《I Bought the Villains With Money》 CH 1.1 ¡°I really wish for you to live.¡± Me too, Your Highness. I wished you could live, too. So, we should¡­ ¡°We should get married, Cassion.¡± After hearing Diana¡¯s words, the sick Cassion replied with a face that was ready to faint. ¡°I see you have gone crazy.¡± *** Diana Viola Irenberg was the target of envy of all women in the kingdom. She was the only daughter of a Duke who contributed to the founding of the kingdom and was blessed with the wealth to destroy a small country, thanks to his ancestors who had good business skills. She was even blessed with the brain and the beauty! That¡¯s why Diana lived her whole life without any worries. Except for the accident that left her without her parents at the age of 12. As a consolation for her sadness by the loss of her parents, her uncle, Count Corcos, took over the family as her guardian. At the introduction of Count Corcos, Diana, who met the first Prince, Dyson, fell in love immediately. The crown prince, Dyson, naturally promised to marry the heiress of the kingdom¡¯s first family. It would be a happy life for her, except for the absence of her parents. A life of looking at beautiful things, eating tasty foods, and wearing luxurious things. Everyone was kind to her and envied what she had. Therefore, Diana couldn¡¯t see it coming. She didn¡¯t expect herself to be in the face of the guillotine, instead of the wedding hall. ¡°Diana Viola Irenberg, come forward and receive your sentence.¡± The king¡¯s aide spoke up. Diana shivered as if she had been struck by lightning and then moved to the guillotine. Every step she took, people were swearing at Diana. ¡°She will be executed for the sins of deceiving the royal family and the law-abiding citizen of the kingdom, and attempting to overthrow the kingdom for her self-interest.¡± As she stood before the guillotine, the king¡¯s aide shouted loudly again. ¡°Waah!!¡± A thunderous cry rang out. ¡°Please wait! M-My lady is not a person like that!¡± Diana¡¯s maid, Janice, came out of the crowd and shouted. The sight made Dyson¡¯s face crumpled furiously as he came to the execution ground to watch Diana¡¯s execution. ¡°What are you doing?! Proceed the execution right now!¡± He commanded the executioner to speed up. At the prince¡¯s furious command, the guard moved in unison. Janice, who was about to come to Diana, was blocked by the guard and the execution immediately proceeded. Diana stared at the person who was rushing her death with glaring eyes. Diana¡¯s fiance and the crown prince, Dyson, led the execution, rather than defended against her false charge. Diana cried saying that everything was a misunderstanding and begged him to recall the memories when they were in love. ¡°I never loved you. I just needed the money and the power you had.¡± ¡®This trash bast*rd!¡¯ *Clank* The executioner secured Diana¡¯s wrists to the guillotine. With her cheek on the wooden board, Diana turned her eyes and shot a glare at the woman next to Dyson. Diana¡¯s cousin, Bella, looked devastated as she leaned on Dyson. She could feel anger started to surge up from the pit of her stomach. ¡°Poor Diana. You should have just sat down and act like my wallet. Why did you suddenly trying to play the role of head of the household? That¡¯s why I took it all away. Money, family, fiance.¡± Not long ago, Bella, who visited Diana in the dungeon, laughed at her and said she and Dyson were in love. ¡°Since when? Since when Dyson¨C¡± ¡°Since the beginning. Since the moment you met Dyson.¡± The moment she heard that, Diana felt like the ground under her feet collapsed. Her life was shaken to the core. Diana grabbed the bars and shouted that she would never forgive her, but Bella just snorted. Diana, who was imprisoned, was as helpless as a baby. Diana was furious when she remembered that time. Her glaring eyes flashed as she couldn¡¯t even move her legs due to the harsh prison. All kinds of ridicule, humiliation, and abuse became a dagger that pierced through Diana¡¯s heart. However, it was too early for her to give up like this. She thought of a legend passed through generations in the kingdom. ¡°If more than three people doubt one¡¯s death, the soul will be saved.¡± If she had to be honest, she didn¡¯t even believe in legends. She loved fairy tales, but she wasn¡¯t that young to mistake them for reality. Rather than fairy tales, she liked money, jewelry, and other people¡¯s sweet words. But now, she believed it. I believed it desperately. If a castle was built with faith, her castle would become an impregnable fortress. ¡°Raise your hand if you are doubting the convicted¡¯s death sentence.¡± Most of the procedures were omitted, but the procedure of questioning could not be left out by the executioner. Diana eagerly waited for someone to step up for her in desperation. However, her wait was overshadowed as she couldn¡¯t hear any sound. Time passed coldly and steadily. ¡®No one? Is there really no one cry for me?¡¯ Even her last hope seemed to be in vain. The disappointed Diana dropped her head weakly. It was then, ¡°My lady! Please stop everything right now! My lady is not someone who would do that!¡± Janice pushed the guards and struggled desperately to come forward. With tears and a runny nose, Janice desperately called for Diana. Diana¡¯s heart beat again with anticipation and hope. ¡®Two more.¡¯ Did her earnestness work? ¡°I can¡¯t accept Diana¡¯s death sentence!¡± Then came Zoe, a woman with red hair. She was Diana¡¯s aunt from her mother¡¯s side that she only had a proper conversation a few times. Diana, who had lived thinking that the Count of Corcos was the only one she had blood relation with, learned not long ago that her mother¡¯s younger sister was still alive in the kingdom. With the sound of clashing iron, the king¡¯s army surrounded Zoe and Janice. Then a pair of blades was pointed to the two under their jaws. Diana opened her eyes wide with her jaw clenched. Her fists were shaking. Diana screamed as if she were going to shoot the executioner with her glare. ¡°Leave them alone!¡± CH 1.2 But the grip on Janice and Zoe grew more assertive instead of letting go. Diana lamented at her helplessness and prayed desperately. ¡®Please, just one more! Give me a chance!¡¯ The executioner slanted his lips as he knew exactly what she was thinking. Diana¡¯s iron strap, which held her arms, was pulled tight when he raised his hand that he lowered earlier. The executioner shouted again without waiting any further. ¡°It was not enough for her to indulge in luxury and pleasure, but she dared to insult the House of Petrora and deceived the whole kingdom. The crime is very heavy. Therefore, in the name of King Carmine of Petrora, you are to be punished! Execute the sinner!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Diana shook her head, desperately begging for more time. ¡®I¡¯m still short of one person! Just one! Even if for a show, I beg you to question my death sentence! Please, please!¡¯ Unfortunately, her desperation was useless. People who wanted her death sentence grew louder and louder. Tears streamed on Diana¡¯s cheeks endlessly. It was tears of anger, not fear of death or sadness. ¡®If¡­ there¡¯s still one person out there! Please wait!¡¯ Dum The sound of a drum rang in the square, announcing the start of the execution. If the drum beat five times, the blade would fall on Diana¡¯s neck. Dum Dum The drumming continued. The drummer raised his mallets high to make the fourth drum sound. But, a strong wind blew from somewhere. Then a heavy voice that overwhelmed the audience rang out in the square. ¡°Hold it. Aren¡¯t all of you too hasty?¡± ¡°Who is it? Once you start, you can¡¯t stop!¡± The executioner burst out due to the sudden voice. He looked around to find the owner of the voice. But he couldn¡¯t find the person. The irritated executor took the mallet from the drummer who stopped. And then he hit the drum himself. Dum A fourth drum beat from the hand of the executioner. And when he was about to continue to the last one ¡°Cassion Richte Petrora!¡± The earlier voice was heard loud again from above. ¡°Though I am supposed to be dead, I am the prince of this kingdom. I don¡¯t think you can defy my words.¡± ¡°What?¡± Now that he knew where the voice comes from, the executioner raised his head. Surprisingly, he saw a man riding on a wyvern above the execution ground. Despite the distance, the man¡¯s eye color was as vivid as if he were looking closely. His eyes were gold, a symbol of the royal family. And in his hand was the treasure of the royal family. The man lowered the wyvern¡¯s altitude and jumped to the execution ground. After he came down to the ground, no one doubted the man¡¯s identity. Even if it wasn¡¯t the golden eyes or the royal treasure, it was because the prince¡¯s feature remained intact after years of the said man¡¯s disappearance. ¡°Y-Your Highness? Diana opened her eyes wide. Cassion, whom she thought was dead, stood in front of Diana. He looked so gorgeous and healthy that she couldn¡¯t help but stare. ¡°Long time no see, Diana.¡± His broad shoulders, his quiet flexion every time he moved, his black hair that engulfed the sunlight, and his golden eyes that were so deep that she couldn¡¯t read any emotion. Diana gulped down. ¡°A-Are you really Cassion? Y-You are alive?¡± ¡°Thanks to you. Rather than that, I feel sorry for you. I¡¯m here to repay you, and fortunately, I¡¯m not too late.¡± Diana immediately remembered what Cassion owed her. ¡°The day I ran away, you saw me and kept it a secret. Thanks to you, the pursuer followed late. In addition, I was able to overcome many crises with the jewels you gave me. You saved my life.¡± Even what he showed her was nothing but petty sympathy for her; Cassion seemed to have her in his mind for a long time, enough to appear on her death row to repay her kindness. Everything was so unreal. Diana couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. When she was framed and put in the dungeon, all the sweet-talkers turned their backs on her. Even those whom she believed were family. But Cassion, whom she only helped once, stood up for her. ¡°You need help, don¡¯t you?¡± asked Cassion. When he smiled with his eyes wrinkled, his cool nature warmed up like the midday sun. Diana nodded as if she was possessed. The returning prince stood in front of Diana. As soon as there was a shadow above her, she felt a deep sense of relief for no reason. ¡°I, Cassion Richte Petrora, cannot accept Diana¡¯s death sentence.¡± The prince stepped up to the legend-based formal procedure. To protect Diana, who had been accused as a traitor. A buzz spread through the crowd. Diana¡¯s face was full of anticipation. This fulfilled the conditions according to the legend. This time something great might happen, and she could be saved. ¡°¡­.¡± However, no matter how long she waited, there was no drastic change. Diana¡¯s mind, which had been anticipating something, became discouraged. ¡®As expected, a legend was just a legend.¡¯ Still, it wasn¡¯t as bad as she thought because three people risked themselves to stand up for her. ¡°Your Highness, thank you. I will never forget it,¡± whispered Diana. She would get revenge even if she died. It wouldn¡¯t be particularly hard to do one more thing in return. Amid the commotion, voices could be heard to rush Diana¡¯s execution. Cassion knelt on one knee and made eye contact with Diana. ¡°Don¡¯t even think of dying. You saved me once, so let me save you once. Now, the debt will be paid.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And you. Isn¡¯t it too fast to give up?¡± Then, he whispered before I had the chance to ask what he meant by that. ¡°I really wish for you to live.¡± Dum As if laughing at Diana¡¯s hope, the drum rang again, and the guillotine blade was lifted high. And when she thought it was really over for her this time, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Diana. I will save you.¡± Cassion¡¯s voice rang in Diana¡¯s head. ¡®Is this¡­ magic message?¡¯ The only way to convey words that aren¡¯t in the form of sound was by wizards. Diana¡¯s eyes got bigger. Diana opened her mouth to answer Cassion. But she couldn¡¯t speak more of her nightingale-like beautiful voice. Because the blade fell, and she died. Funny enough, Diana¡¯s last thought on her death was about Cassion. ¡®His Highness¡­ is a wizard?!¡¯ CH 2.1 ¡°¡­ dy, young Lady. I told you not to sleep with your eyes open.¡± Every time my body was shaken, I could feel my head ring. I pressed down my hurting head with my hands. ¡®What? Head? Hand?¡¯ That was strange. I just got my head cut off with a guillotine; how was my head shaking? ¡°Cassion?¡± ¡°Cassion?? Which novel is Cassion the main character of? Young Lady! I told you not to read novels before you go to sleep.¡± When I called the name of the person I saw just before I died, an old yet familiar voice scolded me. ¡®What is happening?¡¯ I grabbed my head and tried to get myself together. ¡°You know that today is the day to appoint Count Corcos as your legal guardian, right? How could you not come to your senses on such an important day?¡± There was a series of nagging. Guardian, royal palace, Count Corcos, and Janice¡¯s nagging! Like lightning flashed in my head, I jumped off the bed and ran to the mirror. I reached my neck. A guillotine cut off my neck, but there was no trace of a scar. The scruffy look I had before my death was nowhere to be seen, and all I saw in the mirror was milky skin and a cute younger me. ¡°How old am I, Janice?¡± ¡°Young Lady, are you sick? How old you are¡ª Of course, you are 13 years old.¡± I returned to the past! Back when I was 13 years old, on top of that. I got goosebumps. I covered my open mouth with both hands. ¡°I¡¯m back! I¡¯m back, Janice!¡± I hugged Janice. ¡°Oh, my, Lady?¡± Janice, who was surprised by the sudden hug, hugged me back in confusion. ¡®Was the legend true? Was salvation came in the form of returning my life?¡¯ Questions came up in my head one after another, but that wasn¡¯t important. Now that I returned, those reasons didn¡¯t matter. I set a goal for my current life. ¡®Revenge that I was planning to take in hell; I will avenge it in this lifetime.¡¯ And then, ¡®Your Highness, Cassion, this time it is my turn to save you.¡¯ I remembered Cassion coming to the execution ground to help me. He was the Royal Prince, whom everyone thought was dead. Yet, he took my side when everyone falsely accused me of overthrowing the kingdom. What happened to him after I was executed? I couldn¡¯t think of any good possibilities. Cassion gave me too much for the little sympathy I gave him. The tears of joy and relief of being back alive, also hope of avenging my revenge, welled up. ¡°Young Lady? Did you have a nightmare?¡± Janice was anxious next to me. I cried my heart out, not thinking of holding back my tears. I wished what I had been through was only a nightmare, but the burning emotion that I felt in my heart proved that it wasn¡¯t a dream. That¡¯s why this time, I would avenge my revenge. *** It has been a week since I returned to the past. I wiggled in my quilt, enjoying the warm sunshine on my face. The bright sunlight came in through my window. The cozy bed cover with a subtle scent of lavender and roses decorating the vases on the table. I was so used to all of this that I felt somewhat awkward with it. The comfort of the familiarity surrounded me warmly. Though I wanted to sleep more, I sat up. ¡°Cassion.¡± I couldn¡¯t get him out of my mind since I returned. ¡®I should have been strong at that time.¡¯ I only helped him once, but he gave up a lot and came for me to the execution ground. He must have been sick of the bustle of the Capital. ¡®I wondered if he¡¯s doing well. I am 13 years old, and Cassion is two years younger than me, so he should be 11 years old this year.¡¯ I could feel my mouth felt bitter when I recalled his age. Even for mere pleasantries, I wouldn¡¯t say that he had a nice life. As a child, Cassion was unhappy. He had to live as a Prince who the King shunned¡ª He was so sad that his body became weak. He was skinny, as if he had only bones and skin left, and he was much smaller than his peers. On top of that, his clothes and hygiene were not taken care of well. His scruffy appearances flashed through my mind. That alone was pitiful enough, yet there was even a bully following Cassion all the time. ¡®Dyson, that bast*rd.¡¯ When I thought of the first Prince who drove me to my death, a trail of swearing flowed out my mouth. ¡°Young Lady, Count Corcos is here for you. Are you going to meet him again today?¡± Janice broke my trance when she asked me that. Count Corcos has visited me many times since I returned, but I made several excuses and sent him back. Then I glanced to check the date. I thought it was the time we should meet. ¡°Tell him to wait.¡± I slipped out of my bed. Will I be able to hold back my anger when I see Count Corcos¡¯ face? ¡°Don¡¯t be so pathetic and just die. The more you try, the more you humiliate the Irenberg family. You don¡¯t have to worry about your family. This Corcos will lead the family well by becoming the head of the family.¡± I remembered the words of Count Corcos, who came to the dungeon, to me. He pretended to love me and made a great sacrifice for me, but he showed his true colors when I was imprisoned. Maybe he was the one who sent me to the dungeon. He was a snake who tried to devour my family and me, whom I trusted enough to protect my childhood. ¡®No, he is like the parasite that sucks people¡¯s blood.¡¯ Parasites of my life. I was ready to go out to curse the life out of him. CH 2.2 ¡°Did he come for the guardian problem?¡± ¡°Yes, the guardian designation was postponed last week.¡± On the first day of my return, the first thing I did was postpone my legal guardian¡¯s designation. The whole family was turned upside down. People came to me to ask why I did that.¡± It was because I had yet to think about what would happen if I didn¡¯t designate Count Corcos as my guardian. I hated the guardianship system myself. The guardianship system was designed to protect the family and the heir if the only remaining heir was a minor. Until the family heir reached the legal age and became an official head of the house, the guardian had the authority on behalf of the heir. In other words, it meant that he became the head of the family and the guardian for the minor heir of the family at the same time. The process of selecting a guardian itself was pretty suspicious. Some families fought each other to become a guardian. However, Count Corcos was able to become a guardian without thorough checking. The reason why was because I gave him my full support. ¡®At that time, I was so happy. I have no idea that you were trying to devour my fortune and power.¡¯ Reflect on yourself, you foolish me! Anyway, the guardianship system was made with good intentions, but there were too many problems. I was grumbling inside. ¡®Oh, I don¡¯t want to have a guardian. There¡¯s no guarantee that someone else will be different from Count Corcos. I could do a good job at managing the household, is there no way for me to do that? Oh God, what a useless law this country has.¡¯ As my expression got crumpled, Janice spoke softly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Young Lady. You might be pressured to appoint a guardian, but they won¡¯t be able to do anything without your permission.¡± Janice consoled me when she noticed that I seemed to disapprove of Count Corcos. Janice optimistically looked far into the future, but Count Corcos would become my legal guardian if I didn¡¯t do anything. Even if the sky fell, I didn¡¯t want to have Count Corcos as my guardian, so I¡¯d have to do some clean-up first. ¡®Let¡¯s stop dawdling and put an end to this.¡¯ I checked my appearance for the last time. As Janice opened the door, I told her, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Janice.¡± I must show Count Corcos that I wasn¡¯t the person I used to be. *** ¡°Long time no see, my niece.¡± Said Count Corcos, who was a tall and skinny man with a face full of oil. He smiled broadly and dressed up like a drowning male peacock. He was all dressed up, but he didn¡¯t look good at all. After the regression, Count Corcos¡¯ finances were a mess. He had a big desire for money and business, but he was incapable of managing them. Considering his financial status, the clothes made by a famous designer and the ten rings on his fingers should be impossible for him to even dream of. Yet, he still tried to dress up. But I thought listening to what he wanted to talk about was the least I could do. ¡®He seemed to think he already became my guardian. Or maybe, he wanted to make sure that he will become one.¡¯ The mere possibility of becoming the guardian of the Irenberg family would change the way banks treated him. It irritated me to think that he had sold the name of my family name. ¡®Should I just go back? Do I need to deal with this man? I think I¡¯m going to throw up if I keep looking at that face.¡¯ While I was considering leaving, Count Corcos approached me. ¡°You said you were sick. You¡¯ve gotten thinner. My poor niece.¡± Count Corcos opened his arms wide to hug me. I took a step back. If it were before, I would have embraced him. Then, Count Corcos¡¯ eyes narrowed. ¡°I see you¡¯re not in good condition. Should I come later?¡± I managed to swallow the words get lost and gestured at the sofa. It was better to solve it quickly so that I could rest. ¡°Please sit down. I have something to say, and you came just in time.¡± ¡°Yes. We do have a lot to talk about. Ha ha ha.¡± Count Corcos, who had the door slammed in his face several times by me, was glad when I told him to sit down. He smiled and sat across from me. The smile didn¡¯t leave his face. ¡°Do you want me to go first, uncle? Or do you want to go first?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You are here for a reason, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Rather than, I came here to see you because I was worried that you were very sick.¡± Count Corcos lied without even blinking. ¡®I couldn¡¯t feel his sincerity at all.¡¯ I could now see the lying eyes and greed on his face clearly. Why didn¡¯t I realize that before? ¡®I am so overwhelmed by the fake consolation that you gave me.¡¯ What a fool I was in the past. Once again, I gave myself a bad score. ¡°If you have nothing to say, then I guess I am the only one who has something to talk about.¡± Count Corcos nodded, saying, ¡°Tell me as much as you want.¡± I didn¡¯t even want to see him pretending to be all ears. I wondered if you could maintain that benevolent facade after listening to me. I told him clearly, ¡°I will withdraw my plan to designate you as my guardian.¡± ¡°W-What did you just say?¡± Count Corcos¡¯ eyes widened at that. He was so surprised that he almost stood up shakingly. At that, I repeated what I said to him once again. ¡°You will not become my guardian, uncle.¡± Count Corcos¡¯ pupils quavered from the shock. Did my eyes also quaver like that when he came to the dungeon and told me to die? I got goosebumps from the sweet revenge. CH 3.1 ¡°Diana, what do you mean? Are you saying that you are not going to appoint a guardian?¡± ¡°This is my problem, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± I was going to ask him to leave as I was done talking, but Count Corcos shook his hand. ¡°Diana, do you feel sorry for your parents? Is it because the guardian seems to be replacing your parents?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Diana. Guardianship isn¡¯t like that. As you know, a guardian is¨C¡± ¡°The one who exercises my family¡¯s rights on behalf of me, right? How dare you compare it to my parents?¡± Count Corcos and my mother and father? Just thinking about them being compared to each other made my blood boil inside. I cut him from talking any further. ¡°That¡¯s right, Diana. I see you understand what it means. That¡¯s why you have to hurry to appoint¨C¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Whatever you say, I will not change my mind.¡± Then Count Corcos shook his head and said, ¡°Diana, you are still young. It would be hard for you to take care of your family by yourself. You might don¡¯t understand yet, but if you don¡¯t have a guardian, you manage your family¡¯s money properly.¡± Count Corcos¡¯ voice, who had been speaking soothingly, slowly became oppressive. His neck turned red, perhaps angry at the unexpected development. ¡°Why do you care about that, uncle?¡± ¡°Diana, it¡¯s because you are my only niece.¡± He looked at me with that sneaky eyes while pretending to be worried and friendly. There was a time when I thought he would love me as much as my parents did because we shared the same blood. And what I received was a terrible betrayal. ¡®Even Cassion and Janice, whom I don¡¯t share blood with, are much better.¡¯ ¡°Diana, think about the servants who serve the Irenberg. If you don¡¯t have a legal guardian, you can¡¯t even pay them properly.¡± After the head of the family passed away, we could only temporarily manage our money for one year. Even after that period, our spending would be limited to a fixed number. If I didn¡¯t appoint a guardian after that period, as Count Corcos said, we wouldn¡¯t be able to pay the servants. ¡®Irenberg had a particularly long grace period. Although there are only a few months left.¡¯ The average family had to appoint a guardian within one year. While the royal family especially gave six more months to the Irenberg. What a big family Irenberg was. It was a reasonable decision considering how significant the incident that caused the couple¡¯s sudden death was. ¡®Now, I have six months left.¡¯ I had to do everything I could in the remaining time. Count Corcos reached out to me as I was lost in thought and didn¡¯t say anything. He tried to hold my hand on the table. I got goosebumps when I thought my skin was about to be touched by that hypocrite. ¡®You¡¯re not even letting me consider anyone beside you to be my guardian, right? You can go to hell.¡¯ ¡°Diana, think of the Irenberg family. It wouldn¡¯t be good for the Irenberg family if you delay the guardian¡¯s designation.¡± Although he was annoying and stupid, he knew one thing well about me. That I loved the Irenberg family so much. And he took advantage of it very well. ¡°It¡¯s for the family¡¯s sake.¡± Every time I asked what he was doing, Count Corcos gave me that answer like a chant. I was fed up whenever I recalled it. I wouldn¡¯t be fooled this time. My decision would determine the fate of my family. I shook my head and said firmly. ¡°Please don¡¯t try to persuade me. I won¡¯t change my mind.¡± Count Corcos bit his lip. He gripped the sofa hand-rest tightly. ¡°You must be having a hard time, Diana. I will come again next time.¡± Count Corcos, who took out his last card but failed to get what he wanted, couldn¡¯t hide his obvious embarrassment. His lips were tight, yet he managed to promise to come next time with much difficulty. ¡°Even if you come ten times, you can¡¯t change my mind, uncle. So, you don¡¯t have to come again.¡± But when I boldly crushed his promise, Count Corcos made a face. ¡°You¡­ How far are you going to make fun of me?¡± He straightened up, and there was a massive shadow in front of me. He looked down at me like he was trying to intimidate a little kid. ¡°What do you mean I made fun of you? I just want to think it over.¡± Count Corcos¡¯ eyes suddenly changed. Then, he said with a stern look. ¡°Diana, even though you are sad about the loss of your parents, how long do you think you can leave the family unattended? I have tried to convince the vassals about your situation, but I can¡¯t hold them any longer. You have to understand the reality, too. I guess, what does a 13 years old child know?¡± Finally, Count Corcos¡¯ pretentious facade of lecturing me was revealed. His greed was shown. ¡®How fake he is.¡¯ I was ashamed of myself for being deceived by him after seeing him lost his temper when I got on his nerve in the past. I put up with him because I thought he would become more upset. I didn¡¯t want to waste my breath even to say a word. However, the patience that I had exercised no longer exists. Count Corcos has crossed the line that shouldn¡¯t be crossed. ¡°My brother and sister-in-law would be happy if I became your guardian.¡± I could hold back when he mentioned my family, and I also endured it when he claimed that a guardian wouldn¡¯t replace my parents¡¯ position. But I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. ¡®My mother and father would be happy if you became my guardian?¡¯ That sounded like my parents wanted me to be unhappy instead, wasn¡¯t it? That¡¯s nonsense! I clenched my fists and said, ¡°Uncle, have you ever heard of this story?¡± ¡°What story?¡± ¡°The story of a family who ruined themselves because they chose the wrong guardian.¡± ¡°W-What did you say?¡± Count Corcos¡¯ greasy face turned dismayed. ¡°There has been a talk for some time about someone who brought in a dog that was supposed to protect the house, but it bit its owner¡¯s hand and took over the house. It¡¯s a pretty famous story. Do you not know about it?¡± ¡°Diana, did you just¨C¡± ¡°Whatever you had in your imagination, you are right, uncle.¡± I raised my head and stared at him with all my might. Count Corcos wasn¡¯t in the position to defy me anyway. No matter how angry he was, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything terrible to me. Therefore, I could provoke him that much. Just as I expected, Count Corcos¡¯ brows narrowed. He breathed slowly as he tried to calm his anger. ¡°Diana, did you hear something from somewhere?¡± Instead of arguing with me, his anger faded from his voice. He tried to ask me nicely. I¡¯ve had enough listening to it. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to what other people say. You should believe what you have seen and experienced.¡± Count Corcos pretended to give me a piece of good advice. I snorted inside. ¡®That¡¯s why I don¡¯t trust you. You¡¯re the bad guy that I have seen, heard, and experienced myself.¡¯ It became unbearably uncomfortable breathing in one room with Count Corcos. It¡¯s time to clean up. CH 3.2 ¡°I have one favor, uncle.¡± ¡°Tell me, Diana.¡± ¡°Please get out and never visit me again like this. Like when my father was still alive, you should live in your countryside estate, and I stay here. While you¡¯re there, you don¡¯t have to worry whether I live well, and I will live wondering if I have someone out there whom I share blood with. What do you think? It¡¯s not hard, right?¡± Did he think I would ask him to buy me dolls or expensive chocolates? Count Corcos, who was shocked by my request, managed to pull himself together and said, ¡°How can I leave a child like you alone and go back to the estate?¡± Being stupid was also a talent. He couldn¡¯t understand even though I was telling him to leave in the simplest way. I would only hurt my mouth if I tried to talk to a fool. I had no obligation to make him understand. Therefore, instead of talking to him any further, I opened the door across the drawing-room. ¡°Goodbye, uncle.¡± I hope this will be our last goodbye. It was my most sincere goodbye. *** ¡°Young Lady, I heard you told Count Corcos that you are not going to appoint him as your guardian.¡± How did Janice know about it? I guess a rat is snooping around in this house. ¡°That¡¯s true. But, where did you hear about that?¡± ¡°Some eavesdropper. So, what are you going to do? They are freaked out.¡± ¡°They?¡± ¡°Yes! The maids and the servants. If you don¡¯t designate a legal guardian, our salary will be cut. I would be fine if my salary is one or two months behind. But the others¡­.¡± In the Irenberg mansion, the number of young servants and maids was unusually high. It was because my soft-hearted father kept hiring slum children who couldn¡¯t find a decent job. They were very sensitive about it either because they had to live or support their family with that one month¡¯s salary. ¡®It¡¯s good that I managed to kick out Count Corcos, but there are too many to take care of. I need to take care of the servants and maids, meet Cassion, and appoint a guardian. Is there no way to take care of them at once?¡¯ It would take too long looking if I did it one by one. I was a little worried about provoking Count Corcos, and I was also worried that there¡¯s not much time left to appoint a guardian. ¡®There are only six months left, I think?¡¯ I was at a loss when I counted the time I got left. I had to find a way. I hope someone will give me a good idea. ¡°That¡¯s it! That will do!¡± A brilliant idea came to my mind. When I shouted out of the blue, Janice asked me in wonder. ¡°What? What do you want to do?¡± ¡°To get married.¡± ¡°What? Who? With whom?¡± ¡°Me. My partner would be Cassion.¡± ¡°What? Who did you say you¡¯re going to marry?¡± ¡°The Third Prince of the Petrora Kingdom.¡± Janice opened her mouth wide. ¡¸An underage marriage requires permission from a parent or a legal guardian, except in the case of marrying a royal family member. ¨C Petrora Civil Law Article 189¡¹ The law that I read in the past flashed in my mind like a ray of light. If I married a royal family member, I didn¡¯t need a guardian, and I would be considered an adult and recognized as the official head of the family. Only then could I manage my family¡¯s money and deal with the household affairs at my disposal. If I appointed someone I didn¡¯t know as my guardian, the past would repeat. There weren¡¯t as many reliable adults as I thought. There¡¯s Aunt Zoe, but she was someone who would be the chief of Journee. ¡®Also, my aunt wants to live free like the wind.¡¯ If she became my guardian, of course, her face would be known by people. If that happened, her wish to live a free life would go up in the smoke. That¡¯s why I had to forget about appointing a guardian and became the head of the family instead. ¡®This is a perfect way to repay Cassion and to avenge my revenge.¡¯ Like a map complete with detailed directions, what I had to do became very clear. My marriage partner would be Cassion. I decided to marry him to repay the kindness he had done for me and avenge my revenge. ¡®But, is it possible for us to get married?¡¯ Taking the King¡¯s opposition or interfering with Dyson was one problem, but there¡¯s a bigger problem. Unfortunately, Cassion was very weak as a child. ¡®He was healthy when I saw him at the execution ground, but since he is 11 years old now¡­¡¯ ¡®This is the time when he is so weak that I could say that he¡¯s dying.¡¯ ¡®Will he be able to walk through the ceremony? Please don¡¯t say that I have to prepare for his funeral instead. He does look like a little rabbit on the verge of dying¡­.¡¯ I was worried about Cassion¡¯s condition. ¡°Janice, I need to go to the palace!¡± Once my goals became clear, I had to hurry. I need to see Cassion. I had to make sure that he¡¯s fine. ¡°Why the palace, all of a sudden? Young Lady, why don¡¯t you wipe your nose first? Also, the palace is not a place where you can visit right away just because you want to.¡± I took Janice¡¯s handkerchief and blew my nose with all my might. It was because of the tears. I was overwhelmed that I found a way to protect my family without having to appoint a guardian. ¡°There¡¯s always room open for nobles.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s for the adult nobles, not for a young child like you.¡± Janice and her bitter truth, as always. According to the rule, for a 13 years old child like me to enter the palace without a guardian, I had to express my intention to visit the palace and wait for permission. The only people allowed to enter and exit the palace on their own were the royal family members. If I were the head of the Irenberg family, I could come and go to the palace like it was my own house, but unfortunately, I was only an heir without a legal guardian. ¡°I think you shouldn¡¯t go.¡± Janice dissuaded me, worried that I would be kicked out of the palace. There¡¯s a hundred percent chance that I would be kicked out if I visited the palace without prior notice. ¡®But for me, there¡¯s always a way.¡¯ CH 4.1 The Kingdom had a field trip program for children. It was a program mainly attended by noble children, which also often gave opportunities to ordinary children who had excellent grades at ¨¦cole school. For your information, ¨¦cole school is run by the Kingdom for children aged 8 to 14. ¡®It is a school full of corruption, but it is one of the best charities the King has ever done.¡¯ Establishing educational institutions or holding royal palace visit programs helped to increase loyalty and promote the royal family. Anyway, I could apply for the royal palace visiting program without having to attend the ¨¦cole school. ¡°Apply for the royal program tour trip.¡± ¡°Are you really going? I understand, Young Lady.¡± Janice was worried and asked me not to leave at first, but when I told her how I could visit the palace, she suddenly gave in to my persistence. After she went out to sign up for the program, I stood in front of the mirror. I was still unfamiliar when looking in the mirror. I was an average, cute 13-years-old child, but I was corrupted by adult toxicity. It seemed like I needed some time to adapt. ¡®Can I do this right?¡¯ Count Corcos and Dyson naturally came to my mind. My thoughts flowed and stopped at my memory about Cassion, where he shrugged his head and shoulders in front of Dyson. I bit my lips. ¡®What if His Highness Cassion dies when we get married?¡¯ Even if he¡¯s alive, what if he already ran away? In the past, Cassion ran away from the palace at the age of 15. Believing that there might be a cure somewhere in the world, Cassion heard the doctor¡¯s final declaration that his disease was incurable at the age of 14, then he secretly left the palace one year later. I bumped into him when he was sneaking out and gave him the jewels I had at that time. ¡®I think he was out there looking for a cure¡­ If he marries me, wouldn¡¯t it allow him to get out of the palace?¡¯ The future would change because of me. That¡¯s why I had an ominous idea if his future changed. ¡®No! He¡¯s going to live. He will be as healthy as he was when I was about to die!¡¯ When I saw him again, Cassion was so big and strong that just him being there made me feel like the air was weighing down on me. I decided not to be greedy for now. All I needed to do was to stay alive until I became an adult. If things become difficult, all I had to do was just to make it easy. Cassion could stop Dyson¡¯s intimidation and cured his illness. He was healthy and came to save me before I died, so there was a way to cure him somewhere in the world. ¡®Let¡¯s find the cure to cure his illness first.¡¯ Once I started, I couldn¡¯t stop thinking. I spent the whole afternoon thinking about Cassion. When I was thinking about how I couldn¡¯t wait to see Cassion, Janice came with good news. ¡°Young Lady, you have been granted the palace tour. Fortunately, there¡¯s a vacancy tomorrow!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± I made up my mind to make Cassion my husband and saved him. After a while, Janice sat me in front of the mirror and began to brush my hair. There, a cute and lovely child sat in front of the mirror. The delicate blonde hair was as bright as the golden rice paddy under the sunlight, and the green eyes twinkled like the freshness of the green forest. The skin was perfectly white and fair enough to impress anyone and made them ask if I have seen sunlight in my life. ¡®Wow, even to me, I¡¯m so pretty.