was no guy with blond hair anywhere. ¡°oh, he¡¯s at the manor.¡± ¡°but why? because last time you said you wanted him to be friends with ray.¡± at yurina¡¯s coy words, lydia said, ¡°hmm¡­¡± she tilted her head, innocently blinked at her eyes, and asked cautiously. ¡°but could he come with me? i was wondering if that would be considered as bad manners.¡± ¡°it can¡¯t be.¡± while maintaining a smile, yurina calmly spewed out a lie. it¡¯s true that she doesn¡¯t like it, but she has to meet karion. ¡°i like this idea, because this way ray could meet another blessed. i think they have something in common, which is why i expected you to come with him. what a pity.¡± ¡°i was wrong. i didn¡¯t even know that the young lady was thinking that way, and i just thought it would be a nuisance¡­¡± lydia pursed her lower lip and made a sullen expression. the slightly drooping eyebrows on both sides looked pitiful, to the point where yurina felt apologetic for no reason. ¡°you don¡¯t have to worry too much. there will be another chance next time.¡± ¡°really? will you have another tea time with me next time?¡± lydia instantly changed her expression and smiled brightly. her dark green eyes sparkled like gems in the sunlight. ¡®she¡¯s just like a puppy.¡¯ a puppy that looks like it wants a ball thrown far away, wagging its tail and hoping for praise from its owner. lydia¡¯s eyes drooped slightly, so she looked like a really gentle puppy. considering that he was the same age as yurina and was slightly taller than her, she had no reason to look younger, but she looked like a younger sister. yurina skillfully hid her embarrassment and held lydia¡¯s hand once. ¡°sure.¡± at that moment they reached the garden. as soon as the two entered the garden, they could smell the strong scent of roses. ¡°oh my goodness.¡± lydia exclaimed as she looked at the garden full of roses of various colors, then let go of yurina¡¯s hand and quickly walked towards the rose bush. she nuzzled the flower, sniffed it, and smiled brightly like a child. ¡°like the lady said, the roses here are really beautiful. i thought the roses in our house were the best, but those are mediocre compared to this place. now i am ashamed of how proudly i invited the lady to us.¡± lydia¡¯s cheeks reddened, as if it wasn¡¯t false modesty, but a real shame. yurina stood up a few steps away and looked at lydia again. at the party, the two met unexpectedly, and karion also appeared on the stage, so yurina couldn¡¯t get a good look at her. now, on the contrary, yurina felt the urge to see through her acting. ¡®she is pretty.¡¯ like the heroine of the novel, lydia had a striking appearance, even when looking from afar. bright platinum hair with a fine texture, as if it would melt at any moment under the golden sunlight, flawless and clean white skin as if veins would show through, gentle eyes with dark double eyelids, deep green eyes moist as if they were filled with rain, §Öhe rosy lips that always hold a smile. ¡®really looks like a lily¡­¡¯ as stated in the novel, lydia de flon had a strange charm, as if she could disappear if you stretched out your hand to her, like a white tender lily. in many ways, she was the exact opposite of yurina, who looked like a calm cat when she didn¡¯t smile and kept her mouth shut. even with the same blonde hair, yurina¡¯s dark pink blonde hair stood out compared to lydia¡¯s platinum blonde hair. certainly, like a rose and a lily, the two had opposite charms. ¡°don¡¯t stand there, follow me.¡± even when yurina urged her, lydia still couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the rose. ¡°if you like my roses so much, would you like to cut them and put them on the table?¡± ¡°can i?¡± ¡°sure.¡± yurina took lydia¡¯s hand and sat across from her. there were many sumptuous desserts with seasonal fruits on the table. probably due to the fact that betsy was told in advance to prepare everything with special care. yurina lightly clapped her hands a couple of times while lydia admired the dessert. the gardener, who was waiting nearby, quickly collected some roses, trimmed them neatly, and placed them in the center of the table. the table, which had been gorgeous until now, looked even better with a rose decoration. betsy carefully poured steaming hot tea into yurina and lydia¡¯s cups. lydia, who had been watching the whole scene, exclaimed as if she suddenly remembered something and stood up from her seat. ¡°oh right. i want to give you something in return for your invitation.¡± at her words, the de flon family maid standing behind her put a box the size of her palm on the table. lydia opened her box, pulled out a hair ornament from inside and approached yurina. Chapter 108.1 ¡°recently, i was walking along evan street and discovered that the capital is full of fashion stores. everything was so new to me, because how much time i had spent in the manor, so i bought this and that without realizing it.¡± ¡°oh, i see. evan street has a lot to see, so i buy too many things every time i go.¡± ¡°so i¡¯m not the only one? but what a relief. i was a little worried, wondering if i was the only one spending too much.¡± from yurina¡¯s point of view, it wasn¡¯t such a big deal that it was hard to see it as a worry, but lydia let out a sigh of relief as if she was really seriously thinking about it. she smiled shyly and tried to place the red hairpin she was holding on yurina¡¯s head. surprised by the sudden gesture, yurina instinctively leaned back. it was a small step, but lydia raised her eyebrows and looked sullenly into her eyes. ¡°ah¡­¡± lydia¡¯s green eyes twitched. ¡°you don¡¯t really like it¡­ ¡­are you?¡± yurina instantly forgot about the little thing in lydia¡¯s hands. her thoughts now focused solely on their closeness. ¡®looking at it again, i have no idea what she is thinking.¡¯ as described in the novel, lydia had a kind and sweet personality, so she would not hesitate to make friends with everyone and treats her employees kindly like a friend. let¡¯s assume that we don¡¯t wear the colored glasses of being a de flon family, and believe the description from the original work. still, there was something odd about her behavior. being friendly with everyone without hesitation was obviously different from treating strangers as if they were friends you¡¯ve known for a long time. and if so, perhaps there was something unclean with this hairpin? ¡°sorry. i wanted to see if i was suitable for the lady, but wasn¡¯t it too informal?¡± yurina hid her embarrassment, looked at the hair ornament, and held out her right hand. ¡°may i have a look? i would like to take a closer look first.¡± ¡°oh yeah! here please.¡± yurina carefully took the hairpin and brought it to the ring, reynard¡¯s gift. the ring trembled slightly and then glowed white. contrary to the assumption, everything turned out to be okay with the hairpin. ¡®did she really try to give it as a sinere gift?¡¯ yurina glanced at lydia, who was bustling about in front of her, and studied her expression. it gave off a strange feeling, because how much she resembled a puppy waiting for the owner to allow it to eat. the more yurina looked at her, the more she felt that lydia didn¡¯t bear much malice towards her, unlike marquis de flon. ¡®i still don¡¯t know what to do¡¯. yurina handed the hairpin to betsy, who was waiting behind her. even if the hairpin is okay, lydia may still have some cunning plan hidden away. lydia anxiously watched betsy decorate yurina¡¯s hair and clapped her hands. ¡°as expected, it suits the young lady well!¡± ¡°oh, is that so?¡± ¡°yes! maybe it¡¯s because of the color, but i thought of kai as soon as i saw this hair clip. so i bought it, but it didn¡¯t suit me, with such a dark color. and by the way, sir reynard¡¯s eyes are also red, so i was thinking it would look good if the two of you went to the party together later.¡± ¡°kai?¡± yurina grabbed the unfamiliar name from lydia¡¯s words. if you remember, on the last evening she called karion by the name ¡®kai¡¯. it was a bit odd that lydia called karion by his nickname the same way yurina calls reynard as ray. she couldn¡¯t remember seeing that nickname in the original novel. lydia sat down on the chair again and answered yurina¡¯s question. ¡°ah,¡± and let out her exclamation. ¡°i mean karion. kai is the nickname i gave him.¡± she leaned towards yurina and lowered her voice like she was telling an important secret. ¡°to be honest, i don¡¯t think the name karion suits him. he is a quiet and caring kid, but doesn¡¯t ¡®karion¡¯ sound too grandiose and stiff? i¡¯ve heard it means ¡®winner¡¯ in the ancient language, but that doesn¡¯t suit him.¡± yurina remembered the face of karion that she had seen then. just like lydia gives a softer impression when compared to yurina, karion gives a more calm and gentle impression compared to reynard, whose eyebrows were slightly raised. yurina nodded her head without realizing it, and lydia caught the gesture. ¡°did you think so too? i couldn¡¯t do anything, because this name was given to him by my father. but i really hate that name. that¡¯s how i decided to call him ¡®kai¡¯. sounds much softer than ¡®karion¡¯. kai doesn¡¯t say that to me, but he really likes this nickname. but i see everything, even if he doesn¡¯t say it.¡± yurina once again thought about the relationship between karion and lydia from the original work. lydia was kind to him, so much so that karion had no choice but to give her his whole heart. just like reynard gave yurina everything he had. Chapter 108.2 in this short exchange, yurina began to hope that lydia would tell the whole story of karion, neither adding nor subtracting. so she relaxed and smiled kindly. ¡°now i¡¯m interested in your past. how did you even meet him?¡± ¡°we met at the orphanage seven years ago. actually, not me, but my father found him. that winter was terribly cold. do you remember this time?¡± ¡°oh yes, i remember. it was so cold that i shivered even in my blanket in front of the fireplace.¡± flustered by yurina¡¯s response, lydia spoke in a serious tone. ¡°hearing that children were freezing to death in a certain orphanage, my father went there to help. oh, come to think of it, i heard that the young lady also went there.¡± ¡°oh yeah. i also went there with my mother.¡± at first, she started to take care of the children of the orphanage where reynard was located, but the marchioness, who felt sorry for the children who were shivering helplessly in the cold, went around the orphanage more earnestly and brought there things. ¡°oh, the marchioness. but i envy you. my mother died when i was eight, so i don¡¯t have many memories.¡± lydia, who smiled bitterly, quickly caught the change in yurina¡¯s expression and brushed it off. ¡°i didn¡¯t mean to tell you such a depressing story. anyway, my father ended up in this orphanage and accidentally found kai there. at first, he was interested because of his red eyes, but when it was revealed that kai was gifted with magic, he immediately decided to take him for sponsoring.¡± there was something strange about lydia¡¯s words. ¡®you said he was interested in red eyes because they were unusual?¡¯ obviously, marquis de flon knew about the sign of the blessed when he met yurina and reynard 7 years ago. but why does lydia talk about this as if he didn¡¯t know, and was only interested in karion¡¯s unusual eyes? ¡°i was happy that i had a friend, but kai seemed to be very unfamiliar with me. as you know from the lady¡¯s relationship with lord reynard, he grew up with people looking at him badly because of his red eyes. that¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t trust people and runs away when someone approaches.¡± karion did the same as reynard. yurina nodded as she remembered 12 year old ray who looked like a frightened kitten. ¡°i just approached him because i wanted to play together, but he ran and hid in his room. and he didn¡¯t even eat what was offered. i thought about how we can get to know each other? but then rumors spread in the manor.¡± ¡°what are the rumors?¡± ¡°that red eyes are a symbol of the goddess, and that all children born with this color of eyes are loved of the goddess and have a great talent for magic. i heard that the lady herself found it in her old book.¡± whatever it was, something was strange. ¡°and how did the marquis react?¡± ¡°my father wasn¡¯t particularly excited about this. goddess favorite or not, kai¡¯s talent has always been undeniable.¡± ¡°no, that¡¯s not the point, but didn¡¯t the marquis know anything about the blessed?¡± lydia tilted her head slightly to one side, as if wondering. ¡°it can¡¯t be. the lady discovered it first.¡± yurina digested lydia¡¯s words and tapped her fingers on the table. ¡®and why did you hide karion all this time?¡¯ aside from hiding karion¡¯s existence from the outside world, why didn¡¯t he even tell lydia, her family, about the blessed? it wasn¡¯t just that he didn¡¯t say anything, but he seemed to be deliberately pretending not to know the meaning of red eyes. ¡®why did he have to hide that he had heard a lot about the blessed?¡¯ there was no end in sight to these questions. yurina¡¯s eyes grew dim, and she felt stuffy. ¡°lady carthia?¡± hearing lydia¡¯s anxious tone, yurina came to her senses and smiled again. ¡°so much has changed since the news of the blessed?¡± ¡°yes. people¡¯s eyes change a little. and kai slowly opened his heart to everyone, knowing that everything was fine with the color of his eyes. it wasn¡¯t easy to get close. but spending with him together day after day, we became best friends.¡± lydia reached out and took yurina¡¯s hand. when yurina tried to withdraw her hand, lydia gripped it a little tighter. ¡°have i been too informal to the young lady?¡± i see you know that. but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to say that, so yurina smiled at her while avoiding her answer. ¡°i know this is rude, but i was glad to see lady carthia, and other than that, i am very grateful. so it¡¯s hard for me to control my emotions. after all, lady carthia is the same benefactor who paved the way to kai¡¯s heart. if not for the material that the lady found, kai would have continued to kick and hide.¡± ¡°but i did it for myself.¡± ¡°i know. but still, i just wanted to thank you. i¡¯ve been waiting for years to tell you this.¡± Chapter 109.1 there was a bit of dryness in his voice when he spoke calmly. her eyes were a little red when she looked at yurina, but yurina couldn¡¯t really find any malice or pretense. ¡®does she really just like me?¡¯ yurina put herself in lydia¡¯s shoes and thought. if she didn¡¯t know that this was the world of a novel, she assumed a case where she met reynard by chance. she imagined him being hurt every day, being stared at by people because of his red eyes. even if she punished the man who pointed a finger at him and reassured him that he wasn¡¯t cursed, she would have hurt him no less. but one day, what if someone discovers that the red eyes are in fact blessed by the goddess? so what if reynard could no longer hate his eyes and be confident? ¡®i¡¯d be very grateful.¡¯ exactly like lydia, who sits right in front of her with the look of a puppy. naturally, she will be grateful for the meeting with her random savior, and moreover, she will want to repay. now it was clear what had been in lydia¡¯s heart all these years. however, her kindness still seemed uncomfortable. she honestly couldn¡¯t take it as pure favor. would it feel different if lydia wasn¡¯t from the de flon family? when she thought of marquis de flon, her sympathy for lydia seemed to disappear. yurina wiggled the fingers that were bound in lydia¡¯s hand and carefully pulled them out. lydia looked at her empty hand in frustration, and reached out to grab it again. ¡°we only saw each other twice. so so i think it¡¯s natural that you feel uncomfortable. but in the future, if we meet and talk more often, won¡¯t we become good friends? i¡¯m not used to social life, and i need help. will you help me out a bit?¡± ¡°sure.¡± ¡°it¡¯s nice to have support behind your back. i hope you and i can see each other more often, as did kai and sir reynard. we will all become good friends for sure. surely you agree?¡± ¡°maybe. ray said that he was pleased to meet sir karion, the same blessed.¡± ¡°i really want this to happen. kai doesn¡¯t have any other friends besides me, so i thought it would be nice to enlist someone to talk to openly.¡± yurina took the cup and looked at lydia¡¯s expression as she talked about karion. the smile that she kept holding all the way, her twinkling eyes, her rosy cheeks and her sonorous voice filled with enthusiasm. she didn¡¯t hide her affection for karion. but when karion spoke to lydia before, everything was completely different. he didn¡¯t say much, but yurina could easily read what his expression meant back then. after all, that was the expression reynard wore whenever he looked at yurina. so, that face was definitely the face of someone who fell in love. perhaps this is because karion didn¡¯t leave for the academy and spent the last 7 years with lydia at the estate? and now it turns out that lydia de flon has begun to take on the minor character karion, instead of the main character curtis genosian, the male lead. * * * meanwhile, raynard stood at the window overlooking the garden and watched yurina and lydia talk. it was a little frustrating, because that window was closed, so he couldn¡¯t know what the two were saying. but still, he could see lydia smiling and yurina showing no hesitation. this gave him some relief. when lydia suddenly approached yurina, he was startled and was about to use movement magic, but thanks to yurina¡¯s good response, the unfortunate accident of breaking lydia¡¯s arm didn¡¯t happen. ¡®isn¡¯t it really all right?¡¯ if things had gone too far, he might have overheard the dialogue, but he was unwilling to do so without getting yurina¡¯s consent. he wanted to trust her just as much as yurina believed in him. ¡®but this world is just a book¡­?¡¯ looking at yurina, who was nodding rhythmically in response to lydia¡¯s endless babble, raynard leaned his forehead against the window and remembered the story he learned from yurina. a world different from this place. history from the book. yurina carthia is doomed to die because of the crown prince. and there is another blessed ¡®karion¡¯. to be honest, yurina¡¯s words were absurd and full of unbelievable things. although he didn¡¯t show it at the time, reynard was actually quite embarrassed. and how shocking that his world is actually a book created by a certain person. however, seeing yurina shaking and crying at the end of the story made reynard want to dig deeper into the bowels. he grew up believing that a goddess rules this world, and now¡­ what is the actual difference between a goddess and a person, the author of a book? what¡¯s more, when he heard that yurina had only found him with clues from that book, raynard thought it was lucky that it was all just a tale from the book she had read. if yurina hadn¡¯t read the book, he would never have met her¡­ and then a terrible outcome, which he didn¡¯t even want to imagine. however, it is still shocking that the fate of the people around him was prescribed from the very beginning. marquis and marchioness carthia, yurina¡¯s three older brothers, betsy and yurina, all of whom he loved more than life, were actually destined to die horrific deaths. ¡®marquis de flon and black magic¡­¡¯ all he learned about black magic in the academy was only the most basic theory. little was known about black magic. looking back at the fact that the imperial wizards, the elite magicians from all over the empire, were unable to detect black magic on that wolf, it became clear how much black magic had been forgotten. raynard sensed black magic, but he didn¡¯t know how it worked, so he wasn¡¯t sure he could prevent another attack. ¡®i can¡¯t stay still like this.¡¯ reynard watched the two persons slowly tidying up the table, then picked up the quill he had left on the table. then he began writing hastily. the recipient of the letter was aiden tessie. * * * ¡°by the way, why have you been living only in the manor? usually, you live by going back and forth to the capital. if you visit our capital more often, we could have become friends a long time ago. of course, now we can contact more often, but i¡¯m a little sorry that i couldn¡¯t meet the young lady earlier.¡± as she approached the front door to see lydia out, yurina asked with feigned regret. lydia shrugged as if she could sympathize with yurina¡¯s words. ¡°because kai has been living in the manor. it will take at least two or three months for me to come to the capital and return to the manor, but in the meantime, kai must be alone in the manor without friends. even if it turns out that his red eyes aren¡¯t sinister, not all people are friendly to him.¡± ¡°can¡¯t sir karion come to the capital too?¡± lydia sighed heavily. Chapter 109.2 ¡°i thought so too, but my father stopped me. although red eyes were no longer a curse mark, and it was all thanks to you, there are still many people who harbor prejudice against red eyes. the capital is great, so my father reasoned that kai would be uncomfortable.¡± at first glance, this sounds like a good reason. moreover, it could be deduced from this that marquis de flon was terribly fond of karion. however, yurina, who knew the content of the novel, found these words unconvincing. marquis de flon stayed with karion in the capital even before it was revealed in the original story that he was blessed. but he turned out to be blessed, but he was worried about karion and only stayed in the manor? ¡®on the contrary, since people know about blessed, it makes more sense to think that he didn¡¯t want to find out that he had one.¡¯ this made it more certain. marquis de flon tried to hide karion¡¯s identity. unlike the original, the fact that he wasn¡¯t sent to the crohn royal academy seemed to be an extension of that. but the question is ¡®why¡¯ did he try to hide that fact? ¡®let¡¯s find out about that the next time we meet karion.¡¯ yurina collected her thoughts and invited lydia to stay for lunch, but lydia lightly shook her head. ¡°i ate a lot of tea food while drinking tea, so my stomach is full. besides, i was invited to a tea time today, not a meal, so i think it will only be a nuisance if i stay longer.¡± it was a courtesy anyway, so yurina didn¡¯t regret her refusal. ¡°next time, come to our mansion. i was treated undeservedly by the young lady today, so i want to repay you.¡± originally, once invited, it was polite to return the favor. however, yurina had no desire to do so. even though lydia, who handed her the offer, was innocent, she couldn¡¯t trust marquis de flon. reynard, who had come to the front door earlier, also shook his head slightly towards yurina. however, yurina hadn¡¯t talked to karion yet, so she couldn¡¯t just say no and end the relationship. she decided to resort to the method she had been discussing with raynard over the past few days. ¡°i would like to see the roses at the de flon mansion. you said that the roses in our garden are more beautiful, but i¡¯m sure de flon¡¯s roses are good too, and i ¡­¡± yurina suddenly fell silent, covered her mouth with her hand, and coughed. lydia¡¯s face suddenly showed concern as the cough continued for some time. ¡°lady carthia, are you okay?¡± ¡°yes, i¡¯m okay. thanks for your concern¡­¡± cough. yurina coughed again and glanced sideways at reynard, who was waiting beside her. when her eyes met, he shook his head slightly. ¡®isn¡¯t it bad?¡¯ when she asked with her eyes, he answered with his. i don¡¯t think it will work. ¡®it worked well when i was young.¡¯ it was time for yurina to hang herself because she felt embarrassed. lydia was fidgeting with her and asked betsy, who was waiting beside her, to call her doctor. ¡°my lady, are you okay? the air in the room must have been cold when you went to bed last night.¡± betsy shook her feet while looking at yurina, then hurriedly ran into the mansion, saying that she would find a doctor. yurina took a deep breath and smiled. ¡°i¡¯m sorry. after the hunting competition, i went all the way to the manor, so i must have overworked myself.¡± ¡°as expected, you seemed to be in a bad state that day¡­¡± ¡°this is true. but it will be better if i stay at home and rest. actually, i had a little sleep last night, so i must have been a bit tired.¡± ¡°but why? you need to get a good night¡¯s sleep to improve your stamina.¡± yurina smiled shyly and whispered in a slightly excited voice. ¡°but i can¡¯t sleep because i was so excited that the lady is coming. when i was talking with young lady, i completely forgot how tired i was, but since you said you¡¯re leaving, i must be in trouble. still, seeing the young lady like this, what¡¯s the problem with having trouble sleeping?¡± ¡°oh my¡­¡± lydia took a deep breath through her nose as if overwhelmed with emotion, and then gently held yurina¡¯s hand. ¡°i didn¡¯t know until now that lady carthia thought of me so much. i was worried, because i saw how you shunned before. but it turns out that everything was like that?¡± ¡°i really avoided you. i was a little shy, but i absolutely did not avoid the young lady.¡± ¡°then i am happy. oh, you don¡¯t feel well, i can¡¯t invite you over. how about i come back with kai next time?¡± ¡°i can¡¯t cause such trouble. of course i will visit de flon with ray.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t have to!¡± lydia shook her head vigorously. ¡°please do not refuse my sincerity. if the young lady¡¯s condition worsens because of me, i¡¯ll be so worried that i won¡¯t be able to sleep properly.¡± ¡°i really can¡¯t cause the young lady to worry. then, would you like to drink tea with me next time? young lady and sir karion are always welcome.¡± ¡°sure! kai will definitely like it too!¡± yurina looked at lydia, who was waving her arms excitedly, and then winked at reynard. ¡®does it work?¡¯ he crossed his arms and studied lydia¡¯s expression with narrowed eyes. there was no way yurina¡¯s acting would work, so it was clear that he thought lydia was pretending to be deceived even if she knew. he didn¡¯t change his skeptical expression until lydia left in the carriage. Chapter 110.1 the twins, belatedly returning to the mansion after their knightly work, had just been informed that lydia de flon was visiting them. if the two had known beforehand, obviously the twins would have made a fuss before lydia arrived, so yurina hadn¡¯t said it on purpose. however, she could no longer hide the story that lydia and karion would visit the carthia house in a few days. after hearing the news from riggs, the twins broke into yurina¡¯s room without even changing with their knights¡¯ uniforms. ¡°yurina!¡± ¡°what were you thinking?!¡± yurina, who was sipping tea with betsy, smiled at the sight of the two brothers invading like a herd of angry bulls. ¡°are the brothers here?¡± it was a nonchalant reaction that could have been shown because she had already expected this kind of reaction. the twins were embarrassed by her reaction and stopped at the same time. however, they immediately came to the senses and approached yurina. no matter how quickly they ran, even though it wasn¡¯t a hot day, their cheeks were slightly red. yurina looked at their red faces and smiled before gestured betsy. she hurried away under the pretense of bringing more tea. ¡°sit down for a minute.¡± there were only two chairs behind yurina¡¯s tea table. then she reluctantly got up and moved to the sofa in the center of the living room. the twins followed her and sat on the couch opposite her. yurina yawned and leaned back lazily. it¡¯s been two hours since everyone had dinner. it was the end of the day, but yurina was even more tired than usual. probably, because of nerves from the meeting with lydia. she wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible and be alone. but judging from the atmosphere, the two did not seem to be going to back down easily. ¡°what are you so dissatisfied with?¡± yurina asked, pretending not to understand. justin and edwin didn¡¯t answer right away, as if trying to figure out what she was thinking. for a moment, there was a strange tension between yurina and the twins. yurina was surprised by this situation. ¡®there are times when older brothers are like this.¡¯ from a young age, after yurina was on the verge of death, the twins always stood by her side no matter what. even though yurina had never done anything villainous, even if she had done something, most likely those two would have helped to cover the tracks without further ado. if the marquis and the marchioness scolded yurina, then it was the twins who stood up in front of her as a shield and declared that they would talk to her themselves. but everything ended differently. never before had these two men treated her so harshly. so yurina, who was previously light-hearted, was now honestly embarrassed. ¡®is this really that serious?¡¯ if it were she and reynard who knew the contents of the original story, there was no reason for the twins to react so exaggeratedly. even the marquis and riggs didn¡¯t say much. of course, he reacted somewhat surprised and asked if she had to meet with lydia. in order to break this awkward atmosphere yurina purposely bulged her eyes and smiled. the twins¡¯ expressions softened slightly. edwin and justin looked at each other silently. the two seemed to have something in common on their minds, so they silently looked at each other and nodded. after this edwin spoke as the representative. ¡°yurina, do you remember what your older brothers told you to stay away from de flon and lydia de flon?¡± ¡°yeah, remember.¡± ¡°are you doing this even though you remember?¡± justin interrupted. when edwin looked at him, he closed his mouth again. yurina covered her mouth and yawned softly, pondering for a moment what to answer. looks like marquis de flon is doing something fishy, so wouldn¡¯t it be better to figure out the situation through lydia? if that was the case, when the twins asked how they knew marquis de flon was plotting something suspicious, she had nothing to say. besides, if there were two of them, there was a high possibility that they would tell her to stay aside. then there was only one way. ¡°when we talked, she didn¡¯t seem like a bad person.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°i know our family is not on good terms with de flon. and yet, there was no reason for me not to get along with lydia and karion. if we communicate more often, won¡¯t relations between our houses improve?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not that simple.¡± yurina straightened up and met edwin¡¯s gaze. ¡°but my father also said he had no feelings other than politics with de flon. doesn¡¯t that work?¡± ¡°you can¡¯t know for sure what marquis de flon is up to!¡± edwin suddenly screamed. yurina shrugged in surprise. but what surprised her more was his overreaction, as he, who had always been friendly, suddenly screamed. ¡°hey, hey. what¡¯s the matter.¡± yurina was surprised. justin quickly grabbed edwin¡¯s arm and stopped him. yurina leaned back on the sofa and crossed her arms. ¡°are you two hiding something from me?¡± ¡°no!¡± ¡°that¡¯s impossible!¡± yurina¡¯s eyes narrowed as she watched the two of them. ¡®there¡¯s something strange.¡¯ knowing them, when she asks questions like ¡®what¡¯s my brothers hiding from their sister?¡¯ or ¡®why do you think that? have i ever offended my brothers?¡¯ by saying the same thing, they would have calmed her down to try to figure out her reason for saying this. but now, no matter how you look at them, it seemed as if they had something to hide. ¡®come to think of it, they were very wary of de flon at the party.¡¯ at the time, she thought it was from the enmity of their houses. now, when she looks at it, it seems that the reason isn¡¯t so simple. yurina changed her strategy, hid her smile and frowned. ¡°what are you hiding from me? is it something related to de flon?¡± ¡°even if there is no such thing.¡± ¡°if you¡¯re desperately hiding it from me, it must have something to do with me as well as the de flon family. right?¡± ¡°as if¡­¡± ¡°brothers.¡± she only said one word, but there was firmness in her voice. confused, edwin and justin straightened up and looked at her. Chapter 110.2 ¡°i am seventeen years old. i¡¯m not yet an adult, but i¡¯ve officially debuted in the social world. do you know what that means?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i¡¯m no longer young. it was only when i was young that my parents and older brothers treated me like a child and didn¡¯t tell me about my family, but now it¡¯s different. i have the right to know what is going on in my family, and i can play for the benefit of my family.¡± no further explanation was needed. she looked at the two of them in turn and handed them more. ¡°so, what¡¯s the matter?¡± the twins didn¡¯t answer right away. instead of coaxing them further, yurina tilted her head slightly and stared at them silently. the twins exchanged glances and then sighed at the same time. this time justin spoke up. ¡°yurina, do you remember when you left for the crohn kingdom to meet raynard there?¡± ¡°of course i remember.¡± even as he spoke, there was an internal struggle in his tone. ¡®we were talking about de flon, but all of a sudden about the crohn kingdom? then, something suddenly came to mind. ¡°you want to tell me that i wasn¡¯t attacked by rebel forces then?¡± edwin¡¯s eyes, which had been still, widened. ¡°how do you know? i haven¡¯t even said anything yet.¡± ¡°that is the only story that will come out of this situation. it¡¯s not like i¡¯m talking about the fun i had in the crohn kingdom. so? why is that story suddenly appearing?¡± ¡°so, after learning about this case, father continued to investigate even after you returned to the empire.¡± ¡°it has already been concluded that the rebels were responsible.¡± to be honest, yurina had some doubts about the attack at that time. it was because of what she had heard from the rebels. ¡°sh*t! we were not told about the wizard!¡± they spoke as if they already knew about yurina. it was a little strange. yurina decided to travel to the crohn kingdom quite suddenly to celebrate raynard¡¯s birthday. in addition, in a foreign kingdom, few people knew that reynard was supported by the carthia family. it is unlikely that some of the rebels would know about yurina in advance. ¡®so, what did the investigation reveal?¡¯ it¡¯s safe to say that marquis cartia lied because he was worried about his young and tender youngest daughter. ¡°father kept it a secret because he was afraid for you. don¡¯t blame him, okay?¡± ¡°of course i won¡¯t. so, he continued his investigation. and what did he find?¡± ¡°i can¡¯t say for sure who else was involved. but¡­¡± ¡°but?¡± instead of a hesitant justin, edwin continued. ¡°at that time there were indications that these conspirators had connections with the empire.¡± at those unexpected words, yurina felt her head turn cloudy. ¡°so you want to say that someone ordered this attack?¡± ¡°hm. we still don¡¯t know who exactly, but¡­¡± ¡°but there¡¯s a good chance it was the de flon family, isn¡¯t it?¡± as soon as edwin nodded to this, justin stood next to him and snapped: ¡°so don¡¯t get close to lydia de flon.¡± * * * edwin and justin¡¯s story complicated yurina¡¯s mind. ¡®and since when exactly has the marquis been targeting me?¡¯ it was not revealed that marquis de flon was behind the hunting competition accident, but even if it was actually something he planned, there was a reason to understand it. since reynard was active in the kingdom, the crown prince has shown interest in yurina as well as reynard. if yurina had shown her interest in him, it would have been possible for her to say that he wouldn¡¯t welcome her as her crown princess long ago. if they tried to make lydia the crown princess like in the original story, yurina might have been a thorn in their eyes. unlike the original story, she has reynard, so if he wanted to kill her, it would have been better for him to target her before he returned from her graduation. but there was a variable here. ¡®obviously lydia seemed to like karion.¡¯ in the meantime, she had only been living in the manor and had never met curtis, so there was no way she would like him. because lydia likes karion, she differs from her original story where she wanted to be the crown princess. the story has changed like this, but why did marquis de flon target yurina from before? yurina recalled the story of the twins she had heard at the party. ¡°from the rumors i heard, it seems that marquis de flon made contact with his highness the 2nd prince.¡± in a situation where lydia doesn¡¯t even love curtis, why did he choose the second prince and not curtis? clues that she didn¡¯t know were gathering little by little, but rather, the more clues gathered, the more the story seemed to get twisted. ¡®i have to meet karion too.¡¯ the twins told her never meet with lydia because of the circumstances, but yurina had no intention of doing that. lydia and karion will come to the carthia mansion in a few days as originally planned. Chapter 111.1 raynard was even more nervous this time than when lydia had arrived at the mansion alone. he didn¡¯t feel much relief even after checking over and over again that yurina was wearing all sorts of his crafting artifacts. while trying to reassure him, yurina left the room after hearing from the butler that the de flon family¡¯s carriage was coming. as soon as yurina stepped through the main gate, a carriage bearing the de flon crest on it stopped in front of the front door. the carriage door opened and karion got out first. the moment he lifted his head, yurina¡¯s gaze landed on his red eyes. karion froze for a moment and then bowed his head in greeting and put his hand inside her carriage. lydia walked out and smiled happily as soon as she saw yurina. ¡°lady carthia!¡± perhaps because of karion, her expression was brighter than before. maybe she thinks that the second invitation made her feel closer to yurina. ¡°it¡¯s good to see you again. it¡¯s only been a couple of days, and i¡¯ve missed the young lady very much.¡± luckily, lydia didn¡¯t rush to hug like the last time. instead, she called her servants. the maid handed yurina a red box the size of two palms. ¡°i brought medicinal herbs that are good for the body. as they say, it also helps with fatigue. it can be brewed in boiling water like tea.¡± ¡°thank you for your care, but this is not necessary.¡± ¡°but shouldn¡¯t i be taking care of my friends?¡± who would have known when they become friends with lydia. however, yurina didn¡¯t express her feelings and beckoned to betsy. but before betsy could take that box, reynard intercepted it. he fiddled with the dampness, and then handed it to betsy. yurina noticed that he checked the box. feeling the flow of mana, karion suddenly looked over at reynard from head to toe. yurina patted raynard¡¯s hand, who was now staring into karion¡¯s eyes. ¡°let¡¯s not stand here, let¡¯s go to the garden instead.¡± ¡°great. kai, let¡¯s go. the roses here are so beautiful.¡± ¡°yes.¡± yurina smiled at reynard after watching the two of them walking away from each other. he loosened his expression and walked closer to her. as last time, a subtle air current hovered over the tea table set in the rose garden. there are obviously four people, but only one is talking, and the other three look at each other. one of the chatterers was, of course, lydia de flon. instead of speaking, yurina pondered her words and searched for useful clues. karion, on the other hand, was looking at yurina as if he was watching her. raynard just sat there and glared at karion with displeasure. ¡°i¡¯ve often imagined the four of us gathering and talking like this from before. i didn¡¯t expect that day to come, but i¡¯m so happy. it looks better than i imagined.¡± said lydia brightly, as if oblivious to the awkward atmosphere hovering around the table. ¡®maybe you really are innocent.¡¯ now that she had seen her twice already, yurina could better understand her personality. after all, lydia had little contact with other nobles of her age, and she was naive in a good way. and to be honest, lydia was simply ignorant. she seems to have seen the whole world as a beautiful place. could it be that this whole circus is not acting, but the real her? ¡°could you excuse me for a minute?¡± lydia, who had been talking about her time with karion and the de flon estate, wiped her lips with a napkin and stood up cautiously. yurina smiled and nodded, and she said she would be back soon and walked lightly across the garden. karion, who had been by lydia¡¯s side like a parent who was concerned about the child he had left at the water¡¯s edge, unexpectedly stayed. ¡®looks like he really has something to tell me.¡¯ yurina stared into his red eyes, which were looking straight at her without avoiding her gaze. his eyes were similar to reynard¡¯s, but of a slightly different color. it wasn¡¯t that the color was different. even if the eyes are the same color, the brightness and saturation are slightly different, but his eyes are the same color as reynard¡¯s. ¡®is it because he¡¯s blessed too?¡¯ however, the emotions in the eyes were different. even as a child, reynard was wary of people, but his eyes were alive. he was proud of himself, saying that he smelled good after just taking a bath. now that he has finished the academy, he has grown even more and has reached a point where he can ignore the whispers and cold gazes of nobles. however, karion¡¯s eyes seemed somewhat lifeless and uneasy. he got better though when he was with lydia, but when, but then she disappeared, and all his emotions disappeared. Chapter 111.2 ¡®the novel said that he had a soft character.¡¯ just like lydia, who is kind to the whole world, so is karion smiling and wishing well to everyone. however, karion in front of yurina seemed to be a completely different person than the same karion he was in the novel upon his return from the academy. could it be that her personality has changed because she didn¡¯t go to the academy and only stayed in the de flon estate? she didn¡¯t believe him when he apologized at the hunting tournament for saying it was because he used space separation magic and wasn¡¯t familiar with the manners of nobles. but looking at it now, she thought maybe it was because he really wasn¡¯t used to manners. ¡®though it¡¯s a bit funny when i think about it.¡¯ as yurina continued to stare at karion, raynard, who was sitting next to her, suddenly coughed. she grabbed his hand under the table and let go immediately. ¡°did you say you had something to tell me last time?¡± karion¡¯s eyes slightly widened, as if her words were somewhat surprising. it was a minor difference, but since he was a person who did not change his expression so much, even the slightest change was noticeable. ¡°yes.¡± ¡°can i hear it today? i also have a personal question.¡± karion¡¯s gaze slowly turned to reynard. before he started to broadcast, yurina added quickly. ¡°ray will also listen.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i won¡¯t listen to anything ray can¡¯t hear, so i¡¯ll decline to ask you to leave.¡± to be honest, yurina was at a loss as to what choice he would make. he was a man who suddenly used space separation magic to say he wanted to have a conversation. he wanted to keep secret to that extent, but will he reveal his true feelings in front of ray? ¡®i can¡¯t help it if he doesn¡¯t¡­¡¯ but, to put her worries to shame, he soon opened his mouth. ¡°it¡¯s a story where there¡¯s nothing he shouldn¡¯t hear.¡± ¡°then can i hear you? apparently, ray can listen to it, but i thinks it¡¯s a story that lady de flon shouldn¡¯t hear, but let¡¯s finish it quickly before lady de flon returns.¡± lydia will be a little late. before she came to her mansion today, yurina had already asked betsy to wait some time in case lydia was away for a while. betsy was puzzled but nodded and asked to leave it to her. yurina could believe it because betsy promised it. ¡°then, on the day of the hunting competition, you asked me if i had seen you before, right? is there a story related to that?¡± karion nodded silently. ¡°as i said then, i saw you for the first time that day. i first learned about the fact that i am a wizard sponsored by the de flon family and that i am blessed, like ray, at ray¡¯s knight inauguration ceremony not too long ago.¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°then why did you think i¡¯d ever met you? i heard from lady de flon that you¡¯ve been living in the de flon estate all along, but i¡¯ve never been there.¡± as if his throat was burning, karion drank the tea in a cup and opened his mouth again. ¡°i saw a young lady in a dream.¡± in an instant, reynard¡¯s hand, which held yurina¡¯s arm under the table, tensed up. ¡°it was such a vivid dream that even when i woke up, i couldn¡¯t realize whether it was a dream or reality. but i was surprised to see lady carthia, who looked exactly like the stranger in my dream. so i asked if we had seen each other before, wondering why i could have had such a vivid dream.¡± ¡°i can¡¯t remember my dreams, even right after waking up. but how did you know that the person in the dream is me? besides, how can you be sure that the face in the dream is exactly the same as mine? memories do not remain as they were. i often remember it by transforming it the way i want.¡± karion firmly shook his head. ¡°for once, you might think so. however, i have dreamed of the young lady many times.¡± yurina looked at his expression to see if it was true or if it was marquis de flon¡¯s idea. however, his expression didn¡¯t show any sign of the agitation. ¡®if it¡¯s not a lie, why would karion dream of me?¡¯ is this some kind of deja vu? then yurina asked again, thinking that the content of the dream might be important. ¡°you wouldn¡¯t have wanted to meet me just because you saw me in a dream. what kind of dream was it that made you keep trying to meet me?¡± karion gave reynard a glance and then opened his mouth. ¡°the young lady sponsored me.¡± Chapter 112.1 the impact of those words was greater than expected. yurina and reynard, who had been listening silently, and karion, who had spoken those words, were speechless. a chilly silence fell around the rose-scented table. in particular, reynard squeezed yurina¡¯s hand so tightly that it turned white under the table. yurina felt more pain from the tight grip on her chest than the heavy pressure from her hand. it was reynard who was shocked and hurt by the fact that the person she was originally looking for was karion, not him. yurina wanted to hug him tightly right away, but she couldn¡¯t because of the situation. ¡®could this be marquis de flon¡¯s trick?¡¯ trying to put a wedge between her and reynard? when she thought so, karion¡¯s remarks made her even more disgusted. yurina squeezed reynard¡¯s hand tightly and asked karion somewhat sharply. ¡°what do you mean?¡± ¡°exactly what i said. in my dream, the young lady carthia found me at the orphanage and supported me.¡± ¡°is this your whole dream?¡± ¡°no. the dream was longer.¡± he looked back at reynard and continued. he spoke rather quickly, thinking that his retelling should be in time before lydia returned. finding no place to intervene in the middle of his speech, yurina listened silently without asking any questions. the more she heard his words, the more surprising everything became. yurina carthia, who appeared to karion in a dream, was calm and friendly. hearing those words, yurina somehow thought of marquis carthia. it was a snowy winter day when yurina found karion. she was at the orphanage with marquis carthia, who went there to provide assistance. it was then that yurina found karion, shivering in the cold in the corner. she found him, grabbed his hand and restrained him from trying to escape. and then she handed him a warm piece of bread. she didn¡¯t scream or cry, even when she saw his red eyes, which would have scared anyone away. rather, she kindly asked why he was here alone and in the cold? karion was embarrassed by her gentle gesture, but her soft touch was even warmer than bread, so he no longer resisted. however, he had nothing to answer, so he only avoided her gaze and stuffed his mouth with bread. instead of asking him questions, yurina sat next to him and watched him eat. ¡°then a wizard hurriedly ran to find the lady.¡± ¡°wizard? are you talking about dave?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t remember the name exactly, but i think it was something like that.¡± dave, who sweated even on that cold winter day to find ¡®yurina¡¯ who suddenly disappeared without a word, saw karion next to yurina and discovered that he had talent at once. dave¡¯s eyes lit up and he prayed that yurina would definitely take karion as §â§ê§í disciple. ¡°the lady followed the wizard¡¯s words and said she wanted to take me to carthia¡¯s estate. the marquis agreed to patronage.¡± thus, karion ended up in the capital¡¯s mansion of carthia. raynard, who had listened to the story up to this point, glared furiously at karion without hiding his attitude. the hand holding yurina suddenly turned cold and trembled. his chest moved wildly back and forth. yurina patted the back of his hand with her other hand. when she looked back at yurina, at least a bit of composure returned to his face. ¡®should i stop him?¡¯ when yurina asked in a mouthful, he shook his head. his voice echoed in her head as if whispering in her ear. ¡®i¡¯m okay. there are still stories left to hear.¡¯ yurina looked at his forced smile and then turned back to karion. ¡°so what happened next?¡± the story continued. in fact, the future was predictable and obvious. just as yurina felt for reynard and lydia for karion, in his story, yurina cared for karion with all her heart. as a friend, and as a sister, she didn¡¯t blame him for his shortcomings, but kindly taught him and waited for him to get used to the mores of the nobility. at the same time, it is natural that feelings for her arose in karion. desire to have more than friendship, thirst for love. at the age of 12, on the border between childhood and adolescence, he left for the royal academy, never being able to understand what his true feelings were. dave wanted to continue training karion like he did with reynard, but neither yurina nor marquis carthia wanted to show karion to the world. although his talent was recognized in the academy, karion was still looked down upon due to his red eyes. the more humiliation he experienced, the more he bared his teeth, and the more he devoted himself to his studies. at the same time, he launched a red-eye study. it¡¯s because he wanted to be worthy of yurina. he wanted to declare to the whole world that he wasn¡¯t cursed, or at least that the curse wouldn¡¯t pass on to yurina. Chapter 112.2 seven years have passed and graduation time has come. by that time, through friends, he managed to find an old book that described red eyes. an ancient book that says that in the now-destroyed kingdom of denik, red eyes were considered a sign of the favorite of the goddess, and their owners were called ¡®blessed¡¯. and as an adult, he also noticed his feelings for yurina at the same time. this is the feeling of love, about which the nobles talked so much. after graduating from crohn royal academy after 7 years of hard work, karion was encouraged by the fact that he could now be with yurina. but there was already someone else by her side whom he wanted so much. ¡°but lady carthia has already fallen in love with the crown prince.¡± this time, yurina was taken aback. ¡®how did you know that yurina was in a relationship with curtis?¡¯ in the original novel, the fact that curtis was in a relationship with yurina before he fell in love with lydia overlapped with what karion had just said. it could have been a coincidence, but there was an uncomfortable corner left to dismiss it simply as a coincidence. ¡°so, what did you do next? you love ¡®yurina¡¯ and yearn to be around again. but aren¡¯t you mad at her? haven¡¯t you thought about how to win ¡®yurina¡¯s¡¯ heart?¡± yurina intentionally used the name ¡®yurina¡¯ instead of ¡®i¡¯ to separate herself from the person from karion¡¯s dreams. ¡°no. i just wished that if lady carthia truly loved the crown prince, then she could live happily ever after with him.¡± knowing karion from the novel, who gave up his love for lydia for the sake of her happiness, such a reaction was not at all strange. ¡°you really didn¡¯t have any greed?¡± ¡°how could someone like me covet lady carthia? even though they called me a knight there, and a knight who was skilled in magic, but the lady is the daughter of the marquis and enjoys the favor of the crown prince himself. i knew my place well.¡± karion¡¯s gaze left yurina and turned to raynard. although he expressed his thoughts in a simple tone, it sounded as if he was criticizing reynard for the coincidence between dream and reality. raynard gave vent to his feelings and slammed his fist on the table. his hands were trembling on the table. yurina looked at reynard¡¯s reddened neck and spoke firmly to karion. ¡°that was for me to judge, not for you. and the choice is not yours, but mine.¡± it wasn¡¯t even that reynard was greedy for yurina¡¯s attention, but that scene was an indirect statement that reynard was jealous of karion. his trembling subsided, and karion meekly nodded to apologize. ¡°however, contrary to their agreement, yurina never succeeded in becoming a princess.¡± ¡°yes.¡± he, who had always been a good talker, shut his mouth and looked down at the teacup. yurina seemed to understand why he was silent and hesitant. ¡°lydia de flon.¡± karion¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°right?¡± his shaky gaze turned to yurina. his expression was now too natural to be considered acting. just like lydia, when she obsessively tried to get close. yurina looked at his face as if making a guess. but even if she did, there was no way she could find out his true feelings. ¡®it would be great if there was such magic that could read thoughts.¡¯ but, unfortunately, such magic didn¡¯t exist. after that meeting with lydia, yurina had already asked dave and reynard about it. probably, karion is in love with lydia, who has been courting him for the last 7 years. contrary to the original story, he didn¡¯t go to the academy and stayed with her the whole time. so their current feelings would be incomparable with the emotions from the original plot. and now that his story had reached lydia, karion hesitated. yurina insisted on continuing. ¡°lydia will be back soon. and if you¡¯re not ready to continue, you should have stopped right here. otherwise, if you decide to risk everything and spread it, it would be better to speak without hesitation.¡± it was a urge, nothing like a threat. karion took a deep breath and spoke again. ¡°yes. just like lady carthia said¡­ so, in my dream, lydia de flon was also in love with his highness the crown prince.¡± it was a fairly predictable moment. however, what followed was completely different from what yurina read in the novel. once lydia de flon met crown prince curtis, and it was love at first sight. however, he was already yurina carthia¡¯s lover. although no official engagement was announced, the whole empire was talking about yurina becoming the crown princess. as described in the original film, which is kind and affectionate to everyone, lydia was neither harsh nor vicious enough to steal curtis, who had already become another woman¡¯s man. she just stared at curtis from a distance, but she didn¡¯t approach him. but her father, marquis de flon, was different. he, who had been pretending that all because of the cartia family, that if yurina wasn¡¯t there, lydia would have a chance. ¡°so marquis de flon tried to harm the young lady.¡± Chapter 113.1 the method he used was not an ordinary method like poisoning. he faked an accident and tried to harm yurina. after the crown prince got officially engaged to yurina, their engagement ceremony was held once at the imperial family and once at carthia manor. no matter how insidious marquis de flon was, he would not have been able to organize an assassination right in the imperial palace, so he aimed for a party to be held at the carthia mansion. ¡°when the party was ready, the chandelier fell from the ceiling at the moment the lady went to the center of the hall.¡± a chandelier in a banquet hall is an ornament that reaches the pinnacle of splendor, and the richer and more honorable the family, the larger and more luxurious the chandelier. it was so heavy that if it fell, the person under it would die on the spot. therefore, the chandelier is usually firmly fixed with the help of magic. in addition to the appearance, it could be said that it was a symbol of wealth because it had to be able to use fixed magic, which is an advanced magic, on a regular basis. and the chandelier that dave was fiddling with before accidentally fell off at the moment when yurina was passing by. fortunately, karion, who noticed the strangeness from the very beginning, saved yurina with his magic. ¡°the magic didn¡¯t work properly, so i had to teleport with the young lady.¡± upon hearing the story, yurina recalled the image of a wolf that aimed at her. just like here, the chandelier is aimed exactly at her, and for some reason the magic didn¡¯t work. ¡°as soon as i saw you, i used physical defense magic, but for some reason it didn¡¯t work. time is running out to grasp the situation and use magic again¡­¡± the only difference here was that reynard couldn¡¯t immediately respond to the incident, since he was away from yurina. karion was able to take action a little faster and avoid injury because he was at the scene from the very beginning. karion said that this is all the machinations of de flon. and if so, is the wolf with black magic really the marquis¡¯ trick? ¡°it could also be a coincidence that the chandelier fell. and i don¡¯t see it as possible that dave made a mistake with it. but how do you know it was a conspiracy and not an accident?¡± ¡°there were strange traces of mana on the chandelier. no one but me noticed it. of course, we didn¡¯t immediately catch the man behind everything.¡± there were still many gaps in the investigation. so karion watched the situation without saying anything to anyone. not realizing that he was in the circle of suspects, de flon made a new assassination attempt. it was then that karion revealed that the marquis was the organizer. at that time, yurina was already engaged to the crown prince. to encroach on her meant concocting a conspiracy against the imperial family. or, to put it simply, it was treason. all members of the de flon family, including the marquis, were detained by the imperial knights. marquis de flon tried to flee, leaving lydia behind, but was captured by yurina¡¯s brother, riggs carthia. yurina lost touch with reality as she immersed herself in this story and felt dizzy. moreover, what karion said was the exact opposite of what she read in the original novel. not about the fact that yurina envied lydia, wanted to become a princess, and became a victim of a wizard. but the fact that marquis de flon himself fell from the actions of karion. ¡°so¡­ both marquis de flon and his daughter were executed?¡± karion slowly shook her head at yurina¡¯s question in a trembling voice. ¡°i don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°what do you mean?¡± ¡°i never dreamed of an execution. the last thing i saw was the face of the marquis, who cursed me in prison and said that he would pay me back in the same way.¡± he further said that since childhood he had seen many of these dreams, but apart from them he had never seen anything. his story ended like that. yurina had to gather her strength to digest all the stories she heard. she was tormented by an ominous foreboding, as if she was promised punishment if she didn¡¯t believe the story of karion. but at the same time, yurina was worried that these revelations might be the cunning plan of marquis de flon. so, to believe, you need to demand confirmation that this story wasn¡¯t invented by the marquis. ¡°but why did you tell me everything?¡± ¡°it seems to me that this dream was not accidental. after all, if it were a dream, nothing would be so vivid, and it won¡¯t be repeated many times.¡± ¡°but then what if not a dream?¡± ¡°it felt like i¡¯d experienced everything once.¡± karion¡¯s eyes quickly turned red. he seemed to have special feelings for her, just like when he first met yurina and started shedding tears. reynard, noticing the oddity, moved a chair a little closer to yurina. ¡®if you feel like you¡¯ve experienced it once, are you saying you¡¯ve been reincarnated or regressed?¡¯ it would not be funny if he said that he had returned while she was possessed in the book. however, she wondered why he, who was supported by the de flon family and had feelings for lydia, dared to come and tell yurina every detail. she wonder if he has dreamed that he loved yurina so many times that he feels special feelings for her. or is it all the machinations of de flon? obviously, marquis de flon was not here, but now it seemed to yurina that the two of them were now walking on a tightrope across the abyss. this is a dangerous path on one rope, where you can stumble and crash on the rocks in an instant. ¡®first, we need to check whether this is really a story from his dreams or an invention of the marquis.¡¯ yurina didn¡¯t know marquis de flon, and karion, who had dreamed of it, worked hard to come up with a story she could know. ¡°how accurately do you remember your dreams?¡± ¡°i remember it in pretty detail.¡± ¡°then did you learn to dance in your dream?¡± ¡°yes. i learned.¡± ¡°in the little hall?¡± ¡°i think it was called a small hall.¡± ¡°how was it when you learned to dance?¡± ¡°what exactly are you asking?¡± ¡°anything. please tell me anything you remember.¡± as soon as yurina finished, reynard¡¯s voice echoed in her head. ¡®you mean the broken piano?¡¯ yurina squeezed his hand in affirmation. the small hall is a small living room that yurina and her brothers used not for banquets, but for dance classes or for family games and dances. however, after all three of her older brothers entered the academy and yurina became seriously ill in the winter before meeting reynard, she didn¡¯t have much time for dancing. by those years, she had already mastered the basic dance moves, and she didn¡¯t need to learn dancing until she was older. and she couldn¡¯t dance because she didn¡¯t have a partner who was the right size for her. her three older brothers were busy with other things with yurina when they returned from vacation, so they didn¡¯t go into the small hall. maybe that¡¯s why no one found that the piano in the small hall was out of tune. on the day when yurina and reynard first tried to dance, part of the piano keyboard sounded a little strange. and now yurina wanted to confirm it. if he really dreamed about those days with yurina, he would know about it too. but marquis de flon was not aware of such details. ¡°the dance teacher was viscountess darson. when i was learning to dance, young lady became my partner¡­¡± raynard grinned at the word ¡®partner¡¯. ¡°and every time i stepped on your foot, you assured me that everything was fine. it took me quite a long time to learn how to dance. of the instruments, mainly violin or piano¡­¡± saying this, karion frowned. ¡°now that i think about it, the piano sounds kind of weird.¡± Chapter 113.2 yurina¡¯s somewhat frightened gaze met reynard¡¯s jealous gaze. ¡®so it wasn¡¯t the marquis¡¯s idea?¡¯ but that alone made his story completely unbelievable. it was too difficult to ignore the moment about the broken piano, which very few people knew about. but even karion¡¯s story was as absurd as yurina¡¯s claim that they were all characters in the book. ¡°i know my story will be hard to believe. i also thought a lot about whether i should say this at all, from the first day i met lady carthia.¡± although yurina and reynard looked suspicious, karion didn¡¯t express his displeasure and spoke calmly. ¡°if there is anything else you would like to ask, you are welcome to ask.¡± yurina looked into his eyes without avoiding his gaze and asked. ¡°what was yurina¡¯s favorite dessert?¡± ¡°you often ate desserts with chocolate. among them, brownies were your favorite. there was a time when they gave it to me, saying it was delicious to eat with ice cream on top of a freshly baked, warm brownie.¡± raynard snorted as he sat next to yurina. ¡®i can¡¯t hear anything more. you like hot scones with cream and jam the most. you don¡¯t like chocolate because it¡¯s too sweet.¡¯ he was right. yurina liked scones the most. she likes cakes or tarts with lots of seasonal fruit. on the other hand, she didn¡¯t eat chocolate and chocolate desserts. rather, it was reynard who liked the dessert with an abundance of chocolate more. however, yurina no longer followed karion¡¯s words. all because she remembered what betsy once said. ¡°come to think of it, these days, the lady is not looking for brownies. you used to love brownies.¡± at those words, yurina barely calmed her startled heart. soon he regained his composure and pouted like a child. ¡°only a small child eats such a dessert. but look at me. now i even drink black tea instead of milk.¡± hearing this, betsy smiled as if she saw her cute little sister complaining about it, and brought yurina a brownie and milk, saying that even adults like sweet desserts. thanks to this, yurina pretended to enjoy the large brownie betsy brought and ate it all up. even after that, she ate a brownie with a lot of ice cream on it once or twice in front of the marquis carthia and the marchioness, just in case. after that, few people knew that she liked brownies as a child, thanks to her declaration that she would no longer eat brownies since she was not a child. if you ask betsy now, ¡®betsy, what kind of dessert do i like the most?¡¯ if marquis de flon had investigated and sent karion, he should have talked about scones. but why did he mention brownies without hesitation? ¡®is it because the yurina in the dream is not me, but the original yurina?¡¯ the moment she thought about it, her doubts about karion were dispelled, and at the same time, a hypothesis she had never thought of before popped into her head. ¡®could it be that karion saw the future in a dream?¡¯ at the same time, the face of marquis de flon came to her mind. a face that is extremely hostile to her, but also a face covered with joy when he said that he found blessed when he met reynard on the street. maybe he too¡­ ¡°do you remember the first time you met marquis de flon?¡± his blank face instantly changed, revealing his tension, even reluctance. only for a short moment, and then immediately became impassive, so yurina couldn¡¯t figure out what those emotions were directed at. but she knew one thing, these were clearly not positive emotions. he didn¡¯t like the day he first met the marquis. it was a completely opposite reaction to reynard, who smiled happily as he remembered the day he first met yurina. ¡°he screamed¡­ finally i found you.¡± karion whispered with watery eyes and a low voice. this made it clear. the reason why marquis de flon knew about the existence of ¡®blessed¡¯, and the reason he knew that there was another blessed, ¡®karion¡¯, somewhere besides reynard, and was able to find him at the orphanage. ¡®he knows the future.¡¯ there are two ways to know the future. like yurina, to know the future through the book. or return from this very future. all the hesitations and questions that pressed on her nerves disappeared in an instant. however, yurina still didn¡¯t know which of the two options was correct. and that will be something to find out as soon as possible. but before that, there was only one question. ¡°why did you say me all this? you are favored by the de flon family. don¡¯t you think you¡¯ll be in trouble?¡± ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter. i could leave de flon¡¯s house right now.¡± ¡°but why?¡± ¡°i have something to protect¡­¡± karion¡¯s eyes deviated from yurina¡¯s face and went behind her. when yurina turned around, lydia smiled brightly at her. ¡°sorry, i¡¯m late, huh? there are so many interesting things in your estate, i didn¡¯t even notice how time passed.¡± lydia de flon. the one he wanted so badly to protect. and so karion decided to come to yurina and tell her everything. karion was expected to have feelings for lydia. ¡®but why are you coming to me and talking about that?¡¯ it turned out that the answer only added more questions. ¡°lady carthia, what are you thinking?¡± however, yurina gave up her thoughts for a moment and smiled at lydia, who tilted her head in front of her, saying it was nothing. Chapter 114.1 at yurina¡¯s request to go after dinner, lydia declined, saying that she couldn¡¯t cause such a nuisance today. instead, she added that she had fun today and asked for another invitation next time. yurina nodded in agreement with her courtesy and saw lydia off with a smile. karion, who had stayed by lydia¡¯s side, was now staring at yurina with a frown on his face for quite some time. just like a man who sees the face of his beloved for the last time before leaving on a long journey. his face was drooping, and at times it seemed that he was trying to holding back a storm of emotions inside. on the other hand, yurina, although still unable to trust him, she didn¡¯t avoid his gaze and looked directly at him. as soon as their eyes met, karion again had tears in his eyes. if everything he said today was true, did the emotions he felt for yurina in his dream linger in his heart? yurina had never had such vivid dreams over and over again, so she couldn¡¯t imagine how he would feel now. ¡®i still don¡¯t know what¡¯s inside you¡¯re head.¡¯ after talking with him, yurina came to the conclusion that his story wasn¡¯t made up by marquis de flon. she couldn¡¯t be one hundred percent sure that his history was clear until further investigation proved it. but now she couldn¡¯t find any reason to suspect de flon of a cunning plan. however, yurina still didn¡¯t understand why he had come to her and told her the whole story while mumbling something that he had to protect lydia. yurina wanted to ask, but looking at his expression, it was clear that he wouldn¡¯t give her an honest answer. if he was not against such a revelation, he would have given everything out himself without asking. while yurina and karion stared at each other for a long time, raynard, who was standing next to yurina, stepped in front of her with soft steps and broke their eye contact. ¡°today was fun. i will cast a spell on the carriage so that you can return home comfortably.¡± it was a hint. at this point, karion turned away from yurina and shook his head. ¡°it¡¯s okay. i¡¯m pretty good with magic myself. then, see you soon.¡± after bowing to yurina and reynard, he got into the carriage. ¡°thank you so much for today! when you feel better, you should visit us at the de flon house!¡± lydia opened the window of the moving carriage and waved her handkerchief. yurina waved back until the carriage disappeared. raynard looked at her and took her hand. ¡°ray?¡± his face betrayed that he had a lot to say. it is clear. after all, the story told by karion was more shocking and even more cruel for reynard than any other story. perhaps when he grabbed yurina¡¯s arm, ray was holding back the urge to jump up and disappear from the spot. however, there were many eyes around him, and not all of them could be trusted. the only opportunity for the two to talk freely was at night, when everyone was asleep. and raynard, knowing this, gritted his teeth and only stared at yurina. yurina looked into his troubled eyes and spoke softly. ¡°let¡¯s go to dave. i have a question for him.¡± instead of answering, raynard squeezed yurina¡¯s hand and moved towards the annex where dave¡¯s lab was located. * * * dave, on the other hand, looked a bit embarrassed when he saw yurina who suddenly came. he tidied up his hair, which had been tousled from his research, and guided yurina inside only after wiping off the unknown, sticky liquid on his clothes. ¡°what are you doing here at such and such an hour, milady?¡± ¡°i need to ask you one thing.¡± ¡°reynard, what about you?¡± ¡°reynard, what about you?¡± ¡°like yurina, i came here because i have something i want to ask.¡± dave looked at the two of them through his dusty glasses, then took them off and rubbed them on his clothes. ¡°i am in the middle of research, so i am very dizzy. if you had told me you were coming, i would have cleaned it up a bit earlier¡­¡± even when he was organized, he was always messy. yurina sat down on the sofa he hastily arranged, swallowing the sincerity that jumped out of her. raynard sat down next to her. dave continued to rush around the laboratory tidying up the area where yurina was sitting. ¡°i don¡¯t care, so don¡¯t worry, just sit down.¡± only after yurina pointed to the couch did he sit across from her. ¡°if you would at least tell me through the maid, i myself would come to you tomorrow. you wouldn¡¯t have to go in person.¡± dave muttered in a voice that i didn¡¯t know whether offended or guilty. ¡°sorry for the trouble. there was something i wanted to ask you urgently.¡± dave glanced at raynard, who was sitting next to yurina, and then turned to her. ¡°and what exactly are you so curious about?¡± ¡°is there a way to know the future?¡± ¡°know the future?¡± perhaps the question was sudden, dave gave a look of surprise for a moment. however, he soon captured his expression and instead of the answer, he asked her back. ¡°why are you asking that all of a sudden, young lady?¡± since it was an expected question, yurina answered naturally without any worries. ¡°i just want to know the future.¡± yurina¡¯s assumption was like this. the dreams of karion had were a future that should have happened. or it has already happened. either way it didn¡¯t matter much. what was important was the assumption that marquis de flon would already know about it. it was necessary to confirm that the assumption was true. however, dave looked at yurina and reynard and spat out a very strange sound. Chapter 114.2 ¡°um, do you have any worries these days?¡± ¡°why is that?¡± ¡°if you are satisfied with the present without any worries or anxiety, you won¡¯t worry about wanting to know the future.¡± he still looked like he was in his twenties, but he muttered something like an old man who had lived the whole world. ¡°is there anyone in the world who has no worries? right now, i¡¯m worried about what dress to wear to the tea party next week.¡± yurina calmly shrugged. if she says she has no worries, she will look even more suspicious. a 17-year-old aristocratic lady with a lot of things to worry about and care about since she debuted in the social world for a while, couldn¡¯t have any worries. dave¡¯s assumptions were easy to guess. ¡°so i was just curious. i thought that if i knew the future, i could live happily ever after. is not it? so, it was an unspoken compulsion to answer quickly, but instead of answering, dave paused for a while and then stood up. ¡°would you like a cup of tea?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s okay.¡± dave¡¯s tea tasted so terrible that it was impossible to drink even out of politeness. when yurina shook her head thinking about the bitter taste of the tea, he headed to the room next to her without asking further questions. after a while, he returned, holding a steaming mug in each hand. dave almost forced the mug into reynard¡¯s hand, who shook his head slightly, and sat down. reynard frowned slightly as he took his cup and then caught dave¡¯s eye and took a sip. as soon as he sipped this tea, he let out a loud cough, and could hardly swallow this liquid. later, he tried to put the mug away, but after seeing dave¡¯s eyes for a second, he raised the mug to his mouth again. ¡®how cute.¡¯ although their conversation was serious, yurina still found comedy in this scene. the sight of a young raynard eating vegetables that he didn¡¯t want to eat appeared before her eyes. dave looked at reynard like that and nodded his head in satisfaction before talking to yurina. ¡°if you have any concerns, don¡¯t suffer alone and tell me. because we are friends, you can say things to others that you cannot say.¡± she asked about the future. but why did this magician suddenly decide to take me to confession? she looked at dave to figure out his intentions. however, he calmly waited for yurina to open her mouth, as if there was no other meaning besides the superficial meaning. ¡°i really have nothing to worry about. but after all, won¡¯t the day come when everyone wants to find out about the future? didn¡¯t dave think that way when he was at the academy? what questions will the professor ask on that exam and will that professor accept this thesis?¡± dave coughed a little after the words ¡®thesis¡¯. yurina gave him a handkerchief, but he refused and wiped his lips with his sleeve. ¡°now i think that¡¯s right. when i was at the academy, many times i felt the urge to read the professor¡¯s mind, or the future.¡± ¡°yes, and?¡± ¡°but no matter how much i think about it, i can¡¯t get rid of the feeling that the lady brought up the topic of her graduation thesis to divert her words.¡± he took off his glasses, wiped them with his clothes, put them back on, and put on a serious expression. ¡°in conclusion, there is no way to see the future.¡± to be honest, in her heart yurina thought the whole way that he would give a positive answer. seeing the future sounds absurd, but her entering this world was also absurd. it is much more realistic to say that de flon simply had the ability to see the future, and din¡¯ot turn out to be the second posessor in a book that he also read. in addition, in the romance fantasy novels she read, there were often scenes of seeing the future using divine power or magic. but the answer is ¡®no¡¯? yurina asked in a disappointed tone. ¡°but is that right? you can magically navigate and do anything with magic, so why can¡¯t you see the future?¡± ¡°unlike space, time is the domain of the goddess. a single human being cannot covet the realm of a goddess.¡± ¡°goddess?¡± ¡°yeah. imagine that ordinary humans all know the future without exception. i don¡¯t know if it¡¯s good. perhaps one will be able to get rich or marry the one you love. but after all, not only good things happen to people. imagine a future where you die tomorrow. will the person remain sane?¡± although he said this example without a second thought, yurina was shocked by his words. know the future of your own death. like dave said, no one would stay sane. even she couldn¡¯t be sane. yurina had hopes that her future could be changed by finding reynard, whom she believed was the sub-male lead character of the original work. ¡®i might be really crazy.¡¯ she shuddered as she suddenly felt goosebumps. ¡°so, not being able to see the future is the consideration and blessing of the goddess.¡± no. if she didn¡¯t know the future, she would have loved curtis by following the path written in the original story, and in the end she would have died at the hands of marquis de flon and karion. not knowing the future may be a blessing, but at the same time it is depriving you of the opportunity to change your destiny. she wanted to argue, but she didn¡¯t want to argue with dave. it was a story he couldn¡¯t understand even if she argued. yurina took a deep breath and calmed her shaky mind. after that, there was something strange about her. ¡®dave said something like that?¡¯ in this world, wizards were the most objective and rational people. and among others, dave was especially outstanding. and hear about the ¡®goddess¡¯ from his lips? it was an inappropriate word. yurina tapped the table with her finger as if she was not convinced, and he added an additional explanation. ¡°of course, this is an old-fashioned temple¡¯s thought, and opinions differ in the world of the wizards.¡± Chapter 115.1 dave became interested again and focused on her words. ¡°how are they different?¡± dave set the teacup he was holding down on the table. there was half a cup of black tea left in the cup. ¡°my lady, shall i have more of this tea or not?¡± it was an unexpected question, but yurina did not suspect it was strange. when she was in class with dave, she often asked these non-class related questions, but later it turned out that even those absurd questions were class related. ¡°i think you can drink.¡± ¡°but why?¡± ¡°you still have a lot left. dave always drinks tea without leaving it.¡± hearing yurina¡¯s reply, he placed the cup on the corner of the table without hesitation. ¡°wrong. today it tastes so cheesy that i no longer want to drink it.¡± in fact, his tea has always been like that. yurina kept silent about it and only issued: ¡°yeah, that¡¯s right. but why?¡± ¡°then i will ask you again. shall i have more of that tea or not?¡± ¡°you say you don¡¯t drink.¡± ¡°no, i will drink.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°just think, even a teaspoon of these leaves is worth a fortune. can¡¯t i just pick it up and throw it away like this?¡± no, why are you even brewing such a nasty tea out of those expensive tea leaves? while yurina was fed up with it, he took the teacup he had pushed aside and drank her tea. ¡°do you know what i mean?¡± yurina took her eyes off the tea and looked back at dave. ¡°can the future change?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. let¡¯s assume that if there is a magic that can see the future. when i first said i wouldn¡¯t drink tea, if i looked into the future, there would be a scene where i throw away this tea after the lady leaves. actually, i thought so.¡± ¡°by the way, when you ask the question again, are you saying that if you look into the future, you¡¯ll see dave drinking tea?¡± ¡°yes. after all, if i tell you one, you understand ten.¡± every time he did something like this, yurina asked him not to beat around the bush and get down to business. but today everything was different. she paused for a moment to clear her mind. dave gave her time to think without rushing. ¡°but they say that fate always flows as the goddess commands? and what¡¯s more, i heard that whatever happened, it happened by the will of the goddess.¡± ¡°are you talking about the old-fashioned temples?¡± dave covered his ears with his fingers as if he heard something he didn¡¯t want to hear. ¡°it¡¯s just easier to manage people that way. by the will of the goddess, i was born a nobleman and you a commoner, so there is nothing to fuss about here. how comfortable would it be to be brainwashed like this?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°but wizards are free-thinking people, and i am one of them too. as the lady said, the future is predetermined and fixed by the goddess, but why can¡¯t you see the future? at the very least, high priests could receive accurate prophecies from the goddess? but by no means, their prophecies are always vague, and everyone is ready to interpret them in their own way.¡± its history was long, but the conclusion was that we still cannot see the future. ¡®so it was a false assumption that marquis de flon knew the future?¡¯ but it was too early to give up. yurina had a different plan. ¡°well, dave.¡± ¡°yes, lady?¡± ¡°is there some kind of magic to return to the past from the future?¡± ¡°return to the past?¡± ¡°hm. well, sort of like time shift magic, sort of space shift magic¡­ same thing?¡± judging from the assumption that yurina, who was asking the question, could see the future, and the assumption that she would travel through time, in fact, the latter sounded more absurd. surprisingly, dave didn¡¯t answer right away. he stared at yurina and drank all of his already cold tea. yurina intuitively felt that dave was guessing about her thoughts and focused on his words that would come out of his mouth. but after a while, the words that flew out of his mouth were a little out of blue. ¡°my lady, do you like studying history?¡± ¡°huh? history?¡± the topic suddenly jumped to another place, but yurina nodded her head while putting on a shy expression. no matter how much she thought about the connection between magic and history, she couldn¡¯t understand it, but she decided to trust dave. ¡°well, it¡¯s not that i hate it. i don¡¯t like it either.¡± ¡°i see. so let¡¯s talk fast. can i have another cup of tea before that?¡± when yurina nodded, he quickly brewed new cup of tea. ¡°i¡¯m not a big fan of the story, but this time i have no choice but to bring up the history. lady, don¡¯t you remember what happened in the empire about 150 years ago? you learned that in history class.¡± ¡°150 years ago?¡± yurina went through her memories. she hadn¡¯t touched history for a long time, but it wasn¡¯t hard to understand what dave meant. ¡°you mean there was a rebellion?¡± Chapter 115.2 ¡°how did you remember so quickly? you must have taken the history class a long time ago.¡± she shrugged, looking at him, who looked genuinely surprised. ¡°because i studied to go to the academy.¡± ¡°ah, tha¡¯s right.¡± after reynard left for crohn kingdom, yurina, unable to adapt to the quiet and lonely atmosphere of the mansion, contemplated whether to enter the academy to pass the time quickly. however, the couple of the marquis carthia objected that they couldn¡¯t send her to the dormitory academy because she was weak. the rejection of her father, the marquis, was particularly severe. yurina insisted on going, but she had no choice but to give up because she caught a fever just in time. instead, she learned the magic from dave. but that wasn¡¯t what mattered now. ¡°well, what¡¯s with this rebellion?¡± exactly 157 years ago, after the death of emperor archibald, his eldest son and crown prince conrad ascended the throne. many have opposed him ever since he was appointed crown prince. conrad was greedy for the throne, but he had neither the ability to govern nor the character to protect his subjects and people. when conrad ascended the throne, he had many opponents. but he ascended the blood-drenched throne, and all opposition was put to the sword. three years later, the third prince, edgar, who had previously prostrated himself before conrad, started a rebellion. he was based on his own estate in the eastern part of the empire. the nobles and the people, tired of conrad¡¯s tyranny, joined edgar¡¯s rebellion, but unfortunately his rebellion was crushed after a fierce clash. after that, edgar was executed and his head was beheaded in the middle of the capital, and all those who joined his rebellion disappeared under the guillotine. at that time, the black magicians were the most oppressed. ¡°as you already know, black magic is magic that uses blood instead of mana, unlike normal magic. people considered the warlocks sinister, the warlocks couldn¡¯t stand it and gradually hid in the shadows. even though they weren¡¯t prosecuted by imperial law¡­¡± ¡°but the rebellion was the trigger.¡± ¡°yes, it is.¡± emperor conrad began to grab all the warlocks who, after the uprising, hid in the shadows. that¡¯s why warlocks are gone now. some may still exist in the shadows, but at least they keep their noses out. that is, until a wolf discovered at a hunting competition not too long ago showed up. ¡®but why did you tell me this story?¡¯ it was a story she already knew, so dave had no reason to repeat it. dave, who was receiving yurina¡¯s questionable gaze, took a sip of black tea and cleared his throat. ¡°this is the history of the empire, known everywhere. by the way, have you ever felt something strange in this whole story?¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡± yurina hesitated for a moment, stumbling over her thoughts. in fact, she didn¡¯t even tell her history teacher, but she was a little puzzled while learning that part. ¡°there was a part i didn¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°which part?¡± dave asked quietly, like when he was teaching her magic. rather than teaching both yurina and reynard directly, he guided the two of them to think for themselves in this way. ¡°i wish i could say this¡­¡± ¡°it¡¯s okay. because no one can hear it.¡± yurina hesitated, then carefully brought out the part that she had thought was strange. ¡°as for the warlocks, no matter how much they participated in the rebellion, it was a little strange that they were all caught and executed just because they wanted to at this time. participation in treason is not part of it.¡± not all knights of the empire were punished just for the fact that some joined the conspiracy. just because a nobleman in a certain estate is unclean in heart doesn¡¯t mean that all the people in that estate should suffer. even if the warlock took part in the rebellion, it was wise to execute only those who directly opposed the monarch. however, emperor conrad tirelessly sought out and executed warlocks who had nothing to do with treason, as if to root out black magic. even if black magic was considered sinister, was there a need for it? however, yurina hadn¡¯t said this to anyone until now, fearing that it might be taken as an insult to the imperial family. dave nodded, making it clear that he got the answer he was looking for. ¡°the lady is right. a warlock¡¯s involvement in a rebellion is no reason to eradicate black magic completely. even emperor conrad initially only executed wizards associated with treason. it took several months to catch all the warlocks.¡± ¡°but what is the reason?¡± raynard, who was silently listening to this whole story, only looking at yurina¡¯s face, suddenly intervened. ¡°when i was learning warlock, i had never heard such a detailed story.¡± ¡°it¡¯s because everyone is shushing on this theme.¡± dave lowered his voice and continued to speak using soundproofing magic. ¡°the emperor conrad began to oppress the warlocks, because these sorcerers intended to return the executed third prince to this world.¡± ¡°can you bring the dead back to life?¡± ¡°but you yourself said that it was impossible, didn¡¯t you?¡± yurina and reynard asked at the same time, as soon as dave finished speaking. life and death were the prerogative of the goddess. you can save someone who has been seriously injured and is about to die, but you can¡¯t save someone who is already dead. ¡°yes, magic can¡¯t bring the dead back to life. and besides, the corpse of the third prince has already been burned.¡± ¡°then how?¡± ¡°the warlocks tried to go back in time when the third prince was still alive. that is, before the rebellion.¡± Chapter 116.1 in an instant, silence fell over the room, as if time had stopped. the silence was broken when raynard placed the mug loudly on the table. ¡°but was it successful?¡± he asked the question yurina wanted to ask. dave shook his head. ¡°if they had succeeded, they would not have been caught and executed. still, since that situation was discovered, emperor conrad, thinking that the warlocks could use magic to turn back time, arrested and executed them all.¡± ¡°but is it really possible to turn back time with the help of black magic?¡± in response to yurina¡¯s somewhat hasty question, dave shook his head again. ¡°i don¡¯t know that. the lady asked me, so i told you that there was just such an incident. actually, i think it¡¯s impossible.¡± he clearly explained why magic to turn back time was impossible. it was a convincing story even for yurina, who hadn¡¯t studied magic in depth. however, while hearing that, yurina had the exact opposite thought. warlock, black magic, turn back time¡­ marquis de flon, who is presumed to be a warlock and knows the future. all the puzzles seemed to fit together. ¡®marquis de flon turned back time.¡¯ that was the only way to explain the whole story. * * * the twins, who were already excited by the news that lydia and karion were coming, came home earlier than usual and bombarded yurina with questions. yurina tried to calm them down, saying that nothing happened, but the two of them couldn¡¯t stop talking. exhausted from dealing with them, yurina went up to the room without having dinner. it was because she was completely distraught, and listening to the nagging of the two of them even during dinnertime made her feel sick. however, the twins gave up dinner and tried to follow her, so they had betsy locked the door. fortunately, edwin and justin knocked a little, put a note through the crack in the door saying that they were sorry for making a fuss, and went back. yurina smiled as she looked at the note written by her two older brothers with barely legible handwriting. it was funny, and the displeased faces of the two older brothers flashed before her eyes. after briefly changing her mood with a note from her brothers, she collapsed on the sofa helplessly. it reminded her of reynard¡¯s stern face earlier in the lab. ¡®it must be disturbing.¡¯ after listening to karion and dave¡¯s shocking stories, yurina didn¡¯t get a chance to properly talk to reynard in private. this happened because the twins broke into dave¡¯s lab as soon as they got home. so she had no time of telling him what she had conceived of, nor of her expression, nor of her being burned to the core, nor of soothing him. reynard was nervous and wary of karion, worried that yurina might be leaving him just by saying that she originally tried to find and support karion, not him. however, it was ¡®yurina carthia¡¯ who supported karion and karion liked ¡®her¡¯. it was painful because she couldn¡¯t even imagine what reynard was feeling right now. ¡°milady, is everything okay? you didn¡¯t eat. shall i bring you a light snack?¡± as yurina let out a disappointed sigh, betsy approached and told the other maids to prepare bath water. ¡°yes, i¡¯d like you to bring me some warm soup with bread.¡± in fact, thoughts killed all appetite, but she thought that she could be so distracted. after eating betsy¡¯s prepared dinner and bathing in warm water, yurina went to bed earlier than usual. at yurina¡¯s request, betsy brought her a cup of hot tea, which was good for a good night¡¯s sleep. she carefully covered yurina¡¯s body with a blanket and left the room. yurina got out of bed after confirming that betsy had left, grabbed tea from the bedside table and headed to the living room next to the bedroom. ¡®karion and yurina¡­¡¯ she organized her thoughts based on the stories she had heard from karion and dave. her assumption was this: ¡®the original work i read was a regression novel.¡¯ and karion saw in his dream not the future, but the past, which happened before marquis de flon returned in time. that is, he saw the past before the beginning of the original novel. the reason marquis de flon was captured in his sleep but not executed is probably because he turned back time through black magic a moment before he was executed. yurina was a little puzzled as to exactly how karion could see the past-future, but considering that he was blessed, it made sense. ¡®for the same reason, only blessed ray was able to guess that the incident at the tournament was the work of a warlock.¡¯ since time was turned back with black magic, even if no one else remembers anything, karion, as blessed, could receive a vision. yurina felt sorry that even though she had read that novel, she still didn¡¯t know that marquis de flon had gone back in time. the content of that novel was told from the perspective of the main character, lydia de flon. if lydia went back in time, then senna would immediately understand this. but now, if marquis de flon returned, and if lydia didn¡¯t know about this fact, of course, this wouldn¡¯t be narrated in the book. at least in the ending, everything would have been revealed and ended, but before she became possessed by yurina, senna saw the death of ¡®yurina carthia¡¯ in the original work and lost interest, so she closed the book without looking at the ending. so yurina couldn¡¯t even imagine before that that novel was actually built on the return to the past of the father of the main character, marquis de flon. however, if we add the assumption that marquis de flon has returned, all unanswered questions and doubts were resolved in an instant. Chapter 116.2 marquis de flon faces execution and plans to get rid of yurina carthia and make his daughter a princess. but karion finds out about his plans. the first thing he wants to do after going back in time is to find karion before yurina and take him away. as well as yurina, who tried to find him before marquis de flon, so as not to be killed by karion. at first, she probably thought: why not just kill karion? however, from the point of view of his house, mired in conflict with the carthia family, it would have been more attractive to use a wizard so that lydia could smoothly ascend the throne, rather than kill the red-eyed child he thought was cursed. so he gave him the name karion, which means ¡®winner¡¯, and brought him to his estate to raise him as his servant. and, unlike the old version of the future, where he was expected to be executed, the current de flon was intoxicated with a sense of victory, because he believed that he had outsmarted yurina and the carthia house. according to his testament, karion stayed with lydia in the de flon mansion, cherished her, and decided to devote everything to her. so, all that remains is to remove yurina and the carthia house, so that lydia can come into the royal family through marriage with the crown prince. history is always written by the winners. from the point of view of the main character of the novel, lydia, her father, who risked his life, returned and saved their entire house, should be a hero. in the original novel ¡®yurina carthia¡¯ in this case should be declared a villainess, an obstacle to a happy ending. however, there is one variable here. ¡®and that¡¯s me.¡¯ de flon was unaware of this, but he was not the only one who saw versions of the future. from de flon¡¯s point of view, a future would unfold in which karion, raised by yurina, captured the marquis and brought him to his execution. but from the point of view of yurina, as it was clear from the book, she died at the hands of karion, sponsored by marquis de flon. in fact, if the plot hadn¡¯t been rewritten, the returnee marquis de flon would have died at the hands of karion, as expected. yurina and marquis de flon. the future they knew about was completely different, but they had the same goal. find a red-eyed child in an orphanage, and win him over to your side so that one survives and the other is dead. so they both searched the orphanages in the capital and nearby estates to find that child. it was for this reason that marquis de flon took an interest in reynard when he saw him in the center of the city. then, realizing that yurina patronized that boy, de flon realized that he was a step too late and wanted to take him by any means. but when he heard his name, he realized that reynard wasn¡¯t karion. ¡°reynard?¡± yurina didn¡¯t know what name karion originally had. but obviously it wasn¡¯t ¡®reynard¡¯. as soon as marquis de flon heard this name, he realized that this was not the right child. so, he must have decided to abandon reynard and set out again in search of karion. at the same time, perhaps he could guess that the yurina in front of him wasn¡¯t acting like the real ¡®yurina¡¯. thus, even after he found karion, he carefully concealed this fact and raised him by hiding in his own estate, and didn¡¯t even send him to the academy. he must have come up with a plan to get rid of yurina and reynard step by step. ¡®i guess the reason he approached the second prince is probably because curtis has already publicly shown interest in me.¡¯ when he returned, he must have had the idea of setting lydia up with the man she loved, curtis. as a result, his goal was to marry lydia to curtis and make her a princess. and in the near future, the empress. however, hatred for yurina blinded him, made him forget the reason for his return and blindly run ahead. instead of pushing lydia towards the man she loves, all he had in mind was ¡®make lydia the next empress¡¯. however, the crown prince curtis wasn¡¯t interested in lydia, but in yurina, whom the marquis hates. so what choice did he make to make lydia a princess? ¡®you tried to marry lydia to the second prince, and make the second prince your puppet.¡¯ however, one question still remains. why did karion, who was supposed to kill yurina as ordered by marquis de flon, actually come to her and tell her all this? ¡®he said it was to protect lydia?¡¯ so, unlike the original, the current actions of marquis de flon threaten his daughter, he doesn¡¯t take into account her wishes and forces her to marry the prince? ¡°yurina.¡± after thinking for a long time, yurina looked up after hearing reynard¡¯s voice right in front of her. she didn¡¯t even hear him coming, but raynard, dressed in a robe, was already standing right in front of her. he often used space travel magic to visit yurina without being noticed by others. his face, dimly reflected by the candlelight, was serious without a hint of laughter. when he always looked at her, he had a very different face than when he couldn¡¯t contain his joy and laughed. ¡°when did you arrive?¡± ¡°a few hours ago.¡± ¡°then speak.¡± she leaned back on the couch and held out her hand towards him. but he just looked at her and didn¡¯t move. ¡°come on.¡± reynard, who had been standing still as if frozen, took a step back only after yurina lightly urged him and waved her hand. standing in front of her in a few wide strides, he bent down with one knee next to yurina¡¯s thigh. then he put her hands on yurina¡¯s side and locked her in his arms. the already dark room seemed even darker as he approached, with his broad shoulders. Chapter 117.1 yurina wrapped her hands around his cheeks, when her eyebrows were furrowed. ¡°i can¡¯t see your face well. come closer.¡± as soon as that word was finished, the candle that had been placed on the table slowly flew to his side. ¡°can you see me now?¡± yurina couldn¡¯t give an answer right away, mesmerized by his eyes. is it because of the burning candle? it was as if his red eyes were on fire now. indeed, his eyes were now flickering with all sorts of mixed emotions. jealousy, anxiety and desire for yurina. it seemed that his heart was breaking in all directions. ¡°what are you thinking about?¡± ¡°about what i heard from karion and dave earlier.¡± as soon as karion¡¯s name was mentioned, raynard swallowed nervously. he looked into yurina¡¯s face as if he could read her thoughts like that. yurina was the first to open her mouth so as not to hurt him further. ¡°i heard the story and found out something.¡± she told him all the assumptions she had been thinking about a moment ago. karion had dreams about what he would go through in the past version of the future. and that marquis de flon, who tried to kill yurina to make lydia a princess, ended up turning back time with black magic. and that¡¯s why he hated yurina and her whole house. it was just as surprising as her story about the book and the fact that she had transmigrated into yurina¡¯s body, but raynard listened silently without a hint of surprise. ¡°it really worries me that the marquis had contact with the second prince, and not with the crown prince. it¡¯s not just about you and me. they seem to be up to something really big¡­¡± despite yurina¡¯s calm explanation, reynard¡¯s stern face showed no signs of relaxing. yurina looked into his eyes and smiled as naturally as possible. ¡°ray¡­ i¡¯m not the¡¯ yurina¡¯ who sponsored karion.¡± he swallowed again at the name ¡®karion¡¯. ¡°i don¡¯t even know exactly what karion knows about yurina. he said that i like ice cream cakes the best, but as you know, i don¡¯t like chocolate. my favorite dessert is scones, like you said. warm scones with jam and cream.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°you are the only one i sponsored. so you don¡¯t have to worry about what you just heard.¡± ¡°i know.¡± he clenched his jaw tightly and squeezed out. ¡°i know, but i still don¡¯t like the way he looks at you.¡± ¡°ray¡­¡± before yurina could speak, reynard buried his face into her neck. his warm breath and lips touched her neck, and she felt a tingle. raynard leaned down a little more and slowly kissed her neck. wherever his lips went, there was a red mark with a tingling sensation. yurina wiggled her fingers at the feeling that her face and body were getting hot, so she grabbed his shirt tightly. she tried to push him in the chest, but his strong body didn¡¯t move. on the contrary, whenever yurina twirled in the dark, his hard muscles trembled as if in anger. raynard traced the red marks left on yurina¡¯s white neck with his fingertips. although there was nothing special about their closeness right now, yurina took a deep breath from the tension and bit her lip. he looked at her without saying a word, then lowered himself and left another red mark. it was an act that did not hide its desire. yurina closed her eyes and tightly grabbed his shoulders, but he sank even lower, and as if cleaning her, covered her with kisses. raynard bit one end of the ribbon around yurina¡¯s waist and slipped his hand under her robe. one move and yurina was immediately naked. he buried his face between her neck and shoulders, drawing curved lines on her body. ¡°ray¡­¡± ¡°i don¡¯t want other men to look at you.¡± the tip of his tongue this time ran over the hollow above her collarbone. ¡°i can¡¯t stand that bastard karion who¡¯s always staring at you.¡± he stood up and bit yurina around her collarbone until it slightly hurt. he bit her snugly, moving his lips over her collarbone as if he were devouring her, chewing her from her head to her toes. yurina pressed her lips with the back of her hand to hold back her scream. ¡°i need only you. all i want, all i have is you.¡± raynard grabbed yurina by the shoulders and laid her on the couch. he climbed over her body as if he wanted to cover her whole. ¡°you just need me too, right?¡± his eyes, looking down at her, seemed more pitiful than stained with jealousy and possessiveness. yurina nodded slowly. ¡°hm.¡± then, as if in relief, he leaned over yurina. his weight was considerable, but yurina only rubbed him on the back without showing any displeasure. ¡°so, yurina, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°huh.¡± ¡°because i will never let anyone hurt you.¡± ¡­be it karion or marquis de flon. he held back the last words and tightly closed his lips. marquis de flon gazed at a portrait of a girl placed on his desk, relying on the faint light of a candle. it was a girl with a pale face painted on a rectangular canvas. she had pinkish blonde hair and clear blue eyes like glass when she was about ten years old. he glared at the portrait, focusing on the eyes of the girl named yurina in the painting, and thumped the desk with his fist. ¡°yurina carthia¡­¡± it was this fox-like woman who ruined all the plans he thought were perfect. he recalled the day he first met yurina and gritted his teeth. seven years ago, he saw yurina for the first time with raynard in a bustling area while he was with lydia. but that was the first encounter in this life. he had to go back ten years from now, which was two years before lydia became an adult. yurina would have been sixteen at the time. at that time, marquis de flon had no special feelings for her. until lydia fell in love with yurina¡¯s lover, the crown prince. lovely daughter lydia deserved to be beside the crown prince more than anyone else. he couldn¡¯t imagine yurina being beside the crown prince instead of lydia. so he tried to match lydia and the crown prince curtis. however, the relationship between yurina and curtis was stronger than he thought, and an engagement was even proposed when she officially debuted at the age of eighteen in society. if only yurina wasn¡¯t there, if only she didn¡¯t exist¡­ filled with anger, he tried to get rid of her, but his plan was foiled by blessed, whom she brought when she was young. if only he wasn¡¯t there, he wouldn¡¯t have failed! therefore, marquis de flon used a spell to turn back time that was handed down from black magicians in the dark prison under the palace just before he was executed. honestly, he didn¡¯t think that the spell would really turn back time. however, when he opened his eyes again, he had actually gone back to the past. before yurina went to find blessed. ¡®that blessed is the problem.¡¯ but on the other hand, it meant that everything would be more favorable to him if he could get blessed before yurina did. so he decided to find him before yurina did. while he was out in the downtown area to buy a birthday present for lydia, something strange happened. he saw yurina, who he knew had been searching for blesed during winter, with a boy with red eyes. but how was she already with him in autumn? lost in thought, unexpectedly, the boy gave him a clue. ¡°my apologies for not recognizing you earlier, sir. as you may have already heard, i am raynard, and i am receiving the favor of the carthia family.¡± it was a name he had never heard before. the blessed he knew in the past was definitely not named ¡®raynard¡¯. moreover, yurina, who had never learned magic, gave the boy a name that meant ¡®hope¡¯ in an ancient language? only a brief moment passed, but marquis de flon noticed something decisive in yurina¡¯s trembling figure as she looked at him. ¡®she¡¯s a fake.¡¯ this child was not the original ¡®yurina¡¯ he knew. he didn¡¯t know how it happened, but in the process of turning back time, the original ¡®yurina¡¯ seemed to have been replaced by someone else. ¡®moreover, she knows something.¡¯ beside yurina was the boy with red eyes, but with a different name. upon closer inspection, the face of the boy in his memory was different. unlike the man who had tried not to reveal his face to the nobles in the past, look at him now with cat-like eyes wide open, staring straight at him. but on the other hand, if the blessed she was supporting wasn¡¯t the boy who was with the real yurina in the past, then that boy must still be somewhere near the capital. he thought that if she brought that boy back, he could change the future as he desired. even if the fake knows something, she is just a young girl who doesn¡¯t know how to do anything. what could that child possibly do? however, yurina and her blessed, raynard, persistently interfered with his plans. persistently! unable to bear his anger, marquis de flon hastily hid the portrait he was clutching at the sound of a knock. a moment later, lydia de flon entered the office. Chapter 117.2 * * * lydia stood in front of the office of her father, marquis de flon, with a nervous expression. ¡®why did my father call me?¡¯ it wasn¡¯t in his habit to call his daughter for no particular reason. and that very special reason now was that she had done something wrong. but she thought about it, nothing special happened today, right? except for going to the carthia mansion to meet yurina. ¡®ah, that¡¯s it.¡¯ lydia bit her lip, remembering yurina¡¯s face she saw during afternoon tea. yurina carthia. marquis de flon had always talked about yurina since lydia was a child. various stories were heard, but all were bad and with a sad end. lydia, young and naive, believed everything her father said. in her imagination, yurina was an evil and merciless monster, like a witch in a fairy tale. lydia¡¯s thoughts changed after she found out about the ¡®blessed¡¯, who is said to have been blessed by the goddess herself. at that time, when she met karion, lydia couldn¡¯t help but feel sad at how he suffered because of his red eyes. and it was because in her eyes he looked more beautiful than scary. but she couldn¡¯t understand why all the servants tried to separate them, or why her father hid him in the room so that people wouldn¡¯t know that karion had red eyes. then rumors spread that the same yurina carthia had found an old book, which claimed that the red eyes were actually the blessing of the goddess. after that day, lydia¡¯s thoughts about yurina changed. ¡®a person who goes that far for a friend can¡¯t be bad.¡¯ at the same time, she felt grateful. after that, without the knowledge of her father, lydia collected news about yurin carthia. since she couldn¡¯t leave for the capital and remained within the walls of the estate, it was difficult for her to look for news. but she could still hear a lot of interesting things. rumored yurina carthia was completely different from the yurina her father had said. lydia heard that yurina was always full of confidence and always smiled proudly, and imagined a girl her age with a beautiful smile. at that time, she thought that she wanted to become an adult as soon as possible and move to the capital to yurina. she wanted to quickly get to know each other, talk and become her friend. just because they had been friends with blessed since they were young, she thought they would be able to quickly become close because they formed a great consensus that others couldn¡¯t relate to. and it would be great if karion and a boy named reynard also became friends. in fact, yurina, whom lydia eventually met, became even more beautiful and worthy than she always imagined. lydia tried to restrain herself, realizing that it was shameful to behave too familiarly. but her very nature drew her to yurina. though she might seem rude at times, yurina was kind and treated her well. and she even invited her to the mansion¡­ ¡®but why does my father hate lady carthia so much?¡¯ lydia swallowed nervously in fear, then turned the doorknob. in the middle of the office, she saw her father, marquis de flon, and karion, standing in the corner, in the shade. lydia smiled broadly as soon as she saw karion, but she sensed the serious atmosphere in the room and hardened her face. ¡°did you call me, father?¡± marquis de flon, who had previously looked out of the window, turned towards her voice. ¡°i heard you were at the carthia mansion today.¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°what were you talking about?¡± ¡°we didn¡¯t talk much. we just talked about what¡¯s trending in the social world these days.¡± and it literally was. lydia¡¯s conversation with yurina wasn¡¯t really anything special. talk about fashionable dresses and accessories, favorite food and other topics that ordinary teenage girls talk. but then her father frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, obviously dissatisfied with something. ¡°it¡¯s an ordinary story.¡± ¡°just¡­ it was just a tea party. what else can i talk about with my friends?¡± marquis de flon snorted. ¡°are you friends? with whom? you and that fox?¡± fox. father always called yurina a fox. or otherwise, ¡®bitch¡¯. in any case, lydia didn¡¯t like those titles. and at other times, she would simply swallow everything and wouldn¡¯t answer anything to her father. this is because she has always been taught that the virtue of children is not to oppose their parents. today, lydia couldn¡¯t still silent. fox. of course, the fox was also pretty. however, yurina wasn¡¯t at all the cunning fox her father said. maybe because the corners of her eyes lifted slightly, she was like a cute cat, or her voice was like a pretty canary bird. why does her father always talk about such a pretty and kind girl like that? ¡°don¡¯t call lady carthia a fox.¡± it was said impulsively. but lydia didn¡¯t regret it later. even after the realization hit her. rather, she felt fresh, as if the stone that pressed on her heart had disappeared in an instant. ¡°i¡¯m not the kind of person who would listen to my father say something like that.¡± ¡°what?¡± marquis de flon raised one eyebrow as if he was dumbfounded at the first rebellion of his obedient daughter. he got up from leaning on her desk and took one step closer to lydia. the afternoon sunlight pouring in from behind him cast long shadows on the ground. terrified lydia took a step backwards as the tip of the shadow landed on her shoe. ¡°what did you just say?¡± marquis de flon took another step. then karion, who kept silent all the time in the shadows, quickly jumped out and shielded lydia with himself. Chapter 118.1 the marquis¡¯s gaze, which felt even cooler as it was shaded, moved from lydia to karion. he distorted his face even more than when lydia had startled him with her rebellion. and when lydia saw the fire in her father¡¯s eyes, she tried to stand in front of karion, but karion stretched out her arm first to stop her. ¡°who told you to intervene?¡± ¡°it seems that the lady was tired and slipped for a while.¡± ¡°okay, get out of the way.¡± ¡°lydia looks very tired, so i¡¯ll just take her to her room¡­¡± in an instant, karion¡¯s face turned to the side with a slap. he stood in front of lydia without stumbling even after being suddenly slapped by the marquis. lydia, who had been fidgeting behind him, examined his face with a shrieking shriek. his cheeks, which were pale enough to show blood vessels from not seeing much sunlight, were swollen red. his lips seemed to have been cracked, and at first glance, bright red blood was dripping from them. ¡°i¡¯ll take her to her room.¡± ¡°a worm like you¡­ what do you know?!¡± the moment marquis de flon raised his hand again, lydia pushed karion away and stepped out in front of him. ¡°father!¡± she closed her eyes tightly, preparing for the pain to come. however, contrary to her expectations, there was no pain in the cheek. when she opened her tightly closed eyes, she saw her father looking madly with his hand raised. ¡°i, i made a mistake.¡± lydia stuttered as she felt karion¡¯s hand on her back. ¡°like kai said, i think i made a mistake because i was tired. i¡¯m sorry.¡± it was then that the marquis¡¯ stern expression softened a little. he lowered his raised hand and patted lydia on the head. she shrugged her shoulders in surprise and squeezed the hem of her skirt with her hands. ¡°yes, that¡¯s how it should be. you couldn¡¯t do this to me.¡± ¡°i¡¯m tired, so can i go?¡± seeing marquis de flon¡¯s gaze directed at karion behind her, she hurriedly added. ¡°i don¡¯t feel well, so i want kai to take me to my room.¡± marquis de flon had a disapproving expression on his face, but soon nodded.. ¡°sure.¡± ¡°then i will go.¡± lydia bowed her head, took karion¡¯s hand and left the office. as usual, karion stayed a step behind lydia and trotted along instead of walking alongside her. lydia wanted to tell him to come closer, but she couldn¡¯t because of other people¡¯s looks. ¡°then rest please.¡± karion brought lydia to the room and uttered only one word. he didn¡¯t enter her room, but stood in the corridor, trying to close the door. lydia stared blankly at his disappearing face, then quickly reached in between the cracks in the door and held it shut. karion was startled and grabbed her hand. ¡°it¡¯s dangerous if you hold the door like that when it¡¯s closing¡­¡± ¡°why did you do that?¡± lydia asked in a weeping voice, looking at his cheeks and lips, which were more swollen than before. he closed his mouth while holding her hand. she furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips as if to cry. ¡°why did you intervene, knowing that my father would hit you?¡± ¡°otherwise, my lady¡­¡± ¡°there¡¯s no way my father would hit me with his hand.¡± it was a lie. when she stood in front of karion moments ago, she was actually afraid that her father might slap her on the cheek. however, she sternly denied it without revealing her intentions and pulled his arm. karion, who had been holding on to her body for a while, entered her room. lydia sat karion down on the couch, asked the maid to bring hot water and a towel, and sat next to him. ¡°kai.¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°do you think i was wrong too?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i hate that my father talks about lady carthia like that. before, i just didn¡¯t like it, but after meeting lady carthia in person, i really hated it.¡± ¡°but you were careless.¡± lydia looked at karion¡¯s face as he calmly replied. looking at his chapped lips, lydia felt that this was definitely thoughtless of her. ¡®i should have kept kai from stepping out.¡¯ she bit her lip and wiped his face with a towel the maid had just brought with her with warm water. as the water washed over the wound, karion frowned slightly, but then looked at lydia¡¯s depressed face and relaxed. ¡°but still, i really want to be friends with lady carthia.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i think i would be really upset if something happened to lady carthia.¡± lydia tried to add in a bright voice, seeing him still not responding. ¡°still, you are my first friend, kai.¡± lydia remembered the first time she met him. seven years ago, on an exceptionally cold winter day, her father called her to the office just like today. ten years old at the time, she took her nanny¡¯s hand and entered her office. funny enough, the first thing she noticed was not the father, but the strange boy standing next to him. the pitifully skinny boy was about the same height as lydia. he was wearing very thin clothes that didn¡¯t suit him in winter, and even that was ragged with holes here and there, so the wind seemed to blow in. the father pointed to the boy. ¨C it¡¯s karion. from now on, he will be living in the mansion from now on, so keep an eye on him. ¨C this my friend? lydia was excited. she grew up without siblings and was bored all the time. there were many people in the mansion, but everyone was older than her, and even the youngest maids had a hard time with lydia. nobody treated her like a friend. so lydia thought that her father brought the boy to her as a friend. but the next answer lingered in her memory for a long time. Chapter 118.2 lydia was so startled that she nearly fell over and stumbled back. she would have really fallen if the nanny hadn¡¯t supported her. ¨C a friend. how can you say that he is a friend even after looking at his appearance? ¨C that, then? ¨C let¡¯s call he¡¯s a servant. lydia nodded in agreement. but deep down, she thought of him as her friend and was excited to play with him. ¨C hello? the boy her father introduced as karion was so quiet that it would be safe to say that he didn¡¯t speak. he ran to the corner of her room, covering his eyes as lydia stared into his red eyes. actually, she was looking at him because his eyes were pretty. after that, lydia followed her father to the manor. she was almost confined there, and her only friend her age was karion, a boy her father had brought with her. her father kept calling him a servant, but he was definitely different from the servant. instead of working, he learned magic from marquis de flon. when she heard from her nanny, she said that he was sponsoring him with the intention of raising him as a wizard. if you were a sponsor, even if you couldn¡¯t get along like a friend, you didn¡¯t have to get along with each other because of the relationship between employer and employee. from the day she confirmed that he wasn¡¯t a servant, lydia tried to be friendly with him. instead of the name ¡®karion¡¯, which didn¡¯t suit his appearance at all, she gave him the nickname ¡®kai¡¯. she treated him to his favorite desserts, talked about games and walked with him. after living with him all day in a small world, it was only natural that she had given him her heart. in fact, lydia was well aware that it would be difficult for the two of them to stay together. at least her father, marquis de flon, wouldn¡¯t tolerate this. but every time she saw the marquis beating karion, she couldn¡¯t help but feel upset. ¡°this is the wound. why doesn¡¯t it heal?¡± lydia asked, recalling a story she had heard before. she once saw karion with a scar on his face and asked why he didn¡¯t heal it with his healing magic. as far as lydia knew, at that time karion could already use healing magic quite freely, as he could instantly heal lydia¡¯s knee. but he didn¡¯t really think about healing his own wounds? then he hesitated and shook his head. he said he can¡¯t heal himself. he said that he thought healing magic couldn¡¯t heal him, but that wasn¡¯t the case either. and lydia attributed everything to the subtleties of art, that supposedly healing magic is not able to heal the caster himself. but by no means. later, she found out that her father, marquis de flon, had put some restrictions on karion so that he couldn¡¯t heal himself. hearing this, she became angry and tried to run to her father, but karion stopped her and barely held back. there was no answer from karion. but in that silence, lydia read her affirmation. ¡®it¡¯s too much.¡¯ she clenched her fists and carefully applied the ointment the maid had brought to karion¡¯s wound. ¡°don¡¯t get hurt.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°if you¡¯re hurt, i¡¯m more upset, so don¡¯t get hurt.¡± but there was still no answer from him. after a moment of silence, karion gave her a very small nod. * * * ¡°if your guess is correct¡­¡± yurina, who was now half asleep, no longer had the strength to answer, and only nodded helplessly. raynard laughed softly at the cute scene and lightly kissed the top of her head. ¡°do you really want to sleep?¡± nod. ¡°then we¡¯ll talk tomorrow?¡± nod. ¡°yurina, do you love me a lot?¡± yurina reflexively opened her eyes and looked at reynard. ¡°mm? why are you silent?¡± nod¡­ yurina reflexively nodded her head, barely opening her eyes, and glanced at reynard. ¡°huh? why don¡¯t you answer me?¡± no matter how quiet his whisper was, she was offended. she slipped out of his arms and lay with her back to him, further back on the bed. raynard was not going to let her go so easily, and immediately hugged her from behind. ¡°how dare you ask a sleeping person so stupidly?¡± ¡°but¡­¡± his sigh mixed with anxiety spilled over yurina¡¯s bare shoulders. ¡°i¡¯m anxious.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i think i¡¯m going crazy with anxiety.¡± yurina turned back to him. when she buried her face in his chest and gently stroked his back with her palms, his restless breathing became sharp in a slightly different sense. yurina knew that he didn¡¯t doubt her love. he knew her feelings for him best as he looked into each other¡¯s eyes every day. but, there are times when it just happens. he¡¯s so happy that sometimes he wonder if he can be this happy. raynard, who has been hankering for love all his life, seems to be questioning ¡®if he can even be loved¡¯, not yurina¡¯s love. ¡°i love you, ray.¡± and yurina hoped that her love would always give him stability. she wanted to have the opportunity to fill the void inside him, a child who was born into this world and was supposed to grow up with a lot of love, but didn¡¯t receive affection. she didn¡¯t want to see him look so anxious. he was a man who deserved to be loved enough even if he didn¡¯t crave love so earnestly. ¡°i love you so much.¡± so, if it could reassure him, she could have whispered her heart to him with sincerity over and over again. ¡°yes, i love you too.¡± reynard hugged her tightly. below his left chest, which touched her ear, the irregular heartbeat gradually changed to a slow and stable one. Chapter 119.1 ¡°so, if your assumptions are correct¡­¡± raynard suddenly changed the subject as he watched yurina slowly sip her tea. the two were now slowly drinking tea in a garden full of roses. with enough sleep and a clear mind, yurina could listen to him this time. ¡°i don¡¯t think that marquis de flon will ever give up on you.¡± ¡°i think so too.¡± yurina carefully set down her cup and remembered the light in the eyes of marquis de flon that she had seen in the capital. looking at the enemy as if he wanted to tear her apart at any moment. when yurina was still very young, there were moments when she wondered, ¡®why was i so scared when i first met him in a downtown area?¡¯ in the novel, he only ordered karion to kill yurina. even if there was a possibility that he would kill her in the future, the future hasn¡¯t happened yet. it could change enough, and she wondered why she was so frightened with reynard next to her, whom she firmly believed was karrion at the time. no matter how traumatic the death was, her mind wasn¡¯t that of a ten-year-old child, but that of a twenty-two-year-old adult, so it was an overreaction. however, if marquis de flon really had the intent to kill her, it could have been enough. who in the world wouldn¡¯t be intimidated in the face of such intense flesh? age didn¡¯t matter. ¡®when i didn¡¯t know that marquis de flon had returned, i thought i could simply avoid curtis¡­¡¯ if his goal was simply to make lydia the crown princess, everything would have ended smoothly if yurina didn¡¯t become the crown princess. however, marquis de flon¡¯s goal was to make lydia the crown princess and at the same time avenge the carthia family that led to her destruction. ¡°then we should strike first.¡± yurina¡¯s voice was full of determination. ¡°maybe we should reveal that marquis de flon is a warlock?¡± she shook her head at reynard¡¯s question. ¡°it won¡¯t be easy to reveal it. even if we find proof, it won¡¯t be enough. even if warlocks were suppressed in the past, there is no reason to punish them now.¡± ¡°then?¡± yurina picked up a fork and cut off the sharpest part of the cheesecake. ¡°we should aim for the other tail.¡± * * * ¡°you mean his highness the crown prince?¡± at the sudden name, marquis carthia asked back with a clear look of bewilderment. riggs, who was sitting next to yurina, also opened his mouth in surprise. ¡°yurina, the crown prince, why all of a sudden?¡± ¡°i have a story i want to tell you.¡± ¡°no way¡­¡± yurina read riggs¡¯ thoughts promptly and shook her head. ¡°i¡¯m not trying to become the crown princess.¡± he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°then?¡± ¡°it¡¯s the other way around. she will definitely tell her highness the crown prince that she has no intention of becoming the crown princess.¡± yurina met riggs and marquis carthia¡¯s eyes once in a while, then spoke firmly. ¡°and i will come with an offer.¡± a proposal that curtis genosian had no choice but to give up on yurina neatly. and if he accepts this offer, he will be able to form an alliance with marquis de flon that can keep the 2nd prince in check. * * * upon learning yurina¡¯s plan, marquis carthia decided to arrange a place for yurina to get an audience with curtis as soon as possible. at the same time, he ordered riggs to find convincing evidence that the marquis de flon and the rebels who attacked yurina in the crohn kingdom were holding hands. reynard locked himself in the lab with dave, struggling to find a way to identify warlocks. knowing all the secrets of dark magic, it seemed that the process would go more smoothly than he thought. however, it wasn¡¯t easy to find clues about black magic, and it wasn¡¯t easy to meet curtis, who was busy with public affairs. ¡®i need to meet you as soon as possible.¡¯ yurina was nervously tapping her fingers on the table when suddenly, a sharp sound of ceramics colliding with each other resounded. surprised, yurina lifted her head and looked at the cup betsy was handing her. it was a very basic manner of etiquette to place the teacup gently on the saucer so that it wouldn¡¯t make a sound. it wasn¡¯t a mistake that betsy, who was one of the top five proficient servants in the mansion, would make, as would be the case for a new hire who had just started working. but betsy, seemingly unaware of her mistake, picked up the teapot and began pouring tea without a hint of embarrassment or a word of apology. reddish black tea began to fill up in a teacup with a flower pattern on it. but even after the tea was filled with more than two-thirds of the tea, betsy didn¡¯t stop. ¡°betsy? only when yurina gently called out to her, betsy straightened her tilted hand in surprise. she opened her eyes wide as she looked at the teacup, which was barely filled as if it were about to overflow. ¡°sorry, lady! i must have been thinking about something else for a while. i¡¯ll fix it!¡± yurina stopped betsy from taking the teacup with a nod of her head. ¡°it¡¯s okay. because it¡¯s not overflowing.¡± she reached out to pick up the teacup and smiled involuntarily. ¡°why are you like that?¡± ¡°no, just. i made mistakes on other things, but putting the knob on the right side was really strange.¡± she set the teacup audibly and even as she poured the tea to overflowing, betsy kept the handle of the teacup to her right for yurina¡¯s convenience. it was a habit for a long time, so it seemed to come out naturally. ¡°by the way, betsy, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°yes? no. nothing happened.¡± betsy smiled and shook her head. however, yurina couldn¡¯t shake the thought that something was wrong with her. Chapter 119.2 for some time now, betsy has been making mistakes that are not at all in her character. recently, she handed a fork to yurina when she asked for a spoon, and she almost fell over because she twisted her foot while walking. if it was once, you would think it was a momentary mistake, but it was repeated several times, so yurina couldn¡¯t help but worry. even now, betsy was smiling, but compared to her usual, flawless smile, she looked a bit sluggish. ¡°if there¡¯s anything wrong, don¡¯t hide it, tell me. there may be something i can do for you.¡± betsy shook her head a couple more times to say that nothing had happened, then let out a sigh while looking at yurina¡¯s worried face. ¡°the truth is.¡± ¡°hm?¡± yurina looked at her suddenly gloomy face and pointed to the chair across from her. betsy straightened her apron and quietly sat down. yurina took out an extra cup and poured tea for betsy herself. ¡°i received a letter from my family early this morning.¡± ¡°what happened to your family?¡± betsy took a sip of tea and continued. ¡°it¡¯s okay, but it looks like my nephew has a fever. after all, he was always healthy, and even if he fell ill, he recovered quickly. but this time, it seems to be bad.¡± yurina had already heard about him. he is the son of a younger sister who is two years younger than betsy, and is said to be a four-year-old boy who likes to run around here and there. betsy loved her nephew like her son, to the point that whenever she went on vacation she would ask the kitchen for desserts. ¡®that¡¯s why she was distracted.¡¯ if your beloved nephew had a bad fever, all your nerves had to go to him. ¡°why isn¡¯t that a big deal? why are you talking about it now? i¡¯m not going to stay like this, i¡¯ll give you a vacation, so go home quickly.¡± betsy smiled bitterly and shook her head. ¡°but how can i leave milady? i will send them a letter and a generous sum of money, so it should be all right.¡± ¡°no need, just go quickly.¡± ¡°what if i catch a cold? i can transfer it to the young lady.¡± ¡°don¡¯t worry about me, think about your family.¡± ¡°still¡­¡± yurina loudly closed the book she was reading. betsy hesitated for a moment, as if surprised by the somewhat nervous behavior. ¡°i¡¯m more concerned about you not being able to concentrate and making mistakes like this.¡± betsy smiled and nodded with no sign of displeasure, though noticing that yurina spoke colder. ¡°since the lady said that, i¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°of course.¡± yurina stood up and left the room, dragging betsy by the arm. she called the butler and told him to give betsy a paid vacation, then busied herself away while betsy went to her room to pack. the first place she went was the kitchen. yurina told the kitchen maids, startled by her sudden appearance, to pack some snacks and food that the children would like, and then headed to the room where rodrick, the physician, was staying. when she asked to bring some medicine that is good for fever, rodrick was surprised to think something was wrong with yurina¡¯s body, but after hearing the situation, he nodded saying he understood. as she went back to her room, a sudden thought stopped her in the middle of the hallway. ¡®did he catch a fever right now, not another time?¡¯ the weather was getting warmer as the season changed from spring to summer. fever or cold in this weather? of course, since he was still a weak child, he might catch a cold if he played in the water or if he didn¡¯t cover himself with a blanket at night. however, remembering marchioness carthia¡¯s illness and the wolf incident, now even a simple fever was suspicious. betsy was yurina¡¯s closest maid. if this is a new conspiracy against yurina, chances are that the insidious enemy will lure betsy with her nephew¡¯s illness and perform some clever tricks. after standing in the hallway and thinking, yurina turned around and headed towards dave¡¯s office. not to find dave, but to find reynard, who was busy researching with him. ¡°if you interpret this part this way instead of that way, you will come to a completely different conclusion¡­ yurina?¡± reynard, who was examining an old book borrowed from the imperial library with dave with a serious face, smiled and ran as soon as he saw yurina standing in front of the door. ¡°what are you doing here? did you come to see me?¡± she nodded her head as he looked like he would be disappointed if she said she had come for something else. ¡°huh. i haven¡¯t seen your face in days.¡± as the suspicion that marquis de flon was a black magician deepened, reynard began to investigate black magic in earnest. thanks to that, yurina didn¡¯t have time to see reynard. previously, he would sneak into her room at night, but lately he was in the lab late, so he didn¡¯t find time to come. she came because of betsy, but when she saw reynard, she was so happy that she forgot the purpose of coming here. however, since dave was also in the lab, yurina couldn¡¯t help but bite her lip. reynard also held yurina¡¯s hand and refrained from talking, as if he couldn¡¯t bear to express affection in front of his respected teacher. yurina burst into laughter as she looked at his hand barely touched her fingers. ¡°dave, why don¡¯t you go to the kitchen? they say a new tea leaves has arrived.¡± it wasn¡¯t a lie. actually, when she went to the kitchen to ask for a snack, she was told that since new tea leaves had arrived, she would have to distribute them to the knights. she didn¡¯t say that she was looking for him now, so she couldn¡¯t be lying. ¡®looks like i learned it from ray.¡¯ yurina let out a small laugh, remembering how reynard had arranged time for the two of them with various excuses. dave looked at yurina and reynard for a while before standing up. ¡°is that so? i just ran out of tea leaves, so that¡¯s good. i¡¯ll be back soon, so let¡¯s talk a little.¡± after confirming that dave had completely left the room, reynard came closer to yurina. ¡°did you miss me so much? you could call me through the maid, and i would come myself.¡± he asked without opening his mouth, and swallowed her lips again without giving yurina a chance to answer. the answer that came out of yurina¡¯s mouth was sucked into his mouth. Chapter 120.1 as if to compensate for the time he hadn¡¯t seen her properly, he persistently pushed her. yurina wrapped her arms around his neck and responded to his kiss, when she suddenly remembered her purpose for coming here. ¡°wait, wait, ray.¡± ¡°hm?¡± while answering, he lightly kissed yurina on the lips, as if a bird was pecking at its food. yurina pushed him on the shoulder and hit his back. it¡¯s regrettable, but it seemed like there would be no limit if she let him do as he wanted. reynard approached yurina again with a puzzled look on his face, and narrowed his eyes as he saw her slightly avoiding his body. ¡°you didn¡¯t come to see me, did you?¡± ¡°um, i¡¯m here with both sides.¡± she couldn¡¯t bear to deny it, so she slurred her words. ¡°what did you come for?¡± ¡°i have an urgent request.¡± ¡°request?¡± ¡°yeah. betsy¡¯s nephew has a serious fever. so i decided to give her a vacation, but i am afraid of the machinations of marquis de flon. could you give me some magic tool just in case? just like that necklace you gave me before.¡± ¡°hmm¡­¡± raynard rubbed his chin, then walked over to the box where dave kept the magical ingredients. yurina, who was following him, looked at the contents of the box. ¡®to leave it like this.¡¯ expensive materials, and the rarest of them, which are difficult to buy even for a lot of money, lay there all mixed together without distinction. yurina knew that dave wasn¡¯t good at organizing, but she didn¡¯t expect him to be this sloppy. ¡°the necklace i gave you last time takes time to make, and basically you can¡¯t use it unless you can manage mana. i need to find an artifact that can be used without mana, but i don¡¯t know if there¡¯s anything suitable.¡± raynard rummaged through the box and pulled out a light blue stone the size of a thumb nail. he lifted the stone high up, looked at it and placed it in yurina¡¯s hand. ¡°what¡¯s this?¡± when yurina asked while looking at the stone, reynard shook a stone that looked identical. ¡°it¡¯s a voice communication magic ball.how can i explain this¡­ if we share this, we can exchange conversations even when we are apart.¡± oh, it¡¯s like a phone. anyone else who heard it for the first time would ask, how is this even possible? but yurina quickly understood everything and nodded her head. ¡°but will it work without mana?¡± ¡°huh. however, the communication distance is limited, but since carthia mansion is in the center of the capital, it should be possible within the capital. betsy¡¯s house is in the capital, right?¡± ¡°hm. as far as i remember, they recently moved to a place not too far from our mansion to make it easier to get back and forth. thank you.¡± after confirming that the door was still firmly closed, yurina tiptoed over and kissed him on the cheek. * * * ¡°my lady, what is all this?¡± betsy¡¯s eyes widened as she saw the servants loading the carriage. medicines that are said to be good for fever, snacks and foods that children will like, and even clothes. the carriage quickly filled with all sorts of things. ¡°it¡¯s a gift from me. go and give them your family.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t have to do anything like this. you don¡¯t have to worry¡­¡± ¡°i want to do it, yes. betsy¡¯s nephew is like my nephew. go and take good care of him, and if you need anything, call me. talk to me if you need more days off.¡± yurina put the artifact she had received from reynard into tearful betsy¡¯s hands. ¡°this is a communication magic ball. if you press and hold the middle part and talk, you can communicate with the artifact you have. if anything happens, call me right away. got it?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°take good care of yourself.¡± yurina patted betsy on the back and led her to the carriage. yurina patted betsy on the back and pushed her back. betsy kept looking behind at yurina. it was only after yurina grabbed her arm and rode her on, that she finally climbed into the carriage. she still didn¡¯t feel relieved, so she opened the window and talked about this and that. ¡°the air is still cold at night, so you have to cover yourself with a blanket and go to sleep. don¡¯t skip meals because i¡¯m not around, and make sure to eat. okay?¡± ¡°okay, i get it. don¡¯t worry and go. it¡¯s not your first vacation, why are you so worried today?¡± ¡°it¡¯s because i¡¯m leaving so suddenly. if i had known, i would have asked others to come in return.¡± ¡°you only need to worry about your nephew, not about me. it¡¯s clear?¡± ¡°but still¡­¡± ¡°if you continue like this, you won¡¯t be able to come the house today. come on.¡± yurina gestured to the coachman. with the loud neighing of the horse, the wheels of the carriage began to move. betsy held out in the window her face with an expression that looked like she was about to cry, as if yurina was still on her mind during the sudden vacation. ¡°i¡¯ll be back as soon as possible!¡± ¡°you don¡¯t have to. use up your vacation.¡± betsy continued to look back at yurina and wave her hand even as she waned. two of carthia¡¯s knights followed on horseback behind the carriage, which was gradually accelerating. ¡®nothing should have happened.¡¯ there was no aristocrat who sent a family escort with only one maid to go out. yurina had never escorted betsy when she went out. however, given the situation, even if others thought it was strange, there was no choice but to attach an escort. in fact, considering marquis de flon¡¯s feelings for carthia, she thought that even two knights were few. ¡°yurina.¡± while waving at the moving carriage, yurina turned around at the sound of reynard¡¯s voice behind her. reynard came to her, holding the reins of the black horse. ¡°what are you thinking about all of a sudden?¡± with his chin, he pointed to betsy¡¯s carriage. ¡°don¡¯t worry. let¡¯s go and make sure nothing is wrong.¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± yurina let out a belated exclamation as she saw the carriage moving away and the horse reynard had brought. she was moved by reynard, who told her just what she wanted as if he had entered her heart. yurina nodded and held out her hand to him. in fact, she knew how to ride the horse. thanks to what she learned in her childhood, she was prepared for the unexpected. but she mounted the horse as reynard led. reynard sat down close to yurina¡¯s body and started riding. * * * yurina replied that it was okay despite betsy¡¯s warning that she might catch a cold and sat down by the bed. on the bed was her four-year-old betsy¡¯s nephew. the child, who still had chubby breasts, moaned in his sleep. his cheeks, as red as peaches, would normally have looked cute, but thinking that he was bothered by the heat made her sad. yurina ran her hand over the hair on the child¡¯s forehead. his hair was damp with sweat and his forehead was hot to the touch. the hand touching her forehead must have tickled him, and the child licked his rough lips. yurina looked at him with pity, then she wrung out her handkerchief and put it on the child¡¯s forehead. ¡°what do you think? are there any traces of magic?¡± she asked reynard, who was standing opposite. he shook his head as he calmly inspected the room with the child to see if there were traces of black magic. ¡°there is nothing wrong.¡± ¡°so is it just a fever?¡± ¡°i think so.¡± ¡°then i¡¯m glad.¡± yurina smiled at him in gratitude and looked at the child. it was a pity that he couldn¡¯t sleep properly because of the fever, but when it was confirmed that it wasn¡¯t due to black magic, she felt a little relieved. Chapter 120.2 betsy, unaware of the circumstances, showed a puzzled face, but asked no questions. yurina spoke up in an attempt to calm betsy down. ¡°i got a prescription from roderick for medicine for fever, so he¡¯ll be fine soon.¡± ¡°thank you for your concern, lady. you don¡¯t even have to do this.¡± ¡°i told you. betsy¡¯s nephew is like my nephew. so, stay home until your nephew is okay and put your mind at ease. if you run out of vacation, i¡¯ll give you more.¡± betsy shook her head. ¡°no. i¡¯ll be back at work in a day or two. i can¡¯t do this because i get very worried when i¡¯m not with you.¡± ¡°but i¡¯m not a child anymore.¡± yurina lightly brushed betsy and let out a smirk. she didn¡¯t feel bad because she didn¡¯t know anyone else, but the way she was treated as a baby by betsy seemed to be getting her affection. at that moment, the grunting child¡¯s eyes opened very slightly. ¡°mom¡­¡± when the child¡¯s mother and betsy¡¯s sister saw betsy coming, she went out for a while to take care of something she hadn¡¯t been able to do. ¡®i missed my mom a lot too when i got sick.¡¯ he is now only four years old. yurina¡¯s heart broke when she saw the sick child looking for his mother like a duckling. yurina leaned over and took his warm hand. ¡°are you thirsty? do you want water?¡± the child hiccuped, probably startled by the unfamiliar voice, and wiggles his hand to get rid of yurina¡¯s hand. having let go of her child¡¯s hand, yurina got up from her seat and she winked at betsy. betsy went over to the bed with a glass of water. ¡°mom will come a little later.¡± ¡°aunt betsy?¡± ¡°yes, aunt.¡± ¡°auntie.¡± the child rubbed his swollen eyes, which couldn¡¯t open properly, then reached out his hands toward betsy. ¡°look at it, how i got sick.¡± betsy patted the back of the child in her arms. ¡°your aunt missed our tony a lot too.¡± yurina calmly watched as betsy carefully fed water to her nephew, who complained of being sick. although they don¡¯t see each other often, he seems to get along well with betsy. so the child no longer looked for his mother and simply gave himself up to betsy. the child who was rubbing his cheek against betsy¡¯s chest suddenly looked at yurina. at that moment, the child¡¯s eyes opened a little wider. ¡°wow.¡± it escaped from betsy¡¯s arms and stared at yurina. ¡°what¡¯s the matter?¡± the child¡¯s brown eyes shone with curiosity to such an extent that it was hard to believe that it was the child who had groaned in pain moments before. raynard covered his mouth, holding back his laughter. but he couldn¡¯t hide the tremor in his shoulders. ¡°you are beautiful. you¡¯re an angel?¡± betsy answered in a proud tone. ¡°our tony listened to his mother and ate well, so an angel came to visit him. there¡¯s an angel here, so tony will get well soon. yes?¡± betsy winked at yurina. it was an unspoken request. understanding what she was trying to say, yurina went over to tony and stroked his sweat-drenched hair. ¡°if you take your medicine and eat well, you won¡¯t have to be sick anymore and you will get well soon.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yes. so, will you take your medicine well?¡± ¡°yes!¡± the child answered loudly, not like a sick child. his gaze remained fixed on yurina¡¯s face. ¡°yeah, that¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°angel, angel.¡± the child gestured towards yurina as if to come closer. as soon as yurina moved closer to him, her child¡¯s lips touched yurina¡¯s cheek with a sound. ¡°angel, you are very pretty.¡± at the same time, reynard¡¯s laughter, which had been laughing continuously, disappeared like a mouse. * * * ¡°you can catch a fever or cold, so if you have any problems with your body, you should call a doctor right away.¡± ¡°okay, i get it.¡± ¡°don¡¯t put up with it and say it¡¯s okay, and if you feel a slight sore throat or feel heavy, you have to tell me right away. make sure to drink warm tea before going to bed and sleep with the duvet covered properly. it¡¯s summer soon, but the night air is still chilly.¡± betsy¡¯s nagging, which was already long, got longer after she met tony, who had a fever and cold. even though yurina kept telling that she understood, she didn¡¯t think her story would end. ¡°i know. if anything goes wrong, i¡¯ll call rodrick right away. so don¡¯t worry.¡± yurina replied with strength in her voice and looked at the pendant dangling from betsy¡¯s neck. ¡°betsy, if anything happens, be sure to contact me.¡± ¡°i wonder what can happen, but¡­ okay.¡± yurina¡¯s excessive worry, which she didn¡¯t normally do, must have been strange, but betsy didn¡¯t ask why. ¡°then hurry in. tony will worry.¡± tony took the medicine and went back to sleep, but you never know when he would wake up and look for his mother or aunt. ¡°then go back, lady.¡± ¡°yeah, betsy too.¡± after confirming that betsy had returned to the house, yurina turned to the carriage. when they first arrived here, the two rode on the same horse, but on the way back, yurina decided to choose the carriage that betsy rode. yurina, who was sitting in the carriage, staring at the passing landscape outside the window, felt an insistent gaze and turned to ask. ¡°why are you looking at me like that?¡± raynard, seated cross-legged, looked at her from the other side of the carriage. when his gaze met yurina¡¯s, he smiled innocently like a child. ¡°angel.¡± ¡°¡­huh?¡± understanding his words belatedly, yurina¡¯s cheeks turned red against her will. when she heard it in a child¡¯s voice, she said it was just cute, but when she heard it in reynard¡¯s voice, it sounded strange to her. ¡°oh, how pretty you are.¡± it was clear that he was copying tony¡¯s muttering in excitement, but yurina¡¯s heart beat faster little by little. come to think of it, it seemed that she had never heard from him directly that she was pretty. like someone who was attacked unexpectedly, yurina couldn¡¯t find anything to say in response and just blinked her eyes. it was a word she had heard many times since she was a child, but since it came out of his mouth, it felt special. reynard watched her silently and moved to sit next to her. he touched yurina¡¯s heated cheek and muttered mischievously. ¡°did you catch a fever?¡± his lips touched yurina¡¯s flushed cheeks. this was where tony had kissed her. yurina tried to resist, wondering if he was even jealous of her child. but reynard was faster. he gently grabbed yurina¡¯s chin and kissed her on the lips. rumble. the road was rough as the two passed through the commoners¡¯ quarters, so the carriage rumbled a lot. and every time this happened, reynard¡¯s body shook unsteadily. he pressed his lips against yurina and grabbed the back of the seat with both hands. he, who had learned the sword, held his balance firmly, but yurina was still uneasy. she hugged him a little tighter with her arms. as her body pressed even closer, she let his tongue dig a little deeper. yurina breathlessly followed as he led her, and she wrapped her legs tightly around his legs. reynard¡¯s breathing quickened as she involuntarily ran her calf down his thigh. ¡°yurina.¡± only after feeling yurina¡¯s struggles did reynard part his lips and sit down next to her. he wiped badly smeared yurina¡¯s lip balm. she stared at him blankly before wiping her lips with a handkerchief. ¡°in case you don¡¯t know, i think you¡¯d better go back today and see the doctor before going to bed, just like betsy said. you always lived with a cold. it might move.¡± ¡°okay, i get it.¡± raynard smiled, pleased with yurina¡¯s answer, and kissed her again on the lips. yurina¡¯s lips, even naked without makeup, were still reddish. Chapter 121.1 three days after betsy went on vacation, professor hutson arrived from the crohn royal academy. professor hutson, who had lost his hair a little more than the last time they saw him, now seemed exhausted after a long journey. but as soon as he saw dave, he smiled widely and rushed to hug him. ¡°glad to see you after such a long time. how have you been?¡± dave, who was in the lab and ran out after hearing the news, patted him on the back with a bewildered face. ¡°you ask how i¡¯m doing? well, anything is better than your eternal torment with papers and students. anyway, i was seriously surprised when i heard that you were coming. what happened all of a sudden? i bet you didn¡¯t come to see me.¡± ¡°is it so strange that i came to see my friend after a long time?¡± professor hutson made a joke, but dave didn¡¯t seem to believe it. instead of replying that it was strange, he crossed his arms and stared at professor hutson silently. professor hutson said, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief. ¡°i came here because i was asked to do something in the empire. in the meantime, see you too. it¡¯s been a long time since i saw your face, because you didn¡¯t come to the academy after reynard came back. but how can my visit be called sudden?¡± ¡°it was sudden, but i¡¯m glad to see you.¡± professor hutson, who briefly exchanged regards with dave, turned to look at reynard. ¡°reynard, you ran away without enduring a whole year. and a couple of months later he became famous throughout the empire.¡± professor hutson hugged reynard with a face that was half happy and half sad. because reynard was taller, professor hutson hugged him, but the professor gave his beloved student a pat on the back as if he were a 13-year-old student. as if it didn¡¯t seem enough, he also touched reynard¡¯s head. raynard smiled as he straightened his tousled hair. ¡®does ray need to do something?¡¯ watching the touching reunion, yurina became worried that professor hutson would ask reynard to return to the crohn kingdom for a while. but luckily, he didn¡¯t talk about the academy anymore and just handed him the package. this envelope was too large to be called a simple letter or postcard. and the name on the envelope was aiden tessie. like his lively personality, his handwriting was large and refreshing. but reynard didn¡¯t show much surprise at the sudden handed letter. ¡°thank you professor. how have you been, are you in good health?¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t have to sit idle. aiden and the others got on my nerves.¡± ¡°aiden?¡± ¡°aiden was so depressed after you graduated that he stayed in his room for a while and didn¡¯t come out. so did the other kids. it¡¯s a little better now, though, but i still feel like he¡¯s walking around half-conscious.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t believe professor hutson¡¯s words. although he didn¡¯t have to lie, given aiden¡¯s lively and open appearance, it¡¯s hard to imagine that he refused to leave the room. but reynard didn¡¯t ask back if he had a different idea or if it was real. he simply looked at the letter in his hand with a slightly depressed face. ¡®so you really do miss your friends.¡¯ it had only been three or four months since he graduated and returned to the empire. considering yurina and reynard had been apart for 7 years, it wasn¡¯t long, but considering they had been together every day for 7 years, a gap of three or four months was a big deal. knowing her longing for being away from her friend better than anyone else, yurina gently patted reynard on the back as a consolation. he smiled faintly as he looked at her. ¡°it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll never see each other again.¡± ¡°yeah, that¡¯s right. after graduating later, let¡¯s ask everyone to come to the empire together. we¡¯ll treat them as an honored guests more than anyone else.¡± reynard laughed mischievously at her muttering seriously. ¡°it¡¯s a good idea, but how do we know when they will graduate?¡± ¡°then we can gather in the crohn kingdom.¡± ¡°yeah, that sounds good.¡± while the two chatted briefly, dave said he had something to show him and was about to return to the lab with professor hutson. professor hutson asked reynard to go with him, but he shook his head without hesitation. ¡°i have something to do. see you later at dinner.¡± he then grabbed yurina¡¯s hand and headed towards the office. betsy was originally supposed to follow her, but another maid followed in her absence. arriving at the office, yurina noticed reynard¡¯s unusual expression and ordered the maid to serve simple refreshments. ¡°what¡¯s up?¡± yurina looked at the slightly open door and asked. if it had been a simple greeting letter, he wouldn¡¯t have rushed to her yurina, so that must have had something to do with her. ¡®is it related to black magic?¡¯ raynard pushed yurina into a chair and sat next to her. then he opened the letter and began to read it aloud. the letter began with a greeting, nothing special. in the meantime, he wanted to send a letter first, but he didn¡¯t know if he could send a letter to carthia house. ¡®can i listen to this?¡¯ yurina couldn¡¯t shake the strange feeling as she watched raynard read the letter slowly. even though he read it himself, yurina somehow felt like she was spying on someone. perhaps it was because the tone of the letter was so similar to aiden¡¯s that it looked like aiden himself, not reynard, was speaking directly to her. it was when yurina opened her mouth to say that she was fine and that he didn¡¯t have to read it any more. ¡°anyway, i researched the phenomenon of the blessed after you left. i thought about writing about the blessed in my thesis. but your letter arrived just in time. i wrote down everything i learned and sent it to you.¡± blessed? reynard sent a letter? hearing this for the first time, yurina drew closer to reynard and looked at her letter. the next sentence was muttered by her instead of reynard. ¡°reynard, do you know why people born with red eyes are said to be blessed by the goddess? is it because they are good at magic? of course you¡¯re good at magic. but in that case, why not say that people born with other talents are also blessed by the goddess? aren¡¯t you curious?¡± reynard read the answer. ¡°in the denik kingdom, people who used black magic were considered outcasts. well, even now there are people who still think so. but in the past, warlocks were considered creatures that oppose the goddess. however, as i learned in witchcraft classes, black magic has other magical principles, so you can¡¯t detect it with normal magic.¡± reynard¡¯s voice, which had been reading the letter calmly, fell silent for a moment. he looked at yurina¡¯s face once, then opened his mouth again. ¡°but it is said that people born with red eyes, like you, are the only ones who contain the innate power to recognize black magic. do i think they were called blessed by the goddess because they had excellent magic skills and were able to detect black magic.¡± blessed, who can detect black magic. only then did she understand why reynard had noticed the black magic alone during the hunting competition. ¡®it was all because of this that marquis de flon targeted me before ray¡¯s return.¡¯ Chapter 121.2 if reynard returns, de flon¡¯s plans may be exposed. so he plotted to curse the marchioness and forced yurina to participate in the hunting competition. if only reynard hadn¡¯t graduated earlier, he could use the wolf to deal wit yurina at will and eliminate the entire carthia house one by one. no, if it was marquis de flon, it would definitely have been. ¡®if ray hadn¡¯t come back a year earlier¡­¡¯ just thinking about it was terrible. even if yurina had tried to prepare, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything in that situation. at the same time, karion¡¯s face came to mind. ¡°so, but blessed himself can¡¯t use black magic?¡± in response to yurina¡¯s question, reynard quickly skimmed through several sheets of paper. ¡°it seems so. that work, found by aiden, states that blessed can¡¯t use black magic. and that is why the royal family would like to enlist the support of the blessed.¡± ¡°so you¡¯re saying that karion didn¡¯t help at the last hunting competition? just like aiden said, karion can¡¯t use black magic.¡± ¡°maybe he didn¡¯t help with that wolf. but perhaps it was he who destroyed the magic barrier.¡± raynard added strength to the hand holding the letter. the envelope was ruthlessly crumpled. as yurina flinched and took his hand, raynard remembered the paper in his hand and spread it again. however, when it didn¡¯t work out, he used magic to bring it back to normal. ¡°so you can recognize a warlock too? can you prove that marquis de flon is a warlock ? prove he¡¯s behind the assassination attempt at the hunting competition?¡± if he could figure that out, he could have strangled marquis de flon¡¯s throat. even so, the emperor punished the count, who was considered the instigator of the hunting competition incident, for treason. they said that it was tantamount to treason because he released a wolf that could run amok in the presence of curtis, the crown prince. if only he could prove that he joined hands with a traitor from the crohn kingdom¡­ however, reynard, who read the letter carefully to the end, shook his head in disappointment. ¡°because they usually keep their magical energy, it seems that only warlocks can recognize other warlocks. they say you can use at least a little magic to find out.¡± ¡°so you¡¯re saying marquis de flon can only be blamed if he wants to use black magic again?¡± if he uses black magic again, it must be magic that targets yurina or the carthia family. although raynard could recognize black magic, she didn¡¯t want to take that risk. ¡®if you do it wrong, ray could get hurt¡­¡¯ reynard put down the letter and gently squeezed yurina¡¯s slightly pale cheek. ¡°aiden found out only a small part. there may be a method written somewhere to identify warlocks. no, there will be. so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°huh.¡± reynard lowered his head and tried to kiss yurina on the forehead. however, before his lips touched her foreheads, footsteps were heard in the hallway, and the two of them had to leave in a hurry. ¡°i brought tea.¡± reynard looked at the maid who was pouring tea with a resentful look on his face, then looked at yurina and smiled as if frowning. what a pity. he said with a silent grin. yurina also moved her lips. i think so too. she wanted to go back to the time when everything was going well and her relationship with reynard was smooth without any worries. * * * back at the mansion a week later, betsy looked much brighter than when she left. yurina, who had been worried about betsy and tony, was finally able to put her mind at ease. ¡°is tony much better?¡± ¡°yes. the medicine the lady gave me must have been effective, so his fever went down quickly, and now he eats well and runs around the house diligently. you don¡¯t know how much i struggled to repeat not going outside and playing.¡± ¡°i¡¯m glad. i was thinking of sending rodrick if he still doesn¡¯t feel good.¡± betsy waved her hands in surprise. ¡°no. how can you bother mr. rodrik over trifles? everything is really okay, and there is nothing to worry about. he also ate the snacks that the lady brought very well. thank you.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll take care of it often next time.¡± knowing yurina¡¯s do-it-yourself personality, betsy smiled and said thank you instead of saying it wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡°could you make a cup of tea? it was lonely because betsy wasn¡¯t around. betsy always took care of me.¡± ¡°didn¡¯t others take care of the lady?¡± betsy frowned slightly. if that was the case, she was ready to run right away and continue her nagging. yurina quickly shook her head. ¡°they served me. but the tea the other kids make tastes¡­¡± she seemed to be gossiping about the other maids for some reason, so she couldn¡¯t bear to speak and just laughed. betsy stood up proudly, as if that alone was enough to convey her inner thoughts. ¡°as expected, there isn¡¯t a person who can make tea well like me?¡± ¡°yeah. betsy¡¯s tea is the best.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll boil it right away. please wait a minute.¡± betsy hurriedly left the room and soon returned with butter cookies and black tea. as soon as she put her tray on the table, the aroma of fragrant fruit tea filled her room. yurina closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose. ¡°it smells good.¡± ¡°this is the new black tea. i thought the lady would like it, so i brought it.¡± betsy put the cup on the tray and poured the tea. then the scent of black tea started to come out more strongly. betsy placed the cup holder in front of yurina, then lifted the cup with her right hand and set it down. ¡°i like the scent of black tea, but it¡¯s a bit strong, so i don¡¯t know if it will go well with cookies. try it and tell me if you don¡¯t like it. i¡¯ll make another tea right away.¡±. ¡°no, it¡¯s okay. that¡¯s enough.¡± yurina smiled and raised her right hand. but then she glanced at the table and froze for a moment. ¡®what?¡¯ the handle of the cup was placed on the left instead of the right. in an instant, goosebumps ran down yurina¡¯s spine. ¡°milady, what¡¯s wrong?¡± when yurina stopped drinking tea and stayed still, betsy tilted her head. yurina looked up at her, hiding her trembling hands under the table. this woman is not betsy. Chapter 122.1 yurina glanced at betsy, trying to look casual. her freckled nose and cheeks, neatly braided brown hair, and a kind smile. looking at her face alone, the woman in front of her was undoubtedly betsy. ¡®but¡­¡¯ yurina looked down and examined the shape of the teacup once more. betsy put the teacup¡¯s handle on yurina¡¯s right side no matter what. even when she made a mistake because she was preoccupied with the news that her nephew was ill, she kept that one thing in mind. it was something she had been doing for a long time, so it was ingrained in her body like a habit, so it was the result of her body reacting first rather than her head. but in a situation where her nephew¡¯s condition has improved a lot, is this a mistake? ¡®it can¡¯t be.¡¯ then there was only one answer. this woman is not betsy. instinct was telling her so. then, where is the real betsy? why didn¡¯t she contact yurina to make this situation happen? what were the escort knights doing? could this be the work of marquis de flon? did he kidnap betsy? is he trying to kidnap yurina through betsy? yurina pushed the cup away, trying to brush off the choking questions. if it wasn¡¯t the real betsy, yurina couldn¡¯t drink the tea that betsy brought her. ¡°milady?¡± ¡°betsy, could you bring me a cold drink? it¡¯s a hot day, so i don¡¯t want to drink hot tea.¡± ¡°it is hot today. i¡¯ll bring it right away.¡± ¡°yeah, thank you. sorry to bother you.