¡¯ That¡¯s why I was confident in myself. I couldn¡¯t believe I¡¯m making Cassion my husband! *** ¡°Kla Zero, Cyder Fair, and then Diana Viola Irenberg.. Irenberg?¡± After dressing up early in the morning, I participated in the royal palace tour program. The court official in charge of the program was calling the names of the children gathered together. He tilted his head as he called my name. Until a year ago, the Irenberg family could enter and exit the palace without any formal procedures. He must have felt strange for such a family to apply for a tour in the royal palace. I raised my hand. He came up and greeted me politely. ¡°Lady Irenberg? What brings you to the palace tour?¡± It caused a commotion¡ªno child who didn¡¯t know the Irenberg family. As they were nobles, they must have heard the name often in their parents¡¯ conversation, and children attending ¨¦cole school learn about our family during the Kingdom¡¯s early times in history class. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Paulaner.¡± I glanced at his name on his chest. Based on my long experience living in the palace, the lower court officials weren¡¯t called by their names, but by hey, there, you. So they liked to be called by their name and could easily appreciate the person who called their name. Unsurprisingly, Paulaner¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Yes, Lady. You¡¯ve been to the palace a lot. Is there a reason why you applied for this program?¡± He seemed to buy the light favor I did. Paulaner talked to me in an overly friendly manner. ¡°It¡¯s because¡­ the royal rose garden this season is gorgeous. I really wanted to see it, but as you may know, one year ago, my parents¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, I apologize, Lady.¡± I deliberately didn¡¯t finish my words. It was to arouse his sympathy. Paulaner was feeling sorry to make me recall the passing of my parents. CH 4.2 ¡°Ahem, we will start the tour.¡± He raised the flag in fluster as he didn¡¯t know how to console my gloomy mood. He seemed to conclude that it would be better to leave me alone. Children lined up behind Paulaner, and I naturally stood at the end of the line. As Paulaner began the course set for the royal palace tour, he stopped at every attraction object and explained diligently with veins on his neck. The children listened to Paulaner. Sometimes when one of the field participants asked a strange question, the other children who came with him gave a cold look. Then the child who asked the question would become quiet as he was feeling discouraged. ¡®It seems like their parents have educated them strictly.¡¯ One of the reasons parents sent their children to join this program was because they wanted their children to catch the eyes of the nobles who regularly visited the palace. However, unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case. The tour course itself was different from the area where the nobles were wandering around. ¡®Don¡¯t let the nobles feel uncomfortable by the visiting children.¡¯ Such thought, of course, existed among the nobles. ¡®Royal palace is none other than where nobles come to eat, play, and dance.¡¯ I turned my head and saw the tall palace. Brighting Palace, where music played endlessly all day, was built for the current Queen Julia. It was a sanctuary of all kinds of corruption. ¡®I¡¯m going to blow that up one day.¡¯ Because I was looking at the Brighting Palace, I was left behind a little, and the scrupulous Paulaner called me. I quickly skipped and approached him. ¡°That was a wonderful explanation. I have been to the palace a few times, but I didn¡¯t know there was such a story!¡± When he was praised that his explanation was excellent, Paulaner became excited and more talkative. ¡®Stop it. That¡¯s enough.¡¯ I knew it all. But, I smiled and responded attentively to Paulaner¡¯s explanation. After a lot of pretending to be interested, they finally arrived in the rose garden. I had to sneak from the group at this point. I tapped the back of Paulaner¡¯s hand. He then lowered his gaze and made eye contact with me. ¡°Sir Paulaner, can I spend some more time here?¡± ¡°Yes? But¡­¡± ¡°This is a place that holds memories with my father. That¡¯s why I applied for this tour.¡± Paulaner looked flustered. One of the rules of visiting the royal palace was to go off the course. The children were obliged to stick and move with Paulaner, the tour leader, even for any emergency reason. With such a reaction, I¡¯d better pull than push. As I dropped my eyebrows, I said, ¡°If you will be in trouble because of my request, I will just go.¡± I could see conflict in Paulaner¡¯s eyes. ¡°My memories with my father¡­ I will just engrave it in my heart.¡± ¡°W-Wait a minute.¡± Paulaner stopped me when I started to return to the group. He looked at my drooping shoulders and palmed his face. In the end, he reluctantly gave permission. ¡°Lady, you have to stay in the rose garden only, all right?¡± ¡°Thank you, Paulaner! There, I will sit still on that bench over there!¡± I pointed at the bench near the rose bushes. After Paulaner checked the bench, he took the other children away. He told me that I could only stay in the rose garden for half a day, and by then, I had to return to the group. The group that Paulaner led quickly disappeared from sight. I waited for Janice without moving from my seat. Soon, Janice, with a bored look on her face, was seen among the crowds. Even in a minor noble family, the parents sent one servant to accompany the children from a distance while their young masters were on tour. ¡°Janice!¡± ¡°Young Lady, what are you doing here? Did you get left behind by the group? Please get up; you can catch up if you walk a little fast.¡± Janice took my hand and treated me like I was a lost child. I nodded and raised my hand. Janice bent down at my signal and gave me her ear. ¡°No, Janice. I¡¯m waiting for you here.¡± Janice opened her eyes wide. It was a look that asked why I was here waiting for her. I peeked behind her. I waited until the other servants were leaving because I couldn¡¯t tell her the reason in front of other people. The other servants were looking at Janice and me, but they wouldn¡¯t dare to be curious and asked. Once the servants were far enough, I grabbed Janice¡¯s hand and moved into the rose garden. ¡°Young Lady, do you want to play hide-and-seek?¡± ¡°No, I have to go somewhere.¡± ¡°Where do you want to go? That aside, are we allowed to go this way?¡± There was a serious concern in Janice¡¯s voice. She had a reason to be concerned. The rose garden was created to protect the King during war, and the maze was so complex that one required guidance to get out of it. The stupid soldiers who left the rose garden to the palace open wouldn¡¯t think anyone would go inside it, so I had no choice but to get in even though we could get lost in it. But it was nothing to me. I knew the rose garden very well. Because I often hid in this rose garden whenever I fought with Dyson. ¡®Rather than a fight, it was more of a one-sided frustration.¡¯ I walked fast with a bitter smile. ¡°Young Lady, where exactly are you going? Where are we now?¡± Janice, who followed me from behind, kept asking. As the destination was finally in sight, I decided to answer Janice¡¯s question. ¡°Janice, this is¡­ The Third Prince¡¯s Palace.¡± CH 5.1 The third Prince palace was inhabited by Cassion and was the most unlit and remote palace located in the northern part of the vast royal palace. The third prince¡¯s palace, where the servants¡¯ dormitories were, was poorly landscaped. The branches, which had grown messily due to the poor management and were scattered on the path, prevented carriages from passing through. I could tell just by looking at how Cassion was treated in the royal palace. ¡°People might think it was an unused palace,¡± said Janice. Unfortunately, however, the once the object of envy of the kingdom¡¯s people now lived in such a place and became the enemy of the King and queen. ¡°But it must be well-maintained because it¡¯s where the Prince lives, right? I am looking forward to it!¡± Unlike me and my father, who came to the palace sometimes, Janice, who had never been to the court before, was excited. I ignored her expectations and fantasies about the palace. I didn¡¯t think I would be able to meet her expectations. As we approached the palace, the sound of Janice¡¯s expectations collapsing became louder. Even for mere pleasantries, it was hard to say that the court was managed. ¡®But the path is maintained well.¡¯ The grass in the garden in front of the palace was so thick that it would not be strange if snakes popped out any moment soon. I was afraid to step on both sides of the grass that had grown to the height of my knee. ¡®Abandoned, for sure.¡¯ Both the palace and the Prince. ¡®The King isn¡¯t interested in Cassion, Dyson is busy picking on him, and his stepmother, Julia, doesn¡¯t even take care of him.¡¯ I was a 21-years-old adult in spirit, and the pathetic behavior of those adults angered me. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect it to be this bad. I knew Dyson was harassing him, but it¡¯s too much!¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the King and the Queen who ignored Cassion. When Cassion passed by in the past, I remembered how the servants eyed Cassion. A shallow look of contempt. It was perhaps not anyone¡¯s command that the palace was poorly managed, but the servant¡¯s choice. The less powerful they were, the more sensitive they were to the power that others had. The servants knew Cassion was abandoned and found no reason to care about him. It wasn¡¯t pleasant to know that Cassion had been rejected by the King, the royal family, and even the servants. I felt like a heavy stone was placed on my chest. ¡°Young Lady, this way, please.¡± Janice pulled me and led me to a path on the side. Someone¡¯s footprints barely carved the narrow path. ¡®It wasn¡¯t some kind of event, but the more I find it, the more it feels new to me.¡¯ My disappointment grew as I got closer to the Third Prince¡¯s palace. There wasn¡¯t even a single knight guarding the palace. It was a good thing that Dyson or Julia didn¡¯t send assassins, but Cassion could have died soon. ¡®I have to give him protection too.¡¯ The name of a skilled knight came to my mind. That person caught my interest, and if I didn¡¯t know the future, he would be hard to recruit. I wondered where he was now. ¡°This place looks like a ghost will pop out soon! Wow, there are a lot of rats.¡± I woke up from my thoughts to Janice¡¯s fuss and took a good look at the third Prince¡¯s palace. The vast palace with no human touch was distressing. Even if there¡¯s a ghost that appeared in this broad daylight, I would feel its energy. ¡®By the way, how did she know that there are a lot of mice even though there aren¡¯t any that could be seen?¡¯ ¡°Young Lady, there aren¡¯t any people around,¡± Janice said as if she had known about it from someone. She could have said that there was no one else but us. I didn¡¯t care, but it¡¯s a way of talking that others might point out because it sounded unusual. ¡°Wait a minute, Young Lady.¡± Janice hopped toward an old dead tree. She then held on to the dead tree and muttered after a while. I wanted to ask what she was doing, but I could see the sight of Janice in front of me, and Janice, who risked her life to protect me at the execution ground, overlapped. ¡®It¡¯s cute to be a little quirky anyway.¡¯ Suddenly when I see other people, no matter how scary they are, I would find them cute. I wanted to say how cute she was, but I put my thoughts aside and approached the door. Janice rushed to open the door without hesitation and said, ¡°Young Lady, there¡¯s no one guarding this palace.¡± ¡°Does it make sense that there¡¯s no one guarding the Prince¡¯s palace?¡± I said as I pushed Janice aside. Janice replied that she was serious, but I didn¡¯t want to believe it even if it was true. If that was true, Cassion was living alone in this desolate, dreary palace. Unfortunately, however, what Janice said was true. I opened the rusty door and went inside, but it was hard to find any traces of people. Alone in this vast palace? ¡®Even if he¡¯s dead, no one would even notice.¡¯ I even asked Janice if she could see anyone who could catch us, but she didn¡¯t answer. Somehow I didn¡¯t have a good feeling about this. CH 5.2 As a child, Cassion was too weak to have outdoor activities. As far as I knew, he stayed inside the palace, but if the court was in this state¡­ I started to walk carefully, but it got faster step by step. And as I reached the top floor, I heard a voice. ¡°Cassion, can¡¯t you even solve this?¡± It was the voice of someone familiar. ¡°Ha¡­ Did you forget what I taught you? Didn¡¯t I tell you that you can solve it if you know how to do a simple calculation?¡± The way he looked down on his opponent wasn¡¯t an unfamiliar sight. ¡°As expected, you can¡¯t. Don¡¯t even try to study; I guess it wasn¡¯t for you.¡± While speaking, the man with a familiar voice sighed deeply. ¡°I told you. A Prince should be educated. You¡¯re not good at swordsmanship and weak. Did you memorize all the Ibrael conversations?¡± If I were Cassion, I would kick him in the shin. ¡°What? Couldn¡¯t you even do that? You, don¡¯t do anything. I¡¯d rather you not try at all because you can¡¯t even make it.¡± It wasn¡¯t like Cassion was deliberately pretending to be sick, but this person was trying to discourage Cassion. The voice smeared with a wicked heart that was snorting at his opponent. ¡®Dyson, you son of a monkey!¡¯ I knew he didn¡¯t like Cassion. But it was the first time I had seen bullying like this. ¡°I will leave for today so that I will see you next time. Next time, I will find something suitable for your level of study.¡± Judging from the conversation, it seemed that the bullying would continue. Even if I listened for a little bit, I was angry, but Cassion has listened to this harassment for a long time? He should have been angry! I clenched my fist without realizing it. I wanted Cassion to throw his fist or scream. ¡°Thank you, brother¡­.¡± But what came out of Cassion¡¯s mouth was quite different from what I expected. ¡®Oh my God, how could you thank him for that? Did you already used to what he said, so you don¡¯t even know what he said was bad?¡¯ ¡°I will go, so you have to stay put. Don¡¯t even try to work out.¡± There was a sound of Dyson coming out after saying goodbye. I had to hide. I couldn¡¯t run into Dyson right now. But where¡¯s Janice? When I turned my head, Janice looked at me, who was listening through the door with eyes of remorse. I quickly grabbed Janice¡¯s wrist. I opened the door on the other side of Cassion¡¯s room and pushed myself in. ¡°Young Lady, what are we doing here¨C¡± ¡°Shush, Janice.¡± Janice¡¯s eyes widened. I ignored her interesting look and waited until the sound of Dyson¡¯s footsteps disappeared. ¡°He left.¡± We waited for a little more after the sound of Dyson¡¯s footsteps wholly disappeared. ¡®I couldn¡¯t run into Dyson yet. If he finds out I¡¯m interested in Cassion, I don¡¯t know what he would do.¡¯ He could harass Cassion worse, or he could suddenly become interested in me. He was interested in me only after Count Corcos became my guardian in the past, but there¡¯s nothing wrong with being careful. ¡®Dyson is greedy, so if I show interest in Cassion, he might start to be interested in me.¡¯ I wanted to avoid crossing paths with him. ¡°Are we playing detective, Young Lady?¡± Janice, who was also hiding, asked. It was amazing to see how Janice was rather enjoying our situation. It was better than her making a fuss, so I let her be. ¡°So, who was that? Who did we just avoid?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡± Even one full day wouldn¡¯t be enough to explain why we¡¯re here at the palace until who Dyson was. Because in the end, there¡¯s nothing to explain, even if she dug into it. ¡°Huh, you don¡¯t have to tell me anyway.¡± Janice muttered to the wall. She had a wrinkle between her eyebrows. It was cute, but wasn¡¯t that a bad habit? ¡°It was His Royal Prince. But I don¡¯t like his personality.¡± How did she know that? I was curious, but Cassion¡¯s matter was more urgent. ¡°Let¡¯s get out, Janice.¡± I opened the door, and there was my future husband in the hallway, right in front of the wooden door. *** Cassion sighed. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off where Dyson sat earlier. His wet eyes and drooping shoulders reminded me of a kitten who had lost its mother. He looked so pitiful and sad. ¡°Son of a b*tch.¡± But it was only for a moment until his look turned into a nasty predator. Cassion¡¯s eyes rose eerily. Various profanities poured out between those red and delicate lips. ¡°What¡¯s so important about studying?¡± Cassion glanced at the books that Dyson had left behind and pushed them under his desk. He wanted to throw it out of the window, but he didn¡¯t have the energy to do so. ¡°F*cking weak body!¡± Cassion, who was huffing due to anger, was out of breath and laid on the sofa. What Dyson said was ringing in his ears. Cassion was sick of the fake worry. He would love to grab Dyson and shake him, but as Dyson said, he was a weakling who couldn¡¯t even lift a sword properly. Even if he had the power, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to confront Dyson, who kept bothering him. The result could happen if Dyson, who the King and the Queen favored, and himself, who was abandoned, were evident. In the end, Cassion could only mumble to himself. ¡°It¡¯s hard to pretend to be a fool.¡± CH 6.2 Who could that be? Cassion raised his eyebrows nervously. He didn¡¯t feel good. He wasn¡¯t feeling well either. He wanted to scold her for coming into the Prince¡¯s room, but it¡¯s not just in front of Dyson he had to lie to. ¡°The walls of the palace have eyes, and the ceiling has ears.¡± Cassion was reminded of his mother¡¯s advice. Maybe Dyson was the one who sent her to look at his condition. ¡°Who, who are you? H-how did you get in there?¡± Cassion said foolishly, raising his eyebrows and blinking his eyes. It was his play-dumb act. ¡°Oh, my God! You¡¯re such a good actor.¡± But the girl looked through his performance. Cassion¡¯s eyes, which had gone round, gradually became smaller. His eyes that pretended to be innocent turned into doubtful looks. ¡°Did you hear what I said earlier?¡± Cassion, who realized he had been exposed, shut up. Silence was the best defense at times like this. The girl opened her mouth as if she had no intention of hearing back from him in the first place. ¡°Son of a b*tch.¡± A profanity that didn¡¯t go well with her fine lips came out naturally. Cassion grimaced at that. ¡°What was it again? The spirit goddess Helva¡­¡­¡­.¡± She has heard everything. It was meaningless to play dumb when she had already heard it all. Cassion leaned lazily on the sofa, relaxing his stiff shoulders. ¡°I won¡¯t let them get away. Not even Helva, the spirit Goddess of justice and destruction, will save them.¡± Cassion himself completed the sentence that the girl was trying to recite. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! It wasn¡¯t a creative one, but it was still a curse. Why didn¡¯t you try to write it down all this time? You look talented,¡± the girl continued with a single smile. ¡°Who are you?¡± Cassion did not stutter anymore. When he opened his eyes, his innocent look disappeared and became sharp and meaningful. The girl reached out her hand. Cassion stared down at her hand that was a little bigger and paler than his. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. Diana Viola Irenberg, the heir to Duke Irenberg. And also the rope you need to hold on to live.¡± *** ¡°Who are you? How did you get in there?¡± When Cassion saw me, he stammered and acted innocently. Look at this cute thing. If I hadn¡¯t heard him swearing passionately earlier, I would have been fooled by Cassion¡¯s acting. That¡¯s how pitiful looking he was. It even went well with Cassion¡¯s outward appearance. Cassion looked so fragile that he would break if anyone touched him, and he had tears in his eyes and even breathed heavily. It was a shame that he was sick, but it helped him play the character he was aiming for. I thought I¡¯d keep watching him because of his cute acting. However, she would be wasting time. It was easy to pull out his true face. All I had to do was recite some swear words I heard from outside. The smart Cassion knew that he couldn¡¯t fool me and immediately revealed his true self. ¡°Lady Irenberg, oh, shall I call you Lady Irenberg? Cough, damn it! What are you doing here?¡± Cassion seemed to want to get a head start to intimidate me, but his body couldn¡¯t keep up. His eyes were glaring sharply, but I felt sorry every time he coughed, his body bent forward. ¡°The room needs to be ventilated. Could you open the window, Janice?¡± I had been bothered by the stuffy smell since I came into the room. When Janice opened the window, bright sunlight poured in. In the meantime, I took a better look at Cassion¡¯s room. ¡®This is awful. You call this a Prince¡¯s palace? But still, it¡¯s good that this place receives a good amount of sunlight .¡¯ The palace itself was well designed, but it wasn¡¯t cleaned and organized. Now that I had seen the room, it was time to take a better look at Cassion. His skin was rough, and his lips had splintered. His skin was yellow and dry, with cheekbones sticking out. Apart from being sick, it was evident that he was not adequately cared for. ¡®I am guessing he can¡¯t sleep well from his dark circles.¡¯ I understood his cautious attitude. Anyone who was constantly bullied, poorly cared for, and sick, has no choice but to be sour at other people. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Cassion said bluntly. I was proud of him for showing his hostility while sitting quite upright yet looking as if he was about to collapse. He was not an abandoned kitten but a wolf hidden in a nasty cat mask. ¡®It¡¯s going to take a lot of work.¡¯ I need to warm up the mood so that it wouldn¡¯t feel awkward. What should I say first? ¡°Young Lady, can I get you some snacks and tea?¡± Nice, Janice! There¡¯s nothing better than eating together to get close. I nodded my head. Janice moved quickly. She took the pretty plate out of the big basket and put a sweet-smelling snack on it. In addition, although it wasn¡¯t the fancy one, she also prepared imported tea leaves. She brought it just in case, but I was glad she did. ¡°Is it poisoned?¡± But it was my mistake to expect the mood to be softened. Cassion had been aggressive to the core. Where should I start teaching bad-tempered kids? CH 7.1 ¡®No, what¡¯s there to teach anyway?¡¯ I swore I would take care of the people who raised him badly. His personality must have been crooked because he had to. I blinked my big eyes and said with a smile as lovely as possible. ¡°About what Your Highness asked, why would I come here openly if I wanted to incite anyone? Also, I am 13 years old. I am not at the age where I harm anyone and act cunningly.¡± Having inherited the merit of my mother and father, my cute and lovely face became one of my biggest strengths. I knew how to show an expression that would make me look innocent in front of my opponent. ¡°Whoever sent you here must be someone who doesn¡¯t like my existence, so what¡¯s the point of acting when you¡¯re already caught?¡± However, Cassion did not fall for my beauty. ¡®The young one sure has the backbone. They only say things frankly.¡¯ I liked it. Still, I couldn¡¯t let him continue to behave arrogantly since we would get closer from now on. ¡°You have to think before you speak. Not just something that comes to your mind.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something I want to hear from a woman who came into the Prince¡¯s palace.¡± Did he get upset? Because I came without notice? He was sensitive and feisty, but he just didn¡¯t know how to show his feelings. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± I got up from my seat and went outside. Then, I knocked on the door and politely asked for permission. ¡°Your Highness, this is Diana of Irenberg, the lady and the future head of the ducal house. Please allow me to enter.¡± There. Respectfully. The baby names of all kinds of animals popped up from inside the room. A rough cough could be heard from inside as the train of animal that I had never heard of in my life was mentioned. Soon, the coughing sound changed to the sound of retch and vomit. ¡°¡­Your Highness?¡± I threw away the playfulness of asking for his permission and opened the door. Cassion that was sitting on the sofa when I left sat on the floor coughing. There was blood on the hands that covered his lips and the floor. ¡°Your Highness Cassion!¡± *** ¡°How is he, Dallas?¡± Without taking my eyes off Cassion, who was unconscious and lying on the bed, I asked Dallas, the doctor of the Irenberg family. ¡°His body is frail.¡± ¡°What about the treatment? You can treat him, right?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee that his weak body will get better right away.¡± ¡°As long as he recovers from the fever, he will get better.¡± Dallas sighed and fiddled with Casion¡¯s wrist. ¡°If it¡¯s a common cold, he will be able to, but in his case¡­¡± Dallas didn¡¯t continue. His expression was very dark. Was it hard to say the rest because we were in front of the patient? ¡°Dallas, let¡¯s get out and talk.¡± I ordered Janice to watch Cassion while I gestured at Dallas to follow me to the hallway. Dallas followed me and glanced at Cassion. ¡°You can tell me, Dallas.¡± Once Dallas and I were in the hallway, I closed the door across the room tightly. Dallas, a middle-aged doctor, followed me as I led him, who was smaller than him. ¡°His highness doesn¡¯t have much time left to live.¡± Dallas cried out for God as he uttered shocking words. However, I didn¡¯t believe what he said because I saw Cassion, who grew up healthy in my previous life. ¡°Are you saying it¡¯s incurable?¡± ¡°Yes, we can¡¯t cure His Highness¡¯ disease with current medical treatment. That¡¯s why no medicine could help him at this moment.¡± But Casion grew up well and came to my execution. That meant there was a cure somewhere. ¡°Dallas, did you give him the proper treatment?¡± ¡°Yes, Lady. His Highness must be in great pain now.¡± Dallas began to explain Cassion¡¯s condition. It turned out his condition was severe. Based on Dallas¡¯ explanation, even Cassion was able to sit down was a miracle itself. He went cursing people ¡®this bast*rd, that bast*rd¡¯ with that weak body. If you look at how fiery he was when he was swearing, anyone would probably think he could beat up a cow. Should I praise him for his great mental strength or blame him for being a fool who got fired up even though he wasn¡¯t feeling well? ¡°So you want me to give up like this?¡± ¡°Lady, it¡¯s not giving up; it¡¯s accepting. And as you know, we have some of the best doctors on the continent in our kingdom. They are capable of treating His Highness. There¡¯s nothing more I can do.¡± Was it possible if he said that because he was looking at Cassion¡¯s condition and the state of the palace? I doubted Dallas¡¯ insight about this matter. I asked him again. ¡°When will he wake up? You should be able to tell that much.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you exactly either.¡± Dallas was frustrated that he couldn¡¯t say anything due to the situation. Even though I understood how conflicted he was for being called in suddenly and choosing his words wisely, I was still angry. The fact that it would be natural for him to die from his disease meant that he could die anytime now. I couldn¡¯t let that happen! There must be a way. That¡¯s why he was healthy enough to come to my execution! ¡®But just because Cassion became a healthy adult in the past, does it mean he will be healthy in this life?¡¯ I suddenly fell into the worries I had before. Hasn¡¯t my life changed, too? If it were in the past, I would have met Dyson because of my guardian, Count Corcos, by now, but here I was at Cassion¡¯s palace. ¡®He could die because the past has changed. Before I become an adult.¡¯ Seeing him faint from a cough made me feel more anxious than when I vaguely worried about him previously. Even if we successfully married, I would have to take down my status as the head of Irenberg house if he died. The only time a minor could enjoy the status of head of the house was during their marriage period with a royal family member. It meant that in order for me to inherit the head of the family status without being disturbed by anyone, in any case, I have to maintain my marriage with Cassion until I become an adult. ¡®On top of that, I need Cassion¡¯s favor to complete my revenge.¡¯ CH 7.2 I intended to put him on the throne that Dyson wanted so badly. That would be the finale of my revenge. ¡®And I have to pay back his kindness.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t live on by leaving behind debt. As I thought that far ahead, I shook off my thoughts and gave an order to Dallas. ¡°Do anything.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± Dallas gave up without even thinking twice. ¡°Is that something you want to say as a doctor?¡± ¡°Lady¡­¡± Dallas shook his head, looking at me. He seemed very troubled. Only when I realized that I looked like a whining child in his eyes did I calm down my emotion. ¡°Okay, you can go back. Go back and find information on whatever that could relieve His Highness¡¯ illness.¡± Even better if it was a cure. ¡°What about you, Lady?¡± ¡°I will go back when His Highness comes to consciousness.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s late.¡± Dallas¡¯ voice was full of concern. ¡°You are my family doctor, not my guardian.¡± Dallas bowed his head to my cold answer. The big man looked smaller than me. Only then did he recall the sense of shame he would have felt like a doctor. But I was too tired to comfort him. Cassion collapsed in front of my eyes, and the process of entering Dallas to the palace wasn¡¯t easy. When Cassion collapsed, I put him to bed and rejoined the field trip group. If I acted recklessly, I could imagine Paulaner digging through the whole palace to find me. ¡®What a nightmare.¡¯ My body trembled just by imagining it. I met Paulaner and left the palace under the pretext of not feeling well. After that, I immediately returned to the Third Prince Palace with Dallas using the secret passage I saw on the way out. Getting to the passage wasn¡¯t as easy either. Avoiding human eyes in a royal palace was more challenging than anyone could think. Luckily, we were able to arrive at the Third Prince Palace without being caught by anyone. Dallas was suspicious of my behavior, but he did not complain and earnestly treated Cassion. That alone could be said as a good virtue, but¡­ If you were a doctor, you had to try everything until the end! I anxiously opened the door and entered Cassion¡¯s room. Cassion was still unconscious. His wrists and ankles that sprained out of the messy blanket were skinny. I looked around the room. The area inside the room that wasn¡¯t near the fireplace was full of cool air. Spring has come, but it was still considered cold at night. The nobles sometimes even turned on the fireplace even in the summer¡­ Cassion¡¯s blanket was too thin to protect him from the cold and covered with yellow stains. Dust was piled up like clouds on his unused area of the room. ¡°If you live in a place like this, you could get a disease that hasn¡¯t existed yet.¡± Cassion¡¯s finger flinched as if he had heard what I said. I came to my senses and approached the bed. ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness! Are you awake?¡± I grabbed Cassion and shook his body. His body fluttered like paper. I quickly took off my hand of his body because I thought it was going to crumble. I didn¡¯t know if he lost weight because he didn¡¯t eat well or his illness. I saw his hand wriggling, but Cassion didn¡¯t move no matter how much I shook him and shouted. The dirty blanket surrounding him also kept bothering me. ¡°Think of good things, wear good things, for good things to happen.¡± When I remembered my mother¡¯s words, I rolled up Cassion¡¯s blanket and threw it away. Instead, I covered him with the outerwear I wore. Cassion, who only had his head sticking out while covered in a coat with embroidered flowers, finally appeared to be of his age. ¡®No, anyone would know that Cassion is 11 years old. He got the height; He just has to work on his weight to look much better.¡¯ When I saw him, I kept feeling sorry. Probably because I lost my parents early and his suffering image looked overlapping with my grief. ¡°Janice, could you bring in a reliable servant? The one you could trust the most.¡± ¡°Now?¡± On a night when the moon did not rise, it was so dark that I couldn¡¯t even see an inch ahead of me outside. I was worried about sending Janice out alone at night like this, but there was a carriage that she could use to leave the palace, so she should be okay. ¡°Yes, you should also bring¡­ my blanket, pillow, and bedsheets!¡± I was going to ask her to bring a few essential things Cassion needed right away, but there were a lot more things that I asked her to bring. Janice and I searched through Cassion¡¯s room for paper and pen. Janice muttered that if we touched the prince¡¯s stuff without permission, we could be punished. ¡°I will take the responsibility. Just tell them I did it all by myself, so focus on finding paper and pen first.¡± Relieved by the words, Janice began to overturn the drawers to her heart¡¯s content. Some clothes looked tiny compared to Cassion¡¯s body and some unusually large clothes sticking out of the drawer. I got angry when I saw them, so I slammed the closet door and searched the desk. ¡°How come you don¡¯t have a notebook?¡± There were only a few books for young children with detachable letters on Cassion¡¯s desk, which Dyson gave. There was no fountain pen which was a necessity for a noble or a royal. In the end, I had to tear the page from the book and write using Cassion¡¯s blood, which was splattered on the floor. The feeling of writing by melting other people¡¯s hardened blood with water was the worst. ¡°Isn¡¯t it scary to go alone?¡± I asked Janice who was holding the completed list. ¡°I will be fine because I have a lot of friends.¡± Janice sometimes gave me a weird answer. I was worried, but looking at her confident expression, I believed she could finish her task. ¡°I will be back soon!¡± With that, Janice left the palace bravely. CH 8.1 ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± A weak sound could be heard, confirming Cassion was alive. I opened my eyes at the slight sound. ¡°Your highness!¡± ¡®¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤He¡¯s alive.¡¯ Another sound came out from his dry lips, whether a sigh of relief, despair, or dissatisfaction. The sound didn¡¯t fit well for an 11-years-old boy. ¡°Do you want some water¡±? I poured out the water even before I got his answer. Then, one of the Irenberg¡¯s servants picked him up. He sat Cassion up against the hard bedhead and prepared a soft cushion behind his back. While she was doing it, his eyes started to focus. ¡°This is Irenberg¡¯s servant, Pollock. Pollock will be on your side from now on.¡± Pollock bowed to Cassion. Cassion eyed Pollock and me suspiciously. I waved the glass filled with water in my hand as if telling him to hurry and take it, but he just stared at it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± When I tried to hand a cup of water to him, he raised his hand and picked the cup. However, his powerless hand failed to fulfill its purpose and held my wrist helplessly instead and fell. Cassion couldn¡¯t even hold my wrist properly. ¡°Pollock, leave the room. Janice, you too.¡± After the two went out, Cassion and I looked at each other and remained silent. When the silence became heavy, Cassion rolled his red eyes to look at the room, and he raised his eyebrows. Did he notice? Thanks to the subtle light, I could see more clearly that Cassion¡¯s changing room appeared to be white. The room was clean, his desk filled with everything he needed, and his opened closet filled with neatly organized clothes. As I tried to tidy up Cassion¡¯s changing room, I was worried that Dyson would come and make a fuss when he saw me in Cassion¡¯s room. Still, Cassion¡¯s room was not in good condition. It was not suitable for a child to live healthily; It was a rather harsh one for a patient like Cassion. ¡®Because Dyson didn¡¯t visit this palace often.¡¯ In the past, Dyson used to tell me after meeting Cassion. Come to think of it, his visit cycle was quite long. Since Dyson came today, he wouldn¡¯t come to visit Cassion for a while. ¡®It¡¯d be better if Cassion could rest comfortably for a little more.¡¯ We could fix the room to its original state by the time Dyson got here. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t throw away the things scattered around in Cassion¡¯s room and instead piled them on one side. ¡°What do you think, Your Highness?¡± ¡°W-What are you¡­¡± Cassion asked the question with a blank face as if he was still dreaming. ¡°You¡¯re not curious about my name, so you must be wondering why I am being nice to you.¡± ¡°Is this your way to be nice to me?¡± ¡°Of course. I will take care of you who are sick, buy you necessary things, and help you to avenge your revenge in the future.¡±¡® ¡°What? Cough.¡± Cassion¡¯s voice rose. Then he coughed. I quickly offered him a cup of water. He must be thirsty because he slept for quite a while with a fever. It was natural for an average person to cough because he talked before even drinking any sip of water. Cassion held his chest and coughed for a long time and eventually took the water I gave him. Gulp, gulp. He emptied the water like someone who was in the desert for a few days. Cassion stared at me as he put down the glass loudly. His eyes were quite fierce. ¡°Please don¡¯t look at me like that. I want to get along well with someone who will become my husband.¡± Cassion shook his head and lay down as if he didn¡¯t want to talk with me anymore. He was quite surprised by the word revenge, but he wasn¡¯t surprised by the word husband, so he probably didn¡¯t hear it properly. I said while pulling the blanket up to his chin. ¡°You can listen to what I have to say while lying down, Your Highness.¡± ¡°The late Duke Irenberg in the sky must be very sad. His daughter, who is going to succeed the family, went crazy.¡± If it wasn¡¯t because he was sick, I could knock some sense into him. Cassion had a habit of cutting people with his words. If I were to marry him, I would have to change his wrong way of talking. ¡°I wonder which one is sadder, for his child to go crazy or to be crushed like a bug by her own family? What if Your Highness¡¯ daughter is abandoned? If I were my dad, the latter would be sadder.