¡± ¡°no. i should have brought a cool drink from the beginning.¡± yurina looked at betsy¡¯s back as she left and took the necklace in her hand. this was the moment she was about to call reynard. ¡°are you very quick-witted?¡± suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and grabbed her by the wrist. it was definitely betsy¡¯s voice that she heard every day. now it contained something terrible. goosebumps ran down yurina¡¯s spine from the approaching fear. yurina tried to pour out mana through her fingertips, but the black mana from the hand holding her wrist stopped all movement. please, please, please. yurina bit her lips so hard that they turned white and tried to move mana by force, but whenever she did it, her hands burned as hot as if they had been touched by fire. a moan leaked involuntarily through the tightly closed teeth. please. please. please. i can¡¯t lose like this, please! ¡°i was told that you are much into such tricks. i¡¯ve heard that it won¡¯t be easy, but you¡¯re not very compliant. still, such a rebellious prey is more fun to hunt¡­ oh you!¡± at that moment, a white light shot out from yurina¡¯s hand and hit the back of ¡®betsy¡¯s¡¯ hand. at the same time, the black mana from ¡®betsy¡¯s¡¯ hand cut the string of the necklace hanging from yurina¡¯s neck. the necklace bounced off and fell into the middle of the room. yurina looked at the coiled necklace and quickly stood up. but suddenly, a heavy aura engulfed her back. she couldn¡¯t even take a few steps and fell to the ground. this time, yurina tried to gather mana with the bracelet she wore around her wrist, but in vain. ¡®betsy¡¯ had already stepped on her wrist. ¡°even a mouse bites the hand when cornered, so it¡¯s quite good.¡± as if to shatter yurina¡¯s wrist bones, ¡®betsy¡¯ twisted her ankle and crushed her wrist. yurina bit her lip tightly to hold back her groan that burst out of her. ¡°but that¡¯s all for looking after¡­¡± ¡®betsy¡¯ couldn¡¯t finish her words. before she had a chance, there was an explosion, and ¡®betsy¡¯s¡¯ body flew off and crashed into the wall. like an insect caught in a web, ¡®betsy¡¯s¡¯ body was now fixed, suspended in the center of the wall. the explosion was so strong that she vomited blood. not knowing what happened, yurina looked up with a puzzled face and found reynard approaching her at high speed. ¡°ray?¡± ¡°yurina.¡± he carefully lifted yurina up and placed her on the couch. in an instant, his face was contorted mercilessly as he looked down at her red, swollen and bruised wrist. after healing yurina¡¯s wounds, he stared at ¡®betsy¡¯, who was still floundering on the wall. his eyes were bloody, as if her eyes alone could tear her apart and kill her. yurina had never seen him so cold. ¡°how did you know?¡± ¡°i came running because the flow of mana was strange. however¡­¡± raynard got up from his seat and walked towards ¡®betsy¡¯. his large hand tightened around her neck. ¡®betsy¡¯ scratched his arm and yelped, but he didn¡¯t care. he just squeezed her neck a little tighter. ¡°how dare you stick that filthy mug in here?¡± his voice was lower and calmer than ever, but he raised his voice and showed more anger than screaming. ¡°who ordered you? marquis de flon, is that bastard?¡± ¡®betsy¡¯ looked at him with wide, bulging eyes, not answering. in an instant, there was another bang, and her body sank into the wall a little more. ¡°it¡¯s obvious even if you don¡¯t say anything. what is your purpose? did you even try to kidnap yurina? what were you going to do with her?¡± ¡®betsy¡¯ giggled, looking at reynard, whose hands were trembling with anger. the way she smiled through her vomit-stained lips was very strange. ¡°judging by your face, it looks like you want to tear me apart¡­¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°but seeing that you can¡¯t do that, you must be concerned about the maid¡¯s whereabouts?¡± reynard collected mana at his fingertips without affirmation or denial. the light that burst from his hand permeated ¡®betsy¡¯s¡¯ body. ¡®betsy¡¯ let out an ear-piercing scream and twisted her body in agony. there were cracks all over betsy¡¯s face, like cracked ground from a drought, and something like crumbs fell down. starting with the cheeks, all debris from the nose, chin, and forehead fell off, and the face of a boy younger than expected appeared. ¡°tell me where betsy is.¡± ¡°if you want to find that maid¡­¡± the boy flicked his tongue like a snake and licked the blood from the corners of his mouth. ¡°look at this woman and tell her to come alone. and then the maid will return whole.¡± the boy laughed with an eerie sound. a black mist that suddenly appeared wrapped around the boy¡¯s feet and slowly began to disappear from the tips of his toes. Chapter 122.2 ¡°don¡¯t let him go!¡± the boy¡¯s dark eyes now turned to yurina¡¯s urgent voice. ¡°you better come soon. if it¡¯s late, we can¡¯t guarantee the maid¡¯s life.¡± suddenly, his lower body was gone and only his upper body remained. at that moment, raynard lifted the corner of his mouth and smiled. ¡°why don¡¯t you worry about yourself before that?¡± ¡°what?¡± raynard waved the hand around the boy¡¯s neck, and the boy rolled to the floor. at the same time, the boy¡¯s legs, which had disappeared just a moment ago, was now back in place. a cloth that came out of nowhere wrapped itself around the puzzled boy¡¯s body. ¡°hey, what is this¡­!¡± this time, the boy¡¯s mouth itself was covered with a white cloth. raynard walked towards him slowly, step by step, and stopped in front of the boy. he gripped and twisted the boy¡¯s wrist tightly with both hands. just like the boy did to yurina not long ago. reynard¡¯s cold gaze fell upon the boy¡¯s face, which was contorted in pain. ¡°it¡¯s embarrassing to think that nothing was done on this side while you guys were making plans. how long did you think you could hide the traces of black magic?¡± the force that squeezed the boy¡¯s wrist grew stronger. the boy¡¯s moans of pain leaked through the cracks in the cloth covering his mouth. ¡°you will have to be prepared to pay the price for targeting yurina.¡± the door burst open and knights including sir aaron rushed in. while reynard was teleporting to yurina¡¯s room, dave, who teleported to the knights building and reported the situation, walked helplessly from the back of the knights. yurina stood up and gave instructions to the knights. ¡°keep a close eye on the estate, don¡¯t do anything stupid. don¡¯t let him kill commit suicide. and¡­¡± she clenched her fists and barely spoke. ¡°some people follow me.¡± * * * ¡°betsy? my sister left this morning, along with your knights¡­¡± when reynard asked if betsy was at home, her sister looked puzzled. her eyes, similar to betsy but slightly sharper, frowned slightly as she glanced at yurina and reynard as if trying to understand the situation. tony, who was in her arms, looked at yurina and tried to get attention. ¡°uh? mom! it¡¯s an angel!¡± tony looked much healthier than the last time. ¡®i¡¯m glad you got better.¡¯ even saying that, yurina couldn¡¯t be happy fearing for betsy. when yurina¡¯s eyes watered at the thought of betsy, tony himself sobbed as if he was about to cry. ¡°angel, don¡¯t cry.¡± he stretched out his arms toward yurina. unexpectedly, she stretched out her hand, and tony grabbed yurina by the neck and held her in her arms before her mother could stop her. ¡°if you cry, tony will too.¡± the child¡¯s body, although the fever subsided, was hotter than yurina¡¯s or reynard¡¯s. yurina smiled at betsy¡¯s sister, who was flustered and didn¡¯t know what to do, and she buried her face in tony¡¯s neck. just like betsy did to tony a few days ago. the child smelled of cocoa. he must have spilled it on his clothes. when her breath touched his neck, tony twisted his body and burst into laughter. ¡°angel, but where is aunt betsy?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°did you come with my aunt like last time?¡± yurina¡¯s throat choked at the innocent question. ¡°aunt betsy will come later.¡± ¡°how many nights have i been sleeping?¡± ¡°how many nights?¡± tony wiggled his fingers in yurina¡¯s arms. he looked straight into yurina¡¯s eyes as he raised his head with questionable face and spread his ten fingers. ¡°my aunt said she would come after ten nights. tony can count to ten.¡± ¡°really? can you count ten? you are smart.¡± ¡°my aunt said i am smart too!¡± the triumphant look on his face was like reynard¡¯s as a child. yurina looked at his short fingers and nodded her head. ¡°your aunt will return to you in ten nights.¡± ¡°would you like to come after ten nights too?¡± ¡°huh.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yes. i¡¯ll come after ten nights with aunt betsy.¡± ¡°cool!¡± yurina handed tony, who was swinging his legs excitedly back and forth, into the arms of betsy¡¯s sister. betsy¡¯s sister looked at reynard and yurina with an uneasy face, not even trying to appease tony, who was happy saying that he was excited to see an angel. Chapter 123.1 ¡°if anything happened to my sister¡­¡± ¡°it¡¯s too early to worry. maybe it¡¯s hard to find a carriage here, so she¡¯s coming a little late. and she had an escort, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± betsy¡¯s sister let out a sigh of relief at reynard¡¯s explanation in a quiet voice. ¡°well, who would think of encroaching on a simple maid? and besides, she has two knights with her¡­¡± ¡°but just in case betsy shows up here, please click on that stone in the middle.¡± raynard handed her the artifact he had taken from the mansion. betsy¡¯s sister showed her interest, and she slipped the artifact into her pocket, deftly avoiding her begging tony¡¯s hand. ¡°i understood. and by the way¡­ nothing terrible is happening, right?¡± ¡°yes. don¡¯t worry and go back to the house. it¡¯s cold outside.¡± ¡°oh yeah. tony, what do you have to say?¡± ¡°goodbye, angel! bou have to come back after ten nights!¡± ¡°huh. goodbye.¡± yurina, who was waving to tony, buried her face in her palm as soon as they entered the house. even if she tried to control her mind, it was difficult for her to pretend to be unconcerned any longer. she felt that her strength had been exhausted just by holding on without crying. betsy was like an older sister to her, to her, who had only three older brothers. there was an insurmountable wall between the employee and the employer, but both yurina and betsy sincerely considered each other like family, not simply bound by a contractual relationship. yurina believed that everything would be okay, but the worst scenarios constantly flashed through her mind. ¡°if anything happens to betsy¡­¡± yurina couldn¡¯t continue. words have power. she was afraid that it would happen in reality if she said it. raynard hugged her tightly to calm her trembling. ¡°it¡¯s okay. and we¡¯re looking for knights from her escort. so something will come up soon. betsy must be alive to lure you in, so de flon¡¯s bastard couldn¡¯t have done anything to betsy. the marquis wouldn¡¯t do anything to her. however, now i need to go out to check something here, so you go back to the mansion.¡± ¡°i¡¯m with you¡­¡± ¡°i¡¯m faster and more comfortable for me to move alone.¡± she desperately wanted to go with him, but yurina nodded soon after. ¡®i¡¯ll only get in the way if i go.¡¯ every minute and every second mattered, so reynard had better go alone. ¡°when you return to the mansion, you will report to the teacher and stay with him. got it?¡± raynard kissed yurina lightly on the forehead. at that moment, the mana flow wavered. closing her eyes, the next moment, yurina found herself in the middle of her own bedroom, and not on the street where betsy¡¯s house was. she turned and slowly looked around the bedroom. it seemed that betsy was about to open this door, but the room was empty. ¡®this is not the time to be like this.¡¯ instead of indulging in regrets, she needed to go to dave, just like reynard had said. taking a deep breath, yurina opened the door leading to the living room from the bedroom. she was stunned by the sight before her eyes. ¡°betsy?¡± betsy, who had disappeared, was lying on the sofa. her face was pale, and her left arm dangled helplessly from the sofa. yurina swallowed the scream coming out of her mouth and ran towards betsy. ¡°betsy, betsy! can you come to your senses? betsy, wake up!¡± no matter how much she shook her, betsy didn¡¯t open her eyes. putting a finger to her nose, yurina relaxed, making sure betsy was still breathing. then, sensing something was wrong, yurina jumped up and looked around. ¡®betsy couldn¡¯t come back on her own.¡¯ after pouring mana into the necklace reynard gave, yurina carefully looked around the room. and soon a silhouette appeared to her, hiding in the shadows. blond hair that stands out even in the dark, and bright red eyes. even though they were the same color as the eyes yurina sees every day, they felt foreign, so yurina immediately shrank like an animal in fear. but then she came to her senses and poured mana into the necklace that raynard gave her. now is the perfect time to kidnap yurina, but karion didn¡¯t even move. with that attitude, yurina made sure that he didn¡¯t come for her, and spoke cautiously. ¡°did you bring betsy?¡± he didn¡¯t utter a word, only his head shook up and down. ¡°but why? isn¡¯t this part of de flon¡¯s plan?¡± this time there was no answer. ¡°does lady de flon know about this? did lady de flon make you do it?¡± without a sound, karion¡¯s head moved from side to side. yurina had many things she wanted to ask. however, at that moment, the surrounding mana wavered, and karion disappeared without warning. as if he had vanished into a dark shadow, his figure was nowhere to be found. ¡°yurina, what¡¯s going on?¡± after teleporting back to the room, reynard wrapped his arms around her shoulders and looked into her eyes. yurina didn¡¯t have the strength to even reply, so she just blinked her eyes and pointed at betsy with her glance. raynard turned to follow her gaze, looked at betsy in surprise, and quickly grabbed her hand. the bright light from his hand passed through betsy¡¯s hand. ¡°is betsy okay?¡± ¡°yes. there is nothing abnormalities here. but who brought her?¡± ¡°karion.¡± the moment he heard that name, a light of agitation passed over reynard¡¯s face. yurina muttered softly as she stared at the spot where karion had been standing. ¡°but i think he helped us.¡± * * * Chapter 123.2 * * * ¡°you dare!¡± marquis de flon kicked karion¡¯s knee with a red face. karion swallowed his momentary moan into his mouth, but his body swayed so much that he stumbled and fell to the floor. red blood flowed from his wounded forehead and ran down his cheek and dripped down his chin. ¡°are you ignorantly going against my will?¡± this was the moment when marquis de flon lifted the staff over his head. the locked doorknob moved quickly and made a clicking sound. ¡°father, father!¡± along with an urgent knock, lydia¡¯s crying voice flowed inside. marquis de flon shouted at the servants who were waiting outside. ¡°what are you doing? come on, take lydia to her room!¡± ¡°let me go! can¡¯t you hear me? father!¡± lydia¡¯s voice, which was close to a scream, suddenly gradually faded away. karion listened to her voice and clenched his weakened hands into fists. ¡°i think i would be really upset if something happened to lady carthia.¡± he didn¡¯t regret going against marquis de flon¡¯s wishes and stealing yurina¡¯s maid and sending her back to carthia mansion. however, seeing lydia screaming like she was choking made his heart ache. this was all he planned because he didn¡¯t want to see her sad. now it was time for marquis de flon, who had rolled up his sleeves, once again to raise his staff. there was a sound as something blunt hit the door. the screams of the servants and the incessant knocking on the door were so loud that it hurt the ears. bam, bam, bam. the dull sound continued. then the door cracked, the wood splintered, and small fragments began to fall down. marquis de flon sighed and dropped his staff to the floor. the locked door opened with a click. the doorknob turned and lydia ran inside. seeing that karion was bleeding, she screamed and then hurried to grab his shoulders. ¡°let¡¯s go. wake up.¡± even though she must have seen marquis de flon standing in front of her eyes, she pretended not to see him and tried to raise karion. however, it was hard to imagine that a cherished noble lady could lift a healthy man, and besides that a man who was beaten and emaciated. unable to stand up properly, lydia fell and sat on her floor. only then did lydia¡¯s teary eyes turn to marquis de flon. ¡°how can you do this!¡± she screamed again, not paying attention to the attitude of marquis de flon, who didn¡¯t hide his disgust, and raised her eyes. she screamed again, not hiding her attitude. ¡°whatkai did wrong to deserve this!¡± ¡°milady, stop¡­¡± karion tried to stand in front of lydia as usual, but he fell on top of lydia¡¯s body because his body was weak. lydia clasped her arms around him as best she could to keep him from feeling the pain. ¡°even my father can¡¯t do this!¡± marquis de flon looked down at lydia, who seemed about to cry at any moment, with an expressionless face. he watched her in silence for a moment, then gestured to employees, who were watching from outside the door. the servants who were called quickly ran and helped karion and lydia. ¡°milady, please return to your room.¡± ¡°you, take kai to my room.¡± after shaking off the maid¡¯s touch, lydia glanced at marquis de flon¡¯s back and quickly left the office. upon returning to the room, karion¡¯s injuries were more serious than expected. lydia bit her lip as the maids carefully wiped the blood from karion¡¯s face and body. ¡°don¡¯t do that again.¡± karion muttered as he opened her eyes, and his gaze turned to lydia¡¯s bloody hands. she had been hurt by hitting the door with a vase to break the locked door. lydia noticed karion¡¯s intention to reach for her hand and quickly hid it behind her back. ¡°who cares about whom now? how are you going to treat this with that body?¡± lydia tried to keep calm, but the tears continued to flow, and her eyes blurred. lydia wiped the blood from her palm on her dress and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. she was helpless. she couldn¡¯t do anything for him, even when she knew that her father often insulted and spanked karion when he was angry. when lydia was still very young, she tried to hide karion in a closet, hugged him and screamed not to take him away, but her father always took karion away from her. she don¡¯t know how karion offended her father, but isn¡¯t this too much? lydia asked the maid, taking a deep breath through her nose to contain her crying. ¡°why isn¡¯t joseph coming?¡± de flon family¡¯s doctor, joseph, was a talented person who knew how to use healing magic. despite lydia¡¯s urgent question, the maid hesitated and avoided answering. when lydia urged her uncharacteristically, the maid finally opened her mouth. ¡°this¡­ master ordered not to treat him¡± ¡°what?¡± for a moment, lydia thought she had heard the maid wrong. Chapter 124.1 however, the words that came out of the maid¡¯s mouth again were the same as those just heard. ¡°it is forbidden to treat him until karion repents and apologizes¡­¡± lydia felt her eyes turn white in an instant and got up to go pick up the doctor herself. however, karion, who noticed lydia¡¯s intentions, grabbed her arm and forced her to sit down. looking into lydia¡¯s eyes, he shook his head. his request, even if unspoken, was so obvious that lydia couldn¡¯t even remove her hand. ¡®but¡­¡¯ lydia¡¯s pupils widened sharply. here she slowly examined his swollen eyes and lips. karion was still holding onto her ribs. from the way he was breathing heavily, the wound was more serious than it looked. what can i do, i can¡¯t just leave it like this. a person passed by lydia¡¯s head while chewing on her lips. * * * yurina looked at betsy as she served tea with a worried face. ¡®you can take a break.¡¯ upon her awakening the next day, betsy¡¯s face was pale, like that of a patient with a fever. the reddish lips also faded a little and turned purple. carthia¡¯s doctor, who examined betsy, said there was nothing wrong with her health, and reynard also told her not to worry as there was no sign of black magic in her. ¡®even if they tell me not to worry¡­¡¯ yurina involuntarily tried to sigh, but covered her mouth while watching betsy. she wanted her to see the doctor and get some rest for a few days, but betsy refused to do so, so she couldn¡¯t force it any further. ¡®i¡¯m glad that tony¡¯s illness had nothing to do with marquis de flon.¡¯ when they got back to betsy¡¯s house, reynard checked everything over again, wondering if he might have missed something. however, there was no trace of black magic anywhere. that said, it was said that this wasn¡¯t planned from the beginning, but was concocted belatedly by marquis de flon, who obtained information that betsy went on vacation. ¡®well, it would be foolish to play tricks on tony when he was found out about the hunting competition.¡¯ so marquis de flon would have held her breath a little longer and waited for the opportunity to come. opportunities like this are rare, so i would have been more prepared. so this time, reynard and yurina were relieved that tony didn¡¯t get sick due to black magic. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, betsy.¡± as soon as yurina spat it out, the flow of tea from the teapot stopped. betsy froze, obviously surprised, and held out the cup with her left hand. the handle of the cup, as usual, turned to yurina¡¯s right. ¡°why are you apologizing, lady?¡± ¡°i just think you had to go through all this because of me.¡± fortunately, betsy didn¡¯t spend long in the hands of marquis de flon and immediately returned home. but yurina didn¡¯t even want to think about what might have happened if they weren¡¯t lucky. ¡®however, we can not say that we were lucky.¡¯ betsy had already been kidnapped by them once. according to the stories of betsy and the knights who were found stunned near tony¡¯s house, the attack happened in broad daylight and happened in an instant. the two knights escorting betsy¡¯s carriage lost consciousness, but didn¡¯t sense that anyone was approaching or waiting for them. betsy felt strange when she heard the neighing of the horses, tried to contact yurina using the artifacts, but didn¡¯t make it in time and passed out. ¡®you said you couldn¡¯t remember exactly what happened.¡¯ no one knew what happened after that. did yurina suspect that karion attacked the wizard who kidnapped betsy and brought her back? or maybe it was karion himself who attacked the carriage in the first place. not knowing that karion was still on her side, and having met the warlock in her own home, it seemed that she was quite confident in this plan. thanks to reynard, she hadn¡¯t been kidnapped by the warlock, but if she hadn¡¯t found betsy, yurina might have gone crazy to find betsy without even having a proper plan. she was glad it all worked out. she was scared, but now that they¡¯ve caught one warlock, there is no doubt that marquis de flon is a warlock. but still doubts remain. ¡®why did karion bring betsy home?¡¯ she wondered if it was lydia, but he replied that lydia didn¡¯t know about this. to say that it was another plan of marquis de flon, but that plan was ruined by betsy¡¯s return. from her point of view, it would have been much better for betsy not to come into her hands. ¡®then why¡­¡¯ she was thinking for a while when she heard a knock. ¡°what¡¯s the matter?¡± the young servant entered and bowed. ¡°milady, lady de flon has come to visit.¡± for a moment, yurina doubted her ears. given the circumstances, her visit might not have been welcome. moreover, coming without an invitation was a step that the nobles wouldn¡¯t have dared to take. ¡®do you really think we¡¯re close enough to come without an appointment?¡¯ no way. ¡°and why does she ask to see me?¡± ¡°she said she has a request for you, my lady.¡± ¡°a request?¡± what kind of trick is this again? no matter how much she thought about it, yurina waved her hand without hesitation. ¡°tell her i¡¯m meeting with another important guest right now. tell her to come later.¡± ¡°all right.¡± however, the servant soon returned to yurina again. unlike before, he has an embarrassing face. Chapter 124.2 ¡°milady, daughter of the marquis¡­¡± ¡°didn¡¯t you tell her?¡± ¡°i said everything as you ordered, but she¡­¡± ¡°but what?¡± he hesitated, but spoke under betsy¡¯s stern gaze. ¡°she is crying and keeps saying that by all means she must meet with you right now¡­ she seemed to have no intention of going back.¡± ¡°is she crying?¡± yurina was briefly surprised by the unexpected words, but was not greatly shaken. she didn¡¯t know what kind of favor she was trying to ask for, but it didn¡¯t matter whether lydia was asking her while crying or holding on to the hem of her skirt. ¡®it¡¯s not like that.¡¯ besides, the opponent was lydia ¡®de flon¡¯. even if she showed her favor to yurina, and karion who followed her brought betsy, she couldn¡¯t think of lydia and de flon family as separate. so the servant was told to come back and refuse again. but lydia¡¯s mournful voice echoed down the corridor. ¡°lady carthia! please, please listen to me!¡± yurina¡¯s room was on the 4th floor, but the attendant didn¡¯t enter the room and was standing in the hallway talking, so she could hear the sound. after that, the voices of the employees telling her not to do this echoed through the hallway, less than lydia¡¯s. ¡®what is this fuss?¡¯ yurina sat on the sofa and focused on the sounds in the hallway. lydia screamed indifferently. ¡°lady carthia! i know it¡¯s rude. but please, please!¡± yurina sighed as she heard lydia¡¯s voice that continued to resonate. it was a situation that was no different from an uninvited guest, but as the other party was the daughter of the marquis, the employees couldn¡¯t forcefully kick her out. if so, yurina and the other family members would have to deal with them and send them back, but marquis carthia and yurina¡¯s three older brothers were not at the mansion right now. marchioness carthia was in the mansion, but yurina couldn¡¯t let her deal with lydia. yurina took a look at betsy standing next to her and then asked the attendant. ¡°there will be ray in dave¡¯s lab. can you go and call him? go and tell him to come as soon as possible.¡± ¡°yes!¡± not long after the servant left, the flow of mana in the room was disrupted and reynard appeared. dave didn¡¯t come this time. ¡°what¡¯s the matter?¡± he made a puzzled face as if he hadn¡¯t heard everything from the attendant. ¡°lydia is here. she was just going to let go but she never thought of going so i guess she needs to check what¡¯s up.¡± ¡°if that¡¯s the case, i¡¯ll go alone.¡± ¡°no, go with me. it¡¯s okay if i¡¯m with you anyway.¡± yurina grabbed his arm and headed for the front door. lydia¡¯s crying voice grew louder as she went down the stairs. when she finally reached the first floor, she saw lydia pleading, holding the arm of robert, the butler. ¡°please. please¡­ she¡¯s the only one i can ask for. there is no time. please¡­¡± lydia¡¯s outfit was neat, but her face was filled with tears. when yurina quickly approached, lydia, who saw her, let go of robert¡¯s hand and rushed towards her. raynard quickly stood in front of yurina. ¡°what are you doing?¡± as soon as lydia, who had been staring at yurina blindly, heard reynard¡¯s voice, she opened her eyes wide and looked up at him. her white hands gripped his arm desperately. reynard tried to pull her back, pulling his arm away, but he couldn¡¯t. lydia dragged reynard along as he moved, but didn¡¯t let go of his arm. even if reynard was considerate of her and didn¡¯t root for her strong, it was surprising where such superhuman strength came from in her slender arms. ¡°sir reynard! help! please, help me. please kai¡­¡± lydia, who shed tears and repeatedly begged for help, seemed unable to have a rational conversation. in this situation, even if she pointed out her rudeness, it was unlikely that she would listen, so yurina decided to listen to what she was asking for so earnestly. ¡°lady de flon. what the hell is that for?¡± ¡°this, kai¡­ kai¡­¡± ¡°what about karion?¡± all lydia said was that name, but yurina seemed to know what she was asking for. ¡®there¡¯s no way marquis de flon will leave karion, who saved betsy, alone.¡¯ from the point of view of marquis de flon, it was like being stabbed in the back by his own servant. moreover, in a past life, it was karion who drove marquis de flon to death. from his point of view, it would be like an unsatisfied hound biting his hand. ¡®did marquis de flon beat karion?¡¯ yurina didn¡¯t want to think of it like that, but it was possible. however, even so, it still didn¡¯t make sense for lydia to visit her crying. the healing magic could be used on oneself as well. there were no restrictions at all, such as requiring more mana than when healing others or that it was impossible to heal completely. ¡®i don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a situation where he can¡¯t use magic because he fainted.¡¯ however, no matter how marquis de flon was, if karion was in a state of unconsciousness, there was no way he would be left untreated. while yurina was hesitant to think for a moment, lydia sat down on the floor as if exhausted. beyond crying, she was almost sobbing. just by looking at her bloodshot eyes and swollen eyelids, you could tell that she had been crying for a while. the servants who had been monitoring the situation were now gossiping about lydia¡¯s unaristocratic behavior. and only robert, who had been a butler for a long time, managed to maintain his composure. yurina quickly looked around and then approached lydia. and while raynard was trying to pull the last one away, lydia crawled up on her knees and tightly grabbed yurina by the hem of her skirt. ¡°lady carthia, please heal kai. i¡¯ll do anything if you cure him. young lady, please¡­¡± Chapter 125.1 yurina looked down at lydia in a daze, unable to agree or refuse. no matter how you looked at lydia¡¯s dangerous appearance, as if she would lose her mind at any moment if she refused, her reckless antics didn¡¯t seem like a game at all right now. to the extent that she replied that if lydia hadn¡¯t been for the de flon family, yurina would do it without thinking about anything else. maybe it would have been easier to choose if someone she didn¡¯t know asked her this. ¡®but why¡­¡¯ the question lingered on the tip of her tongue, ¡®why did you come here for help when your father hates us so much?¡¯ ¡®i¡¯m probably the only one she can ask.¡¯ ¡°yurina.¡± reynard grabbed her arm as she hesitated. he used his magic to whisper in her ear. ¡®send her back.¡¯ ¡®but¡­¡¯ he couldn¡¯t read yurina¡¯s mind. but, as if figuring out her thoughts, a low voice came right into her head. ¡®i don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on over there. even if it¡¯s real, we can¡¯t do that favor.¡¯ it was a cold answer, but actually, if you think rationally, reynard was right. however, there was a reason why yurina couldn¡¯t brush off that delicate hand holding her skirt and trembling; because she saw herself in lydia¡¯s face. if she found out that marquis de flon hid betsy, yurina would also crawl to lydia on her knees and beg to tell. it didn¡¯t really happen, but if karion hadn¡¯t brought betsy back, and if reynard and the knights couldn¡¯t find betsy for a long time, she would be pleading with lydia like this too. in addition, didn¡¯t karion suffer just in return for saving betsy? while yurina hesitated for a moment, a stout man in a hood jumped from afar and grabbed lydia¡¯s arm. ¡°my lady, don¡¯t do this¡­¡± it was karion. he seemed to be wrapped up in a hood, but yuri i caught a glimpse of his face. his face was so messed up that she couldn¡¯t believe he was the same person who had come looking for her a few days ago, with a neat and handsome appearance. his eyes were so swollen that he couldn¡¯t open them properly, and his lips, cheekbones, and bridge of the nose were severely damaged. it was hidden from view by her clothes, but judging by the somewhat awkward gait, he seemed to be out of shape. yurina held reynard¡¯s hand while watching karion, who tried to take lydia by force, and lydia, who didn¡¯t want to be taken away. ¡°ray.¡± as if he refused, he tried to free yurina¡¯s hand. yurina held his hand tightly and looked up at him. ¡°ray.¡± * * * at reynard¡¯s offer to treat him, karion refused several times, saying that he was fine at first. however, when lydia cried and told him to seek medical attention, he swallowed his sigh and followed reynard. yurina guided lydia, who couldn¡¯t take her eyes off karion¡¯s back, into the living room. lydia, who had been crying as if she had drained all the moisture from her body, slumped on the soft sofa and closed her eyes. she looked so exhausted like she forgot that she was an uninvited guest at carthia¡¯s mansion. ¡°have some tea. it will calm your mind a little bit.¡± yurina placed the chamomile tea in front of lydia. come to think of it, lydia was a little more emaciated than the last time yurina saw her. lydia narrowed her eyes and gazed at the steaming teacup before sitting up with difficulty. she held the hem of her dress with both hands and stared at the cup, but didn¡¯t pick up the tea. originally, when it was quiet like this, it was her host¡¯s duty to throw at least a light topic, but yurina just stared at her without saying a word. lydia, who had been still for a long time like an emotionless doll, carefully raised her teacup. ¡°i¡¯m sorry. once again, i sincerely apologize for my rudeness.¡± yurina didn¡¯t respond to that. even empty words didn¡¯t say that there was no need for such an apology between them. ¡°and thank you very much.¡± tuk. tears from lydia¡¯s eyes finally stopped crying and dripped into the teacup. yurina looked at her and said. ¡°you don¡¯t have to be so grateful. it¡¯s not because of the young lady¡¯s request, it¡¯s because i have a debt to pay back to mr. karion.¡± ¡°yes?¡± as if hearing it for the first time, lydia¡¯s bloodshot green eyes widened. ¡°a debt to pay?¡± ¡°mr. karion saved my maid.¡± lydia blinked with a puzzled look on her face, as if she didn¡¯t understand. she was such an innocent child. she thought about it a moment as she watched lydia waiting for her own words with her face as if she needed more explanation. ¡®shall i tell her?¡¯ looking at the current situation, lydia seemed to have no idea what marquis de flon had planed. the fact that he¡¯s a warlock and that he¡¯s trying to break into big politics, and the fact that he even kidnapped betsy and tried to draw yurina out. if she knew all this, lydia wouldn¡¯t have been able to come to yurina so calmly, even with the injured karion in her arms. yurina didn¡¯t want to criticize or resent her. however, her feelings were very different from her thoughts, so to be honest, yurina was a little resentful towards her. ¡®i¡¯ve been running and hiding all this time determined to survive and protect those i love. but now you say that you want to be my friend, not knowing anything. could you say that when you know what your father did to me?¡¯ Chapter 125.2 even though yurina knew it was nothing to blame lydia, her emotions kept fluctuating. she would rather accuse her without guilt if lydia knew all this and yet she played her part so skillfully. she was wondering at the same time. ¡®does lydia really not know?¡¯ what yurina was planning was to destroy the de flon family. this also affects lydia. but does she, who is his party, have no idea what her father is doing? for a moment, yurina wanted to blurt out what marquis de flon had done to betsy, but she wondered if that was even necessary. in fact, she couldn¡¯t tell what choice lydia would make if she knew all the facts. will she sympathize with marquis de flon or rebel against him? so, the information yurina could tell lydia was very fragmentary. ¡°mr. karion saved me the maid i cherish the most. if it hadn¡¯t been for mr. karion, my maid might have been through something terrible by now.¡± ¡°kai?¡± as for lydia¡¯s reaction, it was like, ¡®i don¡¯t understand anything, but i¡¯m glad kai helped¡¯. yurina thought she would say something like that, but unexpectedly, she was clearly taken aback. ¡°what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°no, no. nothing.¡± she looked away with a somewhat complicated expression, and when her eyes met yurina¡¯s, she was startled and sipped tea. ¡°the tea must have cooled down already. i¡¯ll bring a new one.¡± ¡°ah yes. thank you.¡± lydia, who was fiddling with the new cup yurina gave her, suddenly began to babble again. ¡°even so, thank you. if even the young lady had refused, i was at a loss as to who to go to.¡± ¡°may i ask what happened? if it was mr. karion, he would have been able to use healing magic.¡± ¡°¡­¡± what the hell is this? although she was curious about what was going on, yurina didn¡¯t ask any more because she didn¡¯t think lydia would answer if she asked more. silence passed between the two for a while. it was strange to think that lydia was chattering like a sparrow whenever they had tea time, so the conversation didn¡¯t stop. lydia, who should normally lead the conversation, sipped her tea, looking at her feet. ¡°wait a minute. i¡¯ll take a quick look and see if the treatment is finishing.¡± ¡°i¡¯m going with you¡­¡± ¡°it looks like you didn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep, so please rest for a bit. if you show up like this, mr. karion will only worry more.¡± lydia couldn¡¯t be more stubborn about karion¡¯s story. it was time for yurina to take care of lydia and leave a maid to take care of her. ¡°lady carthia.¡± ¡°yes?¡± ¡°i heard that the young lady yearns for the crown prince.¡± what the hell was that now? yurina couldn¡¯t control her expression as if she was suddenly attacked by stealth. ¡®you think i like curtis?¡¯ she didn¡¯t even know why lydia was talking like that because she didn¡¯t even bother to spread such rumors. ¡°but don¡¯t worry about anything. i have no interest in his highness the crown prince. i¡¯m not even interested in being the crown princess. therefore¡­¡± ¡°wait, wait.¡± suddenly interrupted, lydia opened her eyes wide like a frightened rabbit. yurina, who was trying to put it all together in her mind, began to understand why lydia was saying such things. ¡®did marquis de flon whisper that to you?¡¯ if the marquis was obsessed with the idea that yurina would love curtis in this life as she did in her previous life, then he would have done so. he would encourage lydia to become the crown princess instead of yurina. ¡°you seem to have misunderstood something, but i don¡¯t like the crown prince. i¡¯ve only seen him a couple of times, and i¡¯ve never even met him in person.¡± lydia¡¯s eyes, which were already round, widened even more. ¡°but¡­¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know where you heard that story, but i think the person who told the young lady misunderstood something. so you don¡¯t have to tell me that the lady has no interest in the crown prince.¡± yurina turned away from the woman staring blankly at her and headed to another room where karion and reynard were. ¡°ray, can i come in?¡± she asked with a slight knock, and reynard opened the door himself. ¡°do you want to come in?¡± yurina smiled faintly at reynard, who seemed to be telling her not to come in with his expression and body movements. ¡°i have something to say.¡± he seemed to have a lot to say, but he took yurina¡¯s hand and guided her inside. yurina approached karion, who was tidying up her clothes. she told reynard that karion had saved betsy, so she asked him to treat him just this once, but in fact, there was another real reason for bringing him to the mansion. as yurina approached, karion bowed her head as if expressing gratitude. Chapter 126.1 ¡°where is lady lydia?¡± ¡°she¡¯s in the other living room. she seemed to be very tired, so i asked her to rest for a while.¡± ¡°sorry for the rudeness. i can¡¯t cause more trouble, so i¡¯ll take the lady and go home right away.¡± ¡°wait.¡± karion, who was about to move, stopped at yurina¡¯s call. but he didn¡¯t look back at her. yurina looked at his back and shifted her gaze to reynard, who was holding her hand. he moved stealthily and blocked yurina¡¯s way. in an instant, karion¡¯s back disappeared from her sight. it was obvious jealousy, but the situation was serious, so there was no laughter. yurina asked reynard without making a sound, only her lips licking. ¡®how is it?¡¯ he magically channeled a voice into her head. ¡®as you expected. i don¡¯t know if it¡¯s black magic, but i think something is blocking the flow of mana.¡¯ that¡¯s why it was more difficult to treat than usual, he added. he said it calmly, but somehow it sounded like a childish request for praise, and yurina gave him a smile. ¡°maybe that¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t heal himself and rode here.¡± is it like that too? yurina confirmed that the assumptions she had made were true in reynard¡¯s words. ¡®karion doesn¡¯t like being sponsored by marquis de flon.¡¯ marquis de flon harbored so much hatred that he wiped out the entire house of carthia from the face of the earth. and it was only natural for him to harbor a dislike for karion, who had captured the marquis in a past life for yurina¡¯s sake. although they had no choice but to find him and support him, unlike the marquis carthia and his wife who sincerely treated reynard, marquis de flon probably didn¡¯t take good care of him. ¡®i didn¡¯t know that he abused him and even prevented karion from healing his wounds.¡¯ children are sensitive to emotions. just as raynard opened his little heart to yurina, young karion must have hated the marquis with all his heart since childhood. it was lydia who made it possible for him to survive in de flon without collapsing. it must be because of her that karion quietly stayed in de flon house. but if he betrayed marquis de flon and started acting in favor of yurina, wouldn¡¯t it be all because of lydia? even in the original story, he was so devoted to her that he even gave his life for lydia. however, with or without karion, yurina was confident of destroying marquis de flon. to this end, marquis carthia, her three older brothers, reynard, and herself, all gathered information and made plans step by step. ¡®but if karion stays by de flon¡¯s side¡­¡¯ it wasn¡¯t as easy to seduce as one who seemed purposeful. besides, yurina was able to fully give karion what he wanted. yurina slipped past reynard and headed towards karion. ¡°why did you save betsy that day?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°looks like you knew what would happen if you brought betsy, but why did you bring betsy instead of following the will of marquis de flon?¡± there was still no answer from karion. however, she didn¡¯t particularly wait for his answer, so yurina immediately continued. ¡°whatever the reason, you probably didn¡¯t think about such consequences. you thought you could handle it on your own well, what came of it?¡± ¡°¡­what do you want to say?¡± ¡°marquis de flon can¡¯t do anything with your power alone. it looks like there are restrictions on it.¡± karion, who had been standing motionless the whole time, turned around. the way he stared at yurina without saying a word seemed to ask back if he had received the treatment to figure this out. yurina calmly shrugged her shoulders. ¡°wasn¡¯t this what you wanted when you first came to me and told me about your dream?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i can¡¯t deny that.¡± in fact, she didn¡¯t even deny it. yurina took a step closer to him and held out her hand. ¡°hold my hand. then i will protect what you want to protect.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°if you accept my offer, come to the back door tonight.¡± the bait was cast. all that remains is to wait for him to bite the bait. * * * lydia, who entered marquis de flon¡¯s office, strongly held her trembling hands against her will. she tried to pretend to be as nonchalant as possible, but the closer she got to her father, the more her mouth dried up. lydia took a few deep breaths, but her heart still couldn¡¯t calm down. ¡®i am okay.¡¯ she had already said it to herself four times. ¡®i don¡¯t regret anything.¡¯ she¡¯ll be scolded by her father for this, but make her choice again. she would still make the same choice. she was confident that she would take on her father¡¯s wrath as long as karion was okay. karion¡¯s wound was severe, but to be honest, it wasn¡¯t a fatal wound that would put his life at risk at any moment. after a few days, marquis de flon would also let go of his anger and ask the doctor to examine his wounds. but lydia couldn¡¯t wait for those few days. as she looked at karion¡¯s wounds, she felt that her insides were sore and painful, as if she had been hurt herself. just looking at his swollen face was so painful that she couldn¡¯t stay still. so, although she knew her father would be angry, lydia dragged karion to carthia¡¯s house. Chapter 126.2 the fact that the only place to ask for help was yurina, whom she had just met, which made her sad all over again, but on the other hand, it seemed that she would go to yurina even if there was another place to ask for help. because if she cared for reynard, she would understand lydia¡¯s feelings.. ¡°father.¡± lydia stopped at a short distance from marquis de flon, who had his back to her. ¡°lydia.¡± he only called out her name, but marquis de flon¡¯s voice revealed anger that he couldn¡¯t hide. ¡°what the hell have you done? i told you to leave it alone!¡± he turned and stared at her with reddening eyes. lydia caught her breath for a moment at the terrifying look in his eyes, but she managed to squeeze her voice out. ¡°i just couldn¡¯t watch it.¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°kai, no, karion¡¯s wounds looked serious, so i couldn¡¯t just leave him alone.¡± lydia accidentally called karion¡¯s nickname, but quickly corrected herself. marquis de flon hated her calling him by his nickname. the reason for this was that karion could become arrogant without knowing what he was doing if he lived so casually. what is it like to be friends? no matter what marquis de flon said, karion was her best friend. however, she tended to be careful with her words in front of marquis de flon, fearing that karion might spark his anger. ¡°i don¡¯t know what he did wrong. but you don¡¯t have to be so harsh.¡± ¡°how dare you go visit carthia!¡± ¡°lady carthia is the only one i can trust¡­¡± slap! in an instant, she felt a pain she had never experienced before in her left cheek, accompanied by the sound of flesh against flesh. lydia clutched her burning cheeks and looked at marquis de flon standing in front of her. her green eyes shook in the shock. ¡°ah¡­ what?¡± she thought marquis de flon, who heard the news that she had cured karion, would be very angry and scold her. but getting slapped on the cheek in the past 17 years, lydia had never been hit by anyone. she never had a thought that her father would hit him. yes, he must have been so angry at the moment. he¡¯ll be sorry soon. however, to put lydia¡¯s thoughts to shame, marquis de flon fiercely threatened her instead of apologising. ¡°carthia! are you out of your mind now?¡± ¡°oh, father?¡± ¡°it¡¯s not anyone else, but it¡¯s carthia. how long have i told you to be wary of carthia? in the meantime, you kept being friendly with that fox because it was all on your mind, so i thought she was like that and left it alone. do you have any other thoughts?¡± lydia looked at his sad blue eyes and took a hesitant step back. fortunately, he didn¡¯t follow, but his body, with his back to the window where the sunset was setting, looked huge and intimidating. ¡°i-i¡­¡± continuing to distance herself from the marquis, she suddenly stood up and fixed her gaze on his face. she remembered what yurina had said. ¡°mr. karion saved my beloved maid. if not for mr. karion, something terrible would have been done to my maid.¡± her choice of words was very strange. it were very strange words. since childhood, marquis de flon didn¡¯t let karion out of his mansion, saying that he shouldn¡¯t be seen by others. he said that if possible, as few people knew about him, he limited his range even in the mansion. it was the same even after karion learned magic and was able to change the color of his eyes. he followed him to the capital and escorted lydia to the party, but since then he has been locked in the mansion. except for today, he has only been out twice recently. one time to follow lydia to the carthia mansion, and the other time to run an errand for marquis de flon. to think that karion saved yurina¡¯s maid. if so, what happened on the day he went out to run errands for marquis de flon, how could he accidentally do such a good deed when he was busy with the marquis orders? ¡®besides, my father was very angry with kai that day.¡¯ marquis de flon was strangely strict with karion, and when he did something wrong, he scolded him more severely than he did to his employees. but a few days ago, he beat him particularly badly, and he didn¡¯t even get treatment. anxiety sprouted in lydia¡¯s heart. she didn¡¯t want to have bad thoughts, but she kept having them. but she couldn¡¯t ask him. she was afraid of the truth coming out of his mouth. so she quickly ran out of the office as if she were running away. * * * karion stood in the hallway across from marquis de flon¡¯s office. employees passing by the corridor glanced at him, but his eyes were fixed only on the door of the office. there was no sound in the tightly closed office, perhaps due to the soundproofing magic. neither the high voice of marquis de flon, who was very angry, nor the crying voice of lydia were at all absent. what the hell is going on inside? wouldn¡¯t lydia be trembling all alone? she is lydia who always smiles and says she¡¯s okay, but in reality she¡¯s very soft-hearted and she¡¯s a timid person. every time karion imagined the worst possible event happening inside, karion felt the urge to run into the office. in fact, he tried to follow lydia, who had just closed the door and entered. however, the moment he grabbed the doorknob, he had no choice but to back away from the intense pain that started in his palm and spread throughout his body. Chapter 127.1 karion stared at his right palm. on it lay something invisible to others, but it was clear before the eyes of the blessed one. mysterious black pattern that filled the palm of his hand. it was engraved by marquis de flon when he brought him from the orphanage to de flon mansion. at that time, karion didn¡¯t understand what this meant. after all, the marquis said that he would simply support him and teach him magic, so karion thought that this sign was a mark of belonging to the camp of the marquis. however, when karion grew up and delved into the study of magic, he began to understand the meaning of this symbol. these were the shackles that marquis had placed on karion to restrict his actions. because of this, karion was unable to heal himself. but he never showed displeasure. not being able to heal from the marquis¡¯s beating was a constant problem, but he was used to pain, so it didn¡¯t matter at all. however, when he saw lydia crying, looking at him as if she was about to faint, for the first time these shackles seemed to him a burden. karion clenched his fists and shook his head to shake lydia¡¯s tears from his memory. but far from disappearing, her figure became more and more vivid before his eyes. ¡®i forgot my place.¡¯ throwing a mockery at himself, he buried his face in his hands. he always knew in his head that he can¡¯t be greedy. he and she were different from birth. even if they were close, it was impossible to approach her as if a transparent wall was blocking them. even knowing that, why does he keep on¡­ karion, lost in his thoughts, suddenly raised his head at a sharp sound. the sound of the door opening was quite harsh, unlike her calm lydia. lydia, who was leaving the office with her mouth covered, was startled to find karion standing in front of her. but soon, pretending not to see him, she started walking into the room as if she was running away. karion¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change much, but in fact he was quite embarrassed. from the moment they first met as children, lydia has always shown an interest in him and has been extremely kind to him. while talking to him, she always looked straight in his eyes, so karion had to lower his head to avoid her gaze. that was the distance between him and her. he was said to be sponsored, but he was treated worse than an ordinary servant, and lydia was the most precious lady in his mansion. lydia always hated it. and whenever karion hid from her gaze, she was looking for a new chance to build a connection. but why was she running from him now? feeling uneasy for some reason, karion impulsively grabbed her arm. it was also an impulsive act. normally, he never touched her body carelessly. ¡°my lady.¡± ¡°after visiting the carthia mansion, i am tired. i want to go to my room and rest.¡± as she said that, lydia turned her head the other way, as if deliberately avoiding his gaze. she complained like a child that she was exhausted. but karion wouldn¡¯t let her go like that. ¡°lady.¡± ¡°i¡¯m really tired.¡± ¡°what did the marquis say¡­¡± but he couldn¡¯t finish talking. lydia was surprised and didn¡¯t utter a word. tears flowed down, her cheeks were red and swollen, and her lips were chapped. whoever saw it, it was clear that she had been beaten by marquis de flon. ¡°my lady.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°did the marquis touch the lady?¡± the cold silence in the corridor seemed like a positive answer to his question, and karion felt dizzy. his anger threatened to explode at any moment. ¡°no. it¡¯s not like that.¡± looking at his distorted face, lydia quickly muttered something like an excuse, but he didn¡¯t believe it. karion unconsciously turned around and was about to rush into the office, but lydia grabbed his arm and dragged him into her room. he could have pushed it off, but karion was helplessly dragged by her like a beast captured by her. even though lydia, who had no talent in the magic, would have no power to bind him, he couldn¡¯t resist her. when they came to lydia¡¯s room, his face looked even more serious than when she saw him in the dark hallway. obviously, the wounds on his body had already healed without a trace, but then karion saw lydia¡¯s chapped lips and felt a sharp pain, as if he himself had been hurt. it was more like a dull ache in his left breast area than a pain in the body. ¡°everything is fine. it¡¯s nothing.¡± he grabbed lydia¡¯s face as she kept trying to hide her wounds, and poured mana over it. the chapped lips and swollen cheeks healed quickly, and her original clean face returned. karion wiped lydia¡¯s red lips with a trembling finger. a person who was always so close, but so far away that he couldn¡¯t even touch her. just looking at her up close, his heart fluttered. but how could marquis de flon dare to beat lydia? ¡°lydia should become an empress. only in this way will lydia be happy. you understand?¡± karion remembered what marquis de flon had always told him. when he was a very young, he agreed with this statement in his heart. lydia was the brightest person he had ever seen and he thought she deserved the highest position. when the marquis first told him about this, it seemed that de flon himself sincerely believed that she could only be happy by receiving the throne. however, over time, the madness in his eyes began to grow. the symptoms were especially worse after the hunt, and instead of wishing lydia¡¯s happiness, he was simply obsessed with the idea of just making her an empress. is marquis de flon really playing in favor of lydia? if he truly loved his own daughter, he shouldn¡¯t have touched lydia like he did today. besides, when lydia had stood before marquis de flon before, she trembled like a herbivore before a predator. is it possible that marquis de flon was devouring lydia from the inside, like a parasite. and if things don¡¯t go according to his plan, then what will marquis de flon do with lydia? now another question has surfaced. will she be happy just because she becomes the empress? it was all for lydia that he endured everything by marquis de flon¡¯s side. he thought that all his actions were helpful to her. however, when he heard marquis de flon¡¯s orders to kidnap yurina carthia¡¯s maid, betsy, and lydia¡¯s words that she wanted to be friends with yurina, he knew something was wrong. what if his choice so far has been wrong? what if the actions of marquis de flon were eating lydia alive? ¡°hold my hand.¡± ¡°then i will protect what you wanted to protect.¡± then the answer is solved. Chapter 127.2 * * * ¡°if you accept my offer, come to the back door tonight.¡± karion, remembering yurina¡¯s words, sneaked out of the mansion and headed for carthia¡¯s back gate. reynard was standing there. as before, his gaze at karion was sharp and wary, as if he had met an enemy on the battlefield. ¡°answer?¡± to the short question, karion gave an equally short answer. ¡°i accept.¡± * * * ¡°yurina.¡± reynard held yurina¡¯s hand with an uncharacteristically stiff face. ¡°do you really have to go?¡± red eyes trembled anxiously. yurina slipped her fingers between his cold fingers and squeezed his hand tightly. ¡°don¡¯t worry about it.¡± just yesterday, through marquis carthia, she received news that the crown prince, curtis, would allow an audience. to keep everything a secret, it was arranged to meet at curtis¡¯s villa on the outskirts of the capital. riggs and dave will perform on behalf of marquis carthia, but reynard was not allowed to participate. yurina found this moment even lucky. this is because she didn¡¯t want reynard to take offense at every word curtis said. raynard didn¡¯t want to stay at the mansion, and accompanied yurina straight to the prince¡¯s villa. all the way he tried to hide his nervousness, but couldn¡¯t do it. and then, when yurina tried to get off the carriage, he stopped her. ¡°you don¡¯t have to go. isn¡¯t it enough that riggs and the master will pass on your words?¡± yurina got off the carriage first and gestured to dave, who was waiting outside, to wait a moment. dave spoke briefly with riggs on horseback, and she whispered softly. ¡°there is still time until the time we asked for an audience, i¡¯ll come out soon.¡± he looked at yurina and reynard alternately, then closed the carriage door. as soon as the carriage door closed completely, reynard pulled yurina¡¯s hood over her shoulder and hugged her tightly. yurina¡¯s hair sticking out of her hood was disheveled over his body. ¡°there is nothing to worry about. do you believe me?¡± unknowingly, yurina whispered in his ear and later realized the meaning of her words and laughed. it was because these words sounded like lines that could only be said in a novel. but despite her laughter, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°you mean you believe me, but not the crown prince?¡± instead of answering, he nodded and buried his face in her neck. but when her thick hood got in the way, he raised an eyebrow in displeasure, and he slowly tossed her hood behind her. reynard looked at her white nape peeking through her hair, then buried his head in her bare skin. yurina carefully brushed his hair and urged him. ¡°ray, i have to go.¡± ¡°if, by any chance, his highness the crown prince doesn¡¯t give up on you¡­¡± ¡°that won¡¯t happen.¡± she was confident without the slightest hesitation. yurina knew what reynard was worried about right now. curtis showed interest in yurina from an early age. carthia wasn¡¯t a family that was easy enough to force marriages at will in the imperial family. even if the emperor wanted to promote a marriage meeting between curtis and yurina, it would be enough if marquis carthia refused. but the emperor is the lord of the empire. if curtis felt threatened by the 2nd prince who had joined hands with marquis de flon and strongly pushed for a marriage with yurina, marquis carthia could not perfectly protect yurina. raynard was worried that curtis would steal yurina from him. if he feared karion just out of jealousy, his problem with curtis was more realistic. however, yurina was confident. she was meeting curtis now so reynard wouldn¡¯t have to worry anymore. ¡°nothing like that.¡± yurina gently lifted his head and gently kissed his red lips. ¡°don¡¯t worry, i will be by your side no matter what.¡± for this reason, she avoided curtis since her childhood. raynard smiled as if he gained confidence from her words. ¡°i believe you.¡± after kissing him again, yurina opened the carriage door and stepped out. as soon as she stepped out, yurina narrowed her eyes as she met the bright sunlight coming from above. she raised her hand and looked up at the sky. the golden sun shone through the darkened leaves. the wind that brushed through her hair was slightly warm rather than cool. the season was passing from spring to summer. the weather was like this when yurina met raynard seven years ago. and she hoped that the new summer would bring change. so, the time has finally come for her to give her last fight. for herself and for her loved ones. Chapter 128.1 ¡°it¡¯s good to see you in good health.¡± curtis, who was sitting lazily on the sofa with his legs crossed, raised one corner of his mouth slightly as he watched the three enter the drawing room. even in slightly hot weather, his cool voice, which gave goosebumps, didn¡¯t particularly welcome them. yurina watched as riggs bowed in front of curtis as an example of a knight, then took off his hood. looking at her brown hair and eyes, curtis raised his eyebrows with a disapproving expression. ¡°she¡¯s not the lady carthia i knew.¡± he quickly recognized that it was dave¡¯s magic and glanced at dave. yurina¡¯s hair color and eye color instantly returned to her original appearance. curtis looked her up and down and nodded. ¡°you look much better that way.¡± yurina swallowed a laugh inwardly. when she changed her shape with her magic, reynard told her that this appearance was pretty too. his gaze at the different yurina was hazy, like someone who had fallen in love once again. so much so that she could tell just by looking at him that he really loved her. but ¡®the original look is much better¡¯? although she knew it, curtis¡¯ feelings for her were nothing more than curiosity. ¡®no matter how much i think about it, i can¡¯t figure out why the original yurina liked curtis.¡¯ yurina went in front of curtis and bowed with respect. her icy gaze seemed to pierce her head. crown prince curtis, whom she hadn¡¯t seen in months, was making a sterner impression now than he had at the hunting competition. a man born to take the throne. this is how he was portrayed in the original novel. here, his sharp golden eyes turned to yurina, coldly and arrogantly, as if he had brought an entire empire to its knees and looked down on her. when yurina was a child, there was a time when she was trembling at that gaze without even realizing it. until now, she was wondering if it was because he was the main character of the original story, or because of the sense of intimidation he has. she just remembered that he, who was only four years younger at the time, felt very huge and intimidating. but today was different. although she had to bow her head to avoid his gaze due to the difference in status, yurina was no longer afraid of his gaze. rather, it was amusing to think, what was she so afraid of in the past and avoided him? ¡°it¡¯s been a while since i saw your face. i heard you weren¡¯t feeling well. are you okay now?¡± ¡°thanks for your highness¡¯ concern, now i feel much better.¡± thanks for your concern. yurina had a hard time during the tournament, where she was assassinated and nearly died. several months have passed, but the prince is asking this question only now. this was rather proof that he hadn¡¯t been very interested in her all this time. yurina glanced sideways at curtis, still bowing her head. unlike the banquet hall of the imperial palace, the parlor floor in this villa was flat, without a separate stage for the throne. the level of his eyes, while the prince sat on the sofa, was clearly lower than hers. but there was still the impression that he was looking down at her. ¡®this must be the dignity of the crown prince.¡¯ yurina didn¡¯t know how curtis acted as crown prince. the only role she has seen so far for curtis is that of a troubled lover and a bad husband. to be honest, it wasn¡¯t a lot, yurina could just say she didn¡¯t like it. however, this didn¡¯t affect his ability to rule the country. curtis genosian, who was described in the novel, was said to be a crown prince with a bright future since he was smart and had excellent swordsmanship skills since he was young, befitting the male lead. in fact, even here, she heard that it was regrettable that he didn¡¯t have a strong background, but his qualities as the crown prince were not questioned. even his cold-hearted personality, which didn¡¯t easily give his heart to anyone, served as an advantage in being able to look at the future of the empire calmly without being swayed by personal feelings. ¡®as for a husband, it¡¯s the worst.¡¯ on the other hand, the reputation of the second prince was the exact opposite of curtis. he was open and full of life, but had no power. it was because of that that he fell under the influence of the nobles, who manipulated him according to their own understanding. the emperor also supported the capable curtis more than the second prince. perhaps it was set up that way to make curtis, the male lead, stand out. ¡®if you have the power but also the ability, then that¡¯s the male lead.¡¯ no one dared challenge his claim to the throne before. but now marquis de flon had joined hands with the second prince, and curtis had no choice but to take action. originally, carthia supported curtis. ¡°so what did the young lady come to me to talk about?¡± yurina glanced at riggs and stepped back slightly. it was technically she who asked for her meeting with curtis, but the story she was about to tell was far better had riggs put her on the line. ¡®my brother¡¯s words must be more persuasive than mine.¡¯ it hurts to admit it, but it was so. to outsiders, riggs carthia is the heir of the carthia family, yurina is just the youngest daughter who was raised only with love. it might have offended curtis if she went out to talk about it. ¡°we believe that your highness himself has recently found the behavior of marquis de flon unusual.¡± the moment riggs spoke, curtis¡¯ gaze changed instantly. his eyes, hazy and sleepy, suddenly became sharper. Chapter 128.2 ¡°is what you want to say now the will of marquis carthia?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right. i have come here representing all of carthia, including my father.¡± curtis, who had been scanning riggs up and down, burst into a hearty laugh and straightened his hunched body. ¡°let¡¯s hear it. i ¡®m interested to hear what information marquis carthia has.¡± ¡°until now, marquis de flon faithfully served his majesty, and was also loyal to his highness, the successor appointed by his majesty. however, after the accident at the last hunting competition, the way things started to change.¡± ¡°so?¡± curtis seemed interested as if he was hearing it for the first time, but he must already know that marquis de flon and the second prince are trying to hold hands. if they were going to move him like that, they had to give you more information than that. yurina nodded to riggs, who was waiting for her reaction. riggs continued. ¡°after the last accident in carthia house, we have been tracking to see if there are any remaining warlock forces. black magic is said to be unrecognizable even to original wizards, but as we saw during the hunting tournament, blessed including sir reynard are said to be able to recognize it.¡± ¡°a black magician? why did that suddenly¡­¡± curtis, who had been responding without much inspiration, frowned. ¡°you mean to tell me that marquis de flon¡­ ¡°yes. not only that, but carthia house thinks he was behind the attack during the hunting competition.¡± yurina continued instead of riggs. ¡°his majesty the emperor has already regarded the warlock forces who raided the hunting competition in which his highness participated as traitors and punished them appropriately. if marquis de flon, who was behind the scenes, and his highness the 2nd prince joined hands, we don¡¯t know what would happen next.¡± after hearing yurina¡¯s words, curtis made a somewhat complicated face. he gestured as if to wait, and was lost in thought for a moment. yurina calmly waited for him to finish thinking. ¡®it¡¯s probably going to be hard for him to digest.¡¯ it was a thought that yurina and carthia¡¯s people put together over several weeks. besides, since yurina knew the contents of the original story and the enmity marquis de flon had against her since her childhood, it was easy for her to accept these facts. but for curtis, it would be like a thunderstorm. ¡°it¡¯s not that i don¡¯t trust you, but there are some corners where i can¡¯t believe what you say. marquis de flon has been loyal to the imperial family along with marquis carthia. i can¡¯t believe that he is a black magician, but he joins hands with the 2nd prince and tries to target me?¡± curtis got up from his seat and approached yurina with slow steps. ¡°how can i be sure that what you say is true?¡± ¡°didn¡¯t your highness already see that reynard, who is supported by our family, discovered black magic?¡± ¡°ask the question differently.¡± before she knew it, he came right in front of yurina. ¡°even if marquis de flon is a warlock, that isn¡¯t enough. it is said that he controlled the wolf using black magic, but in reality, the wolf attacked you, not me. if there really was another black magician, you should have targeted me then. are you really trying to frame a relationship between me and the second prince with uncertain information?¡± yurina knew this question would come up. at first glance, his words sounded like he didn¡¯t believe them and was angry. but curtis should already know that the second prince is striving to take his place. if so, then what he has just said is only a demand for stronger evidence. at yurina¡¯s resolute words, curtis gestured as if to speak without showing signs of being shaken. ¡®as expected, i was told to give more information.¡¯ if he had really believed in the second prince, he wouldn¡¯t have reacted so calmly. ¡°when i visited crohn kingdom in the past, i was attacked by rebel forces.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve heard that too. it¡¯s a pity that the young lady almost suffered a major disaster in crohn kingdom, which is like my other homeland.¡± ¡°it happened a long time ago, and as a result, nothing special, so you don¡¯t have to worry too much about it. but my father questioned why they were targeting me, a foreign nobleman and not someone else, and he pursued their activities until now.¡± ¡°so did you find it?¡± ¡°yes. it took a long time, but i finally found the one behind it.¡± curtis¡¯ face hardened slightly, as if he had anticipated the story that would follow. yurina opened her mouth, receiving a feeling from his expression that this conversation might turn out well. ¡°it was also marquis de flon who instigated the rebel forces that attacked me.¡± the hometown of curtis¡¯s mother, the former empress, was the crohn kingdom. the relationship between him and the crohn royal family was so special that curtis called the crohn kingdom his other homeland. whether marquis de flon intended or not, it was an act that could ultimately threaten curtis that he joined hands with the rebel forces of the crohn kingdom. it would be annoying that the 2nd prince and marquis de flon had already joined hands, but marquis de flon joined hands with the rebels of the crohn kingdom in the past and he is a warlock? curtis won¡¯t be able to stand by and watch the union of the two. Chapter 129.1 ¡°are you sure?¡± curtis, who had been silent for a long time, asked in a hard voice. ¡°i wouldn¡¯t have dared to come here if i wasn¡¯t sure.¡± in an instant, curtis¡¯s boisterous laughter resonated in the quiet drawing room. it was a genuinely pleasant laugh rather than a pretentious one. despite the fact that the marquis de flon joined hands with the forces threatening the crohn kingdom, which was excluded, he didn¡¯t appear very displeased. rather, he looked relieved as if he had subtracted a sick tooth. ¡°yes, there is no way the prudent marquis carthia made hasty moves without certain information. judging from how persistently you dug up information like this, it seems that marquis de flon has quite a grudge against you.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t find an answer so she just kept her mouth shut. curtis rubbed her chin and muttered to herself, as if she wasn¡¯t particularly looking for an answer. ¡°marquis de flon is a warlock. i was already annoyed by his behavior, but it turned out that everything is much more ridiculous. surely he found a certain warlock to help him, and organized an attack at a hunting tournament. my younger brother must be so excited that he got de flon.¡± this is what yurina and the carthia family were aiming for. marquis de flon was the one who started this mess with black magic. now he will be punished. ¡°then, if i find clear proof that the 2nd prince and the de flon family are holding hands, you guys will bring down the marquis de flon, is that so?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right.¡± this time riggs answered. but the expression on the prince¡¯s face suddenly turned stern. cool eyes fell on yurina¡¯s head. ¡°you didn¡¯t tell me the most important thing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°what does carthia want from me?¡± curtis looked at yurina, who was slightly lowering her head, and gently grabbed her chin. ¡°do you even want the position of crown princess? i can give it to you if you want. no, rather, if carthia would support me, she might be at that place.¡± it was the most important story from now on. yurina hushed her voice as much as possible to avoid irritating curtis. ¡°the house of carthia asks for nothing.¡± curtis had the ability to take the throne without support. even if marquis de flon threatened to ally himself with the second prince, curtis had the opportunity to overcome that crisis without the carthia family and reynard. even if a crisis comes and carthia and reynard help out a lot, they shouldn¡¯t show it off. curtis is a man born to rule over others. he liked that this side gave him the feeling of being helped rather than helping him. ¡°as the prince of our empire, it is natural for you to care for your loyal subjects. and even if we did not use your mercy, the house of carthia will always cover the back of his highness, as usual, with a sword in his hand. however¡­¡± yurina lifted her gaze and looked straight into curtis¡¯ eyes. ¡°however?¡± ¡°i want you to remember that it was sir reynard who did the most work in tracking down the warlock.¡± ¡°can¡¯t you put it as a single article?¡± as expected, his head turned quickly on this side. he narrowed his eyes and looked at yurina, then opened his mouth willingly. ¡°to keep such talented people in the empire, a simple knighthood is not enough. i am already aware of sir reynard¡¯s contributions, so i won¡¯t forget to thank him.¡± curtis let go of yurina¡¯s face. yurina and riggs bowed politely to him and turned their backs to leave the drawing room. just as she was about to step away, curtis whispered softly behind her back. ¡°carthia doesn¡¯t want anything, not even the title of the crown princess¡­ then what if i want you?¡± yurina turned and looked at him. curtis seemed more serious than when he was talking about the marquis de flon, who might be a warlock trying to take his own life. his gaze at her also felt rather hot. ¡®even though i don¡¯t have memories of my previous life, does my body remember?¡¯ curtis, who was in a relationship with ¡®yurina¡¯. she didn¡¯t know if his feelings for her were sincere or if it was a planned delay to get her carrion, but it seemed that the remnants of the feelings she had in her past were still present in her memoryless body. but it didn¡¯t matter. now she wasn¡¯t even ¡®yurina¡¯, and the one she loved was reynard, not curtis. in order to confront marquis de flon, she didn¡¯t touch his planting as much as possible and adjusted it to him, but even this could not be passed over. it was a courtesy to reynard, who was only looking at her. Chapter 129.2 ¡°if your highness wants me, you can do it as much as you like. carthia, as a faithful servant of the imperial family, will not be able to disobey the imperial order. but¡­¡± yurina took a deep breath to calm herself while curtis stared at her. ¡°even if you do that, you won¡¯t be able to win my heart. does his highness want that?¡± if he couldn¡¯t win her heart, it meant that he wouldn¡¯t be able to win carthia¡¯s heart either. so, this is the question of why would he bother to make that choice when he could gain carthia¡¯s support even if he stayed still. yurina was convinced when she saw his expression as he lifted one corner of his mouth as if he was having fun. he would never make yurina the crown princess in the future. because in order to solidify his throne, it would be more important to be her ally rather than making her the crown princess. that¡¯s where it all ended. and now all that¡¯s left is the last hunt. * * * late at night, when everyone was asleep, reynard secretly moved to yurina¡¯s bedroom. as if expecting him to come, yurina was sitting on the edge of her bed with a light cardigan over her pajamas and staring blankly out the window. he tried to muffle the sound of footsteps as much as possible, but yurina turned her head towards him, apparently feeling a thin pulsating flow of mana. when their eyes met, yurina looked surprised for a moment, then drew a beautiful arc with her lips. raynard couldn¡¯t move anymore, as if obsessed with something, he stopped and looked at yurina¡¯s smile. it was so beautiful. those dark eyes with double eyelids that usually look like a calm cat but curl up kindly when she smiles, those blue eyes that always twinkle like stars, and those lips that always tell him what he wants to hear. she was so pretty that he couldn¡¯t find a place that wasn¡¯t pretty. it was a smile that made him want to laugh just by looking, but oddly enough, raynard also wanted to cry. when he realized his feelings for her, his heart was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, and he wanted to cry. anxiety, sadness. it seemed that she was somewhere far out of reach even though she was clearly within reach. the more he tried to get closer, the more anxious he felt as if she would get further away. even though he hugged yurina tightly to get rid of that anxiety, the symptoms didn¡¯t improve. he felt the warmth in hir arms and the scent of the flowers, but he felt that she was far away. this anxiety manifested itself after he heard karion¡¯s story about his dream. yurina kept repeating relentlessly that the yurina from his dream was a completely different person. so he shouldn¡¯t worry about yurina changing her mind and leaving him. and reynard never doubted her love. it wasn¡¯t groundless worry that she might abandon him and choose karion that spurred him on, but her pitiful gaze of her karion. but lately, it was something else that was eating away at his nerves. he heard that yurina had already come from another world, and that this was a world from a novel she had read before. she never once questioned the story. he felt sorry for yurina, who must have suffered death, but he had never thought of anything more than that. however, when he saw karion telling an alternate history with another yurina carthia that he didn¡¯t know, reynard starts to question himself. ¡®can yurina stay by my side?¡¯ yurina said that she couldn¡¯t find out why she had come here without dying, and why she had awakened in the body of ¡®yurina carthia¡¯. she said, ¡®what does it matter now?¡¯ she laughed, but he couldn¡¯t. if she came without a reason, wouldn¡¯t it mean that she could disappear without a reason? maybe one day, the original ¡®yurina carthia¡¯ will suddenly return. with the same face and eyes as yurina, but ask him who he is and push him away? he was so worried about that and anxious, so he felt like his nerves were on edge these days. ¡°what are you doing there? come on.¡± yurina reached out her hand toward him who was still as hard as a stone. her voice was soft, but to raynard¡¯s ears it sounded like a command from a goddess he could never disobey. before he could even think, his body had already reacted first and he stepped forward in front of her. instead of sitting next to yurina, reynard sat right on top of her. gently straightening her shoulders, yurina slowly lay down on the bed. her golden hair, scattered over the white sheet, distracted his gaze. reynard kissed the nape of yurina¡¯s neck. everything was in darkness because yurina said she liked it that way, but her white skin glowed as if under the light of the sun. every time he moved his lips, a red mark remained on her body, blooming like a flower. but no matter how much he touched her, it seemed that this wasn¡¯t enough. he wanted to get closer to her, and even if she was in his hands, he still wanted to get more. will this thirst and nervousness go away if he ties her wrists together so she can¡¯t go anywhere? ¡°ray.¡± yurina, who had been biting her lips under him and holding back her moans, wrapped her arms around his neck. don¡¯t worry, i¡¯m here. i¡¯ll be with you. i am not going anywhere. raynard thought she would say something like that. those were the words yurina always said to calm him down when he rushed towards nervousness. but the words that came out of her mouth were seriously different from his expectations. ¡°when this is over, i will tell my family everything about our relationship.¡± Chapter 130.1 reynard stopped kissing yurina¡¯s collarbone and looked up to examine her expression. he just had doubts whether he had heard her words correctly. he thought that someday he would want people to acknowledge his relationship with yurina, but he didn¡¯t know that she would say that first. maybe that¡¯s why, rather than being happy or excited, he felt bewildered. yurina put her arms around reynard¡¯s neck and laughed, as if reading his thoughts that he couldn¡¯t answer. ¡°then don¡¯t be so impatient and wait a little longer.¡± why does that word make him feel like he can breathe? yurina, whom he felt so distant from, and yurina, who felt as if she could be caught but couldn¡¯t be caught, finally felt like she was being held in his arms again. ¡°huh.¡± reynard swallowed his tears and buried his face in her arms. as expected, she always whispers what he wants. she¡¯s like someone who went in and out of him. * * * yurina looked at the boy through the bars, relying on the dim light from the tiny magical spheres created by reynard. the warlock boy who had recently been hiding in her room, disguised as betsy, was bound by magical restraints in his arms and legs, and his eyes were closed. ¡®is he sleeping or did he pass out?¡¯ although he was a scoundrel with nefarious purposes, marquis carthia treated him quite humanely. he was not tortured to find out who exactly was behind him. thanks to this, there were no wounds or bruises on the boy¡¯s white face, or on his outstretched limbs, except for scratches from the restraints. however, the marquis wasn¡¯t going to be gentle with a man who sought to encroach on the life of his daughter. the boy had exhausted all his energy because he hadn¡¯t eaten properly for several days. ¡®but there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll faint.¡¯ however, he could not sleep peacefully, because he felt the presence of the enemy from all sides. yurina walked closer to the bars and saw a small and weak-looking boy. ¡®i don¡¯t understand how you even came to study black magic¡­¡¯ yurina looked at him and remembered what karion had said to reynard. ¨Dthe child being held in carthia will hold marquis de flon¡¯s ankles. according to karion, this child was a favorite among the marquis¡¯ henchmen, and he was quite an experienced warlock. he said that not everyone can learn black magic, but only those people who wear it inside from birth. it seems that initially marquis de flon tried to teach karion black magic, but, probably, the body of the blessed rejected such influence. after that, marquis de flon searched here and there for some time, and then found a new student. ¡®i heard that there are fewer children born with talent for black magic than normal magic.¡¯ in addition, the marquis was forced to move carefully, avoiding the attention of others, so finding even one such child was already a good harvest. and this child was the one who cast a spell on the wolf during the hunting competition. this was what reynard and dave found by comparing the black magic from the wolf¡¯s body with the boy¡¯s mana. ¡®it looks like marquis de flon was very nervous.¡¯ it is not known whether he values this boy or not, but if he sent his only capable student directly into the lair of the enemy, it was a desperate measure. if so, then the story with the second prince would have already ended. all that was left was the choice of waiting or attacking first. ¡®he doesn¡¯t have time.¡¯ curtis would also prefer to attack first rather than be attacked. so now¡­ yurina stepped a little closer to the bars. raynard said it was dangerous and stopped her, but she shrugged off his hand and still stood next to the bars. ¡°i know you¡¯re not sleeping.¡± the boy shook his head. he moved his hands languidly, and the chains made an unpleasant clang. ¡°keep your mouth shut like this and nothing will help you. now why don¡¯t we talk about who ordered it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°do you think we wouldn¡¯t know that it was marquis de flon because you kept your mouth shut?¡± the boy¡¯s eyes, which had been closed, suddenly opened. it seemed as though he would strangle her at any moment had he not been bound. ¡®this is similar to marquis de flon.¡¯ yurina lifted her lips as she felt the hostile gaze pierce her face like an awl. ¡°whatever you do, you have nowhere to go. so why don¡¯t you just stop your game and tell me everything?¡± ¡°don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡± a high-pitched voice resounded in the damp, dark prison. ¡°what do you know! what?! what can you do?!¡± yurina quickly grabbed reynard¡¯s arm, who was about to use magic, and asked calmly. ¡°then what about you?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°you who used wolves and kidnapped innocent people while targeting me? are you talking so loud about how good you are?¡± the boy kept his mouth shut as if he hadn¡¯t had anything to say in return. however, his momentum didn¡¯t subside, and his sharp gaze was still fixed on yurina. ¡°so choose. are you going to tell me everything now and beg for mercy, or are you just going to rot in this prison?¡± the boy leaned forward to pounce on yurina. however, because of the short length of the chains that bound his arms, he stumbled and was unable to move much. he stretched his arms behind his back and pushed the face forward as far as he could. ¡°do not be ridiculous. i¡¯ll get out of here anyway!¡± there was a grinding of teeth. ¡°people like you can be eliminated in one fell swoop!¡± ¡°i can¡¯t help it if you don¡¯t want to speak.¡± yurina winked as she looked at reynard. raynard wrapped his arms around yurina¡¯s waist after glancing at the boy who was struggling. the scenery around them instantly changed, and the two of them ended up in the middle of yurina¡¯s bedroom. ¡°are you really going to be okay?¡± ¡°yeah.¡± yurina checked the set of artifacts reynard had given her one more time. a necklace that can use any type of magic once, a tracking bracelet, and even a ring that is invisible to others. everything was with her, even when yurina was taking a bath and sleeping. ¡°i will go to my mother.¡± Chapter 130.2 yurina took off the street coat she had put on to go see the warlock boy and picked up a dressing gown. reynard helped her put on her gown. his lips rested nervously on the nape of her neck. ¡°don¡¯t go anywhere, just stay in the marchioness¡¯ bedroom.¡± ¡°okay. but you also have to be careful.¡± yurina turned around and stood on tiptoe to hug his neck. there was a time when yurina thought that one day such a day must come. she didn¡¯t want to mess with marquis de flon if she could. but from the moment she met him on the streets of the capital and saw the echoes of his madness, yurina knew that she and reynard were in danger. ¡®i hoped so much that this would pass us by.¡¯ yurina buried her face into his neck and muttered, just like reynard usually did. reynard¡¯s arm went up and wrapped around her waist. ¡°yurina.¡± his low voice was more rigid than ever. at the same time, yurina was nervous as she hugged his neck more tightly. ¡°are you really going to announce everything between us when this all is over?¡± what did he just say? wondering if what she heard was right, she took a step back and examined his face. reynard pulled her back tighter with a stiff face and asked again. ¡°really¡­ will you?¡± it was absurd that what he was concerned about in this serious situation was their relationship, not marquis de flon and the warlock. however, reynard¡¯s face was so serious that yurina nodded. ¡°yes. so come back safe.¡± ¡°okay.¡± yurina lightly kissed reynard on the lips and left the room. the dark hallway was empty. the time was late, but that must have been because the butler had told the servants not to leave the rooms today. and yurina¡¯s three older brothers were already ready and waiting. feeling a chill on her back, yurina entered the marchioness¡¯ bedroom. as soon as the marchioness heard the creaking of the door, she stood up and became alert. yurina quickly ran up to her and hugged her. ¡°mother.¡± ¡°yurina?¡± a soft warm hand stroked her hair. a hand that was unfamiliar and awkward seven years ago. now yurina thought she was afraid of losing that touch forever. this kind hand would probably have hardened coldly if he hadn¡¯t been possessed by ¡®yurina¡¯. feeling that she was about to cry, she went limp in the arms of the marchioness, like a child. ¡°you must have had a nightmare.¡± if only it was a nightmare. ¡°everything will be fine. you have a mother, a father, your brothers and even reynard.¡± yes. she couldn¡¯t even say a word because she felt choked up. ¡°sleep with your mother today.¡± and after a while, a deafening loud alarm sounded in the mansion. it was a sign that the warlock boy had escaped from prison. marchioness carthia covered yurina¡¯s body with a blanket and hugged her tighter. she feigned composure, but even the hand of the marchioness trembled a little. ¡°it looks like it will be a difficult night to sleep.¡± * * * it had been more than an hour since she went to bed, but lydia could hardly sleep. and it wasn¡¯t just today. it all started a few days ago, to be exact, when she went to carthia¡¯s mansion with wounded karion. now the more lydia tried to sleep, the faster the thoughts raced through her head. ¡®is my father really like that?¡¯ the words she wished she had asked but couldn¡¯t. did her father really try to hurt lady carthia¡¯s maid? every time she saw marquis de flon, a conflict flared up inside her, but lydia always turned around without saying anything. because what she was trying to ask felt like a box that shouldn¡¯t be opened. lydia knew that her father, marquis de flon, had been sharpening his teeth against the cartia house all his life. but she didn¡¯t know why. however, judging from the fact that he always forced her to become an empress and emphasized that yurina wasn¡¯t the talent to become an empress, she thought it was related to politics. looking at the recent behavior of marquis de flon, it seems that the true reason has remained in the shadows. but lydia couldn¡¯t understand what the real reason was. it was something shei could just pretend she didn¡¯t know and move on. thinking rationally, she thought it might be better to pretend she didn¡¯t see it and move on. ¡®but¡­¡¯ she remembered yurina¡¯s face. a friend of her age, whom she first met and talked to properly. she had always had karion, but the feeling of having a friend of the same gender was very different. who knows if yurina considers her a friend, but lydia enjoyed that short time with yurina. so¡­ it was time for lydia to make up her mind and get out of bed. the closed door opened and someone came inside. lydia was startled for a second and tried to scream, but before that a large hand covered her mouth. Chapter 131 startled, she squirmed and tried to remove the hand, but then a familiar voice was heard. ¡°milady.¡± lydia stopped resisting and only clapped her eyelids. his hand was large enough to cover half of her face, but unlike the rough knights, his hands were so soft and warm. ¡®kai?¡¯ she turned around cautiously to confirm this, and the hand that was pressing her lips §èwas removed. karion¡¯s face appeared before her eyes, accustomed to the dark. even though it was late at night, he was wearing street clothes, not indoor clothes. is he going somewhere in a hurry at this time? is that why he came to her? with such thoughts, his sudden appearance was more pleasant than embarrassing. does he seem to care about her that much? ¡°where are you going¡­¡± lydia, who opened her mouth calmly, bit her lip when she saw karion putting her index finger on her lips. it was then that she realized that the situation was tense. ¡®strange.¡¯ karion always tried to maintain a distance between them, since childhood. if she took a step forward, he stepped back two. having lived in the mansion for almost 7 years, it would have been time to break down this wall and get to know her better, but he didn¡¯t give her a place next to him. as a result, it was rare for the two of them to be alone in private. there was no such thing as being together at night like this. but karion, who was like that, sneaked into her room in the middle of the night without anyone else¡¯s knowledge? lydia was not afraid the other person would harm her because it was karion, but it felt strange in a different way. for some reason, i felt a chill run down her spine and her hair stood on end. besides, karion¡¯s face was ominously hardened. originally, he had almost no expression, so he was called cool or scary by the people in the mansion, but at least lydia was able to read his mood from his slightly changing expression. but the expression he¡¯s making now¡­ lydia moistened her parched lips with her tongue and opened her mouth in a low voice. ¡°what is going on at this hour?¡± ¡°milady.¡± lydia had previously asked to be called by her first name, not by lady or milady. however, she wasn¡¯t going to stir up this topic in such and such a situation. but she always imagined how great it would be if her name came out of karion¡¯s mouth. a name that exudes intimacy and affection. how envious she was when reynard called yurina that way. ¡°what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°do you trust me?¡± lydia could answer that question without hesitation. ¡°of course i trust you.¡± ¡°it¡¯s really not that simple¡­¡± karion raised his voice for a moment and then covered his mouth. lydia waited patiently for him to speak again. who can know why he took it into his head to ask her such a question, but no matter what the situation is, the answer she would give will be the same. she trusts him more than anyone in the world. even with her father, marquis de flon, lydia didn¡¯t rely on him to that extent. and then¡­ a sound began to be heard in the quiet hallway. it wasn¡¯t just the everyday sounds of maids getting up and walking down the halls in the middle of the night or chatting. urgent footsteps of people busily running around and voices urgently ordering something. even though it was clearly happening beyond the door, lydia felt their tension palpable. karion¡¯s nervous appearance, which was even more rare, as well as the uncommon clutter. that¡¯s when lydia grabbed his arm, feeling her heart beating fast. ¡°miss, lady lydia!¡± along with the sound of the doorknob turning, she heard the voice of her exclusive maid. she obviously hadn¡¯t locked the door, but the door wouldn¡¯t open and the clunky doorknob kept clicking. it was the moment lydia was about to move to open the door. karion¡¯s hand grabbed her cold hand. ¡°kai?¡± ¡°lydia.¡± a calm voice that didn¡¯t match the commotion in the hallway pierced her heart. however, before she had time to rejoice at him calling her name, karion asked again. ¡°do you believe me?¡± ¡°milady! are you inside?¡± the maid¡¯s voice got louder. lydia looked at the door where the constant knocking was coming from, and then looked at karion¡¯s serious face. she should have asked what was going on, but they didn¡¯t seem to have time to talk. ¡°yes, i believe you. because it¡¯s kai.¡± those words that came without thinking were probably the truth she really wanted to say. karion, who seldom showed a change in his expression, came closer to her with an expression that looked like he was about to cry. no, his expression didn¡¯t change much. still, in lydia¡¯s eyes, it looked as if he were weeping dry tears. ¡°then let¡¯s go with me.¡± there was no need to ask ¡®where¡¯. lydia took his outstretched hand without hesitation. * * * the boy who had been given the chance to escape from carthia¡¯s mansion was now running without looking back. apparently, after he broke through the restrictions and left the carthia mansion, he used his usual movement magic, but he moved to a place a little further than his desired hideout. he again tried to use magic, but each time he ended up in a different place than planned, so he had no choice but to rush on his own two feet. he didn¡¯t know why it happened. he just thought that something had gone wrong in the process of breaking the restraints. or, in case he breaks the restraint gear, it may be that they hung something like magic that can disrupt the black magic on the restraint gear. maybe that blessed with a creepy face did something to his body? after all, he said he allegedly found a way to stop black magic. ¡®damn it¡­¡¯ the boy gritted his teeth and ran wherever his eyes looked. and although the path he had traveled was short, his breath quickly hitched, and his chest seemed to be on fire. this was because he only focused on magic since childhood and didn¡¯t do physical training. but he couldn¡¯t stop now. from the moment he escaped the prison by taking advantage of the loosening of the magic of the guards and restraints, a deafening alarm went off in the carthia mansion. carthia¡¯s knights should be chasing him on horseback by now. if he had known that something like this would happen, he would have taken action and built up stamina. but he ended up like this because he believed only in magic and lived only by it. damn, damn, damn. he chewed the curse in his mouth. how much he laughed when last spring he saw blessed being torn to pieces by a wolf at the hunting competition. as a warlock himself, he couldn¡¯t even properly show himself in front of people, but that guy blessed was a genius and a wizard of the century, whether in the crohn kingdom or the empire. you just become my prey like that. he was giggling like that, but how did the situation become like this? ¡®i won¡¯t leave you alone.¡¯ right now, it¡¯s just stepping back for a while to move forward. even though he¡¯s wriggling like this because his magic has been suppressed, he¡¯ll hide in his hiding place for a while and recover his energy, then he¡¯ll rip that damned blessed¡¯s head apart. and break the neck of the woman she couldn¡¯t handle during her hunting competition. he suffered because of her. so wait a minute. because it won¡¯t take long. remembering reynard¡¯s gaze looking down at him as if he were an insect, the boy moved to the hiding place and suddenly felt a presence in front of him and slowed down. at first glance, it sounded like the sound of horses hooves. ¡®i can¡¯t believe i¡¯ve already come this far.¡¯ there is no other way to the hideout. the boy changed direction without even having time to figure out the identity of the human being blocking his way. however, it wasn¡¯t long before the boy had to turn again due to the presence he felt in front of him. but it was only after three or four more repetitions that he belatedly realized that the hideout was under siege. he even felt like someone was chasing him from behind, as if he was chased by carthia. hearing a distant horse cry, the boy had no choice but to give up his hiding place and start running away. for now, it seemed like it would be better to go somewhere, hide, and wait until he can properly control his magic. however, judging from the speed at which they were pursuing, it seemed that he wouldn¡¯t be able to escape by running. ¡®i shouldn¡¯t have come here.¡¯ will he be caught in this state again, or perhaps he will move to the wrong place again? the time to worry didn¡¯t last long. so far, he has been simply imprisoned, but if he is caught this time, he may be told to tell the truth and suffer severe pain. he bit his lip and used his magic again. again, he couldn¡¯t get where he wanted to go. the boy looked around the forest around him, densely overgrown with huge trees, and only making sure that this place was empty he collapsed to the ground. but even when he lay on his face, his heart was pounding, as if begging to burst out of his chest. he paused only for a moment to catch his breath in the dark woods where the owl hummed, and when he had calmed down a little, he got up from his seat. this place wasn¡¯t his destination, but fortunately, he wasn¡¯t far away from it. the boy who was trudging along let out a sigh of relief as he saw the small villa in the distance. that place was the villa of marquis de flon. externally, it wasn¡¯t known that it belonged to marquis de flon, and since it was located in a forest where few people came, few people knew it, even among marquisate de flon. still, he didn¡¯t want to come here if possible, just in case. but, given the circumstances, what could he do? besides, seeing as there was no one around the villa, it seemed that this place had not been discovered. he had heard that this villa was equipped with everything necessary for survival, so it would be great to hide here for a while. then he could go back to marquis de flon. but here¡­ the boy vigorously opened the door and stepped inside. he wrinkled his face when he saw someone who shouldn¡¯t be inside. ¡°you came later than expected.¡± the man smiled as he stood by the window where the moonlight streamed in softly. with a fine-looking face, as if he had never gone through hardships, but with eerie eyes that weren¡¯t pure at all. ¡°you should have come a little earlier, for the people waiting for you.¡± as soon as he finished his words, he heard the sound of people running and the sharp metal sound of a sword being pulled out of its scabbard. even without looking back, he could feel that he was surrounded by heavily armed knights. looking at the glowing red eyes in the dark, the boy cursed aloud this time. ¡°damn it¡­¡± by the time he realized that all of this was carthia¡¯s trap, it was already too late. Chapter 132 ¡°this is enough evidence. but i need a trigger.¡± curtis, who had been looking through the documents carthia family had handed over, had said so. it was an arrogant voice, fearing that someone might not be the crown prince who will lead the empire. ¡°you know what¡¯s the most important thing about this? evidence? testimony? it¡¯s all wrong. the most important thing is the reason.¡± so, it was said that the knights of the imperial family, more precisely, curtis¡¯ subordinates, needed an excuse to forcibly open the gate of the marquisate de flon and enter. despite being educated at the carthia house and raised at the royal crohn academy along with aiden, nathan and other nobles, raynard couldn¡¯t understand curtis¡¯ words. there is already evidence, so why should we go to such trouble when we can arrest them? even though the truth is clearly visible in front of your eyes, do you need a cause for that? wouldn¡¯t it just be enough to bring the evidence in? curtis added, as if he had read his mind. ¡°do you think that all those who were executed for treason in the history of the empire really conspired against it? there must be more victims of political strife than those who actually plotted treason. it is more important to have a justification to convince the aristocrats than the facts.¡± even after hearing additional explanations, reynard was still not convinced. frankly, he wanted to come alone after de flon and wring his neck, even if he was alone. as long as he could protect yurina like that, if he could make her feel at ease, he could do anything. however, something told him that he wouldn¡¯t be able to be with yurina if he did something like that. what would he do if, by chance, he cut off marquis de flon¡¯s breath as per his instinct and ended up as a fugitive? it didn¡¯t matter if he was being chased, but he didn¡¯t want to see yurina¡¯s disappointed face and hurt her because of himself. so, in order to remain by yurina¡¯s side, he must adapt perfectly to this aristocratic society. so, instead of questioning curtis¡¯s words, reynard exchanged opinions with yurina and the people of carthia to create the ¡®moment¡¯ he said. at that time, the person who unexpectedly helped was karion. ¡°the child being held in carthia will hold marquis de flon¡¯s ankles.¡± according to karion, the child who aimed at yurina was the only warlock disciple of marquis de flon. it was he who cast black magic on the wolf that was targeting yurina during the hunting competition. karion said that the boy is quite talented, but he is still young and has a lot of self-importance, although he doesn¡¯t know much about the world, because he was on the run from a young age. in a good way, he is naive, and in a bad way, he is a fool. marquis de flon thought the plan was perfect and sent a disguised child to yurina, but he was captured in carthia house. will marquis de flon really move to save his one and only disciple? neither yurina nor reynard thought so. if it was marquis de flon¡¯s personality, he¡¯d rather kill the boy to get rid of the evidence and not give him an excuse to save him and get caught. so, before marquis de flon moved, it was decided to strike first. they wanted to use the boy to prove that he was being ordered by the marquis. it would have been a difficult plan without karion, who was well aware of marquis de flon¡¯s circumstances , but thanks to karion¡¯s help, the plan went relatively smooth. the main plan was to surround the boy¡¯s hideout as if they were hunting a rabbit and force him to move to a location that indicated his connection to marquis de flon. thanks to karion¡¯s remark, everyone found out exactly where the villa was located, which the de flon family hid from people. curtis found out that the butler of the de flon family was the formal owner of the villa, and that the butler had bought the villa on the personal orders of the marquis. tonight, when curtis sent the signal, when reynard and yurina went to visit the boy, he fine-tuned the restraints that restrained his mana, so that the boy would not suspect it. the boy had to use the maximum amount of magic to barely break it. the reason why the boy wasn¡¯t handed over to the imperial knights and still kept in carthia mansion was for this goal. whether he was naive or stupid, the boy moved as reynard intended. he broke the restraining sphere and ran away, then used a magic to move to the hideout where the imperial knights were waiting, but when that didn¡¯t work, he came to the villa where reynard and carthia¡¯s knights were hiding. if he hadn¡¯t moved as intended, he¡¯d have been able to catch him by the tail, but the stupid boy made things a little easier. ¡°you, you, you! you bastard!¡± realizing that he had fallen into a trap, the boy contorted his face and collected mana in his hands. unlike when reynard used magic, he gave off an ominous sensation, swept across the boy¡¯s palm. sensing danger, the knights separated from the boy and took a few steps back. only reynard approached the boy. every time he took a step closer, the magic power gathered in the boy¡¯s hand weakened. and when he came close, the black whirlwind disappeared without a trace. reynard muttered in a low voice to the boy who was widening his eyes. ¡°i told you. your magic doesn¡¯t work anymore.¡± ¡°you bastard!¡± when the magic didn¡¯t work, the boy jumped directly at reynard. reynard grabbed the boy¡¯s outstretched arms and threw him to the ground. pressing the boy¡¯s chest tightly with his foot, the boy wrinkled his face and let out a groan. the boy struggled, scratching the floor with his nails. every time that happened, reynard gave more strength to the foot that was stepping on the boy¡¯s chest. when the mana was blown into it, restraints began to form again on the scarred wrists and ankles of the boy. when the restraints were completely filled, reynard withdrew from the boy. in the meantime, the boy passed out due to the shock of his magic colliding. reynard winked at edwin, who instructed him to bind the boy, then came out of the villa and fired a beam of light into the black sky with magic. all that was left was marquis de flon. he looked at the place where the marquis de flon was located in the distance and used a movement magic. * * * a quiet tension lingered in the mansion of marquis carthia, as if a rat had died. silence hung over the bedroom where yurina, betsy, and the marchioness carthia were. as reynard had requested, yurina didn¡¯t move a single step in the marchioness¡¯ bedroom. this was the only place in carthia mansion where reynard cast a defense magic that will protect from black magic. it would be nice to use defensive magic all over the mansion, but black magic wasn¡¯t so easy to resist, so he had to limit it to just this bedroom. yurina looked out the window, touching her necklace nervously. ¡®are you okay?¡¯ by this time, reynard should have seized the warlock boy again, and curtis¡¯s knights were moving towards marquis de flon. it¡¯s already thoroughly planned, so it won¡¯t be much of a problem unless something in particular goes wrong. at least the people she cares about, including reynard, will be safe. yurina sighed as she remembered riggs and edwin, who were involved in the operation with the imperial knights, and marquis carthia and justin, who were left behind to defend the carthia mansion. it was pitiful that the people he loved the most were moving at such a risk, while he was safe in the bedroom of the marchioness, where reynard had cast a defensive magic. ¡®if only i had more ability.¡¯ yurina could hold a sword or use magic, so it would be nice if she helped raynard. this thought haunted her all this time. in fact, even if she had that ability, reynard and the rest of her family wouldn¡¯t have let her move. she was what marquis de flon was looking for the most. if he makes her final push, his first target will be her. so, it was better to stay calm here than to be taken hostage or harmed by marquis de flon for nothing. yurina was well aware of this, but thinking about the people outside, her heart was heavy, as if a stone was sitting on top. ¡°everything will be fine.¡± marchioness carthia rubbed yurina¡¯s back affectionately. ¡°you don¡¯t have to worry because you have a mother.¡± seventeen years old. even though she was not yet an adult, but not a child who needed the absolute protection of her parents, her mother, the marchioness, took care of yurina as if she was a child. she seemed to have the idea that as her mother she had to protect her daughter. however, yurina rather had a sense of mission to protect her mother too. ¡®i will never lose her again.¡¯ peaceful daily life spent with loved ones. seven years ago, she didn¡¯t want to lose that precious treasure that she had missed overnight. ¡°yes. everything will be fine.¡± yurina forced a smile and looked out the window again. the mansion of marquis carthia and the mansion of marquis de flon were in the same capital, but so far away that it wasn¡¯t visible to the naked eye. even though there was no way to hear the sounds of marquis de flon¡¯s mansion, it seemed like there was some commotion outside. yurina tightly gripped her necklace with her slightly sweaty palms. reynard said he would come back to her when everything was over. so she couldn¡¯t be relieved until he returned. at that moment, when yurina couldn¡¯t breathe deeply and her eyes flickered here and there, an explosion was heard in the quiet mansion, and it felt like the ground was shaking like an earthquake. obviously there was nothing, but yurina fell off the bed in shock as if she had been pushed by something. ¡°yurina!¡± starting with the marchioness¡¯ shrieking scream, the surroundings of the mansion started to become noisy. Chapter 133 yurina gripped the carpet on the floor tightly. her whole body felt the pressure as if it had been crushed by a huge stone, and she felt a twisting pain in her intestines. she felt something warm rising from the inside of her throat, and her blood flowed from her lips. ¡°yurina!¡± marchioness carthia, whose face turned white in an instant, came running and hugged yurina. her face in front of her nose was hazy, as if she had fog. ¡°betsy, hurry up! hurry up and call the people!¡± ¡°yes? but¡­¡± betsy, who had been moving her feet while watching yurina, couldn¡¯t move hastily even at the urging of marchioness carthia. it was because yurina had asked not to go out until reynard returned here after everything was over. yurina barely shook her head while looking at betsy. every little movement of her body made her feel the stabbing pain of her sword, but she had to stop betsy from coming out. it was because if she went out and betsy was harmed, she wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the shock. even though it was a small movement, betsy bit her lip and sat down next to her. betsy¡¯s hand holding yurina¡¯s was warm and soft. cold sweat ran down her forehead and back. yurina tried to open her eyelids, but her gaze was still blurry. yurina forced herself to turn around and look out the window, where an ominous wind was blowing. ¡®there must be a magic circle¡­¡¯ even if raynard wasn¡¯t here, the cunning enemy wouldn¡¯t be able to break into this room so easily. what¡¯s more, the other two rooms were fine. it didn¡¯t seem like marquis de flon had come in person. ¡®could it be a curse?¡¯ emily¡¯s face came to mind when she was ordered by marquis de flon and took her blood. maybe she passed on something other than her bloody earrings at that time. as yurina thought, blood continued to flow down her throat. though she thought it would be the end, she couldn¡¯t lift a finger. the shadow of death she felt that day seemed to fill the room. in my blurry vision, another face passed by instead of the concerned marchioness carthia¡¯s. when the fear of not being able to leave the child alone became stronger than the fear of death, yurina could barely hold on to the necklace. the moment the intense light burst out, so intense that her eyes frowned on their own, she felt as if something had fallen off her, and her eyes went dark. * * * the estate of marquis de flon, meanwhile, was surrounded by the imperial knights. there was the sound of clashing swords, people shouting, and the acrid smell of the mansion being burned. the knights sent by curtis were pushing fiercely, as if they had made up their minds. even with the naked eye, it was clear that the knights of marquis de flon were being pushed back. after moving to the marquis house, reynard left the clutter behind and headed inside the mansion. he had only one goal. marquis de flon. when he recalled the face he had once seen in the past, his teeth gritted of their own. considering what he had done to yurina, it seemed like even tearing his body apart wouldn¡¯t be enough. reynard entered the mansion, trying to calm himself as much as possible. ¡®where are you?¡¯ as soon as raynard crossed the threshold of the mansion, he felt as if his head was numb. black magic flowed everywhere, so marquis de flon is definitely staying in this mansion. it looked like he was still doing some tricks. ¡®thinking about turning back time again?¡¯ before starting this job, raynard discussed this with yurina. it was a conversation about how marquis de flon could turn back time again when he realized that his plans were completely ruined. so, even though raynard wanted to stay and protect yurina, he moved out here to find de flon himself. if he ever tried to turn back time, the only person who could stop him was reynard, alone. however, looking at the situation, it seemed that the concerns were becoming reality. ¡®but you can¡¯t do that.¡¯ raynard vaguely guessed that the reason yurina died in her world and came to this one was because marquis de flon turned back time. but what if he goes back in time again? maybe he won¡¯t be able to meet his yurina. reynard shuddered at the horrible assumption and winked at riggs in the distance. then he hurriedly moved on his steps. the place where they arrived after chasing the energy of ominous black magic was the basement of the mansion. the basement of an aristocratic mansion is usually used as a warehouse for storing foodstuffs. so, to prevent employees from stealing groceries on their own, they put a latch on the entrance and restrict access. however, the underground scenery of de flon¡¯s mansion was different. the door was locked, but it was not a structure that could be unlocked with a key. reynard felt the energy of mana emanating from the door and blew mana into it while holding his palm on the door. the mana in the door collided with the mana he emitted, sparks flew from the door with a crackling sound. a little more mana was blown in and the door opened. as soon as raynard stepped inside, there was a smell of herbs and medicines, just like in dave¡¯s laboratory or at the academy. however, reynard¡¯s face slightly hardened involuntarily at the much stronger scent and he stumbled inside. the deeper he went, the worse the feeling grew. following his instincts and entering the dimly lit room, the first thing reynard saw was a magic circle drawn on the floor. the magic circle was bright red, as if it had been drawn with blood. marquis de flon stood in the middle of the magic circle. marquis de flon, as if expecting him to come, raised the corner of his mouth without being surprised by the sudden appearance of reynard. ¡°see you again after a long time.¡± his attitude was strangely relaxed. imperial knights have filled the entire estate, and reynard was standing right in front of him. but he showed no signs of nervousness or panic. reynard¡¯s calm attitude made reynard nervous and swallowed dryly. ¡®what trick?¡¯ no matter how he looked at it, it didn¡¯t look like the attitude of a person whose plans went awry. if so, does it mean that there is another ulterior motive? reynard was looking around to see what kind of hand marquis de flon had, but marquis de flon opened his mouth. ¡°so if you had come to me when i reached out to you in the past, this wouldn¡¯t have happened to you.¡± ¡°don¡¯t say nonsense. i have never regretted not following you that day, and i will never regret it in the future.¡± reynard still remembered the look in marquis de flon¡¯s eyes he had seen seven years ago. yurina said she was sorry that she found him at the orphanage, it wasn¡¯t for him, it was for herself. but raynard thought differently. the first time she saw him, yurina was delighted. perhaps it was her joy that she had changed her own destiny, not that she was glad she met reynard, but at least she was as innocently delighted as the child. on the other hand, marquis de flon was different. when he saw reynard for the first time, marquis¡¯ face was full of greed as he held his face with a savage hand that wasn¡¯t aristocratic. there was an unknown emotion swirling in the sparkling golden eyes. young reynard, who was only thirteen at the time, didn¡¯t know the true nature of that feeling, but at least he knew instinctively that if he followed him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to feel the cozy and peaceful life that yurina had given him. so reynard never regretted his choice. since his emotions were not stirred, reynard was able to calmly assess the situation. ¡®looks like he still needs some time.¡¯ what was the reason for drawing all the magic circles and playing with words like this with no nutritional value? it seemed that he still needed more time to use his magic. to what extent riggs had sorted out the situation and followed him, people heard the sound of people coming down the stairs. reynard slowly walked towards marquis de flon. at that time, marquis de flon gave an eerie, cool smile. ¡°is this the right time to be here right now?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°do you mind going to your master?¡± master?is he talking about yurina? although he was agitated by the story for a moment, reynard took a deep breath and regained his composure. this must be marquis de flon¡¯s trick to disturb him. but what happened the next moment left reynard unable to keep his composure. ¡°do you really not have to go?¡± as soon as he finished his words, the string of the necklace hanging from his neck snapped and fell down. it was a sign that yurina, who remained in the carthia mansion, had used her magic. as soon as he saw the pendant with a lot of cracks as if it would break at any moment, his hair turned white. behind him, the knights led by riggs entered. reynard grabbed the sword riggs was holding and charged at marquis de flon. marquis de flon¡¯s relaxed face lost his composure in an instant and distorted. the moment reynard pierced the sword into his shoulder, a bright light emanating from the sword filled the dark basement. * * * ¡°sorry. your mom is so sorry.¡± her mother, who rushed over after hearing of the accident, took her cold hand and muttered those words over and over. her mind slipped away and senna couldn¡¯t understand why her mother was so apologetic. ¡®why are you sorry, mother, i¡¯m okay. so don¡¯t be too sad.¡¯ these words swirled in her head, but she couldn¡¯t say anything, because she couldn¡¯t even move a finger. all she could do was mutter under her breath that she was fine. ¡®it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. i¡¯m really fine¡¯ she sincerely hoped that this word would reach her mother. however, even upon arrival in this new world, her heart was heavy from not being able to tell the mother that everything is fine and she loves her. ¡°¡­rina? yurina, open your eyes!¡± ¡®ah, i heard a voice similar to the one i heard before.¡¯ the voice was obviously different, but the affection and sadness contained in it was not much different from the voice of the mother in the past life. she wanted to say something, but no sound came out as if her throat had been choked. ¡°¡­i¡¯m sorry. i¡¯m sorry, yurina.¡± a different voice was heard this time. a low, soft voice of a young man. at the same time tok, tok, tok. she felt something fall on her face. a rough yet soft hand touched even the cold hand. for some reason, yurina suddenly felt that it would be impossible to abandon the owner of this voice. other people will somehow survive without her, but what will happen if she leaves that little boy who yurina accounted for the whole world? yurina struggled to open her eyes as she continued to hear the words of regret pouring from all directions. and the first thing she saw were red, bloodshot eyes. reynard¡¯s red eyes, which were already rabbit-like, were completely red from how much he was crying. not only his pupils, but his swollen eyelids and around his eyes were reddish. it made her sad just by looking at it, so she wanted to wipe away the tears, but couldn¡¯t move because her arms felt tingling. reynard, as if reading her mind, took her hand and placed his cheek on her palm. Chapter 134 ¡°yurina, are you awake?¡± ¡°¡­hmm.¡± her voice was hoarse and her tone low. but perhaps reassured by this modest reply, reynard let out a long breath and kissed the back of her hand. ¡°you don¡¯t know how scared i was knowing you were harmed.¡± at the academy, reynard often suffered from nightmares. in his nightmares, yurina always met her death cruelly, and he had to embrace her cold body in despair. as soon as the necklace broke, he immediately wanted to rush back, but he couldn¡¯t do it, fearing that marquis de flon would activate the magic circle. after suppressing marquis de flon¡¯s mana and nullifying his magic circle, he was able to move to carthia¡¯s mansion, entrusting rgs with the finishing touches. the moment i saw yurina lying limp in marchioness carthia¡¯s arms, it seemed like his breath stopped. fortunately, yurina was safe, and he was able to put his mind at ease a little after knowing that she fainted because she had suddenly used a large amount of magic that her body couldn¡¯t handle. ¡®i was too complacent.¡¯ the magic circle hung in the bedroom of marchioness carthia was a magic circle that could defend against black magic attacking from the outside. that¡¯s why she told yurina that she never went outside until everything was settled. even if they were targeting and attacking yurina, they thought it would be okay as long as they stayed in this room, since the black magic couldn¡¯t penetrate the magic circle. however, it seemed that marquis de flon had planted something like the seed of a curse in yurina¡¯s body beforehand and manifested the curse this time. it was probably a curse placed by the boy who came in the form of betsy last time. at the time, it seems that he intended to blackmail the carthia house by kidnapping yurina and making her sick, but after failing, he might have deliberately looked at the situation placed a curse on her as a last resort. raynard, who wasn¡¯t a warlock, didn¡¯t know exactly how black magic worked. previously, the bloody ribbon found in marchioness¡¯ room or yurina¡¯s earring found in the wolf¡¯s body were already after the curse started, so you could feel the black magic, but the seed inside yurina¡¯s body was before the curse started. he didn¡¯t even notice. since yurina¡¯s body already had magical means, even if they had drawn a magic circle, yurina could have been cursed. marquis de flon probably expected that reynard would be so worried about yurina that he wouldn¡¯t even think about destroying the magic circle drawn on the floor of the basement. perhaps if raynard hadn¡¯t given yurina the necklace, raynard would have really lost his temper and rushed back to the manor. still, he believed that the power of the necklace he had given him and that yurina had properly used it. he believed yurina could handle it. however, when he saw the sight of yurina lying unconscious, reynard felt sorry and guilty. if he had looked more closely, she wouldn¡¯t have had to go through all this. just an hour later, yurina came to her senses. the time was short, but all that hour raynard was tossing back and forth between heaven and hell. and the moment yurina opened her eyes again and met his twinkling eyes again, raynard sincerely thanked the goddess for the first time. ¡°ray.¡± ¡°yes. yes. i¡¯m here.¡± yurina looked at him and smiled. ¡°i¡¯m fine.¡± he couldn¡¯t answer and only wept. ¡°so don¡¯t cry. everything turned out well thanks to the necklace you gave me. thank you.¡± ¡°huh.¡± reynard continued to wipe the dripping tears with the back of his hand, lifting the corners of his mouth. besides saying that he was sorry, there were things he had to say to her. he whispered with a funny expression, not sure if he was crying or laughing. ¡°it¡¯s all over.¡± yurina was unable to speak for a long time after hearing his words. she didn¡¯t know what she was feeling or what answer she was supposed to give. after a while, she whispered softly, making a face similar to reynard¡¯s, not sure if she was crying or laughing. ¡°yeah, it¡¯s all over.¡± it was a comfortable voice, as if to say that today was a very tiring day. reynard carefully placed his forehead on yurina¡¯s. feeling each other¡¯s warmth and affection, the two smiled quietly. * * * the dungeon, which is said to confine only the heinous criminals among criminals, was dark and full of bleak energy. there was also a strange smell, either of dirty water or rotting flesh. lydia, who had come here secretly with karion, was frightened by the ominous aura that hit her as soon as she opened the door. karion looked at lydia, who quickly covered her mouth and nose, and cautiously asked. ¡°why don¡¯t we just leave?¡± lydia shook her head, holding back the nausea that rose up inside her. she wanted to speak, but she couldn¡¯t, because she thought that if she opened her mouth, she would vomit it all out. karion, who confirmed that her already pale face had grown whiter, grabbed lydia¡¯s arm. ¡°i don¡¯t you¡¯re good. let¡¯s just go back¡­¡± ¡°no.¡± lydia muttered as if she was determined, straightening her body leaning on him. ¡°i¡¯m going to meet him.¡± before she came here, she vaguely heard about the atrocities committed by her father, marquis de flon, from karion. a warlock, a traitor to the §ã§Ü§ë§â§ä kingdom, an accident during a hunting competition, and treason. karion, fearing that she would be shocked, tried to tell her the story in a succinct way, but lydia was shocked to hear the summary. this is all he has told her as concisely as possible, but how much more terrible would it be in reality? firstly, lydia was shocked that her father would do such a thing, and secondly, that he was targeting yurina carthia. she knew that her father was hostile towards yurina, but who would have thought that his feelings would be so strong that he aimed for her life. besides, it¡¯s treason. since she was young, he always said that she had to become an empress herself, and she knew that he was obsessed with the position of empress, but he was treasonous. if karion, who had noticed all this, hadn¡¯t helped her beforehand, she too would have been caught and imprisoned. in fact, karion persuaded her not to come because he was worried about the situation, but lydia insisted on coming. even if things went wrong and people caught her, it was because she wanted to meet marquis de flon and talk. a story she¡¯s been wanting to find out for a long time. ¡®if i stopped you, would you have stopped?¡¯ from the moment she heard the story from karion, lydia continued to feel guilty. a question arose in her head, the situation wouldn¡¯t have turned out differently if she had told her father in advance those words that she had kept in her heart all this time. she didn¡¯t care about the throne of the empress, and lydia sincerely wanted to be friends with lady carthia. if she had presented everything to him so openly, everything would not have happened? her heart was heavy, though she knew the marquis would stop at nothing. she bit the inside of her mouth tightly as tears seemed to flow. before she came here, she was held in karion¡¯s arms and her tears poured out so much that she felt like she wouldn¡¯t shed any more tears, but she felt her eyes moist again. lydia took a deep breath through her nose and barely spoke to karion. ¡°let¡¯s go to my father.¡± karion hesitated for a moment, but then he pulled a cloak over lydia and led her. lydia flinched for a moment as she heard the squeaking of mice, but then she walked slowly with karion. as if karion cast some kind of magic, they passed a long corridor, but no one found them. in the end, they reached a dead end where there was nowhere else to go, and stopped. lydia looked inside from a distance from the grate. a red-haired man glimmering in the dim light. the man¡¯s body was covered in blood and his limbs were bound. the moment she realized that this man was her father, lydia lost strength in her legs aand collapsed onto the floor. if karion hadn¡¯t caught her in surprise, she would have fallen onto the dirty floor. ¡°are you okay?¡± ¡°i¡¯m okay¡­¡± ¡°lydia?¡± the man, who before hadn¡¯t moved as if he was dead, suddenly started moving, feeling the commotion. lydia didn¡¯t pay attention to karion¡¯s warning that it was dangerous and moved closer to the grate. ¡°father.¡± the sight of marquis de flon up close brought tears to her eyes again. lydia, feeling nothing dirty, held the grate with one hand and reached inside the grate with the other. she couldn¡¯t reach him, but she now imagined that it was possible. ¡°how did it all happen?¡± ¡°did karion come with you?¡± marquis de flon looked around lydia. one eye was swollen, and the other eye was half-closed, so it seemed that he had trouble seeing. ¡°quickly get me out of here.¡± ¡°we must go quickly.¡± lydia, who was inadvertently trying to respond to marquis de flon¡¯s words, regained her mind at karion¡¯s whispering words as if urging her. ¡°why did you do that to lady carthia? is it true that my father did both the targeting of lady carthia during the hunting competition and the order to kidnap the lady¡¯s maid?¡± although she already knew the answer, lydia dared to ask him again. she couldn¡¯t honestly admit even to herself whether she was waiting for a positive answer or a negative one. she just wanted to ask him. marquis de flon didn¡¯t answer. the heavy silence that followed let lydia know that it was all true. ¡°but why? what did carthia do to you¡­?¡± ¡°you can only become empress without that fox.¡± something she had been holding back boiled in her stomach. lydia asked in an involuntarily raised voice. lydia babbled in a high voice, forgetting herself. ¡°i never wanted to be an empress. ¡°what?¡± marquis de flon¡¯s face turned red. ¡°how did i, how did i raise you? how dare you, how dare you me! why did you do this!¡± ¡°don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s all my fault. i never once said that i wanted to be an empress. i would never love a prince i had never even seen, and i wouldn¡¯t dare to dream of a throne. everything is what my father forced me to do.¡± lydia took a step back, roughly wiping the tears from her cheeks.then marquis de flon urgently called her. ¡°lydia! are you going to leave your father? how do you¡­¡± ¡°father, if you truly wish me well¡­¡± she took karion¡¯s hand to hide the trembling in her body. karion¡¯s hands were large and warm, which seemed to give her strength. ¡°confess everything and pay for your sins. for the rest of my life, i will bear the sins of my father and seek redemption.¡± with these words, lydia turned away without regret. however, in contrast to how coldly she turned her back on him, hot tears flowed from her eyes without stopping. he was obviously not a good father. he abused his child, saying that she should become the empress under the pretext of being for her sake, and he also abused karion, who was a child and had nowhere to go. but anyway, he was her father. even now, lydia was tempted to ask karion to release the marquis. but that won¡¯t happen. there will be only redemption for those who suffered at the hands of the marquis. including yurina carthia, who suffered the most from this incident. Chapter 135 yurina fainted not because of the black magic marquis de flon had cast, but because of the aftereffects of her magic. her body was still weak and she was slightly injured by the curse, but she used magic beyond her abilities, so it was understandable that her body would be strained. however, as soon as she grabbed the necklace, raynard rushed over and calmed the mana in the room so that serious internal injury could be prevented. if he didn¡¯t make it in time, the mana that her body couldn¡¯t control could drain more of her stamina. fortunately, her physical condition wasn¡¯t that bad considering he used excessive magic while under the curse. after reynard, dave, and the family doctor checked her condition, the three of them concluded that if yurina rested for a few days, she would soon get better. yurina sat with her back to the head of the bed, guided by reynard¡¯s arms. her body was heavy and her head was spinning. however, considering the situation, yurina thought that luck was still on her side. however, unlike the heaviness in her body, her mind felt lighter. maybe it¡¯s because all her worries were resolved in an instant. ¡®marquis de flon can do nothing now.¡¯ reynard made it in time and stopped marquis de flon who was struggling to go back in time and now marquis de flon was imprisoned with all of his magical powers sealed. the second prince, although scheming with the traitor, was not imprisoned due to his status, but was placed under house arrest and kept under the watch of the knights. curtis wanted to finish everything as soon as possible. therefore, soon the second prince is destined to go into exile, while the marquis will be executed. in that case, there was nothing more to worry about. a worry that has been bothering yurina for 7 years. thanks to karion, things seemed to be easier than she thought, but on the other hand, she was breathless at the thought that she had finally escaped from the fate of dying. however, reynard had a different opinion. he kept checking her condition with a serious face. he couldn¡¯t rest even for a moment while yurina was taking a break under the utmost care of him and her family. yurina couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for him as he clearly looked tired. ¡°go get some rest.¡± ¡°i will sit with you while you sleep.¡± ¡°i¡¯ve slept soundly so far. since betsy is there, stop and get some sleep.¡± still, he firmly shook his head and put his hand on yurina¡¯s forehead to check if she had a fever. unlike last spring, when yurina went to the beach, he seemed even more restless than when she caught a fever. seeing him like this, yurina was reminded of the image of a small dog running after its owner. now he seemed so cute that a smirk appeared on her lips. perhaps reassured by that smile, reynard eased his serious expression a little. ¡°it could have been worse, but this is good enough. isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°it is, but¡­¡± he blurted out his words and buried his face into yurina¡¯s shoulder. even though yurina repeatedly reassured him, telling him that there was no need to blame himself, he still did not let up. ¡°by the way¡­¡± yurina stroked reynard¡¯s hair and looked around the room. clearly, the room that had been full of family members and maids until just now was empty. the only people in this large room were her sitting on the bed and reynard sitting next to her. ¡®something is strange.¡¯ even though it was already midnight. yurina was a little puzzled. come to think of it, marchioness carthia didn¡¯t stop smiling right before she left the room. she continued to speak as if she had known about her relationship with reynard for a long time. ¡°ray, do you remember what i told you a while ago?¡± ¡°what do you mean?¡± reynard, who was still burying his face in her shoulder, raised his head. yurina brushed his disheveled hair back over his forehead and smiled. ¡°the words that i will inform my family about our relationship.¡± shortly before he went out to catch the runaway warlock boy, he was so intrigued by this that he even asked her again and demanded confirmation. now that things have settled down, she¡¯d think reynard would insist on it. but surprisingly, he didn¡¯t. rather, he just stared at yurina without saying a word, as if he had too much on his mind. ¡°so?¡± ¡°let¡¯s talk to people later.¡± ¡°later? why all of a sudden?¡± as he smiled, he slightly avoided yurina¡¯s gaze. ¡®what, why?¡¯ yurina never thought that his feelings toward her had changed. in the meantime, his affection he had shown her was not so light that it could easily change, and the way he treated her now also showed his affection. but she was curious why he suddenly changed his mind? maybe he blamed himself for the curse and thought he didn¡¯t deserve to be with yurina? yurina grabbed his cheek, turned his head and met his gaze. ¡°couldn¡¯t it be that you don¡¯t like me now?¡± he quickly shook his head at the playful remark. ¡°it can¡¯t be.¡± ¡°then why?¡± ¡°just a little¡­ wait a little more.¡± his face was very serious at these words. as he said that, his face was very serious, so yurina decided to wait. ¡°okay. i don¡¯t know what it is, but i¡¯ll wait.¡± ¡°huh. sleep more then.¡± it was when reynard was about to put yurina back in bed. mana in the bedroom began to fluctuate. it was a wave so strong that even yurina could feel it. the only magic that could cause such a strong wave was space movement magic. however, reynard only hugged yurina as if to protect her, and didn¡¯t respond in any way. yurina, who was shrinking her body, seemed to understand why he was still when she saw the person who suddenly appeared out of thin air. ¡°lady carthia.¡± lydia, who was now dressed in a simple outfit instead of a flamboyant dress, stood there, supported by karion. she looked so precarious that she would collapse at the slightest touch. she already had clear tears streaming from her red, bloodshot eyes. ¡°i heard everything my father did to the young lady.¡± lydia broke away from karion¡¯s grasp, walked over to yurina, and knelt down in front of her. surprised, yurina stood up from her seat and approached her. ¡°i will apologize instead. i know i can¡¯t be forgiven for this, but i still wanted to tell you this.¡± tears flowed incessantly and dripped onto the carpet. yurina had been suspicious of lydia in the past. like the heroine of her original story, yurina wondered if lydia is also will follow her father, the marquis of de flon, who tried to take her life. she treated her like a woman, whom she had never seen before, and she couldn¡¯t accept any of her unreserved behaviors favorably. but now that yurina saw lydia crying in front of her and apologizing for something she didn¡¯t do, made her feel bad. originally, lydia de flon should have been destined to be happy as the main character of a novel. at least, even if marquis de flon hadn¡¯t plotted all these things by obsessing over things from the past that didn¡¯t happen in her present life, she would have been able to shine brightly as the main character of her life. ¡°i really wanted to be friends with the young lady.¡± yurina once doubted her sincerity, but now she knew. due to the greed of marquis de flon, lydia couldn¡¯t communicate with her peers and was chained to the estate. she must have really wanted to get along with yurina, who looked so much like her. two people who had protected the wounded blessed from childhood and eventually fell in love with them. maybe it would be a really great friend. ¡°it¡¯s okay if the lady doesn¡¯t forgive me. i will accept any sin sweetly.¡± ¡°stop and get up.¡± yurina carefully raised lydia up and looked at karion behind her. he gazed at lydia as quietly as an old tree, and then turned and switched to yurina. he didn¡¯t say anything, but yurina looked as if he was forcing him to keep his promise. ¡®even if you didn¡¯t tell her¡­¡¯ now, he couldn¡¯t just watch lydia go wrong. ¡°you need to leave.¡± ¡°yes?¡± ¡°leave with karion.¡± ¡°but why¡­¡± whenever lydia blinked blankly, tears leaked between her eyelashes. yurina took a handkerchief from the chest of drawers and handed it to her. ¡°the young lady has no reason to apologize to me. there is no need for me to forgive the young lady. because the young lady did nothing wrong.¡± yurina smiled sincerely at her. it was a smile she had never shown her before. ¡°i¡¯ll use the hair ornament you gave me last time. and it was nice to have a friend too.¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± with a face that didn¡¯t know whether to cry or be happy, yurina hugged her tightly biting her lips and then winked at karion. karion came up and put his arm around lydia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°lydia, we have to go.¡± all this time he hid his feelings for lydia, but now he laid everything out for her. yurina had a strange feeling when she saw those two no longer hiding their affection. and now karion was no longer the misfortune protagonist who hid in the shadows cheering for the love of the heroine lydia. yurina looked at the two people in pain for a while and then quietly opened her mouth. ¡°it will be difficult right now, but i will take action so that you can return to the capital soon.¡± the current emperor doesn¡¯t know, but the crown prince, curtis, acknowledged karion¡¯s credit for this operation. she pretends to catch lydia for the sake of publicity, but soon she will be declared dead. as she has been hiding in the manor, few people know her face thanks to it, so it will be possible for her to change her hair or eye color and come back later if she wants. ¡°then go quickly so you don¡¯t get noticed.¡± lydia, who was hesitant while holding karion¡¯s hand, carefully grabbed the handkerchief that yurina had given her and asked. ¡°then are we friends?¡± if it had been before, iyurinamight have hesitated and answered this question around the corner. but now she could definitely answer. ¡°yes.¡± lydia¡¯s face twisted as if she was going to cry again, then she drew a plausible smile. ¡°i hope that your future will be filled with only happy things.¡± ¡°i wish it for the young lady too.¡± after saying that, the two figures disappeared. yurina let out a sigh at her somehow heavy heart, then felt reynard¡¯s firm arms behind her and she lazily leaned against his chest. he gently hugged her waist. ¡°ray.¡± she just called his name, but reynard flinched. ¡°it really is over.¡± ¡°yeah. that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°so you really don¡¯t want to tell my family yet?¡± there was no answer to the question. instead, he silently pressed his lips against her neck as if avoiding the answer, and came to kiss her. Chapter 136 14. you, me, and us a week after lydia disappeared. there was a public execution ceremony for marquis de flon in the largest square in the capital. he, who once boasted of power and wealth that was said to be the best in the empire, vanished into the dew of the execution ground. his apprentice, an unknown warlock boy, was also executed. originally, aristocrats with the status of marquis de flon were executed quietly in the dungeons, as a courtesy, but it is said that curtis strongly insisted on his public execution. perhaps it was an attempt to gain support by demonstrating that he had defeated the evil warlock to the people of the empire while clearly showing off his position to the nobles. yurina didn¡¯t go to see his execution. not only did the people around her lock her in her room, saying she needed to settle down, but she didn¡¯t even want to go see it herself. ¡®it won¡¯t make me feel better to see this, so why should i go?¡¯ not only she, but carthia¡¯s people and reynard, none of them went. however, the story of the day spread among the servants, starting with some of the employees who had been to the execution site. the head butler and betsy hush up and crack down on the employees, but they couldn¡¯t completely shut their mouths, so yurina vaguely heard the story. ¡®they said he struggled until the end.¡¯ however, since the mana to use normal magic as well as black magic had already been blocked, all marquis de flon could do was scream and curse. the imperial army was diligently searching the capital and nearby territories, but lydia de flon was still not caught. the horses were searching ¡®hard¡¯, but in reality they were taking care of things. and yurina hasn¡¯t yet been able to reveal her relationship with reynard to her family. because reynard asked her to wait a little longer. he still didn¡¯t say the reason, but yurina roughly guessed that it was because he wasn¡¯t ready yet or because he had a lot to do. ¡®because he¡¯ll be given a title soon.¡¯ for his contribution to discovering that marquis de flon was a warlock and that he was targeting curtis, the crown prince who could be said to be the future of the empire, the emperor decided to give reynard the title of baron. reynard¡¯s guardian, the marquis carthia, has only revealed his intentions, and considering that there are many things to prepare, it will be a long time before he actually receives the title. however, marquis carthia personally began teaching reynard, and reynard became as busy as he had been as a child learning noble etiquette. perhaps soon he will be showered with invitations, and he will go out to various parties and make friends with people. yurina was very happy with that. reynard used to say that she was everything in his world and that he only needed her, but she wanted him to see the wider world and experience various things. just like how young reynard ate soft bread and went out on the main street and turned his head around in surprise. even if it¡¯s not her, so that he can have a reason to live in the future. ¡®then what should i do?¡¯ the future completely changed. the story that will unfold in the future is the story that they haven¡¯t seen in the book, and they will make it entirely. it was fragmentary, but unlike the past when yurina knew the future even a little bit, she felt a bit complicated because she didn¡¯t know the future now. yurina let out a small sigh as she looked out the window, where the rain poured incessantly. the weather has been hot lately, but a few days ago the rainy season started. dark clouds hung over the sky all day long, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night, and heavy rain poured down so much that it was impossible to see ahead. rather than being melancholy, it was a cool rain that seemed to wash away all the worries she had so far. but yurina couldn¡¯t shake her gloomy feelings for some reason. and it was not even because of the uncertain future. although she was confused, she wasn¡¯t depressed or worried. her concerns were solely about reynard. yurina suddenly felt cold, rubbed her hands and looked around. even with her candle lit, there was no one but her in her dark room. for some reason, reynard didn¡¯t show up to visit her secretly. it was very strange. raynard sometimes sneaked into her room at night. however, with the beginning of the rainy season, visits to it completely ceased. although yurina thought he should go to bed early since ray was getting tired from work these days, yurina suddenly remembered the image of raynard she saw as a child. that fragile figure that trembles alone under the covers, because it is afraid of thunder and darkness. he gave her a cute bluff that he would protect yurina, that he wouldn¡¯t be afraid of thunder and darkness, but he couldn¡¯t completely hide the fear from his face. in the end, he told her that he didn¡¯t like the rain. ¡®he didn¡¯t tell me why¡­¡¯ in fact, several times after that day, yurina sneaked into reynard¡¯s room without betsy and the adults knowing until the rainy season was over. at first, reynard was trembling under the covers, but after learning that yurina was coming every night, he stuck out his face under the covers and stared at the door until she came. as if waiting for yurina to come. on such a subject, as soon as he heard the sound of the door opening, he quickly lay down on the bed and pretended to be asleep. although she knew he wasn¡¯t sleeping, she pretended not to know. and then reynard would pretend to wake up from his sleep and acts clumsy, saying, ¡®i¡¯m staying with you because you¡¯re scared.¡¯ he flaunted his arrogance by telling lies he didn¡¯t even want to tell. memories of her childhood always made her smile, even after all this time. ¡®i was very worried¡­¡¯ even though she never expressed it or even said it in a letter, yurina worried about reynard and how he would be left alone at the academy during the rainy season. and now, how to know, perhaps that he is waiting for her, looking at the closed door? it was a funny thought even to herself, but she was always anxious and sorry every summer. the only consolation was that there was no rainy season in crohn kingdom. reynard is now twenty. it¡¯s hard to believe that he couldn¡¯t fall asleep with the sound of rain like in his youth, but for some reason, yurina¡¯s heart felt stuffy and heavy. ¡®is he sleeping well?¡¯ after lying in bed and hesitating for a while, she put on a dressing gown and headed for the door. then she froze a step away from the doorknob. ¡®everything will be fine?¡¯ now she and reynard weren¡¯t 10 or 12-year-olds who would be called cute even if they were spotted together at night. it was not possible to freely visit each other at night simply because the marquise and some others guessed about their relationship. so up until now, raynard has sometimes used magic to visit yurina in secret. at this time, most people were asleep, but it would be a chore if even one person was in the corridor. ¡®what should i do?¡¯ after thinking for a while, yurina¡¯s gaze suddenly turned to the hand she had reached out to grab the doorknob. a red pendant bracelet glimpsed through the slipping down gown. this bracelet that reynard gave her to teleport if something happened. after looking at the doorknob and the bracelet a few times, she finally channeled mana into the bracelet. the mana around them pulsated as the bracelet shimmered in the dark. when she opened her closed eyes, yurina found a large blanket rolled up on the bed. it was much larger than it was seven years ago, but it looked the same as it did back then, curled up like a cocoon. thanks to that, she recognized it as reynard at once. reynard peeked out from under the blanket, probably feeling the mana energy. with his hair scruffed up like a bird¡¯s nest, he slightly frowned as if trying to guess the identity of an intruder who had entered the room. then, as if she had discovered that the other person was yurina, he reflexively smiled and came out of the blanket with his face hardened. ¡°yurina, what are you doing here? what¡¯s going on?¡± at the same time as the question, a small light appeared right next to yurina, illuminating the surroundings. she couldn¡¯t find much agitation on reynard¡¯s face. there were no traces of tears, no traces of suffering. rather, he seemed pleased with the behavior of yurina, who had come to visit him for the first time. it was reynard who always came to visit me at night. ¡®did i exaggerate?¡¯ she felt ashamed that she was worried that reynard, a grown adult, might not be able to sleep because of the rain. it was just as yurina was about to say that she would go away, covering her cheeks that were starting to burn. reynard moved his blanket gently to the side and spread his arms toward her. ¡°can¡¯t you sleep? are you still afraid of rain?¡± he still seemed to firmly believe that yurina had been looking for him seven years ago because she was afraid of the rain. the one who was shivering because he hated the rain was himself. it¡¯s because of you. it was you who was afraid of the rain that day. today i came because i was worried about you. yurina thought about bluntly snapping at him, but kept her mouth shut. seven years ago, she wanted to protect the innocence and courage of little reynard, who pretended to be brave and said he would protect her while shaking his body. however, she hesitated in place because she didn¡¯t want to bear the stigma of being afraid of rain, but he urged her with a fierce laugh. ¡°come on.¡± it was a look that could only be described as wild. yurina swallowed nervously, seeing his smile curved so that his eyes weren¡¯t visible, and moved forward, driven by something otherworldly. as she closed her gown and crawled slowly onto the bed on her knees, reynard hugged her tightly and buried his face in the nape of her neck. ¡°are you afraid of thunder and lightning? still so childish.¡± as he said that, he kissed yurina behind her ear. his hand, which was wrapped around her shoulder, came down and slowly rubbed yurina¡¯s back. yurina snapped at his hand as he tried to go down further. ¡°why am i still a child?¡± when she asked with half a joke and half bluntness, he looked at her in silence as if he was speechless before finally answering. ¡°then let¡¯s say you are an adult who is afraid of rain.¡± speechless yurina sighed at him and hugged him by the neck. Chapter 137 ¡°i¡¯m tired of this day. and this endless rain¡­¡± ¡°are you okay? you¡¯re not sick, are you?¡± ¡°my body is fine, i¡¯m just a little tired. i think it¡¯s because i can¡¯t see the sunlight. the rainy season should end soon.¡± ¡°yeah.¡± she glanced at his face as she answered. she thought he was fine until just now, but she changed her mind when she saw him up close. ¡®i guess he still hates rain.¡¯ although he had been smiling since the moment he saw yurina, reynard¡¯s face looked like he had a lot of thoughts running through his head. at first glance, it looks like he¡¯s just smiling, but yurina, who knew him better than anyone else, would have seen even the slightest difference. ¡°ray.¡± do you still hate rain? why do you hate rain so much? those questions didn¡¯t come out of yurina¡¯s mouth like someone was choking her. it¡¯s not a big question, but it¡¯s because she suddenly thought that this question might hurt him. reynard had been afraid of the rain since he first came to carthia¡¯s mansion seven years ago, and he was shivering in the blanket alone. according to common sense, there was no reason for a 12-year-old, on the border between a child and a boy, to hate rain so much. but maybe the fact that he hates rain, which is not a big deal, has something to do with the gloomy past she doesn¡¯t know about. reynard blinked incredulously as he looked at yurina, who was still silent after calling his name. ¡°why did you call me and not say anything?¡± ¡°um, i¡¯m just¡­ i¡¯m just tired.¡± ¡°is that so? then let¡¯s sleep.¡± raynard lay on the bed with yurina in his arms. he covered her with a blanket up to her chin. perhaps this wasn¡¯t enough for him, and he drew a magic formula on the head of the bed, and then applied warming magic around. as yurina clicked her tongue, reynard muttered as if making excuses. ¡°in the rainy season, the air is cold. and what are you going to do if you catch a cold?¡± ¡°i will¡­¡± yurina tried to say that she wouldn¡¯t catch a cold, but she remembered some of the worst moments and kept her mouth shut. ¡®i might get sick.¡¯ it wasn¡¯t that reynard was overreacting. recalling that she had been through the rainy season, there was a good chance she would catch a cold. besides, if she really caught a cold, reynard would fuss and wouldn¡¯t want to leave her side. she would have preferred him to be a little considerate right now. yurina no longer blamed him and covered her face with her hands. his embrace was warmer and cozier than the magically heated air in the room. even though she didn¡¯t really want to sleep before, yurina fell asleep. she slowly closed her eyelids, forgetting the purpose of her visit. ¡°but i didn¡¯t come here to sleep¡­¡± it wasn¡¯t empty talk, it was real. the reason yurina came to this room was to make sure that reynard wasn¡¯t trembling in fear like he was when he was little, but she had no intention of sleeping in this room at all. however, it didn¡¯t mean that she would go back now, but reynard hugged her even tighter, as if he had accepted it. ¡°i¡¯ll take you to your room before sunrise. so don¡¯t worry and sleep.¡± his voice, whispering softly in her ear, was sweet as a lullaby. yurina reached out, wrapped her arms around his waist, and closed her eyes. even the sound of a slightly fast pounding heart, slightly rough breathing, and even the sound of rain hitting the window. it all seemed to play a lullaby. and just when yurina was about to fall asleepbecause of the peace she felt after a long time. ¡°yurina.¡± a slightly cracked voice called out to her. the voice was somewhat different from the one she had just whispered in her ear, so yurina struggled to open her eyes and examined his face. ¡°do you remember what i said before?¡± ¡°huh.¡± she heard a lot from him. what was he talking about? she didn¡¯t ask back. because she seemed to know what he meant to say even without asking. ¡°you said you hate rain?¡± ¡°huh.¡± after giving a small answer, he pulled the blanket over his head. as if he didn¡¯t want to hear the sound of the rain pounding on the window incessantly. yurina, who came under the blanket with him, waited in silence for his words. after waiting for a long time, he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡®does he need to prepare his mind?¡¯ she tightly wrapped both of her legs around his, signifying that she would always be by his side. then raynard exhaled, held his breath, and laughed helplessly. ¡°i didn¡¯t tell you why i hate rain back then.¡± ¡°if you¡¯re still having a hard time, you don¡¯t have to talk.¡± ¡°no, i think i can do it now.¡± he released his leg from yurina¡¯s grip and wrapped his legs around her. even if yurina tries to run away after hearing what he wants to say, he won¡¯t let her go from now on. ¡°it¡¯s not much of a story. in fact, you can call it boring after hearing it.¡± ¡°i won¡¯t say that.¡± ¡°you can call it boring. it¡¯s a little funny to be honest. being this old and afraid of the rain.¡± yurina looked at him weakly laughing and whispering softly. as if he were talking about a secret in a room with only the two of you and no one overhearing you. ¡°actually, i¡¯m afraid of bugs.¡± ¡°bugs?¡± ¡°yeah. there are insects with many legs like centipedes. it¡¯s not poisonous or aggresive, but just looking at it gives me goosebumps. before, when i went out for a walk and found a bug, i almost screamed like a child.¡± reynard smiled lightly at her as his shoulders trembled as if the thought gave him goosebumps. ¡°that¡¯s the first time i¡¯d thought of it.¡± ¡°you mean you hate bugs? of course, that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t say. it¡¯s nothing to brag about, so what can i say? if i said i hate bugs, it¡¯s obvious that my older brothers will make fun of me for saying i¡¯m still a kid.¡± ¡°if i see any bugs here, i will catch them all. no, how about getting rid of all the insects at once?¡± his voice was playful rather than serious, but for some reason he seemed to be conjuring a magic trick to get rid of bugs with just a nod. yurina quickly shook her head. ¡°if you carelessly remove such things, chaos may come to the ecosystem.¡± ¡°chaos?¡± ¡°yes.¡± he didn¡¯t even seem to understand what she was talking about. yurina decided to cut it short before this story crossed the point of no return. ¡°anyway, that¡¯s the case with me. everyone has things they don¡¯t like, so there¡¯s no need to think it¡¯s strange.¡± it was just talking about bugs, but the atmosphere in the room had definitely softened. raynard relaxed his stern expression and began to play with yurina¡¯s hair. ¡°my parents died during the transition from spring to summer. i was not prepared to accept the death of my parents at all because they passed away so suddenly.¡± oh, i didn¡¯t expect this. yurina made no reply, as if she had been suddenly stunned. ¡°still, thanks to aunt marie, i was able to come to my senses. i ate the bread that aunt marie brought, and during the day i worked on vegetables in my father¡¯s garden. despite the fact that my father said that there were not enough hands, he had never forced me to plow the field before. he said he wouldn¡¯t go for it even if he wanted to. he even got angry, saying that he was not so weak as to wait for the help of a child.¡± ¡°hm.¡± ¡°i was clumsy, but i did my best. i dug potatoes and sold them in the market, and even learned how to cook for myself. i think my father would have liked it. then the rainy season began.¡± even without listening to his backstory, yurina seemed to know what he was going to say. a ten-year-old child who became alone overnight. he would have endured the scary and difficult things and lived each day. but even so, he was a 10-year-old kid who is afraid of the dark and of being alone. ¡°there was thunder and lightning and it was pouring rain, but there was no one to go to even though i was scared. no matter how much i cried, no one came to me. that¡¯s when i realized oh, i¡¯m really alone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°even now, when it rains, i remember that dark house where no one was there. it¡¯s not that i¡¯m afraid of rain, but i hate it because i just remembered that time.¡± yurina hugged his back a little tighter and buried her face in his chest. his weak laugh echoed above her head. ¡°but you don¡¯t know how good it was that you came to see me that day. actually, you came because you were worried about me, right? did you come today because you were worried about me?¡± it would have been better if he had expressed his emotions more, but his calm voice made yurina thirsty even more. yurina silently nodded her head instead of answering. reynard¡¯s lips touched the top of her head. ¡°yurina, can you go to my hometown with me?¡± ¡°hometown?¡± ¡°i wanted to go at least once before. i wanted to go see my father, and if aunt marie still lived in the village, i wanted to go see her. but i didn¡¯t have the courage to go. seeing the empty house made me realize again that i was truly alone. in fact, the house may not even remain intact¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°but i think i can go if you go with me.¡± although she couldn¡¯t see his face, yurina knew from his wet voice that he was struggling to swallow his tears. instead of wiping his wet eyes, she hugged him tightly. what he needs most now is not comfort, but human warmth. the warmth that tells you that you are not alone and that there is someone by your side. ¡°okay, let¡¯s go.¡± yurina said in a bright voice. ¡°let¡¯s go together.¡± * * * ¡°he hasn¡¯t expressed it in the meantime, but i guess he wanted to go to his hometown. however, he didn¡¯t have time to go back and forth from the crohn kingdom, and even after he came back, he was busy with various things. now that he has some free time, he wants to go, but i¡¯m afraid to let him go alone¡­¡± yurina couldn¡¯t bear to finish her words and looked at marchioness carthia, who was sitting across from her. unlike when yurina was younger, she now didn¡¯t hold her guilt over her or cower in front of her, but she was strangely nervous in her presence. it had to be so. ¡®can i get permission?¡¯ she proudly told reynard that she would help him visit his hometown, but it wasn¡¯t an easy answer. she was the daughter of an aristocratic family, and the youngest daughter who was much loved by her family. she was accompanied by betsy and her other maids as she wandered around her mansion, and to go out into a town she had to take her maid as well as her escort. but to go on a trip to visit a town you don¡¯t know exactly where it is. even with reynard. there was a high possibility that the family wouldn¡¯t give permission. Chapter 138 ¡®even if they gave me permission, i wouldn¡¯t let him go alone¡­¡¯ they would surely send maids and knights one after another. but she didn¡¯t want to go there so loudly. she didn¡¯t want to spread rumors that yurina carthia and sponsored reynard were looking for his hometown. now that raynard is attracting the attention of not only the nobility, but also the people of the empire, if his movements are made public, someone will want to approach him, someone with evil intentions. yurina sipped black tea because she felt like her throat was burning, but the marquis, who seemed to be thinking about it for a while, nodded. ¡°well, even if he didn¡¯t say it, it¡¯s the place where he lived before he came here, so there¡¯s no way i wouldn¡¯t miss it. i was so careless i didn¡¯t ask reynard about his past because you told me not to, but i was too indifferent. reynard might think i wasn¡¯t interested in him.¡± ¡°no. please don¡¯t think this way. he thanked you for caring so much.¡± ¡°even if you say that, i would have been disappointed.¡± a slightly bitter smile crossed the marquis¡¯s face. perhaps it was because he had seen reynard since he was a child, or perhaps because of his affectionate nature, the marquis considered reynard more than just a sponsored person and more like the family. even now, he was worried that he might be lonely. ¡°well, maybe that would be good. if your brothers knew, they would definitely say no.¡± the face of the marquis, who had been agonizing with his arms crossed, was now smiling mischievously like a child. ¡°i had a good idea.