¡± Cassion, who was wriggling under the blanket, stopped moving. His eyes became sharp. He looked into my darkened expression for a long time. And a while later, he wet his dry lips with his tongue and said. ¡°Is your uncle the problem?¡± Cassion was smart. Just by listening to me, he saw through the situation of my family accurately. He skipped a few steps to get to the heart of my problem. ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I came here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± However, even though he is smart, he looks a little slow. He asked like he had no idea why I came to him. ¡°I need a husband.¡± ¡°Who? You?¡± I nodded. ¡°Sure, congratulations on your wedding. Do you need a witness?¡± ¡°No, I need a marriage partner. I¡¯m going to marry Your Highness. Let¡¯s get the congratulations together. The witness should be His Majesty, right?¡± Cassion hardened like a stone. Cassion, who was looking at the ceiling, turned his head toward me. Whenever he moved, I felt like I could hear the sound of the wooden doll moving. His cracking joint. He must have been shocked. ¡°You¡¯re gone crazy, aren¡¯t you?¡± With a ridiculous expression, he spit out words that were as harsh as his chapped lips. It would be natural to be rejected. CH 8.2 Princess of the Irenberg family just asked him a sudden proposal. But if he could just think about it a little bit, he would see that getting married to me wouldn¡¯t cause him any loss. Then, I persuaded him straight. ¡°Your Highness, please think about it. Your Highness will not lose anything. When you marry me, you will have a strong Irenberg family as a strong ally. You know how powerful the Irenberg family is, right? Even His Majesty wouldn¡¯t be able to mess with the Irenberg carelessly.¡± The Irenberg family contributed significantly to building the kingdom¡¯s wealth with outstanding diplomatic skills and business skills. The Irenberg family has blocked more than five wars, and around ten countries have established diplomatic relations with the Irenberg family. There was also a King who said he would give up their country¡¯s most fertile territory if the Irenberg family were naturalized into their country. My point was my offer was attractive; me and my family! So, Your Highness, you should accept it. If you were shy, you could just nod. Weren¡¯t you clever? ¡°Please marry me. Your Highness.¡± So, Cassion, I asked you to marry me. ¡°No, I have no intention of marrying you.¡± I couldn¡¯t have him say no, though. *** ¡°Are you going to the palace again today, Lady?¡± Janice asked. I had no time to feel down from the first broken heart. After securing a secret passage to sneak into the Third Prince Palace during a royal palace tour, I often visited Cassion. Every time I went there, I was rejected at the door, but I didn¡¯t give up. It took years to create a great family portrait, so it had to be as hard to get a husband. ¡°No.¡± Janice thought I would definitely go to the palace today, but I had a different place that I had to go to today. I woke up early in the morning, took a bath, and changed with the help of Janice. Today, I paid special attention and put a large ribbon on the dress. After I finished dressing up, I looked in the full-body mirror. No matter how much I looked at the reflection, I was lovely. ¡°I don¡¯t like pumpkins.¡± Cassion refused my proposal for ridiculous reasons. ¡°I won¡¯t accept the word pumpkin, but beauty standards vary from person to person, so I suppose I can accept it. Also, I have a lot of money.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of having a lot of money? I can¡¯t use it all and die anyway.¡± When I heard that he was dying, I was speechless. At that moment, I understood his act of not even considering my proposal. Maybe he was worried not because he didn¡¯t like me, but because he couldn¡¯t bear the responsibility even after getting married. ¡®I saw you grown-up before, so stop worrying about things¡¯¨C I swallowed it even though it was already on the tip of my tongue. ¡°If dying is the problem, I can just save him.¡± ¡°Yes? What did you say, Lady?¡± ¡®Oh, I will save you! What do you want? No, you don¡¯t have to tell me. I¡¯ll do everything for you!¡¯ Cassion, who survived thanks to me, snickered as he heard what I said. Janice suddenly looked at me, who was smiling with strange eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Janice.¡± ¡°Where? Where are we going?¡± Janice followed along and asked, but I didn¡¯t answer. I was going to meet someone, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I could meet that person. *** ¡°Lady, where are we?¡± In the back alley that didn¡¯t match the fancy dress I was wearing at all, I leaned against the wall and waited for someone. Foul smells came out of the dirt stuck on the floor and walls. Janice was trying to hold it, and I blocked my nose. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel bothered by the smell?¡± I have smelled something similar in the dungeon. I didn¡¯t want to remember that time, but I couldn¡¯t avoid it. Painful memories made me angry, and anger was my driving force to take my revenge. When I was about to say that this smell was nothing, I heard footsteps. Someone was approaching us. Probably the one I was waiting for. I looked up with a big smile. Sure enough, the person I eagerly waited for was coming toward me. I waved at the approaching person. The highly tied red hair waved as she approached me. My heart trembled when I saw a woman with a younger face compared to the past. Glad to see you; I missed you, and thank you. ¡°Auntie!¡± My aunt, who was the head of Journee and appeared on death row for me in the past, stopped walking. ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m Diana Viola Irenberg! Your only niece!¡± I quickly approached Zoe, who stood blankly and blinked, before I held her hand. I shook her hands up and down and showed my pleasure of meeting her. ¡°Uh.¡± But I guess I was the only one who was happy to see her. In the blink of an eye, I caught a spark from Zoe¡¯s eyes. Zoe held me from behind, bound me, and put a knife on my neck. There was a faint smell of sweat from her body. ¡°Lady!¡± Janice, who was far away from me because I ran toward Zoe, screamed. When Janice went into a panic, the mice began to cry in the alley. ¡°Tell her to stay still.¡± Zoe murmured grimly in my ear. ¡°Janice, don¡¯t move! This person won¡¯t hurt me. She¡¯s my aunt.¡± ¡°Stop calling me aunt.¡± ¡°Yes, auntie.¡± I answered quickly because I was an obedient niece. CH 9.1 I was an obedient niece. And Janice was a well-behaved maid. The noisy alley quickly became quiet. My heart, which was beating fiercely, also found its beat. I was also surprised when the sharp iron touched my neck. As soon as I came to my senses, I went straight looking for Zoe¡¯s whereabouts and saw beforehand that she might not recognize me, but I didn¡¯t expect that she would point a knife at me. Because before my death, Zoe was very affectionate to me, her niece. I knew I had an aunt in my past life, but I didn¡¯t know where she was and how her life was. Then, I visited Zoe only after I was 20 years old. Since then, we have often met on a few occasions. Zoe would worry about me and ask me to tell her whenever I needed help whenever I met her. So I thought she would listen to me as soon as I revealed that I was her niece. ¡®That¡¯s how it became clear. I¡¯m the only one who returned.¡¯ A few days after my return, I suddenly thought if I was the only one who returned. Returning to the past was a gift to me. Thanks to Janice, Zoe, and Cassion, I was able to return. So I thought maybe they¡¯d have returned too. Wouldn¡¯t they at least recognize me? However, Janice had no idea, and neither did Cassion. And Zoe as well. I was the only one who had returned, and they had no idea how my past was. ¡°Did Sana send you?¡± When I lost in thought for a while, Zoe asked. I thought she would be angry for trying to impersonate her niece but seeing her mentioning my mother¡¯s name; I guess I looked like my mother. ¡®To the point where it¡¯s hard to doubt.¡¯ ¡°No, my mother died.¡± ¡°What? Sana died? Don¡¯t lie!¡± When Zoe tightened her grip, the knife cut me in the neck. Blood trickled down along with stings and pain. ¡°S-Stop it!¡± Janice shouted. Then a mouse rushed into Zoe¡¯s leg. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Zoe swung her leg. Looking at the wide-eyed mouse that fell from the kick, I looked at the panicked Janice and suddenly recalled she often said something like ¡®I heard it from a mouse.¡¯ I remembered what she was saying. Was Janice the one controlling the mouse? ¡°Lady, even if I die, I will save you!¡± Was meeting my aunt something serious enough that she mentioned dying? I was a little flustered, but calming Janice was the priority. ¡°Jenice, I¡¯m fine. So, calm down. Please.¡± Janice chewed hard on her lips and exhaled loudly. The alley was again engulfed in silence. ¡°Did Sana really die?¡± Zoe stared at me. I nodded my head. My mother¡¯s death has been a long time for me, who returned from my previous life, but it still broke my heart every time I talked about it. My mother was a benevolent and wonderful person. So wonderful that I couldn¡¯t even imitate. ¡°Sana¡­ died.¡± Zoe¡¯s knife fell off, and she stumbled away from me. It was strange that she, who was well informed, didn¡¯t know the situation going on in the Irenberg family. ¡°I lived without caring about all of you on purpose, and I couldn¡¯t even keep my sister from her deathbed. I was planning to go back after I build my own success.¡± Zoe¡¯s words solved the curiosity. The woman who ran out because she didn¡¯t fit into the noble life wanted to make herself big and returned after that. She deliberately closed her ears from hearing news about her family in case she would feel weak from missing her family. Then, her one precious person died while covering her ears like that. Sadness washed through Zoe¡¯s face. I should have said something to comfort her, but Janice grabbed my wrist and pulled me in a hurry before I could do it. Janice hid me behind her and lifted the board like a shield to block the front. ¡°I know who this person is, s-she is¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± ¡°Diana Viola Irenberg, you said? My niece.¡± Zoe cut me, who was trying to introduce Zoe to Janice. While Janice was mumbling, ¡®is that so?¡¯, I pushed her away and stepped forward. ¡°Lady, it¡¯s dangerous.¡± Janice whispered from behind, but she didn¡¯t stop me. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m your niece.¡± ¡°You look a lot like Sana. Your face is. Why did you come here? Did Sana ask you to go find me?¡± ¡°My mother missed you a lot during her life. She has been looking for you for a long time.¡± I said both lies and truth. If I, who made up my mind, could find Zoe, why couldn¡¯t my mother find her? I didn¡¯t know until I met the young Zoe. Zoe smelled like the wind. She wasn¡¯t someone to be tied up in one place. That¡¯s why my mother didn¡¯t try to find or contact Zoe. She missed her only sister, but she didn¡¯t want to tie Zoe¡¯s feet. That sounded just like mother. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, mother.¡¯ But I was nothing close to her. I wanted Zoe to be by my side. Even if it was only her heart, not her body. Leave your body to the wind but your heart to me. ¡°Mother told me to visit Aunt Zoe if I had any difficulties.¡± ¡®I¡¯m sorry I keep lying, mother.¡¯ I looked up at the sky for a while and apologized to myself. ¡°How long has it been since she died?¡± Zoe, whom I thought would try to dig into my lies, made a complicated expression as the news of my mother¡¯s death was quite shocking. ¡°It has been one year.¡± Cho¡¯s eyes shook. ¡°Did Sana leave in peace?¡± ¡°She¡­ It was complicated.¡± I wished she died in peace. But the truth behind my parents¡¯ death was full of questions. CH 9.2 It was the day they decided to go to my mother¡¯s hometown. It rained so hard. The two pushed their schedules ahead, which was something that they would usually hate. The journey, which was not easy from the beginning, became more difficult as the usual road was flooded. Eventually, an accident occurred on their way around to avoid the flood. Their carriage was trying to avoid falling rocks that fell to a cliff. It was an accident, but when I looked back, everything was dubious. ¡®At that time, I just let it go because I was sad.¡¯ ¡°Sana told you to find me?¡± At Zoe¡¯s question, I came to my senses. Zoe exhaled. ¡°Yes, she said my aunt would help me. I¡¯m still young, so I need you.¡± I lowered my eyebrows down and held hands together to look pitiful. It was unimaginable of me to lie in the past. But now I knew that sometimes lies were necessary. I was no longer a child. ¡°Did you say, Diana? Do you, by any chance, need a legal guardian?¡± Zoe grabbed my hand, pulled me next to her, and stepped back. She leaned against the wall while taking out a cigarette and asked. White smoke spread widely in the back alley. As the smoke spread widely, the back alley gradually shone. ¡°I don¡¯t need a guardian. I need other help.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so innocent. Do you think I would do it just because I am your family? No, I won¡¯t. What will you give me if I help you?¡± ¡®Give you what? I¡¯m your niece. You, who came to my death row, didn¡¯t come there hoping for anything from me.¡¯ At Zoe¡¯s question, my play-innocent expression almost crumbled at the moment. After seeing the change in my expression, the left corner of Zoe¡¯s lips went up. Zoe tapped my cheeks, which had hardened at a loss of words. Her hand that was holding the cigarette threw the cigarette to the ground. Her cigarette fell into the puddle, and there was a crackling sound. I dropped my gaze down. I bit my lips as I watched Zoe crush the cigarette. I thought I could let down my foolish and naive act, but¡­ Again, I almost made a mistake. How could I even think that I could lean on someone else just based on mere good faith? ¡®I thought I knew a lot about Zoe. Zoe certainly considered gains and losses regardless of her opponent. If she felt that she got more loss than gains, she would refuse. A rumor about her receiving royal treasures in return for cooperation in creating a royal intelligence organization back then came to my mind. ¡®At that time, I didn¡¯t even know that she was my aunt, and I only thought she had great guts. I thought giving up royal treasures was a great cost for His Majesty.¡¯ But it wasn¡¯t. The information organization that Zoe ran played a significant contribution to the Kingdom. It was embarrassing for His Majesty to beg for a deal in front of his vessels. However, disappointment turned into faith. ¡°You should learn that first. There¡¯s no help without a price.¡± I poked the floor with my heels. Every time I stomped, dirty puddles splashed on my dress. Of course, depending on others based on emotions could only be done when I had nothing to give in return. However, I had a lot. ¡°Do you need something in return?¡± I raised my head, and I threw away the innocent expression. ¡°Of course.¡± Zoe stood up as if she was interested in my completely changed expression. I took a step closer. I opened my eyes wide and looked at her. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± ¡°Do you know what I want?¡± ¡°You want money. I know that the guild members¡¯ living expenses have been troubled.¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes sharpened. Her eyes were full of suspicion about how I knew about such a thing. Zoe¡¯s guild traded information all over the continent and built their wealth from it, but they suffered from financial difficulties during their early days. Trust was the basis of trading information. Naturally, only very few people wanted to hire her guild, which was not adequately established. People believed in Zoe, but not in her guild. So, currently, Journee was closer to an errand guild than an information trader, and almost all of the current incoming requests were just little chores. However, information like the financial situation of a guild wasn¡¯t supposed to be easily leaked from the inside. Zoe looked at me with a look of vigilance. ¡°I resemble my aunt in a way, so I know how to get some information. The transaction is equal. Now I¡¯m willing to engage in a deal. Do you want to trade with me?¡± Though I didn¡¯t exactly buy that information. The situation of Journee wasn¡¯t difficult to find out through the conversation I had with Zoe in the past. In my memories, she used to talk about her difficulties once in a while. Whether it was a lie or not, Zoe, who was looking at me to make sure that I wasn¡¯t lying, took a step back. She raised her chin with her arms folded in front of her chest. ¡°Make a deal, huh? Sure, let me hear the terms.¡± I was safe for now. When she pointed the knife at me, I thought it would be challenging to have a conversation with Zoe today, but fortunately, it turned okay. ¡°As you know, I¡¯m the heir to the Irenberg family.¡± ¡°Correction. You are a prospective heir. You have no guardian. Do you want me to be your guardian? You should just give up. I hate being tied up.¡± ¡°I know that I can¡¯t tie my wind-like aunt to my side.¡± ¡°But how can you give me the money?¡± ¡°Not yet, but I¡¯m going to be an official head of the family soon.¡± ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re not naive. You were a fool¡±. Zoe loudly laughed as if she knew I would say that and shook her head. Zoe walked past me. She didn¡¯t forget to pat my shoulder as she passed by. However, I said confidently behind Zoe, who was about to leave. ¡°I¡¯m going to marry the Third Prince, His Highness Cassion.¡± CH 10.1 Zoe¡¯s eyes glowed with interest. Instead of being surprised by my revelation, Cho took an interest in it. As expected, Cho was different from others. Ordinary people would laugh at an immature child dreaming of marrying a prince. However, instead of laughing, Zoe had an amused look in her eyes. She looked at me, thoroughly calculating if there was anything to gain from what I said. But she didn¡¯t really believe in what I said, whether it would become true or not. There was a slight suspicion behind her eyes. ¡°Marry His Highness Cassion, you said?¡± For instance, I shook my head. Now he refused my proposal, but it was only a matter of time before Cassion took my hand. I was confident in making it like that. ¡°Ha!¡± Zoe sighed. I couldn¡¯t read her feelings. I slowly explained my plan. ¡°I am going to marry His Highness, inherit the head of the family status, and invest in your guild. In return, please always prioritize my commission before anything else.¡± ¡°So, do you want me to work without compensation?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± I grabbed and ripped the necklace on my neck. The gold necklace was torn off and scratched my neck, but I didn¡¯t care. Zoe squinted her eyes while Janice was stunned in silence. I casually rubbed the wound on the back of my neck and held out a necklace with a jewel the size of a thumb to Zoe. ¡°This is my down payment. Please find a person. The slums of the capital, sky blue hair, and around¡­ 16 years old? The name is Rupert. There is not much time. I need that crazy doctor right away.¡± *** Zoe accepted my request with a perplexed face after receiving an emerald jewel bigger than an adult thumb. While Zoe was processing my request, I also diligently did my part. ¡°I¡¯m here, Your Highness.¡± I was going to ask him to take a night walk again today. I greeted Cassion after I opened his room¡¯s door. ¡®I¡¯m tired of sneaking in to come to his palace.¡¯ I shook off the dirt on her dress due to crawling through the secret passage. ¡®But I can¡¯t come and visit him openly.¡¯ If someone found out that I was meeting Cassion, Count Corcos would play wicked tricks, and Dyson would freak out. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t get caught. Come to think of it, it¡¯s been days since the last Count Corcos went quiet.¡¯ I was told that Count Corcos, who left after I insulted him last time, was hurrying to meet the elders. I also heard that he has been talking around that the family needs to designate a guardian urgently. ¡®I need to persuade His Highness fast.¡¯ There was a sense of urgency in me. ¡°Your Highness, are you sleeping?¡± Unlike usual, Casion was quiet. As I entered the room, I saw a Cassion with an unusual atmosphere surrounding him. He sat covered himself in a blanket by the moonlit window while looking up at the sky. It would have been a nice picture if he were a healthy child, but Cassion was skinny, and I could feel a somewhat cold air around him. ¡®It¡¯s like he is about to die soon.¡¯ He smelled of profound helplessness that I wouldn¡¯t be surprised that he died at any moment by now. ¡°Have you eaten? Did Pollock take good care of you?¡± I walked across the room and put a chair next to Cassion. I talked to him while sitting in a chair. Still, Cassion did not answer. It was a familiar feeling of being disregarded. Cassion treated me as an uninvited guest for a while and tried to kick me out. However, after scolding me to the point that his blood vessels were ready to pop any soon, he has been ignoring me. I knew I would be ignored. Therefore, I didn¡¯t feel bad about it. I was convincing myself and smiled at Cassion. I wanted him to get familiar with my smiling face, but he didn¡¯t even look at me today. I want to grab and shake his cheeks like a cute grumpy cat. But I couldn¡¯t do it because I didn¡¯t want to put my neck at stake. ¡°Your Highness, please don¡¯t be stubborn and marry me.¡± I thought the same repertoire would come out of his lips today as well. Let¡¯s get married; I don¡¯t want to, please marry me, get lost. However, ¡°¡­ Does it change anything if I do?¡± An unexpected answer came out of Cassion¡¯s mouth. Before I knew it, he turned his back against the window frame and looked at me. Only then could I see Cassion¡¯s face straight. Cassion¡¯s condition was a mess today as well. His under eyes sunk, and there was blood all over his mouth. ¡®Pollock, that brat, I told him to tell me everything without leaving anything out!¡¯ Even though I knew that Pollock was in a situation where he couldn¡¯t contact me frequently, looking at Cassion¡¯s condition, I would blame Pollock if anything terrible happened to him. What else did my prince go through? ¡°Tell me. Does anything change if I marry you?¡± A thin hope, he tried to find it from me. Strangely enough, sweet words that would typically have come out easily just hover around on the tip of my tongue. What happened to you today? ¡°I¡¯m asking you if I can cure this damn illness and get at Dyson if I marry you.¡± Dyson must have been here. The last time I came to the palace, I remembered the words Dyson had spoken to Cassion. His condition seemed to have improved, but it was easy to guess that Dyson had left Cassion a formidable defeat again this time. As I looked straight into Cassion¡¯s eyes, I answered. ¡°Yes. I will cure your illness, grind Dyson¡¯s face¨C No, strangle Dyson¡¯s throat.¡±¡® Words that sounded like determination came out of my mouth. I said clearly so that Cassion could trust me. CH 10.2 ¡°How?¡± This question wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t believe me. It was a question that asked me to make him believe what I said. ¡°I told you. I have a lot of money. There¡¯s nothing that money can¡¯t do. Just tell me what you want.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking like you can buy the whole country.¡± It wasn¡¯t funny, but it was easy. If I could become the head of the Irenberg family and use the Irenberg¡¯s property to my heart¡¯s content, I could buy one small kingdom right away. And in the future, my property would increase even more. I was planning to take the things that were taken away by Dyson anyway. ¡°Do you want a country? A country¡­ Let¡¯s just build our own kingdom. I will do that for you.¡± Because I would take away the country that Dyson would succeed. As soon as I finished speaking, Cassion shook his head from listening to all the craziness. His mouth opened slowly. ¡°Please don¡¯t think pessimistically. If you need land, I will buy a piece of land off the capital for you. So, do you want to marry me, Cassion? I gave Cassion the best I could provide. For now, I could give him money, and I would provide him with power in the future. But from Cassion¡¯s point of view, I probably sounded like I was bluffing. Cassion hasn¡¯t spoken for a while. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to.¡± And the answer that came out at the end was rejection. I thought you were done rejecting me! Were you kidding me? I clenched my fist, but I held it in. How could I keep begging him to marry me? ¡°Sure, you don¡¯t have to.¡± At the unmeet expectation, I roughly leaned my back against a chair, and I decided to end today¡¯s courtship here. Life¡¯s usually about people changing from ¡®no, no, no¡¯ to ¡®yes, yes, yes¡¯ anyway. Cassion¡¯s gaze bore a hole on my side face. He still had an expressionless face, but his eyes sparkled with playfulness. ¡°You spoke informally earlier. You are insulting a royal.¡± ¡°You should report me, then.¡± Cassion sighed as he glanced at me, a look of wonder at what kind of things were going on in my head. He stepped on the footrest he put on the wall and came down from the window frame. Cassion ambled and crawled under the blanket. I was paying attention to his every move, pretending not to care because I had to catch him if he stumbled. Fortunately, he arrived safely in his bed and even covered himself with a cozy blanket. After receiving my care, Cassion¡¯s health improved slightly. In the past, he would have breathed heavily on his way to the bed, but today he didn¡¯t stop midway and made it to the bed. I was proud of myself that my softened expression was shown. Cassion shouldn¡¯t see my face because he hated if I worried about him too much. He said not to pity him, though I have never pitied Cassion. Because of my interest, I was nice to Cassion, not because I felt sorry for him. And it was also because of my conscience as an adult. But I couldn¡¯t explain it in detail, but it was not sympathy. That¡¯s all I could say. Of course, Cassion didn¡¯t believe it, and whenever I made a worried face, he frowned. ¡°Did you eat?¡± I told Casion that this wasn¡¯t a worry but a mere daily question that anyone would ask. Last time, he gave me a short answer, but today Casion pretended not to hear me. ¡°Are you going to sleep?¡± I approached the bed. His eyelids were tightly closed. I swung my hand in front of his eyes to check. There was no movement in his long eyelashes. He withered like a kitten that I had never had before; it looked like he needed to increase his appetite. ¡°I need to find the cure quickly.¡± Finding Rupert was faster than I thought. Before I died, Journee¡¯s information collection speed was way faster than the information department operated by the royal palace to the point that Dyson was blown away. ¡°I¡¯m frustrated so, this won¡¯t do.¡± I should invest in Zoe¡¯s guild the first thing if I married Cassion and gained the authority to spend Irenberg¡¯s property at my heart content. I pulled the blanket and covered Cassion properly. ¡®By the way, what happened to you, Your Highness?¡¯ The question I wanted to ask Cassion was stuck in my chest like a stone. *** Finally, the long-awaited Zoe visited me. It was around the time I listened to the climax of the mystery novel read by Janice. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Janice freaked out when she saw Zoe, who came through the window silently. ¡°You came, auntie.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you surprised by me?¡± It was because I saw her shadow. I shrugged my shoulders. Janice mumbled, ¡®Why didn¡¯t anyone tell me anything?¡¯ as she closed the book and stepped back. ¡°What about the favor I ask you to do?¡± ¡°I found him.¡± ¡°As expected, I knew you could find him.¡± Zoe raised her eyebrows. ¡°You sometimes act like a hundred-year-old old man. People might think you have lived twice my age.¡± It wasn¡¯t that I was 100 years old, but it was my second life. ¡°I want to take my time to chat with you, but I¡¯m in a hurry. Where is that person?¡± Last night, Cassion suffered greatly. The medicine I received from Dallas could not even reduce his pain. So I needed the person I was looking for right now. They were a genius person who quickly climbed to the palace¡¯s doctor¡¯s office due to the developing new medicine and new treatments but fell into the abyss due to the madness of being an anatomy lover. ¡®Rupert.¡¯ When I was 15, he developed a drug that magically reduces pain. I remembered Cassion¡¯s condition getting a little better after taking medicine. ¡®I have to speed up the development of the cure as soon as possible.¡¯ CH 11.1 ¡®He was a genius, but he was unlucky. After developing medicine and living splendidly for two years,¡­.¡¯ Rupert was kicked out of the royal palace after he was found to admire corpses. Nothing has been revealed precisely about the actions behind it, but I was told that the end was not good. ¡°It¡¯s a shame; he was a great doctor. If he had listened carefully to what I said, he could have lived.¡± When I heard that he was dead, what Dyson said came to my mind. Looking back, Rupert¡¯s death was also dubious. ¡°It¡¯s more dangerous than I thought.¡± Speaking of reminiscing about Rupert, I asked Zoe. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°In the underground black market. He is hiding and distributing dangerous things there. Why are you looking for someone like that?¡± Zoe asked as if she didn¡¯t like me looking for someone dangerous like Rupert. The very person who didn¡¯t care to help those that didn¡¯t benefit her. She said that because she didn¡¯t know what Rupert was capable of doing. Rupert was a genius doctor. Although he was active only for a short period, medical sciences developed dramatically, thanks to his two-year groundwork experience. On top of that, he was involved with smuggling¡­ It was not shocking to know that various rare substances were put in the painkillers he made. ¡°Can you bring him here, auntie?¡± ¡°As long as I have the money. I also have to buy information from kids in the slums.¡± I took out the jewelry box that I had prepared. Zoe¡¯s eyes shook for a moment. The only thing I could give to her, who couldn¡¯t use cash freely, was a necklace that I received when I was a child, and the rest were accessories such as rings; however, the amount was considerably a lot. ¡®I didn¡¯t even take out half yet.¡¯ And I also had a lot in my mother¡¯s safe. ¡°Shh, Diana, keep this secret to yourself. I have a treasure in here.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Well, what could it be? What do you think should be here?¡± ¡°Dolls?¡± I remembered my childhood memories. Before returning to the past, I never thought of opening my mother¡¯s safe. I expected my mother¡¯s memories to remain, and I thought it was the proper way to remembrance the deceased. But after returning, I became curious about what could be inside. Not long ago, I opened the safe. The safe was filled with vast amounts of accessories and hard-to-get magic tools. But there was something else that caught my eye. [First outfit that Diana wore as soon as she was born] [Diana¡¯s first drawing] Unlike other randomly stuffed items in the highest compartment, they were well-organized items like absolute treasures. My mother¡¯s treasures were all related to me. How much I cried the day I found it. The feeling of sadness washed over me when I remembered about her again. I didn¡¯t want to dispose of my mother¡¯s things carelessly, but shouldn¡¯t I wear and use them as much as I could when I was in trouble? For now, I could solve the money issue to pay Zoe with what I had today. Zoe opened the jewelry box I put out and took out only the necklace and ring. She put only half of the jewelry in her pocket after shining it under the light with her hand. ¡°This should be enough.¡± ¡°You can take and put them all in your pocket.¡± ¡°I only work as much as I take. I only take as much as the task I have completed. There is a saying we could get indigestion. You should learn that.¡± At some moment, Cho showed a virtue of an aunt. It was different from Zoe, who asked me what I could give to her on the first day we met. When I looked at her strangely, Zoe pinched the tip of my nose and shook it. ¡°Ow, auntie!¡± Zoe, looking at me struggling with joy, giggled and put her leg on the window frame. I rubbed my nose and asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a cup of tea first?¡± ¡°You said you were in a hurry. I¡¯ll bring him to you tonight.¡± Zoe disappeared from the window just like that. ¡°This is the 4th floor. Will she be okay?¡± Because she would be okay, that¡¯s why she jumped, right? For a long time, I looked at where Zoe had disappeared and closed the window. The wind was chilly. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± It was time to stretch and sit comfortably on the sofa. ¡°Lady.¡± Matthew, the head butler, came with heavy documents in his hands. ¡°Come on in, Matthew.¡± I touched the unfastened ribbon and nodded. Matthew hesitated and came into the room, his eyes looking at me with worry. ¡°Matthew?¡± Standing with the documents, I called the head butler without any order as if to urge him. I hoped he could tell me what he needed and leave me alone quickly. Well-nourished children were bound to be tired if they used their heads all day to think about the future. Rupert was coming by the end of the day, so I wanted to rest until then. ¡°These are the documents regarding the revision of Territorial Land Tax Act.¡± I couldn¡¯t take a break. As soon as I heard Matthew, I gave up resting. What a complicated tax problem. There were two types of taxes paid by the people of the kingdom. One was the tax paid to the King, and the other was the tax paid to the lord. The Territorial Land Tax Act was a regulation about the tax paid by the land occupant to the landowner. This law could be modified once every four years by gathering the head of the family and the elders. CH 11.2 This year shouldn¡¯t be the time for revision because it was revised back when I was 11. But documents were returned? What bad timing. It meant that a problem was going to arise. ¡®Come to think of it, there will be a riot because of taxes this year.¡¯ When exactly did that riot happen? I couldn¡¯t remember it clearly. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Count Corcos hated it when I was interested in territory management, and around that time, he held a banquet every day that made me crazy. ¡®There¡¯s no way I can¡¯t remember.¡¯ ¡°Give it to me.¡± I reached out to Matthew. ¡°What?¡± Matthew asked confusedly. These days, people make me talk twice. What¡¯s wrong with people? Should I make a magic tool that significantly increases the volume of the sound of speech so that it can reach their eardrums? ¡®Come to think of it, the crazy doctor also made that tool, didn¡¯t he?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t wait to meet him. But before that, I had to look at the documents Matthew brought. ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring it to show me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Then give it to me.¡± ¡°Can you read the tax law documents? It¡¯s complicated.¡± Matthew ignored me secretly. But I wasn¡¯t angry at what he said. ¡ªbecause I was a 13 years old child who knew the world only from my study. Though that didn¡¯t mean I knew the world well after becoming an adult in my past life. That¡¯s why I was foolishly deceived by those who tried to stab me in the back and became a prisoner. But even though it was hard to say this myself, I was a genius. I learned that it was because I was determined to study to meet Dyson and become a good queen. I mastered the five languages of the continent in a year and mastered all the continent¡¯s history in my second year. I helped the development of various lands in the Kingdom with my exceptional brain. But the credit went to Dyson, not me. ¡°Diana, I don¡¯t like you to stand in front of others. Other people are looking at you. Is my love alone not enough?¡± ¡°When did you come up with this? You¡¯re going to announce it under my name, right? I love you for trying for me. Diana, you know that my success is your success, right? ¡°Diana, did you study tax laws? That¡¯s good. Even if you didn¡¯t, there is something else His Majesty was interested in. I¡¯ll tell you when I get there. I love you; you¡¯re my best partner.¡± I believed what Dyson said. That he didn¡¯t want me to get attention because he loved me. I lived as his shadow by being deceived by the scum who said, ¡®My success is your success.¡¯. I was a rare genius being looked for by the academies wound the world, but unfortunately, I lost a good life because I only studied and dated. No, it wasn¡¯t my fault that I messed up! They hit me in the back of the head! Those who didn¡¯t even bother to be graceful. ¡°Lady? If you don¡¯t understand, you don¡¯t have to read it.¡± Matthew, who mistook me for not understanding the documents, said as I frowned. ¡°No, I can read it. Give it to me.¡± Matthew put the documents on my desk with unbelievable eyes. There were so many documents that the small table maintaining its center with three legs staggered. If Matthew hadn¡¯t held them well, the documents would have been scattered. ¡°Change my bedroom desk right away.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you liked this desk? You like it because it¡¯s pretty and small.¡± I did say that. I kept forgetting that I was a 13-year-old child who liked cute and pretty things. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this as it is. I want you to put another desk. I think I will have to work often in the bedroom from now on. Do we have a lot of works related to the household?¡± ¡°Are you going to start working as the head of the household officially?¡± Matthew¡¯s eyes squinted. He looked straight at me with his judging and evaluating eyes. ¡°Why? Do you not trust me, Matthew?¡± I asked him a question as I glanced at his expression. In my house, there could be a spy sent by Count Corcos. I was worried that information about the household¡¯s internal affairs leaked. I didn¡¯t trust anyone except Janice. Matthew, the butler of the Irenberg family for three generations, was also a subject of my doubt. If Matthew suspected me and interfered with my work, he might have been someone assigned by Count Corcos. Whose side was Matthew on? ¡°No, how dare I. However,¡­.¡± Matthew¡¯s voice shook a little. ¡°However?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t your dream to get married to a nice family and live comfortably.¡­?¡± Did I say something embarrassing like that? My face turned red. ¡°I don¡¯t remember that.¡± First, I tried to pretend not to remember. ¡°You used to say that you want to live with Master for the rest of your life.¡± If I was a genius, Matthew was the more genius one. His memory was spot on. ¡°I remember that. But that¡¯s what everyone would say when they¡¯re young.¡± I was very ashamed of myself in the past, but I pretended to be insignificant about it. Fortunately, Matthew moved on without mentioning it any further. I naturally tried to change the subject to tax issues. ¡°Thank you, lady.