¡± * * * ¡°do you really need to go?¡± edwin took yurina¡¯s hand and asked sullenly. next to him stood justin, with the same sad face. the faces of the two twins looked like they were about to burst into tears if yurina answered yes. yurina quietly removed edwin¡¯s hand. ¡°yes. i want to get some rest.¡± ¡°if you rest at the mansion¡­¡± ¡°the mansion is crowded with many people, isn¡¯t it? i want to make myself feel comfortable in a quiet place.¡± inside the carriage, marchioness carthia added her words. only then did edwin and justin help yurina climb into the carriage with a displeased expression. ¡®i¡¯m sorry i seem to be cheating¡­¡¯ yurina waved to her two older brothers and winked at reynard, who was standing in front of the mansion. he nodded his head as if he understood. this was all the opinion of marquis carthia. the plan is that yurina and reynard can move freely there if they go on a trip to a clean and quiet place to recuperate yurina, who has suffered and is weak. even now, the people of carthia house knew that only yurina and marchioness carthia were going on a trip. reynard will soon follow with magic. yurina continued waving to her older brothers until the carriage started. but her eyes were always on reynard behind them. marchioness carthia, who had been watching him quietly, smiled while covering her mouth with a fan. ¡°you look very good.¡± ¡°yes?¡± the marchioness muttered as she straightened the hair ornament on yurina¡¯s head, who was looking back at her with a puzzled face. ¡°mom is glad that you are happy.¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± ¡°i always said, but live your life doing what you want to do to your heart¡¯s content.¡± yurina touched the hair ornament that the marchioness had given her as if it were awkward, then smiled and nodded. * * * contrary to what he said earlier, reynard couldn¡¯t quite remember his hometown. he said that he had left his hometown for nearly 10 years, and that he had been living in the village all the time before he went to the orphanage, so he didn¡¯t know the geography of the surroundings. when asked if he remembered his name, he shook his head. ¡°the villagers called our village riverside village and the neighboring village goat village, but that doesn¡¯t sound like the official name.¡± riverside village, goat village. even listening to it, it seemed like a simple name based on regional characteristics. ¡°can¡¯t you even remember which territory you are in?¡± ¡°yeah. all i remember is that there was a river in town.¡± river. it was a really vague clue. there were so many rivers in the vast genosian empire that it was impossible to count them with two hands. however, in her head, yurina calmly combined the words she had with the clues reynard had given her. ¡°the orphanage where i found you was in jinon duchy. did you know it? reynard nodded in surprise. ¡°did you remember that? eight years have already passed.¡± ¡°of course. i remember everything about you.¡± after kissing the bridge of her frowning nose, reynard smiled as if he would cry at any moment and wrapped his arms around yurina¡¯s waist. yurina continued, sitting face to face on his thigh. ¡°how many hours did you say it took a carriage ride from the village to the orphanage?¡± ¡°hm. i left in the morning and arrived after lunch.¡± ¡°it might be a carriage for aristocratic families, but the common people¡¯s wage carriages aren¡¯t that fast. even considering that it was a few hours of travel, your village wouldn¡¯t be far from the jinon territory. it must be in jinon manor or in the neighboring manor. there is a river near it. would you like to check it?¡± yurina reached out to the table where the map lay. when she tried to get off raynard¡¯s leg, he hugged her tighter and snapped his fingers. the rolled-up map floated up and flew away, then unfolded itself in the air as if someone was holding it. yurina kissed him loudly to thank him and pointed to the upper left corner of the map. ¡°you told me that the river in your village was narrow and shallow enough to swim in. then it must be upstream.¡± yurina¡¯s white finger circled a part of the map. ¡°then i guess it¡¯s somewhere around here¡­ the range is wider than i thought, but wouldn¡¯t it be enough to search for it one by one?¡± reynard frowned at the map. ¡°i think it will take a long time.¡± ¡°so what if it takes a long time?¡± ¡°i¡¯m afraid it will be hard for you.¡± he looked at yurina and then added a little. ¡°or i can check it myself.¡± yurina pressed his lips with the palm of her hand. ¡°don¡¯t say anything you don¡¯t want to do.¡± reynard protested something, but his lips were pressed so his pronunciation was strangely muffled. yurina nodded her head as she heard those incomprehensible words. ¡°don¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll go with you no matter what.¡± * * * ¡°not here either.¡± at reynard¡¯s words, yurina drew a cross mark on one side of the map she was holding. even with the crossed out marks drawn on the map, ten of them were already crossed. it didn¡¯t take long because they were moving with the help of reynard¡¯s magic, but still, yurina became mentally exhausted. yurina, who was just following along with him, was like this, so how tired would the person concerned be? ¡®if i had known it would be like this, i would have asked about his hometown when we met at the orphanage.¡¯ if she had asked then, she would have remembered more information. at the time, she firmly believed that reynard was karion, who ran away from his mother and home, so yurina never thought that he would want to go home. if she had known he was missing his hometown, she would have searched for his hometown a long time ago. reynard looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, as if he had read yurina¡¯s apologetic mind. ¡°it¡¯s not easy. if i had a good memory, i would have found it sooner. right?¡± blaming everything on his memory, raynard felt it eased the burden on her heart. he gently ruffled her hair and pointed to a steaming bakery in the distance. ¡°are you hungry? let¡¯s have lunch. wait here¡± reynard sat yurina on the bench and hurriedly walked toward the bakery in the distance, where smoke was rising. she could have prepared a packed lunch at the villa in advance, but she wanted as few people as possible to know that the two of them were going out, so yurina decided to buy every meal from the village. betsy brought the simple clothes yurina and reynard were wearing now. ¡°let¡¯s go back now.¡± after a while, reynard returned and handed yurina the sandwich he bought from the store and whispered in resignation. ¡°you don¡¯t have to look for something like this.¡± despite his words, there was bitterness in his tone. in other words, it meant that he still had a lingering attachment to his hometown. yurina unwrapped the sandwich and shoved it into his mouth. it was an indirect answer, saying don¡¯t say something you don¡¯t even have in your heart. reynard, who took a big bite of the sandwich as if he had noticed her meaning, quietly munched it. yurina also leaned her head on his shoulder and quietly ate her sandwich. yurina seemed to know why he wanted to go back. ¡®he probably doesn¡¯t want me to suffer.¡¯ however, she didn¡¯t feel that it was difficult at all. she moved with reynard¡¯s magic, and returned to the villa prepared by marchioness carthia in the evening, had a hearty dinner, and took a good rest. since he used magic like that, it was theoretically correct that reynard, not yurina, was tired. even so, he always cared only about yurina¡¯s condition. it was he who was looking for his hometown. ¡°you really don¡¯t have to look for it.¡± reynard, who had eaten half of the sandwich before he knew it, shamelessly muttered. instead of answering this time, yurina tore open the remaining half of the sandwich and put it in his mouth again. reynard leaned his head on yurina¡¯s head and quietly moved his mouth. after finishing the sandwich, yurina wiped her hands and stood up. ¡°let¡¯s go now. they say there is a village with a river next to it.¡± reynard sat down and grabbed her skirt. as yurina lost her balance and staggered away, he quickly took her into his arms. and then reynard rested his chin on yurina¡¯s head. ¡°you really don¡¯t have to look for it.¡± ¡°if it¡¯s because of me, don¡¯t worry. i¡¯m not tired at all.¡± ¡°i do have concerns about you.¡± raynard¡¯s arms tightly wrapped around yurina¡¯s waist. yurina was now completely engulfed in his arms. ¡°actually, i don¡¯t even know how i feel.¡± yurina didn¡¯t ask what he was talking about. ¡®is it like pandora¡¯s box?¡¯ even when he first set out to find his hometown, he finally opened his mouth after thinking for a long time. for him, his hometown was something like love and hatred. a place that he would like to visit again, but at the same time didn¡¯t want to see it. he said that the biggest reason he hadn¡¯t visited his hometown was because it was hard to find, but from yurina¡¯s point of view, he just seemed to hate remembering the past. his biological mother who died giving birth to him, his father who didn¡¯t give him proper affection because of that, and the village children who shunned him as a monster. that alone would make him hate his hometown, but it was also the place where his parents died in an accident. how would tom feel as he looked helplessly at his parents, covered in blood and waiting for death? yurina couldn¡¯t even imagine that feeling. ¡°you don¡¯t have to go if you don¡¯t like it.¡± she leaned back against reynard and closed her eyes. ¡°if you are not ready mentally, i won¡¯t force you. if you want to go back now and find it again later, you can come back then. whenever you want to come, i will come too, so if you want to go back now, let¡¯s go.¡± yurina nailed him as he breathed heavily without answering. ¡°but that¡¯s up to you to decide. it¡¯s cowardly to use me as an excuse.¡± ¡°yes, you are right.¡± reynard got up from his seat with yurina in his arms. ¡°let¡¯s go to the next town.¡± ¡°okay.¡± yurina squeezed his hand tightly. Chapter 139 * * * a§ä§Ó §æfter that, they suffered two more failures. yurina thought about leaving, but it was too late to return to the villa, so the two decided to go around one more village. after examining the map carefully, reynard calculated the coordinates of the next town and then executed the movement magic. ithey stopped counting, and the village, which they don¡¯t know what number it was, was crowded even in the evening. yurina glanced at the sky where the sunset started to set and the bustling streets. ¡°it must be the day the market enters. a lot of people¡­¡± then, when yurina found raynard in tears, she quickly looked around again. ¡°here¡­ hey?¡± taking a deep breath, reynard hugged yurina tightly and buried his face in her neck. yurina felt the touch and she patted him on the back. reynard¡¯s parents were said to have been run over and killed by a carriage in the middle of the street. it was obvious without saying what kind of scene he would have thought of in this landscape. there were people who glanced at the two standing in the middle of the road, but yurina quietly comforted him until he calmed down. * * * reynard¡¯s house, even in a small town, was far from the main street. the two of them moved on, relying on his memory. as soon as they left the main street, a green field with herds of cows came out. the main streets of the country villages were far more uneven than those of the capital, but the road to reynard¡¯s house was more difficult than that. the untidy dirt road, to the point where yurina wondered if this was really the way people would go, had large and small stones rolling around and the grass grew jagged. currently, yurina was wearing comfortable shoes instead of high heels and a simple one-piece dress that betsy had saved for her instead of an uncomfortable outing dress. still, walking on the dirt road was not comfortable. however, looking at reynard, who was clearly excited, yurina couldn¡¯t even show that she was having a hard time. however, reynard, who was walking fast, stopped, as if he couldn¡¯t completely hide his troubled expression. ¡°is it hard for you?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°let¡¯s rest for a while.¡± after wiping the sweat from yurina¡¯s forehead, he laid a handkerchief on the ground and sat her down. then he sat down on the grass with nothing. yurina rested her head on his shoulder and surveyed the surroundings leisurely. a wide field with verdant green grass growing. the sky, with white clouds like cotton candy floating around, was so clear that it felt good just looking at it, probably because it was after the rainy season, and the sunlight was warm. the sight of the cows grazing grass, wagging their tails slowly to ward off flies, seemed quite laid-back, calming yurina¡¯s impatient mind a little. a field where young tom would have played. maybe that¡¯s why reynard¡¯s face looked a little excited as he looked around. yurina stood up when the pain in her calf subsided. ¡°let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°okay.¡± walking, walking and walking again. by the time the sun had set and her feet and calves started to hurt, raynard pointed his finger at a certain place. ¡°if i remember right, my house is this way.¡± ¡°that¡¯s for sure?¡± yurina made a hand shield and looked in the direction he pointed. all she could still see were fields and cows. ¡°but i don¡¯t know if our house still exists. since there would be no one to manage it, it would have become a ruin, but rather than leave the collapsed building as it is, it might have just been demolished. if some form remains, it can be restored with magic, but it will be difficult if it is completely gone.¡± yurina felt the strength building in his hand and snuggled closer to him. ¡°i wish there was something left.¡± ¡°yeah.¡± with a little hope, yurina walked and walked forward for another ten minutes. when it got darker, several houses appeared in the distance. reynard, who had been walking while holding yurina¡¯s hand, let it go and started running. yurina also ran after him. unlike the colorful dresses she usually wears, she wore a light skirt that commoners usually wear, so it was easy to move, but it wasn¡¯t enough to keep up with reynard¡¯s speed. however, right now, yurina was running with all her might. reynard froze in front of a house with an impressive red roof that looked like his eyes. tears overflowed and ran down his cheeks. reynard didn¡¯t say anything, but yurina recognized at once that this was the house where he lived as a child. she stood next to him and looked around the house. the house that reynard, no, tom, lived in was a shabby shack. in the meantime, it was a house that she had seen a lot while going from town to town, and she couldn¡¯t find anything special about it. however, even though it wasn¡¯t anything special, it was the place where reynard¡¯s memories were kept, so for some reason, everything seemed special to yurina as well. ¡°here.¡± he moved closer to home. his hands caressed the brick wall as if caressing a precious treasure. ¡°this is our house, yurina.¡± again. joy, longing, and sadness. tears of emotions that couldn¡¯t be defined by one thing flowed down his cheeks. even though the tears that started to flow once flowed incessantly, he didn¡¯t think to wipe his cheeks. he didn¡¯t seem to be aware that he was crying. yurina wiped his face with a handkerchief that betsy gave her. ¡°you are sure? it could be a similar house.¡± ¡°no. everything is exactly like that.¡± reynard took yurina¡¯s hand and headed to the corner of the wall. where he pointed, there was a shapeless drawing. it looked like a cat, and it also looked like a dog. ¡°i drew it.¡± ¡°cute. what did you draw? cat?¡± ¡°huh? no, i drew a flower?¡± ¡°hmm?¡± yurina frowned as she looked at the drawing. however, no matter how she looked, it didn¡¯t look like a flower. did he felt it? reynard also smiled awkwardly and rubbed the tears left on his cheeks. it was good because the atmosphere seemed to change thanks to the drawing. ¡°anyway, maybe people live there?¡± yurina asked as she looked out the window. this hut was a little strange. it is clear that there were no signs of life in it. however, the house appears to have been managed. it¡¯s been 8 years since tom left this place. in that many years, an unmaintained house would have already collapsed. however, the house in front of her didn¡¯t feel neglected, although there were cracks in the walls and dust sitting on the windowsills and door cracks. there weren¡¯t even weeds around the house. ¡®usually the abandoned house will be overgrown with grass, right?¡¯ while yurina questioned, reynard carefully opened the door and peered inside. it felt very well-maintained for something no one had bought for a long time. ¡°it doesn¡¯t look like people are living there¡­¡± ¡°still, something is strange¡­¡± yurina looked around to see if anyone was coming. at that time, she saw a woman walking with her back to the sunset. the woman paused for a moment, as if surprised to find the two people hanging out in front of the house, but then quickly approached. ¡°who are you?¡± grey-brown hair, wrinkled eyes, a fleshy waist and thick hands. the woman who showed signs of hard work in the field seemed to be about the same age as yurina¡¯s mother, marchioness carthia. ¡°oh, are you the landlord?¡± ¡°i used to live here¡­¡± the middle-aged woman¡¯s gaze passed yurina and turned to reynard, who was walking behind her. now, reynard had changed his eyes to purple to hide his identity. so even though there was no reason to look at him strangely, the woman couldn¡¯t take her eyes off him even though she looked as if she had seen a ghost. and when yurina tried to talk to her, a familiar name came out of the woman¡¯s mouth. ¡°if only¡­ are you tom?¡± ¡°aunt marie?¡± it wasn¡¯t an answer to the question, but the woman¡¯s eyes instantly turned red as if she got an answer from reynard¡¯s call. yurina chewed on the unfamiliar yet familiar name in her mouth, then looked back at reynard. he was shedding tears that had barely stopped. * * * a middle-aged woman, met by chance, and her name is ¡®aunt marie¡¯. at first, that name seemed familiar to yurina. although the name marie was a very common name, there was another reason for that. ¡®why is it familiar?¡¯ after thinking for a while, yurina remembered what she had heard before as she greeted reynard by calling him tom. aunt marie who nursed tom, who had lost his mother, and took care of him like a son after his parents died. reynard, who had lost his mother when he was young, and aunt marie, who had been taking care of tom, made a good impression. even knowing that you shouldn¡¯t judge people based on their outward appearance, yurins somehow liked her. ¡®is it because i heard that she took care of ray?¡¯ aunt marie, who was the only one to talk to young tom, who said that even his father didn¡¯t take good care of him because of his red eyes. wouldn¡¯t that fact alone be enough to evaluate her? ¡°you don¡¯t know how surprised i was when you disappeared.¡± with moistened eyes, aunt marie poured the mashed potatoes onto reynard¡¯s plate. yurina was able to meet her and hear the story that reynard hadn¡¯t told her before. having lost his parents and living on his own, tom heard a disturbing rumor circulating in the village from auntie marie. the rumor was about noblewomen buying young children. ¨Dthey¡¯re using these children as toys. it¡¯s the end of the world, the end. ¨Dwhat is a toy? to tom¡¯s innocent question, auntie marie deflected, saying he didn¡¯t need to know. ¨Ddon¡¯t go to the busy streets for a while. ¨Dthen what about the harvested vegetables? if we wait too long, they will wilt and won¡¯t sell for a good price. ¨Ddon¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll sell them for you. with no parents, auntie marie was the only adult taking care of tom. he was a bit puzzled by her instruction not to go to the busy streets, but he stayed home for a while as she suggested. but then an incident occurred. people swarmed to tom¡¯s house, having heard some kind of rumor. a pretty, helpless boy living alone with no parents. he would have been a good prey for anyone. tom, who had been sweating and digging vegetables in the backyard, was frightened by the unexpected visitors and froze in fear. ¨Dwhat are you doing to my boy! thanks to auntie marie who belatedly rushed to the scene, a misfortune was prevented. auntie marie wanted to keep tom in her house for a while, but now that he had once become prey, she couldn¡¯t be relieved either. ¨Dit might be better to go somewhere else. but tom had no relatives. and there was no one willing to take him in easily. it was because of the superstition that his red eyes were ominous. after much consideration, auntie marie decided to send tom to a place even the nobles couldn¡¯t meddle with easily. so, tom ended up going to an orphanage run by the temple, a place that follows only the divine command, a place even the emperor couldn¡¯t meddle with easily. until he left, he looked back several times at the field his parents had worked so hard on and the house filled with memories. ¡®i wondered how he knew words like ¡®toy¡¯. so, this was the reason.¡¯ after the woman, whether a noble or a wealthy person, lost all interest in tom, auntie marie went back to the orphanage to find him. it was a story of a spring day after the very cold winter, when many people froze to death. but tom wasn¡¯t in that orphanage. auntie marie was not only shocked to hear that tom had followed some noble, but also extremely worried. ¡°i naturally thought another strange woman who had set her sights on you had taken you. even if i wanted to find out where you went, the orphanage only said they didn¡¯t know who the noble who took you was¡­¡± Chapter 140 it was true, not a lie, that the orphanage didn¡¯t know yurina¡¯s identity. at the time, yurina was hiding the fact that she was a person of the carthia family in order to move quietly in search of raynard. ¡°i was worried that you might be suffering in a noble¡¯s house, but seeing you grown so well, i¡¯m finally relieved.¡± tears continuously fell from aunt marie¡¯s eyes. even though she couldn¡¯t take him directly into her house due to the situation at the time, guilt for not raising young tom, and guilt for losing him. she must have been living with such complex emotions for the past 10 years. of course, she wouldn¡¯t always have been tormented by guilt. her life was too harsh, and she wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to think about tom, worrying about how to get by each day. but occasionally, when the summer rainy season when tom¡¯s parents died comes, when the autumn when she sent tom to the orphanage comes, she would think of him and feel heavy-hearted. raynard, as if he had returned to the little boy of eleven years old when he parted with aunt marie, bowed his head and stuffed the mashed potatoes into his mouth. yurina, who was about to reach out and hold his hand under the table without looking at his face because she could envision what kind of expression he would be making, suddenly snapped back to reality at the sound that came. ¡°i suddenly prepared dinner, it¡¯s humble but please eat a lot.¡± when she looked up, aunt marie kindly piled not only mashed potatoes on the plate, but also boiled peas, roasted corn, and even two well-cooked sausages. ¡°ah, thank you. i¡¯ll eat well. it looks delicious.¡± yurina sincerely smiled and picked up the fork. the sausage, focused more on preservation than taste, was very salty and dry, but considering the situation in this country village, it was a luxury food that you could only eat on special days. unlike the mashed potatoes of the carthia family that had a lot of butter and filled your mouth with flavor, aunt marie¡¯s had almost no butter and tasted only of potatoes. but maybe because the potatoes themselves were delicious, the taste was quite good. while continuing her meal, yurina raised her head again at the intense gaze she felt from across the table. aunt marie was looking at her as if she was observing her, not eating at all. was it because she was interested in the woman that the robust young man she¡¯d cared for as a child had brought with him? she seemed to have many questions. she looked like she wanted to ask them but refrained, not wanting to interrupt the meal. yurina wanted to finish eating and start a conversation with her, but she didn¡¯t think it was polite to leave food, so she silently finished what was on her plate. seeing her finish, aunt marie tried to serve her more food, but yurina shook her head to decline. ¡°i¡¯m okay. ah, ray might want more¡­¡± ¡°ray?¡± ¡°ah, i mean tom¡­ his name has changed. his full name is reynard.¡± yurina was the one who named him directly. it wasn¡¯t a bad thing, and reynard also liked his new name, but she was worried if aunt marie might feel averse to this unfamiliar name. although she found her concerns amusing, aunt marie felt like a mother-in-law. perhaps because she was the one who looked after reynard like her own son. fortunately, aunt marie, who had repeated the name ¡®ray¡¯ a few times in her mouth, wiped the corner of her eyes with her sleeve and laughed. ¡°ray, it suits him well. to be honest, tom didn¡¯t quite fit your face.¡± ¡°isn¡¯t that right?¡± an awkward meal continued even after. it was only when the meal was almost over that reynard seemed to calm down, sharing various stories with aunt marie. they mainly talked about what happened over the past seven years. reynard was doing most of the talking, and aunt marie quietly listened to his story, occasionally joining in. yurina realized anew that reynard could talk like a child to someone other than herself. seeing reynard, who met someone like a family member he had missed for so long, looking innocent as a child, made her feel good. she was pleased to see his naive side after a long time. stories of receiving patronage from a noble family, being recognized for his magical talent and studying at the crohn royal academy, and his red eyes not being a curse but in fact a blessing from the goddess were all discussed. at the part about the goddess¡¯s blessing, aunt marie couldn¡¯t hold back her tears any longer and burst out crying. ¡°i knew it. lily was so kind and affectionate, there¡¯s no way you could have been cursed.¡± lily was reynard¡¯s biological mother. aunt marie was a close friend of lily since their childhood, and she had looked after reynard like her own son after lily¡¯s death. ¡°but who is the lady next to you?¡± after venting some of her emotions, aunt marie¡¯s interest turned to yurina. before yurina could answer, reynard hugged her shoulder. ¡°her name is yurina.¡± he then looked into yurina¡¯s eyes and smiled happily. ¡°she¡¯s the one i love.¡± his tone was as natural as if stating the fact that the sun rises from the east and sets in the west. there was no sign of excitement or boasting, but his monotone voice somehow made yurina¡¯s cheeks feel hot. seeing the sweet young couple, aunt marie shed more tears, saying they were a good match. * * * ¡°i may not come often, but i¡¯ll visit occasionally.¡± ¡°you¡¯re welcome to come, but don¡¯t feel obligated.¡± ¡°this is where my home is. thank you for taking care of it all this time.¡± tom¡¯s house where no one lives. aunt marie had maintained the house in the hope that tom might return someday. that¡¯s why the house seemed well-maintained even though no one lived there. ¡°i¡¯ll be back in a few days. i have something to do. ah, about the father¡¯s grave¡­¡± raynard was unable to string his words together, biting his lips tightly. aunt marie approached him closely, firmly gripping his big hand with both of hers, and gently patting the back of his hand. ¡°it stays there.¡± ¡°yes.¡± raynard smiled as if about to cry. ¡°i should go now.¡± he held yurina¡¯s hand. while yurina was exchanging greetings with aunt marie, he silently observed, then slowly started walking back the way he had come, towards the bustling streets. aunt marie didn¡¯t go into the house, but instead stood at that spot for a while, continuously waving her hand. around the time when she was out of sight, raynard muttered to himself, self-mockingly. ¡°i didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i knew aunt marie cared for me, but i could never have imagined she would come looking for me later. when i was at the orphanage, i thought i would never be able to return home.¡± ¡°thankfully, you know now. right?¡± ¡°yes.¡± raynard, nodding lightly, recited a teleportation spell. because he already knew the coordinates of the villa where the marchioness carthia was staying, he was able to teleport to her room in an instant. there was no one in the room¡¯s adjoining sitting area. since there was no chance that marchioness carthia would be in her room, raynard lightly kissed yurina and returned to his own accommodation. since only yurina and marchioness carthia officially came to visit the villa, he had no choice but to secure separate accommodation at a high-end inn nearby. yurina knocked on the door of marchioness carthia¡¯s bedroom and entered. marchioness carthia was sitting in bed reading a book. she looked at yurina entering the room with a worried face that they failed again today, but when she saw yurina¡¯s face was brighter than she expected, she sighed a small sigh of relief. ¡°you found it.¡± ¡°yes. we found ray¡¯s hometown and met the person who had taken care of ray since he was a child.¡± yurina lifted the quilt and sat next to her. marchioness carthia put down the book she had been reading on the side table and covered yurina¡¯s shoulders with the quilt. ¡°that¡¯s fortunate. how is raynard?¡± ¡°it seemed that he was very happy to meet the person he wanted to see. aunt marie, who took care of ray, was a long-time friend of ray¡¯s mother.¡± ¡°then she might have thought of raynard as her own son.¡± ¡°yes, after seeing her today, it seems likely. since aunt marie only has a daughter, she may have treated him more like a son.¡± ¡°maybe she tried to connect her daughter and raynard. don¡¯t you think?¡± marchioness carthia asked as if teasing yurina. in small villages, people often marry within the village, so maybe that was the case. imagining a situation that hadn¡¯t happened for a moment, yurina felt a bit upset and pulled the quilt up to her chin. she was dumbfounded at herself for being upset about something that didn¡¯t happen, but her heart didn¡¯t feel any lighter. so, a grumpy sound burst out. ¡°maybe.¡± ¡°oh dear, are you upset?¡± ¡°no, why would i be? anyway, it seems aunt marie was deeply shocked when she returned to the orphanage to find raynard and he was gone. still, she had hoped that one day ray would return, and she had been taking care of his old empty house where no one lived. so that raynard, if he came back as an adult, wouldn¡¯t feel desolate looking at an empty plot with nothing left.¡± ¡°my goodness, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy. she¡¯s an amazing woman.¡± ¡°that¡¯s what i¡¯m saying. thanks to her, it¡¯s fortunate that ray found his hometown.¡± for the past few days, she had been tense and wandering around. now that the tension had dissipated, sleep seemed to come in droves. as she yawned, yurina leaned her head against marchioness carthia¡¯s shoulder and closed her eyes. she wanted to bathe in warm water and change her clothes, but she didn¡¯t want to move a finger now. marchioness carthia carelessly stroked yurina¡¯s hair that might have been covered in dust. ¡°then i guess i should give my thanks.¡± yurina, hearing the marchioness¡¯ murmur, closed her eyes. she hadn¡¯t been able to sleep properly since the execution of marquis de flon, as she was worried about reynard, but she slept a sweet sleep for the first time in a while. Chapter 141 * * * the next morning. yurina waited for reynard in her room, holding a gift box that marchioness carthia had packed for aunt marie. reynard, who arrived a little later than usual, was dressed in black from head to toe. his usually messy hair was neatly combed back with some oil. seeing him, yurina, who was happy and smiling, erased her smile at his tense and even reverent appearance. but when reynard smiled first, she didn¡¯t show any signs and smiled back. ¡°you¡¯re a bit late today.¡± ¡°i had some things to get ready. but what¡¯s that?¡± yurina, about to hand over the box he pointed out with his eyes, hesitated when she saw the basket in his hand. ¡°it¡¯s a gift my mother prepared to thank aunt marie. my mom you a lot, you know. maybe she¡¯s very grateful to aunt marie for looking after you so you wouldn¡¯t go wrong when you were young. it seems like she¡¯s also thankful for managing your house till now.¡± ¡°ah, i didn¡¯t manage to prepare anything.¡± ¡°that¡¯s why i did. but what¡¯s with the basket?¡± as far as she could see, the basket reynard was carrying was the kind you take on a picnic packed with lunch. they had always bought lunch from the village they visited, so it was a little odd that he suddenly brought a picnic basket. reynard, who would normally explain in detail, shrugged his shoulders and didn¡¯t say much. yurina didn¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t answer, but she didn¡¯t rush him as she sensed various emotions seeping from his face. instead, she neatly combed his hair back once more. ¡°shall we go then?¡± ¡°just a minute.¡± after looking at reynard¡¯s black clothes, yurina placed the box on the sofa. ¡°i¡¯m going to change my clothes and come out.¡± ¡°clothes? the ones you¡¯re wearing now are pretty.¡± the clothes yurina was wearing now was a simple ivory-colored dress with no decorations. it was a dress that couldn¡¯t be complimented as pretty, even as an empty compliment, but it seemed that reynard was quite smitten with her. the look in his eyes, watching yurina¡¯s face, was so sweet it was as if honey was about to drop. ¡°i have a different dress i should wear. just wait a moment.¡± she called betsy, who had been lingering outside, into the dressing room. betsy, following yurina¡¯s instruction, took a black dress from the wardrobe. it was a dress she had packed just in case something like this happened. yurina didn¡¯t say a word, but betsy, who had sensed the atmosphere, helped her change her clothes with a gloomy face. as she walked into the living room attached to her room wearing an elegant but simple black dress and neatly braided hair, reynard, who was about to smile, closed his mouth tight. yurina picked up the gift box again and approached him. ¡°let¡¯s hurry.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°we¡¯re going to be late. right?¡± without a word, reynard hugged yurina¡¯s waist and nodded his head. at the same time, the surrounding mana stirred, and the scenery around them changed. a wide field with a warm summer breeze and a red-roofed house came into view. it was tom¡¯s house. thanks to finding out the exact location of the house yesterday, the two were able to instantly teleport to the front of ¡®tom¡¯s¡¯ house. ¡°shall we go to aunt marie first?¡± as he watched yurina lift the box in her arms, reynard shook his head. ¡°i have a place i want to go before that.¡± he took the box from yurina¡¯s hand, went inside the house, left the box, and came back out. but he was still holding the picnic basket he brought. before yurina could express her confusion, he grabbed her hand and started walking across the field. the weather was so nice that it was hard to believe it had been rainy season just a while ago. there were fluffy clouds in the sky, and the sunlight was dazzling. as they walked a bit further, they even came across a babbling stream. ¡®this must be the river reynard was talking about.¡¯ yurina followed reynard closely, focusing on the cool sound of the water that made her feel refreshed just by listening. when they had walked for about twenty minutes, unfamiliar scenery began to appear. what seemed to be a village cemetery, numerous tombstones were laid under a large alder tree. raynard, who hadn¡¯t visited in a long time and whose memory might be hazy, stood in front of a tombstone on the right edge without any hesitation. it was a particularly shabby tombstone that stood out among the small and monotonous ones of the impoverished rural neighborhood. however, it was taken care of cleaner than anything else, presumably managed by aunt marie. raynard took out a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped three tombstones. two were similar in shape and one was slightly different. seeing this, yurina realized that the tombstone of the different shape belonged to his biological mother, who had passed away first. despite being able to clean it with magic, raynard bit his lip and wiped and wiped again. seeing sweat dripping down his chin and onto his neck, yurina spread out the black parasol she had brought and covered his head. he was so focused that he didn¡¯t even notice the shade over his head. even after wiping the tombstones enough to dirty the handkerchief, he looked at the tombstones with a dissatisfied expression. then he tapped the tombstone with his fingertips. as bright light burst out, a splendid pattern began to engrave itself on the plain tombstone. the three tombstones quickly transformed into something eye-catching. only then did raynard pick up the basket he had placed on the ground and look back at yurina. ¡°these are my parents.¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°when i was young, the tombstones looked very big, but now they look very small. isn¡¯t it so?¡± feeling as if she might cry, she closed her mouth and nodded her head. raynard, who lightly kissed her on the lips, opened the basket and placed its contents in front of the tombstones. yurina quietly observed his actions. what he brought was a beautiful bouquet of flowers and round bread that didn¡¯t fit in with the cemetery at all. the rough yet solid bread looked similar to the bread that raynard first ate when he came to the carthia mansion. ¡°i¡¯m here. i thought i wouldn¡¯t be able to come again, but here i am.¡± he muttered quietly to the tombstone and then gave a sheepish smile at yurina. ¡°it feels really weird.¡± ¡°say everything you wanted to say. i¡¯ll listen here.¡± ¡°um¡­ i thought i had a lot to say, but now i can¡¯t remember any of it. ah¡­¡± he gave a small sigh and looked down at the bread placed in front of the tombstone. ¡°do you know? this is also bread. i didn¡¯t even know this was bread. i thought bread was hard and chewy, but this one is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. it¡¯s delicious if you spread a lot of butter on it.¡± his face, chewing on the bread like a hamster and spilling crumbs, came to mind. it was a long time ago, but it was still a vivid memory as it was their first shared meal. back then, he insisted that it wasn¡¯t bread and screamed, but soon he ate the bread without even listening to yurina¡¯s words. just a piece of bread. he ate a lot of fine food in the carthia mansion, but it was so precious to him that it was the first thing he remembered. ¡°as you can see, i¡¯m doing well. i¡¯ve tried everything i wanted to do, learned magic, and no longer get scolded for my eyes. i¡¯ll soon receive a noble title. i¡¯ve also met someone special.¡± at the phrase ¡®someone special¡¯, he squeezed yurina¡¯s hand tightly. his voice was calm, but his cold hand that was in contact with hers was trembling. ¡°so if you were worried, please don¡¯t be. i¡¯ll continue to do well in the future.¡± feeling yurina¡¯s warmth, raynard took a deep breath through his nose to control his emotions. he thought he had been holding up well, but strangely, his emotions surged and the face of his forgotten father appeared in his mind. however, he wouldn¡¯t say he loves him. it couldn¡¯t be said that there was a strong bond or love between him and his father, even as an empty word. he wouldn¡¯t say thank you either. his father had cared for him enough that he didn¡¯t starve, but he was a father who had also hurt him. but there was something he really wanted to say. ¡°i miss you, father.¡± the faint smell of earth from your black hands after farm work seems to brush against my nose. your gruff admonition that people would look down on me if i laughed too much is unusually missed today. i just miss everything about you. raynard, who had been staring at the tombstone for a while, let go of all his emotions and smiled sincerely. ¡°i¡¯ll visit from time to time.¡± then he started to walk back the way he had come with yurina. yurina looked back at the tombstone over her shoulder. under the brilliant golden sunlight, the bread and bouquet of flowers were shining like precious treasures. * * * raynard, who returned to the red-roofed house, completely shook off his melancholy mood and regained his energy. even though aunt marie occasionally comes to clean, the house was in disarray and covered in dust as no one lived there. however, he cleaned the house with the magic. the house became clean as if it was new. there were also the furniture, bedding, and utensils he used before he left. although they looked too worn out to be used, they looked like new after he cast a spell. it seemed there would be no problem using them right now. ¡°we can use it as our cottage. if we put preservation magic, it will stay clean without dust even if we visit occasionally.¡± raynard, who smiled satisfied, sat yurina on the brown sofa that had returned to its original color. ¡°wait here for a while.¡± ¡°where are you going?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll be right back.¡± before yurina could say anything, he swiftly went outside. a moment later, he returned with a basket full of large potatoes. upon closer inspection, there was also a piece of cheese the size of a fist on top of the potatoes that were covered with dirt as they were not washed. yurina got up from her place and followed him into the kitchen. ¡°what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°potatoes.¡± ¡°no, i know they¡¯re potatoes, but why potatoes all of a sudden?¡± he pushed the basket towards her puzzled face. the unique smell of soil wafted from the basket. the potatoes were mostly bigger than yurina¡¯s fist, some were even larger than raynard¡¯s fist. even though they were raw and uncooked, they strangely looked delicious. was it because she was hungry? ¡°i¡¯ll cook lunch today.¡± ¡°lunch? here?¡± with nothing? did he notice her unspoken words, but raynard laughed while shaking the basket. the soil that fell on yurina¡¯s skirt was cleanly handled with magic. ¡°here it is. i got some from aunt marie. although it¡¯s not as tasty as our homegrown potatoes, aunt marie¡¯s potatoes are also delicious. i feel a bit sorry that i can¡¯t show you the potatoes i grew myself.¡± ¡°do you know how to cook?¡± ¡°of course.¡± he spoke confidently, but yurina was somewhat skeptical of his words. while raynard had lived alone after losing his family, that was all a long time ago. when he came to the carthia mansion, he was twelve years old, and since then, he lived as luxuriously as any noble. he only ate meals cooked by others, he had never cooked himself. he would¡¯ve had meals in the cafeteria or restaurant at the academy, so there¡¯s no way he could cook. yurina frowned slightly imagining what kind of strange dish would come out of these potatoes, doubting whether she could trust raynard. seeing her disbelief, raynard teased her by lightly flicking her furrowed nose with his finger. ¡°don¡¯t worry. i can boil potatoes incredibly well.¡± his excessive confidence was a bit baffling. ¡°that¡¯s something anyone can do. can you call that cooking?¡± Chapter 142 ¡°the taste of potatoes varies depending on who cooks them. trust me. i¡¯ll boil them really deliciously.¡± yurina was about to retort. but she was forced to keep her mouth shut due to the serious tone raynard immediately added. ¡°i often cooked for myself when i was young. our homegrown potatoes were much larger and tastier than other houses, so they were delicious even when simply boiled.¡± a ten-year-old boy who lost his parents. there wouldn¡¯t have been many foods that a child could cook in the not-so-rich household. at most, he could have boiled or roasted vegetables. so, these boiled potatoes are the only dish that ten-year-old tom could cook, not nineteen-year-old raynard. ¡®maybe he wants to share his memories.¡¯ raynard, who was hesitant to come to his hometown due to his memories of living alone, found the courage to return after hearing yurina¡¯s offer to accompany him. perhaps he was trying to overlay good memories over the bad ones by spending time with her here. yurina imagined a young tom cooking potatoes alone in the kitchen. despite the hardship, his calm and resilient figure made her almost tear up. boiling potatoes, no matter how simple, is not a dish that a child can easily make. he must have been bustling around alone, having never cooked before his parents died. however, she couldn¡¯t feel sorry for him being excited about cooking for her. yurina managed to control her emotions and spoke more gruffly on purpose. ¡°just try and make it tasteless. if it tastes bad, i¡¯m not going to eat anything you cook in the future.¡± ¡°don¡¯t worry. it will be delicious.¡± yurina, unaware of her own feelings, saw raynard laughing innocently and looked around the kitchen. the house was poor, the utensils and table all wretched, but thanks to the magic cleaning, the kitchen was clean. reynard wrapped his arms around yurina¡¯s waist and sat her on the spotless table. despite the presence of chairs around the table, his choice to sit her on the table seemed a bit strange. however, reynard had already walked toward the fireplace with a basket of potatoes, so she didn¡¯t dare to ask why. yurina watched him cook, swinging her legs back and forth a little. ¡®well, it¡¯s hardly cooking.¡¯ even though it would be simple with magic, reynard rolled up his sleeves and did everything by hand. washing the muddy potatoes, peeling them carefully with a knife, and even seasoning the pure white potatoes in a pot full of water. whether his claims of doing this often in his childhood were true, the whole process was as smooth as flowing water. her heart fluttered at his sturdy back. she thought young tom must have sobbed alone here. maybe that¡¯s why his broad back seemed somehow lonely. yurina hopped off the table and hugged him from behind. reynard, who was lighting the firewood with magic, grabbed her hand on his belly without showing any surprise. ¡°just wait a little longer. it cooks faster than you think.¡± ¡°okay.¡± ¡°and i¡¯ll melt the cheese when the potatoes are about cooked¡­¡± he didn¡¯t finish his sentence, but dropped his head. tears dripped onto her hand that he held. yurina tried to check his face, but because reynard didn¡¯t let go of her hand, she couldn¡¯t move. without looking at yurina, he stayed still for a while, in the same position leaning on her. he seemed to be hiding his crying, but he couldn¡¯t hide the hot tears falling onto her hand. he had hidden his emotions and tears even in front of his parents¡¯ graves that he visited after a long time. he probably wanted to show only his good side. it wouldn¡¯t have been easy to control his feelings, the tears he had been holding back since then, or even earlier. the water began to boil. reynard¡¯s suppressed crying couldn¡¯t be heard over the bubbling sound, but yurina felt his back trembling against her and knew he was still crying. yurina didn¡¯t cry often, but whenever she did, reynard was restless, trying to stop her tears. he acted as if the world was falling apart when she cried. but yurina was different. she was relieved by reynard¡¯s crying. she thought that once he had a good cry, he wouldn¡¯t be sad whenever he thought of the past. it¡¯s a joyful thing to be able to cry without hiding tears. to be able to comfort the one crying beside you, and to have someone to rely on, is a blessing. the young tom in the past had to swallow his tears alone in this place without anyone to share his sorrow. but now, he was standing in the same place with yurina. so, if he cries in the future, she will hold him in her arms without saying a word and comfort him. she must stick to him like this, whether in joy or sorrow. * * * the boiled potatoes, which they thought they could eat soon, could only be eaten quite a while later. because reynard cried longer than yurina thought. looking at reynard cooling the steaming potatoes by blowing on them, yurina giggled more. ¡°your eyes are swollen like a pufferfish.¡± because he used magic to reduce the swelling, there was no sign on his face that he had cried. so, this was just to tease him. feeling a bit embarrassed, reynard laughed and handed her a sufficiently cooled potato. yurina, surprised by the large potato size comparable to her two fists, took a small bite from the edge with her front teeth. the crumbly new potato was flavorful enough on its own without anything else. the sweetness from the potato and the right amount of salt blended well in her mouth. just as yurina was giving a thumbs-up, reynard, who was anxiously watching her eat the potato, laughed out loud. ¡°didn¡¯t i tell you i boil potatoes incredibly well?¡± ¡°it¡¯s probably more about the taste of aunt marie¡¯s potatoes. if the potatoes themselves are delicious, they will be delicious no matter who cooks them.¡± ¡°i¡¯m telling you it won¡¯t taste the same if someone else cooks it.¡± yurina, watching him childishly insist, laughed and took another big bite of the potato. reynard then rolled the melted cheese with a fork and popped it into her mouth. ¡°the harmony of oily cheese and savory potatoes tasted better than any feast at carthia.¡± no, perhaps it was the warm and peaceful atmosphere created by reynard that was even better. ¡®i¡¯ve been on edge all this time.¡¯ it¡¯s been about 7 years since becoming ¡®yurina carthia.¡¯ at first, it was difficult and lonely among the unfamiliar environment and people, but after meeting reynard and starting to acknowledge my new life as her real life, yurina had many moments to laugh and many happy times. but she couldn¡¯t fully enjoy the happiness because of the fear of possibly dying and the contents of the original story that she remembered from time to time. it was the same after marquis de flon was executed. even though everything was over, yurina couldn¡¯t fully rest these days due to the lingering anxiety and reynard¡¯s past that she hadn¡¯t fully considered. but here she is, sitting side by side with reynard in this quiet countryside village where you can hear the sound of a flock of cows and sheep, eating potatoes. feeling a peaceful daily life, yurina felt confident that she could now be happy without any worries. ¡®would reynard feel the same?¡¯ yurina glanced at reynard¡¯s side face after finishing a big potato. he, who was eating his third potato while she was eating first, turned his head as he felt her gaze. ¡°why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°how is it?¡± ¡°what is?¡± ¡°do you still feel lonely when you think of your hometown?¡± ¡°no.¡± ¡°then what?¡± he chuckled while stuffing the remaining potato into his mouth. his cheeks bulged out like a hamster with a mouthful of food, but his smile looked utterly happy rather than ridiculous. ¡°i think i¡¯m happy.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yes. there are more memories in this house than you think. plus, now when i think of this house, i¡¯ll think of you.¡± he pulled yurina¡¯s hand to his cheek. ¡°so, i have something i want to show you.¡± ¡°something you want to show me?¡± ¡°yes. there¡¯s actually something i haven¡¯t shown you in our house yet.¡± was there such a thing? yurina reflexively turned her head to look inside the house. earlier, when reynard was cleaning the house with magic, yurina followed him closely, observing the house with him. the kitchen, living room, big room, and one small room. reynard surely said that was all. perhaps noticing yurina¡¯s puzzled heart, reynard took her hand, stood up, and gestured towards the window. ¡°i told you our house was a farm. there¡¯s a big field outside. let¡¯s go out. i¡¯ll show you.¡± the field would just be an empty piece of land right now, wouldn¡¯t it? it seemed like there wouldn¡¯t be much to see, but due to reynard¡¯s excited face, yurina got up from her seat brushing off the potato crumbs on her dress. there was a door leading to the field in one corner of the living room. reynard reached for the doorknob but stopped and looked back at yurina. he, who was surely dressed in black just a moment ago, was now wearing a white suit. the moment he swept yurina¡¯s hair back from her face, her black dress also turned white. the subtly glowing white dress, as if it was dusted with pearl powder, resembled reynard¡¯s suit. from that point, yurina started to feel a bit strange. suddenly her stomach churned and her heart started to beat fast. it would have been better if she hadn¡¯t noticed¡­ ¡°shall we go then?¡± before yurina could answer, reynard opened the door and went outside. as she was being led by him, she took a step out and gasped at the scene before her. ¡°wow.¡± the world was all gold. in the sky, the sunset was tinting the horizon red, and on the ground, a field dyed in yellow stretched out before her. a field of yellow flowers, just like the one she and reynard had visited in the crohn kingdom, was right in front of her eyes. with every gust of wind, the flowers swayed, creating waves. the wind carried a sweet flower scent to her nose. the flower scent that reynard had loved, saying it was a good smell and was the fragrance from her body. reynard held yurina¡¯s hand and walked to the middle of the flower field. ¡°do you remember the old times?¡± the old times must be the time in the crohn kingdom. yurina nodded her head. even though it happened 2 years ago, she could recall that day as if it was yesterday. the excitement of seeing him after a long time and the awkwardness of seeing him matured into a handsome man. if there was a difference between now and then, it would be that instead of awkwardness, her heart was now filled with affection. raynard released yurina¡¯s hand and picked a flower, then another, from their surroundings. with deft movements of his fingers, he quickly crafted a wreath. facing yurina, he carefully placed the wreath on her head. ever since yurina realized her feelings for him and his for her, being alone with him was no longer awkward. but strangely, at this moment, she felt an unfamiliar awkwardness that she had forgotten for a while. in an attempt to shake off this embarrassment, she murmured: ¡°i still have the wreath you made for me before.¡± ¡°really?¡± he replied joyfully. ¡°yeah. didn¡¯t i show you? it¡¯s in my room.¡± ¡°why haven¡¯t i seen it? well, then i should make something else besides a wreath for you.¡± he picked another flower. unlike when he made the wreath and picked a lot of flowers, this time he picked only two. yurina blankly watched his fingers moving. after a while, he finished making a small ring. ¡°can you give me your hand?¡± there seemed to be magic in his voice. like someone spellbound, yurina extended her right hand to him. suddenly, she saw the ring he had given her before on her little finger. a ruby ring that was invisible to others, but visible to the two of them. raynard, looking at the ring on her pale little finger, put the flower ring on her ring finger. ¡°i know you were worried when i asked you to wait for a moment for me to talk about us. i wanted to tell you the reason, but i didn¡¯t dare to, because i wanted to surprise you.¡± a white light began to seep from the ring that had reached her fingertip. ¡°i wanted to tell you before telling others.¡± as his words ended, the appearance of the yellow flower ring changed. just when she felt the cold sensation of metal on her finger, a ruby ring was already on her ring finger. the ring on her little finger was a simple one, but the one on her ring finger was so flashy that anyone would know it was an engagement ring. unable to find what to say, yurina stared blankly at the ring before lifting her head. the red eyes of the same color as the ring filled her vision. raynard was kneeling in front of her, looking straight into her eyes. the red sunset dyed his golden hair as red as his eyes. ¡°yurina.¡± he smiled with ruby-like sparkling red eyes. ¡°will you stay by my side from now on?¡± tears streamed down her cheeks at his words before she even realized she was crying. raynard, who used to be flustered when she cried, didn¡¯t panic this time. instead, he stared into her eyes more intensely and smiled brightly, as if doing so would mesmerize her into giving the answer he wanted. yurina murmured quietly, embarrassed that she had shed tears in this happy moment. ¡°who puts a ring on before hearing the answer?¡± raynard shrugged playfully. ¡°to prevent you from refusing.¡± but despite his words, he couldn¡¯t hide his tension. he was smiling, but his facial muscles were somewhat stiff. this time, she laughed. yurina, who chuckled, held raynard¡¯s hand, waiting for her answer, and pulled him up. ¡°of course¡­¡± before her answer was finished, he kissed her. yurina, surprised, opened her eyes wide, then wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. ¡°i love you, yurina. i love you so much.¡± he murmured with his lips still on hers. i love you too, so much. yurina¡¯s response was swallowed up by raynard¡¯s deep kiss. when yurina opened her eyes as a ten-year-old, she constantly resented a god whose existence was even uncertain. rather than letting me die, why did they make me lose everyone i love and open my eyes in this strange world? as if that¡¯s not enough, why am i, yurina carthia, the one destined to die? she tried resenting, pleading to the empty sky to return her to her family¡¯s arms. even after she decided to survive somehow and found reynard, that question still lingered. why, out of so many people, was it me? but now, the question that was left in yurina¡¯s heart has been answered. it was to meet this child smiling in front of me. so that this tender child who suffers greatly from loneliness won¡¯t be hurt anymore. ( main story: the end ) tl/n: so we finished the main story, but wait, we also have more than 40 chapters to translate, including epilogue chapters, side stories and special side stories! Chapter 143 yurina and reynard returned to the cottage where marchioness carthia was staying, chatting away in the golden field. reynard took yurina to her room and promised to formally come back before returning to his own house for a while. left alone in the room, yurina sat on the bed and looked at the ring on her finger. the ruby reflected the light from the candle in the dark room, shining beautifully. ¡®beautiful.¡¯ looking at it brought back the emotion from before, choking her up. in the field, she had been a bit flustered by the sudden proposal, but reflecting on reynard¡¯s proposal made her face flush and her heart pound. the feeling didn¡¯t seem to be fading quickly. maybe today¡¯s events, like the night she spent with reynard on her birthday, would become a memory she couldn¡¯t forget for the rest of her life. although there was no one to see, yurina pressed her lips lightly to the ruby ring while holding back a giggle. just like on earth, the most valued jewel here was also diamond. therefore, nobles preferred diamond for engagement rings. wealthy nobles, of course, but even those less wealthy, they would stretch their resources to buy a diamond engagement ring. reynard must have known that. however, he chose a ruby, not a diamond. yurina didn¡¯t know whether he had the wealth to buy a diamond ring readily, but she knew that he chose a ruby ring not because he couldn¡¯t afford a diamond. even when she was a child, he gave her a ruby bracelet as a gift. he put red magic stones in all the artifacts he gave her as jewellery. to him, red was a symbol of love. even though he hated people looking at his red eyes, he wanted yurina to love his eyes in this world. please think of me whenever you look at this ring. a ruby ring with such desire and urgency. the nobles may sneer that carthia¡¯s daughter only received a mere ruby ring from the blessed, called a genius magician, but yurina liked this ruby ring more than any other. ¡°lady, are you in there?¡± yurina raised her head at the sound. betsy¡¯s voice sounded somewhat agitated from behind the door. she invited her in with a puzzled look, and betsy, who entered the room with an excited face like her voice, widened her eyes when she saw yurina. right now, yurina was wearing a white dress that reynard had transformed with magic. betsy, who looked up and down at her, screamed out loud and when she saw the ruby ring on yurina¡¯s ring finger, she screamed even louder. ¡°oh my, lady, really¡­¡± betsy seemed to have many questions, but she soon composed herself and smiled. ¡°reynard came. he said he has something to say to the lady¡­¡± while she was talking, her gaze kept returning to the ruby ring. feeling somewhat awkward, yurina quickly changed the subject. ¡°where is rey now?¡± ¡°i¡¯ve guided him to the drawing room for now.¡± although there was no one listening, betsy leaned closer to yurina and whispered in her ear. ¡°i felt like i should call you, so i came, and i¡¯m glad i did.¡± ¡°thanks. then let¡¯s go to the drawing room.¡± ¡°hold on, my lady. how can you go like that?¡± what does she mean? yurina looked at her clothes again. the dress reynard made with magic didn¡¯t have fancy decorations, but it was beautiful enough as it shone subtly. but betsy quickly sat yurina down in front of the vanity and started to fix her makeup. not satisfied with that alone, she neatly braided yurina¡¯s hair, let it fall over one shoulder, and fastened it with a hair ornament. ¡°now, it¡¯s done. if i had known it would be like this, i would have made you look even prettier this morning!¡± ¡°you made me look pretty enough this morning. thank you, betsy.¡± yurina headed for the drawing room. reynard, who couldn¡¯t even sit properly in the chair with a nervous face, sprang up at the sound of the door opening. realizing that his partner was yurina, not the marchioness, he seemed to relax for a moment and take a breath, but he stiffened again at her sight. betsy, looking at him, stifled a laugh and went out of the drawing room, pretending to bring tea. normally, she would have left the door slightly ajar wherever she went, saying that they shouldn¡¯t be left alone, but this time she closed the door firmly. yurina approached reynard, who couldn¡¯t even blink his eyes properly while standing up. ¡°rey.¡± it seemed that he swallowed his saliva, and his adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. yurina guided him to sit on the sofa. ¡°you¡¯re beautiful.¡± reynard muttered as if entranced. he carefully took hold of yurina¡¯s cheeks and leaned in. yurina glanced at the drawing room door, and just before their lips touched, she pushed him away by the shoulder. ¡°we can¡¯t do this here.¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± it seemed that he finally realized where he was, and tension returned to his face. his lips that were biting nervously, his hands that were fidgeting anxiously, the sighs he let out intermittently. right now, he seemed more nervous than when he proposed to yurina. whether to laugh at this or to scold him, yurina felt strange. ¡°you weren¡¯t this nervous when you proposed to me. did you think i would obviously say yes and felt relaxed?¡± when yurina jokingly teased him to ease his tension, reynard quickly shook his head. ¡°you don¡¯t know, i was really nervous. i tried so hard not to show it.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yes. but um. i think i¡¯m definitely more nervous now.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t need to be that nervous.¡± ¡°how can i not be? i might not get permission. plus, i messed up the order.¡± the order he was talking about was the proposal order. in a noble family, whether it is a political marriage or a love marriage, permission is usually sought from the elders before proposing. because marriage is not just a matter between a man and a woman, but a matter between families. so, in principle, he should have spoken to the marquis and marchioness of carthia before proposing to yurina. but reynard didn¡¯t do that. he wanted to talk to yurina first more than anyone else. he was already worried that the marquis and marchioness might not like him, and he was worried that this might make him even more disliked. but yurina was calm. ¡®mother will like it.¡¯ marchioness carthia has never openly shown that she knows about their relationship or supports them. however, given that she allowed yurina and reynard to freely spend time at the beach house and subtly brought up the topic of engagement to yurina, it was clear that she knew about their relationship and supported them. ¡®if she was against it, she would have separated us long ago.¡¯ it was honestly unknown how her father, marquis carthia, and her three brothers would react. but at least the marchioness would welcome this news. if the four men objected, she would actively persuade them. yurina told reynard this, but he still couldn¡¯t relax. yurina thought about comforting him more but gave up. ¡®it would be strange if he wasn¡¯t nervous.¡¯ from the marchioness¡¯ perspective, it would be better to see reynard nervously bring up the topic rather than confidently. moreover, his rare nervousness was quite cute. yurina swallowed a laugh at his sigh when the door cautiously opened. reynard sprang up from the sofa as if he was bounced off. yurina quickly got up from her seat, tightly holding his hand. ¡°don¡¯t just stand there, sit down.¡± marchioness carthia entered, sat down on the opposite side without a word, her stern face expressionless. the marchioness always smiled warmly in front of yurina. she had never seen such a poker face before. ¡®why is she like that?¡¯ yurina was a little taken aback. she had thought the marchioness would be pleased, but the current atmosphere seemed like she wasn¡¯t liking the situation. did reynard feel what yurina was feeling? he sat down even more tensely. his broad shoulders stiffened at a right angle. following reynard, yurina was also slightly tense and casually covered the engagement ring on her right hand with her left. betsy, who brought the tea, darted her eyes around the unusual atmosphere, watching yurina¡¯s moves before quickly leaving the drawing room. marchioness carthia drank the tea that betsy had poured without a word. reynard didn¡¯t even touch the tea, just swallowing his dry saliva. yurina sipped her tea cautiously while watching the marchioness¡¯ expression to guess her thoughts. a sense of tension filled the room without any conversation. only after marchioness carthia finished her cup of tea, she put down the teacup and opened her mouth. ¡°you didn¡¯t even touch your tea. don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°no, i like it.¡± reynard, who responded in a flat tone as if reading a book, awkwardly picked up the teacup. he gulped down the steaming tea without even a single grimace on his face. as he put down his empty cup, there was a clinking sound of the ceramics hitting each other. it¡¯s etiquette to put down a teacup gently without making a noise. reynard, who had learned manners since childhood, usually didn¡¯t make a single sound, but it seems he was incredibly tense. reynard slightly bit his lip, perhaps thinking that he made a mistake instead of showing his good side to marchioness carthia. the marchioness scanned him from head to toe with an impassive face. ¡°mother, so¡­¡± just as yurina was about to lighten the overly tense atmosphere and say something, a soft laugh slipped from marchioness carthia¡¯s lips. yurina and reynard looked at each other once and then stared blankly at the marchioness. the marchioness, who had completely wiped the stern expression off her face a moment ago, started laughing as if she found it amusing, covering her mouth with her hand. ¡°look at your tense faces. how is it so similar to when you were a child? you had the same look when you first came to see me, grabbing cookies and then suddenly noticing me.¡± Chapter 144 ¡°what?¡± ¡°you¡¯ve always been like that since you were little. seeming to act freely without fear of the world, but always busy looking at yurina¡¯s reactions after doing what you wanted. you¡¯re grown up now, but you¡¯re just like when you were little, how curious.¡± the marchioness looked at the two children with nostalgic eyes. they were cute and lovely, reacting to every single one of her words, all tensed up like children who had done something wrong. they may think they¡¯re all grown up, but in her eyes, they were still small, delicate children who needed to be cared for with love. she remembered the first day yurina brought reynard. just like today, both children were very tense. yurina introduced reynard with a worried look, wondering if the marchioness might kick him out, and reynard was trying to act confident but gulping down dry saliva. they were so cute and pretty. even now, just thinking about it made her laugh. these little children had grown up so much. had they just grown up? they were now trying to step forward in search of their own lives. she didn¡¯t know it would turn out like this at the time, but as long as the two were happy, that was enough. their laughter, their chattering voices, their lips that painted pretty smiles. if she could just protect that, what couldn¡¯t she do? but she felt a little sad at the thought of letting these children go. ¡®they could stay a little longer in my arms.¡¯ but what can she do? if this is what the children choose, she has to accept it. however, she felt like teasing these cute children a little more. marchioness carthia erased the smile from her face and put on a stern expression again. while yurina seemed to have regained her composure, knowing her heart, reynard was tensed up, sitting straight. ¡°you called for a meeting but haven¡¯t said anything. didn¡¯t you come here to tell me something?¡± ¡°ah¡­¡± reynard swallowed his dry saliva, clenched and unclenched his fist. he had perfectly sorted out what he was going to say in his mind before coming here, but now he couldn¡¯t think of anything. his mind was white, and his sight was pitch black. marchioness carthia was fond of him from the first day she saw him. not only did she not harbor prejudice against his red eyes, she treated him as family beyond a mere servant. she seemed similar to aunt marie at first glance, but was clearly different. aunt marie was a close friend of reynard¡¯s mother, so it was understandable that she treated him like her own son. but marchioness carthia was different. she was born a noblewoman. raised seeing and hearing only good things. she was a person who, although kind to her employees, couldn¡¯t mingle with the common people. considering that she¡¯s the mother of yurina, whom she treasures, it was already unusual for her to treat reynard like a family member. would she even allow him to marry yurina? frankly, he wasn¡¯t sure. treating someone like family and actually becoming family are different things. no matter how unpretentious marchioness carthia is towards him now, the moment he says he wants to marry yurina, she might harshly cast him out. yurina assured him that wouldn¡¯t happen, but honestly, to reynard, the possibility of being cast out seemed greater than being easily permitted. reynard is about to receive a baronet title and join the ranks of nobility. curtis has even promised to give him a higher title once he becomes emperor. but the people of the esteemed carthia family, who have a reputation over generations, may not approve of reynard, a commoner who has just become a noble. ¡®so what?¡¯ he steeled his resolve. was he going to give up just because the people of carthia oppose it? absolutely not. he had to make an effort to get permission somehow. if he couldn¡¯t get permission until the end, he would just run away with yurina to a place where the carthia family couldn¡¯t follow. but he couldn¡¯t do that. reynard could be happy if he only had yurina, she was his whole world, but yurina wasn¡¯t the same. it was painful to acknowledge that he couldn¡¯t be her everything, but he knew all too well how precious her family was to yurina. he was confident that he could run away and live happily with yurina alone in his hometown, but yurina wouldn¡¯t. so he wanted to get permission from her family in an upright manner. he wanted to make yurina smile in the blessings of everyone. reynard firmly held yurina¡¯s hand, adorned with a ruby ring, and spoke confidently. ¡°i know this may seem abrupt. but, madam, i have loved yurina for a long time.¡± his voice came out clear and steady, unbelievable for someone who was just tense. ¡°i wish to marry her after her birthday next spring.¡± the marchioness didn¡¯t respond. she poured tea into an empty teacup as if she hadn¡¯t heard anything and started drinking again. reynard felt a burning tension in his throat. without realizing, his trembling hands were held tightly by yurina. when he turned his head, yurina smiled and nodded as if to say it was okay. he felt encouraged. ¡°i know it sounds clich¨¦, but i am confident that i can make yurina happy. no matter what happens, i can protect yurina. and¡­¡± he interlocked fingers with yurina and steadied his voice. ¡°yurina needs me.¡± at the same time as he said this, there was a clink, the sound of a teacup being set down. it was a noise made by the marchioness setting her teacup down. it was hard to believe that the meticulous marchioness, who always instructed about manners, made such a sound, and reynard, forgetting what he was about to say, watched her. then, marchioness carthia started laughing again. it was a bigger and more joyful laugh than before. at the same time, the previously stiff atmosphere softened like marshmallow. reynard blankly watched as the marchioness wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. the marchioness, who was catching her breath to hold back her laughter, had her usual warm and gentle expression. her previously cold expression was nowhere to be seen. ¡°oh, dear. are you asking for marriage permission, or bragging about yourself? well, it is just like you.¡± it sounded like a reprimand, but her voice was not. she spoke with a voice mixed with laughter. ¡°it may be fine for me, but when you go back to the mansion and speak to other family members, it would be better to leave out the last part. it won¡¯t be easy to get permission from those men, and saying something like that could get their hackles up. they still think that yurina likes them the most, and bringing up such a thing might make them jealous. well, i find such talk cute though¡­¡± reynard, who had been nodding and engraving her advice in his head, opened his eyes wide at her last words. ¡°so¡­¡± ¡°before that, may i ask one thing?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°why does it have to be next spring? you¡¯ll be busy once you get a title, and yurina will also be busy socializing and going places once she becomes an adult¡­ couldn¡¯t you just have an engagement ceremony and take your time with the wedding?¡± yurina had asked the same question. they were both still young and had plenty of time, so why not do what they wanted a bit more and marry a little later? reynard answered her without hesitation. even now, he could give the same answer. ¡°i want to become a family with yurina as soon as possible.¡± he knew that he was still close to yurina. however, he wanted their relationship to be a bit more solid so that no one could deny it. he was also worried about other men targeting yurina. whether his answer was unexpected, marchioness carthia widened her eyes in surprise and spread her arms. ¡°come here. let¡¯s hug.¡± reynard looked at yurina, and when he saw her nod, he got up from his seat nervously. marchioness carthia turned her attention to yurina. ¡°yurina, you too.¡± yurina, who had been smiling at reynard¡¯s back, also got up from her seat late and approached her. the marchioness was on the small side. even with only yurina, it seemed burdensome to hug both yurina and reynard at once, but she stretched her arms as far as possible and embraced their shoulders. ¡°so, are you happy?¡± her voice asking so was soaked with emotion. yurina felt a sudden surge of emotion at the soothing touch on her shoulder and swallowed hard, nodding. ¡°yes. i¡¯m very happy.¡± the satisfied marchioness then asked reynard. ¡°how about you?¡± ¡°i¡¯m happy too.¡± ¡°that¡¯s good, then.¡± marchioness carthia nodded. ¡°there is no parent who wins over their child. if you two are happy, i¡¯m good with that.¡± finally, the permission dropped. reynard, not believing it, made a startled face, then nodded heavily as if determined. ¡°i¡¯ll do better from now on.¡± * * * after reynard left, yurina stayed in marchioness carthia¡¯s bedroom. it was because the marchioness had suggested they sleep together before she returned to the mansion tomorrow. unlike marchioness carthia, who was lying on the bed with a relaxed face, yurina couldn¡¯t easily get into bed. even if she now felt like her real mother, it was a bit awkward to lie down and sleep side by side in one bed. since they had never slept in the same bed when she was young, it felt even more awkward. yurina, who was hesitating by the side of the bed, carefully lay down on the bed at the marchioness¡¯s urging. ¡°when you were a child, we often slept together like this, and now you¡¯re of marriageable age.¡± the marchioness murmured to herself as she covered yurina with a blanket. the ¡®childhood¡¯ she was talking about was before yurina was ten years old, that is, before ¡®yurina carthia¡¯ was possessed. she had never slept with her since she came here. ¡°do you feel very awkward?¡± ¡°no.¡± she tried to speak calmly, but her voice was a little strange. the marchioness smiled softly. ¡°you seem very awkward. but understand. once we return to the mansion, we¡¯ll be busy preparing for the wedding, so i wanted to spend time together like this before we go.¡± ¡°there¡¯s still plenty of time until next spring.¡± ¡°it might seem like that now, but once you start preparing, you¡¯ll think next spring is fast. time really flies without a chance to blink.¡± she moved closer and gave yurina a pillow to lie on. marchioness carthia¡¯s arm pillow was quite different from reynard¡¯s. although his big, chubby arm was more stable, and his wide, warm chest was more comfortable to lie on, strangely, the marchioness¡¯s arms and chest felt much warmer. yurina shook off her awkwardness and buried her face in her bosom. marchioness carthia, who was patting her back, suddenly murmured. ¡°but i¡¯m already worried about tomorrow.¡± ¡°why?¡± ¡°your brothers. they¡¯re sure to be shocked when they hear this news¡­ especially the twins, i can¡¯t even imagine how much they¡¯ll jump.¡± yurina, who was about to fall asleep, suddenly felt a flash of consciousness. it was because she remembered the future that she hadn¡¯t thought about because she was relieved that she was recognized by the marchioness. ¡®my brothers¡­¡¯ she was already afraid of tomorrow coming. Chapter 145 when the carriage carrying yurina and marchioness carthia arrived at the mansion, the twins edwin and justin were practicing in the training field behind the mansion. their physique and skills were similar, and neither of them were sparing any effort in the duel, so it seemed like it would never end. the duel had been going on for so long that their faces were covered with sand and sweat. the two of them, fully immersed in the duel, were interrupted by the hasty voice of a servant running towards them. ¡°young masters! madam and the young lady have returned!¡± no more dueling was needed. in fact, the real duel was about to begin. without considering who was first, the two of them threw their wooden swords on the ground and started running towards the main gate. the wooden swords, which should be more precious to a knight than his life, rolled tragically on the sand, but the two of them didn¡¯t look back, running like bulls focused only on what¡¯s ahead. edwin and justin, born as twins, have always been compared to each other since birth. even though they clashed a lot as they both had stubborn personalities and followed the same path of a knight, contrary to the worry of the marquis and marchioness of carthia, they considered each other more as inseparable friends than competitors. there was one thing that neither of them could ever yield, and that was their youngest sister, yurina. usually, when a younger sibling is born, older siblings often become jealous, but edwin and justin never disliked yurina. rather, they both strained to stay close to yurina. as there were three brothers for one sister, they fiercely competed to monopolize yurina. while the slightly older and calmer riggs was less involved, the two twins of the same age were in fierce competition. when they were young, they would roll around on yurina¡¯s bed, each claiming they would sleep with her. when they were at the academy, they would each send a carriage full of gifts to yurina to make sure she didn¡¯t forget them. now that yurina had grown up, they both tried to escort her wherever she went. even now, the two of them had an unspoken agreement that the first one to arrive would escort yurina, and were running at full speed. the winner was edwin. edwin, who arrived first by a narrow margin, dusted off the dust from his dueling clothes with a proud expression. seeing justin grinding his teeth in annoyance was satisfying. but as he was about to approach the carriage to escort yurina, he saw someone who had jumped out before him and frowned. reynard, who had arrived unexpectedly, was escorting marchioness carthia out of the carriage. behind him, yurina also came down from the carriage, holding reynard¡¯s hand. not only did she get out of the carriage, but she continued to hold his hand as they walked towards the mansion. before edwin could think much of it, he met eyes with yurina who was smiling brightly at him, and he smiled back. his always lovely and adorable younger sister seemed even more adorable after not seeing her for over a week. despite yurina¡¯s protest about their overprotectiveness, the two brothers saw her as their young and delicate little sister. so what if she¡¯s soon to be an adult! regardless of yurina¡¯s age, she was still their younger sister. during this time, edwin noticed something strange in yurina¡¯s hand. a ruby ring on her ring finger. she definitely didn¡¯t have it when she left the mansion. only then did he notice reynard¡¯s arm wrapped around yurina¡¯s waist. the two of them were so close there was no room to insert a piece of paper, yurina was smiling happily, there was a ruby ring on her ring finger, and reynard¡¯s red eyes resembled the ruby. even the clueless edwin and justin weren¡¯t so slow as to not realize the situation. the two of them looked at each other in surprise, then turned towards reynard with flushed faces and yelled. ¡°follow us to the training ground right now!¡± * * * reynard headed towards the training ground, following the twins who were fuming as if they were ready to grab his collar and drag him there. before going, he told yurina not to worry and to rest, but yurina couldn¡¯t feel at ease. ¡®i knew the brothers would be upset, but i didn¡¯t expect this as soon as we arrived.¡¯ originally, yurina planned to observe the family¡¯s mood after returning to the mansion and bring up the topic subtly when the brothers were in a good mood. she didn¡¯t expect to be found out as soon as they arrived, especially by the clueless twins. before coming back, yurina, reynard, and marchioness carthia had a discussion about the four men. the three of them concluded that the ones who would most oppose the proposal were not her father, marquis carthia, but the twins. so they planned to approach the twins with the most caution, but it felt like running into the final boss right as they entered the dungeon. ¡®if i had known this would happen, i would have cast an invisibility spell on the ring.¡¯ in fact, it wasn¡¯t that they hadn¡¯t thought about it. however, when they casually brought it up, reynard looked very upset and asked if they were really going to hide it, so they couldn¡¯t ask for the spell to be cast. if they got caught because of the ring, they would have to speak honestly at that time. they vaguely thought so, but suddenly reynard was asked to follow to the training hall. what were they going to do at the training ground of all places? if they thought positively, it was a duel; if negatively, there was nothing but a beating. even if it was a duel, reynard wasn¡¯t a match for the twins based on pure swordsmanship. then, wasn¡¯t the outcome obvious? looking anxiously in the direction where reynard and her two brothers disappeared, marchioness carthia opened her mouth as if it was nothing serious. ¡°let it be. your brothers won¡¯t make a fuss, will they?¡± but yurina shivered at the thought that her two brothers could make a ¡®fuss¡¯. despite the marchioness urging her to go in, she didn¡¯t move, and soon started walking towards the training hall instead of the mansion. betsy followed her with an equally anxious face. cheers from the knights could be heard even before they reached the training hall. between them, they could also hear the dull sound of wooden swords clashing. yurina¡¯s steps quickened a little. making her way through the knights surrounding the training ground, yurina found reynard who was solely receiving edwin¡¯s attacks. even though there was a skill difference, he should not have been so unable to make a single attack and just take it, but he was only defending against edwin¡¯s wooden sword strikes. it was definitely strange compared to when he had actively attacked during the duel with the two twins not long ago. was edwin relentlessly pushing with all his might, or was reynard taking it all to vent his anger? she couldn¡¯t tell which it was, but yurina didn¡¯t feel good about it. why should rey suffer like this? it¡¯s not as if he forced a marriage onto yurina against her will; they both liked each other and decided to get married. even if they are family, why are they making such a fuss if both parties are okay with it? even if they are the brothers who since childhood said, ¡®our little sister is the prettiest, yurina is the best!¡¯ and cherished her, this wasn¡¯t right! so she couldn¡¯t get angry with her brothers. yurina endured the anger welling up from the tips of her hair and tried to approach the two. but when reynard staggered and fell, unable to withstand the furious strength of edwin¡¯s wooden sword, she couldn¡¯t bear it anymore and screamed out. ¡°brother!¡± at her sharp voice, edwin, who was urging reynard to quickly get up, froze with his wooden sword raised. yurina hurriedly ran and tightly embraced the fallen reynard. ¡°it¡¯s okay. let¡¯s go in quickly.¡± how pitiful was the sight of reynard, drenched in sweat and looking after his body first. he¡¯s not one to be treated like this. yurina wiped his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief and turned to look at edwin. edwin¡¯s eyes trembled like an earthquake as he looked at yurina. ¡°are you a knight, or a lowlife, brother? if you have something to say, say it with words. where else would you drive someone who¡¯s not even a formal knight to this point under the guise of a duel?¡± ¡°yurina, brother is¡­¡± edwin tried to excuse himself, but upon seeing yurina¡¯s determined face, he closed his mouth. at the same time, a dull thud echoed in the silent training hall. it was the sound of edwin¡¯s wooden sword falling to the ground. a dull sound echoed again in the training hall where sand was flying around. this time it was the sound of justin, who was watching the situation, dropping his wooden sword. * * * edwin sat on the sofa in the parlor attached to yurina¡¯s bedroom with his arms folded determinedly. yurina, who had changed into her nightclothes, peeked out of her bedroom and stared at edwin. ¡°you¡¯re really not going?¡± ¡°not going.¡± ¡°i¡¯m going to sleep, are you really going to stay there? go to sleep.¡± ¡°i¡¯m staying here.¡± from his determined expression, it looked like he really had no intention of leaving. the reason he was guarding yurina¡¯s room like this was simple. he wanted to prevent yurina and reynard from secretly meeting in the night when everyone else was asleep. even after hearing what yurina had said in the training hall, he still couldn¡¯t accept their relationship. justin also couldn¡¯t accept it, but he wasn¡¯t making as much of a fuss¡­ yurina let out a deep sigh. ¡°even if you keep guarding my room like this, my feelings won¡¯t change.¡± ¡°i know. but i¡¯ll still be here.¡± ¡°alright. do as you wish. i¡¯m going to sleep.¡± instead of persuading him, yurina went back into her bedroom. edwin stared blankly at the tightly closed door. he still couldn¡¯t believe the relationship between yurina and reynard. he didn¡¯t think that reynard would dare to look at yurina. although reynard was a commoner and an orphan, edwin didn¡¯t look at reynard with such prejudice. even to other men, he was quite attractive. with his tall and handsome appearance, which anyone would fall for, and being a genius wizard who graduated early from the prestigious crohn royal academy, which was difficult to get into and even harder to leave. in addition, he was soon to be ennobled for his role in capturing a rebel. it was a lowly title compared to the esteemed house of marquis carthia, but what did the title matter? he had the ability to shut up anyone who talked behind their back. moreover, his love for yurina was no less than that of any other man. so, if you looked at it conditionally, he was the perfect husband for yurina. however, edwin was not yet ready to accept this. ¡®my little sister is getting married¡­¡¯ Chapter 146 edwin still vividly remembered yurina¡¯s childhood. a small girl appeared in the mansion filled with lively boys wreaking havoc all over. yurina, who resembled her mother, was lovable in every action. her chubby cheeks sucking on snacks, her short limbs flailing as she followed her older brothers, her bright smile whenever their eyes met¡­ now she was grown up and no longer followed her brothers around like she used to, but he still had a pretty little sister who often takes time to have tea time. he had been away for a long time attending the academy, and now that they had finally reunited, she was planning to leave the family and live independently. yurina was always his sister, no matter where or when, but being in the family¡¯s embrace and getting married to start a family felt different. ¡®but i can¡¯t keep opposing it¡­¡¯ what¡¯s worse is the fact that he can¡¯t keep doing this. he should be congratulating her if it¡¯s really for yurina¡¯s sake¡­ with a heavy heart, edwin let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes. * * * although she lay down in bed to sleep, she couldn¡¯t fall asleep. it was because of edwin, who was likely still sitting outside her bedroom. ¡®it¡¯s really annoying.¡¯ the last image of his face didn¡¯t fade from her sight. since yurina took reynard¡¯s side, he looked dejected as if the world had collapsed, didn¡¯t say a word to her in his sulky mood, and eventually sulked like a big dog betrayed by its trusted owner. compared to the times when he would always smile, saying ¡®our cute little sister¡¯, it was quite distressing. ¡®even if he¡¯s going to oppose it, he should go to sleep. why is he enduring it?¡¯ yurina, who had been tossing and turning in bed, finally got up and went to edwin. he was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed. although he was a big brother, who was definitely taller than her, why did he look so small today? edwin lifted his head as he felt yurina¡¯s presence. he looked as if he was about to smile involuntarily as their eyes met, but then he crossed his arms and turned his gaze away. ¡®he¡¯s not a child anymore.¡¯ children often show their sulky mood by avoiding eye contact with their mothers. seeing edwin acting like a child, it seemed that he loved her as blindly as a baby follows its mother. ¡°isn¡¯t it dark?¡± only one candle was lit on the table right now. the room was so spacious that it was dark enough that edwin¡¯s figure was hardly visible. yurina brought extra candles over and transferred the flame, then sat next to him. edwin glanced at yurina and turned his back to sit down. it was clear that he didn¡¯t want to have a conversation with her at this time. ¡®really, he¡¯s not even a kid.¡¯ yurina sighed deeply and rested her head on his back. ¡°brother.¡± upon arriving at the mansion, she hadn¡¯t been able to properly converse with edwin due to the rush. yurina decided to have an honest conversation with him now. ¡°do you not like reynard?¡± ¡°of course!¡± edwin yelled out loudly. ¡°there¡¯s nothing about him i like!¡± despite his brave words, he quickly quietened down while looking at yurina¡¯s face. ¡°just to be clear, i don¡¯t dislike him because he is a commoner or a child supported by our family.¡± ¡°then?¡± ¡°i just don¡¯t like him.¡± ¡°but you used to like him. you always seemed to enjoy your time in dalian.¡± ¡°that was then, this is now! i wouldn¡¯t have liked anyone you brought! there¡¯s no man in the world that suits my taste!¡± edwin suddenly turned around. in doing so, yurina stumbled, and he reflexively grabbed her arm. ¡°are you okay?¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°i¡¯m sorry.¡± with that apology, he clammed up like a shell. an awkward silence swirled between them. yurina waited for him to open his mouth, then went to the bedroom to get a blanket and covered his knees. then edwin put the blanket back around yurina¡¯s shoulders. ¡°why did you come out if you were going to bed?¡± ¡°how can i sleep when you¡¯re out here? if you¡¯re worried about me, you should go to bed too. i¡¯ll go in then.¡± he didn¡¯t reply. yurina put one side of the blanket on her shoulder onto edwin¡¯s. luckily, the blanket was big enough for the two to share. ¡°doing this won¡¯t change my mind. you know how stubborn i am.¡± ¡°i know. but¡­¡± edwin, who had been mumbling as if talking to himself, buried his face in his hands. his grumbling voice seeped through his fingers. ¡°why are you in such a hurry to get married?¡± from his words, it seemed like yurina and reynard were pushing the marriage quite hastily, but it wasn¡¯t necessarily so. in case of strategic marriages intertwined with family interests, it was often carried out as soon as they became adults. ¡°of course, it¡¯s relatively quick for a love marriage. in the case of love marriages, people usually start dating after reaching adulthood and interacting with other families, so it¡¯s common to get married about 1 or 2 years after reaching adulthood. however, considering that yurina debuted unusually early in the social world last spring, it couldn¡¯t be said to be too fast. ¡°what¡¯s so fast about it? if anything, it¡¯s riggs who is late. he¡¯s 22 years old and still doesn¡¯t have a fianc¨¦e. you guys are also on the later side.¡± ¡°well, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡± edwin closed his mouth for a moment and added reluctantly. ¡°do you not like us?¡± ¡°what?¡± taken aback by his unexpected words, yurina asked in surprise, her voice unintentionally rising. ¡°what are you talking about all of a sudden? why is the conversation going that way?¡± ¡°do you dislike this mansion so much that you want to get out as soon as possible?¡± ah, now she seemed to understand edwin¡¯s intention. so, he was worried that yurina would distance herself from them by getting married. in this vast land, where people communicate by letters, marriage and setting up a new family inevitably reduced interaction with the original family. in cases where territories were far apart, it could be hard to see each other even once or twice a year. ¡®come to think of it, there were nobles who used marriage as an escape from their families.¡¯ it¡¯s a common theme in romance novels. the story of the heroine, who was oppressed by her naughty family and employees, making a contract marriage with the hero to escape from her hellish life. in that sense, it was understandable why edwin had such a misunderstanding, but it was a little unfair. ¡®i never thought about that.¡¯ even if reynard inherited his territory, yurina and reynard would spend most of their time in the capital. since the only family they had were the people of carthia, they would naturally visit the carthia mansion frequently. so, yurina had never thought about distancing herself from her family after getting married. she hadn¡¯t even considered that her brothers might be worrying about that. ¡°there¡¯s no way. even if i get married, i¡¯ll often come to see you guys. this place is also my home.¡± ¡°really?¡± his voice, which had been gloomy just a moment ago, brightened a bit. ¡°of course. why do you think i would dislike you guys and not see you? don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± yurina narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. ¡°were you planning not to see me after getting married? is that why you thought that?¡± she said it jokingly to lighten his mood, but edwin seemed to take it seriously and jumped up. ¡°there¡¯s no way!¡± ¡°then it¡¯s settled. isn¡¯t it??¡± ¡°but it still seems too fast. why are you in such a hurry? you¡¯re just becoming an adult. you¡¯re just getting out of your family¡¯s protection and starting to see a bigger world.¡± edwin continued his explanation in a gentle voice. yurina listened silently, without interrupting him. ¡°i won¡¯t say that if you socialize, you¡¯ll find a better man than him because you seem determined. honestly, i don¡¯t think a better guy will appear.¡± despite saying he didn¡¯t like it, it seemed he wasn¡¯t actually that against reynard. ¡°but it¡¯s different to be in society as yurina carthia and to be in society as the baroness. i¡¯m not talking about the difference in status. unlike yurina carthia, who can do whatever she wants with carthia on her back, a barons¡¯ wife has a lot to think about as the leading lady of a house and a lot she shouldn¡¯t do.¡± ¡°yes, i know.¡± ¡°why are you trying to do that already? if it has to be him, you can get engaged now and get married in 2 or 3 years.¡± why next spring? yurina reminded herself of reynard¡¯s words. reynard, who wanted to become her family as soon as possible, even if it was just one day earlier. knowing what family meant to him, she couldn¡¯t refuse his proposal. ¡°rey is alone.¡± yurina added in a calm voice. ¡°i have you guys, parents, even the people of carthia mansion including betsy. everyone who can do anything for me. but rey, he has no one.¡± she recalled reynard trying to act calm in front of his parents¡¯ graves. she also recalled him silently crying in the kitchen filled with happy and sad memories. going further, she thought of young tom who couldn¡¯t fit in with peers and used to sit alone in the orphanage backyard. back then, only yurina reached out to him, but now things were different. in his hometown, there was aunt marie who cherished him like her own son, in the capital there was dave who cared for his only disciple as a family, and in the crohn kingdom, there were friends who would rush into his affairs without fear. they all truly cherished reynard. but ironically, reynard wasn¡¯t their first priority. aunt marie and aiden had their own families who were more precious than reynard, and dave had the carthia family he needed to obey first. there were many who thought of yurina first, but sadly, there was only one person in this world who thought of him first, yurina. so shouldn¡¯t she be there for him? just as seven years ago, on that day. ¡°after receiving the title, rey won¡¯t be able to stay here in this mansion with our support anymore. he would have to stay alone in another strange mansion, and i didn¡¯t want to leave him alone.¡± yurina tightly held edwin¡¯s big hand. ¡°so brother, shouldn¡¯t we not consider it as me becoming independent, but as rey becoming our family?¡± there was no response. but yurina wasn¡¯t impatient. she thought edwin needed time to accept this. ¡®it¡¯s too sudden.¡¯ but she wasn¡¯t worried. edwin is her brother who cherishes and loves her more than his own life. like there are no parents who lose to their children, he would ultimately take yurina¡¯s side. edwin raised his hand, lightly pinching yurina¡¯s two cheeks. ¡°oh, you naughty girl.¡± although it was not a situation to laugh, yurina couldn¡¯t help but laugh at those words. edwin always affectionately referred to yurina as our pretty sister, our cute little one, our youngest and so on. the fact that he was annoyed was evident from the unusual words he used. ¡°you said i was cute, now i am naughty?¡± ¡°you¡¯re naughty because you don¡¯t listen to your brother.¡± this time, he pulled yurina¡¯s nose with his big hand that was with callused skin. yurina¡¯s face turned a bit goofy, but instead of laughing, she looked as if she was about to cry any second. she had a tight-lipped expression and her chin was shivering. yurina pressed his chin with her fingers. ¡°brother is the naughty one. what is this.¡± not knowing where the problem was in her words, he clenched his teeth to suppress the rising emotions. ¡°my cute sister.¡± his teary voice suddenly stirred emotions. when was it? when did the excessive affection of the brothers, who are foolish for their sister, start to feel gentle instead of strange or awkward? ¡°are you happy?¡± despite the sudden question, yurina was able to answer right away. ¡°yes, i¡¯m happy.¡± ¡°that¡¯s all that matters.¡± as he let go of yurina¡¯s nose, he murmured as if he was making a promise to himself. ¡°that¡¯s all that matters.¡± then he wrapped a blanket around yurina and stood up from his seat. ¡°where are you going?¡± ¡°to sleep. so you should go to sleep soon too.¡± he left the room without looking back. yurina sat there staring at the door where edwin had left for a long time. Chapter 147 his mouth was dry, and cold sweat broke out on his palms. trying his best not to show his nervousness, reynard looked at the four men sitting in front of him. marquis carthia and yurina¡¯s three older brothers. he usually wasn¡¯t nervous whether the other party was a nobleman whom people couldn¡¯t properly look at, or a knight who was considered one of the best in the empire. but just the fact that they were yurina¡¯s family made him tense. yurina had volunteered to come along, but she couldn¡¯t muster the courage to follow after the words of marquis carthia asking her to wait in the room. even if it weren¡¯t for the marquis, reynard would have sent her back. ¡°this is my job.¡± he didn¡¯t propose without being prepared for this much. the twins, edwin and justin, glared at him as if they were ready to kill him any moment, but they didn¡¯t say anything. it was thanks to yurina¡¯s persuasion. of course, it¡¯s not to say that they fully accepted him, but not opposing him was a start. the real problem was the remaining two. marquis carthia, scrutinizing reynard with a stern face, and riggs carthia, sitting with an inscrutable expression. ¡°it¡¯ll be harder to persuade brother riggs than father.¡± before reynard went into the drawing room, yurina whispered quietly into his ear. ¡°there are many times when i don¡¯t even know what brother riggs is thinking. and once he gets angry, he¡¯s scary. that¡¯s why the little brothers try not to provoke riggs brother¡¯s temper.¡± upon seeing it, it certainly seemed to be the case. reynard, with his fists clenched, was about to speak about the marriage. but riggs, who had been silent with an emotionless face, spoke first. ¡°do we need to hear the story, father?¡± then he rose from his seat and bowed to the marquis. ¡°i¡¯ll excuse myself first.¡± reynard blankly watched riggs leave the reception room with an elegant stride. the twins followed him with excited expressions. he was rejected before he even started the conversation. in other words, it wasn¡¯t worth listening to his story. * * * surprisingly, persuading marquis carthia wasn¡¯t difficult. perhaps because the marchioness had already persuaded him, he calmly listened to reynard¡¯s words. the things reynard toldtthe marchioness, such as his sincere feelings for yurina, and his promise to keep her safe no matter what, marquis carthia calmly listened and then asked a few questions. what would he do once he was granted the title, where would he live, those sorts of questions. ¡°the crown prince suggested that i join the imperial knights, but i don¡¯t want to. i want to join the academy as a professor and raise the next generation while doing research.¡± reynard had no interest in curtis¡¯ implied request for him to serve as his escort. he didn¡¯t want to get entangled in politics with the imperial family, and above all, he didn¡¯t want to face curtis. however, as he spoke, he was worried. he was concerned that the carthia, who had been loyal to the imperial family for generations, might not appreciate his different approach. contrary to his worries, marquis carthia didn¡¯t seem bothered at all. ¡°raising the next generation, huh? good. the empire has been feeling the need for magical development. your skills will be more beneficial to the empire than joining the imperial knights. and there will be no need to get tangled up in unnecessary matters.¡± rather, he seemed to welcome his decision. ¡°and i plan to set up a mansion in the capital. even if i receive a fief, most of the time will be spent in the capital, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± after hearing this, marquis carthia was silent for a while. after a long silence, he nodded, indicating that he had listened to the story. that was the end. there was no approval, no disapproval. reynard wondered if he should persuade him more actively, but marchioness carthia and yurina reassured him. the marquis had already given his permission. so, the only one left was riggs carthia. but he wasn¡¯t an easy opponent. he was against their marriage to the extent that he refused to listen to their story. if he had fussed and raged like edwin and justin, it would have been easier to persuade him. but how could he persuade him when he wouldn¡¯t even give him a chance to talk? reynard visited riggs several times after that day, but he avoided him for various reasons. he even considered sending a gift that he might like, but yurina opposed. ¡°he might think it¡¯s a bribe. then he¡¯ll be more opposed.¡± then what should he do? after a few days of contemplation, reynard went to the training field with a wooden sword. riggs, who was watching the knights¡¯ duels, looked at reynard because of the buzzing sounds around him. was it unexpected that he came with a wooden sword? riggs couldn¡¯t ignore reynard and watched him approach directly. ¡°i heard that knights communicate through swords.¡± it was something that aiden said. he didn¡¯t understand when the magician¡¯s apprentice insisted on dueling while talking about the knight¡¯s qualifications, but now his words seemed useful. ¡°i won¡¯t say much.¡± riggs, who had been staring at reynard¡¯s serious face for a moment, didn¡¯t signal and picked up a wooden sword himself. in the presence of the knights of the family, including the twins, the duel began. reynard clenched his teeth and took riggs¡¯s descending sword. unlike edwin¡¯s sword, which didn¡¯t hide its emotions and swung wildly, riggs¡¯s sword was calm and refined. however, contrary to appearances, the power of the descending sword was stronger than edwin¡¯s, as if the emotions were embedded in the sword. it¡¯s a much stronger power than when they dueled a few times before. just deflecting it once made his wrists numb. when he dueled with edwin a few days ago, he didn¡¯t counterattack on purpose to soothe his anger and just took his sword. today, unlike that day, he intended to actively participate in the duel. however, riggs didn¡¯t give him a chance to counterattack and kept pressing him. he seemed to be more aggressive than when he was dealing with the same knight. he began to feel overwhelmed just by barely taking the sword. but he couldn¡¯t back down like this. reynard gritted his teeth and stared straight into riggs¡¯s blue eyes, which were pushing his clashed sword with power. among the spectators holding their breath, the sound of wooden swords colliding was heard in the training field. yurina, who seemed to have heard the news and rushed over, was sandwiched between justin and edwin, looking anxious. reynard reflexively smiled at her and took the sword attacking his waist. the collided wooden swords slipped and made a chilling noise. how much time had passed? when he could barely open his eyes because of the sweat, there was a gap. reynard didn¡¯t miss the gap and stabbed the wooden sword. riggs¡¯s reaction was slow. he hurriedly tried to protect his flank, but before that, the tip of reynard¡¯s wooden sword touched his side. there was a chilling silence as if a mouse had died. everyone was stiffened without any reaction to the unbelievable result. but only one person. ¡°i must admit your tenacity. after all, you survived in a strange land where you didn¡¯t know anyone and even graduated early.¡± riggs, the only one who put his sword away and respectfully greeted as a knight. ¡°i look forward to working with you.¡± he tapped reynard¡¯s shoulder and left the training field. in fact, anyone who was watching, including reynard who actually dueled, would know. this wasn¡¯t a match that reynard won. riggs gave him a break. reynard stared blankly at riggs¡¯s retreating back, remembering aiden¡¯s voice. ¡°i told you, didn¡¯t i? a duel feels more sincere than a hundred words! you did well to learn the sword, just as i said.¡± if aiden had been watching this scene, he would have been smug. yurina, who had been watching from afar, ran over and wiped reynard¡¯s face with the sleeve of her dress. she didn¡¯t say anything. she just looked at him and smiled lovingly. edwin and justin, who followed her, clicked their tongues and shook their heads. ¡°brother, really. if you were going to lose so easily, why did you waste time till now?¡± ¡°exactly. if i knew this, i would have dueled him myself. i didn¡¯t even get to duel with him because of you. i¡¯m still not over it.¡± when yurina silently turned around, the two men scratched their heads in guilt. ¡°the weather is nice.¡± ¡°exactly. it¡¯s too nice to be dueling.¡± then they hurriedly left the training field following riggs. * * * [hey, congratulations! the news has reached here!] suddenly, the booming voice of aiden tessie echoed in the room. yurina, who was tasting various kinds of desserts to be served at the wedding reception, was startled and turned toward the sound. reynard, with a grim expression, slapped down the card he was holding. simultaneously, the voice shouting ¡®lucky you!¡¯ abruptly cut off. ¡°what was that just now?¡± ¡°it seems they¡¯ve invented something strange at the academy. this kind of thing wasn¡¯t around when i was there.¡± ¡°what is it then? isn¡¯t that a letter from aiden?¡± yurina, who had approached, picked up the card, only for reynard to hurriedly snatch it from her hands. ¡°don¡¯t open it. the voice will start again.¡± ¡°the sound came from this card?¡± she asked, hardly believing, but he nodded without hesitation. ¡°yeah. it seems to be a card that transmits sound. i¡¯m not sure how it works, but as soon as you open it, you can hear the voice.¡± ¡°ah, i¡¯ve seen something like that.¡± reynard raised an eyebrow as if he didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°you¡¯ve seen it? where?¡± ¡°ah, not in real life, but in a novel¡­¡± yurina, thinking of a magic school fantasy novel she had seen in her previous life, trailed off. ¡°but, can¡¯t we read that? it seems like it contains our wedding news.¡± ¡°uhm¡­¡± judging by his hesitation, he wanted to read it, but he was hesitant because of the sound magic that would start again. yurina watched him and then covered her ears with both hands. ¡°i¡¯ll do this. this way, it won¡¯t hurt my ears as much. so, open it quickly. i¡¯m curious too. there might be news from other people.¡± ¡°he¡¯s not exactly a meticulous type to share news about other kids¡­¡± reynard glanced at yurina, who was covering her ears tightly, and unfolded the card. then he threw the card to a corner of the room. aiden¡¯s voice filled the room again. [hey, congratulations! the news has reached here! lucky you! while i¡¯m struggling to write a thesis, you get to be happy!] Chapter 148 [ah, really! aiden! are you congratulating or cursing? please, shut up for a moment.] a new voice was heard in between aiden¡¯s words. when yurina raised an eyebrow and looked at reynard, he said it was nathan¡¯s voice. he explained that nathan¡¯s voice had changed due to puberty. for yurina, who only remembered the clear and high voice of a thirteen-year-old, this was quite a shocking news. ¡°well, it is the right age. boys change a lot during puberty.¡± ¡°yeah. he¡¯s fifteen now.¡± ¡°he must have grown a lot taller.¡± ¡°he started growing rapidly when i graduated, so he must be pretty tall now.¡± reynard, possibly thinking of old friends he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time, gazed at the letter on the floor with a somewhat nostalgic look in his eyes. [ugh, aiden, you!] it seemed that nathan was trying to silence aiden. [but thomas, is it really possible that if we talk to the letter like this, our voices get delivered to reynard? is that really possible?] [well, according to the invention team, yes. but it¡¯s still an experimental product, so i can¡¯t be sure.] [hey, what the hell. so you¡¯re saying it could just be a blank card.] [just try it. from what i understand, it seems like all our chatter is being recorded too. just speak to the point. if you¡¯re worried, you can write a separate letter and send it together.] [ah, right! reynard, can you hear me?] reynard found himself nodding to the innocent question. [hey, hey! this isn¡¯t telecommunication magic. what¡¯s the point of asking if you can¡¯t hear the answer?] [i just wanted to ask once! ah, really! thomas, please take aiden out. i can¡¯t do anything because of aiden!] [what did i do¡­ uh!] reynard shook his head as if to say, ¡®that guy¡¯s still like that.¡¯ [thomas bro, i¡¯m holding tight to aiden bro! where were we? oh, right! reynard bro, i heard you¡¯re getting married in the spring. the whole academy is in a frenzy over your wedding news. you¡¯re marrying that really pretty sister we saw, right?] then, yurina nodded her head, saying nathan has a crush on her. [we want to go to your wedding too¡­ but as you know, we¡¯re not as smart as you, so we¡¯re not sure if we¡¯ll graduate this time. everyone is busy writing their graduation thesis, but the professors¡¯ reactions aren¡¯t very good. but if there¡¯s anyone graduating this time, we¡¯ll definitely go.] yurina was calculating the dates in her head. it was mid-march now. reynard¡¯s friends, who had finished their seventh year, were in the midst of struggling with their graduation theses. [you should have done it a year later! we¡¯re young, why are you getting married already!] [can we graduate next year? looking at you now, even if it¡¯s next year, it seems like we won¡¯t be able to go!] the light argument between nathan and aiden started again. just by hearing their voices, she could imagine the scene. yurina unknowingly smiled happily and observed reynard¡¯s face. when did he first cover his card because it was noisy, but now he was concentrating on this noisy conversation. at some point, his eyes became red and moist. yurina leaned her head on his shoulder and patted his hand resting on his thigh. reynard flipped his hand and tightly held hers. [ah, i really don¡¯t understand why our academy doesn¡¯t allow us to leave the kingdom before graduation. anyway, reynard bro, congratulations on your wedding! even if we can¡¯t go, we¡¯ll congratulate you here. so don¡¯t be too upset if we can¡¯t go. we¡¯re really writing our thesis hard! it¡¯s just that we¡¯re not as good as you.] [bro, congratulations!] [me too, congratulations! be happy!] after nathan¡¯s voice, alex¡¯s and thomas¡¯s voices continued. and then there was a moment of silence. ¡°is it over?¡± ¡°um, i don¡¯t know¡­¡± aiden¡¯s greeting, the most important one, is missing? yurina glared at the voice letter missing the most important part. as if reading her thoughts, reynard muttered nonchalantly. ¡°aiden must have really been kicked out because he was noisy. i guess he forgot to finish the letter.¡± reynard, who took a breath through his nose, muttered calmly, got up from his seat, and walked towards the letter he had thrown on the floor. he was about to bend over and pick up the card. [hey, reynard. are you listening? don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already cut off without listening to my congratulations?] aiden¡¯s voice, calm compared to his earlier chirpy voice, flowed out. [what¡¯s up, aiden bro. when i asked you earlier, you said it wasn¡¯t communication magic, and all that.] [i¡¯m talking seriously for the first time in a long time, so be quiet, nathan.] [humph.] reynard had already picked up the letter and carefully brushed off the dust that had touched the floor. yurina got close behind him and hugged his waist from behind. [hey, i¡¯ve always known you would end up with lady carthia. are you happy that you even graduated early to meet lady carthia, leaving us behind? for you, love is more important than friendship, right?] ¡°¡­¡± [you little bastard. i¡¯ve only not seen you for a year now, but i already miss you so much! without you, i have no one to spar with. the swordsmanship kids don¡¯t want to spar with me, saying they lose every time. even though you always lost, you sparred with me. my siblings keep asking when you¡¯re coming to play again in their letters. those little brats. they never asked me when i would come.] reynard chuckled, shaking his shoulders. [i guess sarah will cry a lot when she hears the news of your marriage. do you remember her singing that she would marry you during the last winter break? the news must be late in the tessie territory, they probably haven¡¯t heard about your wedding yet. there¡¯ll be a big fuss once they hear it.] with that, there was silence again. seizing the moment, yurina stood on tiptoe and rested her chin on reynard¡¯s shoulder and asked, ¡°who is sarah?¡± reynard coughed lightly. ¡°aiden¡¯s eldest sister.¡± ¡°but what¡¯s this about marriage? you told me not to meet the crown prince, what have you been doing behind my back?¡± ¡°that¡¯s because¡­¡± just then, aiden¡¯s voice flowed out of the card again, like a savior. [rey, my dearest friend. can i call you rey? what will you do if you can¡¯t? if you have a complaint, come here!] [he¡¯s not a child.] nathan¡¯s tongue-clicking sound was heard. [rey, congratulations on your wedding from the bottom of my heart. from now on, don¡¯t be lonely alone but live happily with lady carthia. even if i can¡¯t be there, i¡¯ll congratulate you from here.] yurina could tell he was choking up just by his voice, even though she couldn¡¯t see his face. that¡¯s how much his voice was trembling. [i wonder when i¡¯ll be able to see you again, as you¡¯ll live in the empire from now on. as soon as i graduate, i¡¯m going to visit your place first, so wait for me! this year will be tough, but i¡¯ll definitely graduate next year and come, so please wait!] [do you think you can graduate next year? bro, how about transferring to the sword department now? from what i see, it seems much easier to spend 7 more years in the sword department than passing a graduation thesis in the magic department!] [nathan, be quiet a bit! even if i have to threaten the professors, i will graduate next year! i can¡¯t rot here anymore! no, i can go!] aiden began to speak in a higher voice, as if he had suddenly realized something. [no mere graduation thesis can block our friendship! you just wait! even if i get caught crossing the border, i¡¯ll definitely go to your wedding!] [bro, if you get caught, you might not be able to graduate!] [shut up a bit! whether i can¡¯t graduate because i cross the border, or i can¡¯t graduate because of my thesis, it¡¯s the same! just thinking about my thesis wakes me up in my sleep! i¡¯m going to crush these professors, really! just because they are professors doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re everything!] [bro, bro! lower your voice! someone might hear you!] [let them hear! whether they hear or not, i can¡¯t graduate anyway!] the serious atmosphere quickly became noisy again. ¡®as expected of aiden.¡¯ the voice message ended with a choked voice. since aiden¡¯s voice became serious, reynard, who had been breathing roughly, buried his face in the letter as soon as it ended. yurina patted his back, which was bobbing up and down. ¡®he must miss them a lot.¡¯ reynard never showed it, but he must have missed them all along. they were friends who had been together every day for a whole 6 years, so there was no way he wouldn¡¯t have missed them. especially aiden, he had taken reynard around everywhere to make sure he wasn¡¯t lonely in a strange place. he even took him to his mansion during the holidays when he had nowhere to go. knowing their friendship well, yurina asked if it would be better to have the wedding next year. even though graduating this year would be tough, it seemed better to wait a bit longer for aiden to attend as he should be able to graduate next year. if they were to get married now, there would be no guests on reynard¡¯s side. he was alone, without parents, relatives, or friends to serve as groomsmen. yurina was bothered by this, but reynard just shook his head saying it was okay. as nathan suggested, there was no guarantee that all four friends could come even if they postponed it until next year. ¡°i would rather want to become a family with you a little earlier.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t bring herself to suggest postponing the wedding any longer when he said that much. but seeing reynard miss his friends so much, it hurt her inside. it was too late to postpone the wedding now. reynard wouldn¡¯t want to postpone it either. so the only way was¡­ ¡°rey, shall we go on a trip to the crohn kingdom?¡± reynard, who had been burying his face in his hands for a while, turned his head to look at yurina at her words. yurina wiped the tear stains left on his cheeks and whispered softly. ¡°it¡¯s not that aiden can¡¯t come, it doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t go. it¡¯s a pity that aiden can¡¯t attend the wedding, but we can go see him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°if we time it with the summer vacation, we might be able to visit tessie¡¯s territory as well. i¡¯m curious to see what the countryside territory aiden talked about looks like.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°so let¡¯s go.¡± reynard, who had been staring at yurina blankly, made a complicated face, but soon slowly nodded. however, he still couldn¡¯t shake off his gloomy mood. Chapter 149 there¡¯s a lot to prepare for the wedding. she had heard that preparing for a wedding wasn¡¯t easy even when she was in korea, but it was especially more complicated here. the noble family, and being a major noble family of the empire, the whole family was busy preparing for the wedding. reynard was busy in his own way preparing for it. not long ago, he received a title and received a territory and a mansion in the capital, and with the help of marquis carthia, he began to build a family. at the same time, as he became independent from the carthia mansion and began living in his own mansion, yurina barely saw his face. if she tried to visit formally, the twins would chase her away, asking where she was going, and she restrained herself from visiting secretly with magic, thinking it might just make her more hated if she was caught. thanks to this, yurina spent her time exchanging letters with him occasionally or communicating with him using magical communication tools. although the whole mansion was busy, yurina, the main party, was idle. her family, especially her twin brothers, were busy preparing on her behalf. there wasn¡¯t much time left in this mansion, so they told her to rest and accumulate more memories. however, it seemed to yurina that the two brothers, under the guise of preparation, kept coming to her to chat, perhaps to spend time with her. even she, who had been so leisurely, had one worry about the wedding ceremony. while organizing the guest list for the wedding, yurina suddenly put down her quill and sighed. ¡®it¡¯s too few¡­¡¯ the number of yurina¡¯s guests and reynard¡¯s guests differed too much. to be honest, since she didn¡¯t even attend the academy and was before any formal social activities, yurina didn¡¯t have many people to invite personally. at most, a few friends she became close to through family interactions from childhood. still, thanks to the reputation of the carthia family, there were many people who would attend the wedding. some people were so eager to be invited that the countess had to help her weed out the guest list. on the other hand, even after racking his brains, the number of reynard¡¯s guests couldn¡¯t exceed ten. the family of aunt marie who took care of him since childhood, friends from the academy, and a few professors who cared for him, including professor hudson. that was all. ¡®there¡¯s no guarantee that the academy friends will come¡­¡¯ looking at the letter that arrived recently, there was a high possibility that they couldn¡¯t come. no, it was certain that they couldn¡¯t come with a 99.9 percent probability. the only reason she didn¡¯t think it was 100 percent was because she wanted to hold on to the 0.1 percent hope. also, even professor hudson couldn¡¯t guarantee for sure that he could come. he had the desire to come, but he might be too busy to make time. yurina honestly understood his situation. ¡®it takes a month just to travel.¡¯ it might be hard to make time if lectures and research overlap, even during the academy holidays. given the situation, it was fortunate to meet aunt marie. at first, she refused outright, saying how could a commoner like her go to such a place, but thanks to yurina¡¯s persistent persuasion, she promised to come. looking at the names of academy students, including aiden, yurina sighed deeply. ¡®rey seems to have no expectations.¡¯ just because he had no expectations didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t disappointed. after some serious consideration, yurina erased the name of dave written on her side and put dave¡¯s name on reynard¡¯s guest list. even so, the number was pitifully small compared to yurina¡¯s packed list. if they couldn¡¯t all come¡­ ¡®i hope at least one person can come.¡¯ yurina sincerely cheered while looking at aiden¡¯s name, which she had written in unusually large letters. whether it was threatening the professor to pass the graduation thesis, secretly crossing the border, or any other means, she wished he could come. * * * yurina couldn¡¯t hide her curiosity when she saw the five pairs of white shoes that betsy had placed in front of her. ¡®it¡¯s strange, i was sure i liked them¡­¡¯ when they were busy preparing for the wedding dress, the twins brought in famous designers from the capital after a search. despite yurina¡¯s protest that one pair of shoes for the ceremony would be enough, the two insisted that their sister should be dressed up with the best, and that everything would suit yurina so they couldn¡¯t choose just one. although yurina wasn¡¯t good at interfering, the twins were eager to do something more for her since she announced her intention to marry. even though yurina repeatedly emphasized that it wasn¡¯t about leaving the family but welcoming a new one, the twins behaved as if they were sending her off to a faraway place where they wouldn¡¯t be able to see her for several years. the result was this. five pairs of shoes, each made by a different person. the shoes, born from the twins¡¯ insistence on creating the best, were objectively beautiful. yurina also liked the designs that the designers brought. some of them were promising enough that she looked forward to the finished product. in fact, when one or two finished products arrived, she admired them with betsy and marchioness carthia. but once she put on the dress and tried to put on the shoes herself, there was something unpleasant about it. it was certainly pretty and not unappealing, but it wasn¡¯t exactly to her taste either. betsy, observing her, cautiously asked, ¡°don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°no, i do like it. it¡¯s pretty.¡± yurina smiled at betsy and, with her help, tried on each pair of shoes and examined herself in the mirror. but, ironically, trying them on herself made them even less appealing. marchioness carthia, hearing her story, surprisingly agreed with her. ¡°i had the same problem once.¡± ¡°did you, mother?¡± ¡°yes. as the wedding approached, i found everything displeasing. the dress, accessories, shoes¡­ i wondered if there was something else that would be prettier and suit me better.¡± she shyly smiled as she recalled. with her youthful appearance and such a smile, she looked like a woman in her twenties preparing for her wedding. yurina was suddenly curious about what her thoughts were when she was preparing for her wedding. ¡°how did you feel, mother?¡± ¡°i was excited. but at the same time, i was also anxious.¡± as far as yurina knew, the marquis and marchioness of carthia had a strategic marriage, but not much different from a love marriage. they had been introduced and met each other under the guidance of their family elders, but they got along so well that by the time they got married, they were as close as any couple in love. i wonder if the marchioness, too, had a lot of thoughts before her wedding. ¡°could i, who have lived under the protection of my family, establish another family? could i truly love this person for a lifetime? will i really have no regrets about this choice?¡± ¡°uh¡­¡± yurina didn¡¯t empathize well with her words. she had never thought of the things she listed. but there was one question she wanted to ask. ¡°so, how do you feel now? do you regret that choice?¡± ¡°how do you think i feel?¡± she smiled as she lifted her teacup. her expression showed no shadow of regret. ¡°you look happy.¡± if she regretted it, she wouldn¡¯t have such an expression. ¡°right? of course, i can¡¯t always say it was good, but i have no regrets. after all, i have such a beautiful daughter. so, you¡¯ll be fine too.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t understand why a simple conversation about shoes suddenly turned into such a deep conversation. she just smiled without being able to retort. seeing her awkward smile, marchioness carthia put down her teacup and stood up. ¡°oh, we were talking about shoes, right? if it¡¯s hard to find what you like, why not choose with me? you need someone to objectively evaluate. betsy thinks everything is pretty, right?¡± even without seeing it, her statement was accurate as if she had seen everything in front of her. yurina swallowed a laugh and nodded her head. in reality, betsy showed enthusiastic reactions that everything looked good on yurina as she tried on all five pairs. so it was even harder to choose. with marchioness carthia, yurina chose a pair of shoes. it was a white shoes with diamonds embedded. it wasn¡¯t the best, but it was the best choice, so she decided not to regret it anymore. one day, when she was busy preparing and forgot about the shoes, the twins left the capital due to work, and reynard visited the carthia mansion for the first time in a long time. as yurina was having a casual conversation in the drawing room with marchioness carthia and reynard, the butler, robert, came to her. in his hand was a box larger than four combined palms. ¡°a gift has just arrived for miss. but¡­¡± contrary to his neat handling of affairs, his stammering was suspicious. ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± marchioness carthia asked on behalf of yurina, and robert answered with a troubled face. ¡°there is no sender.¡± as she said that, reynard got up and approached him. yurina nodded, and robert handed the box to reynard. just as robert had said, there was no trace in the box that reynard had brought. normally when sending a gift, a letter is enclosed or at least a family seal is stamped, but no matter how much they looked, they couldn¡¯t see it. reynard poured magic into the box, but there was no special reaction. he asked with a reluctant face. ¡°can i open this?¡± when yurina nodded, he tried to open the box. however, the box didn¡¯t open by force. with a hint of anticipation, he used magic to open it and only then did the box open. reynard squinted his eyes. yurina was equally surprised. ¡®sealing the box with magic?¡¯ it¡¯s an uncommonly used magic. it¡¯s a method that¡¯s only possible if both the sender and the receiver can use magic, so unless it¡¯s strictly confidential, there¡¯s no need to use it. of course, there was no one to send confidential documents as a gift to yurina. ¡°there¡¯s a letter here?¡± while examining the inside, reynard took out a letter from the box and checked it with magic. after carefully examining it with a few different magics, he was sure there was nothing harmful in the letter before handing it to yurina. the letter sealed with green wax had no seal, just like the box. there was only a fresh yellow flower that seemed to have just been picked on the green wax seal. feeling somewhat strange, yurina opened the letter. [dear lady carthia, i heard about your marriage. since lord reynard is so famous, even outside the empire, they are buzzing with stories about your wedding. i know this letter may not be pleasant. i know i have no right to send you a letter like this. but there is something i really want to say, so i picked up the pen without any shame, after hesitating several times. this letter will be the first and last letter. i sincerely congratulate you on your wedding. i may not be able to attend the wedding, but i think you will be the most beautiful and happy bride in the empire. i hope you will be happy. i will take all the bad memories and atone for them, so just be happy. and thank you.] Chapter 150 it was a letter with a recipient but no sender. but yurina could tell at a glance who the sender was. the name she wanted to write but couldn¡¯t. lydia de flon. it was a name that could no longer be used anywhere. somehow her mouth tasted bitter, so yurina rubbed the blank space where the sender should have been written at the bottom of the letter with her fingertip. she decided not to regret how her life, which should have shone brilliantly as the protagonist, turned out like this. she won¡¯t even say she¡¯s sorry for changing her life. but there was something she really wanted to say. ¡®i hope you are happy too.¡¯ she honestly didn¡¯t know whether the life she had lost everything and became a fugitive, with only karion, would be miserable or happy. but yurina hoped she was happy with the person she loved. she may call her a hypocrite for such a day, but this is sincere. feeling gloomy, yurina folded the letter and received the box from reynard. the moment she checked the contents inside, her eyes widened in surprise. inside the box were a pair of pure white shoes. ¡®when on earth did she prepare these?¡¯ yurina carefully picked up one of the shoes with both hands. the shoe, which shone faintly as if sprinkled with pearl powder, was to her liking. she immediately got up from her place and put on the shoes. as soon as she put them on, light began to shine from the shoes that were about one finger larger than her foot. reynard was startled and tried to use magic, but yurina calmly held his arm. for some reason, she didn¡¯t think this magic would harm her. the glowing shoes gradually shrank and eventually clung to yurina¡¯s feet. yurina, wearing the shoes adjusted by magic, twisted her body in front of the mirror betsy brought, and examined the shoes. ¡°how is it?¡± ¡°it¡¯s pretty.¡± ¡°isn¡¯t it?¡± after scrutinizing the shoes a bit more, yurina seemed to make up her mind and opened her mouth. ¡°i want to wear these at the wedding.¡± it might be a bit flashy for the green dress she is wearing now, but it would go well with a white wedding dress. ¡°yeah, it¡¯s pretty. but do you know who sent it? we should thank them.¡± at the worried words of marchioness carthia, yurina answered without hesitation. ¡°it¡¯s a gift from an old friend.¡± yurina turned her head and looked out the window. a warm wind flowed in through the open window. the garden visible outside the window was full of flowers and the trees sprouted green leaves. it was a full spring. the spring of her eighteen years. like a bud that had been curled up in the ground during the long winter, it was time for the long-awaited original novel to begin. but now, the story she read is nowhere to be found. it was time for another story to begin. * * * the morning of the wedding when a new story begins. yurina, who woke up early in the morning and was led by betsy¡¯s hand, sat in front of the mirror and sighed. as her fingers on her knee fidgeted nervously, betsy, who was curling her hair from behind, looked at her through the mirror and smiled. ¡°are you very nervous?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s not that¡­¡± ¡°i didn¡¯t say it, but i¡¯m really nervous too.¡± looking at betsy¡¯s face, which was nowhere to be found leisurely, yurina relaxed her tense expression and laughed. ¡°i¡¯m the one getting married, why are you nervous, betsy?¡± if a stranger saw the expressions of the two, they might think that it was betsy who was getting married. ¡°that¡¯s true, but somehow¡­¡± betsy pouted her lips without finishing her words. she took a deep breath through her nose, but still couldn¡¯t control her emotions and turned her back to yurina, covering her face. betsy¡¯s shoulders shuddered up and down and a sobbing sound was heard. other maids who had been helping yurina without showing any particular signs began to sob at the start of betsy¡¯s cry. in the midst of a sea of ??tears, yurina, the person involved, was the only one who was fine. a strange scene was staged for a while. after a while, betsy, who had calmed down, sniffed and braided yurina¡¯s hair. ¡°i just feel like you¡¯re going far away.¡± ¡°but you¡¯re going with me.¡± betsy, who had been working as yurina¡¯s personal maid for a long time, accepted yurina¡¯s proposal as if she had been waiting. ¡°i know, but i just feel that way. i can¡¯t believe my lady has grown up so much¡­¡± ¡°to be honest, it doesn¡¯t feel real to me either.¡± yurina, who answered lightly, looked out the window and changed the subject. ¡°has no one arrived from the crohn kingdom yet?¡± betsy, who had just calmed down, looked upset again. ¡°yes. they should have arrived by now.¡± ¡°i see.¡± yurina kept looking out the window, unable to shake off her regrets, even though she had to agree. * * * it was about the time when the makeup was almost finished. there was a noisy sound in the corridor, and then butler robert entered with a knock. ¡°my lady.¡± before she could even ask what was going on, a sullen boy poked his head from behind him. despite being seemingly a stranger, his face felt strangely familiar. his eyes widened in surprise as they met yurina¡¯s gaze, but then he smiled brightly. ¡°sister!¡± sister? is he calling someone else? while yurina was wondering, a familiar voice flowed into the room. ¡°hey, hey! what will you do if you behave rudely! you should wait until the butler delivers the news first!¡± ¡°what are you talking about, you¡¯re even more impolite. so noisy.¡± yurina squinted her eyes and carefully scrutinized the boy¡¯s face again. ¡°ah¡­¡± it¡¯s a familiar face. ¡°nathan?¡± upon hearing his name, the boy directed his gaze back to yurina, and smiled innocently like a child. ¡°it¡¯s been a long time, sister!¡± * * * there were four people from the academy. aiden, nathan, alex, and thomas. ¡°how did you all get here?¡± although yurina had hoped all four of them would come, she didn¡¯t expect all of them would actually be able to, so she asked with some bewilderment. ¡°well, that is¡­¡± as yurina watched aiden hesitate to answer, she suddenly remembered what he had been shouting about in his vocal magic letter. ¡°so, did you really cross the border illegally without even graduating¡­¡± ¡°shouldn¡¯t you ask if i graduated first?¡± yurina chuckled awkwardly at aiden¡¯s response. she had been so sure that they wouldn¡¯t be able to graduate, she didn¡¯t even consider the possibility they might have. fortunately, aiden didn¡¯t seem offended by yurina¡¯s question. ¡°so, did you graduate? all four of you?¡± ¡°ah, come on. how could we graduate all at once?¡± he waved his hand dismissively, grumbling. ¡°so, you really came here secretly?¡± ¡°aiden might do something like that, but please don¡¯t lump me in with him, sister.¡± nathan shuddered, his face full of horror. even though it had been 3 years since they last met, nathan, who was very friendly, was still acting familiarly and calling yurina ¡®sister¡¯. frankly, yurina found it somewhat awkward to hear the term ¡®sister¡¯ from nathan, who had lost his child-like demeanor. hence, she addressed him formally instead. ¡°so, how did you come here? aren¡¯t you not allowed to leave the crohn kingdom?¡± ¡°well, about that.¡± aiden glanced around before he leaned in to whisper as if he was sharing a state secret with yurina. ¡°we received special permission.¡± ¡°special permission?¡± ¡°isn¡¯t reynard the pride of both the academy and the crohn kingdom?¡± well, he may be the pride of the academy, but it seemed like the empire considered him as their pride as well. yurina nodded her head, pondering that if the imperial family heard this, it could potentially escalate into a diplomatic issue. ¡°i suppose so. so, what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°when such a reynard is getting married, we couldn¡¯t just sit still in the kingdom. besides, all of reynard¡¯s friends are in the kingdom. although the kingdom couldn¡¯t officially send a congratulatory delegation, shouldn¡¯t the friends at least come?¡± ¡°i see.¡± ¡°actually, that¡¯s the official story. i suggested it to the principal.¡± ¡°suggested¡­ what?¡± what kind of suggestion? aiden, apparently oblivious to yurina¡¯s nervous tone, continued his proud tale. ¡°i¡¯m reynard¡¯s best friend, aren¡¯t i? so, wouldn¡¯t it be strange if i couldn¡¯t attend his wedding?¡± ¡°i suppose so.¡± ¡°but unfortunately, including myself, none of the kids who were close to reynard and graduated this time¡­ you can¡¯t send people you don¡¯t know as wedding guests, can you?¡± so, to summarize, it seems that they need to send guests to show their friendship with reynard and the crohn kingdom, and to continue the relationship in the future, but unfortunately, there are no graduates to send. it was a story that was humorous yet sad. ¡°so i specially received permission to visit the empire this time! in fact, i am confident in persuading someone even if i am not confident in writing a thesis!¡± aiden recalled his tearful past. it was an event from two months ago. at that time, he was gritting his teeth and writing his graduation thesis with the single intention of attending reynard¡¯s wedding. throughout his 20 years of life, aiden always believed that nothing was impossible. even though the journey is tough, if he decided to do it and worked hard, he believed that he could do anything, no matter how hard it was. however, only four months after he started writing his graduation thesis, he had to deny his faith, which he had firmly believed in for the past 20 years. ¡®there are things that can¡¯t be done.¡¯ yes, it¡¯s hard to admit, but everything in the world doesn¡¯t always go as we wish. on the night he realized this, aiden cursed the nameless wizard who suggested him to take the entrance exam for the academy after visiting the tessie territory a few years ago and saying that he had the talent of a wizard. he didn¡¯t even remember the face, but he grumbled, imagining the typical appearance of wizards, who were usually thin and had dull eyes. if he hadn¡¯t said that, he wouldn¡¯t have had to suffer this moment because of his graduation thesis. he wouldn¡¯t have had to feel the anxiety of not being able to attend his only friend¡¯s wedding. if only that wizard didn¡¯t exist, if only he had entered the school of swordsmanship! he thought that far and suddenly realized that if that wizard didn¡¯t exist, he wouldn¡¯t have come to the capital at all. only then was he able to calm his anger a little and look at the references he was looking at. however, the thesis, which has not been written so far, could not be written. he kicked out of the library and headed to the principal¡¯s office. Chapter 151 the principal, seeing aiden suddenly rushing in, couldn¡¯t hide his surprised face. aiden, undeterred, began to detail why he had to go to the empire. ¡°reynard is a rare genius who graduated early from the academy, isn¡¯t he being watched not only in the crohn kingdom but also in the empire and other kingdoms? the news of reynard¡¯s wedding is already spreading in the crohn kingdom.¡± while talking about the wedding, he vented his anger from writing his graduation thesis, and his voice grew louder. ¡°if the academy doesn¡¯t react at all when many people are paying attention, what kind of talk will spread? wasn¡¯t reynard unfairly treated in the academy, didn¡¯t he reject all proposals from the kingdom or the academy, and wasn¡¯t it because of such unfair treatment that reynard returned to the empire after graduating early?¡± although this wasn¡¯t a story that should come from aiden, who knew best why reynard graduated early and returned as soon as possible, he shamelessly continued to insist. meanwhile, aiden didn¡¯t talk about his and his roommates¡¯ graduation theses at all. it seemed that the point would be blurred if he said he rushed to make this proposal because he didn¡¯t seem to be able to write a graduation thesis. the principal, listening to aiden¡¯s passionate speech, blushing his face, agreed after a long contemplation. it was decided to form a congratulatory group centered around students and professors who were close to reynard and send them along with gifts. in the process, even if the graduation thesis wasn¡¯t passed, he was specially allowed to leave the kingdom this time. ¡°reynard, he would have known that we couldn¡¯t come.¡± yurina couldn¡¯t dare to answer that. ¡°rey said he¡¯d be happy if you guys could come.¡± he said he would be happy if they came, but he didn¡¯t say he expected them to come. aiden, reading the hidden meaning in those words, crossed his arms and chuckled. ¡°so i came quietly without saying anything. i¡¯m going to surprise him. actually, i arrived in the capital a few days ago, but i purposely visited only on the day. i look forward to seeing his reaction when he sees me!¡± ¡°isn¡¯t he going to cry again?¡± nathan chuckled behind aiden¡¯s back. alex and thomas agreed with his words by nodding. after hearing everything from start to finish, yurina was finally able to laugh with relief. even though he didn¡¯t pass his graduation thesis, he was so happy because he came here officially, not secretly crossing the border or threatening a professor. the number would still be small compared to her own guest seats, but she felt relieved thinking that people would fill reynard¡¯s guest seats. moreover, if it were those four, they would congratulate him more enthusiastically than yurina¡¯s guests. ¡°thank you so much for this.¡± aiden scratched the back of his head and laughed at her sincere words. ¡°of course. but i¡¯ve been late to congratulate you. congratulations on your wedding. you look beautiful today.¡± he nonchalantly complimented her, hesitated for a moment, and added. ¡°thank you for being by reynard¡¯s side.¡± just then, the butler robert came to tell them that time was up. yurina, helped by betsy, stood up from her seat and answered quietly. ¡°thank you.¡± * * * unlike yurina, reynard didn¡¯t have much to prepare. with the help of the maids and servants of the carthia mansion, he had finished preparing for the wedding early, but he had to listen to various stories from yurina¡¯s three older brothers, especially the twins. these various stories were mostly nagging and complaints. ¡°don¡¯t treat us as unwanted guests just because we visit often, and don¡¯t stop yurina if she wants to come here to play.¡± ¡°if you have a problem with that, don¡¯t get married. it¡¯s not too late to cancel, the ceremony hasn¡¯t even started yet.¡± facing the twins who looked as if they would really cancel the wedding if he said no, he firmly answered. ¡°that will never happen.¡± even while dealing with the twins, his mind was focused on the room where yurina was. in the empire, there was a superstition that if the groom sees the bride in her dress before the wedding, the couple will be unhappy. this was due to a myth about a groom who saw his bride before the wedding ceremony, said she was more beautiful than the goddess of beauty, and was cursed by the goddess. reynard didn¡¯t believe in that superstition, but he couldn¡¯t just ignore it because it involved yurina and himself. because the carthia people told to hold off until the wedding, he couldn¡¯t see yurina¡¯s face all day. in fact, not just today, but during the preparations for the wedding, he had been unable to properly see yurina due to various interruptions, so he still longed for her. he could do as he pleased without anyone¡¯s interference after today, but it was still torturous. with not much time left until the wedding ceremony, why was time passing so slowly? reynard, who had been waiting for yurina to come out at the entrance of the wedding hall, suddenly saw yurina, who was helped by betsy, walking out and smiled brightly. the twins, who had been talking to reynard, couldn¡¯t control their emotions as they saw their little sister and grimaced. reynard extended his hand to yurina, bypassing the twins. yurina, in her white dress and holding a yellow bouquet, looked much more lovely and beautiful than he had imagined all day. ¡°you look beautiful.¡± yurina, with a dazed look as if she were entranced by something, looked up at him admiring her and pointed to the back. ¡°i have a present prepared.¡± from behind her, a deep voice rang out. ¡°reynard! i¡¯m here!¡± reynard immediately recognized the owner of that voice. it was a voice he could never forget in his life. taking his eyes off yurina and looking in the direction of the sound, reynard saw a familiar redhead. aiden, who was well-dressed compared to the casual days at the academy, almost ran towards him. ¡°look at your face. anyone would think you saw a ghost!¡± aiden laughed at reynard, who had a blank expression because he didn¡¯t understand the situation right away. nathan, alex, and thomas, who followed, also stood behind aiden and observed reynard¡¯s face as if it were fascinating. ¡°i knew reynard was handsome, but he¡¯s definitely different when i see him like this.¡± ¡°true.¡± ¡°the empire must be a lot better than the kingdom. your face looks brighter than when you were at the academy.¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s probably because he has someone he loves!¡± nathan, who answered while looking at yurina, nodded his head as if he was satisfied with his own answer. reynard, who had been looking at yurina and the academy quartet alternately, managed to open his mouth. ¡°no, how did you get here?¡± ¡°we graduated and came!¡± ¡°there¡¯s no way.¡± at the immediate response, aiden stuck out his tongue with a shocked look. ¡°hey, isn¡¯t that too much? i¡¯m right in front of you and you have to be so direct?¡± ¡°they came with special permission. they said they absolutely had to come to your wedding.¡± at yurina¡¯s additional explanation, reynard finally nodded. ¡°what did i say? i said i¡¯d come no matter what, right? how about that? you should be happy. stop being surprised and pretend to be happy. you can¡¯t cry, but you¡¯re asking how we got here.¡± aiden spread his arms wide towards reynard. ¡°come on, come here. it¡¯s been a while, let¡¯s hug.¡± when reynard hesitated, aiden clapped his hands a couple of times and spread his arms wide again. ¡°my arms are going to fall off. hurry up.¡± despite his persuasion, reynard couldn¡¯t move readily. yurina lightly nudged his back, and then he finally took a step and embraced aiden tightly. ¡°welcome. thank you for coming.¡± ¡°you should have come out like this earlier. you¡¯ve been so hesitant.¡± as aiden patted reynard¡¯s back and winked, the other three who were watching stuck to the two like cicadas. ¡°congratulations, long live!¡± the sight of five burly men huddling in a tight hug was funny yet also heartwarming. drawing the attention of the guests, aiden, who wouldn¡¯t let go of reynard, came to his senses at the sound of butler robert¡¯s cough and released him. ¡°it¡¯s good to see you, but today¡¯s not about me, you know. you should go now.¡± the four people followed robert¡¯s guide towards the guest seats. as the four people and the academy professor took their seats, the guest seats where dave and aunt marie¡¯s families were sitting started to become noisy. reynard approached yurina and held her hand. ¡°shall we go?¡± yurina looked at reynard smiling with a clean face, then suddenly looked down at the white shoes that shone subtly in the sunlight. seeing the faces of friends congratulating reynard, she remembered someone. ¡®lydia¡­¡¯ she didn¡¯t have a special friendship with her, nor was she sad or upset that she couldn¡¯t see her. she just wondered what it would have felt like if lydia had been there. yurina raised her head and looked around. she had a hopeful feeling, but as expected, she couldn¡¯t see anyone who looked like lydia or karion. instead, other faces came into view. reynard, who was laughing next to her, his family who were sitting in chairs making expressions of happiness or sadness, betsy and aunt marie sobbing, the academy children who were as happy as ever. a story never mentioned in the original. the female lead who dreamt of love with the prince, the sub male lead who only looked at her from afar, the sub female lead who was angry for losing her lover, the orphan boy who shivered alone in the orphanage on a particularly cold winter day, longing for the warmth of people, are all gone now. but everyone was moving forward in their own way. ¡°okay, let¡¯s go.¡± yurina stepped forward with reynard, her foot in a white shoe. or, she tried to. but before she could, reynard bent his head and kissed her. at the sound of the twins¡¯ astonished, choking noises and aiden¡¯s words of admiration, yurina closed her eyes. the beginning was about the villainess of the original story who was destined to die and a character not even mentioned in the original, but what does that matter now. the protagonists of the story to unfold were entirely themselves. ( epilogue: the end ) Chapter 152 1. in a world without you tom couldn¡¯t remember his mother¡¯s face. rather, it would be more accurate to say he didn¡¯t know her. his mother, who was frail, passed away from a fever three days after giving birth to him. she didn¡¯t even have the chance to properly breastfeed the tiny creature she had held with love for ten months. his father, known in the village as a lover, stopped eating and drinking out of guilt. ¡°oh, man, the living must live! how long will you hold onto the deceased? can you stand still, even hearing the baby¡¯s crying?¡± despite the neighboring women coming over to breastfeed the whimpering, hungry baby, he spent several days in front of his wife¡¯s grave as if he¡¯d lost his soul. just before he went mad, he turned his anger on the baby. ¡°it¡¯s your fault. if it weren¡¯t for you!¡± the fiery red eyes of the baby he faced properly after a week might have contributed to his anger. a child born after devouring its mother. his baby should have looked adorable no matter what, but he couldn¡¯t see the child who resembled his beautiful wife as merely cute. luckily, he wasn¡¯t cruel enough to abandon his own flesh and blood. despite blaming the baby for his wife¡¯s death, he named him tom, a common name in the village, and raised him. when the child that only used to lay still began to turn over, crawl, and babble incomprehensible words, he seemed admirable and lovely, but it also reminded him of his wife who had gone too early without seeing this adorable creature. regrettably, he couldn¡¯t bestow his complete affection on his most precious son in the world. his love was dry and distorted. after being pushed by the villagers who told him not to be tied to the past, and welcoming a second wife, he had some peace of mind. however, every now and then, when he¡¯d forget, he¡¯d get drunk and shout at tom. ¡°it¡¯s your fault!¡± although he apologized the next morning when he sobered up, his words had long become a blade that deeply cut tom¡¯s heart. whenever tom heard harsh words from his father who should love him the most, he avoided his father for a while. on the day of the incident, tom was hiding in the corner of the room, curled up, trying to avoid his father who had been drinking and shouting the night before. he shivered when he heard the door open, clutching the blanket over him even tighter. this thin blanket, light enough to fly away in the wind, was absurdly his only protection. being under it always gave him the feeling that nothing in the world could harm him. ¡°tom.¡± he felt a hand gently stroking his head over the blanket. even as he shrunk as much as he could, he instinctively perked up his ears. he wished that his father, who he wanted to avoid so much, would be kind to him. it was a foolish hope that remained in a corner of his heart. ¡°i¡¯m sorry. i won¡¯t say such things in the future.¡± the voice was just as hoarse as when he was shouting while drunk the previous night, but this time it was full of remorse instead of resentment. he was about to tear up from the sudden sorrow. but tom took a deep breath through his nose and bit his lip. he wouldn¡¯t fall for those sweet words anymore. ¡°you said the same thing last month.¡± he had heard the same words last month, and the month before. when he heard those words for the first time, the innocent tom believed his father¡¯s words as they were. but even after that, whenever his father got drunk to the point of losing control of himself, he always poured out all his anger on tom. only after that behavior repeated countless times, did tom finally become able to reject his father¡¯s words sincerely. he was just ten years old and didn¡¯t know much about the world, but he realized that it was better not to have hopes or expectations. if there are no expectations, there¡¯s no disappointment. ¡°this time it¡¯s real.¡± ¡°liar.¡± ¡°i promise.¡± despite knowing it wasn¡¯t sincere, a contradictory feeling of wanting to believe those words sprouted in tom¡¯s heart. he crawled out of the blanket and looked at his father¡¯s face. his father wasn¡¯t looking at him properly, but the corners of his heavily wrinkled eyes were moist. ¡°really?¡± ¡°yeah.¡± ¡°really, you won¡¯t do it again?¡± ¡°yes, i won¡¯t even drink.¡± his father¡¯s rough hand messed up tom¡¯s hair. with his hair tousled like a bird¡¯s nest, tom looked at his father¡¯s awkward smile and giggled. he didn¡¯t know what was so funny, but he just laughed. he was laughing with his mouth and shedding tears from his eyes. ¡°what are you doing not coming out? we were going to go downtown.¡± two men, as if they had planned something, were silently staring at each other with identical expressions, which could be either smiling or crying. suddenly, the door opened and the stepmother peeked her head into the room. ¡°tom, you should get ready too.¡± ¡°why?¡± ¡°what do you mean, why? didn¡¯t your father tell you we¡¯re going into town?¡± ¡°into town?¡± still teary-eyed, he blinked at his father, who roughly wiped his damp cheeks with the back of his hand. ¡°go wash up and put on some clothes. we¡¯re going to eat something delicious.¡± ¡°your father said he¡¯ll buy you a gift. think about what you want.¡± ¡°what nonsense!¡± ¡°what¡¯s nonsense? just a moment ago, you were saying you didn¡¯t know what to buy. it¡¯s faster and better to ask directly and buy what he wants, right?¡± ¡°a gift?¡± his birthday is still several months away. why suddenly a gift? not understanding at all, tom blinked as my father told me to hurry up and left the room. ¡°why did you say that? i was thinking of surprising him with a gift!¡± ¡°it¡¯s much better to buy something he wants than to buy a strange thing. did i say something wrong? if you¡¯re going to talk like that, go and change your clothes quickly!¡± listening to his parents¡¯ conversation from outside the room, tom finally understood what his mother meant. he quickly got up and picked out the cleanest clothes he had. after hastily washing his face with cold water like a cat cleaning its face, he hurriedly followed his father out. the hot summer sun was fiercely shining in the middle of the clear blue sky. his father walked ahead, carrying a bunch of vegetables to sell in town, and his mother, with a hole-filled parasol, walked just ahead of tom. tom made a makeshift sunshade with his hands on his brow to block the dazzling sunlight and followed them diligently. under the shade of trees, where green leaves were abundant, cows stretched out comfortably, swaying their tails to chase away flies, and above them, birds were chirping. unknowingly, tom was humming along to the sound and swaying his shoulders. he was excited by the feeling of peace he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time. ¡®father has really promised this time.¡¯ the fact that he had heard his promise last month, and the month before that, had long since vanished from tom¡¯s mind. this time, he decided to believe in his father. if his father doesn¡¯t drink and doesn¡¯t resent him, he¡¯ll start to really love him from now on. the thought made his heart swell and he felt like he could float up into the sky. ¡°what are you doing not coming quickly? are you planning to get there and back today?¡± ¡°no, well, it¡¯s just that you walk fast.¡± while grumbling, his stepmother picked up the pace. tom clenched his fists and sprinted. he overtook his mother, ran past the fields where the cows were grazing, and even passed his father. ¡°hurry up!¡± turning back, tom waved his hand at his mother and father and ran backwards. ¡°hurry, hurry!¡± although his father clicked his tongue as if incredulous, tom wasn¡¯t scared of him anymore. turning back around, he ran towards town with all his strength. despite feeling out of breath and his heart racing, he kept moving his legs. he ran as fast as he could, as if he believed he could fly into the sky. * * * when they arrived in town and his father came out of the vegetable store, he looked happy. he said the carrots were thicker and fresher than elsewhere, so he got a much higher price than usual. hearing this, the stepmother also smiled, feeling rewarded for working hard on the farm. seeing his parents happy, tom didn¡¯t say anything, but he promised himself he¡¯d help more with the farming next year. actually, it was a bit of an exaggeration to say ¡®even more¡¯. until now, his father had been saying, ¡®you¡¯re so skinny, you might end up costing more in medical bills if you help with the farming,¡¯ and had not allowed him to do farm work. ¡®but now i¡¯ll be eleven after my birthday!¡¯ eleven years old is no longer a child. even now, his arms and legs have become significantly longer, and although it¡¯s nothing impressive, his muscles bulge slightly when he flexes his arm. it means he could handle field work. in fact, children of tom¡¯s age in the village were already helping their parents with the field work. ¡®i¡¯m going to help my father and stepmother with the field work starting from next year!¡¯ tom clenched his fists and made a resolve unknown to his parents. ¡°since we¡¯ve made good money, let¡¯s eat something expensive today.¡± his father, who announced this heartily, took tom and his stepmother to a restaurant. it wasn¡¯t a luxury restaurant, but it was a place that had a good reputation for delicious food in the village. ¡°pick anything you like.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°of course!¡± tom, observing his father and stepmother, ordered the beef stew and pudding he had always wanted to try. he worried about being scolded for only choosing expensive items, but his father happily ordered those dishes, emphasizing once again that he had made a good amount of money that day. his father was about to get mad at the owner when a stone was found in the whole grain bread served with the soup, but tom just laughed it off. ¡°it¡¯s delicious.¡± it really was delicious. what¡¯s a small stone doing in the bread? even though it hurt a bit, it was still enjoyable. his father said that if he laughs without any worries, people will look down on him, but tom liked that scolding as well. ¡®if it¡¯s fun, i can laugh.¡¯ the bread was a bit disappointing, but the beef stew and the pudding were much more delicious than he expected. the beef, simmered with wine for a long time, was so tender that it fell apart at the slightest touch of a fork, and the sweet pudding left a rich vanilla scent in his mouth even after finishing it. after a satisfying meal, his father took tom by the hand and headed towards the shops. not even his birthday, but is he really buying a gift? tom followed his father, blinking his eyes. ¡°are you really buying it?¡± ¡°of course it¡¯s real, would i fake it?¡± tom¡¯s cheeks flushed with excitement. it was great just to eat delicious food, but a real gift! ¡®what should i ask for?¡¯ without realizing it, tom started humming a tune. his steps became lighter, and he hopped around like a sparrow. a picture book? wooden block toys? just when he was contemplating, recalling the toys that nora, the neighbor girl, used to play with. ¡°tom!¡± just as he heard his father¡¯s sharp scream, tom was violently pushed and fell to the ground. Chapter 153 in an instant, tom didn¡¯t know what happened. he blinked while lying on the ground. he felt the burning pain from his arms and legs that were swept on the ground and instinctively, tears welled up in his eyes. ¡®i shouldn¡¯t cry.¡¯ his father always disliked it when tom cried. every time he showed tears, his father sharply scolded him that boys shouldn¡¯t cry, and tom always had to swallow his tears. this time, too, he held back his tears with a sniffle and staggered to his feet. ¡°ah, what bad luck.¡± a sharp voice pierced the back of tom¡¯s head. at the same time, he heard something falling on the ground and then the sound of a carriage rolling along with the sound of a horse. it was an insignificant sound, but tom felt a chilly sensation as if the hair all over his body stood on end. growing up always looking out for others¡¯ reactions, tom was quick to notice things. this time too, he instinctively knew that something was going wrong. he had to turn around, he had to tell his father to hurry, but his body wouldn¡¯t move as if it had turned to stone. then, he started to hear murmuring sounds around him. ¡°what in the world!¡± ¡°quickly, call the doctor, quickly!¡± ¡°my god, how could this happen¡­¡± hearing the voices mixed with sighs and regret, tom shivered. he didn¡¯t have the courage to turn around, so he just dropped his head down. then he suddenly stepped back in shock. ¡®blood?¡¯ something was pooling on the ground, and it was red blood flowing into the crevices of the stone floor. it was the same red color as his own eyes, which he always saw when he looked in the mirror. he tried to avoid the blood that soaked the soles of his shoes by moving his feet, but wherever he went, he couldn¡¯t avoid it. each time he stepped on the floor, the splattered blood droplets soaked his feet. while he could do nothing and was panting heavily, someone shook his shoulders. ¡°hey, hey! what will you do if you just stand there!¡± ¡°ah, ah¡­.