¡± But out of nowhere, Matthew bowed. ¡°I have no regrets if I die because you decided to continue the Irenberg family, no¨C if you become an official head of the family, I would die in peace.¡± CH 12.1 ¡°I am embarrassed by the sudden confession of loyalty.¡± Not knowing what to say, I scratched my nose and looked at him. Why would he talk about wanting to give up his life just because I decided to become the family¡¯s successor? Matthew, who was overwhelmed, wiped his tears with his sleeve. ¡°Okay, Matthew. I will work hard to be the official head of the family. Um, could you leave first? I have to look at the documents.¡± I managed to appease Matthew. As he went out, he rambled about the history and glory of the Irenberg family. He was happy that I decided to continue Irenber¡¯s brilliant history and glory and that I didn¡¯t know how hard he was praying and feeling thankful for that to happen. ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m so distracted.¡± As I returned to the sofa and sat down, I recalled Matthew from the past. After my parents passed away, Matthew took care of me like a precious baby bird. Then one day, he began to keep his distance from me. I thought Count Corcos was bribing him, but the current Matthew seemed concerned that I wasn¡¯t interested in succeeding the family. ¡®Come to think of it, Matthew wasn¡¯t nice to Count Colkos either.¡¯ The two had no chance of meeting unless Count Corcose visited the Irenberg mansion. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I suspected Matthew like that.¡¯ It was also a good precaution to doubt the people around me by tapping the stone bridge before crossing it, but I also should look more carefully than blindly suspecting them. When my doubts toward Matthew disappeared, I felt like I was throwing a load that burdened my shoulders. I dove into the pile of documents with a lighter mind. It didn¡¯t take long for me to read the documents. Except for the report stacked at the very top, most of the petitions were written by young people who barely knew how to write. ¡®So, Nobel is the problem.¡¯ Nobel, the most barren land of Irenberg¡¯s territory; Nobel was the only land in the kingdom where monsters lived. The King drove the remaining monsters to Nobel at the end of the fiery war between monsters and humans. The land was vast, but it was located in the extreme northern, surrounded by mountains, where it was always cold throughout three seasons of the year. Did he keep the monsters there so that the land wouldn¡¯t be a waste? Then Irenberg took over the land. After hundreds of years, one of the best knights went on an expedition to Nobel in spring. The Silver Expedition. The expedition with such a romantic name was nothing more than a monster slaughter unit. Nobel was nothing but a burden on Irenberg. But my father loved Nobel because it was my mother¡¯s hometown. ¡®A love story between a simple country girl and a noble son, they said.¡¯ The heir of the noble, who led the Silver Expedition, fell in love at first sight with a simple girl who lived in Nobel. How romantic. My father always told me to marry someone I love. ¡®I didn¡¯t listen to my father and got married without thinking twice, and my life was ruined.¡¯ That was the reason why I had to listen carefully to what my parents said. Nobel was a problematic land that my father loved and where my mother was born and raised. And I remembered after reading the report. Around this year, Nobel residents, who were struggling with taxes, made a riot. Count Corcos, who was my guardian at that time, tried to overpower them with force. In the end, Silver Expedition wielded swords against Nobel residents, not monsters. Then raged Nobel residents broke the monster boundary stone and triggered chaos. ¡®Foolish Count Corcos!¡¯ When I thought of him, anger washed over me. ¡°Lady, the documents are getting crumpled.¡± I guess I gripped onto the document without realizing it. Janice, who put down the tea she brought, pulled me back to my senses. I opened the document again and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Mr. Matthew prepared this in case you¡¯re hungry.¡± Janice put down a plate of sweet cookies and the teacups in front of me. My mouth was watering, perhaps because I was hungry after using my brain excessively or because of the sweet smell. I had to look at the documents, but I want to eat them, too. ¡°If you want to eat, I will prepare your meal.¡± When Janice told me to eat the cookies, I held documents in one hand and the cookies in the other. I was too occupied with the documents without realizing that Janice had left the room. Matthew said it was a document related to the revision of the Territorial Land Tax Act, but most of the papers contained how the Nobel residents complained that they had a hard time because of the taxes. ¡®It shouldn¡¯t be a problem if I fixed a few numbers.¡¯ I was too focused thinking while chewing the cookies. ¡®If I reduce taxes, some people will be affected, so I can¡¯t revise the law recklessly.¡¯ The Irenberg family¡¯s tax rate was significantly lower than other places that even until now, we still got complaints from other vessel families. ¡®Moreover, Nobel already has lower tax rates than other regions.¡¯ To lower taxes, I had no choice but to reduce taxes paid to the royals, but no matter how powerful Irenberg was, we couldn¡¯t ask the King to lower our taxes. Moreover, Nobel also paid lesser taxes to the king than other regions. This was due to the King¡¯s understanding of the damage caused by monsters. ¡®Huh? What is this? As soon as my father died, the tax rate rose.¡¯ But when I looked at the documents, I noticed something strange. Nobel¡¯s taxes were raised. Nobel was a special area where monsters appeared, so a formal negotiation between the head of the family who owned the land and the king must be done first to raise their tax rate. But I didn¡¯t remember negotiating that matter. Of course, it might be because I wasn¡¯t an official head of the family yet. However, it was strange that I didn¡¯t even remember hearing about the negotiation. CH 12.2 Currently, no one in Irenberg was qualified to negotiate on behalf of the family, and even if there was one, I should have been aware of that. ¡®Did His Majesty raise taxes on his own? I need to bring up this issue to His Majesty officially.¡¯ This was the least the head of the family could do. However, I couldn¡¯t just watch and let this go. If I couldn¡¯t be the head of the family in the immediate future, I had to find another way. ¡®What should I do? No matter how much tax they want to raise at their will, they couldn¡¯t just lower only the Nobel tax rate.¡¯ The pretext of ¡®because monsters appear there¡¯ has been used too much. Even if the actual situation were problematic enough, it would sound like a lame and old excuse. ¡®How bad is the situation?¡¯ I should go to the Nobel in person. I had to check the situation of the territory with my eyes and find out if there was any way to solve this problem within the Nobel and why monsters were running wild. But it would be too much for me to go right away. When I left for Nobel, I couldn¡¯t just go alone and empty-handed. Moreover, the Nobel lords would be more welcoming to a patriarchal head rather than the daughters. As expected, I needed to seduce the cute prince quickly. ¡®Come to think of it, should I visit Cassion?¡¯ I organized the documents I read on the desk and shook off my hands from the cookie crumble. And as I tried to get up from my seat, the door opened with a bang. ¡°I brought him. The crazy guy.¡± She dropped a massive package that Zoe brought near my feet. The big bundle flinched with a dull sound. ¡°Is this what you asked for?¡± Do people usually bring someone like this? Dragging him, on top of that? I couldn¡¯t believe what Zoe did and pointed my finger at the bundle. ¡°He rebelled.¡± Zoe shrugged lightly. ¡°You have great strength.¡± While hoping that Zoe had brought Rupert here safely, I couldn¡¯t help but admire her strength. I couldn¡¯t believe she wrapped and dragged a person to a room located on the fourth floor. Was that even a human power? ¡°Because I got something nice here.¡± Then Zoe, who smiled, raised her hand. The leather gloves she was wearing were embedded with mana. It was an expensive magical tool. A magical tool is an object that casts magic out of a magic stone. Depending on the type, the price of magical tools varied widely. Of course, the more expensive the item, the higher-end magic could be spelled. The magic tool that amplified the user¡¯s power required considerable high-dimensional magic, and it was challenging to find a magic stone that could contain such magic. Magic stones were made by deforming the bones of monsters buried in the ground for a long time. It took a long time for it to be deformed, but not all monster¡¯s bones could work. Only the bones of a monster with mana could turn into magic stones. On top of that, it was difficult to dig and process. Now that the number of wizards has decreased significantly, the demand for magic stones was high, but the supply has been far short. Naturally, the price of magic stones soared high. In short, Zoe¡¯s item was a rare one. ¡®Isn¡¯t that a rare item?¡¯ I wondered where she got it. ¡®It¡¯s not something that my aunt would possess because she couldn¡¯t pay her own subordinates.¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t steal it. What do you think of your aunt as?¡± I looked at her suspiciously without knowing, and Zoe wrinkled her eyebrows. ¡°Information hunter. But isn¡¯t this a common thing to exchange information for money? As you always said, information is money.¡± I said as I untied the knot of the bundle that Zoe had tied around Rupert. ¡°Did I say that to you?¡± Of course, you didn¡¯t. That famous thing was said after Journee was hired as a spy and ended a war. ¡®That war doesn¡¯t happen until a few years from now.¡¯ It was something I should pretend not to know. ¡°I heard it from somewhere. Anyway, he is alive, right?¡± My aunt wouldn¡¯t be highly alert if it didn¡¯t involve trade with her, so she let it go easily. ¡°Just open it.¡± Instead of answering me, Zoe touched the bundle with her foot. I became anxious because she didn¡¯t give a definite answer. I hurriedly opened the bag. Through the open wrapping, a person with a foul smell who had been crumpled in a bundle was revealed. ¡°Lady! I brought your meal¨C Argh!¡± Janice came. She turned her eyes between me, Zoe, and the blood-stained sky blue hair sticking out from the bundle I was holding, and surely fire radiated from her eyes. ¡°Lady, it¡¯s dangerous!¡± Janice put down the food tray and ran to me. I didn¡¯t know if she knew how scary she was when she ran toward me. Janice pulled me away from the bundle and took Rupert out of it. It was that moment when Janice¡¯s superhuman was revealed. Janice laid Rupert flat on the floor, put her ears on his chest, and checked his breath. ¡°He is alive, Lady.¡± ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t go that far, I know he is alive. But we shouldn¡¯t leave him like this. Auntie, can you move him to the bed first? ¡°Make your servants do it. Do I look like someone who does small chores?¡± ¡°They can¡¯t! We can¡¯t let the servants find out that a blood-stained person is in a cute and lovely lady¡¯s room!¡± Janice added in opposition. ¡°Even if he got caught, at least clean him!¡± ¡°¡­ Does that even make a difference?¡± Zoe asked Janice in a tone like she couldn¡¯t understand her logic at all. Janice replied in a thrilled voice. ¡°That way, if rumors came out, we could clear it! My Lady should at least maintain her preference of men in front of the public, too! Excuse me; I was only 13 years old. What kind of rumor possibly rose about me? Even if it was a simple courtship rumor, I wasn¡¯t at the age to deny such talks. ¡°Janice, stop talking and listen to me.¡± Zoe didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of helping me, so that would leave only me and Janice to move Rupert. ¡®His ankle is really thin.¡¯ I knew how smugglers treat children from slums. ¡®But they still could feel pain and get hurt.¡¯ Rupert developed an innovation in medicine because he had to treat his friends who were injured during his childhood. It explained all of my doubts about him. CH 13.1 We moved Rupert to the sofa instead of the bed. It was because Janice insisted that she had just changed the bedclothes this afternoon. Lying on a large and ornate sofa, Rupert looked smaller. His skinny arms fell down the couch. I put his arm on the sofa properly and ordered Janice to bring a basin of warm water. After preparing the basin and towel, Janice brought a blanket and clothes for Rupert. In the meantime, I was listening to Zoe how she managed to get Rupert. I thought Zoe would ask for an additional payment because she said it wasn¡¯t tough, but it wasn¡¯t easy either. However, after she was done talking, she only watched Janice moving around. Janice wiped Rupert¡¯s body with a skillful touch. While her touch was gentle, her mouth wasn¡¯t. ¡°He is so dirty. Did you pick him up from the trash can? Oh my, the blood wasn¡¯t his. This much blood splattered¡­ Is he involved in a homicide? Whenever Janice found blood and dirt on Rupert¡¯s body, her imagination went wilder. ¡°Has she always been this fussy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because she is too anxious. She isn¡¯t¡­ usually like this.¡± Sorry, Janice. I stammered just now. There were a lot of things happening around us these days that made you anxious. Perhaps, that was why Because there are many things around us these days that make you nervous. Maybe it would take a while before I could see the composed Janice. ¡°She did a good job.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Janice¡¯s strength. She works better when she is excited. Should I say she works three times more efficiently?¡± According to a paper I saw in the past, excitement helped blood circulation, which clarified one¡¯s mind and thus accelerated work processing. ¡°She does need stimulation once in a while.¡± At Zoe¡¯s words, I nodded. While Zoe and I were chatting, Rupert became clean. Even though Rupert was skinny, he was taller than Janice, so how did she change his clothes? Anyway, she was terrific. ¡°It¡¯s time for his sedative to wear off.¡± As soon as Zoe spoke, Rupert¡¯s fingers moved. I approached him and shook Rupert¡¯s body. ¡°Rupert, are you awake? Open your eyes if you are.¡± ¡°Ah¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤.¡± A thin moan came out. It was a painful moan. ¡°Rupert¡±! A pale face, trembling eyelashes, and a painful moan. ¡°Do you feel sick any¨C¡± ¡°¡­.I¡¯m hungry.¡± Rupert opened his eyes wide. He made eye contact with me, who had my face close to his to take a closer look. ¡°Something delicious, something nice.¡± His eyes flashed. The moment I met his crazy eyes, he pulled me. His red lips opened, and I saw a glimpse of his canine teeth. I stood bracing myself for the pain that was about to come. *** ¡°Argh!¡± Janice screamed. Dallas, the doctor of the Irenberg family, frowned and held Janice, who kept trying to pull her arm off his grasp. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a cry baby.¡± When Dallas said that firmly, Zenith flinched. ¡°What do you mean, crybaby? Can¡¯t you see these clear teeth marks?¡± Janice waved her hand wrapped in a bandage. ¡°I can see it. I can see it very well. But you didn¡¯t have to scream. I didn¡¯t even see blood. It¡¯s an animal bite, but you would be fine. Is there any animal that bites people in the mansion?¡± Dallas asked very coldly as he was diagnosing Janice¡¯s condition. ¡°Just by looking at the wound, it seems like a massive animal. I don¡¯t know what animal it is, but you have to catch it and kill it immediately. Animals that bite people once will keep biting.¡± Rupert, who was sitting on the other side of the room, flinched. Because the animal that bit Janice was none other than Rupert. What a mess. Rupert, who woke up with the effect of the drug in his system, was starving. Just in time, Janice brought in some food to my room. Rupert smelled the delicious aroma and mistook me, who was in front of him, for food. Instinctively, he grabbed what was in front of him. Which was me. Janice, who saw Rupert pulling me and opening his mouth wide, put her arm in front of Rupert¡¯s mouth just before I was bitten. Thus ended with Rupert biting Janice¡¯s arm. He bit so hard that even Dallas couldn¡¯t tell whether it was a human or an animal¡¯s teeth because of the shape of the bite marks. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, Dallas. Is there anything else she needs to be careful about?¡± I quickly asked before Dallas suspected. ¡°She has to be careful not to get the bandage wet. But it will be difficult for the maid not to get wet, so she will have a hard time.¡± Dallas packed his bag after he finished dressing the wound. I was going to ask Dallas if he had any new information about Cassion¡¯s illness. However, now that Rupert was here, I decided not to. ¡°You have to take good care of your wounds so that they don¡¯t get hurt.¡± Dallas told Janice the precautions in detail and grabbed his bag. He politely excused himself to me and left the room. After the door closed, Rupert stood up, looking at Janice. Then Janice reflexively blocked me. ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t bite. Anyway, where is this?¡± Rupert seemed to be ashamed for mistaking a person¡¯s arm for food. He looked around and tried to figure out the situation. He looked like a meerkat comprehending its environment. I bet he was surprised. CH 13.2 ¡°This is Irenberg¡¯s mansion.¡± I spoke as kindly as I could, and Rupert muttered softly, ¡®Irenber, Irenber.¡¯ ¡°The Duke of Irenberg. Don¡¯t you know that name?¡± ¡°I¡­ know.¡± I was glad he knew about my family. If he didn¡¯t know, I had to introduce my family first. ¡°But why am I here? I¡¯m sure I was in¨C¡± Rupert hesitated in horror. He stepped back with a frightened look. I could almost get what he thought because he was involved in an underground market. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have no intention of handing you over to the authorities. Why don¡¯t you sit down and finish this first?¡± I pushed the plate toward him. Not letting his guard down, Rupert stood as if he had been nailed to the spot. ¡°I will explain why you¡¯re here if you sit down. Sit down and eat it.¡± Only then did Rupert move his legs. He sat on the edge of the sofa. I pushed the plate toward him and gave my fork so that he could eat easily. ¡°But it¡¯s yours!¡± Janice stared at Rupert with a panicked face. ¡°He looks hungrier than I am. Did you write my name on the food?¡± I scolded Janice, but Rupert said. ¡°I don¡¯t eat children¡¯s food.¡± Rupert turned away from the plate full of food. Seeing his adam¡¯s apple move, it seemed that he wanted to eat it so much that his mouth was watering. That took a lot of patience. However, his reason for putting up such an excuse was unique. The age difference between Rupert and me was only three years. In addition, he suffered from malnutrition, so his stature was not much different from mine, who ate well and grew just fine. Of course, Rupert was taller than me. Somehow¡­. Wasn¡¯t it something that I should feel empathetic about? ¡®But I think I look younger than him; that¡¯s why he won¡¯t eat my food.¡¯ Did he try to be considerate to me? It would be nice to feel taken care of if we were in a normal relationship, but in reality, we weren¡¯t. We couldn¡¯t, at all cost. ¡®Rupert is someone I summoned. At least someone to trade with.¡¯ ¡°Do you think I¡¯m weaker than you?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re smaller than me and younger than me¡­¡¤.¡± Rupert muttered. He sounded discouraged when he noticed the cool tone in my voice. Why was he scared of a girl who was smaller than him? Anyway, it would be difficult if he treated me like I was weaker than him. I wanted Rupert to be afraid of me. It would help me to use his potential skill efficiently. ¡°This is the House of Duke Irenberg, and I am the one who will be the head of the family. Do you know what I mean?¡± Rupert¡¯s eyes were clouded with various thoughts. ¡°Ask me if you have any questions.¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ Are you able to be the head of the family?¡± Rupert raised his hand to point at me. However, he belatedly recalled that he should not recklessly point his finger at the nobleman, so his finger stayed in the air and dropped. ¡°Yes, I can do it.¡± Throughout the history of the Kingdom, there hasn¡¯t been a head of the family at my age. I would definitely try to be the first. ¡°You don¡¯t have to know in detail. This is all you need to know. I have more money and power than you. So I don¡¯t need you to be considerate to me. I am the one who will protect you.¡± ¡°Protect¡­ me?¡± Rupert¡¯s eyes shook. ¡°Yes. You can eat what you want to eat here and do what you want to do. Is there anything you want to do?¡± I knew what Rupert wanted to do. He wanted to make a cheap and effective medicine. And he wanted to be a doctor who had the skill to perform a proper surgery. ¡®Because not everyone can receive treatment that relies on magic or divine power.¡¯ Rupert looked at me with a questioning look why I would do that for him. Suspicions were also buried in his gaze. If I were in his shoes, I would suspect the intention as well. Since the kidnapper was telling the kidnapped that they could do whatever they wanted to do. ¡°Hmm. You don¡¯t have to tell or know complicated stories right away. You should eat first.¡± Was he going to shed tears of emotion? It would be hard if he cried, though. I was about to ask Janice to prepare a handkerchief, but what I heard from him was an unexpected answer. ¡°I don¡¯t receive favors without a price.¡± It was a very solemn voice. I failed to lure Rupert. The unexpected rejection made me sigh. ¡®Nothing goes easily for me.¡¯ But I didn¡¯t give up. From the moment he was kidnapped, Rupert had no option to return to where he was before. ¡®How could I send him back to the underground market? It would be considered as intentional abandonment and abuse.¡¯ ¡°You can just pay me back.¡± If you didn¡¯t like to receive favors without price, he could just give me something in return. Indeed, it was a simple problem to be solved. And Rupert had something to give me. I didn¡¯t mean to do charity work for Rupert in the first place. Perhaps because I was too insistent, the gap between Rupert¡¯s eyebrows narrowed. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have anything to give you, though¡­¡± CH 14.1 At the end of Rupert¡¯s words, there was an omitted expression implied. Janice and Zoe held their breath. Rupert¡¯s life, which wasn¡¯t smooth, was eventually revealed. The life he had gone through weighed heavily on our conscience. ¡®I guess he had never received a genuine act of favor before.¡¯ I could feel my heart was getting heavy. ¡®He doesn¡¯t have any proper adults around him.¡¯ When I encountered the dark side of the kingdom that I hadn¡¯t seen in my past life, I realized my lack. ¡®I said I would be a great queen without even knowing the real situation. I only looked at the bright and shining parts of the kingdom.¡¯ I shouldn¡¯t be such a person in this life. I faced Rupert and vowed that I would meet the bad and the good part of the kingdom. ¡°Don¡¯t try to give me something for free; let¡¯s make a deal.¡± ¡°What kind of deal do you want to make with me? As I told you, I have nothing to give you¡­.¡± ¡°Make a drug for me.¡± Rupert¡¯s eyes shook. Blood was draining from his face. It was illegal to make and distribute unauthorized drugs in the kingdom. Rupert lived committing a lot of illegal activity not against his will. Therefore it was natural for him to be scared. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be nervous about. I told you I would protect you. You just have to make painkillers that don¡¯t strain the patient¡¯s body. It¡¯s not difficult, right? I know you are already making it. Stabilize the medicine. I¡¯ll cover everything you need for your research.¡± I explained it thoroughly before a strange misunderstanding was created. I already knew about him developing medicine, and I had to make him believe that I didn¡¯t intend to hand him to the authorities. ¡°¡­. Everything I need for my research?¡± Finally, Rupert began to be interested in our deal. ¡°Yes. Even corpses, if you need one.¡± ¡°Miss!¡± Janice shrieked. I would explain it in detail to Janice later because now I had to focus on persuading Rupert. ¡°What do you think?¡± You liked my condition, right? You desire it, right? You wanted to say ¡°Yes¡± without even realizing it, right? Sure enough, Rupert¡¯s fingertips flinched. ¡®I made an offer that he couldn¡¯t refuse.¡¯ In the past, before my death, Rupert was called a mad doctor. It was because there was a rumor that he was obsessed with dissecting bodies. It wasn¡¯t a groundless rumor at all. Rupert was willing to go wherever so that he could dissect bodies. There was also a famous joke about him hopping from one anatomical research to another without sleeping all week. ¡®He¡¯s a natural lunatic.¡¯ However, Rupert was obsessed with dissecting human bodies because he was crazy like how the gossipers described him. He was just obsessed with researching effective medical treatments. Didn¡¯t it sound like what makes a doctor genius? The kingdom relied on divine power and magic for severe trauma and disease. In short, it meant that only those with money could receive proper treatment. ¡®The problem would be solved if many people could use magic and divine power in the medical world, but those are not something that could be developed by effort.¡¯ On the other hand, the medical field that Rupert studied and tried to develop could be learned by anyone. Therefore, Rupert devoted himself to surgical treatment research for the sake of creating the medical world. As we developed medical technology and trained doctors a lot, that was Lebert¡¯s argument. He wanted a perfect understanding of the human body to perform safe and ideal surgery. Hence he arbitrarily dissected bodies, which were prohibited in the kingdom. ¡°Miss. You can¡¯t do that. What do you mean by the corpse? Are you sure you¡¯re talking about a dead body? You¡¯re going to provide that?¡± Janice asked in fear. ¡°You¡¯ll be in trouble if you do that.¡± Janice tried to stop me with a worried tone, but there was nothing better than that offer to make a deal with Rupert. ¡°Rupert, I will provide you with a body to dissect.¡± Instead of responding to Janice, I looked at Rupert and said. ¡°T-T-That¡¯s illegal, Miss!¡± The answer came from Janice. I turned around and looked at her. ¡°There¡¯s also a legitimate one. Painters do it twice a year. ¡± The association called painters to draw a perfect human body. It wasn¡¯t illegal. It was just an era in which human-saving medicine was underestimated. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of an individual with no association being allowed to dissect a body.¡± Janice cried. Should I just give my handkerchief to Janice or Rupert? ¡°Nothing changes if you stay in that place. If it doesn¡¯t work, we can just make it work. I¡¯m going to make it possible to dissect bodies for medical research purposes, and if they wouldn¡¯t allow it, I can just gather ten painters and build my own association.¡± ¡°I heard that it costs a lot of money. Is it really that easy, Miss?¡± The cost of registering an association was comparable to the price of three mansions in the capital. In addition, I intended to create a shell association, which meant I had to hire fake members. In short, it would cost me almost the price of five mansions to build an association. ¡®Even if I exclude the cost of getting corpses, it¡¯s still a huge amount of money.¡¯ Creating an association for the sake of one person? It was something that others couldn¡¯t even dream of. But I could. CH 14.2 ¡°It¡¯s hard for others, but it¡¯s easy for me.¡± Janice opened her mouth wide. Even Zoe tensed up when she realized how wealthy I was. ¡°As long as I can be the head of this family.¡± Of course, there were mountains to overcome to be able to spend that much money. ¡°Why.. are you willing to¡­¡± Rupert, who was fumbling with his hands, hesitated to continue. ¡°What do you mean why? It¡¯s for you.¡± I nudged Rupert with my finger. I wasn¡¯t putting Rupert under the protection of Irenberg out of personal interest. His talent bloomed in the underground market because of his past. But it would be a waste. It would be a significant loss for the kingdom and Rupert personally. ¡°And it¡¯s also for me. I really need your help.¡± Rupert was incredibly stunned. ¡°You need me?¡± Tears welled up around Rupert¡¯s eyes as I nodded. I held out my handkerchief right away. Rupert took my handkerchief with trembling hands. ¡°Do you really need me?¡± I crossed my legs, burying myself on a sofa backrest that was twice as big as my body. I wanted to show the composure of a wonderful adult, but my feet were dangling in the air because my body hadn¡¯t yet grown. Rupert gradually gained his focus. Now, I was sure that Rupert would accept my offer. His tears-stained eyes were filled with desire and excitement. ¡°Yes, I will do it!¡± I was able to smile brightly as I finally heard his determined and wary voice. *** Everything was smooth. Rupert accepted my offer, and I managed to set up a lab for him. So far, it has been expenditures that my personal allowance could cover. In half a day, he created a pain reliever with no side effects that I asked for. The pill, which he made by clumping it together with fingers, looked ugly and smelled terrible. But I knew the effect was guaranteed. ¡°How do you know if this works?¡± Janice was still wary of Rupert. ¡®Is she still holding a grudge against Rupert?¡¯ ¡°You shouldn¡¯t take medicine carelessly.¡± Janice said while covering her nose. ¡°Of course, we need to test it.¡± I decided to be the experimenter myself. I had a headache because I couldn¡¯t sleep well yesterday, so it was perfect timing to test painkillers. ¡°You are going to eat it?¡± Janice asked with a trembling voice. Her worries could be fully understood, but if I didn¡¯t trust Rupert, then who would? And I couldn¡¯t use it on anyone else as an experiment. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m confident. All my brothers eat that.¡± Rupert stared at Janice. She kept doubting him that he started to feel offended. ¡°Does he even have brothers?¡± Janice avoided talking to Rupert as much as possible. Of course, the question that she had to ask him was relayed through me. By siblings, he referred to children in slums, not blood-related ones. It was a daily routine for children who walked barefoot on dirty roads and could not eat properly to get hurt and sick. The medicine Rupert gave to me now was a medicine he made for the children. In other words, children who have survived countless times have proven the efficacy and safety of the drug. ¡°I trust you. That¡¯s why I am going to eat it now.¡± I gulped down the medicine like I wanted to prove to him that I trusted him. Rupert¡¯s pupils dilated significantly, perhaps because he didn¡¯t expect me to actually take the medicine. After that, his big eyes filled with tears. ¡®I don¡¯t have a handkerchief, though.¡¯ Rupert, who also cried earlier, turned out to be a man with a lot of tears. ¡°Do you want to wait in my room until the medicine is effective? You want to see if it works, right?¡± Rupert nodded. He was flustered because he didn¡¯t know where to sit, and Janice pulled him to the sofa with a displeased face. When I made sure Rupert was sitting on the sofa, I closed my eyes. The medicine worked in no time. The heavy pain behind my eyelids disappeared, and the heat I felt on my temple cooled down. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nice.¡± When my head became clear, I gained my strength. When I opened my eyes and said that, Janice looked at me like she couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°It¡¯s real, Janice. I hope you can eat it when you feel your monthly pain. Will it work?¡± Rupert nodded up and down. He must have been anxious about showing confidence in his medicine because Janice doubted him. ¡°It will work. Trust me and try it.¡± I looked like a con artist just now, right? However, Rupert¡¯s medicine worked so well enough for me to recommend it. ¡°But I wish you could fix the smell. Also, can you make the dose that could relieve not just a mild pain?¡± I approached Rupert and asked. I didn¡¯t bring him here to make my headache medicine. I wanted him to treat Cassion¡¯s disease. If treatment was difficult to do right away, at least I wanted him to reduce Cassion¡¯s pain. ¡°Yes, I will give it a try!¡± Rupert smiled shyly and answered loudly. He looked just like a big dog. ¡°Good job, Rupert.¡± I reached out closer to him to pat his head. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to pet Rupert, who was half as tall as me. As I tip-toed and struggled, Rupert leaned down. As I stroked his hair repeatedly, Janice¡¯s strange expression caught my eye. CH 15.1 ¡®What did you do, Miss?¡¯ I shrugged at Janice grinningly. Was I too much? But just now, he was like a really big dog. Look at him; he was still pushing his head into me. I didn¡¯t even think he felt offended at all. Then I looked at Rupert. The tip of his ears was red. Was the room hot? ¡°Stop it, and let¡¯s go now, Miss. We have to go to Prince Cassion.¡± I was about to tell her to open the window, but Janice urged me. She grabbed my hand that was stroking Rupert¡¯s head. Rupert drooped disappointedly. ¡°Master¡­.¡± Rupert called me with a lingering voice. He showed a very different attitude compared to when he made a deal with me and offered me medicine. My hands went up again out of my protective instinct as I couldn¡¯t believe the boy in front of me was a 16-year-old boy. Rupert straightened his back when I stroked him a couple more times, perhaps because he was satisfied. ¡°Please wait a little longer for the corpse. Instead, as a reward for your medicine today, I will get you the medicine compound you want. If you need anything, tell the butler.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Rupert drooped his shoulders, disappointed that he could not do the dissection immediately. He looked dwarfed when he even curled up his skinny body. ¡°Take your reward even if you don¡¯t need it. I also want to build a nice anatomy laboratory, not a medicinal one. I will try to prepare it as soon as possible.¡± I tried to say something encouraging, but Rupert still looked down. ¡®Both Cassion and Rupert, why are you all so skinny?¡¯ Looking at Rupert reminded me of Cassion. They were different, so was it because adults hurt them both? ¡®Though they have a different appetite.¡¯ Unlike Rupert, who ate anything well, the feisty prince with a dual personality was a picky eater. ¡®I need to find a cook.¡¯ ¡°Master, I¡­¡± When I was thinking of Cassion, Rupert called me. ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re still here?¡± My business was done, so he could excuse himself. I felt sorry to see him standing like he was being punished. ¡°From now on, if you want to, you can sit down, and if you want to leave, you can just leave after we are done.¡± I explained it kindly. ¡°Master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so strange to hear you call me ¡®master.¡¯ You can just call me ¡®Miss¡¯ too.¡± When I became the head of Irenberg house, I should get used to being called ¡®master¡¯, but I haven¡¯t become one yet. ¡°If you want, you can call me ¡®miss.¡¯¡± Rupert quickly complied with my request. I liked the attitude of people following my order without asking me the reason, as long as it didn¡¯t hurt them. I laughed satisfactorily. ¡°But Miss. What should I do when you leave?¡± Why were you asking me that? I tilted my head and answered. ¡°Do what you want to do. If you want to rest, rest or make the medicine I requested earlier. The effective pain reliever I mentioned earlier.¡± I told Rupert what he needed to do. ¡°Does my medicine really help you?¡± Rupert didn¡¯t easily believe that he was really helpful to me. It was also up to me to reassure and make him believe, so I said in a relaxed manner. ¡®I will tell him hundreds of times if he wants to. As long as he could make the right medicine.¡¯ ¡°Of course. Whatever you make will definitely help me. And to you.¡± I would sell your medicine and put you on the money cushion. Rupert¡¯s eyes sparkled as if he had understood what I was thinking. As expected, no one in the world hated money. ¡°And, now that you¡¯re my person, keep your shoulders straight. By the way, I will take your younger brothers, who are still under the smugglers, soon. Will you wait for me?¡± If Rupert¡¯s main worries disappeared, he could focus only on research. Then he would be able to develop the magical pain reliever faster. ¡°Miss¡­¡± Rupert cried. He cried a lot. Why was he crying again? I quit looking for a handkerchief by now. If I gave him my handkerchief every time he cried, I wouldn¡¯t have a handkerchief to use. It was really time for him to go out. ¡°Rupert, I¡¯m going to change. Are you going to keep standing there?¡± ¡°N-N-No!¡± Rupert rushed out with a red face. *** ¡°Let¡¯s move quickly, Janice.¡± Janice was getting off the carriage with a basket of food prepared by the mansion chef. ¡°I have a lot of stuff. I told you to bring more people.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better if it is only you and me who come in and out like this to prevent rumors. Also, the back door is narrow.¡± I crept to the back door leading to the third prince¡¯s palace. This door was used by court ladies and servants of the royal palace secretly. It helped them to sneak when they didn¡¯t have much work in the palace. When I tried to walk with one of the baskets that she put down, Janice asked me. ¡°How long do we have to sneak in and out of the palace?¡± ¡°As long as possible.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± We both knew what kind of rumor would fly around if someone found out that the heir of the Irenberg family was in contact with the third prince. ¡®If it reaches the ears of Dyson or Count Corcos¡­¡¯ Ugh, that would be terrible. My body trembled. Dyson would try to kill Cassion, and I still lacked the power to protect him. I also didn¡¯t have the right to side with Cassion openly. At least I shouldn¡¯t be caught until he decided to marry me. ¡°I¡¯ll explain the reason later. Since we have a lot of stuff, let¡¯s move first.¡± There were many good things about Janice, but I liked that she was a simple-minded person right now. She didn¡¯t even notice that I changed the subject on purpose and packed the stuff we brought. She followed me while grumbling. The palace was just around the corner. But what¡¯s this ominous feeling? As I got closer to the palace of the third prince today, I had a bad feeling. The spacious and initially quiet palace where only Cassion and Pollock lived was frantic. I instinctively realized something had happened to Cassion. CH 15.2 ¡°M-Miss!