¡± only then did he turn around with an awkward movement. his father and stepmother, who were just laughing and talking a while ago, were now lying on the cold stone floor. their worn-out clothes were soaked in crimson blood. tom¡¯s legs wobbled, and he plopped down on the floor, then crawled on his knees to his father. he was terrified at the sight of his father, who wasn¡¯t moving at all. he didn¡¯t remember his mother, who passed away shortly after he was born. that¡¯s why, even though he was closest to death, he didn¡¯t know the fear that death brings. he couldn¡¯t relate, no matter how much people around him talked about death. but at this moment, he could feel that fear to the bone. tom tried to stop the bleeding wound that was gushing blood with his trembling hands. but it was no use. the red blood seeped out between his white fingers like water from a leaking dam. there were so many wounds that it seemed impossible to stop them all by himself. with a face smeared in tears, tom looked around. ¡°ah¡­¡± he had a lot to say, but no proper words came out. the only sound that came from tom¡¯s mouth was a sound similar to a beast¡¯s howl. ¡°ah¡­¡± someone, anyone, please help. ¡°father¡­¡± anyone is fine, please save my father. please, i beg you. surely, his father wasn¡¯t a gentle man. but whenever someone pointed at tom¡¯s eyes and sent jeers, his father would rush to him and pour out curses at them. even though he occasionally couldn¡¯t handle alcohol and vented his frustrations, ironically, his father was the only fence that protected him in this world. you don¡¯t have to buy me any gifts. so please, please just open your eyes. ¡°father.¡± don¡¯t leave me alone. i¡¯m scared. drip, drip, drip. his earnest tears kept falling on his father¡¯s face. but the nagging about boys not crying didn¡¯t come. that tore tom¡¯s heart into pieces. he hated his father¡¯s scary nagging, but he wished he could hear it now. ¡°keep this.¡± at that time, an old woman handed something to tom. three gold coins smeared with red blood. even without an explanation, he knew what it meant. tom sobbed more sadly as he looked at the gold coin lying on his wrinkled hand, then turned his head. ¡°i don¡¯t want it.¡± accepting that would feel like acknowledging that his father and his stepmother are truly dead. ¡°put it in.¡± the old woman grabbed tom¡¯s hand and forcibly gave him the gold coin. ¡°you have to have at least this to hold your parents¡¯ funeral.¡± hearing those words, tom couldn¡¯t throw the gold coin away even if he wanted to. he squeezed the gold coin until his pale hands turned even paler. three gold coins, which a tenant farmer in a small village would normally struggle to hold. should he call it expensive, or should he complain that they gave him only this? the value of his parents¡¯ lives¡­ tears of sorrow continued to pour down onto the back of his hand, where the blue veins were visible. * * * the next day, the funeral held with the help of the neighbors was humble. in the small village where tom lived, there was no shrine, so they couldn¡¯t summon a priest to hold the funeral. with the help of the village men, they buried their parents in the communal graveyard. in front of the coffin, they set up a rough gravestone, barely inscribed with their parents¡¯ names and dates. the modest funeral ended with a few village neighbors, who had been close to his parents during their lifetime, sadly praying for the two¡¯s repose. tom sat blankly blinking in front of his parents¡¯ tombstone even after the villagers had gone home. the bright summer sun poured overhead, and tears kept trickling out because of the dazzling light. tom rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. then he paused and touched his own eyes. ¡®are my eyes really cursed?¡¯ his red eyes, different from others. sometimes when he met strangers, he heard things like he was cursed or he was a demon. when he heard such things and felt depressed, his father got angry, saying, ¡®if you¡¯re a demon, then i, your father, am also a demon.¡¯ then he would go out and come back after a while, swaggering with a flushed face. his mother, whom he had never seen, his father and stepmother, who had been his only shield, all died trying to save him. by this point, tom hated his eyes more than anything else in the world. people said it seemed like he was born this way due to the hatred of the goddess. otherwise, there was no way this misfortune would keep happening to him. ¡°tom.¡± tom, who was about to scratch his eyes with the tip of his finger, was startled and raised his head at the sudden strength snatching his hand. he saw the surprised face of aunt marie from next door. aunt marie was a long-time friend of his birth mother. fortunately, she had a daughter around the time tom was born, so she also breastfed tom who lost his mother. only then did tom realize that aunt marie and her husband, uncle ron, were the only ones left in the communal cemetery where everyone had already left. ¡°it¡¯s not your fault.¡± she whispered as if she were reading his mind. ¡°it¡¯s not your fault. the bad ones are the people who drove that carriage. so don¡¯t think like that.¡± aunt marie hugged tom¡¯s small body tightly. tom didn¡¯t know what to do, so he rolled his eyes and fiddled with his hands in her arms. ¡°let¡¯s go home now.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll stay a little longer.¡± ¡°you haven¡¯t eaten anything all day. you must be hungry. let¡¯s go home today and come back tomorrow. okay?¡± tom couldn¡¯t refuse aunt marie¡¯s soft voice. he got up from his seat and started walking slowly down the path as she led. still feeling regret, he looked back at the cemetery over his shoulder with every step. among the old, faded gravestones, two clean ones stood out. it felt as if his heart would tear apart at the sight of the two gravestones standing side by side in the sunlight. tom hastened his pace, clutching the hand of aunt marie, who was holding his own. * * * ¡°aren¡¯t you scared to be alone? do you want to come to my house?¡± returning home, aunt marie came to find tom again. tom shook his head weakly. ¡°i want to stay here.¡± ¡°the rainy season is about to start. can you stay here alone? don¡¯t be stubborn. come with me.¡± ¡°i want to stay in our house.¡± our house. the weight of those words was immense. aunt maris didn¡¯t insist further. she left, telling him to come if he changed his mind. tom placed the bread and stew she had brought in the kitchen and lay down heavily in the living room. ¡°this is the living room, not your bedroom. who lays down in the living room? if you want to sleep, go to your room.¡± the familiar nagging voice of his father didn¡¯t echo. despite already knowing, the silence became a needle, piercing deep into his heart. tom curled up, tucking his stretched arms and legs. ¡°father¡­¡± tears flowed again, even though he thought he had cried himself dry. despite his resolve not to cry, tom sobbed uncontrollably. * * * he didn¡¯t know how time passed. tom lay in the living room all day, like a man glued to the floor. once a day, when he was really hungry and his stomach hurt, he barely got up and nibbled on the bread that aunt marie had brought, just enough to stave off the hunger. the bread that aunt marie had brought was hard and chewy, but it tasted good, yet strangely it felt like chewing on a rock. aunt marie came to check on tom morning and evening. every time she came, she brought bread and food, and she sighed deeply each time she saw the leftover food. tom¡¯s face looked pitifully pale, as he hadn¡¯t eaten properly in a few days. ¡°why didn¡¯t you eat?¡± ¡°i¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°don¡¯t be ridiculous. you must be hungry. get up. i¡¯ve just made some soup, and it¡¯s still warm. eat it while it¡¯s warm.¡± tom stubbornly shook his head. aunt marie picked him up from the floor, where he lay blinking, and sat him at the table. sitting across from him, she tried to spoon-feed him the soup, but tom kept his mouth shut tightly and refused to eat. after several unsuccessful attempts, she finally gave up with a tsk. ¡°what a stubborn little one. if anything goes wrong with you, what are we going to do?¡± tom let her words go in one ear and out the other, staring blankly at the kitchen window. then he suddenly jumped up from his seat. the field that his parents cherished was overgrown with useless weeds. the more weeds there were, the smaller and frailer the harvest would be. his father always emphasized that a field full of weeds was a sign of a lazy farmer. like his father used to do, tom crouched down in the field and started pulling out weeds with both hands. bad weeds, bad weeds, bad weeds! the crops can¡¯t grow with you around! Chapter 154 no matter how much he pulled, the weeds still remained plentiful. it wasn¡¯t a particularly large field, so why were there so many weeds? tom wiped the sweat flowing down his face with his dirt-covered hands. even though sweat and dirt had mixed to cover his face, he didn¡¯t care. the only thing on his mind was those weeds. ¡°tom, tom!¡± only after aunt marie, who couldn¡¯t stand seeing him like this, grabbed his hand was he able to regain his senses. ¡°oh my, how can you do this with your bare hands, without even wearing gloves! look at this blood.¡± tom slowly blinked his eyes as he looked at his own hand caught in aunt marie¡¯s. he had never pulled weeds before. his mother had often pushed him to help with the field work when they were short of hands, but whenever he actually went to the field, his father would become angry and send him back home. ¡°i want to help, too.¡± whenever tom would say that, his father would get angry and say, why would he want to suffer from now when he would have to do it anyway when he grows up. ¡°we¡¯re not so short of hands that we need your help. what could you possibly do with those hands of yours?¡± then he would silently work in the fields by himself. his father¡¯s hands became rough and rugged, but tom¡¯s hands remained as soft and shiny as if he was a noble child. all the other children in the neighborhood got cuts and dirt under their nails from helping in the fields. his tender hands were scratched by the rough soil and stones, and he started bleeding. only after seeing his ruined hand did tom feel the pain in his fingers. ¡°it hurts.¡± tears welled up in his eyes. what¡¯s the big deal if his fingers hurt a bit? his father did it every day. but the tears that began to fall one by one fell in torrents every time he blinked. * * * you must live diligently. only by living diligently can you grow up to be a great person. ever since he saw the luxuriously growing weeds, his father¡¯s habitual words were deeply engraved in tom¡¯s mind. from then on, tom woke up in the morning, washed his face vigorously, and ate all the food that aunt marie prepared for him. although the taste of the food was a bit awkward and he didn¡¯t even know what it tasted like, he gulped it down in order to live. after filling his stomach, he put on the straw hat his father used to wear and went to the field to diligently weed out the troublesome weeds. at first, he couldn¡¯t distinguish between weeds and crops, and he pulled out even the sprouts, but with the help of aunt marie, he gradually learned about farming. the weather was getting hotter, and sweat poured out like rain every time he squatted down and dug into the soil under the burning sun, but tom persistently went to the field every day. ¡°wow.¡± as tom cautiously dug the soil, he exclaimed at the sight of a potato poking its head through the soil. it was much larger than his fist, proof of his daily watering efforts. ¡®i should boil and eat the potatoes today.¡¯ he salivated at the thought of the soft texture of the potatoes. he should boil a lot and give some to aunt marie. he always felt sorry for only receiving, but now he felt happy that he could return the favor. at the same time, he grew impatient. tom moved his hands diligently in order to dig up more potatoes before the sun set. thanks to his diligent efforts, he was able to harvest a basket full of potatoes. tom placed the basket in a corner of the kitchen and first started to kindle the firewood while puffing for air. he thoroughly washed the potatoes until they were squeaky clean and began to boil them in a pot filled with water. he remembered what his stepmother used to do and added a spoonful of salt. he thought the amount of salt wasn¡¯t enough compared to the water, so he added two more spoonfuls. the sound of the bubbling water was comforting. tom huddled on the sofa and enjoyed a peaceful time for the first time in a long time. as the potatoes were cooked and started to smell good, he felt as if he had returned to the days before his parents passed away. his father was chopping wood for fuel, and his stepmother was busily preparing dinner in the kitchen. to help his parents, he went out to the yard and gave his father a cool drink, then he went back to the kitchen to taste the food, and brought out the dishes. those monotonous daily routines. he didn¡¯t realize how precious those insignificant days were at the time. if he had known, he would have lived more gratefully. ¡°ugh.¡± his eyes quickly became wet again. tom roughly wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt and ran back to the kitchen. white smoke was seeping out of the pot, and the kitchen was filled with heat. ¡°ah, it¡¯s hot!¡± tom, who hastily opened the lid, quickly put his finger on his cold earlobe. it was what his stepmother used to do when she cooked and it was hot. after cooling down his finger a bit, he searched the kitchen, put on gloves, and opened the lid again. when he pricked a potato with a fork, the fork went in smoothly without any resistance. ¡°it¡¯s done.¡± tom took out the well-cooked potatoes, with their skin bursting open, and put half on a plate that aunt marie used to bring food, and half on a plate he had at home. he wanted to eat potatoes right now, but he had to bring them to aunt marie first. he struggled to take his eyes off the potato and walked out the door. ¡°my god, what is all this?¡± ¡°it¡¯s boiled potatoes! i dug up and boiled it today!¡± aunt marie immediately blushed as she saw tom smiling brightly. tom didn¡¯t notice it and held the plate a little higher to her eye level. ¡°i haven¡¯t tried it yet, so i don¡¯t know the taste, but our homegrown potatoes are usually delicious, so they will be good!¡± ¡°sure, they look tasty. you¡¯ve boiled them well.¡± feeling the touch of aunt marie¡¯s hand stroking his head, tom giggled and laughed. ¡°since you¡¯re here, would you like to come in and eat with us?¡± ¡°that¡¯s okay! i have lots of potatoes at home. i¡¯ve boiled a lot! i can eat them when i get home.¡± ¡°well then, i¡¯ll give you some soup to take and eat with them.¡± ¡°yes!¡± tom, who came home shuffling with the soup and bread that aunt marie gave him, ran toward the plate left on the living room table. white steam was still coming out from the still hot potatoes. tom blew on the potatoes in the plate to cool them down. when the potato had cooled down enough to hold, he carefully took a bite without even peeling the skin. ¡°hot, hot!¡± his mouth and even his face were heated in an instant. opening his mouth and inhaling felt like flames were shooting out of his mouth like a fierce dragon. not knowing what to do, tom stamping his feet ran into the kitchen and gulped down cool water. ¡°i thought i was going to die from the heat.¡± ¡°you can even burn your throat if you eat baked potatoes wrong. you have to cool it down and eat it. i wonder who he takes after to be so careless.¡± ¡°huh?¡± it seemed like he heard his father licking his tongue somewhere. tom swallowed the potato that had cooled down rapidly thanks to the cold water, blinking his eyes. he looked around, but of course, there was no one there. sniffling, tom returned to the living room. this time, he waited until the potato had definitely cooled before taking a big bite. the mealy potato seemed to melt and crumble on his tongue. the potato was savory, perhaps the salt had permeated well. ¡°the potatoes are delicious, father.¡± these potatoes were lovingly planted and taken care of by his father. all tom did was water the ground so it wouldn¡¯t dry out and waited until the harvest season. even in this single potato, there were memories of his father. ¡°it¡¯s really delicious.¡± he wasn¡¯t sure whether the lingering salty taste in his mouth was the taste of the salt or the taste of his silent tears. in that way, sitting there, tom ate four of the savory potatoes. * * * thanks to his diligence over the past few days, he was able to harvest all the potatoes even though he was alone. tom decided to sell the rest of the potatoes in the market, as his father did, leaving only a little in the barn to eat until next year. when he proudly told aunt marie about it, she looked worried. ¡°let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°that¡¯s okay! it¡¯s not too heavy so i can do it myself!¡± seeing him insisting seriously with determination in his eyes, aunt marie clicked her tongue. ¡°being alone might mean you won¡¯t get a fair price. listen to me.¡± tom rolled his eyes, chewing on his lips. ¡°but¡­ i feel too bad.¡± ¡°there¡¯s no need to feel like that. i was thinking of going to the market soon anyway.¡± tom hesitated once again, then finally nodded slowly. * * * aunt marie¡¯s foresight was great. ¡°that¡¯s too little.¡± tom frowned as he unfolded the money bag handed over by the vegetable shop lady. he hadn¡¯t properly learned how to price vegetables from his father, so he had no idea how much to sell the potatoes for. ¡®but this is way too little!¡¯ when his father had sold a bag of potatoes before, he received much more money than this. only then did he realize why aunt marie had said he shouldn¡¯t go alone. because he would clearly get duped! it felt like being cut off at the nose despite his eyes being wide open. the shopkeeper, looking down at tom¡¯s dissatisfied face, crossed her arms and chuckled. ¡°that¡¯s too little? the potatoes are too small. i¡¯m giving you this much because it¡¯s like looking at my son. you won¡¯t even get this much at other stores.¡± ¡°that¡¯s not true!¡± tom argued, looking at the dirt-covered potatoes in the bag. his father may not know much, but he always bragged that their home-grown potatoes were the biggest and tastiest in the area. even to tom¡¯s eyes, his potatoes seemed much bigger and more delicious than those from aunt marie or uncle jackson from across the river. the potatoes harvested this year were about the same size as usual, so saying they were small was an absolute lie! ¡°no, they¡¯re not. look at the size of the potatoes. they¡¯re just a bit larger than your tiny fists.¡± ¡°that¡¯s not true! that¡¯s not true!¡± tom put his two fists together and showed them to the shopkeeper. ¡°look! they¡¯re this big! i brought only the big ones!¡± relatively smaller ones, which were less attractive, were left in the warehouse, and only the larger and rounder, prettier ones were picked. among them, some were even larger than when he put his two fists together. the owner, taken aback by tom¡¯s boisterous voice, coughed awkwardly. ¡°anyway, i can¡¯t give you more than that. it¡¯s the same everywhere else.¡± ¡°oh, are you trying to rip off a kid? i can¡¯t even bear to pay more for this little one¡¯s hard work!¡± aunt marie, who had been watching from a distance, approached. she had initially left tom alone to handle it himself, believing that helping him would hinder his social development. she hoped it would work out, but it seems like she expected too much. aunt marie pulled out a potato from her bag. ¡°don¡¯t you have eyes? have you ever seen a potato of this size around here? in my opinion, you should pay double for this.¡± ¡°no¡­ the potatoes are wilted¡­¡± overwhelmed by aunt marie¡¯s vigor, the owner¡¯s voice became quieter. ¡°wilted? how can a freshly harvested potato be wilted?¡± tom cheered for aunt marie in his mind, whose face was red. you¡¯re the best, ma¡¯am! Chapter 155 ¡°why are you suddenly interrupting? if you¡¯re not selling vegetables, just go on your way. why are you butting in?¡± ¡°why, you ask?¡± aunt marie pulled tom by the shoulder and brought him close to her. ¡°he¡¯s my son! i left him to learn how to bargain, but i can¡¯t just stand and watch!¡± the owner¡¯s brown eyes shook violently. ¡°your son?¡± ¡°yes!¡± ¡°he¡­ doesn¡¯t look like you?¡± ¡°well, i gave birth to a handsome son. my husband is quite a looker!¡± tom unconsciously thought of uncle ron, aunt marie¡¯s husband, and crumpled his face. ron was far from handsome; he had a rough, frightening face with a large scar on his cheek. whenever he approached, children would burst into tears out of fear. when tom first met uncle ron, according to aunt marie, he had cried loudly asking to be rescued. and now aunt marie is saying uncle ron is handsome? she sure knows how to lie. the owner didn¡¯t seem to believe it either, and took another look at tom. ¡°are you really her son?¡± ¡°why are you so suspicious when i¡¯m telling you he¡¯s my son?¡± ¡°i should believe it when you give me a reason to believe! he doesn¡¯t resemble you at all!¡± tom quickly hugged aunt marie¡¯s waist as he noticed both pairs of eyes on him. he¡¯s quite quick-witted. ¡°she is my mom!¡± as soon as he said that, aunt marie knelt down and hugged him tightly. for some reason, his heart felt heavy at that moment. * * * ¡°hmm, hmph! hm!¡± tom hummed a tune, holding his bulky wallet in his hands. ¡®she¡¯s a mean lady.¡¯ the purse the owner reluctantly handed over after a long dispute was twice the size of the first one. it was so heavy that it almost made him stagger. if aunt marie hadn¡¯t been there, he would¡¯ve undoubtedly left without getting his due. ¡°thank you.¡± as tom bowed, aunt marie ruffled his hair. ¡°thankful, huh. but from now on, don¡¯t be like earlier, be more assertive. you have to be a tough guy to survive.¡± ¡°tough guy?¡± ¡°it means to live with more confidence.¡± ¡°i think i¡¯m living pretty confidently.¡± aunt marie chuckled. ¡°that¡¯s right, you¡¯re tough enough. you dug up all those potatoes alone in that scorching sun.¡± ¡°next year, i¡¯m going to plant potatoes myself. i haven¡¯t learned it, but i saw my father do it, so i can!¡± ¡°that¡¯s right, if you don¡¯t know something, ask me.¡± ¡°yes!¡± ¡°more importantly, don¡¯t leave my side. a little kid like you carrying that much money alone can get into a lot of trouble.¡± tom belatedly realized he left his wallet behind. he quickly stuffed it into his shirt pocket and clung tightly to aunt marie¡¯s side. perhaps it was because of aunt marie¡¯s warning, or he felt paranoid about the watchful gazes of others. he looked around rubbing the back of his neck, feeling a sense of unease. every time he came out to the bustling streets, he had become accustomed to the scrutinizing stares. what shocked him was a carriage parked in a remote corner of the plaza. it was an ornate, twin-horse carriage that was completely out of place in this quiet countryside village, redolent of manure. just looking at it brought back unpleasant memories, making his stomach churn. ¡°why are you like this?¡± tom was gently patting aunt marie¡¯s arm with his trembling hand when she comforted him by softly patting his back. ¡°¡­¡± by the time aunt marie shifted her gaze to where tom was looking, the carriage was already far away. ¡°it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay.¡± finally, tom managed to let out the breath he had been holding in until his face turned pale, and released aunt marie¡¯s arm. having aunt marie by his side helped him calm down quickly. afterwards, tom and aunt marie shopped in the market, buying everything they needed. they bought pepper, which was running low due to the frequent consumption of soup lately, and cheese to accompany the baked potatoes they loved. passing by the butcher¡¯s shop, tom had a sudden craving for meat, so he decided to buy a small portion. he wondered if he had overspent, but aunt marie had always said that it was okay to indulge a little on the day you earned money, so he felt somewhat relieved. ¡°have you bought everything?¡± ¡°yes!¡± ¡°shall we go back then?¡± ¡°sounds good!¡± tom, his arms filled with purchases, smiled satisfactorily. ¡®i can do it on my own now.¡¯ i can do it. i¡¯ll live diligently and become proud. just as aunt marie had said, he¡¯ll become independent! * * * wearing his father¡¯s straw hat and diligently tending the garden, tom suddenly looked at his own hands. his hands, once as fair and soft as a noble¡¯s, had become covered in tiny scars after just two months. despite washing them thoroughly, the dirt under his nails wouldn¡¯t come out. calluses had formed in various parts of his palms. they were the perfect farmer¡¯s hands. but he wasn¡¯t sad. tom was rather proud of his hands, which were slowly becoming similar to his father¡¯s. drip. a drop of water fell onto the dry soil. as tom was looking at the dark spot that appeared on the ground, drip, drip, drip, more raindrops fell. ¡°huh?¡± tom, who had been digging the ground as usual with his straw hat on, looked up at the sky. dark clouds had silently filled the sky, which had been clear just in the morning. ¡®that¡¯s why the sun wasn¡¯t too hot.¡¯ a light rain during summer helps with farming. it makes watering the parched land easier and the cool weather prevents exhaustion. tom gripped his seedling hoe and was about to start digging again. however, the thin rain quickly turned into a heavy downpour. the rain was pouring down so heavily that it hurt his shoulders and back. tom quickly grabbed his seedling hoe and the basket he had placed next to him and ran home. tom went to the bathroom, washed off the muddy water, dried his body and hair with a towel, and came out into the living room. the rain outside had become even heavier, and the backyard was barely visible through the window due to the darkness. ¡°wow, it¡¯s pouring heavily.¡± suddenly, tom counted the days with his fingers. after a while, his eyes widened as if he had realized something, and he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°i¡¯m glad i didn¡¯t plant the seeds.¡± relief wasn¡¯t exactly the right term. he couldn¡¯t plant because of the rain, but anyway, the seeds he had intended to plant would have been washed away by the rain. that¡¯s right. it was already the beginning of the rainy season. for at least a week, heavy rain would continue like this. tom stared out into the darkening outside, then turned to look inside the dark house. during the rainy season, the family couldn¡¯t farm and had to stay home all day. because they couldn¡¯t afford to use expensive candles freely, they had to gather around a single candle lit in the living room. his stepmother complained about her poor eyesight while sewing or knitting, and his father hurriedly worked on all the farm tools before the end of the rainy season. tom spent his time drawing on a small blackboard or playing marbles with pebbles while lying on his stomach on the floor. the days were dark and scary, but never lonely. however, the living room, which was quiet but bustling with energy, was now empty. it was the first rainy season that he was spending alone since he was born. tom suddenly became aware of his reality. * * * the rain was pouring down heavily when aunt marie came to see tom. as expected, the food basket she brought was completely soaked in the rain. however, thankfully, the bread inside was almost dry, unlike the cloth covering the basket, which was thoroughly wet. ¡°are you really okay?¡± ¡°i¡¯m fine!¡± despite tom¡¯s brave reply, aunt marie seemed unconvinced. ¡°why don¡¯t you come and stay at my house during the rainy season? we can¡¯t work in the fields anyway. you can play with my kids.¡± tom shook his head again. why should he go somewhere else when his house is perfectly fine! aunt marie tried to persuade tom with a sense of regret, but tom defiantly ran to the sofa and pulled a blanket over himself. ¡°that¡¯s all i need.¡± ¡°okay, i understand. if you¡¯re scared to be alone later, be sure to come to my house.¡± ¡°yes!¡± however, that probably won¡¯t happen. why would he be scared of a bit of rain? with the blanket draped over him, tom ran to the door again, waving goodbye to aunt marie. after seeing her figure shrink in the distance, he locked the door and lay back on the sofa. ¡®i have boiled potatoes, and there¡¯s also the bread aunt marie gave me.¡¯ he felt like having some warm cheese, so he rummaged in the kitchen and found a bowl he hadn¡¯t used in a while. he lit a candle under the bowl, thinly sliced cheese on top of it, which would melt and could then be spread on the boiled potatoes. it was a simple but exquisite dish. it was okay to enjoy such a luxury for a day. for a while, tom busied himself in the kitchen, carefully slicing the cheese and potatoes, and then returned to the living room and placed the bowl over the candle. not much later, the cheese began to bubble and melt. looking at the oozing cheese and potatoes, tom swallowed his saliva. just as he was about to wrap the cheese around the potato with a fork, the window lit up as bright as day and then darkened again. tom was so startled that he hunched his shoulders. he almost dropped his carefully prepared food. tom quickly put his fork down on the plate and covered his ears. boom, boom! a thunderous sound reverberated as if it would shake the world. even with his ears covered, it was so loud that his chest pounded. ¡®i¡¯m not scared.¡¯ tom took a deep breath and popped the half-eaten potato into his mouth. the crumbly potato and the salty, greasy cheese were indeed a good combination. next, he also put some cheese on the bread aunt marie had given him and took a bite. the bread was hard and difficult to chew, but the more he chewed, the richer the flavor became, and it went well with the cheese. ¡°i¡¯m not scared.¡± he deliberately chewed his food more vigorously. ¡°i¡¯m not scared of a little rain.¡± however, when the sky flashed again, he threw down his fork and crawled into the blanket. ¡°ahh!¡± when he was scared during thunderstorms, his father would chide him, asking how he could still be scared of something like thunder at his age. his father never comforted him, saying it was okay because he was there. however, there were times when it was reassuring and comforting just to have his father beside him. ¡°uhhh!¡± father, father, father. i miss you. tom whimpered under his blanket and sobbed. after his first rainy season alone, tom started to dislike rainy days. the loud sound of rain hitting the windows and the musty smell of wet soil mixed with the peculiar smell of rainwater reminded him of the dim living room where no one was around. Chapter 156 * * * after the rainy season ended, tom started to move more busily. as the heat gradually subsided and the cool breeze began, autumn was the busiest yet most rewarding season for farmers. his father and stepmother were busy harvesting the crops they had cared for over the past year as soon as the rainy season ended. given that even his skilled parents were busy around the clock, it was only natural that novice farmer tom was several times busier. thankfully, aunt marie and her husband, uncle ron, helped out, so they were able to finish faster than expected. ¡°wow.¡± tom admired the vegetables fully packed in the sack. his face was dripping with sweat he wiped off with his dirty hand, but he didn¡¯t care at all. his attention was solely on the attractive vegetables. ¡°the farming went really well! yourcrops seem even better than ours.¡± uncle ron, chuckling, picked up a heavy sack for tom and headed to the barn. ¡°i-i can do it! i can handle it!¡± despite tom¡¯s protests, uncle ron ignored him and briskly walked away. tom looked at his retreating figure with disappointment, then tightly embraced the remaining sack to lift it. however, the sack, as big as his body, was too heavy for his arms that hadn¡¯t fully recovered. despite the muscles he had gained from working hard, he still couldn¡¯t lift it! but he couldn¡¯t give up. tom gritted his teeth and put all his strength into his arms. however, the sack barely lifted a finger¡¯s length before dropping back to the ground. tom grimaced at the sack. aunt marie, who had been watching, tried to hold back her laughter, but a chuckle escaped through her lips. she lightly patted tom¡¯s back, his face turning red from exerting effort to lift the sack again. ¡°calm down. what do you think you can do with those arms, thinner than a scarecrow?¡± ¡°i¡¯m a farmer now, too. i¡¯m going to be strong! this much is, ugh!¡± the sack that slipped from his weakening arms hit tom¡¯s foot and fell to the ground. tom also fell on his buttocks, clutching his foot. aunt marie was startled and sat in front of him, taking off his shoe. ¡°are you okay? i told you it wouldn¡¯t work with your strength. why are you so stubborn?¡± fortunately, tom¡¯s foot was only slightly red, nothing more. tom awkwardly smiled, rubbing his slightly hot foot. ¡°i wanted to do it because it¡¯s my job from now on.¡± ¡°still, you¡¯re weak. let me do it. you go rest. how can you carry loads with that foot?¡± ¡°i¡¯m fine! my foot doesn¡¯t hurt that much!¡± in fact, it was a little bit uncomfortable, but there was no bone or ligament injury, so walking wasn¡¯t a problem. however, despite tom¡¯s insistence, aunt marie quickly disappeared into the barn, saying the child should rest. as tom started tidying up the farm tools while waiting for uncle ron and aunt marie to return from the barn, suddenly, four robust men appeared in the field where tom was, their voices loudly echoing from the front yard of the house. the brown-haired man, who seemed to be the leader, pointed at tom. ¡°there he is!¡± with his signal, the other three men ran threateningly towards tom. tom sensed the threat and tried to escape, but before he could, his arms were caught by the approaching men. ¡°let go! let me go!¡± suspended in the air by his caught arms, tom struggled in vain. but he couldn¡¯t compete with the strength of the robust men. what on earth was going on? what were they planning to do with him? why were they doing this to him?! ¡°let me go!¡± he wished for his father, whom he¡¯d been trying to forget for a while. if his father were here, he wouldn¡¯t have let these men go. he would have rushed over, swearing, ¡®what the hell are you doing to my son?!¡¯ as tom contemplated whether he should bite the men¡¯s arms, ¡°tom!¡± ¡°what the hell are you guys doing?!¡± aunt marie and uncle ron, who had gone to move the sacks, quickly rushed over. uncle ron, who seemed more robust than the men due to years of farming, tightly grabbed the arms of the men holding tom. ¡°you can¡¯t let go?¡± at the strength of his grip, the men groaned and let go of tom¡¯s arms. tom quickly hid behind aunt marie, who reached out to him. ¡°in broad daylight, you¡¯re trying to kidnap him, are you out of your minds?¡± the men looked at their leader with defeated faces. ¡°that¡¯s not what we heard!¡± ¡°he¡¯s supposed to be an orphan, right?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know where you heard that from, but!¡± aunt marie hugged tom tightly and glared at them sharply: ¡°he¡¯s our child! we won¡¯t let you harm him!¡± she was just a humble farmer from a rural village. there wasn¡¯t really anything aunt marie could do if they decided not to heed her warning. however, whether they were intimidated by her fierce demeanor or taken aback by the revelation that tom wasn¡¯t an orphan, the men backed away from tom. the leader, who had been watching aunt marie and uncle ron, signaled to the others and they turned away. the rest of the men followed, cursing as they went. ¡°just show up again!¡± uncle ron yelled at their retreating backs. aunt marie also shouted at them. tom, trembling in aunt marie¡¯s arms, glanced sideways to make sure the men had truly gone. ¡°what on earth do they want with this little kid¡­¡± aunt marie murmured, and uncle ron¡¯s face turned beet red in anger. ¡°i¡¯ve heard about vile nobles who use children as toys, but i didn¡¯t think they really existed!¡± ¡°tiys?¡± tom peeked up and asked. he was just curious about a word he¡¯d never heard before, like the word ¡°scoundrel¡± that aunt marie had taught him. but then aunt marie covered his ears and yelled at uncle ron. ¡°don¡¯t say such things in front of the child!¡± ¡°no, but¡­¡± uncle ron, who had been angry, held out his hands in surprise. aunt marie gave him a sharp look, then took tom¡¯s hand. ¡°i guess it can¡¯t be helped. you¡¯ll have to sleep at our house tonight.¡± so far, aunt marie had often worried about tom being alone and suggested he stay with them. each time, tom had insisted that he was fine on his own and didn¡¯t want to leave his home. but today was different. tom looked towards where the men had disappeared and nodded. ¡°yes.¡± it was scary to be alone on a day like this. * * * ¡°those guys are back.¡± aunt marie checked outside through a gap in the curtain and gritted her teeth. she made sure the curtain was tightly closed so no sunlight could enter, then covered tom¡¯s head with a thick blanket. ¡°you have to stay in your room and not come out until i say it¡¯s okay. understand?¡± tom nodded and hurried into the innermost room. he covered himself tightly with the blanket and huddled in one corner, shaking. ¡®what should i do.¡¯ since that day, those suspicious men had come looking for him four times. even though aunt marie and uncle ron had claimed that tom was their son, they must have heard somewhere that he was an orphan. tom couldn¡¯t see outside, but according to aunt marie, each time the men had surrounded his house for about an hour or two before leaving. their persistent obsession was frightening. what exactly did they want to do with him¡­ tom imagined himself being caught by the men and trembled. he wasn¡¯t sure exactly what they intended, but if uncle ron and aunt marie were getting so upset, it definitely wasn¡¯t good. then, the quiet outside began to turn chaotic. ¡°no, where do these guys think they¡¯re going!¡± starting with aunt marie¡¯s sharp voice, the unfamiliar voices of the men he¡¯d heard before were heard. ¡°we¡¯re just checking.¡± ¡°no, why do you guys want to check our house?¡± ¡°even though we said it¡¯ll only take a moment, you keep resisting. and that child, he¡¯s not even yours!¡± ¡°no, who said that? where did you hear such nonsense!¡± just when uncle ron, who had been guarding the house for the past few days, unavoidably had to leave the house for a while. they had thought it would be fine since the men had quietly left before, but they didn¡¯t expect this to happen! what to do, what to do. tom held the blanket so tightly that his hands turned white. he couldn¡¯t even breathe properly for fear of his breath leaking out. ¡®it¡¯s because of me again¡­¡¯ if it wasn¡¯t for him, aunt marie and uncle ron wouldn¡¯t be going through this. he felt terrible thinking that he was causing harm to the two because of himself, and he was ashamed of himself, trembling in the corner unable to go out. ¡®but i¡¯m scared.¡¯ tom tightly covered his ears with his hands under the blanket. however, the loud noises were still audible, and the angry voices of the men kept coming. thump, thump, thump, his heart raced as if it would jump out of the mouth. tom closed his eyes tightly. as the sound of his own heartbeat began to overshadow the noises outside, suddenly, uncle ron¡¯s voice rang out loudly. ¡°what do these people think this place is! get the hell out of here!¡± only then did tom let out the breath he had been holding. he had just realized he had been holding his breath. the men seemed to be having a bit more argument with uncle ron, but they seemed to give up and go back. the voices gradually faded until they were not heard at all. tom crawled out from under the pitch-black blanket, rolling his eyes and cautiously peeping out. as he pressed his ear to the closed door to check the situation outside, he startled as the door opened. he was taken aback and stiffened, but fortunately, the person who came in was aunt marie. she discovered tom crouched at the door and paused for a moment before closing the door and coming in. while she fixed tom¡¯s hair, which was sticking up due to static, she didn¡¯t say a word. tom, for his part, couldn¡¯t figure out what to say either and shut his mouth tightly. ¡®what should i do?¡¯ even though he thought he should go home, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it. he was afraid he might be captured by those terrible men tonight if he went home. but seeing what happened today, even if he stayed here¡­ ¡°tom.¡± aunt marie, looking at tom who hung his head low, struggled to speak. ¡°i don¡¯t think you should stay here.¡± ah, just as expected. tom wasn¡¯t disappointed. aunt marie had taken care of him because he was the son of a close friend. but no matter how much she cherished her friend¡¯s son, he could never be more important than her own family. aunt marie must protect her family in her own way. ¡°it¡¯s okay. i can live on my own.¡± ¡°no, that¡¯s not it¡­¡± aunt marie muttered something, her face looking as if she was about to cry. ¡°can you stay somewhere else for a while?¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°i thought it would be okay if you stayed at my place, but after today, it seems like it won¡¯t be. so¡­¡± tom seemed to understand what she was saying. she wasn¡¯t abandoning him, but trying to protect him. ¡°let¡¯s go somewhere else and wait until the situation calms down. understand?¡± tom moved his lips to say something but eventually, unable to find any words, simply nodded. Chapter 157 * * * even though aunt marie had mentioned ¡®somewhere else,¡¯ tom didn¡¯t really have anywhere else to go. apart from his deceased parents, tom had no family. aunt marie also didn¡¯t have a specific place to send tom. she had relatives, but most of them lived in the same village or nearby villages. given tom¡¯s distinctive red eyes, unless he went somewhere far from the village, he would be quickly found. after contemplating throughout the night, aunt marie took tom early the next day and got on a carriage. the carriage ran, and ran, and ran. tom just blankly stared outside the window, holding his bag of belongings. familiar landscapes faded away, and unfamiliar sights began to appear. just as he was starting to get used to these unfamiliar scenes, the carriage stopped. the orphanage aunt marie had brought tom to was sponsored by the temple. she had decided on this place thinking that being under the protection of the temple, even the nobles wouldn¡¯t dare to act recklessly. ¡°are you all right?¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± ¡°those people will lose interest soon, so when things quiet down, i¡¯ll come and get you right away.¡± aunt marie said that, but tom was honestly a bit skeptical. it didn¡¯t seem like those people would give up soon and even if they did, he wasn¡¯t sure if aunt marie would be able to come all the way here. just like everyone in their neighborhood, aunt marie¡¯s life was just getting by. with the crops from the small field that she worked on for a year, she was barely managing to survive for the next year. living off the harvest, and again living off the crops of the next year that has been grown for a year. it means they are not in a position to ride a chartered carriage all the way here. he didn¡¯t feel it, but the cost of the carriage today must have been quite fatal for her. despite knowing that fact, tom smiled lightly and nodded his head. ¡°yes, i¡¯ll wait.¡± ¡°yes, take care.¡± tom ruffled his own hair and waved his hands towards the back of aunt marie, who was turning around. aunt marie looked back at tom with every step she took, as if she was still worried about him. tom tried to smile as broadly as possible. but the moment the carriage that carried aunt marie left, why was he shedding tears again¡­ was it because after losing his parents, aunt marie and uncle ron, who had been by his side, disappeared and he became completely alone? still, he must not cry. tom bit his cheek hard to hold back his tears. it was because he thought that the children would look down on him if he cried in a place he was visiting for the first time. ¡°welcome.¡± the priest and the director of the orphanage, fortunately, treated him without prejudice. at first, he seemed to flinch at the sight of his red eyes, but he soon greeted him with a gentle smile. the director, who had roughly heard about tom¡¯s circumstances, moistened his eyelids. ¡°you must have had a hard time losing your parents like that.¡± ¡°no, not really¡­¡± honestly, there wasn¡¯t a day when he felt at ease. but he didn¡¯t want to show that to someone he was meeting for the first time today. even if the person is kind-hearted, tom couldn¡¯t easily open his heart to the director. ¡°well, if you say so.¡± the director hugged tom tightly, who was biting his lips. tom¡¯s body stiffened in surprise. ¡°don¡¯t worry about anything else here and make yourself at home.¡± after that, he never mentioned anything about tom¡¯s parents or his red eyes. tom preferred that to his clumsy comfort. ¡®he seems like a good person.¡¯ you shouldn¡¯t judge a person by their first impression, but somehow he had a good feeling. he thought that the children in the orphanage run by such a person would welcome him warmly. however, the children were different. especially those who were new to the place, they blatantly avoided him when they saw his red eyes. ¡°ah, hello?¡± even to his courageous greeting, they pretended not to hear and turned their heads to do their own thing. only the poor director was left awkwardly struggling. tom nodded to him, who was trying to gather the children again. ¡°i¡¯m fine.¡± actually, he wasn¡¯t fine. the excited mood he had just a while ago had long since crashed to the ground. but tom hid his hurt feelings and smiled at the director, then walked to a corner without children and sat down. ¡°i prefer to be alone anyway.¡± tom mumbled to himself, as if making a promise. ¡°i prefer to be alone.¡± * * * seasons passed, and autumn, when he came to the orphanage with aunt marie, came again. there was still no special news from aunt marie. maybe she has forgotten him, or maybe something happened to aunt marie. tom looked at the children playing outside while he was aimlessly flipping through a book he couldn¡¯t even read. it¡¯s been a year since he came here, but the children haven¡¯t fully opened their hearts to tom. some still whispered that his eyes were strange, and some didn¡¯t pay attention to him at all. probably because tom didn¡¯t actively make friends with the children. tom turned the book pages aimlessly. the scenery of his longing hometown flickered over the paper full of pictures. ¡®she will come.¡¯ last year, she had already paid for the carriage with the harvested crops, so she might not have been able to come this year because she didn¡¯t have any money. once this year¡¯s harvest is over and she has some spare money, aunt marie will come to pick him up. so he just has to hold on a little longer. just a little longer¡­ tom looked at his clumsy fingers turning the book pages and eventually closed his eyes. * * * this winter was particularly cold. every day, snow poured down, and winds blew from all directions. the children in the orphanage, who couldn¡¯t even wear proper padded clothes, huddled together in one place, relying on each other¡¯s body heat and shivering. even the children who used to growl at the sight of each other every day, in front of the instinct of survival, shared warmth with each other in an unspoken truce. = but even within that, tom shivered alone, curled up slightly away from the group. ¡®it¡¯s cold.¡¯ the severe cold that turned yesterday¡¯s enemies into today¡¯s comrades, but his red eyes were still a source of fear for the children. even as they cast fleeting glances at tom, whose lips were blue, they didn¡¯t dare to approach him first. unable to watch any longer, the director tried to take tom¡¯s hand and approach the children, but each time, the children backed off as if they had made a pact. after that, tom gave up on even a glimmer of hope. his life, after all, had been colder than the wind gnawing at his bones in the midst of people¡¯s scorn. ¡®but¡­¡¯ it was something he had gone through over and over again, but his heart was bitterly cold. the wind that had been howling even during the day became more harsh as night fell. the creepy sound of what seemed like a ghost howling kept coming from outside, and the windows were shaking as if they were about to be torn off at any moment. but what was even more unbearable was the cold that gnawed to the bone. ¡®it¡¯s cold.¡¯ tom, trembling and wrapping himself tighter in the blanket, kept his eyes wide open to stay awake. even though he was so sleepy that his eyelids were heavy, he couldn¡¯t sleep. he had a bad feeling. ¡®if i fall asleep like this, i might not be able to wake up.¡¯ he remembered hearing about a traveler who fell asleep in a cold winter and couldn¡¯t wake up even when morning came. his father, hearing that story, had yelled, ¡®what a fool! you must never sleep when it¡¯s cold. if you doze off for even a moment, it could be disastrous!¡¯ his father¡¯s voice, uttered with contempt at the time, rang in his ears. tom slapped his cheeks that were already reddened from the cold until they became even redder. ¡®i must not sleep.¡¯ then, suddenly, he felt a sense of doubt. ¡®does it matter if i stay like this?¡¯ thinking about it, he realized he didn¡¯t have such an attachment to life that he would stay up all night resisting the overwhelming sleep. even if he survived today like this, tomorrow he would be shaking in the cold again, hoping desperately for winter to end, and even when the long-awaited spring came, his life wouldn¡¯t get any better. as it has always been, he would probably be biting into hard bread until his jaws hurt to fill his hungry stomach while receiving the scorn of the other orphans. the relentless yet monotonous repetition of his daily life, over and over again. he wondered if a warm light would ever shine on his life. maybe the life that lies ahead of him could be more horrific than just falling asleep here forever. thinking this way, his heart seemed to lighten somewhat. tom closed his eyes, letting go of everything. his eyelids, which he had been holding up until just a moment ago, fell smoothly. ¡®it¡¯s unfair though.¡¯ why was he born different from others? all he wanted was to play with his friends. if he had a warm and kind family like everyone else, it would have been great. why can¡¯t he have what everyone else takes for granted? struggling to lift his heavy eyelids, tom stared blankly out the window that was shaking violently in the wind. god, if you really exist, please don¡¯t forget me. if i were to be born again, please give me warm love¡­ ¡°i want to be loved, too.¡± i want to meet someone who can look at me without fear in my eyes and smile at me. at the moment when he made his most earnest wish, just before the flame of life went out, tom¡¯s red eyes sparkled golden. if i am born again in my next life, i will surely¡­ * * * ¡°¡­rey?¡± a voice that always comforted his heart could be heard. instinctively, reynard reached out his hand, felt yurina¡¯s waist, and pulled her closer. he buried his face in her warm embrace and took a deep breath. the scent of flowers wafted as if to tell him that the woman in front of him now wasn¡¯t a dream but reality. it felt like all the remnants of the nightmare he had a while ago were disappearing. ¡°rey, what¡¯s wrong? are you not feeling well?¡± reynard buried his face in her chest and just shook his head. yurina looked at him with a worried face, as if he was being a baby. ¡°why are you groaning in your sleep if you¡¯re not feeling bad? are you sure you¡¯re not sick?¡± she gently stroked his hair once again as he shook his head. reynard¡¯s heart wavered at her gentle, loving touch, as if she were caring for a newborn baby. ¡°did you have a nightmare?¡± ¡°¡­perhaps.¡± he tried to answer calmly, but his voice cracked. yurina stepped back slightly and examined his expression. reynard¡¯s face was terribly distorted, but she didn¡¯t know what kind of terrible dream he had had. he was usually quite frank about his emotions with yurina, but he didn¡¯t express negative emotions much, as if he was worried about making her worry. seeing him unable to control his emotions and in pain made her heart ache. ¡°did you cry?¡± ¡°no.¡± ¡°then it must be because you¡¯re tired and yawning. right?¡± her soft hand gently touched his wet eyelashes. both of them knew that the tears weren¡¯t from yawning, but yurina didn¡¯t say anything. reynard was thankful for her consideration. he closed his eyes and silently accepted her touch. ¡°what dream did you have?¡± ¡°when i was at the orphanage.¡± yurina¡¯s hand, which had been wiping his wet eyelashes, paused momentarily. as if urging her to continue, reynard rubbed his own eyes with her hand. yurina hesitated for a moment before finally asking. ¡°was being at the orphanage so terrible that you would have nightmares?¡± regret and sorrow filled her voice for not having found him sooner. reynard thought it was fortunate that she had found him at all, but she always felt sorry that she hadn¡¯t found him, who wasn¡¯t the person she was originally looking for, and that she had found him too late. there was no need for that at all. reynard quickly shook his head. ¡°it¡¯s not like that. i¡¯d be lying if i said i enjoyed life at the orphanage, but it wasn¡¯t terrible.¡± ¡°then?¡± he couldn¡¯t answer immediately. because you weren¡¯t there. a world without you is more terrifying to me than a nightmare. the words rose to the tip of his tongue, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say them. negative Chapter 158 strangely, not being able to see yurina until the moment he closed his eyes for the last time was more sorrowful and resentful than dying shivering in the cold. he didn¡¯t realize it when he was dreaming, but perhaps the existence that the small and young tom had been vaguely waiting for in his dream was yurina, a savior who would truly share warmth with him while looking him straight in the eyes. reynard opened his eyes and stared at yurina¡¯s blue eyes. her eyes, always twinkling like stars, had a strange charm. when he made eye contact with yurina like this, he felt as if he was in the most comfortable sanctuary. it was the same when he first saw her. ¡°yurina.¡± ¡°yes.¡± ¡°thank you for coming to see me that day.¡± yurina, who had been gently patting his back, smiled faintly and pressed her lips tightly against his. ¡°thank you for being there.¡± reynard laughed with his lips still entwined with hers. ¡°i think i might have been waiting for you then.¡± * * * tom sat down in the shade of a beautiful tree behind the orphanage building, away from the children. it was now approaching summer. despite only being in the shade for a brief moment, sweat was already dripping from his forehead. ¡®i¡¯m hungry.¡¯ growl. a loud noise erupted from his stomach. all tom could do was swallow his saliva and gently rub his starving stomach. although supplies were provided from the temple, there wasn¡¯t enough for all the children to eat their fill. even worse, for the past week, there had been no proper supplies from the temple, and they couldn¡¯t even have a proper meal. all he ate yesterday was a meager soup and bread so hard it could hurt one¡¯s teeth. today, he had to eat bread without even soup. ¡®well, feed me this much and put me to sleep. it¡¯s also something i¡¯m thankful for.¡¯ his father always emphasized that they couldn¡¯t eat unless they worked. ¡®right now, since you¡¯re young, you¡¯re not allowed to work, but when you start to be the same height as your father, you¡¯ll have to do farm work all day long.¡¯ the same was true here. now he¡¯s still young and doing what he wants, eating and playing, but as he gets older and gains strength in his arms and legs, he had to work. it¡¯s a matter of earning your own keep. but he was able to live comfortably in mind, if a little hungry, thanks to the temple¡¯s protection. if it were run by nobles or tycoons, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to accept their kindness so purely. he was newly grateful for aunt marie¡¯s decision. ¡®can i go back?¡¯ thinking of aunt marie¡¯s face, the nostalgic scenery of his hometown came to mind again. the wide fields and the streams that trickled between them. in the summers like now, he used to play and swim there. at first, he thought he could obviously go back. but now, after several seasons have changed, he had long given up such hopes. tom could feel it instinctively. he probably won¡¯t be able to go back there again. the small but substantial vegetable garden that his father had cultivated, the peaceful house where the smell of his stepmother baking bread wafted, now only existed in his imagination. his father was scary when he screamed every time he drank, but it was the only place where tom felt safe, and it no longer existed. can he enjoy peaceful days without worries again? ¡®more than that, i¡¯m so hungry.¡¯ rather than lamenting how his life had come to this, he was just too hungry. what tom desperately needed now wasn¡¯t peaceful days, but bread and soup to fill the stomach. growl, growl. his thoughtless stomach continued to croak like a frog. tom absentmindedly patted his flat stomach, pulled his knees close, and buried his face in them. he hoped to fall into a deep sleep right now, so he wouldn¡¯t feel hungry. if he woke up from sleep, it would be morning and he could eat that tasteless, dry soup¡­ just before he fell asleep as he wished, tom heard soft and light footsteps nearby. when he lifted my head with effort, he saw a girl coming towards him, against the bright sunlight. ¡®who is it?¡¯ unlike the overall ragged orphans including him, the girl looked posh even to his naive eyes. pale skin, neatly brushed hair, a ridiculously expensive-looking dress, and pink shoes that stood out even in the dust. ¡®she¡¯s a noble.¡¯ knowing that the girl seemed younger than him, tom shrunk himself with tension. he had never had a good experience with nobles. the carriage accident that took his parents¡¯ lives, the destruction of his father¡¯s cherished vegetable garden, and eventually driving him to this orphanage, it was all those so-called nobles. if he gets involved with her, he probably won¡¯t be in a good position. so, let¡¯s just pretend i don¡¯t know and stay still. she seems to have lost her way, so if tom stayed still as a dead mouse, he thought she would go back, but somehow, the girl walked towards him. ¡®what? why are you coming?¡¯ he wondered if he was mistaken, but she stood right in front of him, giving off a guarded look. then, she stared into his eyes with an emotionless face. it was like a searching gaze. tom instinctively covered his eyes with his hand. he wanted to snap at her as if she were gawking at the orphans, but he couldn¡¯t open his mouth. it¡¯s not because he¡¯s scared that she might beat him up for saying such a thing to a noble lady. rather, the girl looked so frail and innocent that he thought she would instantly shed tears at a sharp word. what if this tiny and pretty kid cries? tom had no confidence to comfort her if she cried. so even though her gaze was uncomfortable, he just kept silent and threw a sharp gaze at her. after scrutinizing tom from head to toe for a while, the girl suddenly lifted the corners of her mouth and smiled. ¡®why are you smiling?¡¯ he wanted to say it gruffly, but this time again, he couldn¡¯t say a word. she was pretty already, and she became even prettier when she smiled, so he was lost for words. the girl reached out her hand towards him who was making a flustered face. it was a clean and glossy white hand that showed no signs of hardship. ¡°come with me.¡± ¡°miss, that can¡¯t be.¡± a middle-aged woman, whom he didn¡¯t even know was there, spoke sharply, but the girl bravely looked at him and smiled. ¡°i¡¯ll protect you. if you go with me, you won¡¯t have to starve anymore and you won¡¯t have to worry about shivering and dying in the cold.¡± she spoke calmly but confidently, with the dazzling sunlight pouring behind her. tom, as if being captivated by her, stared blankly at her without even blinking and then belatedly licked his lips. ¡°why? i don¡¯t believe in pure kindness. what do you want to do with me? use me as a toy?¡± ¡°what?¡± ¡°nobles like you love kids like me. i¡¯ve seen a lot of nobles like you.¡± he didn¡¯t think she would harbor such malicious intentions. but he couldn¡¯t just grab that hand, because he had been hurt before. what if he follows her and ends up being sold in a strange place? what would he do then? ¡°who are you talking to like that right now! miss, don¡¯t worry about it and just go!¡± at the sharp words shouted by the middle-aged woman earlier, tom belatedly realized his mistake and shut his mouth. ¡®would i get beaten up for saying weird things?¡¯ he belatedly saw the robust knights watching this way from afar. tom felt as if his neck stiffened under their oppressive atmosphere. if they were as ruthless as he thought, breaking a rib wouldn¡¯t be out of question. he belatedly bowed flatly, wondering whether he should apologize for his mistake, but the girl spoke in the same expression and tone as before. ¡°you¡¯re right. there¡¯s no pure goodwill in the world. i don¡¯t pretend to be showing you such goodwill purely out of sympathy. but i¡¯ll definitely tell you that it¡¯s not the impure intention you¡¯re thinking of. even if you¡¯re naive, how could i be after a lad like you? do you even know what ¡®toy¡¯ means?¡± contrary to her words, she didn¡¯t look particularly upset. ¡°if you keep messing with your tongue like that, you could die without anyone knowing. you should speak considerately depending on the person. do you know who i am?¡± it sounded as if she was scolding him, but it also sounded like she was worried about him. what a strange thing. what¡¯s happened to his mind? ¡°so why?¡± ¡°i¡¯m going to invest in you.¡± ¡°invest?¡± ¡°yes, invest. if you stay here, you won¡¯t survive this winter and you¡¯ll die. this year¡¯s winter will be particularly cold.¡± the girl spoke plainly. however, tom couldn¡¯t simply take her words in a plain way. ¡®die?¡¯ at that single word, tom¡¯s face turned pale. he didn¡¯t particularly have a strong will to live, but he was scared to hear he would die. tom raised his head and looked directly into the girl¡¯s face. the first thing he noticed were the girl¡¯s blue eyes. eyes that shone brightly in the summer sun, like beautiful jewels. even knowing that he had red eyes, she looked straight into his eyes without showing surprise or avoiding his gaze. it was strange. he was more interested in the girl¡¯s eyes he was facing than her words about dying. the trigger was so trivial. simply due to her looking him straight in the eyes, tom felt hope that he could trust this girl and follow her. ¡°okay.¡± tom took the girl¡¯s hand and stood up from his seat. her hand, unlike his rough one, was very soft and warm. his face heated up. to hide his blushing face, he quickly bowed his head. just then, a warm summer breeze blew. her hair fluttered in the wind and a pleasant scent came from her. it smelled like the flowers from the field where he used to run around in the spring. tom took a deep breath through his nose. at that moment, he thought, maybe this is the scent of hope. Chapter 159 2. aiden¡¯s observation of reynard year 467 of the imperial calendar, spring, reynard 13 years old. reynard, who was scribbling notes in his book dryly, looked out of the window with his chin propped up. aiden, who was half-listening and half-ignoring the professor¡¯s lecture, sighed when he saw his friend like this. ¡®he¡¯s like that again.¡¯ it was already the third day since reynard, who couldn¡¯t even drink a drop of water, lost his energy and became listless like a sapling. whenever he had a chance, he would stare blankly at the sky, and even when aiden tried to talk or play jokes, he just pretended to listen and react. he used to respond grumpily, but consistently. his face, which was already slender, became even more gaunt as he barely ate. at this point, it was only natural for aiden to worry about his friend. of course, aiden could fully understand reynard¡¯s feelings. not only reynard, but all the freshmen who suddenly had to live in a dormitory away from their families became depressed with homesickness after admission. even now, more than half of the students sitting in the classroom were looking gloomy. that was something even positive aiden agreed on. he had always wanted to come to the capital from his rural territory, so he was busy exploring here and there during the day, but at night, when things got sentimental, he missed his family and felt mixed up. those little siblings of his, who only chirped like sparrows, why were they so precious? the real problem was that he didn¡¯t know how to get his friend back on his feet. unlike aiden, who openly spoke about everything from family stories to trivial stories about his rural territory, reynard rarely spoke about personal matters. the only thing he had said was about his sponsor when they first met. of course, he didn¡¯t even know what reynard liked or disliked. ¡®he might feel better if he makes more friends.¡¯ children suffering from homesickness tried to shake off thoughts of their families by sticking with friends as much as possible, and aiden was one of them. it would have been better if reynard interacted more actively with friends, but he was indifferent even to the children who showed interest first. as a result, aiden was the only one who had a proper conversation with him. even so, it was possible because aiden didn¡¯t care about his sour response and stuck with him. there was a time when he felt good thinking that he was his only friend, but not now. aiden thought reynard needed more friends. ¡°hey, reynard.¡± as aiden tapped on his shoulder, reynard, who had been staring out the window, slowly turned his head. instead of opening his mouth, he asked with his eyes, ¡®what is it, why are you calling me?¡¯ ¡°let¡¯s go eat some snacks after class. nathan says the walnut pies they sell in the cafeteria are really delicious. i haven¡¯t tried it, so you probably haven¡¯t either, right? we always hang out together. let¡¯s have that with milk today. let¡¯s call nathan and go together.¡± ¡°i¡¯m fine. you go.¡± reynard waved his hand as if he really wasn¡¯t interested, and then laid down on the desk. ¡°hey, hey. don¡¯t do that, let¡¯s go together. let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°who¡¯s chatting during class time?¡± the professor, who was explaining about nature magic in a voice that would make anyone sleepy, pushed up his glasses looking at aiden. aiden scratched the back of his head awkwardly looking at the professor. ¡°i apologize, professor. i¡¯m a bit mixed up thinking about my family.¡± ¡°of course, you miss your family. but try to concentrate and not talk. you¡¯re having a hard time being away from your family, you should work hard and graduate soon.¡± ¡°i understand!¡± he said so, but aiden wasn¡¯t able to focus on the class at all. he poked reynard¡¯s arm, who was still lying on the desk, and whispered softly. ¡°hey, hey. let¡¯s go to the cafeteria together after class.¡± normally, when he is this persistent, reynard would nod his head, albeit annoyed, but today he doesn¡¯t even pretend to listen and turns his head away. aiden also felt a little upset. ¡®it¡¯s really serious.¡¯ while aiden was wrapping his head in thought, the basic magic theory class ended. he tried to forcibly take reynard to the cafeteria, but reynard shook off aiden¡¯s hand and headed to the dorm. looking at his drooping shoulders, aiden made a groan. ¡®is that guy feeling spring fever?¡¯ the weather had warmed up and flowers with heart-warming colors bloomed all over the academy. spending time alone in a single room without friends in this lovely season, he must have felt even more lonely. ¡®it would have been nice if he used a multi-person room instead of a single-person.¡¯ aiden, who had been staring at reynard¡¯s back that was quite far away, suddenly clapped his hands and smiled. * * * a friend¡¯s friend is a friend. aiden, who grew up in the countryside with few peers, had always lived with that saying from childhood. although he was a noble, he was only a rural baron in the name only, so he didn¡¯t have any real noble dignity to show off. on sunny days, he would go out to the fields and play with the children of the territory until his clothes got dirty. his thoughts remained unchanged even in the academy where many children his age gathered. ¡®my friends are reynard¡¯s friends.¡¯ reynard was his first precious friend he made when he came here, and they were the same age. nathan, alex, and thomas, who shared the room with him, were a bit younger, but they got along well, so they were friends. so, it would be great if reynard became friends with these three people and got along well! just imagining the four of them talking together cheerfully made aiden feel happy. of course, if reynard had heard this story in advance, he would have passed by snorting that he wasn¡¯t interested, but sadly, aiden planned all this without reynard knowing. thanks to that, when reynard came out of the dorm room without notice and saw the children gathered together, he closed the door and went back in. before the door completely closed, aiden could catch a glimpse of reynard¡¯s somewhat flustered face. ¡°hey, hey? reynard! how could you just leave!¡± aiden urgently knocked on his door. he knew reynard would be uncomfortable, but he was very taken aback because he didn¡¯t expect him to run away like this. after knocking on the door a few more times, reynard¡¯s grumpy voice could be heard from beyond the door. ¡°what¡¯s all this about suddenly?¡± ¡°these are my roommates. i brought them to formally introduce them. do you remember what i told you before? the youngest one standing to my left is nathan¡­ the one who said he couldn¡¯t sleep because he was picking his nose too much¡­¡± nathan, the eight-year-old who was sucking on the lollipop aiden had given him as a bribe, puffed out his cheeks. ¡°i didn¡¯t pick my nose.¡± ¡°no, aiden is right. you were picking your nose a lot. you were even doing it yesterday.¡± at alex¡¯s agreeing words, even thomas nodded his head, and nathan couldn¡¯t retort any further. he pouted his lips, which had turned blue from the candy, and bit down on the wide lollipop in his mouth. ¡°reynard, can you come out? they are all nice and good. let¡¯s get along, okay?¡± at aiden¡¯s pleading words holding the doorknob, the door opened again. reynard crossed his arms and looked at aiden¡¯s brightened expression. ¡°wow, your eyes are red. like a rabbit.¡± nathan, who had stopped sucking on his candy, pointed at reynard¡¯s eyes with his finger and muttered blankly. nathan had spoken innocently, but sometimes such naive admiration could hurt someone. although rumors about ¡®blessed¡¯ had already spread throughout the academy, and there was no mocking or teasing of him, reynard was still sensitive about his eyes due to his mental wounds. alex, who was watching reynard trying to go back into the room covering his eyes, hit nathan¡¯s head with his fist. ¡°ouch! why did you hit me?¡± ¡°if you rudely point at people like that, it¡¯s not good. and i told you before that it¡¯s because he¡¯s a ¡®blessed¡¯.¡± ¡°blessed?¡± ¡°yes. he received the blessing of the goddess, so his eyes are red.¡± aiden, hearing the whispering behind him, turned around and glared. ¡°you guys, don¡¯t ever talk about the eyes, whether it¡¯s blessed or whatever. he¡¯s just like us, why are you doing this? nathan, your eyes are just blue like reynard¡¯s eyes are just red. no one finds your blue eyes fascinating. right?¡± nathan rolled his eyes while vigorously eating the candy until it made a clinking sound as it hit his teeth. he seemed to not understand why he couldn¡¯t find the unfamiliar red eyes fascinating, but eventually nodded his head. being still young and needing someone¡¯s touch, he always followed whatever aiden, who was acting like a leader in the dorm, said. ¡°i got it.¡± ¡°and don¡¯t bite the candy, make sure to suck it. if you do it wrong, you might get hurt.¡± ¡°okay.¡± ¡°and after eating, make sure to brush your teeth in your room.¡± ¡°okay.¡± ¡°oh, you¡¯re so good.¡± aiden affectionately pinched nathan¡¯s cheek that was puffed out because he was sucking on the candy, then turned to look at reynard again. perhaps because the three little ones were unfamiliar, he was looking at them with a slightly stiff face, but he didn¡¯t seem to be trying to go back into his room. aiden was very pleased to see him patiently waiting. ¡°now, i¡¯ll formally introduce them. as i said earlier, the little one eating candy right now is nathan. he¡¯s also a noble, but unlike me, he¡¯s the third son of a somewhat renowned count family in the capital. he¡¯s only eight years old, so we need to take good care of him.¡± ¡°hi, brother! i¡¯m nathan! you can call me nate! that¡¯s what my family calls me.¡± nathan, who had noticeably shrunken his lollipop in his hand, waved with his other hand. reynard raised his hand lightly in return to substitute for a greeting. ¡°is it okay, brother! can i call you brother rey?¡± nathan took a step closer, and reynard, who flinched and retreated two steps, narrowed his eyes. ¡°that won¡¯t do. call me reynard.¡± ¡°why? brother, your name is too long and hard. then what does your family call you?¡± at the word ¡®family¡¯, aiden was startled and covered nathan¡¯s mouth with his hand. the topic even more sensitive than his red eyes was his family. as nathan struggled and cried ¡®that¡¯s it! that¡¯s it!¡¯, the remnants of the melted candy got sticky on aiden¡¯s palm, but aiden didn¡¯t mind and watched reynard¡¯s reaction. contrary to his expectations, reynard didn¡¯t look displeased but crossed his arms and slightly shook his head, looking at nathan and aiden in turn. ¡°it¡¯s like having another aiden.¡± at those words, aiden almost yelled out in surprise but barely managed to suppress it. why? why me? Chapter 160 ¡°everyone around me calls me reynard. so, you should too.¡± as nathan reluctantly nodded, he lowered aiden¡¯s hand to below his mouth. ¡°okay.¡± then, he introduced alex and thomas. reynard seemed to like thomas the most, who was relatively the calmest of them all. according to aiden¡¯s subjective evaluation. even though he liked him, there were hardly any changes in his expression, so he fell into a maze as to what it really meant. after that, the five of them always hung out together. the main reason being aiden¡¯s intentional effort to never leave reynard alone. they always ate meals together in the cafeteria, took classes together, and did assignments together in the library. if reynard would go back to his room alone after dinner, fearing that he might feel depressed, they intentionally kept him late until he started yawning as if he would fall asleep soon. however, despite such efforts, reynard barely managed to cheer up. the children seemed to have gotten used to it, but as soon as they let their guard down, he would gaze out of the window, watching the people passing by. he acted as if he was waiting for someone. then, there was this day. that day, the five of them were struggling with the assignment given by the professor in the library. ¡°it¡¯s too hard.¡± nathan, the one with the weakest comprehension, first declared giving up and sprawled on the desk. it was inevitable. he struggled even with reading the imperial language, let alone understanding the magic theory. in fact, the others were the same. they had learned the common language of the empire, but before they entered the academy, they had no special opportunity to learn the imperial language. they pinned their hopes on reynard, who was of imperial origin. he was a bit better than the others, but he still couldn¡¯t read fluently. yet, he kept looking at the book and writing on the paper persistently until aiden was the last one to declare giving up. ¡®he writes well.¡¯ reynard¡¯s handwriting seemed cute and round, like a girl¡¯s. could it be that the teacher who taught him the alphabet was a woman? as aiden was thinking this, someone approached them. it was a child who delivered letters at the academy. ¡°it¡¯s nice to see you all gathered here. i can deliver these all at once.¡± he first handed a letter to nathan. seeing his mother¡¯s name, nathan sniffed and soon began to shed tears. his entire family was in the capital and he saw them not long ago, yet he seemed still a child. next, thomas received a letter. he checked the sender and calmly opened the seal and read the letter. ¡°what about me? don¡¯t i have anything?¡± frantically asking and confirming the owner of the last letter in the boy¡¯s hand, aiden slapped his chin in disappointment. ¡®those siblings don¡¯t have a bit of fraternal love.¡¯ his brothers, or elder siblings, who he had been with every day, hadn¡¯t sent him a single letter for months after he left for the distant capital. when he returned to the mansion during the holiday, he would tickle them until they cried. ¡°reynard, here.¡± reynard, who was pretending to write and was sneakily looking at the boy, received the letter while licking his lips. a faint scent of spring flowers came from the lilac-colored envelope. reynard turned the letter over and checked the sender on the back. at that moment, aiden doubted his eyes. over the past week, reynard, who had been languidly indifferent to everything, had a smile blossoming on his face as if a flower bud burst and bloomed. he buried his face in the letter and shook his head from side to side. nathan asked, ¡®why is reynard behaving like that?¡¯ with a serious expression, but to aiden, it looked as if reynard was so overjoyed he couldn¡¯t control himself. in fact, he even heard a sound like a leaky laugh. it seemed like his two legs under the table were also trembling. ¡°hey, reynard. are you okay? who sent you the letter to make you react like that?¡± reynard suddenly raised his head and glanced at them. he seemed to be trying to stop smiling, but his lips were constantly twitching, so it wasn¡¯t very effective. ¡°i-i have something urgent, so i¡¯ll go back to the room first!¡± his words, stuttered while packing his books, were much higher than usual. his cheeks, which had always been pale, were also blushing. ¡°what about dinner?¡± ¡°have it among yourselves today. i¡¯ll eat in my room. see you tomorrow!¡± before aiden could catch him, reynard rushed out of the library like an arrow. ¡°brother reynard is weird.¡± nathan muttered, wiping his reddened eyes. alex, who was doodling in his notebook with a sulky face because he didn¡¯t receive a letter, nodded his head. ¡°you¡¯re right, he¡¯s really weird.¡± aiden had no choice but to agree with them this time. ¡°yeah, he¡¯s weird.¡± who could have sent a letter that made him so happy? a sponsor? a friend from the empire he used to know? he couldn¡¯t know, but one thing was certain, reynard¡¯s mood drastically improved after receiving that letter. in fact, from the next day, he started to regain his energy as if he had drunk a lot of water and sprouted fresh shoots. watching him attentively listening to the professor with sparkling eyes, aiden felt grateful to the sender of the unknown letter. * * * year 468 of the imperial calendar, spring, reynard 14 years old. ¡°suddenly, why swordsmanship?¡± despite responding apprehensively to the unexpected proposal, reynard couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the book. aiden swiftly sat opposite him and snatched the book from his hand. ¡°a healthy mind dwells in a healthy body! studying all day in the library will make you weak, how can you properly study with such a body?¡± ¡°i can¡­¡± ¡°that¡¯s the problem with magicians.¡± aiden clicked his tongue as if he himself were not a magician. ¡°because of kids like you, there¡¯s prejudice against magicians. everyone says they¡¯re skinny, shaky, and irritable. i don¡¯t like that.¡± ¡°that¡¯s your problem.¡± reynard refuted firmly as always. aiden, who often talked a lot and was interested in many things, often made ridiculous remarks like this. swordsmanship. it might seem trivial to aiden, but as far as reynard knew, swordsmanship was a sport that consumed more time than one might think. it wasn¡¯t simply about waving a sword; there was a mountain of things to do, such as basic physical training and sparring. if he had time for such things, it was better to read one more page of a magic book. ¡°stop talking nonsense and give me the book.¡± ¡°don¡¯t frown and listen carefully!¡± avoiding reynard¡¯s reaching hand, aiden sprung up from his seat with a raised arm. ¡°it¡¯s not nonsense. in today¡¯s world, who learns the sword only to become a knight? even if you¡¯re not a warrior, swordsmanship is a basic skill in noble families. that¡¯s how it was before i came to the academy. look, do you see your biceps here?¡± ¡°i don¡¯t know.¡± reynard, who also got up from his seat, somehow managed to retrieve his book from aiden and sat back down. this time aiden went to the seat next to him and nudged reynard¡¯s shoulder with his own. as reynard staggered momentarily from the impact, a smile of victory spread across aiden¡¯s face. ¡°see, you¡¯re shaky because you¡¯re weak.¡± ¡°it¡¯s not about strength, anyone would do the same if suddenly attacked like that.¡± ¡°no! if you have muscles like me, you can withstand even a sudden attack without falling¡­ ugh.¡± aiden twisted as he failed to resist the force with which reynard suddenly pushed his shoulder. before aiden fell off the chair, reynard grabbed his arm, raised his eyebrows, and let him down. ¡°what did i tell you? it¡¯s the same for everyone.¡± ¡°this is¡­ that¡¯s right! this is because i haven¡¯t been practicing my swordsmanship lately! so, to regain my strength, i suggest we both take a swordsmanship class. what do you say? let¡¯s do it. let¡¯s do it.¡± ¡°i¡¯m not interested. if you want to, you can do it alone.¡± ¡°it¡¯s embarrassing to go to a swordsmanship class where only kids chatter alone.¡± ¡°then make new friends there. it¡¯s your specialty.¡± ¡°really? i care for your health.¡± ¡°i¡¯m too busy with the assignments the professor gave me.¡± showing no interest, reynard no longer paid attention to aiden and began flipping through his book again. ¡°or ask alex or thomas to join.¡± ¡°those guys¡­¡± suddenly speechless, aiden closed his mouth. he could never say that he had already asked them to join him that morning and had been rejected. the moment he said that, reynard would argue that there¡¯s no need to learn swordsmanship, which would only strengthen his resolve. even if that weren¡¯t the reason, aiden wanted to do it most with reynard. regardless of what anyone says, reynard was his first friend at the academy, and they were the same age! aiden quickly came up with another reason to persuade him. ¡°if you learn swordsmanship, it stimulates your bones and muscles, and you grow taller.¡± ¡°i¡¯m going to be tall anyway. it¡¯s in my family history.¡± ¡°but you¡¯re smaller than me now, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°wait and see in about 3 years.¡± this isn¡¯t working. seeing reynard dismissing it without hesitation, he had to come up with another reason. ¡°if you have good stamina, you won¡¯t feel tired even if you don¡¯t sleep much. if you reduce your sleeping hours, you¡¯ll have more time to study.¡± ¡°but i would be practicing swordsmanship during that extra time, right?¡± ¡°ah, is that so?¡± unconsciously mumbling, aiden belatedly realized that he was being wrapped around reynard¡¯s finger. ugh, another failure. aiden banged his forehead on the desk, wrapping his head. he needed to think. he needed to think. he needed to think¡­ ¡°reynard.¡± aiden moved closer to reynard. he whispered into his ear as if sharing a big secret. ¡°do you know, if you learn swordsmanship, you become popular with girls?¡± reynard, who was turning the pages of a book, hesitated for a moment. ¡°by learning to use a sword, not only do you grow taller, but your shoulders get broader, and you develop muscles. girls prefer men who are muscular and healthy rather than those who are too thin. wouldn¡¯t they prefer a sturdy and reliable magician who can protect them over a thin magician with no stamina?¡± even he thought it was the most absurd and ridiculous thing he had ever said. who on earth would learn swordsmanship just to look good to women? moreover, reynard was a boy who had no interest in the opposite sex. he would indifferently receive gifts or letters from girls and reject confessions without even considering them. such an absurd advantage wouldn¡¯t work on him. ¡­it wouldn¡¯t work, but strangely, reynard didn¡¯t tell him to stop talking nonsense. he was just looking at the book with his mouth shut, and the pages weren¡¯t turning. Chapter 161 after a while, reynard mumbled while closing the book. ¡°who the hell learns swordsmanship for that reason?