¡± As expected, the Pollock ran out panting. I managed to calm Pollock, who was sobbing with a runny nose and tears, and he said something unbelievable. ¡°H-His Majesty¡­.¡± But Pollock couldn¡¯t even properly speak because he was breathing heavily. In the end, I had to infer the situation by listening to Pollock¡¯s incoherent words. The king visited. And Cassion collapsed. He has been unconscious for over a whole day. Cassion was originally weak, but he had never slept deeply and for a long time. Because he knew that the palace was not safe. I knew because there were a few times when Dyson sent an assassin to kill Cassion before I returned to the past. ¡®It¡¯s good to sleep well, but it¡¯s dangerous if he doesn¡¯t wake up.¡¯ I skipped two to three stairs. When I opened the door, I could feel the room¡¯s heat suddenly burst. Given that the heater was turned off, this heat came from Cassion¡¯s body. I rushed up to Cassion. Cassion was like a blanket made of faded cotton cloth. His lips were dry; he looked like blood drained from his face that he looked like he could crumble at any time soon. ¡°Your Highness!¡± I grabbed the Cassion and shook him. His body was like a ball of fire. The area around his blanket was wet. It was a trace of Pollock¡¯s efforts to lower his fever. ¡°You should¡¯ve contacted me!¡± ¡°H-How do I do¡­¡± Pollock stood like a ghost next to Cassion. He couldn¡¯t move around freely as he had to be careful not to get caught. I sighed. I was too anxious and blamed Pollock for something he couldn¡¯t help. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Pollock. It¡¯s not your fault.¡± After apologizing, I focused on Cassion. ¡°We have to call a doctor.¡± It wasn¡¯t a fever that could be treated with folk remedies. ¡°Should I call Dallas?¡± Janice asked carefully. I shook my head. ¡°Rupert.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Go back to the mansion and bring Rupert. Right now!¡± *** Rupert, who was suddenly called, was an exceptional doctor in the making. He checked Cassion without any questions. After that, he poured medicinal herbs into the mortar he brought and began to grind. Looking at the endless medicine compounds coming out of his large bag, my mouth was agape. ¡°Give it to him.¡± Janice ran with a bowl from Rupert. While the medicine was being heated, I changed Cassion¡¯s towel. Pollock also did his best running errands next to him. ¡®Four people are doing their best for Your Highness. So, pull yourself together.¡¯ I thought as I dipped a hot towel in a basin of cold water. I hoped he could hear what I said inside and for a miracle to open his eyes, but he still closed his eyes. Soon after, Janice entered the room with a tray of medicine. The room was full of bitter smells. ¡°What medicine is it?¡± I took the medicine and asked Rupert. ¡°It¡¯s a medicine to lower the fever and protect organs from being damaged by heat, Miss.¡± I believe in Rupert, but I was scared to feed Cassion. ¡°May I taste it first?¡± ¡°No. If a person who doesn¡¯t have a high fever drinks it, their body heat can go down rapidly, and they will collapse.¡± Rupert shook his hand. I hesitated with a bowl of medicine in my hand. What if there was a problem with the medicine, and what if Cassion wouldn¡¯t gain his consciousness like this forever? Aside from revenge, wasn¡¯t it too tragic for a child to suddenly lose their life? I bite my lips. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± As I hesitated, I heard Cassion groan. I looked down at the sick Cassion. Looking at his sweating and pale white face, he looked like he needed the medicine desperately. ¡®Rupert is a genius. I have to trust him.¡¯ I closed my eyes tightly. ¡°Pollock, raise His Highness Cassion.¡± Pollock quickly approached Cassion and put his hand under his armpits. Cassion¡¯s weak body followed as the Pollock moved him. Pollock sat next to Cassion to keep him from collapsing. In the meantime, Cassion kept mumbling incoherently. ¡°Rupert, I trust you.¡± This assurance was both for Rupert and me. I took a deep breath and spilled the medicine into Cassion¡¯s mouth. Rupert¡¯s ear tip was red as he passed the empty glass to Janice. *** ¡°Uh..¡± The sound of Cassion groaning woke me up. ¡°Cassion?¡± I opened my eyes and looked at Cassion. His long eyelashes flinched, and his eyelids moved up and down. I kept waving my hand in front of his face. ¡°Your Highness, are you awake? Your highness?¡± Grip. Cassion grabbed my wrist before opening his eyes. His grip was weak, but I was relieved that his energy had recovered enough to raise his arm. ¡°Stop flapping around. It¡¯s distracting.¡± I think his mind was fine. Why could you say a harsh comment as soon as you woke up? ¡®Is there any medicine that could make you talk nicely?¡¯ I glared at Cassion, but in fact, I didn¡¯t hate him at all. Because I was grateful just for him opening his eyes. CH 16.1 ¡°It¡¯s so distracting.¡± Cassion pushed my hand away. Anyway, I trembled next to Cassion. I was so glad to see the brusque Cassion. I was just happy that he woke up. It was painful to see a child who was supposed to be cared for was unconscious for a long time. I even felt worse because I felt guilty for Cassion. In the past, I turned a blind eye to Cassion. I didn¡¯t turn a blind eye on purpose, but I couldn¡¯t help feeling guilty when I saw Cassion¡¯s condition. I came to Cassion to propose marriage, but there was also an apology for my wrongdoings behind it. ¡®It wasn¡¯t a situation where I could confidently say that it wasn¡¯t intentional either.¡¯ I knew that Cassion was in the palace and that Julia and Dyson didn¡¯t like him. ¡®I was the same.¡¯ I also used violence against Cassion. It was in the form of overlooking violence. ¡°How is your body? How do you feel?¡± I asked while changing a wet towel that fell off Cassion¡¯s forehead. He didn¡¯t say anything. Did he fall asleep again? His eyes were tightly closed. I carefully reached out and removed each strand of hair attached to Cassion¡¯s forehead. He flinched his eyebrows every time my finger touched his forehead. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re pretending to sleep. Should I stop talking? Are you feeling sluggish?¡± ¡°¡­No¡­.¡± Cassion replied late. ¡°Have you been here long?¡± Cassion, who finally opened his eyes properly, asked in a hoarse voice. I sat straight in the chair and smiled. ¡°I guess, half a day?¡± The sun was already rising. It was night when I came. Somehow, I spent the night in Cassion¡¯s palace. ¡°Are you nursing me?¡± ¡°I changed the wet towels and gave you medicine. So, you can say I¡¯m nursing you.¡± ¡°Medicine?¡± Cassion was immediately wary. If you come back to your senses after taking medicine, you would know that it wasn¡¯t poisoned; however, he was like a cat who met a stranger setting up a boundary. ¡°It¡¯s a medicine to lower your fever and protect your organs. Seeing that you are awake, I know for sure that the medicine works well.¡± Cassion was surprised to learn that there was a medicine that worked for him. Therefore he muttered with a strange expression. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± What did I just hear? ¡°I won¡¯t say it twice.¡± Looking at Cassion¡¯s reaction, I heard it right. ¡°Did you just say thank you?¡± He closed his mouth tight while his ears went red. So cute. Did you say thank you to me even though you were so shy that you didn¡¯t want to say it twice? Now that I had seen the whole picture, I could say that I passed with full marks to be a good mother by taking care of a helpless child who was on the verge of dying. Oh my, what a friendly kid. Should I pat your head? I reached out my hand, but soon I put it down. Cassion was different from Rupert. Unlike Rupert, who liked to be cute at times, Cassion made an expression of swallowing a glass of rotten milk whenever I thought he was cute. ¡°I did something praise-worthy. I hired an incredible doctor for Your Highness, and I also stayed next to Your Highness all night changing wet towels.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep at all?¡± Cassion glanced at me. I smiled at him, slowly showing worries. I was two years older than Cassion, but I was also a child. Such a child stayed up all night; it was natural for a conscientious person to worry and feel sorry. ¡°No. Beauty sleeps a lot. I planned to stay up all night, but I couldn¡¯t. I slept from time to time. Next to Your Highness.¡± ¡°What? Next to me? On my bed? Here?¡± Cassion quickly sat up. It was quite an energetic move for a sick person. ¡°No. Here.¡± I pointed at the chair I sat on with a straight face. Cassion¡¯s bed was spacious, and there were many empty spaces, but I wasn¡¯t that shameless to covet a sick person¡¯s bed. Cassion exhaled deeply as a significant relief washed over him. Did you hate sharing a bed that much? Surprisingly, he must be territorial with his stuff. ¡°Anyway, are you feeling better?¡± I had to ask the question again. Cassion, who leaned against the bed head, touched his body here and there and nodded slowly. ¡°You¡¯re right. Surprisingly.¡± Rupert¡¯s medicine worked very well. I would tell him when I got back. ¡°Can we talk?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Cassion drank some water. He asked for cold water because he wanted to wake up entirely, but I told him he could only drink lukewarm water. ¡°Your Highness, do you usually lose your consciousness like this?¡± ¡°Sometimes?¡± Cassion said insignificantly. ¡°Sometimes, you collapsed for more than a day?¡± Cassion nodded and affirmed my suspicion. It was not a trivial problem! ¡°Even if I am being careful, if something unexpected happens¡­¡± ¡°What happened?¡± The fact he collapsed when something unexpected happened meant that just before I arrived, something did happen. I needed to know what had happened. ¡°Why did you take care of me? If I was sleeping, you could just leave.¡± Cassion secretly tried to change the subject. That wasn¡¯t the problem here. ¡°How could I leave someone sick alone? What if you die? Last night, it would be weird if you didn¡¯t die.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with dying?¡± ¡°Oh my gosh! You should hear what you said. Death is a natural thing that everyone will go through, but isn¡¯t it a terrible thing to go through at our age? Your Highness, think about your age.¡± An 11-year-old was talking like an old man who had seen the world. I didn¡¯t think I was in the place of scolding a 13 years old boy either. CH 16.2 ¡°Don¡¯t you think both you and I should just forget about living like a normal child?¡± My effort to keep the atmosphere bright in response to Cassion¡¯s bitter comment came to nothing. I lightly swept up my messy hair. ¡°Sure. Both Your Highness who wishes to take your revenge or I who want to protect my family shouldn¡¯t think like a child. But still, if you are sick, you can just say that you do and rest. That¡¯s why please take a rest today.¡± This little kid. I pressed Cassion¡¯s forehead with my finger. He frowned and raised his eyes to look at me. ¡°Lay down. Or should I lie down with you? Do you want me to sing a lullaby for you?¡± ¡°No!¡± Cassion freaked out and went under the blanket. He looked older, but he acted like a child in times like this. ¡°His Majesty came.¡± Cassion finally talked after considering whether he should tell me about it. ¡°Sure.¡± I pretended to be indifferent and answered back. If I showed too much interest, Cassion wouldn¡¯t talk further. I didn¡¯t want him to dig into his painful memories. I was afraid he would lose consciousness again after he finally managed to get better if he recalled his bad memories. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me if you don¡¯t want to. Please focus on resting, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Can you give it to me?¡± Cassion cut me off. ¡°What?¡± A tiny voice came out from under the blankets. ¡°Can you buy me a house?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Cassion said something hard to believe. He asked me to buy him a house! This was an opportunity. I wanted to hear in detail what made him ask me for a favor, but I had to take this opportunity first. Even if it was difficult, I must do it for him. I clenched the hem of my dress and smiled refreshingly. ¡°I could even buy you ten of them.¡± *** I told Cassion confidently, but the house he wanted couldn¡¯t be obtained easily. The mansion that Cassion asked me to buy was the house where he and the late Queen lived together. That place was also called the twilight mansion. The mansion, neglected after Cassion entered the palace, was auctioned off for some reason. ¡°I heard the Queen is eyeing it.¡± And the mansion was targeted by Julia and Dyson¡¯s mother, who was also the current Queen. They said they hated Cassion, but why would they buy the twilight mansion where he lived when he was young? ¡°The process of the twilight mansion being put up for auction is also suspicious.¡± Zoe continued to talk to me while looking at me, who was flipping the documents. The document contained information related to the twilight mansion that she had been investigating. ¡°And you too. Why do you want to buy the twilight mansion?¡± According to Zoe¡¯s report, the twilight mansion was a historic building, but it didn¡¯t bring any profit even if it was being sold. The location wasn¡¯t good either. ¡°It¡¯s a proposal gift.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I told you. I¡¯m going to marry His Highness Cassion. His Highness Cassion wants the mansion.¡± Zoe made a long groan and sat on a chair in front of my desk. She looked at me while crossing her legs. I ignored her judging gaze and looked at the details of the auction house. Cassion automatically inherited the twilight mansion left by Queen Violeta after he became an adult. But somehow, it was suddenly being put into auction. ¡°Did Queen Violeta owe a lot of money to the bank? Even though the royal palace kept supporting her living expenses?¡± The late Queen Violeta was abandoned because she couldn¡¯t have children. It happened less than a year after King Carmine got Dyson from Julia. Violeta¡¯s mother ignored her abandoned daughter, and Violeta, who was left, was on the verge of being banished without any parental support. When Violeta¡¯s life began to fall into the abyss of poverty, King Carmine stepped up. He revised the law to make a dethroned queen¡¯s living expenses to be supported. ¡®Did His Majesty love Her Majesty, Violeta?¡¯ Soon after the banishment and the law were changed, Cassion was born. There was enough evidence to suggest that King Carmine loved Queen Violeta. ¡®Then why did he have a relationship with Julia?¡¯ But I still didn¡¯t understand King Carmine¡¯s decision. I put aside the question with no answer and went through the report again. ¡°She wasn¡¯t even someone who liked to indulge herself in luxury¡­¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t. There were only a few maids, and she would save the living expenses from the palace.¡± ¡°Why did she need such a large sum of money?¡± ¡°The price of her son¡¯s medicine?¡± That wasn¡¯t the answer either. The cost of Cassion¡¯s medicine was spent separately from the living expenses they received from the palace. Cassion was a prince born by the dethroned queen, but he was still cared for because he had the King¡¯s blood. ¡°She must have been using the money somewhere else.¡± Zoe didn¡¯t think much of it. On the other hand, I had a feeling that I had to dig more about this. ¡°This is weird, auntie. For now, you should find more information about this.¡± ¡°Are you really going to buy a twilight mansion?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°The Queen won¡¯t stay still. Didn¡¯t I tell you what kind of person Queen Julia is?¡± She did. She told me on the night I said that I seriously wanted to marry Cassion. Zoe hinted at how it would be if I married Dyson. If I planned to get married to protect the Irenberg family, it would be much better to marry Julia¡¯s son, Dyson, who currently has a more prominent political power. I refused. Zoe brought up Julia¡¯s story even though I didn¡¯t ask her to. Her personality wasn¡¯t normal, but she really doted on Dyson. Dyson was acting as if he were already being appointed as the crown prince. There were people around her who disappeared for no reason. In short, she was a beautiful yet poisonous flower. From reliable to false rumors, the facts that the stories point to were one. Julia was a cunning woman, and I would be the one who would end up crushed. Of course, I knew about that. I have experienced it; therefore, I knew it much better than Zoe did. And because I knew them well, Dyson and Julia could not even be nominated as my alternative solution. CH 17.1 I looked at Zoe with determined eyes. She sighed and opened the jewelry box on my table, and took out the ring. ¡°I¡¯m taking the deposit.¡± Now I knew she would get my request done. ¡°Yes, I look forward to your kind cooperation.¡± ¡°I know, but don¡¯t put your expectations too high. Are you going to participate in the auction? It¡¯s going to cost you a lot of money.¡± I wanted to buy the mansion before the auction began since there were variables in the auction. Still, if I had to, I would participate. ¡°If it¡¯s about money, it will be a piece of cake.¡± I smiled and looked at Zoe. She shook her head and disappeared in an instant. I looked at where Zoe disappeared off to and focused on the documents again. There was one specific word that kept catching my eyes. ¡°Phoenix Bank.¡± The name of the bank seizing the twilight mansion was familiar. Let¡¯s start from here. *** Meanwhile, Julia was also enjoying the same sunset on the other side of the Capital. The balcony of the queen¡¯s palace, which was surrounded by the most beautiful garden of the royal palace, was Julia¡¯s favorite place. ¡°Your Majesty the Queen, Count Corcos is here.¡± Julia¡¯s expression cracked as she felt disturbed from her sweet resting time. Julia¡¯s maid, Rena, bowed her back. Then a teacup flew over her head. ¡°My apologies, Your Majesty. I will tell him to go back right away.¡± Julia, who was easily irritated, hated being disturbed during her break. Even though she knew it well, Rena had no choice but to relay the arrival of Count Corcos. It was because a few days ago, Julia ordered Count Corcos to come and told him to come early. However, even though Julia did say that, her reaction obviously wouldn¡¯t be different. Instead, Rena would be scolded more for talking back. Rena bowed so deeply that her forehead touched her thigh till it couldn¡¯t reach any further. ¡°Tell him to wait in the drawing-room.¡± Julia said with a gentle face as if she had never thrown a teacup on her maid. Rena kept her bowing posture even deeper. Then, Julia lifted herself slowly. As soon as she flicked her hand, the maids who were sticking to the wall like cicadas attached to the old tree flocked around her. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to welcome my guests.¡± Dozens of hands moved in unison. Julia¡¯s decoration took a long time even though a large number of people were mobilized. Julia wore and removed dozens of earrings repeatedly because she didn¡¯t want to wear a single small accessory in vain. Julia, ready and dressed up, left the dressing room two hours after Rena reported the Count¡¯s arrival. ¡°Your Majesty, you¡¯re beautiful today as well.¡± When Julia appeared in the drawing-room, Count Corcos rubbed his hands together and flattered her. ¡°Did you wait for a long time?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± Count Corcos could only laugh after waiting for two hours. Julia¡¯s staff and secretary Anderson smirked. Julia began the conversation with a fake smile. ¡°Long time no see, Count Corcos. I thought you had forgotten me by stopping coming to the royal palace for a while.¡± Count Corcos, who had been visiting the royal palace for customary greetings for the last few days. He then bowed his head deeply. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Majesty. My housework has been a little twisted lately.¡± She had a feeling that the Count was going to ask for help behind his suspiciously subtle tone. Julia¡¯s cheeks were twitching. Count Corcos was very nervous and swallowed his saliva. ¡°Is there any problem with the Irenberg family? Oh, Lord¡­ It would be devastating to hear bad news about the Irenberg family, the foundation of the kingdom. What¡¯s going on, Count Corcos?¡± When the Queen asked affectionately, Count Corcos was relieved and conveyed a series of things that he had come across. ¡°The designation of legal proxy has been delayed.¡± Tch, Julia clicked her tongue and stopped her hand that was about to take the teacup. At that moment, the surrounding air froze coldly. Count Corcos, who lived long enough, was terrified of Julia, who was ten years younger. When she looked at him with a hard look, he could imagine himself being stabbed by a blade. When Julia saw Count Corcos¡¯ weak appearance, she was deeply annoyed. ¡®The Irenberg family is revolting to the end.¡¯ Julia has tried to have the Irenberg family under her control for a long time. However, it was not easy. Their previous Head of Irenberg family was so upright that he didn¡¯t become Julia¡¯s person even though she sent him gifts or threats. Julia would have ignored them if it was a poor family or another family to replace them; however, Irenberg was a family that could never be overlooked even by Julia, the Queen. If only Irenberg were on her side, she could achieve her purpose much easier. Having the Irenberg family in her hand meant that Dyson could inherit a stable and solid throne. However, Irenberg remained upright. Inevitably, Julia kept Count Corcos close by, who was foolish and greedy as he had blood relation to the Irenberg family. When I wondered if the predecessor of Irenber died and now I have the Irenberg family, Count Corcos¡¯s work is not so good. She did wonder if he could take over the Irenberg family after the head of the family died, but the Count¡¯s capability was indeed unreliable. What¡¯s so hard about buttering up a little nephew? Julia¡¯s eyebrows eased up, and Count Corcos took a breath of relief. CH 17.2 The Count explained the situation further by rubbing his palm together to hide that he was scared. ¡°My little nephew suddenly became fickle. The final decision had been made at the family meeting, but as you may know, the designation of a proxy requires an agreement between the proxy and the ward¡­.¡± Julia, who became tired of hearing Count Corcos¡¯ excuses, raised her hand and stopped him from talking further. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say your nephew is 13 years old?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Did you interrupt my time just because you couldn¡¯t handle a young girl?¡± Count Corcos¡¯ eyes shook as he couldn¡¯t find himself answering the question. ¡°Just how much do I have to help you?¡± ¡°Your Majesty¡­.¡± ¡°I brought you to the capital from where you used to manage your humble land. Your family said that you wanted to do something big, so I gave you strength.¡± Count Corcos trembled. Soon after, guilt was shown on his face. ¡°Is that all that you can do? I even cleaned up the surroundings to make you a proxy.¡± Every time she spoke, goosebumps crawled on Count Corcos¡¯ back. He recalled how Julia suppressed the Irenberg family. Hence he would naturally tremble at her cruelty and meticulousness. ¡°My biggest apology, Your Majesty. It¡­ It is all due to my incapability¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine as long as you understand. If you realize you¡¯re lacking, go back and try again. You shouldn¡¯t just ¡®try.¡¯ As you know yourself, I have a lot of people who could replace you.¡± Count Corcos¡¯ face was white. Replacing didn¡¯t simply mean that his role would be taken away. By replacing Count Corcos, who knew Julia¡¯s secret scheme meant¡­ ¡®It equals death.¡¯ Count Corcos breathed heavily. Julia¡¯s efforts to have Irenberg in her hand were truly enormous, and dealing with Count Corcos was also part of her efforts. When one works hard to achieve their purpose, they shouldn¡¯t keep people who constantly made them pick the fruits themselves. ¡®Now that you think about it carefully, you wouldn¡¯t be able to move on your own.¡¯ That way, I could force them to run harder. ¡°Did you come here just to whine?¡± ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± Count Corcos was actually planning to cry and ask for help, but Julia didn¡¯t seem willing to help him. If he whined for help, Julia would only end up in a bad mood. He needed to come up with more helpful information for her¡­. Count Corcos was anxious that Julia would leave him behind. ¡®I have to say something. I can¡¯t let the Queen leave like this.¡¯ Perhaps because he was desperate, what he heard from a spy he planted in the Irenberg mansion a while ago came to his mind at a good time. ¡°It¡¯s about my niece, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yes, that smart niece who couldn¡¯t be lured by her over forty years old uncle.¡± Listening to Julia¡¯s sarcastic tone, Count Corcos leaned over the table. ¡°She has been going in and out of the royal palace lately.¡± ¡°What?¡± Julia raised her eyebrows. For the first time after greeting Julia, she looked straight at Count Corcos. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a report about that, though.¡± She could only feel relieved if she knew every move in the royal palace. Even Julia knew the number of times the King coughed. The only place that she didn¡¯t really care about was¡­ ¡°The Third Prince Palace?¡± Julia looked at the Count to confirm her suspicion. ¡°I don¡¯t know that much.¡± Julia swore at the foolish Count with her gracious look. ¡°I get it, Count Corcos. You may leave now.¡± ¡°About the issue of the proxy designation is¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s figure it out next time.¡± Only then did Count Corcos leave the drawing-room smiling. When he left and the room became quiet, Anderson stood close to Julia. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that girl is a naive noble girl?¡± It was about Diana. ¡°That¡¯s right. There was nothing unusual about her. She is an ordinary child who adores fairy tales and dresses.¡± ¡°Does a naive girl come in and out the palace secretly after postponing the proxy designation?¡± Anderson silently endured Julia¡¯s criticism of doubting the accuracy of his information. ¡°Look into her again. I guess I should go to the Third Prince¡¯s Palace.¡± *** ¡°¡­ He smelled like death already. It¡¯s been like that since he was young. He brings death to the people around him.¡± What did they mean by that? When I visited Cassion¡¯s palace to tell him the situation related to the twilight mansion, I was surprised by something I accidentally heard from the hallway. ¡°On the day the Third Prince was born, hundreds died of the plague. Do you know that?¡± It was something that everyone knew that the birth of the Third Prince from the dethroned Queen was followed by disaster. ¡°Do you know that those who had a relationship with the Third Prince died mysteriously?¡± Did they? I didn¡¯t know about that either. ¡°But he survived alone and stayed in a luxurious palace to save his own life.¡± They got it wrong. Saying that Cassion lived in a luxurious palace, they wouldn¡¯t say it if they saw the palace with their own eyes. ¡®It was just a bunch of blind people.¡¯ Who? Who came to Cassion¡¯s palace and made him suffer? If it was an adult woman, Julia was the only one that came into my mind. But around this time, Julia wasn¡¯t supposed to be interested in Cassion. For Julia, Cassion was like a weed on the side of the road. Someone who didn¡¯t even need to pay attention to. ¡®But that voice is Julia.¡¯ I crept toward the door, wondering who it could be. And I looked inside through the slightly open door. The back of a woman accompanied by a maid was seen. A hairstyle that was flamboyant! ¡®It¡¯s really Julia! Why are you here all of a sudden?¡¯ In front of her, Cassion was shaking. He endured Julia¡¯s harsh words with a face that seemed like he could die any moment. ¡°I heard a cute lady come by. Do you intend to kill the lady of Irenberg¡¯s bright future?¡± CH 18.1 ¡®What? Is she talking about me? How did Julia know that I came to the palace?¡¯ Who told her? I thought I¡¯d get caught someday, but it was too fast. I didn¡¯t get to prepare for it. I could hear the sound of my chance to spend time with Cassion crumbled in my head. I gripped the doorknob tightly. Should I leave, or should I just come in? It was like I was confirming her suspicion that I had been visiting Cassion¡¯s palace if I went in. If I did that, my range of movement would definitely become tight. But what if I didn¡¯t step up and just left? Cassion had to endure Julia¡¯s harsh words alone. ¡®He must be sad. He might get hurt.¡¯ I could no longer leave him alone being lashed with Julia¡¯s harsh words. ¡®My purpose is important, but I¡¯m not running away from someone in trouble.¡¯ That¡¯s what I learned from my parents. The problem that would occur later could be solved calmly. ¡°Leave the cute lady alone. Don¡¯t be such a meanie.¡± Julia pushed Cassion without giving him time to answer. You were the one who was being mean, not Cassion! I couldn¡¯t listen to it anymore. I made up my mind and opened the door. *** In the past, Julia was indifferent toward Cassion all the time. If anyone was in the same situation as Cassion, they could end up with depression. Julia did it on purpose. And Julia¡¯s prediction was somewhat correct. As she wished, Cassion withered due to being neglected. But there was a variable. A person who paid attention to him appeared. She didn¡¯t see the one who helped him in person, but she could tell when she saw the palace. It wasn¡¯t that significant, but the evidence was Cassion¡¯s dry lips became softer, the room had better lighting due to the pulled curtains, and the debris was missing. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, don¡¯t ruin the lady¡¯s bright future¨C¡± ¡°Your Highness, Cassion!¡± A voice rang, cutting Julia off. Golden hair fluttered past Julia¡¯s side. The girl who suddenly came out of nowhere hugged the trembling Cassion. ¡°Who are you?!¡± Julia didn¡¯t like how this little girl came into the palace offhandedly and the fact that she ignored her and acted as if there were only Cassion in this room. Julia shouted, and the girl turned around. Julia¡¯s eyes got bigger. Soon, her eyes widened. Julia quickly realized who the girl was. ¡°Irenberg.¡± Anyone who knew the Duke of Irenberg and his wife would immediately recognize the young Princess of Irenberg as she looked like the late Duke Irenberg. Diana put Cassion behind her as Julia murmured her name. Diana turned around and stood in front of Cassion like she was protecting him. Diana put her hand on her chest and lowered her knee deeply. ¡°Greetings to Your Majesty Queen Julia. It is my honor; I am Diana Viola Irenberg.¡± Julia replied in response to her greeting. Then she waited for Diana¡¯s following words with her eyes squinted. Most people knew that Cassion was an abandoned prince, but they didn¡¯t know much about Julia¡¯s true behavior. To be exact, no one had ever seen Julia¡¯s evil deeds. There was no evidence. It was because Julia tried to maintain the appearance of a good Queen externally to make Dyson the King. If her reputation fell, it wouldn¡¯t do anything good for Dyson.¡± ¡®The timing is not good.¡¯ Julia was worried if Diana had heard what she had just said to Cassion. ¡°I heard that you favor His Highness Cassion. Are you here to talk to him despite your busy schedule?¡± However, Diana¡¯s attitude toward Julia was polite, which dismissed her worries. ¡®I guess she didn¡¯t hear what I said.¡¯ If Diana had heard her screaming violently, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to say that she ¡®favored¡¯ Cassion. Julia looked at Diana. She was smiling brightly like a child. But why did she secretly go in and out of the Third Prince¡¯s palaces? At the same time as Julia wondered how pathetic Count Corcos was for struggling in controlling such a small child who was barely his chest tall. Julia smiled and replied affectionately. ¡°That¡¯s right. Miss Diana. I stopped by to see if he would be lonely by himself. We were just talking about something funny.¡± ¡°Oh! What kind of funny story was it? No, wait. Don¡¯t tell me yet!¡± Julia tried to make something up roughly, but Diana raised her hand and stopped her. Julia felt a little offended by Diana¡¯s rude behavior. Therefore, she was going to scold her. Diana, who had a big smile on her pretty doll-like face, said. ¡°I want to guess. Would it be okay, Your Majesty?¡± ¡®I couldn¡¯t tell if she was just being polite or not.¡¯ Julia decided to observe Diana, who was unpredictable, a little longer. ¡°Hmm, what could be the funny story¡­.¡± The girl murmured, palming her forehead as if she were really trying to find out the answer. Then, as if she had an idea of what it was, she clapped her hands and said. ¡°Ah! Was it about curses?¡± That shocked her. Julia¡¯s left eyebrow went up. Diana continued without giving Julia time to answer. ¡°There is one story about it, right? The story about a cursed doll! The people around him said a lot of stuff to the main character. Something like I¡¯ll die if I stay with you; we all are!¡± Diana opened her eyes and screamed like a storyteller. Julia overlapped herself in Diana¡¯s appearance. The image of herself screaming at Cassion. ¡®Did she hear?¡¯ CH 18.2 At first glance, Diana¡¯s face seemed to show a faint, scornful look. There was no way a 13-year-old girl would make such a face in front of herself, a Queen. Then, Julia¡¯s doubt deepened whether the little lady of Irenberg overheard what she said and deliberately brought up a story about a cursed doll. ¡°¡­Did I get it wrong? I had a lot of fun when the maid told me about the cursed doll.¡± Diana became sullen like an ordinary girl of her age. Then Cassion, who was behind Diana, said quietly. ¡°¡­What¡¯s so funny about curses?¡± Hearing his weak voice, Diana could only imagine how exhausted Cassion was. ¡®Julia is one problem, but I should help His Highness Cassion first.¡¯ Diana turned around and held Cassion¡¯s hand. His eyes were watery and red. His lips that he bit to stop himself from crying were also red. ¡®His whole face is all red.¡¯ Diana concealed her pitiful gaze and made her voice brighter. ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny? It¡¯s all lies, yet there are a lot of people who believe it. I think people who believe in such lies are all fools. Also, do you know the end of the story, Your highness?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Diana peeked at Julia. The Queen was paying little interest to whether she could hear the conversation between the little lady of Irenberg and Cassion or not. Diana, who thought it was good, toned down her voice and whispered. ¡°Everyone is dead.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°People who accused the main character of being a cursed doll are all dead.¡± Diana¡¯s eyes glowed. Cassion sensitively noticed where this was heading. The cursed doll was Cassion, and Julia would end up dying for accusing him of being a cursed doll. Instead of feeling thankful for what Diana was implying, Cassion was a little scared. Cassion knew Julia¡¯s wickedness better than anyone else. When Violeta was alive, Julia periodically sent strange gifts to intimidate her. In addition, she sent harmonious portraits of Julia, Dyson, and King Carmine. What if Julia heard what Diana just said? Julia wasn¡¯t an idiot enough to not understand Diana¡¯s sarcasm, and if she listened to what Diana whispered to him, Julia would make her suffer so much. Cassion felt a greater fear than when Julia cursed at him. Cassion grabbed Diana¡¯s sleeve and tried to pull her behind his back. But Diana didn¡¯t budge. Cassion glanced over Diana¡¯s shoulder. Julia was looking elsewhere. Either she didn¡¯t hear it, or she just fell deep into her thoughts. Cassion pressed Diana¡¯s palm hard with his fingernails. When Diana¡¯s gaze met his, Cassion mumbled. ¡°Stop it.¡± Diana, who understood Cassion¡¯s friendly warning, nodded. Cassion had calmed down, so all she had to do was send Julia out. Diana turned around. ¡°Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yes, you may speak.¡± Julia¡¯s focus was back on Diana. ¡°Will you tell me the funny story later?¡± Julia raised the corners of her mouth. She was surprised by the sudden appearance of Diana, but she was still trying to find out what Diana was up to. She could do a background investigation, but it was easier to find out by meeting her in person. Diana gave her the excuse to meet her again, so Julia had no reason to refuse. ¡®Why does she come to the Third Prince¡¯s palace secretly and doesn¡¯t want to get caught on top of that. I need to know why.¡¯ She could just ban her from coming right away, but what if, by any chance, there was someone else behind Diana who was planning to after the Irenberg family? It was unbelievable that a 13-year-old child could secretly enter and leave the palace; therefore, Julia¡¯s thoughts were naturally full of the possibility of someone helping her. Julia asked in a gentle voice. ¡°What do you want to hear?¡± ¡°So many things.¡± Diana moved her shoulders lightly as if the story was nothing important. But soon after, the words from her mouth were not light at all. ¡°It¡¯s not much. Oh! It could be important for Your Majesty. I have a lot of questions for you and Prince Dyson.¡± Julia¡¯s eyebrows went up. Her attitude of speaking informally was very suspicious. But Julia didn¡¯t seem to hate it. Looking at the way she smiled and spoke softly, Diana looked like a child, but on the other hand, she didn¡¯t seem to fit someone who was only 13 years old! Diana was 13 years old, but what she did was so clever that she resembled her father. Julia replied as she held back her desire to scratch off Diana¡¯s bright smile from her face. ¡°That would be a fascinating talk. Come to the royal palace later, Miss Diana. Also, it¡¯s something that your father said often¡­¡± Julia reached out her hand. She grabbed Diana¡¯s small shoulder and lowered her head. Feeling pressured, Diana tried to toughen up, but it was futile. The strong scent of lily stings her nose. Julia, who pressed down Diana with a subtle force, said with a smile on her lips. ¡°Pay attention to your surroundings, Miss Diana. You have no one to hold onto and teach you that you take the wrong way, so I think you should be careful of yourself.¡± CH 19.1 Julia, who thought Diana would have understood what she was implying at this point, patted Diana¡¯s shoulder with her hand. But Diana wasn¡¯t discouraged at all. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about that. My eyesight is amazing.¡± The Queen thought she would stop this mind game because there was nothing good about getting on her nerves any more than this, but Diana had no intention of doing so yet. The girl remained in the room, ignoring the pressure to leave. Not only that, but she approached Cassion and asked, treating Julia like she wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Your Highness, have you ever heard about this?¡± ¡°About what?¡± Cassion tilted his head when Diana talked to him all of a sudden. ¡°Phoenix Bank!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Cassion¡¯s forehead wrinkled as the ensuing topic came out of nowhere. Diana raised her voice deliberately to let Julia hear what she was saying. ¡°Phoenix Bank is going crazy!¡± ¡°Why are you telling me that?¡± ¡®Uh, just listen to it quietly.¡¯ Diana talked while looking at Cassion, but what she said was actually directed at Julia. Phoenix Bank was a hot topic that Julia couldn¡¯t ignore. Because Phoenix Bank had some kind of relationship with Julia. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sure enough, Julia approached Diana with a gloomy face and asked her. Diana muttered while making up an expression like she just had a slip of the tongue. ¡°Oh, but I shouldn¡¯t tell you this.¡± ¡°Miss Diana. I¡¯m the Queen of this kingdom. There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t tell me. Go ahead and tell me.¡± Julia coaxed Diana. She expected Diana to be well-informed even as a child because she was from the Irenberg family. ¡°Then I will only tell Her Majesty. I¡¯m telling you this in secret.¡± The way she winked and talked returned to how a child at her age spoke again. Julia thought today Diana kept changing a lot. ¡°Phoenix Bank is going bankrupt soon. There¡¯s a line of people seeking to withdraw their deposits.¡± Julia¡¯s smiling lips trembled. Julia clenched her skirt tightly. ¡°I notice Miss Diana knows a lot of things. Where did you hear about that? When did that happen? I think we¡¯d better talk about the rest of the story later. I will be on my way.¡± Julia, who pretended to be surprised by the time, stood up and turned her back. Meanwhile, Diana, who noticed that she was pretending, could hear Julia running as soon as she closed the door. ****** ¡°Haa, you, really!¡± As soon as Julia left, Cassion stumbled. He sighed deeply as he grabbed onto his desk. I managed to send Julia out without much dispute. I reached out to help Cassion, who was relieved that the tension was over. But his thin arm came up and pushed me away. ¡®What a feisty cat.¡¯ I understood how surprised he must have been because of Julia. Even adults would feel numb if Julia was looking at them with a bitter gaze. I was proud that Cassion, who had a weak body, didn¡¯t faint in front of her. ¡°Please sit down¡­ No, please lie down, Your Highness.¡± Cassion breathed heavily and followed my suggestion. I tried to help, but he pushed me away again. I got turned down twice! I got pride, too! ¡­But I didn¡¯t have the heart to argue with a sick person. Moreover, there was no cat with drooping shoulders. Also, the back of his head was round and cute. I didn¡¯t know if it was because I had grown attached to him for the last few days, but I thought his feisty attitude was cute. Despite Cassion¡¯s rejection, I helped him to the end anyway. He didn¡¯t push my hand on my third attempt. With my help, Cassion lay on his bed and closed his eyes. ¡°Your Highness, did I surprise you?¡± ¡°Of course I did. Are you not?¡± Well, I was surprised to hear Julia¡¯s voice in the hallway, but what about Cassion, who had to listen to Julia cursing at him? Still, I was glad she left quietly. I thought she would persistently ask me why I came to the Third Prince¡¯s Palace and what I knew about Phoenix Bank. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I brought Phoenix Bank up.¡¯ Julia, who was agitated when she heard that there was a problem with Phoenix Bank, came to my mind. It was a pity that I didn¡¯t get to hit her harder, but it was the best I could do now. ¡®If Phoenix Bank collapses, Julia will receive the damage too.¡¯ Let¡¯s focus on that. Phoenix Bank was the place where Julia managed her slush funds. And Pheonix Bank held the twilight mansion as collateral. Julia, the twilight mansion, Phoenix Bank. There was definitely something fishy about their connection. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± When I didn¡¯t say anything, Cassion asked grumpily. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m thinking of planting a person in the Queen¡¯s palace. If you know before she comes here, Your Highness can hide, right? I want to pay her back for making a fuss, but I don¡¯t have the strength yet.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Cassion narrowed his forehead as if he was offended when I said that he should hide. ¡°Let¡¯s think of her as a fly, Your Highness. Though it is fun to see and it doesn¡¯t bite, it is better just to avoid it.¡± To be honest, it wasn¡¯t the right example. Instead of fruit flies, Julia was more like a poisonous insect. I should correct it. ¡°I don¡¯t care about Julia.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry with Her Majesty?¡± Cassion kicked its tongue. His eyes could bore a hole in my face. His eyes were so annoying. I wanted to tell him that, but I chose to keep it myself. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t because of Her Majesty, then why are you upset, Your Highness?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Cassion had been talking back really well earlier, but now he was hesitating. I couldn¡¯t even hear his voice well because it was so small. CH 19.2 ¡°Yes? What did you say?¡± ¡°You! You have to be careful of Julia!¡± Cassion groaned. Soon after, a slight cough spilled out of his mouth. He covered his mouth with his hands and coughed for a while before hiding himself under the blanket. I scattered the dusty clouds caused by Cassion and looked at the bundle under the blanket. ¡°Be careful of Julia? Aren¡¯t you the one who is supposed to be careful of her instead of me¡­¡± His face heated up after he reflected on his own words. So, right now, he was¡­. ¡°Are you worried, Your Highness? Just now, you were worried about me, right? Right?¡± A big smile didn¡¯t leave my face. ¡°Don¡¯t laugh, Diana.¡± ¡°How can I not laugh? Your Highness is worried about me!¡± Cassion opened his eyes wide. I tried not to laugh as much as possible, but the corners of my mouth naturally twitched. Then Cassion said in a really unpleasant way. ¡°Is it that funny that I¡¯m worried about you? Is it funny that I, who is weak, worried about you, who looks healthy as a cow?¡± When I heard that, I stopped laughing. The room became silent like someone poured a bucket of cold water over me. I just blinked as Cassion was huffing. Cassion misunderstood the meaning of my laughter. However, the misunderstanding was so profound that it was difficult for me to clear. ¡®He was sick for a long time, and people around him were slandering him.¡¯ But we¡¯ve become quite close these days, so I thought it was okay, but it turned out that it wasn¡¯t. He still didn¡¯t trust people. ¡®Because Cassion is just a child.¡¯ I understood and started talking. ¡°Please listen carefully, Your Highness.¡± ¡°What?¡± When I relaxed my face and spoke kindly, he sat up and leaned against the bedhead. His expression and tone said he didn¡¯t want to hear what I said, but his behavior spoke otherwise. His personality gap was so cute that my hand moved automatically. My finger gently touched past Cassion¡¯s bangs. Cassion couldn¡¯t dodge quickly. He blushed, but he didn¡¯t get angry and sulked. ¡®I need to fix his habit.¡¯ I reached out my hand out of habit when I saw something cure. I clenched my hand and continued. ¡°Your Highness, the reason why I laughed was¡­ I am glad Your Highness worried about me.¡± Cassion showed a face like he didn¡¯t understand what I was talking about. ¡®We speak the same language, but it feels like I¡¯m talking to a foreigner.¡¯ I tried to be patient and explained it slowly. ¡°Your Highness Cassion, please think about the first time Your Highness met me. You didn¡¯t even bother to look at me, right?¡± ¡°I did because you were a rude and arrogant person who was full of confidence.¡± So that was how you saw me. I tried to hold back my urge to yell and said. ¡°Yes, you can think of me like that. And what did you say when I asked for your help? You said that you didn¡¯t care if I died or not. You didn¡¯t want to marry me because you didn¡¯t really care¡­¡± As I rambled, Cassion straightened his back. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about dying.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t my story predictable enough? I am fighting for family succession after all.¡± I held my breath for a moment. Cassion waited for me to continue. ¡°You know that my family is not an ordinary family, right?¡± I didn¡¯t have to say this with my own mouth. When I snickered, Cassion lowered his head. I guess mentioning my death made him finally realize. He himself did mention how easy it was to die. ¡°Tell me your point.¡± ¡°When I fight for succession, it¡¯s no different from fighting for the throne. We are similar. It is mentioned a lot in history books, right? What do people do to become a King? People fight to the death. Please don¡¯t tell me that you thought that I only have to debate over whether I deserve the position or not.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Everyone who had studied history even a little bit would know¡ªthe end of a desperate fight for a throne. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s the easiest way for Count Corcos to take over the Irenberg family?¡± It was a question, but I didn¡¯t need to hear Cassion¡¯s answer. Cassion closed his mouth. ¡°He just has to kill me.¡± There were many alternative words such as ¡®banish me,¡¯ ¡®get rid of me,¡¯ and so on, but I told him brusquely because he could relate to it more easily. ¡°You can just live, can¡¯t you? If you give it up.¡± How naive. ¡°If there was any chance for me to do so, would I have come to Your Highness?¡± Count Corcos was going to sell me off to Dyson to take over the family and eventually framed me to death. Cassion¡¯s face got darker and darker. He finally realized the weight of my proposal. Cassion, who wrapped himself tightly in his blanket, started to hesitate. I guess he just realized that my situation was more serious than he thought. ¡°Should I have appealed for sympathy from the beginning? Like If I don¡¯t marry you, I¡¯ll die?¡¯ I shook my head so that Cassion could not see through my thoughts. If I suddenly told him about my situation as soon as I met him, I wouldn¡¯t get to have a friendly relationship like this with him. Instead, I would get something like ¡®I didn¡¯t care if you die¡¯ in return. ¡°So what will happen?¡± Cassion asked. What were we talking about? Oh! Laughter! I laughed because I was happy that he was worried about me, but he misunderstood me. ¡°As you know, I don¡¯t have parents.¡± ¡­. Uh, I thought I was about to cry. No matter how adult I was, it was difficult to bring up the story of my late parents. ¡°So no one really cares about me.¡± Aunt Zoe or Janice came to my mind, but they couldn¡¯t fully sympathize with my sadness and pain because the situation and environment they grew up in were clearly different from mine. And they were adults. If I expressed my difficulty, they would try to help me deal with it, but they couldn¡¯t empathize with me. However, Cassion was different. His political opponents have oppressed him. I knew the fears when adults with power pointed their blades to attack you. To a child like me, on top of that. ¡°Yet Your Highness said he was sincerely worried about me.¡± That was pure happiness for me. CH 20.1 I didn¡¯t even know how desperate I was because I was busy running toward my goal after returning to the past, but when I realized it, I was out of breath, and I guess I needed someone to comfort me. I looked at Cassion quietly and reached out my hand. ¡®Your Highness, please accept my hand.¡¯ Cassion¡¯s hand that was quietly placed on the blanket flinched. ¡®Your Highness, it¡¯s time to be more courageous.¡¯ I swallowed the words that could have burdened him and stretched my hand forward a little more. Cassion turned his head away. However, unlike his head, Cassion¡¯s hand reached toward me. Cassion¡¯s hand almost missed mine. ¡°Please hold it properly.¡± However, it was too much to ask for more from the shy Prince. I grabbed Cassion¡¯s hand without having the intention to let it go. It was the back of his rough hand. Cassion, who wasn¡¯t familiar with having skin contact with others, trembled when he reached out his rough hand. I opened my mouth, pretending not to notice at all. ¡°Your Highness, thank you.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°For worrying about me.¡± ¡°I can only worry about you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more than enough.¡± You had already given me a big gift in your previous life, so you just had to receive the gift I gave you in this life. Cassion¡¯s head slowly returned to my direction. When he made eye contact with me, he didn¡¯t blink. His golden eyes had changed significantly from before. They were a pair of determined eyes containing a will to live. ¡°Are you sure?¡± He asked. He sure needed a lot of encouragement. ¡°Which one? About whether I have a lot of money? Or taking your revenge when we get married?¡± This time, Cassion sighed. ¡°The end of the people who pointed their fingers at the cursed doll.¡± Cassion wasn¡¯t only an innocent child, so he should have known that I made it up, yet he asked about it again. ¡°If you¡¯re not sure, I can make you believe it.¡± He could just ask me to prove it. ¡°You?¡± ¡°If Your Highness wants it, we could do it together.¡± The corners of Cassion¡¯s mouth went up. At that moment, the image of the grown-up Cassion overlapped with the one in front of me. The elegant appearance of a healthy grown-up man and the pressuring vibe as if everyone were under his feet. ¡°Your Highness¡­¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± He gave strength to the hands I held together. ¡°Let¡¯s do it. Let¡¯s get married.¡± He finally plucked up his courage. **** ¡°Really? You are going to marry me?¡± Diana¡¯s large and clear eyes were colored with joy. Her eyes, which looked like a deep forest under dark clouds, turned into a clear meadow with the smell of bushes after rain. At that moment, Cassion¡¯s heart fluttered and pulled out his hand. Diana, who held his hand again as if saying, ¡®Why did you pull your hands?¡¯, seemed to not even know the reason why he pulled out his hand out of hers. ¡®She is really blunt. Is it that good to marry me?¡¯ Cassion felt awkward and rubbed under his nose. ¡°Could you say it again, Your Highness?¡± Diana grabbed Cassion¡¯s collar and shook him. Cassion silently looked at the hands that he thought of how to get rid of them in the past. It didn¡¯t feel that bad to have a pair of white and delicate hands to hold and shake his clothes like that. ¡°What? Say what again?¡± ¡°What you just said to me.¡± What did she want to hear so much when all he said was just he agreed to marry her, not that he was interested in her nor that they could live together right away? ¡®Well, I can be a little generous.¡¯ As gratitude for embarrassing Julia and kicking her out, Cassion said again with more emphasis. ¡°Let¡¯s get married, Diana Viola Irenberg.¡± Diana¡¯s mouth opened. She blinked as if she didn¡¯t understand what she had just heard. ¡°Why? Why do you want to marry me?¡± Out of all possible replies, she gave an unexpected question. Diana kept asking Cassion to marry her, yet, when he asked her the same thing, she wanted him to give her his reason? ¡°Please tell me, Your Highness. You must have a reason to marry me.¡± There were many reasons. After meeting Diana, he fell asleep every night and reflected on her proposal. If he married her, he could get his revenge. It was his biggest perk of marrying her. ¡®She is also capable of turning the beggarly Third Prince¡¯s Palace into a place where people could live.¡¯ Diana said she had a lot of money, so his life would definitely be prosperous. ¡®She also healed my illness.¡¯ Cassion didn¡¯t know what magic she did, but after taking the medicine that a man with sky-blue hair brought with him last time, he could move more easily. The pain that kept coming all the time disappeared when he took the medicine, making it easier for him to live the day. That alone made Cassion feel like he could do anything. He had a lot of reasons. However, there was something else why he decided to accept her proposal. CH 20.2 ¡°Your Highness, tell me. Is it because I have a lot of money?¡± Cassion frowned. ¡°Is it because you think I would be good at fighting Julia?¡± That definitely wasn¡¯t the one either. Cassion shook his head. ¡°Because I¡¯m the sole heiress of the Irenberg family?¡± If that was the reason, even if Irenberg¡¯s heiress was someone else, would Cassion have accepted marriage if she made the same offer? ¡°No. It¡¯s not because you are Ireberg¡¯s heiress.¡± ¡°Then, because I am pretty?¡± The last one was just her prank. However, Cassion¡¯s face flushed red. ¡°T-T-That¡¯s not it!¡± Cassion stuttered and got tense. ¡°Why are you so angry? I was joking. That aside, Your Highness, do you have a fever? How is your condition? No, forget it. I will stop talking because you¡¯re not listening anyway.¡± Diana tried to make Cassion lie down on his bed after telling him that she was joking. Cassion tried to resist, but he couldn¡¯t beat Diana, who was older, taller, and stronger than him. In the end, Cassion had to lie on his bed and cover his body with a blanket up to the end of his neck even though he was in much better condition than before. Diana patted Cassion¡¯s tummy. Diana treated Cassion like a child too much even though they were only two years apart. She was a kid too. Was it because Diana¡¯s touch was soft? Cassion was getting sleepy. ¡°Thank you for accepting my proposal.¡± ¡°The reason why I want to marry you is¡­..¡± Cassion mumbled because he thought he had to answer her question, but Diana stopped him from talking. ¡°I know everything. I will take care of everything. Please trust me. I will buy you the twilight mansion! I will help you with your revenge too! And I am going to give you the throne too!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­.¡± ¡°You will get busy doing this and that. I was planning to give you the twilight mansion as a dowry, but I will give you that as a wedding present instead! Your Highness, I will leave now. Please get some rest!¡± ¡°Diana, I am not done¡­.¡± Even before finishing speaking, Diana disappeared like a breeze. Cassion burst into laughter as he sat in a devastated state. He felt way better than when Julia came to him and made him feel bad about himself without realizing it. Cassion asked himself about the answer he didn¡¯t get to say and closed his eyes. A smirking smile decorated his face. **** During the same time when Cassion dramatically accepted Diana¡¯s proposal, ¡°Phoenix Bank went bankrupt?!¡± Julia picked up anything she had around her and threw it at Anderson. The first and second things she threw were cushions, but the third was a vase. The vase hit Anderson¡¯s stomach, and it fell on the floor and broke. Anderson thought he was lucky that he didn¡¯t get hit on the head. ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°Is that even important? Is it true or not that Phoenix Bank is about to go bankrupt?¡± Julia came close to Anderson. Anderson stopped breathing in the deep scent of lily that came from her. ¡°It¡¯s not true. Many people are looking to draw their deposits, but we will take measures to prevent that from happening.¡± Julia huffed over the desk. She thought Diana was only making it up when she brought up Phoenix Bank. Julia was angry because she didn¡¯t know Diana knew such a rumor. ¡°Anderson! I told you to tell me anything about Phoenix Bank.¡± For a moment, Julia pressed down her anger. She had to relieve her irritation by meeting the person in charge later. Anderson was a necessary person for Julia, so she couldn¡¯t vent her anger on him. ¡°My apologies, Your Majesty.¡± Julia swallowed her words and sat on the sofa with a huff. When Anderson beckoned as the maids approached Julia one after another. The maids took off her shoes and massaged her feet continuously. Julia closed her eyes. She was deep in thought. A little girl of the Irenberg family. Why did she meet Cassion secretly? As expected, someone must be behind her. How did she come in and out? Did she have a planted servant inside the royal palace to help her? Julia knew she had a hidden purpose sneaking in and out of the royal palace, but if it was for Cassion, she didn¡¯t think he could gain the Irenberg family any benefit. ¡°I will look into the matter about Phoenix Bank.¡± Anderson said. ¡°No, I need you to do something before that.¡± Anderson bowed his head. When Julia beckoned at the maids, they went out. Julia only started talking when the maids left the room. ¡°Diana from the Irenberg family. Find out about that child. Oh, and how the child entered the palace.¡± A cold smile appeared on Julia¡¯s face as she ordered Anderson to do a background check. ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of her door as soon as possible.¡± Whether the door was a real door or a person. **** As soon as I listened to Cassion¡¯s proposal, I returned home. There was something I wanted to solve before marrying him. ¡°Did you just return from somewhere?¡± When I opened the library door, I smelled a familiar cigarette scent. Red hair fluttered in the wind. Zoe waved at me. How could she smoke cigarettes in a study used by her niece, who wasn¡¯t even an adult? When I looked at Zoe with a dissatisfied look, she pointed to the window behind her back. ¡°I left the window open.¡± ¡°I am sure you just forget to close the window after coming in.¡± ¡°You got me.¡± Zoe laughed loudly, and I lost what to say. Not only me, but Rupert also came in and out of this room. And later, Cassion would also use this room. It was better to break her habit of smoking cigarettes without minding the place. Well, we could talk about that later. Now, we should start talking about business. ¡°What happened to the Phoenix Bank case?¡± CH 21.1 I asked Zoe about the progress of the work I had entrusted to her. ¡°I did what you told me to do. The situation is getting crazy.¡± ¡°I told you it would work out as I said.¡± ¡°That aside, you seemed happy. Did something happen?¡± Perhaps because we shared the same blood, Zoe noticed my mood more quickly than others. ¡°I will tell you later.¡± I wanted to brag to everyone that Cassion had accepted my proposal, but it wasn¡¯t the right time yet. The announcement would be made when no one could even disapprove. The power of words was incredible. Even if I was being careful, it could leak from somewhere. So to keep this secret hidden, it was only right not to tell anyone no matter how close we were. ¡®If Count Corcos and Julia turned out to know each other, it would be a disaster if they heard about it before the marriage was confirmed.¡¯ Cassion wouldn¡¯t change his mind once he had made up his mind. But there was one variable; King Carmine. ¡®Will he give us permission to get married?¡¯ ¡°What are you thinking so hard about? You scare me when you think hard like that.¡± ¡°About sitting on a money cushion?¡± ¡°You kids talk about a lot of weird things.¡± I wondered if she thought I was worried about making money whenever I thought deeply. She hasn¡¯t requested a lot lately. Zoe smiled bitterly and messed my hair. ¡°You keep making me do things that a normal kid would think of.¡± She did say that she was worried that I would be in danger. ¡°You¡¯re lying because you like to make money.¡± I deliberately joked and lightened the atmosphere in case her concern moved me. ¡°Sure, that would do. So, how are you going to make me money this time?¡± Zoe lightly responded to me with a couple more light jokes that went back and forth. ¡°You planted people in Phoenix Bank, right?¡± I started diving into the serious talk. ¡°Of course. But how did you know that Julia was doing a back-door deal with Phoenix Bank? It was top-secret information, though.¡± It hurt her pride that I found out about the relationship between Julia and Phoenix Bank before her. When Zoe came back to me to give me the first report of Phoenix Bank, I asked her to focus on the relationship between Phoenix Bank and Julia. Shortly after, Zoe found circumstantial evidence that Julia and the president of Phoenix Bank had been exchanging jewelry and buildings for some time. ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°Oh, that.¡± I answered back insignificantly. If she made a fuss about it, I would say it wasn¡¯t a big deal. I learned about the relationship between Phoenix Bank and Julia thanks to my previous life experience. Julia had me run many errands in the past. I remembered how she used me like a marionette doll that she could control however she liked. One day, Julia visited me urgently. I had to meet someone in a hurry, but I didn¡¯t have time, so she only told me to meet him and give something to him. She told me just to be quiet and don¡¯t ever talk to him. Then, he would recognize me and take the goods. I ran the errand without much thought. It was the person from Phoenix Bank who came to me back then. I didn¡¯t remember the face, but I could clearly remember the Phoenix Bank badge attached to his collar. I added the information to Zoe when I remembered about it. Then she found the strand between Julia and Phoenix Bank. ¡°You said it was strange that the late Queen was in debt.¡± ¡°I did.¡± ¡°Auntie, you dug it up, and you said that Her Majesty had never met anyone related to the bank.¡± Zoe nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I am thinking about something.¡± I played with the pen on my desk. ¡°It¡¯s time for a new person to step in.¡± ¡°You¡¯re frustrating me, so just hurry up and tell me. Don¡¯t you know that time is money?¡± Zoe was impatient. Her curiosity was aroused. ¡°Okay, auntie. I had never heard that the late Queen was struggling with debts when she was alive.¡± ¡°But you were so young.¡± ¡°There was no record as well, huh? Even a third-class coachman wouldn¡¯t miss people¡¯s eyes, but there is really nothing.¡± ¡°It is hidden well.¡± ¡°Just how far could they hide it? Even the record that the late Queen went to the twilight mansion existed, and there were dozens of surveillance knights around her under the guise of escort.¡± Zoe rubbed her chin. She was trying to figure out Diana¡¯s hypothesis. Then she hit her palm, indicating that she had something in mind. ¡°Could it be that the debts were created after her death? So that was what you¡¯re thinking!¡± ¡°Yes! After her death, someone could have impersonated the late Queen and made a loan under her name. And that debt¡­.¡± ¡°It was Phoenix Bank. So, are you suspecting Julia, the current Queen is behind this? ¡°Her Majesty is the one who had a connection to Phoenix Bank, and she actively refused when the twilight mansion was being put up for auction. And one more thing, if people know that the twilight mansion was being auctioned¡­.¡± ¡°The reputation of the previous Queen will fall to the bottom. People will compare, and Julia will get sympathy.¡± I nodded my head. As expected, Zoe was brilliant. It was such a waste for her to just wander for information. CH 21.2 ¡°Hey, watch it. You looked like a hunter waiting for herbivores to get trapped.¡± Zoe¡¯s words were half right and half wrong. I thought about tying Zoe next to me for a while, but I gave up. She wasn¡¯t a herbivore but a carnivore. Zoe as a cute rabbit or deer with big eyes? It didn¡¯t go well with her. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s wrap this up.¡± I clapped my hands as I joked over what Zoe said. She stood up and listened, focused. ¡°People who left their deposits at Phoenix Bank started withdrawing all of their money at once, right?¡± ¡°Of course. My guild offers an interest rate thrice as big. Diana, I wanted to ask you now. Are you really going to give them an interest rate thrice as big as Pheonix Bank¡± ¡°I promised them that, didn¡¯t I?¡± Zoe looked at me with a distrustful look. I found the depositors to shake the Pheonix Bank up. And I sent Zoe¡¯s subordinates to meet them and recommend them to change their Bank in return for three-times higher interest. It was not exactly a bank but a treasury guild. I built one because it was easier to establish a treasury guild than a bank. People wouldn¡¯t believe what Zoe¡¯s subordinates said. Therefore, I paid interest to some people in advance. Among those who received interest, the words about how it was an excellent place to invest and a reliable place spread. Then people came on their own and began to entrust their money to the guild. ¡®It could be considered as fraud.¡¯ However, it was okay since I didn¡¯t intend to cheat them; I would pay all their deposit interest as promised. ¡°Where are you going to get all that money?¡± ¡°Auntie, you still don¡¯t know? I have a lot of money. I¡¯m not saying that I have three times the amount of the principal; all I need is just three times the amount of the interest.¡± Was there anything bigger than an elephant¡¯s booger? Zoe¡¯s opened her mouth wide in shock. To be honest, I couldn¡¯t cover all of the interest with my own money alone, so I decided to use the money my mother left for me. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re 13? I won¡¯t do business with you. You¡¯re too aggressive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. You have to run a business with someone like me. Someone who won¡¯t get hurt even if they fail.¡± When I raised my chin, Zoe laughed. I gave her some time to feel proud of me. ¡°Tell what your plan is.¡± She dragged a chair and sat in front of me. ¡°If the deposits are withdrawn at once, Phoenix Bank will collapse. But there¡¯s no way Julia would leave this matter alone. Especially because it¡¯s related to Phoenix Bank.¡± I think it¡¯s related. The reaction she showed when she brought up Phoenix Bank was evidence. ¡°If she doesn¡¯t do anything, Julia could invest a little in Pheonix Bank anyway.¡± That was just for a cover so that she could at least still receive dividends from the Bank¡¯s profit. She had to make sure that there was a hole to escape legally. ¡°The royal family make investments everywhere. Isn¡¯t that a problem too?¡± ¡°She has investment before becoming a Queen.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even weirder. Didn¡¯t she used to be poor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why the relationship between Julia and the Phoenix Bank president is suspicious.¡± Zoe raised her hands, implying that she would not intervene further. ¡°Phoenix Bank will collapse.¡± ¡°Yes, they will. What about the twilight mansion? Didn¡¯t you do this because of the twilight mansion?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why Phoenix Bank, which holds the twilight mansion as collateral,¡­.¡± I smiled meaningfully. ¡°What? What is it? Tell me.¡± Zoe looked at me anxiously as she was dying to know my answer. ¡°I¡¯m going to buy it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Zoe finally dropped the cigarette she was holding in her hand. After meeting her, I became busier. Since no one could know that the Irenberg family made a move, I had to find someone to meet Phoenix Bank president on my behalf. I searched through my memories in the past and looked for someone who could be my proxy, but I couldn¡¯t think of any suitable person. At times like this, I resented my parents for not introducing me to a trustworthy family. ¡°I need a new person¡­¡± When I made the treasury guild, I immediately gave up on asking for help from Zoe¡¯s subordinates who worked with me. ¡®Zoe¡¯s people are rough with words and actions. I don¡¯t see anyone among them who could take over the Bank.¡¯ If one were rich, what they look like wouldn¡¯t matter, but when they had to pretend they were rich, the most important thing was to look plausible. I didn¡¯t have anyone in mind, and Zoe¡¯s people weren¡¯t an option either. However, giving up was also never an option, ¡°Let¡¯s write down the criteria first.¡± The conditions had to be met by someone who could handle Phoenix Bank on my behalf; I wondered what kind of person it was? CH 22.1 I finished the list of the proxy criteria quickly. First, they had to be rich enough to buy a bank. Second, I could control their movements as I pleased. Third, they wouldn¡¯t betray me until the end. Each condition wasn¡¯t a difficult one, but after combining them all, ¡®This kind of person is like an animal that exists only in legends.¡¯ No matter how much I looked at it, I kept asking myself whether anyone met these criteria. Feeling like a vain adventurer trying to find a legendary unicorn, I crumpled the paper and threw it to the corner. Then, I reconsidered the conditions. It was true that they had to have a lot of money, but would such a wealthy person be willing to move as I directed them to without betraying me? Even if one was solved, the other two conditions were also a problem. ¡®No, even so, I can¡¯t give up. Let¡¯s think about it carefully.¡¯ I picked up the crumpled paper, spread it out, and stared at it. The first condition is, who is rich enough to buy a bank? ¡®There aren¡¯t that many people with these criteria. Then how about someone who has power instead of money?¡¯ Buying a bank with money was one way, but we could also press them with power. However, the conditions could be discarded immediately. But, unfortunately, most of the powerful ones were busy sucking up at Julia. ¡®There¡¯s no way they will be on my side.¡¯ ¡°Wait a minute.¡± After looking into the paper for a long time, I noticed the extreme conditions. ¡°I can just buy for the bank, but why do I need someone with so much money?¡± My back that sunk into the back of my chair straightened up. ¡°Even if I miscalculated the criteria, it¡¯s way too off!¡± I brought in a new piece of paper and started writing new conditions. First, the weaknesses¡ªIf it were something related to anything that money could buy, it would be great. Second, they could plausibly act like a rich person. Third, it had to be someone unknown or unrecognizable to others. It wasn¡¯t a problematic condition. However, if I held to their weaknesses, it would be easier to achieve the rest of the condition. ¡°Will they even dare to betray me when I¡¯m holding onto their weaknesses?¡¯ It became easier when they changed their mind. Now that the conditions were completed, I could start looking for someone that met these conditions. That was easy. I was preoccupied with thoughts. Then it came to my mind. I forgot about something! Someone¡¯s name, then followed by a face. And his nickname. ¡°Janice!¡± I asked for Janice as I waved the bell above the desk excitedly. Janice quickly came in. ¡°Miss, did you call me?¡± ¡°Yes, Janice. Call Aunt Zoe right away.¡± ***** ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too mean to your aunt just because you have money?¡± Shortly after coming, Zoe, who had been called back, complained. She was sitting in a poor posture on the sofa, pulled out the cigarette, and asked. ¡°Now I¡¯m considering you as a client, not a niece. You looked like someone with a mission.¡± Before I could say ¡®please sit properly,¡¯ Zoe fixed her sitting posture on her own. She noticed that her serious-looking niece had a severe request. ¡°Why are you so stiff?¡± It was because my request wasn¡¯t easy. The request I was going to make could probably be the first failure for Zoe, who had never failed since she established Journee. ¡®Will she succeed?¡¯ I was still trying to count her chances to succeed. ¡®We also don¡¯t have any talented people to help her work.¡¯ Journee was a new guild. Therefore, there were more passionate people than competent people. Thanks to this, Zoe was super busy. Everyone in the guild relied on Zoe, but there was no one to help her. ¡®It¡¯s been bothering me.¡¯ If she accepted my request, Zoe might be the one at a loss. She could fail to fulfill this task. I glanced at Zoe. When I looked at Zoe, who was sitting leaning her back while staring back at me, I could see the future of Journee, a guild that would dominate the continent as the best information source. ¡®It¡¯s something that¡¯s actually going to happen.¡¯ I decided to bet more on her success in the future than in the present because I believed that Zoe would surely bring Journee to their glory. ¡°Say something. Why are you hesitating?¡± ¡°Can you go to the Fire Prison?¡± ¡°Fire Prison?¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes got sharper. Her eyes were full of doubts. She seemed surprised by the unexpected word that came out of my mouth. Zoe didn¡¯t answer right away. Seeing her didn¡¯t say anything back, the notoriety of Fire Prison came to my mind again. Wasn¡¯t it rumored as a literal hell? ¡°Why do I have to go to the Fire Prison? Fire Prison, nicknamed hell, was where only notorious prisoners on the continent were imprisoned. Fire Prison was where you couldn¡¯t come out once you entered until your sentence was fulfilled. Only those who were sentenced to life imprisonment and death were imprisoned there. ¡ªSerial killers, habitual drunk wagon robbers, those who planned treason, soldiers who fled the battlefield, and criminals who committed crimes that were simply unforgivable. In short, the prison was a place that you could only come out from after being burned to death. For me, here¡­ ¡°There¡¯s someone I wanted to bail.¡± ¡°That person must have been trapped under a big false accusation. You could have just said it.¡± Zoe thought that I was just like my mother, naive and friendly. But, it was time for her to know what I really was. When people were blinded by their love toward their loved ones, they were concerned a lot. However, Zoe forgot that we also shared blood. I shook my head and said. ¡°No, he¡¯s a bad guy.¡± Zoe dropped the cigarette. ¡°What? You want me to get a criminal out of that prison? Why? Is it because that person gets life imprisonment? Are you going to take him out and kill him? Are you going to do the same thing as you did for that young doctor?¡± When one worked in this field, one could see through something with their sharp instinct. I didn¡¯t even know about Zoe. CH 22.2 ¡°Why? What about that person you want to bail?¡± When I didn¡¯t answer, Zoe was being impatient and asked again. I answered briefly. ¡°He¡¯s someone who can help me with my work.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have anyone for that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any. Auntie, you had never shown your face at any functions, right?¡± Zoe hated being in front of people. So as Journee grew, she hired several people to represent her. Even when I tried to meet her myself, she often sent a stand-in to make it more difficult to find her. The only time she appeared in public was on the day I was executed. Zoe wasn¡¯t the best person to represent me to buy a bank. I didn¡¯t think she was the perfect option to act on my behalf in large-scale functions because Journee would definitely grow in the future. Zoe sighed and asked. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Rumdrax.