¡± as expected, it was a gruff voice. ¡®yeah, i knew it wouldn¡¯t work.¡¯ aiden shrugged his shoulders, not expecting much, and started thinking again to come up with another reason. ¡°if you learn swordsmanship, your body becomes healthier, and you won¡¯t get minor illnesses. think about it. how sad would it be if someone like us, living away from family, gets sick alone in a strange place. when i just had a cold last time, i thought i was going to die because i missed my mom so much.¡± ¡°¡­that¡¯s true. it¡¯s sad when you¡¯re sick.¡± huh? did it work? aiden widened his eyes. although he didn¡¯t say it, it was clear that this guy also felt lonely and sad when he had a cold last winter. seizing the opportunity when reynard¡¯s heart was shaken, aiden shot his words rapidly. ¡°right? so, let¡¯s train our bodies by learning swordsmanship together. and it would be nice if we could make new friends at the fencing classes, right? right? right?¡± ¡°¡­i¡¯ll think about it.¡± it wasn¡¯t a confirmation, but it was a great improvement. aiden nodded. ¡°so, think about it, and we¡¯ll do it together?¡± reynard sighed and opened his book again. that evening, on their way back to the dormitory after eating dinner together in the cafeteria, reynard reluctantly accepted aiden¡¯s persistent suggestion to learn swordsmanship together. * * * year 469 of the imperial calendar, winter, reynard 15 years old. reynard was nowhere to be seen throughout the morning classes. it was the first time for reynard, who unlike aiden who occasionally skipped classes, had never missed a class. feeling anxious throughout the class, aiden rushed towards reynard¡¯s room as soon as the class was over. ¡°hey, reynard. are you in there?¡± he knocked several times, but there was no answer from inside. ¡®is he not in the room?¡¯ he thought so for a moment, but aiden immediately shook his head. it was more plausible that this model student who missed class was still sleeping because he went to bed late yesterday, rather than being somewhere else. ¡®could it be that this kid is sick?¡¯ aiden, who had inadvertently thought of this, was surprised and knocked on the door again. ¡°hey, hey! reynard! are you okay? if you¡¯re there, answer me!¡± if he didn¡¯t come out this time, he planned to call the dormitory supervisor to forcibly open the door and check if he was alive. fortunately, the door slowly opened just before aiden ran to the dormitory supervisor. ¡°what¡­ hey?¡± reynard, looking paler than usual, peeked his head out. aiden was sure from his face that he wasn¡¯t well. ¡°hey, are you okay?¡± ¡°i¡¯m fine¡­¡± aiden was certain, seeing reynard coughing dryly before he finished speaking. ¡®he¡¯s not okay.¡¯ feeling reynard¡¯s forehead, it was burning hot. reynard squinted his eyes and tried to shake off aiden¡¯s hand, but his movement was slow. his shaky arm had no strength. aiden was sure once again. ¡®this kid is really sick.¡¯ well, if he¡¯s this sick, he must have missed the morning classes. aiden quickly pushed reynard, who was waving his hand as if to get him to go, back inside. then he also went into the room. ¡°what¡­ hey? why are you coming in?¡± ¡°what does it mean to be a good friend? i¡¯ll take care of you!¡± ¡°leaving¡­ is helping.¡± ¡°don¡¯t sulk and lie down quickly! quickly, quickly!¡± aiden forcefully made reynard lie down in bed. reynard, too weak to resist, followed aiden and practically collapsed on the bed. after covering reynard up to his neck with a blanket, aiden thought hard for a moment. ¡®what did we do when we got a cold?¡¯ it had been 2 years since he came to the academy, and the memory of his mother and nanny nursing his sick siblings was vague. but remembering persistently, he recalled how they would put a cold towel on their forehead while they whined. aiden immediately went to the bathroom attached to the room and filled a basin with water. wrapping a towel around his neck, he carried the basin next to the bed. seeing his movement, reynard hesitated and tried to escape. ¡°where are you going? this has to be done to bring down the fever!¡± ¡°i just¡­ want to take medicine and sleep.¡± ¡°you can¡¯t!¡± aiden soaked the towel in water, wrung it out tightly, and folded it to a size that would fit on reynard¡¯s forehead. when he placed it there, water trickled down his face. ¡°it¡¯s all running down.¡± ¡°sorry, sorry!¡± aiden wrung the towel out again and put it back on his forehead. fortunately, this time the water didn¡¯t run. reynard sighed softly and closed his eyes. he wasn¡¯t feeling well, so he planned to just quietly sleep in the room today, but he didn¡¯t expect that raccoon-like guy to come. apparently, that guy didn¡¯t know that leaving him alone was helping. ¡°how did you catch a cold?¡± ¡°how would i know that? i just caught it.¡± cough, cough, his cough broke out. aiden¡¯s eyes widened and he ran out of the room saying he would get medicine. reynard glanced at him and closed his eyes, pressing his eyelids with the back of his hand. ah, he shouldn¡¯t have opened the door. * * * ¡°rey.¡± a voice that he missed in his sleep echoed. a voice he wanted to hear many times a day. reynard closed his eyes tighter as he listened to the lovely yurina¡¯s voice, as if she was a temptress. he wanted to open his eyes and look at yurina¡¯s face, his desire as high as a chimney. but he couldn¡¯t. this was the academy. yurina couldn¡¯t possibly be here. so, the voice he was hearing now had to be a hallucination or a dream. there had been times like this before. at those times, unknowingly, he had opened his eyes to see yurina, but each time, not only did he not see yurina, but her voice also disappeared like a mirage. so, it was better this way. it was much better to listen to yurina¡¯s voice for a while than to open his eyes and see an empty room for nothing. ¡°does it hurt a lot?¡± no, it doesn¡¯t hurt. i¡¯m okay. he wanted to speak words to ease her worries, but his lips would not move. the voice that he wanted to come out did not, but the thoughtless tears fell, streaming down his cheeks. even though it was impossible, the soft fabric that wiped his tear-streaked face felt as if yurina was wiping his tears away. ¡°rest well. you will recover quickly if you get a good sleep.¡± suddenly, he remembered the day yurina had nursed him. it was when he had been in the carthia mansion for only a few days. that very day, a woman, whom he didn¡¯t even want to remember her face, maybe it was lady lauren or something, spat out harsh words. reynard, accustomed to such words, was not deeply hurt by lady lauren¡¯s remarks. but, her talks about the carthia family were a bit scary. yurina and marquis carthia had said they would sponsor him, but he was worried what if they changed their minds and drove him away after hearing lady lauren¡¯s words that his red eyes would bring misfortune to the family. he was scared of what he would do if he couldn¡¯t stay here any longer. even though he thought yurina wouldn¡¯t do such a thing, he was still anxious. now he was certain that she wouldn¡¯t abandon him, but at that time, he didn¡¯t know her well. he was in a position where he could be driven out of the mansion at any moment if such a precious girl whimsically decided she didn¡¯t want to see him anymore. he wanted to shut lady lauren¡¯s mouth, who was blabbering with an annoying voice like a sick chicken. so, he ran towards her screaming. after scratching that wretched woman¡¯s hand unknowingly, a greater fear came upon him. lady lauren was of low rank but was definitely a noble. a worthless child like him had hurt such a noble. wouldn¡¯t he be driven out for being despicable? bad eyes! why was he born with these red eyes! why! as if venting his anger, he roughly scratched around his eyes and hid deep inside the room. he was scared to see yurina. he was scared that yurina, who knew all the facts, would look at him with disappointment-filled eyes and tell him to leave. ¡°i like your eyes, rey.¡± but then, those words yurina muttered, looking at his wounds with an even more pained expression. reynard initially couldn¡¯t fully believe her words. no one had ever told him something like that. but, the moment he saw yurina¡¯s blue eyes sparkling like the sun as they did when he first saw them, he had no choice but to believe her. even if those words weren¡¯t true, he didn¡¯t care. he just wanted to believe. and that evening, yurina stayed by his side, which was burning with fever, and nursed him. despite calling it nursing, an eleven-year-old girl could do almost nothing. the most she could do was give him water or cover him up to his chin with a blanket whenever he opened his eyes. but, that was enough. the way her pure white and beautiful hand alternatively touched her forehead and his, the way she wiped the sweat-soaked nape of his neck with a handkerchief, and even the way she laughed dismissively whenever he grumbled for her to leave quickly. it was just comforting to have someone by his side when he was sick. after imagining yurina¡¯s face for a while, reynard, realizing that no one was by his side now, closed his eyes even tighter. his feverish face felt hot, and his head felt heavy. his throat was so sore that it was hard to breathe, and his body ached as if he had muscle pain. but that was okay. what saddened him the most was not that he was sick but that there was no one by his side. ¡°why are you crying? does it hurt a lot?¡± reynard shook his head at yurina¡¯s voice, which he heard again. even though he said no, in reality, it hurt a lot. it wasn¡¯t painful enough to die, but he was still tired and exhausted. his heart was more tired than his body. he just wanted to see her face, just once. he couldn¡¯t open his eyes because he was afraid that if he did, she would disappear like a dream. reynard, with his eyes closed, felt the cool touch of a towel wiping his face and let out a heavy sigh. oddly enough, his churning stomach calmed down, as if someone was really by his side, as if yurina was really there. feeling his heart a little more at ease, he fell asleep again. Chapter 162 * * * even though he hadn¡¯t taken any medicine, he felt much better after a long sleep. reynard stirred in his bed, and the damp towel on his forehead fell onto the bed. with a blank expression, he followed the towel with his gaze, only to spot someone lying on the bed, which made his eyes widen. ¡°¡­aiden?¡± his voice was hoarse, probably due to a mild sore throat, but that wasn¡¯t what mattered. what really mattered was that aiden was sitting on the floor by the bed, leaning over and asleep. ¡®why is he here?¡¯ as reynard mulled over his memories from yesterday, aiden seemed to sense something and lifted his head. his hair was in a mess as if he¡¯d just woken up, and as soon as his eyes met reynard¡¯s, he jumped up. ¡°huh? you¡¯re awake? how are you feeling?¡± aiden¡¯s booming voice made reynard¡¯s head ring as if he had been hit. reynard frowned, pressing his temples with his palm, which made aiden lower his voice and ask again¡± ¡°does it still hurt?¡± ¡°why are you here? how did you get in?¡± ¡°huh? don¡¯t you remember? you let me in.¡± aiden stretched out his hand towards reynard with a puzzled expression. reynard instinctively stepped back, and aiden patted his shoulder once and then touched his forehead with his palm. he seemed dissatisfied, then moved his hand to feel reynard¡¯s cheek. ¡°i think i might have caught your cold. our foreheads feel the same temperature. do i have a fever too?¡± aiden coughed a few times, it was obviously fake, then continued speaking in a quieter voice. ¡°you know, they say when you pass a cold onto someone else, you recover faster. that¡¯s why i used to stick to my siblings whenever they had a cold. and you know what, when i caught the cold, they¡¯d all recover. isn¡¯t that amazing?¡± although it was a trivial story, he shared it with a serious tone. ¡°did your cold pass onto me this time? then you¡¯ll recover from your cold soon!¡± reynard pushed aiden away with a blank expression as he moved in to examine his face. ¡°you idiot, how old are you to believe such a thing? your siblings recovered because it was their time to recover. and it¡¯s not that you have a fever, it¡¯s that my fever has gone down.¡± ¡°is that so?¡± ¡°yeah.¡± despite hearing reynard¡¯s sarcasm, aiden didn¡¯t seem upset at all. instead, he smiled brightly and gave reynard a big hug. ¡°great! your cold is all gone! i was worried because you didn¡¯t take any medicine, but i¡¯m glad!¡± surprised by the sudden hug, reynard was unable to either push him away or hug him back. his hands hovered awkwardly in the air. ¡°i saw you faint when i went to get your medicine yesterday! i was really worried!¡± reynard, annoyed by aiden¡¯s booming voice ringing in his ears, glanced around the room. a bowl full of water, a few damp towels scattered on the floor, medicine and a bowl of cold soup on the table. the room was a mess, evidence of how much aiden had run around the night before. the mess didn¡¯t bother him as much as the unfamiliar feelings welling up in his chest. maybe it was because his throat was still a little sore. ¡°are you hungry? should i get something from the cafeteria? it¡¯s better to eat something before taking your medicine!¡± aiden released reynard and started to leave the room. his eyes were puffy from lack of sleep, and the whites of his eyes were red. strangely, yurina¡¯s face popped into reynard¡¯s mind. it felt wrong to compare aiden to her, but he could see a similar expression on aiden¡¯s face to the one yurina wore when she was taking care of him. without realizing it, reynard mumbled softly behind aiden¡¯s back. ¡°¡­thank you.¡± his voice was as soft as a mosquito, but aiden seemed to hear it and turned around with a grin. ¡°what are you thanking me for? it¡¯s only natural among friends.¡± * * * year 470 of the imperial calendar, autumn, reynard 16 years old. god is truly unfair. as reynard threw all his strength into blocking aiden¡¯s wooden sword under the blazing sun, aiden repeated those words to himself. despite sweating profusely from sparring under the sun, reynard still looked charming. even at this close range, aiden couldn¡¯t find a single flaw in his appearance. ¡®shouldn¡¯t he look a bit ugly when he¡¯s sweating and making that face?¡¯ he himself probably looked hilarious with his face covered in sweat and dirt! feeling a sense of defeat, aiden forcefully pushed reynard¡¯s sword away. not just his looks. since the beginning of the term, the rumors had been flying around the magic department about reynard receiving the ¡®blessing of the goddess¡¯, and just a few years later, there were whispers that he¡¯d surpassed the professors in skill. aiden, who had watched him for three years, knew that the rumor wasn¡¯t completely unfounded. he had seen the professor stumble over reynard¡¯s question three times just this year. well, his appearance was noticeably different from the moment they met, and his magical abilities were extraordinary, as the professors would say, a talent that only comes once in a few hundred years. ¡®but isn¡¯t it too much that he¡¯s good at swordsmanship too?¡¯ two years ago, when aiden had strongly persuaded reynard to take a swordsmanship class together, reynard couldn¡¯t even properly hold the sword and wobbled. in the end, he fell onto his butt without even swinging the wooden sword a few times. it was a natural result, since his arms and legs had little muscle compared to his lanky body. aiden, who had already learned a decent amount of swordsmanship from his father in his territory, teased him by swinging his wooden sword up and down in front of him. reynard, whose ears turned red in an instant, stood up abruptly without even brushing off the sand on his arm and swung the wooden sword again. however, he soon lost his balance and fell again. until then, aiden had secretly thought that this guy wouldn¡¯t improve much even if he learned swordsmanship. but what was the problem? he was so talented in magic, enough to say that he received a blessing from the goddess, so it was no big problem if he was bad at swordsmanship. plus, if there were a magician and a knight with the same skills, they would prefer the magician. because it¡¯s harder to be born with a talent for magic than for the sword. however, aiden thought it was sufficient to learn swordsmanship as it would improve his physique and stamina. but strangely, contrary to aiden¡¯s expectation, reynard¡¯s skills improved day by day as he gained some muscle from basic physical training. when they first met, reynard was noticeably shorter than aiden. as of last year, they were about the same height, but now, aiden felt that reynard had grown a bit taller. compared to those who practiced swordsmanship all day long, his muscle mass and strength were low, but compared to those who were always stuck in the library with magic, his shoulders broadened and his muscles grew decently, and his body hardened. aiden was talented in swordsmanship, enough to hear from the teachers about giving up magic and changing his major to swordsmanship. reynard had never beaten such aiden, but his skills improved to the point where he could spar with him. even just a while ago, aiden was quite surprised while blocking reynard¡¯s sword, though he didn¡¯t show it much. the speed at which he swung the sword had gotten quite fast, and the strength with which he struck was so strong that his wrist felt numb. ¡®wow, it¡¯s really unfair.¡¯ is the goddess of the empire more merciful than the god of his kingdom? did she therefore pour all possible abilities into reynard? if not, he couldn¡¯t explain this unfair reality. he¡¯s my friend, but that¡¯s too much! aiden swung his wooden sword, embedding his personal feelings into it. the spar ended with reynard¡¯s wooden sword flying high into the sky and falling to the ground of the training ground. ¡°ah, it¡¯s hard to win after all. can¡¯t you go easy on me? do you have to use all your energy to beat me? it¡¯s really hard to keep up.¡± reynard looked at the fallen wooden sword and shook his head. despite complaining about being extremely tired, he didn¡¯t look particularly fatigued, apart from his flushed face and heavy sweating. aiden stared blankly at his friend¡¯s face and then chuckled. ¡°i¡¯m already going easy on you. i don¡¯t have a reason to beat you using all my power. if i did that, you wouldn¡¯t be able to block even one of my swings, right?¡± when aiden swung down his wooden sword with all his might in the air, this time it was reynard who chuckled. ¡°if it comes to that, i could just end it with one spell.¡± ¡°wow, we¡¯re talking about swords, and you¡¯re bragging about magic? are you mentioning magic because you want to beat me? do you hate losing that much?¡± while shaking his head, he infused mana into the wooden sword. the dull brown wooden sword faintly emitted a bright light. ¡°i may not be a sword master, but if i infuse my sword with mana, i can face most knights. if i just infuse mana, i can compete with a real sword using this wooden sword. do you know what that means? even if you defend with magic, i can break through it!¡± ¡°what if i use an attack spell instead of a defense one?¡± caught off guard by the unexpected question, aiden was left speechless, only moving his lips like a fish. his face, already flushed from the heat of the spar, turned even redder. ¡°you¡¯re saying you¡¯re going to use an attack spell on me now? are you really going to do that? an attack spell on your friend, isn¡¯t that too much!¡± whether aiden was angry or not, reynard picked up the fallen wooden sword from the ground and left the training ground. aiden followed him, whining like a chick. reynard, without looking back, gestured to him. ¡°stop it and let¡¯s go wash up and eat. if we stay here, we¡¯ll be cooked alive.¡± ¡°hey, hey, hey!¡± suddenly reynard stopped. aiden, who had been arguing about how friends could do that, didn¡¯t notice in time and ended up bumping into his back with his nose. ¡°ouch, ouch. reynard, you¡­¡± aiden, who was about to protest if reynard was purposely messing with him, tightly shut his mouth at the sight beyond reynard. in front of reynard, a female student stood with a shy face. ¡°um, reynard.¡± the female student hesitantly held out her hand, with an ivory-colored handkerchief emitting a scent similar to hers. ¡°you¡¯ve sweated a lot. if you don¡¯t mind, please wipe yourself with this.¡± Chapter 163 aiden took a step back and observed the interesting scene without much interest. ¡°thanks, but i¡¯ll decline. i can just wipe it with my clothes.¡± as aiden expected, reynard also politely refused today, creating a barrier with a smile-less face. it was hard to find it interesting. ¡®it can¡¯t be easy to reject like that every time.¡¯ when a girl first expressed interest in reynard, aiden was curious. is a rose-colored academy life unfolding for our reynard? he greatly wished that his friend, who often felt lonely, would make a girlfriend and live a little more lively. however, contrary to his expectations, reynard, who was even more shy and distant from people than now, sternly rejected her and disappeared as if running away. since then, he also rejected girls who showed interest in him in a single blow like now. the only thing that changed was that he spoke a little more gently than before. ¡°aiden, do you have a handkerchief?¡± after the female student left with a sad face, reynard asked. aiden handed over the handkerchief he had kept in his trouser pocket. compared to the handkerchief the girl had offered earlier, it was a crumpled cotton handkerchief that had nothing to show, but reynard wiped the sweat on his forehead as if it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°reynard, don¡¯t you really have someone you¡¯re interested in?¡± ¡°why do you suddenly ask that?¡± ¡°no, i mean, you¡¯ve refused all of them without even thinking about it so far, so i wondered if you would go that far if you don¡¯t have someone you like.¡± as he returned the borrowed handkerchief, reynard avoided the answer. aiden, who had casually thrown the question, finally focused on him. ¡°do you have someone?¡± ¡°i¡¯m thirsty. i¡¯ll go in first.¡± he clearly avoided answering and left the training field with quick steps. ¡®that guy really¡­?¡¯ aiden squinted his eyes and watched his receding figure for a while. * * * that guy definitely has a girl he¡¯s interested in. aiden finally concluded today. but even when he recalled, he had no clue who reynard might be interested in. there was no girl he was particularly close with, nor was there any he had looked at for a long time. all he looked at with a wistful eye was always the distant sky. even after a few days of careful observation of reynard, the result was the same. he didn¡¯t even look in the direction of the girls, let alone show interest in them. at this point, aiden had to doubt his hypothesis, which he had considered 100% certain, swallowing tears inward. ¡®maybe he¡¯s just not interested, not that he has someone he likes.¡¯ after all, it made no sense that a kid who barely opens up to his friends would give his heart to a girl he¡¯s never even had a proper conversation with. and it wasn¡¯t long after aiden concluded that reynard simply had no interest in the opposite sex. that day, aiden left reynard, who said he wasn¡¯t very hungry, and returned to the dormitory after dinner in the cafeteria with nathan. as soon as he entered the 3rd floor corridor where the dormitory room was, he saw reynard receiving a letter and a well-packaged box from a mailman. he thanked the person, who handed him the item and left, and stared blankly at the letter in his hand. ¡°reynard, are you really not hungr¡­¡± aiden, who was about to offer to go to the cafeteria together if he was hungry, couldn¡¯t finish his sentence just like when he saw reynard receiving a letter at the library once. reynard, who had been stroking the envelope with a gentle touch as if touching a very fragile animal, kissed the letter. he smiled with his lips on it. but it was strange. even though his lips were perfectly shaped, to aiden¡¯s eyes, it seemed more like he was holding back tears rather than smiling. it was evident from him leaning weakly against the door with his sturdy shoulders hunched. ¡°brother reynard¡­¡± aiden silently gestured to nathan to be quiet. nathan covered his mouth with both hands and silently nodded his head. in the quiet corridor with darkness falling, reynard stood alone for a long time. as if he would faintly fall and shatter if you pushed his shoulder lightly, that dangerously. 3. a new beginning ¡°do you really have to go?¡± edwin asked, gripping yurina¡¯s hands tightly. his eyes, which had been tear-streaked throughout the wedding, were already bloodshot. edwin, taller than average and more muscular than most knights, looked out of place crying like a child. this made his sorrow look more pitiful than comical. yurina smiled bitterly, unable to shake off his hands. ¡°i¡¯m not going to die, you know.¡± ¡°but still¡­¡± ¡°stop crying and move aside! are you the only one saying goodbye?¡± although justin chided him with the same bloodshot eyes, edwin held onto yurina¡¯s hands and resisted. justin sighed, nudging edwin¡¯s shoulder and then stepping back. ¡°wrap it up soon.¡± justin and edwin were both hotheaded, but edwin always seemed to show extra care towards their younger sister, yurina. knowing this, justin decided to give him some more time. edwin, without any words of thanks, looked down at yurina and struggled to swallow his tears again. ¡°if something happens, you must contact me. as soon as i see your letter, i will rush over.¡± ¡°you know that won¡¯t be necessary. even if something happens, rey will take care of¡­¡± she was about to say ¡®protect me well,¡¯ but edwin cut off yurina¡¯s words, shouting. ¡°that¡¯s exactly what i¡¯m worried about!¡± surprised by edwin¡¯s unusual reaction, yurina stopped talking. he glared at reynard, standing behind her. although edwin looked pitiful in front of yurina, he was a well-respected knight in the empire. other knights were often overwhelmed by his intense gaze when he seriously held a sword. despite edwin¡¯s intense glare, reynard didn¡¯t even blink. edwin¡¯s temper was already frayed by his indifference, he gritted his teeth audibly. ¡°if he does anything to you, tell me.¡± ¡°like what?¡± ¡°ignoring you, hitting you, cheating on you¡­¡± ¡°brother.¡± yurina cut off edwin¡¯s words, holding his hand tightly. she had been listening quietly, but now she couldn¡¯t tolerate it any longer. despite her grip not being particularly strong, edwin moaned as if he¡¯d been stabbed in the side. when yurina glared at him, he bit his lip and fell silent. ¡°you know that won¡¯t happen. i understand you¡¯re worried, but there¡¯s no need to be. i¡¯ll just take a trip and then i¡¯ll live in the capital.¡± ¡°that¡¯s not our home.¡± ¡°but it¡¯s only a 20-minute carriage ride away. i¡¯ll visit often. okay?¡± yurina looked up at edwin, who had bowed his head, and smiled. he seemed to be trembling with emotion, glaring again at reynard. ¡°if anything happens to yurina, i won¡¯t let it go!¡± ¡°there will never be such a thing.¡± upon hearing reynard¡¯s calm reply, as if stating a self-evident truth, edwin appeared to have many things to say, but ultimately didn¡¯t utter a word. he left yurina with a wish for a safe trip, and made room for justin. justin behaved similarly to edwin, wishing yurina well with a teary voice and issuing threats to reynard before stepping back. ¡®is it only brother riggs left?¡¯ yurina turned her gaze to riggs, who was standing a little distance away. he was staring blankly at the sky with his back turned to her. as she slowly approached him, he turned around as if sensing her. his face was devoid of any tear stains, his eyes were clear, but yurina somehow felt that he was silently crying. she remembered riggs¡¯s face when she was severely ill with a fever, how he had sobbed, pleading her not to die. since then, he had never shed a tear in front of her, but the image of his face at that time seemed to hover over his face now. although she was able to control her emotions while talking to the twins, strangely, she felt a knot in her stomach and a prickling sensation in her nose. ¡°brother.¡± when she extended her hand with a forced smile, riggs pressed his lips to the back of her hand with knightly respect. unlike the twins, he didn¡¯t make a loud farewell.¡± ¡°you look pretty when you smile. don¡¯t cry and always smile.¡± he just said that one line. a phrase too ambiguous to be called a proper goodbye. yet, yurina read his wish for her to always be happy in those words. ¡°yes, i will.¡± she deliberately smiled brighter. he hesitated for a moment, then gently stroked her head. he then took yurina¡¯s hand and walked towards reynard, carefully passing her hand to him. reynard, after exchanging a wordless conversation with riggs through a glance, turned to yurina and smiled brightly. ¡°let¡¯s go.¡± with his escort, yurina boarded the carriage. she opened the window and waved her hand, and the people of the carthia mansion waved back or bowed in greeting towards her. familiar people and familiar places. yurina felt an odd sensation as she watched the outside until the carriage began to move. when the figures of people had shrunk to the point of becoming invisible, reynard, who was seated across from her, approached her. ¡°yurina.¡± at the shadow cast over her head, yurina came to her senses and looked up at him. reynard, propping one knee on the chair, nearly sat on top of her, gently holding her chin. ¡°i understand it¡¯s sad to be separated from your family, but¡­¡± he lowered his head and came a little closer. ¡°can¡¯t you just think about me for now?¡± the sunlight shining through the window made his red eyes sparkle even more. yurina stared intently into his eyes, which were filled with possessiveness and jealousy, then nodded. at the same time, he kissed her somewhat hastily. Chapter 164 while preparing for the wedding, yurina and reynard didn¡¯t get a proper chance to meet. whenever the two tried to get close, the twin brothers lit up with jealousy and interfered. it was difficult even to spend time together, let alone expressing affection or sharing love. reynard, as if exploding with the desire that had built up over time, rushed in rather recklessly. he was never particularly gentle, but now he wasn¡¯t holding back at all, lacking any softness. he alternately wet yurina¡¯s upper and lower lips with his moist lips, exhaled hot breath, bared his teeth, and nibbled her lips. when yurina carefully reached out and hugged his neck, he laughed lowly and pressed his body closely to hers. yurina was panting heavily during the brief moment he took his lips away. for a moment, her body heated up and she was panting even after taking a deep breath. the hard body of reynard pressed close to her felt even hotter than her body, making her feel as if she was trapped in flames. reynard, staring at her chest that heaved up and down non-stop, pressed her moist lower lip hard with his thumb. yurina glanced at reynard¡¯s face, who kept biting his lips as if he was thirsty, then closed her eyes. as if that was a signal, reynard clashed his lips against hers again. the hot tongue that entered through her slightly parted lips persistently entwined with hers. just when she thought it was hard to breathe, reynard skillfully moved his face away, and when he thought yurina had calmed down a bit, he kissed her again. when this happened about four times, yurina pushed his chest away with both hands and glared at him. ¡°we¡¯ll be exhausted before we even arrive.¡± he smiled with a face that showed no sign of guilt. ¡°please bear with me. it¡¯s been a long time.¡± and before yurina could say anything in response, he swallowed her lips again. * * * reynard felius. the name he received from the emperor along with the title of baron. usually, when receiving a title, the emperor gives the family name at his discretion. however, sometimes, respecting the person¡¯s wishes, they can choose their desired family name. in reynard¡¯s case, it was the latter. yet, he didn¡¯t tell yurina why he chose the name felius out of many words, just smiling vaguely when she asked. when dave heard the news, he discreetly explained to yurina. ¡°if you look up in ancient language, you will understand, my lady. didn¡¯t reynard derive his name from the ancient language too?¡± he seemed to feel like betraying his only student by telling her the meaning, but also like he was deceiving her by not telling her at all. but it was enough of a clue. yurina found an ancient language dictionary without reynard knowing. and she was able to find the meaning more easily than she thought. felius. it was a word in ancient language that meant happiness. as soon as she saw the word, yurina felt a lump in her throat and stared blankly at the open ancient language dictionary for a while. ¡®happiness¡­¡¯ many thoughts and memories cluttered her mind. her head was dizzy and her stomach was churning as if she was seasick, but strangely, it didn¡¯t feel bad. after many thoughts had passed, she remembered what reynard had said before. ¡°you know, yurina. i¡¯m so happy.¡± the next morning after yurina¡¯s birthday that they spent together for the first time, he whispered as if telling a secret. ¡°you don¡¯t know how happy i am to meet you. ¡° yurina was always in the happiness he spoke of. so, he chose the name felius. the happiness that you and i will create together from now on. that¡¯s how yurina became yurina felius, his happiness. ¡®but it¡¯s still awkward.¡¯ baroness felius. yurina stared blankly out the window, repeating the unfamiliar title several times in her mouth. at first, when she fell into this world, it seemed impossible to adapt to the unfamiliar name yurina carthia, but she had somehow adapted. even trying to get used to it, the name ¡®yurina felius¡¯ was still unfamiliar. ¡®i¡¯ll gradually get used to it.¡¯ because she lived as yurina carthia, but she will live as yurina felius for much longer. as she thought so and smiled, reynard, who had been sitting across from her, moved to sit next to her. he pressed his body against yurina and looked out the window she had been looking at. ¡°how is it, do you like it?¡± he whispered subtly in her ear. when yurina was startled and stiffened, his arm tightly held her waist. ¡°huh? how is it?¡± at his urging, yurina took another look at the landscape outside the window. in the clear sky without a single cloud, the late spring sun was rising, and beneath it, the sapphire sea was spread out. the sunlight reflected in the seawater was dazzling every time a wave hit. yurina leaned her body languidly into reynard¡¯s embrace and nodded. ¡°yes, i like it.¡± when reynard received his title and territory, he thought of yurina more than himself. just naming the family ¡®felius¡¯ showed that. he was always worried about yurina, who would be living apart from her family. would she feel awkward and lonely in an unfamiliar environment? would she regret choosing him? it was a ridiculous concern that was not worth thinking about in yurina¡¯s view, but he was quite serious. so, he got the felius mansion in the capital as close to the carthia mansion as possible. so yurina could meet her family whenever she wanted. then there was another problem. ¡®territory¡­¡¯ even if you spend most of the year in the capital, you can¡¯t not go to the territory. once or twice a year, you have to spend about two or three months in the territory. yurina and the marquis and marchioness of carthia also spent most of their time in the capital, but in the summer and winter, they went to the territory to take care of the territory¡¯s people. that was the duty of the nobility. so, yurina and reynard also had to go to the territory to take care of it, and during that time, it was difficult to interact with family and friends in the capital. reynard was worried about that. even if the territory was unfamiliar, if the people were unfamiliar too, she might feel lonely or depressed. so he received a territory along the coast so yurina could feel at least a bit of familiarity. thanks to the generous crown prince curtis, it was possible. unlike the carthia territory in the southern part of the empire, the territory was quite close to the capital. it was smaller than the carthia territory, but the scenery was no less beautiful. in fact, yurina didn¡¯t mind whether it was by the sea or anywhere else. whether it was a place with a wide field or surrounded by mountains covered with perennial snow, it was fine. what if there was no one to socialize with? reynard would always be next to her, so there would be no time to feel lonely. however, she didn¡¯t bother to say such things. ¡°yes, i like it.¡± the beautiful scenery spread out in front of her was good, but what was better was reynard¡¯s consideration and affection. reynard, who had been a little tense, finally relaxed and collapsed on top of yurina. ¡°it¡¯s fortunate.¡± his lips touched and fell behind yurina¡¯s ear. ¡°i¡¯m really relieved.¡± a joy that couldn¡¯t be helped emerged from his murmuring voice, as if he was talking to himself. yurina looked back at him. his face was buried in her shoulder, so his expression was not visible, but she could see his ears, appearing between his neatly combed hair, becoming as red as tomatoes. * * * the carriage ran and ran again. reynard, who had already visited the territory, was excited like a child, looking out the window and talking about various things to yurina. ¡®do you like seafood? the seafood here is also delicious.¡¯ ¡®maybe because it¡¯s close to the capital, this commercial district is well developed, almost as much as the capital. it would be nice to go sightseeing when you¡¯re bored.¡¯ ¡®because it¡¯s by the sea, it¡¯s warm here even in winter. you are very sensitive to the cold, so it would be nice to stay in the territory during the winter.¡¯ every word he said included yurina. while yurina responded appropriately and listened to his talk, the carriage stopped. reynard, who had been constantly by her side, quickly got off the carriage and offered her his hand. ¡°we¡¯re here.¡± unlike his usual chatty demeanor, his face was filled with tension. looking nervous, he swallowed as he looked at yurina. yurina slowly got off the carriage, assisted by reynard. then, as soon as she saw the sight before her, she couldn¡¯t help but gasp in admiration. ¡°wow, is this the place?¡± everything in front of her was a white mansion. although it was definitely an old mansion, it looked spotless as if it was brand new, as if reynard had used magic on it. in the front yard, red roses reminiscent of his eyes were blooming beautifully, and there was a fountain spraying cool water in the center. at the top of the fountain was a chubby baby angel statue holding an arrow tip that ended in a heart shape and a bow. ¡°welcome.¡± upon hearing that the master had arrived, the servants who ran out bowed in a row. betsy, who had arrived in a different carriage, crossed her arms and watched this scene with a stern gaze. of course, betsy, who had taken care of yurina since she was a child, naturally followed her to the felius family after she got married. because the felius family was a newly established family without existing servants, yurina entrusted the management of the house to betsy, whose experience was quite extensive. even though she was younger than most other housekeepers of noble families, yurina had faith that betsy could handle the job. as expected, betsy expertly evaluated the servants¡¯ clothes and postures as soon as she arrived. despite the days of journey that must have been exhausting, she didn¡¯t show any sign of fatigue. ¡®it¡¯s fortunate to have betsy by my side.¡¯ it wasn¡¯t just betsy. marchioness carthia, in consideration of the inexperienced yurina, selected maids and servants from the carthia mansion to be sent to the felius family. thanks to this, there were quite a few familiar faces. moreover, thanks to marchioness carthia hiring people with recommendations from families she had been interacting with, the newly established family didn¡¯t show signs of inexperience in their servants, as if they had been managed by a family for several generations. ¡®it¡¯s a good start.¡¯ she had learned everything she could from living as a noble young lady, but she was honestly worried. it was fortunate. while she was smiling in relief, reynard suddenly pulled her arm. ¡°yurina, let¡¯s go. i have a place i want to show you.¡± he whispered so quietly that no one else could hear, and took her into the mansion. he didn¡¯t look anywhere else and went straight up to the top floor, the 4th floor of the mansion. the place he headed to was the room furthest inside on the 4th floor. he grasped the doorknob, opened the door, then closed it again, turning to yurina with a smile. it was a strange feeling, his smile. it seemed a bit tense, but also happy, and at the same time incredibly¡­ before yurina could finish her thought, reynard approached and lifted her up. when she instinctively clung to his neck, he kissed her with a face devoid of any smile. the closed door opened automatically. she felt like she was walking, but yurina had no chance to examine what was in the room reynard was leading her to. it was only after he carefully put her down somewhere that she was barely able to look around. the first thing she saw was the white canopy swaying in the blowing wind. in front of it was a white dressing table similar to the one she used at the carthia mansion, and next to it¡­ ¡°yurina.¡± suddenly, because reynard climbed on top of her, yurina could no longer look around. all she could see was reynard¡¯s face, which was breathing heavily. yurina watched him slowly unbuttoning the buttons that had been holding her neck, and swallowed. after unbuttoning about half of them, he smiled leisurely and moved further down to grab her ankle. yurina tried to sit up quickly, but lost her balance as he lifted her leg and fell back onto the bed. ¡°we should wash first¡­¡± before she could even murmur, a light burst from his hand holding her ankle. yurina knew the cool feeling that swept over her from ankle to the tip of her head. it was reynard¡¯s magic. it was the bathing magic he always used to erase traces after they spent a night together. it was a very useful magic, but she never expected it to be used like this here. ¡°i held back a lot.¡± he kissed yurina¡¯s white ankle. his gaze was fixed on yurina¡¯s eyes. ¡°i can¡¯t hold back anymore.¡± Chapter 165 he licked the hollow under her collarbone with his tongue. then he bit the collarbone as if he was chewing a piece of fruit. it wasn¡¯t painful, but it made her feel as if she was being devoured. looking at the remaining bite mark on her fair foot, a satisfied smile spread across his face. as reynard lifted yurina¡¯s foot a bit higher, the hem of her dress, which had been precariously perched on her knee, slid further down. reynard¡¯s breathing momentarily stopped, then became uneven. his gaze followed the hem of her dress slowly moving down her fair leg. the gaze was hot. the place where his gaze landed felt hotter than where his hand touched her ankle. was it because it had been a while? for some reason, it felt awkward. to avoid his gaze, yurina turned her head away, clutching the bedsheet. ¡°you said you have something to show me.¡± ¡°huu¡­¡± ¡°did you want to show me this room?¡± after scanning the room visible between the shaking canopy, she seemed to understand why he had hurried her to this room. she didn¡¯t notice earlier, but all the things in the room, including the white dressing table, were similar to the ones in the carthia mansion. while they weren¡¯t exactly the same, the tea table, wardrobe, bed, mirrors, and such¡­ apart from the room being larger, it felt like she was in the carthia mansion. however, there was a difference: everything was similar to what she had used before, but each item had been slightly modified to suit her taste more. the gilded frame of the mirror, which she had found somewhat childish, was gone and replaced with a subtle flower drawing. the tea table was square instead of round, and the dressing table had fewer drawers and a high chair placed next to it. these changes, one by one, wouldn¡¯t have been possible without careful attention and affection. however, there was no time to feel touched or to express gratitude. ¡°i¡¯ll show you more later.¡± it was because reynard was rushing a bit. * * * ¡®so later.¡¯ yurina sighed quietly and carefully massaged her sore waist. not only her waist but various parts of her body ached. it was the result of being tormented by reynard from the sunny afternoon until deep into the night. ¡®what am i going to tell betsy?¡¯ since they arrived at the mansion, they hadn¡¯t really looked around but stayed in their room. they were a couple who couldn¡¯t face their employees. fortunately, betsy, who was quick-witted, seemed to have figured out the situation and controlled access, so no one came in, but that was another worry. considering she didn¡¯t even mention dinner, what was betsy thinking? yurina was too embarrassed to face betsy, who had treated her like a sister, like a family. yurina glanced at reynard, who was sleeping, holding her tightly, and rustled in his arms to get out. the faint light coming in through the thick curtain told her that she had slept longer than she thought. ¡®i should get ready quickly and look around at the employees.¡¯ but no matter how much she moved¡­ she couldn¡¯t free herself from reynard¡¯s arm tightly wrapped around her waist. ¡°¡­why? do you need something?¡± as she tried to remove his arm, reynard, who seemed to sense her movement, asked in a sleepy voice without even fully opening his eyes. ¡°i think i should get up.¡± ¡°why?¡± ¡°because. since we didn¡¯t properly see the employees yesterday, today we should¡­¡± he interrupted her with a chuckle, pulling her even closer. ¡°i said it can wait. by the way, how¡¯s your body feeling?¡± he was quick to change the subject. however, yurina pretended to be fooled and slightly nodded her head. ¡°it¡¯s a bit sore. i guess i have muscle pain.¡± ¡°oh? where? here?¡± his warm fingertips caressed yurina¡¯s bare waist. every time his fingers traced over her spine, the pain disappeared as if a balm was applied, accompanied by a cool sensation. starting with the waist, as if massaging the shoulders, arms, and legs, he carefully caressed her. he covered yurina with a blanket and closed his eyes. ¡°let¡¯s sleep more. we haven¡¯t slept together for this long, have we?¡± it was true. he always left before sunrise. ¡°so let¡¯s stay a little longer.¡± she couldn¡¯t refuse his request. betsy and the other employees would understand. yurina rationalized it in this way and buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes. * * * since coming to the territory, yurina and reynard have been quite busy. they familiarized themselves with the faces and names of the employees, had conversations, and went around the mansion checking what was needed. in between, they also found time to walk by the sea or leisurely drink tea on the terrace, spending time together. a week went by just like that. when they were about to take a breather after busily working, a letter arrived from the brothers in the capital, as if they knew just when. it was a letter filled with many stories, asking how they were doing, if reynard was taking care of her well, if she missed her brothers. yurina immediately wrote a reply. that she is doing well, that she likes the new territory by the sea, that the people are nice and she will be able to adapt soon. ¡®i wonder if they will be upset.¡¯ the twin brothers who received this letter might say, ¡®how can you live so well without us!¡¯ she could imagine them pouting without even seeing them. ¡°what are you laughing at?¡± reynard entered as she was about to seal the letter with a wax stamp. yurina hurriedly stamped it and went to reynard. ¡°what¡¯s with the basket?¡± there was a picnic basket in his left hand. ¡°let¡¯s go to the village today.¡± ¡°village?¡± ¡°yes. there¡¯s a lot to see in the bustling areas too. let¡¯s see how people live there.¡± ¡°okay. can you wait a moment? i¡¯ll get ready.¡± ¡°okay.¡± after he left, yurina hurriedly got ready with the help of betsy. she wore a humble dress that betsy usually wore, instead of the usual outing dress, so she could blend in with the people without feeling out of place. as she went out to the front yard with the wide-brimmed hat that betsy put on her to avoid sunburn, reynard held out his hand to yurina with a face full of excitement. ¡°let¡¯s go quickly.¡± on the other arm was a lunch basket prepared by betsy. yurina didn¡¯t immediately take his hand, but looked at his bright face for a moment. then he grinned mischievously. his smile, lifting one corner of his mouth as he used to do when he was a child, looked somewhat arrogant. ¡°why are you staring like that? do you like me that much?¡± he was a bratty kid who knew he was good looking from a young age, but after getting married, he seemed to have gained more confidence. ¡°stop talking nonsense and let¡¯s go.¡± instead of taking his hand, yurina chuckled and started walking. reynard followed hurriedly and grabbed her hand tightly. his impatience and panic were obvious as he interlaced his fingers with hers. the butler asked if he should get the carriage ready, but it wasn¡¯t necessary. with a flick of reynard¡¯s finger, the two of them could move to a deserted alley. they could hear the noisy voices of people from afar. reynard, who peeped outside the alley, took yurina¡¯s hand and started walking. ¡°we should get used to this place too.¡± there was a sense of gravity in his mumbled words, as if he was speaking to himself. it felt like he was feeling a sense of responsibility. yurina gripped his hand tightly as if to say that he¡¯s not alone. the bustling area of the felius territory was much smaller compared to that of the capital or the carthia territory, but it was well organized. yurina took in every bit of the scenery as she listened to reynard¡¯s explanations. ¡®i need to get used to this quickly.¡¯ she was watching girls of her age leisurely enjoying afternoon tea at a neat-looking caf¨¦ in the distance. suddenly, she felt her arm being pulled and barely managed to keep her balance. ¡°rey?¡± she turned her head in surprise, and reynard, who had been walking ahead, had stopped a step behind and was looking at something. his expression was odd, it was hard to tell whether he was angry or sad. no matter how much yurina waved and called him, he didn¡¯t blink as if he couldn¡¯t hear her. ¡®what is he looking at¡­¡¯ following his gaze, yurina let out a small gasp at the sight he was watching. in the middle of the bustling road, a girl and a boy in shabby clothes were selling flowers to people. the girl looked to be about eight years old, and the boy looked to be no more than three or four. he was so young that the word ¡®baby¡¯ suited him more than ¡®child¡¯. the heads of the two children were both greasy and dirty, as if they hadn¡¯t washed properly. their faces, arms, and legs were smeared with so much dirt that it was hard to tell the color of their skin. they were even more scruffy than when yurina first saw reynard. more than anything, their bodies, visible through their ragged clothes, looked thinner than tom¡¯s in the past. it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if they collapsed from malnutrition right then and there. did reynard see his past self in these children? yurina silently examined reynard¡¯s face. his jaw was tight as if he was grinding his teeth. ¡°rey, why don¡¯t we go¡­¡± she was about to suggest buying flowers or something from the children when reynard¡¯s eyes widened. he shook off yurina¡¯s hand and started to run. yurina, who was staring blankly at his retreating figure, saw a man push a little girl to the ground. ¡°hey, how unlucky. why do you keep sticking to me?¡± the man, who was suspected of pushing the child, scowled as if he was looking at filth as he watched the child groaning on the ground. he dusted off his clothes and left without helping the girl up. the boy, who had been holding hands with the girl, also fell and started to cry. but his energy seemed drained, and his cries were faint as if they might die out at any moment. yurina quickly ran over to the girl, taking her hand and helping her up while reynard was consoling the boy. the girl had a dirty face due to improper washing, but her clear green eyes were remarkable despite the grime. ¡°are you okay?¡± ¡°ah, i¡¯m fine¡­¡± the girl who had been nodding suddenly gasped when she saw yurina¡¯s attire. even though yurina and reynard were dressed in casual clothes that wouldn¡¯t attract attention outside, they still looked like nobility. Chapter 166 the girl looked at the dust on yurina¡¯s white hand and licked her lips as if she were about to cry, then hurriedly began to clean yurina¡¯s palm with her sleeve. yurina didn¡¯t have a chance to stop her. but the girl¡¯s clothes were so dirty that they didn¡¯t clean yurina¡¯s hand properly. the girl trembled as she saw yurina¡¯s hand getting even dirtier. then she realized that her younger brother was in reynard¡¯s arms, her eyes widened. ¡°tom!¡± reynard, who had been awkwardly comforting the boy, flinched. the boy with brown hair, crying weakly in reynard¡¯s arms, looked at his sister with teary eyes. ¡°sister.¡± ¡°come down quickly. come here.¡± as soon as reynard let go of the boy, the girl hid her brother behind her and eyed the two suspiciously. she had seen many people on the streets and was quite perceptive. although the clothes the two wore were ordinary and didn¡¯t look expensive, their appearances were far from ordinary. the blonde woman, in particular, stood out. her skin, as white and well-kept as if she hadn¡¯t been exposed to much sunlight, her shiny, unsplit hair, and the intimidating aura she gave off even though she was smiling. she could be a rich man¡¯s daughter or a noblewoman out for a secret stroll. thinking that she had touched such a person¡¯s hand and made it dirty sent chills down her spine. the girl fell to her knees and clutched her head. ¡°i¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°please forgive me just once¡­ or i can accept punishment¡­ but my brother¡­ my brother didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± even though she was shaking, she spoke bravely. it seemed like she had done this many times. yurina bit her lip as she felt a pang in her heart. ¡®she¡¯s so young.¡¯ what kind of hardships must she have faced to be this frightened even after receiving help? ¡°sister¡­.¡± the boy, who had been rolling his eyes and watching the situation, whimpered and then burst into tears. he seemed so exhausted that there were hardly any tears left, but his breaths were ragged. yurina quickly helped the girl up. ¡°you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. so you don¡¯t have to kneel and beg like this.¡± ¡°eh?¡± ¡°by the way, are you hurt? you fell quite hard earlier.¡± at yurina¡¯s tender voice, the girl was so surprised that she could only blink. her eyes, which were deeply sunken around the sockets, looked pitiful. before yurina could open her mouth again, reynard knelt down in front of the girl. ¡°can i take a look at your knee?¡± the girl, taken aback by the unexpected situation, could only nod slightly. reynard gently lifted the hem of the girl¡¯s skirt to look at her knee. her knees were thin to the point of being painful, and blood was flowing from a wound. as soon as he placed his hand near the wound, a white light burst out, and the wound healed in an instant. reynard, who was about to lower the girl¡¯s skirt, soon frowned. not only the girl¡¯s knees but also on her calves and ankles, there were small bruises and welts. after obtaining the girl¡¯s permission once more, he treated all the visible wounds. ¡°can i see your little brother too?¡± the girl, seeing her now clean knees, gave a silent scream and quickly showed her brother, who was behind her, to reynard. the boy also had bruises on his arm. however, the boy was scared of the stranger and hid behind his sister again. ¡°it¡¯s okay. come here.¡± yurina pulled out a chocolate from her lunch box and handed it to the boy. perhaps entranced by the sweet-smelling, fancily shaped chocolate, the boy hesitantly approached reynard. reynard placed his hand on the boy¡¯s arm and hesitated for a moment as if surprised, but then began treating his wound. the boy didn¡¯t even look at his healing wound and was just staring at the chocolate in yurina¡¯s hand. his green eyes, the same as his sister¡¯s, sparkled brightly. ¡°do you want to eat it?¡± ¡°yes!¡± yurina gently smiled and gave the chocolate to the little boy¡¯s hand. the boy¡¯s eyes widened as he took a bite of the chocolate. he quickly licked his chocolate-covered lips and looked back at his sister. ¡°sister, this¡­¡± ¡°no, you eat it.¡± the girl swallowed her saliva but shook her head. ¡°no, sister.¡± impressive, yurina thought as she gently stroked the boy¡¯s tousled hair. ¡®he should be busy eating.¡¯ children that age act on instinct. the boy, so thin that his ribs were showing, had even been worried about his sister despite his hunger. ¡°eat this, i have one for sister too.¡± even with yurina¡¯s words, the boy hesitated, but when she pulled another chocolate from her bag, he finally bit into his chocolate with great appetite. the girl rolled her eyes and carefully bit into the chocolate with her front teeth. a happy smile spread across her face. meanwhile, reynard had finished treating the boy¡¯s wound and pulled out a sandwich from the basket. it was a luxurious sandwich filled with premium ham, cheese, and fresh vegetables. the boy, who had quickly finished his chocolate, couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the sandwich. one could hear the sound of him swallowing his saliva. ¡°yurina, is it okay?¡± yurina nodded her head. she could go without one meal. some might say it¡¯s better not to help at all than to help just once due to a moment¡¯s whim, but they couldn¡¯t just leave when there were hungry children in front of them. reynard held the boy¡¯s hand and headed to a nearby cafe. the boy, wagging his tail like an excited puppy, followed him closely. yurina also took the girl¡¯s hand and headed to the cafe. the cafe employee looked uncomfortable at the sight of the children, but when yurina handed over some coins, he didn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°eat slowly, you might get a stomachache if you eat too fast.¡± ¡°yes!¡± despite his confident reply, the boy took a big bite out of the sandwich. he looked quite adorable with his cheeks puffed out like a hamster stuffing its cheeks with sunflower seeds. worried that eating just a cold sandwich might upset his stomach, she ordered warm bread and cream of mushroom soup. the girl, who was still clumsy at holding a spoon, fed the soup directly to her younger brother. she seemed quite adept at taking care of her little brother, blowing on the soup to cool it down before feeding it to him. the boy ate the food his sister fed him like a baby bird. ¡®reminds me of rey.¡¯ during the children¡¯s meal, yurina and reynard asked them several questions and found out a few things. the girl was eleven years old, older than she looked, and the boy was four. as expected, they were siblings, and they had been living with their single mother until she recently passed away from illness. now they were living at their relatives¡¯ house. but looking at her hesitating and holding back her words, it was apparent that the relatives who had taken them in were not particularly fond of them. ¡®if they really cared, they wouldn¡¯t have left the kids on the street like this.¡¯ they were still at an age to be more childlike, to receive love and grow, yet they had to endure the harsh stares of people on the street. she wanted to do more, but realistically, there was nothing she could do for the two of them at the moment. the only thing yurina could do was to give them a warm meal like i was doing now. and that was only for this one time. if they¡¯re lucky, they might meet a few more times before they go back to the city. ¡®but is that enough?¡¯ yurina felt uneasy. reynard, who had been watching the children eat, quietly stood up from his seat and headed towards the street. in his hand when he came back was the bouquet of roses the girl had dropped when she fell. the roses that must have been mercilessly trampled under the feet of people looked fresh as if they were just picked, thanks to his magic. the girl¡¯s eyes widened again. reynard buried his nose in the roses and took a deep breath. ¡°can i buy all of these?¡± ¡°huh? all of them? but¡­¡± the girl looked back and forth between the remnants of food on the table and her chubby little brother who was patting his full belly as if it was something amazing. she¡¯d even eaten food, and now this man wanted to buy all the roses, she must¡¯ve felt sorry. reynard handed the bouquet of roses to yurina with a bright smile. ¡°i want to give them as a gift to the one i love.¡± the girl opened her mouth and looked at yurina and then nodded her head with a suddenly red face. * * * reynard looked thoughtful when he returned to the mansion. after finishing his bath and entering the bedroom, yurina saw reynard standing at the door, blankly looking at the roses she had put in a vase. ¡®he must have a lot on his mind.¡¯ he didn¡¯t show it during the day, but he surely saw his past self in the girl and the boy. yurina also felt sorry for the two children and wanted to help them a bit more, but reynard, who had experienced the pain firsthand, must have felt not only pity but also pain. because his past memories must have been vividly recalled. and the boy¡¯s name was ¡®tom¡¯. no matter how common this name was, what a cruel coincidence. yurina approached the bed with a deliberate cough. reynard, who would have noticed her as soon as she entered on any other day, only noticed her then and gave her a smile. ¡°you¡¯re here?¡± he took the towel from yurina¡¯s hand and began to dry her hair. it would have been quick if he used magic, but he preferred to do it himself. yurina closed her eyes and enjoyed his touch, then opened her eyes to glance at the roses. reynard had given the girl much more money than what she had asked for. it was money that would allow the children to not sell roses for a while and eat warm bread to their heart¡¯s content, but could they really rest easy? if the relatives really had ill intentions, they might have stolen all the money and sent them back on the street again tomorrow. yurina was about to bring up the thoughts she had been contemplating all evening, but reynard spoke first. ¡°it might sound ridiculous, but¡­¡± ¡°hmm?¡± ¡°i want to create a place where children can live without worries. where they can have a hearty warm meal, sleep in peace, learn to read and write, and even go to an academy if they want¡­¡± yurina was surprised inside. what he said was similar to what she had been planning to say. however, the words that followed were unexpected. ¡°so, yurina. do you think we could sponsor those kids we saw earlier?¡± ¡°sponsor?¡± ¡°yes. i would need to take a closer look, but it seems the boy from earlier has a talent for magic. and quite a lot of it.¡± Chapter 167 yurina didn¡¯t respond, just looked at his face. even though he now could do what he wanted without considering her feelings, he was waiting for her response with a somewhat anxious face, as if he would easily agree if she said no. yurina carefully held his face, which looked like a puppy waiting for its master¡¯s permission with food in front of it, with both hands. then, she kissed his forehead and cheeks a few times. chu, chu, chu. as the sound echoing in the quiet room grew louder, reynard¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°okay, let¡¯s do it.¡± she murmured, her lips meeting his. ¡°if it¡¯s what you want, i like it too.¡± * * * the next day, the two people who had gone down that street yesterday saw the same children selling flowers. as the two approached, a girl came forward with a half-smile. she took the freshest flower from the basket and handed it to reynard, her action seemed as natural as if she had prepared it in advance. ¡°this is a gift.¡± the girl¡¯s cheeks turned slightly red. the little boy peeking out from behind her was interested in the basket yurina was holding. hoping she might give him something tasty today, yurina, suppressing her bursting laughter, offered him candy. the boy put the candy, as big as his thumb, into his mouth and smiled happily. reynard pinned the flower given by the girl to yurina¡¯s ear and then kneeled down in front of the child. ¡°do you want to come with me?¡± ¡°excuse me?¡± ¡°i¡¯ll protect you. if you go with me, you won¡¯t have to worry about starving or shaking in the cold anymore. you won¡¯t have to worry about people harassing you.¡± it was similar to what yurina said when she first met him. taken aback by the sudden words, the hesitant girl asked. ¡°¡­why?¡± ¡°your brother will be a great magician.¡± ¡°a magician? but our mom and dad said that magicians are amazing people. there¡¯s no way tom could be one. our parents weren¡¯t magicians.¡± ¡°magic is innate, but it¡¯s not necessarily inherited¡­¡± as he explained, reynard cringed as if he bit his tongue and corrected himself. ¡°magic is something you¡¯re born with, but it¡¯s not something you inherit from your parents. even if your parents weren¡¯t magicians, tom could still be one. and tom will definitely become a magician.¡± as if to prove his point, reynard stretched out his hand towards the girl. a flower bud appeared in his empty hand, and soon it bloomed into a flower exactly like the one the girl had given him. ¡°wow.¡± tom, who was busily chewing his candy, came over and lightly touched the flower. then, the red flower lit up white. ¡°you see?¡± ¡°really, really can tom become a magician?¡± ¡°yes, really.¡± ¡°if i follow you, will tom get to eat lots of delicious things?¡± ¡°yes, he will. and you will too.¡± ¡°me too?¡± the girl mumbled in surprise. reynard tilted his head slightly. ¡°of course. you¡¯re coming with us too.¡± yurina observed their interaction from a distance with a soft smile. reynard, who had taken yurina¡¯s hand and grown into an adult who could now extend his hand to other children, and the children who were waiting for someone¡¯s hand. this was probably the first of many relationships the two of them would build in the future. she looked up at the sky. the early summer sunshine falling overhead, the cool sea breeze from afar, the clear sky that looked especially high today. it was a great day to start new relationships. 4. happiness and blessings ¡°woah!¡± tom¡¯s clear voice flowed in from the open window. betsy, who was pouring tea for yurina, smiled as she put down the teapot. ¡°it looks like they¡¯re having class in the garden today.¡± ¡°right. the flowers have bloomed, so it looks like they¡¯re having a lesson with flowers today.¡± yurina took a sip of tea and walked over to the window. the garden visible directly from her room was filled with flowers reynard had planted for yurina. sitting at the table among them, reynard and tom could be seen having a lesson. ¡°today, we¡¯re going to change the color of this flower.¡± reynard shook a white flower in front of tom¡¯s eyes. every time the flower shook, red liquid began to seep into the white petals and soon turned into a red flower. tom, who was gaping at the sight, clapped his hands. ¡°wow!¡± it was nothing more than reynard demonstrating magic unilaterally rather than a lesson. but it was just the right lesson for tom, who just turned six. it was about getting a child who can¡¯t even read properly yet interested in magic by showing magic. yurina gently smiled as she watched reynard stroking tom¡¯s head. tom has been here for already two years. that meant it had been two years since yurina and reynard got married. reynard hasn¡¯t become a professor yet, but he started teaching some magic subjects at the most famous academy in the empire, and arranged a facility to take care of homeless children in the territory. it wasn¡¯t perfect since it¡¯s only been two years, but they were slowly finding their place. tom ate well and played well, gaining weight on his body and face. the same was true for tom¡¯s sister, annie. betsy taught her a little bit of maid work, and annie turned out to be surprisingly clever, so yurina was considering sending her to the academy if she wanted. everything seemed perfect. but yurina, who thought there would be no more concerns, had a big concern recently. she let out a sigh as she watched reynard pinch tom¡¯s chubby cheeks and tease him. ¡®he likes kids so much¡­¡¯ after getting married, yurina and reynard got along very well. as time went by, their burning love turned into a comfortable affection, but their love never thought of cooling down. reynard was especially so. he poured unchanging affection for her, from the time he first whispered love to her until now. even at night, yurina had to endure quite a bit with him. betsy laughed and said that reynard, who came home early without staying out overnight, was still in the honeymoon phase. however, yurina and reynard never talked about children, either before or after marriage. when yurina took care of a lost child in the crohn kingdom, reynard asked her if she liked children, that was the entirety of the conversation they had about children. moreover, they never talked about their own child. rather than not doing it because there was no reason to do it, they intentionally avoided that topic. reynard, who still felt guilty about his mother dying giving birth to him, didn¡¯t say anything, but he seemed worried about what would happen if something went wrong with yurina giving birth. yurina knew his mind well, so she deliberately didn¡¯t bring up the topic of children. they were able to do that because there was no particular affection for children, nor a sense of obligation to have a child. some people might worry about what to do without a successor, but yurina, who wasn¡¯t born a noble, didn¡¯t particularly think she had to continue the line. the same was true for reynard, who was born and raised as a commoner. it¡¯s not that a family is complete only when there are children. they thought it would be enough if they just loved each other passionately like a blazing fire, whether there were children or not. ¡®it would have been better if he had no interest at all.¡¯ reynard, who grew up as an only child and didn¡¯t easily give his heart to his peers, surprisingly liked children. he asked yurina if she liked children, but he was the one who was more interested in children. he listened patiently to tom¡¯s stuttering and stammering words, and he accepted everything tom wanted to do. even when annie said that tom¡¯s habits were getting worse, reynard just laughed and said it was okay to that extent. at first, yurina thought that he was just fulfilling his duty as a patron, just like how she treated reynard well as a patron. but he considered tom and annie as his little siblings, beyond being a patron. not only that, from some point on, he unconsciously gave attention to the children he encountered in social circles or downtown. yurina could vaguely tell from his somewhat distant look that he wanted a child. if neither of them want a child, it¡¯s okay not to have a child. but what if one wants a child? yurina unwittingly overlaid the face of a son who looked like reynard on the face of tom, who was running around the garden with his arms and legs swinging hard. blonde hair like reynard and blue eyes like herself. eyes that gently curve when he smiles like reynard¡¯s. the bright and resonant laughter of a child, and reynard, who holds that child in his arms and smiles as if he¡¯s happy. it was a sight that warmed a corner of yurina¡¯s heart just imagining it. reynard has always wanted to have a family. the reason he wanted to get married to yurina as soon as possible was because he wanted to become a family with her. this was a man who always said that yurina was his entire world, but yurina wanted to show him a wider world. * * * ¡°yurina.¡± reynard sat in the middle of the spacious bed and beckoned to yurina. his hair was wet, as if he had just bathed. as yurina climbed onto the bed and approached him on her knees, he seemed to have been waiting for her, and extended a white towel. ¡°dry me.¡± even though he could have dried himself with magic, he often asked her to dry his hair like this. it seemed like his way of yearning for affection, and yurina always indulged him without resisting. now too, she accepted the towel without any complaints. reynard bowed his head a little more to make it easier for her to dry his hair. as yurina gently touched his hair with the towel, he let out a low chuckle. it was a refreshing laugh that made her feel good just by listening to it. yurina followed his laughter, and unknowingly asked: ¡°do you like this that much?¡± ¡°yes.¡± reynard hugged yurina¡¯s waist and buried his face in her chest. his lips touched her chest, with the sensation of wetness and the sound of a small sigh. even though it was a kiss over her pajamas, it felt as vividly warm as if it had been done on bare skin. yurina paused for a moment, then calmly dried his hair again. Chapter 168 reynard continued to place light kisses all over her body. red spots bloomed like flowers on her white skin near her neck and collarbone. as yurina gently touched his hair, she was lost in thought. ¡®how should i bring this up?¡¯ she hadn¡¯t ever discussed this kind of topic lightly, so she didn¡¯t know how to approach it. what she knew was that reynard had been using magic for contraception until now, that he had a trauma related to his birth mother, and that yurina was afraid of anything going wrong if she gave birth due to this. ¡®it would have been easier to convince him if i really wanted a child.¡¯ reynard was sensitive to yurina. he roughly read her thoughts from her expressions, and brought her what she wanted before she even said it. if she lied that she really wanted a child, he would see through the lie at once. and it was also difficult to say ¡®it seems like you want a child¡­¡¯ he would immediately guess yurina¡¯s true intentions and dismiss them, saying it¡¯s not true. then, he might consciously avoid the topic in the future. ¡°what are you thinking about?¡± reynard asked swiftly when yurina paused her hands for a moment while deep in thought. he lifted his head and met yurina¡¯s gaze quickly. as if reading something, his brows furrowed slightly as he studied her face. ¡°do you have any worries lately?¡± ¡°no, what would i have to worry about?¡± ¡°you seem to be thinking a lot these days. even now¡­¡± he raised a finger and pressed firmly on yurina¡¯s lower lip. ¡°when you¡¯re worried, you tend to bite your lip.¡± did i? yurina lightly bit down on his finger, which was pressing on her lips as if urging her to speak, and then let go. she put down the towel and adjusted her posture to sit comfortably, as she had a somewhat lengthy story to tell. sensing the unusual atmosphere, reynard¡¯s face also became serious. ¡°what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°it¡¯s nothing major, just¡­ are you getting along well with tom these days?¡± ¡°tom?¡± he slightly furrowed his eyebrows, surprised at the unexpected topic. ¡°did tom or annie say something?¡± the look on his face was enigmatic. he was usually on guard against those who could harm yurina, but it seemed to be difficult when it came to the kids he cherished. rather than feeling upset about his attitude, yurina was relieved. ¡®he must like them a lot.¡¯ this could make the conversation a little bit easier. ¡°rey, we¡­¡± ¡°aren¡¯t you a bit hungry? should we ask for some milk tea?¡± reynard quickly changed the subject. yurina grasped his hands, which were about to flee from the table. he avoided her gaze, sitting awkwardly with one leg on the floor, unable to shake off her grip. yurina pulled his arm. ¡°you know it¡¯s not a subject you can avoid forever.¡± ¡°i don¡¯t need to have a child.¡± his suppressed voice came out through clenched teeth. it wasn¡¯t that ¡®he didn¡¯t want children,¡¯ it was ¡®it¡¯s okay if we don¡¯t have any.¡¯ his sincerity seeped out through those words. ¡°all i need is you.¡± ¡°really?¡± ¡°yeah. i only need you.¡± yurina was surprised by his stern statement. being someone¡¯s everything is overwhelming. it means that he loves her wholeheartedly. but on the other hand, it means that nothing remains for him without yurina. one can never predict the future. even though she wished they could be together for a long time, who knew what could happen tomorrow. yurina imagined a world without reynard. it would definitely be terrible. every day would be spent in tears, not eating properly, not sleeping well. it surely wouldn¡¯t feel like living. but she thought she could endure it. looking at her loving family and friends, including betsy and dave who cared for her, she could muster strength. she had gritted her teeth and endured when she lost everything in a traffic accident in the past. but what about reynard? what would happen to reynard left alone without her? of course, it was a hypothetical scenario. with the downfall of marquis de flon, there were no longer people targeting her life, and even if there were, reynard would be there to protect her. she would be safe even in an accident, and since she was being treated by one of the top physicians in the empire, the likelihood of getting seriously ill was low. yet, yurina wanted to give reynard even greater happiness. a child is not the measure of happiness. as he said, they could be perfectly happy without children. but considering his fondness for children, if it¡¯s just because he worries about yurina¡­ ¡°i want it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°just like you said, i¡¯m okay just having you. but it would be nice to see children resembling you running around the garden.¡± watching his expression, yurina subtly asked: ¡°don¡¯t you want to see a daughter who looks like me?¡± his breathing was disrupted. he washed his hands as if he was washing his face, then buried his face in his palms. not denying meant acknowledging. ¡°i know what you¡¯re worrying about. but, rey. the situation here in the capital is different from the village where you lived. roderick is a competent doctor, he can take immediate action if anything happens. in reality, most of the nobles in the capital have children healthily.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°i usually get sick in the winter, but i¡¯m generally healthy. besides¡­¡± yurina leaned her head on his shoulder. she felt him flinch. ¡°you are here.¡± she removed his hands covering his face and met his gaze. ¡°if anything happens, you won¡¯t just stand by, right? i trust you.¡± he silently stared into her eyes. feeling no need for further words, yurina quietly waited for his answer with a smile. after a while, reynard, who had been silent, carefully laid yurina down on the bed after swallowing hard. that night, reynard was more careful than usual, but yurina could clearly feel his firm determination. * * * as soon as reynard returned to the mansion, he looked for yurina. she was curled up sleeping on the sofa. a novel was spread open next to the sofa, apparently she was reading before she fell asleep. reynard, looking at yurina, involuntarily smiled and then immediately hardened his expression. ¡®you should sleep in bed.¡¯ as the end of the year approached, the academy got busier. although he was a professor with not much experience, and hence didn¡¯t review papers, just grading student exams was enough to make time fly by. he tried to come home early today as well, but things didn¡¯t go as planned and he was only able to return after greatly surpassing dinner time. he couldn¡¯t even remember the last time he had dinner with yurina. reynard would habitually tell yurina not to worry if he came home late and to have dinner and go to sleep first. however, yurina didn¡¯t listen to him. although she would eat dinner alone, she insisted on seeing him come home before going to sleep. hence, even if she missed dinner, he tried to come back before bedtime. lately, yurina has been needing a lot more sleep, frequently dozing off while waiting for him. although she could simply sleep in bed, yurina always fell asleep on the sofa. she claimed it was just a nap on the sofa, but from reynard¡¯s perspective, it didn¡¯t seem like a brief nap. ¡°yurina.¡± ¡°hmm.¡± reynard squatted next to her and looked at her complexion before picking her up and heading towards the bedroom. even now, she didn¡¯t seem to notice him picking her up. it was only after reynard laid her down on the bed that she seemed to sense his presence and opened her eyes with effort. ¡°¡­rey?¡± ¡°yeah, it¡¯s me.¡± ¡°when did you get here?¡± yurina, barely managing to open her eyes, looked at him and smiled brightly. although her usual smile was pretty, it was even prettier when she smiled in such a defenseless state. when she tried to get up, he laid her back down on the bed. ¡°when did you get here?¡± ¡°just now. you look tired, sleep a little more.¡± ¡°no, i slept a lot¡­¡± yurina stopped mid-sentence and covered her mouth due to a sudden yawn. she seemed embarrassed, but to reynard, even that gesture of hers was adorable and endearing. however, he was worried. ¡®she seems to need a lot more sleep these days.¡¯ yurina was always one to need a lot of sleep. she tended to go to bed a little late at night, but even considering that, she woke up very late in the morning. she wouldn¡¯t wake up properly right away and mumbled incoherently in his arms, fell asleep, mumbled some more, and fell asleep again. this cycle would repeat several times before she finally woke up. she always did sleep a lot, but yurina began to sleep a lot more as winter approached. even if he tried his best to wake her up, she barely opened her eyes in the morning, took a nap every day, and often dozed off immediately after eating dinner. if it was just about needing more sleep, it wouldn¡¯t matter. but he was starting to worry whether this might indicate a health issue. yurina playfully pinched his worried cheek. yet, the worry didn¡¯t leave his face. ¡°maybe it¡¯s because the weather is getting colder. don¡¯t worry. i always slept a lot in winter. i guess i¡¯m a frog.¡± ¡°a frog?¡± ¡°don¡¯t i resemble a frog, hibernating in winter?¡± although it was a light joke, reynard didn¡¯t take it lightly. he kept his mouth shut, contemplating seriously, and then opened his mouth again. ¡°not a frog, a squirrel.¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°a squirrel hibernating in winter.¡± ¡°what¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°squirrels are much cuter.¡± yurina burst out laughing as if his comment was ridiculous, but he didn¡¯t change his opinion. in his eyes, yurina was even cuter than a squirrel. he climbed over yurina¡¯s body and locked his lips soundly with her still laughing lips. ¡°how about a duckling that hibernates? you always follow me around like a duckling.¡± yurina shot him a sidelong glance and pulled his lips. ¡°say it correctly. it¡¯s not me following you, but you following me.¡± ¡°then we can both be ducks.¡± reynard stretched out his lips and then touched yurina¡¯s forehead with his hand in a serious manner. ¡°there¡¯s no fever¡­¡± ¡°i guess my body just feels a little sluggish because it¡¯s winter.¡± ¡°but just in case, let¡¯s call a doctor. i¡¯ll get in touch with one from carthia.¡± there was no primary doctor yet in felius. for matters directly related to life, a trusted person was needed, but he hadn¡¯t found such a person yet. so for injuries that could be treated with magic, reynard would take care of them, and for other cases, they would receive a diagnosis from the primary doctor in carthia mansion. ¡°there¡¯s no need to go that far.¡± murmuring quietly, yurina finally nodded her head upon noticing his stern expression.