¡± Zoe¡¯s mouth opened wide. No one didn¡¯t know who Rumdrax was. His reputation was well known on the continent. An unprecedented con artist. Roomdrax¡¯s fraud had various techniques and targets. You could talk for three days and nights just to list the incidents he had caused. However, putting him into Fire Prison was a severe punishment. No one even died from Rumdrax¡¯s scam; hence he was the first swindler locked up in the Fire Prison. In addition, unlike other swindlers, Rumdrax turned his back on the wrong people. Although he had problems with his personality, there were also a group of people who supported him in turning his back on bad people. So when Rumdrax was caught, a petition for a reduction was sent to the court. In many ways, Rumdrax was a difficult swindler to catch and a problematic one, too. He was put in prison in the Fire Prison for stealing the painting of King Joseph¡¯s smiling face owned by the royal family. A portrait depicting Naflax Joseph, the founding King of the Joseph Kingdom, laughing comfortably; It was a masterpiece praised for its outstanding portrayal that seemed alive and breathing. It was a painting called a portrait of magic because the portrait looked sad, sharp, and happy at the same time to the audiences depending on the time and angle of view. Naflax¡¯s smiling face painting was the number one treasure of the Joseph Kingdom. The Joseph family portrait had also gained fame as it was exhibited only when VIPs came. Rumdrax stole the painting. To be exact, it was handed over by the royal family of Joseph themselves. King Joseph believed that Rumdrax, who dressed up, was a genius painter and giant art dealer. However, Rumdrax was a scammer, and Naflax¡¯s smiling face painting that he sent back to the Kingdom of Joseph, was an imitation. The Joseph family only noticed that a year after the painting was returned. The forgery was just as plausible as Rumdrax¡¯s acting. ¡®There¡¯s a rumor that Rumdrax copied the painting himself.¡¯ Thus, the scam was added to Rumdrax¡¯s record of crime. It also triggered the hatred of the people of the Joseph Kingdom. As a result, the entire Kingdom launched a massive pursuit to catch Rumdrax. Then, the countries had a good relationship with the Joseph Kingdom, also involved in the pursuit. ¡®That¡¯s how he got caught.¡¯ Continent-wide cooperation. The arrest of Rumdrax has been recorded in history as an important event in which kingdoms, who had only been growling to each other, joined forces. ¡®The scale was big. At that time, we unified with the whole continent that antagonized each other.¡¯ In short, Rumdrax was good at handcrafting, intelligent, good at acting, and had a way to charm people. ¡®He met my conditions.¡¯ The more I thought about it, the more I liked Rumdrax. At first, I changed my mind and decided that I couldn¡¯t do without him. ¡°What are you going to do with that person? Oh, well. That¡¯s none of my business.¡± I looked at Zoe, who spilled out all sorts of thoughts and questions. And Zoe said she didn¡¯t need to know, but I still took my time to explain what I was going to do. Zoe¡¯s expression was dark throughout the explanation. ¡°All I have to do is just trust you and do what you request, right? I warn you. It might create a big problem.¡± In the end, she said that she didn¡¯t want to bother with the reason behind my request. But she was too late to hide how she sounded like she was sulking. Noticing that, I laughed at Zoe¡¯s words. ¡°We are already on the same boat. If you want to get off, let me know, I will let you go. However, I can¡¯t say that the place I dropped you off is a safe land.¡± ¡°You and your intimidating tricks.¡± Zoe kicked her tongue and listened to my explanation. ¡°I¡¯m sure there is no one you want other than a dangerous guy like Rumdrax.¡± ¡°No one. He was too good.¡± There were so many such swindlers. However, they couldn¡¯t deceive the Phoenix Bank president and Julia. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but Julia was a cunning woman. She was evil, on top of that. She had a clear purpose as well. She wasn¡¯t an easy opponent to deceive. I couldn¡¯t cut down a strong tree with a blunt ax. To match Julia, I had to send someone as good as Rumdrax. He had good skill in influencing people, and he was capable of running away on his own if he ever got caught; and above all, he was ambitious. It would be a little tricky, but the only person I knew would satisfy me was Rumdrax. CH 23.1 ¡®If I search through the whole continent, I might find a couple more people. But we don¡¯t have time.¡¯ Just in time when I needed him, Rumdrax was in Fire Prison, making him easier to find. ¡°If I meet Sana after I die, she will go after my head for this.¡± I wondered why Zoe, who didn¡¯t care about whether people were terrible, exemplary, or weird, was reluctant to get Rumdrax for me. It must have been because of her responsibility as an aunt. ¡°Keep it a secret from Mother.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she is watching everything.¡± ¡°Auntie. You have to accept my request. Whether you are doing it as my aunt or as someone working for a guild, please do this one thing.¡± She told me to be good at distinguishing between work and private matters, but the boundary between the two faded as time went by. Zoe sighed and asked while contemplating. ¡°Fire Prison is still too much for me.¡± ¡°My auntie can do it.¡± ¡°If I get caught, you will be in danger, too. As you know, torture in a Fire Prison is not something people could withstand mentally.¡± Zoe said based on the assumption that she might fail. I was worried that if I failed and she was caught, information about me would leak. Being not confident didn¡¯t fit Zoe well. However, it wasn¡¯t like her hesitation was baseless. ¡®It¡¯s because of me. I became her weakness.¡¯ The only niece left by her sister, and her affection naturally grew. ¡°Auntie, I believe you will make it.¡± I said the best thing I could tell. ¡°Where does that groundless confidence come from? I told you not to trust people easily.¡± ¡°My trust in you isn¡¯t groundless.¡± I took out the report I prepared in advance and handed it out to Zoe. It was the data that investigated and recorded the process of how she made Journee and how it grew. I made it in advance to help Zoe write memoirs about Journee in the future. ¡®I wish that day would come.¡¯ I didn¡¯t expect to show it now. ¡°Please read it.¡± When I put out the data in front of Zoe, she reluctantly accepted it. Her eyes moved quickly from side to side. There was one fact that the report showed. ¡ªThat the number of people visiting Journee was increasing significantly. In a way, it may be a small achievement, but the growth was noticeable. ¡°Look, auntie. This is my aunt¡¯s potential.¡± Zoe fixed her eyes on the report I wrote, not responding. Her fingers were trailing through Journee¡¯s growth forecast line. A steeply soaring line from the bottom left to the top right. Her finger touching the end of the line was shaking slightly. ¡°Are you sure this will happen?¡± Of course. Since it was the future I saw, heard, and experienced. I nodded with confidence. ¡°My Journee can stop or start a war?¡± Below the graph, I wrote down what Journee was capable of doing in the future. The sentences took the form of expectations, but these were what Zoe actually did in the past. ¡°You can save thousands of people or kill thousands of people.¡± Zoe raised her eyes and looked at me. ¡°You¡­. Haa, let¡¯s stop talking about this.¡± Zoe sighed deeply. It seemed hard to believe for her. Zoe rubbed her face a few times with her hands. Then, the gaze she directed at the report finally directed at me. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± I suggested it, but I didn¡¯t know Zoe would accept it easily. I thought she would think about it for at least a day or two. ¡°Do it. Let¡¯s see if Fire Prison is worth its name.¡± Zoe¡¯s eyes were burning. The firewood of passion became her fuel. ¡°I¡¯m going to infiltrate to Fire Prison.¡± A few days later, Zoe came up with a plan. It was also a plan for her to infiltrate by herself since there was no one with a talent as good as her in Journee yet. ¡®I need someone to help Zoe as soon as possible.¡¯ I focused on our plan while Zoe solved matters about Journee on her own. ¡°How are you going to sneak in?¡± ¡°What do you mean how? I will just grab some guard, get their clothes, and pretend that I left my stuff behind.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous?¡± ¡°The idea of getting a convict out of Fire Prison itself is dangerous enough.¡± I added after contemplating. ¡°It would be nice if you get some new recruits. Just a weak ago, you recruited a new trainer. If both of you have a similar build, there should be no problem.¡± ¡°Even the eye colors have to be matched.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to find someone who wouldn¡¯t raise doubts.¡± We discussed possible problems that might arise. ¡°I need money.¡± ¡°Funds are essential to work. How much do you need?¡± Zoe put out a paper with the amount written on it. It was quite a large amount of money, but I wondered why she didn¡¯t say anything and handed out the paper instead. ¡°I¡¯m not spending the money carelessly. But, first of all, I have to teleport to the area where the Fire Prison is.¡± Teleport was an essential means of transport connecting major cities. However, it cost a lot of money for each trip; therefore, ordinary people couldn¡¯t afford to use it. ¡°You know I have to write down my identity when I use teleport.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Therefore I¡¯m thinking about what we should do about it. If you don¡¯t use teleport, you will be delayed, and I did tell you that I was in a hurry.¡± A way to teleport without exposing her¡­ There was only one thing that came to my mind. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you. You will go instead of Janice as my maid. After teleporting to the nearest city to the Fire Prison, I¡¯ll stay behind.¡± CH 23.2 Teleport could only be used if we had a legal identity; therefore, my idea made sense. ¡°Will you be okay?¡± Zoe looked hesitant, but we had no better option. ¡°Yes, my body is a little stiff, so I¡¯ll treat myself for a while. There is a good hot spring in the city near the Fire Prison. If we use teleport, you can get to the Fire Prison in two days. And then, what¡¯s next?¡± I didn¡¯t have to ask if Zoe believed in me as much as I believed in her. ¡°Three days. I¡¯ll contact you in three days. After that, if I am about to leave the prison, I will get in touch with you.¡± We put our heads together to minimize the risk. ¡°But Diana.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°Do you really have to do it even though it¡¯s dangerous, huh?¡± She was the head of Journee until just now, but Zoe turned into my aunt again. ¡°Yes. I will do it even if it¡¯s dangerous, but it will be less dangerous because my aunt is with me.¡± Zoe made an ambiguous expression. Looking at her face, which was happy and sad at the same time, my heart fluttered, and I turned my gaze away. ¡°Please listen to my plan if Rumdrax comes out of prison.¡± I would send a lot of food and alcohol to the Fire Prison guards in the name of the Irenberg family. It was nothing new because he often sent encouraging support to the people who worked for state institutions when Father was still alive. ¡®Let¡¯s say I sent it for them because I was visiting a nearby place.¡¯ The Fire Prison guards were suffering from a heavy workload, and they were always on edge as they were guarding high-level offenders. Perhaps that was why they often made mistakes at work; because they were heavy drinkers. I remembered Dyson complaining about it during an internal inspection. ¡°I¡¯m going to send them a drink. I¡¯m sure they will drink it.¡± ¡°I can move after the guards are drunk.¡± ¡°Are you confident you won¡¯t get caught during that three days?¡± ¡°You should just get ready to send them something to drink.¡± She was back with her full of confidence. I took out the money bag from my drawer. ¡°What if he runs away after he gets out?¡± Zoe asked as she put the money inside her pocket. She kept asking me many questions, probably because it was related to me. ¡®I guess this is what happened if you keep tapping a stone.¡¯ Still, it was important to prepare for the worse. I calmly told Zoe what I thought. ¡°If he reads my letter, he will want to meet me.¡± I wrote down many things he might be tempted by in a letter I sent to Rumdrax. ¡®I said I would show him the kingdom¡¯s holy relic.¡¯ The kingdom¡¯s relics, which existed only in legends, were kept in the deepest part of the royal palace. Only the King and Queen could see it, and that was only during a royal wedding. This fact was top secret. All the royal courts knew about the existence of the holy relic, but only the royal family granted when and who could see it. ¡®Is there even a great power hidden in that relic?¡¯ I soon smirked. I don¡¯t know what it was like in the fairy¡¯s era, but the sacred relic that passed down from generation to generation and was worshiped was no more than a symbol. ¡®It¡¯s just a lump of stone. A scrap metal.¡¯ However, for some reason, Rumdrax showed excessive interest in it. Therefore I visited the kingdom several times. In the past, whenever he came to the palace, he dressed up as a different person. When I belatedly found out that Rumdrax had been there, I looked into it, but there were no royal treasures that disappeared from the royal palace. He took risks by coming in and out of the palace, but he didn¡¯t steal anything. ¡®He didn¡¯t steal it.¡¯ I concluded that the object that Rumdrax wanted was a sacred relic located in a place where he could never sneak in. To the royal family, the basis for the inference was that his actions gradually approached the place where the holy relic was located. ¡®He will get killed for that.¡¯ So if he read my letter, Rumdrax would come to see me at least once. ¡®Because he really wants to see the Kingdom¡¯s holy relics.¡¯ I opened the inside of my drawer, looking forward to meeting Roomdrax. When I put my hand into the drawer, I felt the tip of the contract I would deal with Rumdrax. ¡®Please wait for me, Your Highness Cassion. If Rumdrax came to me, I would give you the twilight mansion right away.¡¯ * * * * Rumdrax Valcino was lying on a hard bed. He was killing his time by bopping his feet that he crossed across his knee. It had been a year since he was put in Fire Prison. ¡®Should I go out? I¡¯m tired of this place.¡¯ He endured a lot for a year. And public rage must have calmed down by now. Rumdrax was making a plan in his head and was drawing a map of the prison. He had been locked up for a year, but he still hadn¡¯t completed the map. There were many empty parts on the map in his head. ¡®I need help. Who could help me with that?¡¯ He was trying to think hard, but no one came to his mind. He felt like his life was in vain every time he thought about that. Tuck. Slide. Roomdrax flinched as he heard the footstep stop. The owner of the footsteps was clearly pacing around on purpose. Rumdrax only moved his eyes to check where the sound came from. There was a pebble on the floor. Roomdrax stood up, pretending to stretch his muscle, and approached the window on the floor, where the food came in and out, which was slightly open. There was a pebble in front of it; Rumdrax approached the door and grabbed the pebble. Rumdrax observed it. ¡®Did someone drop it?¡¯ He didn¡¯t think a pebble could roll in accidentally in the first place. There was no way a pebble would randomly roll in Fire Prison. And except when food was given, there was no way for the window to open by itself. ¡®More than anything, this pebble doesn¡¯t come from this area.¡¯ Someone came to roll it in on purpose. Rumdrax was sure. CH 24.1 Rumdrax fiddled with the smooth pebble. A person wanted to contact him, who was detained in prison. ¡®Who?¡¯ Rumdrax did not let his guard down and dropped the small pebble outside. He took a risk because it was late at night, and it wasn¡¯t time for the guard to walk around. It was as Rumdrax expected. There was no sound of a pebble rolling on the floor. ¡®You¡¯ve been waiting for my reaction.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know who it was, but someone outside was waiting for Rumdrax to respond. And not a guard, on top of that. As he said earlier, it wasn¡¯t the time for the guard to walk around, and the guard couldn¡¯t be guarding the floor window of Rumdrax¡¯s cell. Rumdrax crouched down on the floor. Then a letter suddenly came in. ¡°I will come back tomorrow.¡± The unidentified person disappeared after leaving the letter. Rumdrax looked closely at the window to confirm the person¡¯s identity who delivered the letter, but it was meaningless. Rumdrax could only see what was right in front of him through the floor window. Rumdrax touched the letter with his feet. The appearance of the letter was normal. With such a letter in front of him, he thought for a while whether to see if the letter was for him or not. He had a lot of enemies. Some of the enemies did not even want to share the world¡¯s air with. ¡®In one word, they want to kill me.¡¯ There were also people who not only thought of such dangerous thoughts but also tried to execute their plan on him. Several times, assassins hunted Rumdrax and went after him to the prison. Therefore, Rumdrax suspected whether it was another scheme to assassinate him. ¡®No, if that person were an assassin, they would have just killed me just now.¡¯ They could have just killed him when only two of them remained as they had managed to sneak into the Fire Prison with difficulty. Yet, the unidentified person returned in perfect condition for the assassination attempt. ¡®It¡¯s not an assassination attempt.¡¯ If so, there was no need for him to hesitate to open the letter. Rumdrax opened the letter. ¡®Uh¡­ I can¡¯t see anything!¡¯ Fire Prison during the night was so dark as moonlight couldn¡¯t even pierce through any gap. It was always dark, but tonight was especially dark. This was because the torches in the hallway that used to be turned on were turned off. Rumdrax had no option but waited for the morning. He quickly fell asleep comfortably. Even if he stayed up all night wondering about the contents of the letter, he could make a quick choice as long as there was no number involved. On the next day, he opened his eyes as soon as he heard the sound of a torch burning. Rumdrax opened the floor window and read the letter relying on the dim light. The letter was like a dance of courtship for Rumdrax. It was very tempting. It was a bait that Rumdrax had no choice but to bite. He waited for the one who visited him last night to come. The long wait only ended the next night. Tap, tap. Slide. A pebble rolled in again. It felt like some kind of the opportunity to speak given on the verge of dying. A question was heard when he picked up the stone and threw it outside. ¡°What¡¯s your answer?¡± ¡°Whatever you wish to hear.¡± Then a letter came in. It was a much thinner letter than last time. The letter briefly stated the date and time and what Rumdrax had to do. What the letter meant was clear. Someone would get Rumdrax out of Fire Prison. A smirk crept to his face, and he laughed. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± He didn¡¯t hear the footsteps, so he asked so. ¡°No.¡± All he got was a cold refusal in return. Rumdrax stretched out the letter, turning it over insignificantly. ¡®I don¡¯t know who sent this, but I¡¯m thankful.¡¯ Help always came with a price. It was Rumdrax who would typically ask what the other wanted. However, Rumdrax, who had been in prison for a year, missed the outside air very much. He had no choice but to say that he would do anything to get it out of here. ¡®That¡¯s why let¡¯s go out of here first. Negotiation comes next.¡¯ Rumdrax read the letter, tore it into small pieces, and put it in his mouth. He had no choice but to destroy the evidence. Rumdrax chewed and swallowed the things in his mouth very skillfully. The luxury paper and ink tasted better than moldy bread distributed in this prison. ¡®Who is the crazy guy trying to get me out?¡¯ Rumdrax, who finished destroying the evidence neatly, finished with a burp and laid flat on the bed. He naturally thought about the owner of the letter. If they got caught trying to get him out of prison, they would be at a loss. So what was their reason to take risks to get him out of here? ¡®It means that I have something to offer.¡¯ Was it a leader of a giant thief guild? Or the head of dark wizards? Or the King of the country who needed spies desperately? Anyway, he didn¡¯t think they were mentally sane. Rumdrax¡¯s heart beat fast. ¡®I¡¯ll do anything for them.¡¯ Anyone would become a pushover if he were stuck in prison like Rumdrax. However, he was happy to find a new means to regain his reputation. CH 24.2 Fire Prison began to buzz on the late afternoon of the plan¡¯s execution. ¡°It¡¯s supported by the Irenberg family. Eat as much as you want today, guys!¡± The guard in charge of the prison slammed down a large oak barrel. The guards guarding the entrance to the room shouted at once. ¡°Wow!!¡± Rumdrax opened his closed eyes. It was finally showtime. Rumdrax put his nose close to the floor window and screamed. ¡°You crazy bast*rd, what kind of guard drinks alcohol during working hours?!¡± Rumdrax¡¯s role was to provoke the guards¡¯ anger. If they were angry, they would consume more alcohol. He could move easier if there were not many personnel when the guards were busy drinking. ¡°What did you say?! Shut up!¡± The guard, who growled through the door window, screamed with his eyes peeking. ¡°You were quiet these days. I guess you didn¡¯t get hit enough, did you?¡± When Rumdrax was in Fire Prison, a guard dumped by his girlfriend growled in anger because of the counseling he received from the doctor. ¡°Wow! So that¡¯s why your girlfriend cheated on you!¡± Rumdrax stepped away from the door and did not stop raising the guards¡¯ anger. ¡°This brat. I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± Finally, a guard saw red and shook the door of Rumdrax¡¯s cell. ¡°Calm down, dude. How can you do to 1818? That¡¯s¨C.¡± The guards dragged him away excitedly. ¡°Let¡¯s just drink. The scent is very nice. The Irenbeg family is rich and generous.¡± The guards stopped down the stairs and started drinking. ¡°They can do anything if they have a lot of money. Even if I only had half the money the Irenberg family has, I could buy you all a house each! Rumdrax watched the guards excitedly pour and drank as they emptied the barrels. ¡®You lying bast*rd. If you have money, you¡¯re going to share it? I bet you guys won¡¯t even bat an eye to do that. Even ants passing by will laugh their heads off.¡¯ Rumdrax laughed at the guards and sat against the wall. The guards drank alcohol like it was their enemies. They were bickering whether one win or the other person won as they were drinking, ¡°You¡¯re drunk!¡± The person who said that to the other person was drunk, too. One by one, the guards fell drunk. Rumdrax slowly got up. ¡®Let¡¯s catch dumb-dumb.¡¯ Rumdrax grinned. * * * * I teleported to the nearest city with Zoe before she executed the plan to get Rumdrax out of prison. It was to prevent the possibility of Rumdrax escaping from me in advance. And a week has passed. I waited for Rumdrax at a red brick house two blocks away from the busy street. ¡°It¡¯s late. Maybe he ran away¡±. Janice, who checked out the window, asked me. I rolled the puzzle in my hand that I brought. ¡°He¡¯ll come.¡± In the first place, I did not expect that he would appear on time in the first place. Fire Prison was quite far from the nearest city. And Rumdrax had to come up with how to erase his traces. The week¡¯s deadline was given only to check Rumdrax¡¯s skills. ¡®It would be good to arrive in a week, but there¡¯s no help if they are late for a day or two days.¡¯ Then, as I was evaluating Rumdrax in my head, the last puzzle piece was placed. Knock knock. I heard a knock on the door. ¡°I¡¯ll open it!¡± Janice stood up and opened the door. An old gentleman with a cane was in front of the door. ¡°Who are you?¡± asked Janice. ¡°Is this the house of Miss Anaide?¡± An old gentleman with a gentle voice was looking for a person. The old man pulled out his neck and snooped around the house. ¡°Oh my! You must have found the wrong house. It¡¯s my first time hearing the name Anaide. I hope you can find her well.¡± Janice blocked the door to block the old man¡¯s view. The old man tried to push his way in quickly, and I stopped Janice before she could close the door. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± ¡°Miss?¡± Just before the door closed, I stopped Janice. ¡°Hold on, sir. Don¡¯t go.¡± I called up the old man who was about to go back. The old man, who had turned his body and stepped away with the cane, turned his head. His eyes and mine met. ¡®Rumdrax!¡¯ I pushed Janice aside and opened the door wide. ¡°I¡¯m Anaide. Please come in.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Anaide. Lady, did you have a stage name that I don¡¯t know?¡± Janice whispered. ¡°Janice, it¡¯s Rumdrax.¡± I lowered my voice to Janice. ¡°What? Rumdrax?¡± I told her that Rumdrax was a young man in his early 20s. However, the man in front of us looked like he was in his 60s. It was natural that Janice didn¡¯t recognize him. ¡°He is disguising himself. As an old man.¡± ¡°He looked like an old man, though¡­.¡± While Janice was admiring Rumdrax¡¯s skill, I stepped back from the door and created a space for Rumdrax to enter. Roomdrax looked at me with interest. ¡°Welcome to Anaide¡¯s house.¡± When I said it one more time, Rumdrax burst into a pleasant laugh. ¡°Thank you for the invitation.¡± After answering in an old-fashioned way, he threw a cane as soon as he entered the house. ¡°Oh, God. I had a hard time bending my back like that.¡± When Rumdrax straightened his back, it certainly hit me the fact that he was tall. Rumdrax stretched and threw off his wig. Shaking off his revealed silver hair, he looked around for a chair. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take off your mustache? It doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± ¡°The kid has a good eye. I guess my makeup skill is high-quality in your eyes.¡± I almost fell for it, too. It was because, as he said, his makeup skill was perfect. ¡°How did you recognize me?¡± After guiding Rumdrax to the chair, I sat across from him. It was so hard to look up. From now on, I should sit down when talking to Roomdrax no matter what. ¡°Are you curious?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m curious. Tell me.¡± CH 25.1 The test by Rumdrax was bound to be something easy for me. First, I knew that Rumdrax would come. Also, about this house too. This house was known as an empty house. I had spent the past few days at this house, but there had never been a single person knocking on the door like today. Therefore, on the day Rumdrax was supposed to come, someone knocking on the door of this house, which was known as an empty house, was more than just a coincidence. Next was the clothes. Rumdrax¡¯s clothes that he used to disguise himself as an old man were too luxurious. This neighborhood was two blocks away from the downtown area, but this area was a place where poor people lived. As the kingdom divided the living areas according to the people¡¯s possessions or wealth, it should be difficult to find someone wearing a high-quality suit in this neighborhood. That was also why I changed into a simple dress. However, the elderly¡¯s clothes were too luxurious to match this place. The third one was his eyes. People said that the wisdom of life would be reflected in the eyes of someone that had aged. They should be deep and dark. To put it bluntly, they should be dull. However, the eyes of the old man who just knocked on the door were lively and clear. And finally, he gave me a decisive hint¨CThe name. The Anaide he said was a reverse reading of my name Diana¡¯s ¡®Rumdrax is really good at disguise.¡¯ When he gave the last hint, it was then I could be sure that the old man was Rumdrax. ¡°I guess there are kids who can¡¯t be fooled easily.¡± Rumdrax, who heard my explanation, looked at me with admiration. He removed all of his disguise attached to his body but kept his face wrinkled. A lively voice and a wrinkled face created a contradiction. ¡°Are you going to keep that look?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°The bathroom is over there!¡± I thought he was going to keep his makeup on. When I told him where the bathroom was, Rumdrax suddenly tore off his face. ¡°Ugh!¡± Janice made a weird noise as the elderly mask slowly fell off the face of Roomdrax. Rumdrax suddenly had two faces! The old one on his hand and the natural face that he had. I knew he had a mask on his face, but such a realistic mask, I couldn¡¯t believe it! ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± It was a pure admiration that flowed spontaneously from my mouth in many ways. Both his mask-making skill and his appearance impressed me. Bright silver hair, a high nose, and fair skin. It was really an eye-catching appearance. ¡°Is that your real face?¡± ¡°Yes. I would rather meet the person who got me out of jail in person.¡± Rumdrax looked away and checked if there was anyone else besides Janice and me. I flicked my finger in front of him, and his eyes instantly turned to me. ¡°It was me.¡± I pointed my finger at myself so that Rumdrax didn¡¯t have any chance to doubt me. Then Rumdrax frowned. ¡°You¡¯re the one who got me out of prison?¡± His eyes looked at me in disbelief. Why couldn¡¯t he even have any idea about it when he admired my developed thinking throughout the conversation? ¡°Yes, I am Diana Viola Irenberg, and I am the one who got you out of jail.¡± ¡°Ha? You? A kid? A child barely over half my waist?¡± While leaving him to talk to himself, I pulled out the contract. When I dropped the contract on the table with a bang, Rumdrax¡¯s self-mumbling stopped. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s the Dragon¡¯s Pledge!¡± Rumdrax¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Is this your first time seeing this?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not the first time, but can I have a look?¡± He was also good at lying. He was making a fuss like he had never seen it before. ¡°Look, it doesn¡¯t even look damaged.¡± Rumdrax held the pledge as if it were a very precious treasure. ¡®It is a treasure if you look at the value.¡¯ I let Rumdrax observe the Pledge carefully. His eyes narrowed. When I saw his curiosity, I knew I had chosen the right thing. The Dragon¡¯s Pledge It was a rare magic item made in ancient times under the curse of the dragon. If a contract was signed using the Dragon¡¯s Pledge, the contractor couldn¡¯t unilaterally terminate the contract without the other party¡¯s agreement. Moreover, no one could violate the terms and conditions made using the contracts. Hence, the curse would only die when the contractor died. If anything, the royals referred to an outstandingly valuable item; the Dragon¡¯s Pledge was it. Though in reality, they couldn¡¯t get it even if they had a lot of money since only a few of these rare magic items were left. I could only say that I was fortunate that I managed to retrieve the Dragon¡¯s Pledge. ¡®I didn¡¯t know this was in my mother¡¯s safe.¡¯ How did my mother obtain such a thing? And why did she keep this in the safe? ¡®It would be nice if she could just give it to Father, or sell it.¡¯ As I couldn¡¯t think of any possible reason why my mother had this rare item, I looked at Rumdrax. ¡°Is it real?¡± ¡°Does it look fake? Should I rip it off?¡± CH 25.2 Rumdrax¡¯s eyes grew as if they were about to pop out. He quickly turned to the Dragon¡¯s Pledge and started to check the authenticity. A paper infused with magic had a faintly different aroma depending on the time the magic was cast. Old magic paper smelled of dewy old trees in the early morning forest. As soon as he took the Pledge, Rumdrax swore he could smell it. However, as a fraudster, he had to suspect others to survive¡ªand so he asked again. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe it, I¡¯ll tear it up.¡± Rumdrax¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t do that!¡± Rumdrax waved his hand. There were two ways to verify the authenticity of the Dragon Pledge. First by seeing what would happen if one of the parties to the contract unilaterally violated the Pledge. While the second was by tearing up the paper. The real Dragon¡¯s Pledge showed a vision of the Dragon when someone tore the Pledge. It was just an apparition, but it was so real that people who saw it would get scared and wet themselves. ¡°Never do that.¡± Rumdrax shook his head and put the paper gently on the table. He calmed down a little after he raised his tone earlier. Then, he folded his arms in front of his chest. He continued after crossing his legs. ¡°What do you want to ask me to do?¡± Rumdrax no longer questioned my identity. I was glad I didn¡¯t have to prove myself anymore. ¡°Be my person.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Rumdrax burst out laughing. Then he got up from his seat while ruffling his hair. He put on the old man mask again and picked up the wig he had thrown. I watched him without stopping him. His response was somewhat expected. Zoe, Cassion, and Rupert didn¡¯t believe me at first. I didn¡¯t expect him to be any different from them. ¡°If you asked me to find someone you can trust to be your guardian, I would help you without writing a contract out of the sincerity that you helped me out of prison. But you want me to be your person? I don¡¯t just become anyone¡¯s.¡± Rumdrax seemed to know the Irenberg very well. Just from hearing my name, he knew about my guardianship. He was a man of rumor, and it was a given that he had the gift of connecting things together. ¡°I want more people on my side.¡± I wanted it, Rumdrax. People skilled in their field were needed, but sometimes people like Rumdrax were also needed. I was desperate for someone to create the odds for me. ¡®And Rumdrax is perfect for it.¡¯ That¡¯s why I must have him on my side. ¡°I will take back my request earlier.¡± Rumdrax¡¯s eyes looked unsure. He didn¡¯t think I¡¯d let him go easily. There¡¯s no way he didn¡¯t know that I went through a lot to get him out of the prison. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, you know.¡± Rumdrax hesitated when he was about to leave. I knew this would happen. Then, I said with a grin. ¡°Sure, go ahead. But let¡¯s just do one thing together. You want to see the Kingdom¡¯s sacred object, don¡¯t you?¡± Rumdrax swept his silver hair with his hands. It seemed that he was about to put his hair in order to wear the wig again. ¡°Do you know what this Kingdom¡¯s most sacred thing is?¡± ¡°Tree.¡± I was confident in the negotiations of Rumdrax because I knew more than he thought. Rumdrax¡¯s hand stopped in the air like his time had stopped. Janice poured the tea into my teacup, and while I sipped it calmly, he didn¡¯t even blink. ¡°The tree, its sacred thing. A wooden knife, to be exact.¡± Rumdrax brought his hand to his face. The wig in his hand fell to his feet. ¡°Who are you?¡± Rumdrax¡¯s eyes became serious. Have you finally decided to deal with me properly? Or did you come to hate me? ¡°Well, someone who knows quite a bit about the royal family? And someone who will be quite close to the royal family.¡± Rumdrax¡¯s mouth twitched. It was a sign of him biting the bait I threw. When you got something to bite the bait, you had to pull it hard to catch the big fish. ¡°If you could help me in the future, I will give you the right to go in and out of the palace freely.¡± It would be a tempting proposition for Rumdrax. I didn¡¯t know why, but he wanted that sacred object. He must go to the palace to obtain it. I went in and out of the palace often. For a con man like Roomdrax to enter and exit the palace, he must go through a series of processes of creating a fake identity and attracting the necessary people to help him. It was a laborious task. But if I married Cassion and guaranteed his fake identity, he could go in and out of the palace without question. He returned and sat down in his chair. ¡°What do you ask for, my client? Let¡¯s hear it. The Dragon Pledge is a price to listen to.¡± I put the teacup down. Janice stepped back when she noticed a critical conversation was starting. ¡°It¡¯s a rip-off. Put it down here, the Dragon¡¯s Pledge.¡± ¡°Cutting to the chase, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one who wants a high price for a request.¡± I snapped back and took the Dragon¡¯s Pledge from his hand. ¡°What I¡¯m going to ask you to do is¡­¡­.¡± I explained calmly. Rumdrax listened without blinking. His mouth opened and closed. ¡°You want me to buy you a bank? Why don¡¯t you buy it yourself? Buying a bank wouldn¡¯t be a big deal if you burned me out of jail.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to, but¡­.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t let anyone know.¡± CH 26.1 ¡°Voluntarily or for other reasons?¡± ¡°Do you want to know me personally?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested in a little girl. I¡¯m just curious.¡± ¡°What are you curious about?¡± ¡°From the fact that such a little lady thought of getting me out. Talking comfortably with me, it turned out that the extraordinary little lady wanted to have a bank, not a doll.¡± ¡°The world is full of interesting things. It¡¯s worth living even if it¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a wise saying.¡± Rumdrax burst into laughter. He laughed for a long time about whatever he thought was so funny and then suddenly stopped laughing. He¡¯d better stop laughing and start telling me if he was going to work with me or not. As I was thinking about it, Rumdrax got up, pushing his chair back. Was the negotiation failed? That¡¯s too bad. It wasn¡¯t a significant amount, but I burned him out of jail, so it was a given that I wanted him to repay me, right? Or should I threaten him that I would report him? ¡°Let¡¯s go. To the bank.¡± When I was thinking about how to contact the security forces, he said that and took the Pledge from my hand. He took it as fast as a ghost. ¡°Do you accept my proposal?¡± ¡°Sure, I think it¡¯ll be fun.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s write the contract first. Put down what you took.¡± ¡°This is a consultation fee. And let¡¯s save it for later instead of writing it. Once you use it, you can¡¯t use it. In return, I¡¯ll help you twice.¡± Rumdrax said calmly, even though he had just uttered words that contradicted his identity as a fraudster¡­ Rumdrax seemed to be reluctant to use the Dragon¡¯s pledge. Maybe he was taking the opportunity to steal it. ¡®I¡¯ll have to hide it well.¡¯ I opened my mouth while putting the Dragon¡¯s Pledge back in my bag. ¡°We have to make a contract. We can write something else if using the Dragon¡¯s Pledge is a waste.¡± I took out the contract that I had prepared separately. I intended to use the Dragon¡¯s Pledge to make him sign this contract with me anyway. A trap contract. It was one of the recently invented magic contracts, and if the contract was unilaterally breached, the breacher would receive physical restrictions for a few days. ¡°It¡¯s not too much for you, is it?¡± The trap contract was also one of the very powerful contracts that existed, but since I showed him the Dragon¡¯s Pledge earlier, he would think this contract was standard. And my prediction was correct. ¡°Okay, I can do this much.¡± I wrote the contract details carefully in the blank of the contract and handed it out to Rumdrax. Janice came up with a needle. Unlike typical contracts, magic contracts required the blood of two contractors. I had to poke my hand with a needle, and Janice grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m going to poke your finger.¡± He dropped a drop of blood on the contract and gave Rumdrax the needle. He also had no hesitation and used the needle. The trap contract glowed dimly as the Rumdrax¡¯s blood dropped on where my blood was smeared. *** ¡°This way, Grandpa. This is the Phoenix Bank you are looking for.¡± A funny situational play occurred since Rumdrax went out on the road dressed as an old man. Now I was playing a nice and cute girl who showed the way to a grandfather who lost his way. I changed into a modest dress and put my bonnet down to cover my face in case people recognized me. I didn¡¯t want to come to the bank, but I couldn¡¯t help but come up with that idea when I saw the old man¡¯s appearance. ¡°Just go with Janice.¡± Rumdrax had no choice but to drag me along. I had to listen to his theory of fraud all the way here. He compared fraud to the art of acting. I thought it was a nonsense philosophy, but I didn¡¯t show it. After we took a detour in a carriage, we arrived at Phoenix Bank. As we left the carriage in the distance, Rumdrax and I walked. ¡°This is the Phoenix Bank, Grandpa.¡± I had been very attentive to Rumdrax, who imitated a grandfather from the countryside. Rumdrax palpated his nostrils. ¡°What a pleasant treatment from the lovely Irenberg young lady. You are pretty good.¡± Rumdrax whispered in my ear. I awkwardly laughed as I made some distance. ¡°Grandpa, do you want me to come in with you?¡± ¡°The sweet girl also has a sweet heart. Ahem, ahem.¡± Even the sound of clearing the throat was the same as an old man would have¨C Rumdrax was able to transform his voice at will for real. ¡°But the line is long. Can you go in by yourself?¡± As I said, the front of Phoenix Bank was crowded. There was a long line to enter Phoenix Bank. It seemed impossible to enter Phoenix Bank within business hours, even if you lined up. ¡°Let me in! I have my money here!¡± ¡°Please wait; there¡¯s a lot of people inside. We¡¯ll let you enter in the order you came.¡± ¡°Tell me one thing. Will the bank fail?¡± The faces of the people lined up were full of irritation and fatigue. People shouted at the employees who blocked the bank entrance. Bank employees stopped people who were pushing blindly to get in. ¡®It¡¯s a mess.¡¯ In the meantime, I earnestly prayed that no one would be hurt, but Rumdrax asked. ¡°What are all those people?¡± ¡°People who came to see the bank go bankrupt.¡± Well, Rumdrax looked at the people with a nasal voice. ¡°You¡¯re saying you created this situation?¡± Rumdrax asked in confirmation. We had already talked about how we were going to shake up Phoenix Bank on our way to the bank. I nodded my head. Rumdrax confirmed my answer and tapped the floor with his cane. Then he gave a let¡¯s go sign. It was my turn to give another passionate performance. CH 26.2 ¡°Did you say you came from far away because you have a business with the Phoenix bank? You must not have time. I¡¯ll tell them the situation and ask them to assist you.¡± I locked my arm around Rumdrax¡¯s to the blocked entrance and approached the guard. ¡°Mister.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a place to play, kid.¡± The guard, who suffered from handling many people, said exhaustedly. His shirt, which was probably neat when he went to work in the morning, was wrinkled, and his hair, which would have been neatly swept over with pomade oil, was sticking out. I could tell how much he must have suffered all day. As I was thinking how pitiful his day was, I told him again. ¡°Mister, my grandfather has a business to do with the bank.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Do you see the line? You should go to the back and stand in the line there.¡± Any security guard would have said the same thing. That¡¯s why I prepared for it. ¡°Mister, look here.¡± I searched my pocket and held out a gold coin. ¡°Kid?¡± ¡°Do you see the old man standing behind me? This grandfather is a relative of my grandmother¡¯s brother. He has a lot of money. He has a business with the Phoenix Bank and has to return to the estate.¡± The security guard nodded with his eyes fixed on the gold coin. ¡°So your grandmother¡¯s brother¡­¡­ Anyway, you are saying that he has a very urgent business.¡± The guard snatched the gold coin into his pocket. ¡°But as you could see, a lot of people are waiting like you. I¡¯ll put you in the middle.¡± I knew one or two gold pieces wouldn¡¯t do. Still, I was relieved that he didn¡¯t get angry, saying not to look down at him. ¡®There¡¯s nothing money couldn¡¯t solve.¡¯ I held out two more gold coins. ¡°I told you he is in a hurry.¡± The guard quickly snatched the two gold coins and looked around. Then, the security guard whispered, realizing that no one was watching him. ¡°Just be quick.¡± Oh, it was faster than I thought. I put back two gold coins that I was about to give to them back in my pocket in case the guard refused to let us in, and I bowed. ¡°Thank you, mister.¡± This country was all rotten. It was bitter truth, but thanks to it, I could get my revenge easier¨C so should I say it was a sad thing? I turned around and beckoned to Rumdrax. ¡°You¡¯re very clever, little girl.¡± Rumdrax whispered to me and nodded at the guard who opened the door. People roared as we entered the door. ¡°We came first!¡± My ears stung, but I ignored it. It was the guard¡¯s job to calm the angry mobs. Maybe he would suffer to the point where he wanted to throw away the gold coins he received from me. The Phoenix bank was quite different from the outside. ¡°It¡¯s big and nice.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s nice.¡± Rumdrax and I walked into a corner. Unlike what I heard outside, there were not many people in the bank, so I felt at ease. Rumdrax stood on one side of the bank. He had been quiet since he entered the bank. He seemed to be concentrating on getting inspiration or something. I looked around the bank. There was only a bored lady, waiting for her turn. I got bored because there was nothing special. It was the moment when I was thinking about how long I had to wait and considering going home first. ¡°I told you to leave!¡± There was a loud noise at the bank¡¯s corner window. *** Fiona was blind. There was nothing she couldn¡¯t do in her daily life because she had lived for more than 60 years without seeing¨C but only Fiona thought so. Compared to other countries, the kingdom was more disabled-friendly for people like Fiona. Basically, the people¡¯s understanding of those with disabilities was high. ¡°Are you visually impaired, Ma¡¯am? Please, to this window.¡± A friendly voice bank clerk helped Fiona. Fiona followed her with a gracious smile. On their way to the window, the two talked. ¡°You will be attended here. I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± The guide handed Fiona over to the teller and moved away. Fiona explained to the teller why she had visited the bank. ¡°I see. Your Majesty gave you a special grant to celebrate your birthday this year. So you¡¯re here to apply for disability benefits?¡± Fiona nodded. The kingdom¡¯s system for the disabled was excellent. Most of the systems that would be the backbone of the domain were created by The late Queen Violeta, while King Carmine would occasionally dispense them to the people to show his mercy. Fiona would be happy to receive any amount. Thinking that she could go grocery shopping for a long time, she even hummed. ¡°You look happy, Ma¡¯am.¡± By the time she arrived at the window, Fiona was happy. Even the explanations sounded pleasant to her ears. But something came after. ¡°Ma¡¯am. It¡¯s a rule. You have to sign the papers.¡± After the explanation, the atmosphere changed when the bank teller handed out the documents to be filled out. The teller snapped at Fiona. Fiona, who had lived without harming others, was overwhelmed by the voice of a young man who was angry like a fire. ¡°Well, I-I can¡¯t see very well. And I didn¡¯t learn how to write¡­¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem! Here are the papers and the pen.¡± The teller spread the paper before Fiona and forced a pen into her hand. ¡°Write your name.¡± The heartless teller sat down. Fiona was at a loss and said nervously. ¡°Can you write my name instead?¡± Fiona asked the teller carefully. ¡°Look here, Ma¡¯am. Who are you trying to fool? You have to write it yourself. Didn¡¯t you hear me?¡± CH 27.1 As the employee¡¯s voice grew louder, there was a murmur around. They weren¡¯t looking at Fiona, but she felt that people were paying attention to her. Fiona clenched her pen. Sweat flowed from her tense hand and the pen slipped. ¡°Well, then¡­.¡± Fiona had never learned to write. She couldn¡¯t read it even if she learned it, so did she need to learn it? Of course not. Instead, she learned how to pronounce correctly by listening to the other person. Thanks to that, she was able to live with warm neighbors. However, it was useless in front of a bank employee who put forth regulations. Fiona managed to grab the sliding pen and flick a stroke. She was told to write her name, but she couldn¡¯t write it, so she scribbled anything. She drew it herself, so anyone should acknowledge it as her signature,right? ¡°Grandma, are you joking around? You are not a kid. What is this? What a waste of paper!¡± The man took the paper and tore it apart. Every time she heard the paper being torn, Fiona felt like she was being torn inside. Fiona flinched. ¡°Come on, write it again. Or you can just leave.¡± The man roughly put the paper on top of the desk. Fiona turned with a tired face. She gave up. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Someone caught her. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Her voice sounded like a young girl. Fiona just stood without knowing the meaning of the tone and warmth. ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± Fiona desperately needed help more than ever, but she doubted what the little girl could do for her. ¡°Please wait, please.¡± The girl who said so left Fiona behind and headed to the window desk. ¡°Hello, mister.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a playground, kid.¡± The teller made an irritated expression when a young girl came following her grandmother. ¡°Did you come with your mother? Go somewhere else.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to drop off something.¡± The dragon¡¯s pledge came out of the little girl¡¯s hands. ¡°I don¡¯t need a kid¡¯s treasure map, kid.¡± ¡°Is there no appraiser here? Shall we get an appraiser to see what this thing is?¡± ¡°Just go back. I¡¯m not in the mood to play.¡± The teller pushed the Dragon¡¯s pledge toward the girl. ¡°Diana Viola Irenberg.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not kid, that¡¯s my name.¡± Diana took off her bonnet. She shook off her blonde hair once and smiled at the teller. ¡°Y-you¡¯re the young lady of the Irenberg family?¡± When Diana smiled broadly, the teller kept his mouth shut. Irenberg was the richest Duke family in the Kingdom. The young lady of Irenberg, Diana? She didn¡¯t need to identify herself. No one in the Kingdom would have dared to impersonate the Ireneberg family. Slowly, the eyes of the teller shifted to the Dragon¡¯s pledge. ¡®There¡¯s a high probability that it¡¯s real.¡¯ The Dragon Pledge, which was brought under the name of the Irenberg family. It couldn¡¯t be a fake. The teller waved the bell. ¡°Please call an appraiser.¡± The teller was flustered. He stood up, smoothed his hair and offered Diana a seat. ¡°Would you like to sit here, Miss Diana?¡± ¡°Will you bring me a cup of tea?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll get it ready right away.¡± The teller quickly got her tea. Diana stared at the teacup and pushed it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t smell good. Do you have something different?¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll bring something else.¡± Diana didn¡¯t touch the second tea. ¡°You don¡¯t like this either? I¡¯ll prepare something else.¡± I didn¡¯t even ask him to do it, but the staff at the counter moved quickly. When he replaced the tea, the appraiser called him. In the meantime, the teller was sweating because he was dealing with Diana who was in a feisty manner. ¡°Is it real? Did you say it¡¯s real?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s real.¡± The face of the teller, whose expression was getting stiffer, became brighter. The teller said to Diana, sighing, breathing deeply. ¡°It¡¯s real, Miss Diana.¡± ¡°Did you think I¡¯d bring a fake one and hand it to you?¡± Diana answered sharply. ¡®Why is she doing this to me? I hear the Irenebergs are great, but their education is a mess.¡¯ The teller swore at Diana under the guise of a polite smile. Diana found fault with everything from the beginning to the end, but to him, this was a matter of her personality. ¡°I do. I believe in Miss Diana, but I couldn¡¯t help it because of the procedure.¡± Still, the teller had no choice but to lie. It was the grief of a banker. ¡°I see. The procedure..¡± Diana pouted her lips. When others saw it, she looked like making a cute expression but for the teller it was rather an evil one. ¡®Let¡¯s not think of the person, think about the money.¡¯ The teller chanted out in his mind. He really wanted to close the deal. The task of keeping the treasure didn¡¯t directly benefit the bank. However, taking charge of precious treasure like the Dragon¡¯s pledge, implied that the security was good, and it would become a word of mouth among the rich people that keeping their assets in their bank was safe. Therefore, it would increase their customers. CH 27.2 Not long ago inside of the Phoenix bank, there was a rumor. As the bank was facing difficulties, rumors circulated that they were firing a large number of employees. The teller wanted to survive somehow. And in order to survive, he had to show his skills. Both the Irenberg and the Pledge. The teller was going to prove his ability by acquiring these two. ¡°Here is the contract. Please read it carefully and sign here¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t want to read because I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Do you want me to read it?¡± ¡°Sure. You can do it.¡± The teller read the contract out loud. There were so many clauses since Diana had to trust the Pledge with the bank. Whenever the teller stopped talking because his throat was dry, DIana urged him to read quickly. In the end, he couldn¡¯t take a sip of water and read the contract until the end. ¡°¡­That would be it. Do you understand all of the clauses?¡± The teller¡¯s lips were dry from reading the documents and he put it down on the table. ¡°Who are you taking me for? Of course, I understand.¡± Thank God, the teller was relieved. If he had to read it twice, his mouth would have fallen off. ¡°You may sign here.¡± The teller handed out the contract to Diana. She picked up the pen and stopped. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°What should I do? I don¡¯t remember how to write my name.¡± Diana pretended to be horrified and handed out the papers and the pen to the teller. ¡°Will you write it for me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s against the rules¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Really? I guess I can¡¯t help it. I have no choice but to go to a different bank.¡± When Diana got up, the teller scrambled to reach out and grab her by the sleeve. The teller looked up at Diana, leaning over the desk. ¡°Wait a minute! If you don¡¯t remember how, at least a picture¨C No, if it¡¯s difficult, someone else can do it for you. What do you say? If you agree, I¡¯ll do it for you.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± There was a cold smile on Diana¡¯s face. Her mood changed at once. The teller unwittingly dropped Diana¡¯s sleeve. ¡®Isn¡¯t she supposed to be a kid¡­¡­.¡¯ There was a sense of dignity coming from Diana telling him that he could not treat recklessly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you can¡¯t do that?¡± Diana looked at Fiona and said, ¡°Well, I mean¡­¡­ Depending on the situation, if you give the consent for someone else to do it on your behalf¡­¡± ¡°That means it¡¯s possible. Janice, help the lady here.¡± Janice, who was watching the situation from the side, moved quickly. The teller did not know what was going on and just watched what Diana was doing. When Janice brought Fiona, Diana rose from her seat. She gave up her seat to Fiona. After giving her seat to Fiona and helping her sit in the chair, Diana said. ¡°Grandma, my name is Diana Viola Irenberg. Can I sign the special grant document on your behalf?¡± ¡°But the staff says it¡¯s against the rules¡­¡± ¡°The staff must have been mistaken. Aren¡¯t you, mister?¡± As he came to the realization, the surprised teller quickly opened his mouth. ¡°Yes, yes! I was mistaken. I¡¯ll give you the documents, so please fill them out.¡± The teller became polite. The teller asked Fiona for her name. Fiona said her name in bewilderment and processed the situation. Fiona was listening to Diana and the teller. She didn¡¯t listen to it because she wanted to, but she listened to it while waiting to query the teller again. Diana¡¯s behavior, introduced as the daughter of the Ireneberg family, was terrible. She used to think that a family name didn¡¯t guarantee dignity¡­ Yet, at the end, when the teller said he would write his name instead of Diana, Fione almost cried. ¡¯Did she do it for me? What a good child.¡¯ ¡°Thank you, Miss Diana.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing big, can I sign it?¡± It was a completely different voice than when Diana was dealing with a teller. Fiona couldn¡¯t see the person¡¯s face, so she felt her through her voice. When dealing with the teller, Diana seemed like a child, but now she felt like a noble lady with dignity, and also felt like a representative of the family. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d be honored if you could fill in for me.¡± Fiona¡¯s head bowed automatically. Respect rose naturally. ¡°A simple greeting would be fine.¡± Diana did a quick bow as a reply, but Fiona couldn¡¯t see it. Then, a moment of silence came. Diana filled out the papers and Fiona predicted a bright future for the Ireneberg family. ¡°Here¡¯s the paper. Check carefully to see if anything is missing.¡± The teller put down the papers he had scanned with his eyes, while waiting for Diana¡¯s next word. It wasn¡¯t not the special grant papers that mattered to him. ¡°You held it well.¡± Janice offered to help Fiona, and Diana turned around without hesitation. The teller got up and called Diana. ¡°Wait a minute, Miss Diana! The Dragon¡¯s Pledge!¡± Diana, who was walking coolly, stopped. ¡°Oh, this? Rather than leave it here¡­¡± Diana held the Dragon¡¯s Pledge high. She glanced around. Fortunately, no one seemed to be faint hearted. ¡°I¡¯d rather rip it.¡± Diana smiled refreshingly and tore up the Dragon¡¯s Pledge. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± A vision of a giant dragon appeared. Phoenix Bank would be in turmoil for some time. CH 28.1 ¡°What a waste, you should have given me if you were going to rip it!¡± After returning to the red brick house, Rumdrax kept repeating his frustration. ¡°Come to think of it, it¡¯s mine!¡± ¡°Did you accept my offer? I said I¡¯d give it to you when you accepted the job.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it, I said I¡¯ll do it! ¡°I apologize for that, but what can I do now? The Pledge is gone. I¡¯ll give you another one later.¡± Rumdrax accused me of being impulsive. It was a bit unfair. I was angry at the bank staff who were treating Fiona unfairly. It was also true that I wanted to show examples to those who did not help others after seeing that. However, I did not act simply by emotion. ¡®There will be an article about today.¡¯ I was sure there would be news since I created a fuss. ¡®If the King knows about what I did today, won¡¯t he reconsider the special grant process?¡¯ Even at this moment, unfair discrimination like Fiona received must be happening frequently. I wanted to fix the system right away if I had the power. But unfortunately, I was only a kid. And I haven¡¯t even been acknowledged as the head of the family. ¡®I have to participate in the aristocratic parliament to raise the issue.¡¯ All I could do was to create a scene and bring this issue to the surface. ¡°It¡¯s a waste of the Dragon¡¯s Pledge.¡± As I was imagining what would happen tomorrow, Rundrax¡¯s cane tapped my foot. When I raised my head, his eyes deepened and said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me anything else.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re not working for me?¡± Did I go out too recklessly? I should have told Rumdrax my plan. ¡°Wait, listen to me before you decide.¡± Rundrax shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t have to listen.¡± ¡°Rumdrax!¡± He smiled suddenly and his old man mask got wrinkled. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I told you I¡¯m going to do it. I¡¯ll give you half the price because I like you.¡± I finally got my hands on Rumdrax. What a lucky day. *** Rumdrax was working on acquiring Phoenix Bank. In the meantime, the news broke out and public opinion toward Phoenix Bank turned completely around. It was good news for me. But when good things were happening, bad things were bound to follow. ¡°The pathway is closed.¡± The pathway to and from the 3rd Prince¡¯s Palace was blocked. ¡°It¡¯s Julia.¡± Julia didn¡¯t want Cassion and me to meet. She wanted to stop it somehow, but since I didn¡¯t officially request a visit, she couldn¡¯t stop me using documents or procedures. Thus she ended up searching the palace thoroughly. ¡°What should we do now?¡± Janice asked as she loaded the basket of food she had unloaded to give to Cassion back into the carriage. Nothing serious would happen to Cassion if I didn¡¯t come for a few days. In preparation for times like this, I moved medicine and food little by little to Cassion¡¯s palace and piled it up in a hole. ¡®But what if Julia searches through the palace?¡¯ I had a bad premonition, but I shook my head off. Julia wouldn¡¯t openly bother Cassion because she minded her reputation. It would take a lot of people to search through the 3rd Prince¡¯s Palace. If many people came and created a scene in the 3rd Prince¡¯s Palace, people would pay attention. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t do anything that stands out. At least until they aren¡¯t blocking the path anymore.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± I walked past Janice who was hesitating and followed me into the carriage. She kept trying to keep her eyes on her back, but she held it in firmly. ¡®She wants to play it dirty, right?¡¯ There was resentment and anger against Julia building inside Diana. ¡®His Highness must be waiting for me.¡¯ What if Cassion got disappointed while waiting? ¡®I hope he is aware of the hole.¡¯ I should¡¯ve told Cassion how I got in and out. I kept teasing him saying it was a secret. A clever Cassion would find it strange that I didn¡¯t come for long and would check the path. ¡®I knew it, couples shouldn¡¯t keep a secret.¡¯ My conclusion was strange because I let my thoughts flow. I was surprised myself. I saw ourselves as a couple already. ¡°Miss, are you feeling hot? I¡¯ll open the window.¡± Janice pointed out my red face. Let¡¯s just pretend you didn¡¯t see this, please. I fanned my face to the window to get a better feel of the wind. And I erased all the thoughts in my head. Soon after, the carriage arrived at the mansion. Matthew looked surprised at me coming back unexpectedly quick. He added hastily, saying he was glad I came back fast. ¡°The meeting has been arranged, Miss.¡± Right, I shouldn¡¯t think today as a bad day just because my plan didn¡¯t go well. It was finally here. I received the letter from Matthew. The name on the envelope was familiar. It was the representative of the Irenberg¡¯s vassals, Junas. Count Junas was the man who took charge of the widest and most abundant territory of Irenberg. ¡®Whose side was he again?¡¯ Although there was no point in dividing sides, it was necessary to examine whether he had received favors from Count Corcos. No matter how hard I tried, I had no memory of Count Junas. ¡®You¡¯ll be in trouble if you don¡¯t remember, Diana.¡¯ I remembered everything about Count Corcos, so blood boiled every time I dealt with him. I had to control that anger, so sometimes I thought to myself not to be reminded of him. CH 28.2 ¡®If I don¡¯t remember him and only have clear memories of Count Corcos. I¡¯d better get rid of the habit of relying on what I¡¯ve been through.¡¯ I needed to know how to deal when I didn¡¯t have any information about the situation, and I was glad I could ask Zoe for it. I opened the envelope with the paper knife Matthew gave me and checked the date of the meeting. The date of the temporary meeting was not specified exactly. It only said roughly when he would hold it. Since vassals from all over the country have to join, it would take a considerable amount of time to coordinate the schedule. ¡®There¡¯s a little time until the meeting.¡¯ The subject of the meeting was obvious. I could imagine they would just say, ¡®Let¡¯s designate her a guardian¡¯. Count Corcos must have been trying hard. The reason why I left him alone even though I could guess his plan was because I calculated that Cassion would be persuaded faster. I finally managed to persuade him. ¡®It¡¯s going as expected, but I¡¯m upset when I received the notice about the meeting.¡¯ Of course, it was understandable that the vassals were impatient. I was sure they would be in trouble because the funding they received from Irenberg was being delayed. ¡®But they should be able to survive with the estates¡¯ income stream. It¡¯s like here is Nobel, where people is having a hard to make ends meet.¡¯ The lack of Irenberg subsidies for one or two years did not mean that the management of the territory would be severely disrupted. ¡®Count Corcos must be playing tricks in the background.¡¯ Count Corcos and the vassals who were swept away by his mouth were disgusting. ¡°Should I not come?¡± ¡°No, Miss!¡± It popped out from my mouth when I only thought about it for a second, and Matthew jumped when he heard it. ¡°I¡¯m going. I¡¯m just kidding.¡± There were many ways to stop the meeting. There was a way for me not to come on that day, and there was also a way for me to postpone the meeting next week. Junas may be punished for unilaterally notifying the head of the family to attend the meeting. Although it was impossible because currently I wasn¡¯t the head of the family. It was the second time that the meeting was postponed in the most plausible way. There were many excuses. I could say that I was sick, or that I was not ready to designate a guardian yet. I was just a child, so they would understand. However, I fixed my idea of delaying the meeting. ¡®We can¡¯t postpone the meeting anymore.¡¯ I tapped the desk with the corner of the invitation. Constant noise sometimes helped to concentrate. Soon there would be riots in Nobel. If I made the appropriate decision to support Nobel before that happened, I could stop the riots. ¡®I¡¯ll have to declare at the meeting that I¡¯m marrying Cassion and make sure no one talk about guardianship again. There will be a lot of mountain to cross ahead.¡¯ I got up from my seat and stood by the window. I opened the window wide. The window of head of the family¡¯s office faced the royal palace, and this meant that Irenberg and the royal family were firmly connected, If I stood by the window and looked at the palace on a clear day like today, I could see the highest spire of the palace. It seemed a long way now, but someday it would me Cassion¡¯s and mine. There was only one mountain to cross before that. ¡°His Majesty Carmine.¡± I had to get permission from Carmine to get marry. *** ¡°Your Highness.¡± I finally met Cassion. After the path was blocked, I tried everything I could to find a way to meet Cassion. ¡®It¡¯s rather proper to say that Zoe is almost obsessed with finding the way.¡¯ I¡¯ve spent fortune for that. It was difficult to find an access route because there were only few places in the palace where Julia¡¯s breath could not even reach. It was hard to bribe the knight. So I had to sneak in a cart. I had to choose this method because it was relatively easy than bribing knight in charge of inspection. ¡®Did they let pass it because the cart contains something that had to be delivered secretly to Julia¡¯s palace?¡¯ ¡°Come in, but¡­¡­.¡± Janice laid a lot of straw on the cart. I thought it would be okay when I hide in it, but it wasn¡¯t when I got off. It took a long time to remove straws from the dress. I tried hard to take it off, but I guess it was still there. ¡°Yes, I look terrible. On the other hand, your face looks good.¡± Cassion waved his hand affirmatively. Rupert¡¯s medicine worked well. Cassion looked more comfortable just by the relieving the pain, which he said it was like something wad poking his head. But it was not a solution. Every night, Cassion kept getting a high fever and sometimes he coughed and vomited blood. Still, compared to when he was lying down all day, his health was surprisingly getting better. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. How did you get in there?¡± ¡°Oh, did you know that I came in and out of the secret path?¡± This was unexpected. ¡°Pollock told me.¡± ¡°Did you ask about me?¡± Cassion narrowed her eyebrows. ¡°I was wondering if you couldn¡¯t come because you were hurt by Julia.¡± ¡°You were worried.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried.¡± ¡°Then you missed me.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Cassion said it like he was upset as he held back his words because I put my face too close to his. Cassion¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Your Highness, you must be burning up again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s hot! Stay away!¡± Seeing how loud he was, I didn¡¯t think he was sick. ¡°It must be really hot.¡± CH 29.1 I opened the window to tease him. A fresh breeze blew. Anyway, I was glad Cassion found out about the blocked path. Otherwise, he would have thought I¡¯d changed my mind. If he did, he would have poured out those harsh words like a waterfall with his pretty lips. ¡®Oh, I hate just imagining it.¡¯ I asked as I was tired imagining him spouting vitriol. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you find a proper way to get in and out?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I just have to sneak in with straws a few more times.¡± I had something to discuss with Cassion to deal with qualification for official entry and exit. Before that, I told him about what he asked me to do. ¡°The purchase of the twilight mansion is going smoothly.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I just look at that report?¡± Cassion pointed to a report on my side. ¡°That¡¯s right. You can just read this.¡± I put the report near Cassion. Cassion reached for the report and stopped. ¡°Did Julia do anything?¡± ¡°Yes. Aside from the hole, it was nothing big. And you¡¯ll be busy right now.¡± He was looking into the Phoenix bank. ¡°What about you? Didn¡¯t Julia bother you?¡± ¡°There was nothing much except that Julia¡¯s person came once. It¡¯s been a while since the last time Dyson came.¡± I knew in advance that Julia would send someone to spy on Cassion¡¯s palace. That¡¯s why I had a hard time changing the state of this palace. His palace was again filled with shabby bedding, worn clothes, and ragged, low-quality books. ¡°You¡¯re doing great during my absence, right?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t call me, right?¡± It was right that I did it on purpose, but it wasn¡¯t not necessarily mean that I didn¡¯t want to contact him. It was fair to say that I couldn¡¯t do it. It would be a problem if someone knew that letters were coming in and out. ¡®You must have been really upset that I didn¡¯t come.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t make that apologetic face. I know it¡¯s because of Julia¡¯s surveillance. Does that mean you have a way to deal with Julia if she finds out? Or did you find a way to go back and forth without being caught?¡± Cassion asked a pretty sharp question. But both were the problem. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to come even if I get caught.¡± Cassion raised his eyebrows as if he were asking what in the world I was talking about. ¡°Is there a way?¡± ¡°You know, there¡¯s only one.¡± The wind blew through the open window. The wind blew Cassion¡¯s fluffy hair. Cassion, who was annoyed by it, brushed his hair back carelessly. ¡°Your expression is weird.¡± Cassion pointed to me with a furrowed eyebrow. My face must have been distorted because I said it seriously. Cassion¡¯s expression imitating me was hilarious. I said, biting on my cheek so that I couldn¡¯t laugh. ¡°Your Highness, about that. Let¡¯s talk seriously.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re going to start a weird topic again.¡± He had a reason to be nervous. Because my demands could hurt him. I wanted to give Cassion only good things if possible. I always wanted him to be happy while we were tied up in the name of marriage. However, the way we had to get through was the thorny road, not the easy one. ¡®I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t get hurt as much as I can.¡¯ There were things that could be solved only when we were together. ¡®This is what we need to do together.¡¯ I took a deep breath. It wasn¡¯t easy to bring it up. Because I knew the pain Cassion would be suffering. And because he had become an important person to me before I knew it. ¡°Diana, why are you taking so long that it¡¯s not like you. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna marry me? Why, on second thought, I can¡¯t marry or succeed the throne when I am in the state of dying¡­¡­ Hmp.¡± Cassion uttered mean words while I was choosing my words. I¡¯d rather cover his mouth than to act like an adult and comfort him. His lips twitched under my palm as he continued to talk negative things. ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re getting married? Stop talking nonsense. What I was going to say was by meeting His Majesty.¡± Cassion¡¯s reaction has become noticeably subdued. His eyes have changed from before. I took my hand off his mouth as if he was finally in a serious state of speaking. I wiped the saliva off my palm on my handkerchief. ¡°¡­¡­With father?¡± His voice was dry. Cassion¡¯s eyes changed not because he felt overwhelmed, but because he tried to hide his wounds. It was like there was a thin film covering his emotions in his eyes. I gave him water. He needed to drink some water and calmed down. ¡°Yes, I have to meet him.¡± ¡°His Majesty¡­ Why all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Why? I¡¯ll meet His Majesty and get permission to marry us.¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± Cassion spat out the water he was drinking. So messy. With a slightly wrinkled brow, I held out a handkerchief to him and patted him on the back. ¡°I¡¯m fine, get your hands off me.¡± Cassion snorted and pushed my hand. CH 29.2 ¡°Are you eating well?¡±¡± Pollock said Cassion¡¯s condition has improved much. ¡®He doesn¡¯t look very good, but Pollock is right. He¡¯s better than before.¡¯ Cassion even went for a walkIt¡¯s worth calling a miracle if you listen to it. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie. Pollock reports that he doesn¡¯t finish your meal every day.¡± ¡°Why do you ask when you know?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t the food suit your taste?¡± Cassion didn¡¯t answer. I guess I got the right answer. ¡®Picky eater? He¡¯s a kid.¡¯ ¡°Pollock is not good at cooking. I¡¯ll get you a dedicated chef soon. That¡¯s why I have to see His Majesty.¡± Cassion¡¯s expression became serious. I can¡¯t leave Cassion alone forever. He needed someone to take good care of him. I would pay for it, but basically I have to have the King¡¯s authority to assign people in the palace. Even if I didn¡¯t get permission to marry, I had to meet Carmine to get a proper chef. ¡°My father wouldn¡¯t want to meet me.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°My father doesn¡¯t like me.¡± Were there parents who didn¡¯t like their children? I didn¡¯t think so. Even hedgehogs would think that their child was cute. Hedgehogs were actually cute. Cassion¡¯s father, Carmine, was a cold man. I, who had stayed in the palace for a long time as Dyson¡¯s fiancee, could count when I saw Carmine¡¯s bright smile with my ten fingers. He didn¡¯t know how to say a friendly greeting to both Dyson and me. But I never thought he was a twisted person who hated his children. He was just a blunt, typical father. Carmine did not protect Cassion, but he did not abandon him. Negligence was also violence, but I could tell that Carmine¡¯s feelings toward Cassion were not bad just by looking at it. However, I asked Cassion because he felt that Carmine hated him. ¡°Why do you think so?¡± ¡°There is no reply to my letter.¡± ¡°Did you send a letter?¡± ¡°Yes, while you¡¯re away.¡± ¡°Do you write letters often?¡± Cassion waved his hand to stop the nonsense. ¡°Why did you write a letter?¡± ¡°¡­¡­our marriage¡­¡­¡± Cassion hesitated for a long time before answering. Did I hear it right? Cassion sent a letter to Carmine about marrying me? I couldn¡¯t believe it and looked at him blankly while Cassion was coughing his lungs out. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t make you do all the work.¡± Oh, I¡¯m proud of you. I reached out without realizing it. Cassion stared at me as I stroked his fine hair. ¡°Put your hands away.¡± I lowered my hand in embarrassment. ¡°So what happened?¡± ¡°There was no answer.¡± If it wasn¡¯t because I was considering Carmine¡¯s circumstances, I would have blamed him without realizing it since I was on Cassion¡¯s side. But I couldn¡¯t not judge the situation because of my emotions. ¡°There must be a reason.¡± I tried to look at the situation objectively. ¡°What could be the reason you can¡¯t reply to your child¡¯s letter? Moreover, that¡¯s also the first letter I¡¯ve ever sent.¡± Cassion¡¯s lips popped out. At times like this, he was definitely a child. He must have been disappointed that the letter he sent was ignored. Still, Cassion should not completely give up to Carmine. Carmine was a man who would not be turned against, at least until Cassion was allowed to marry and safely survive to become an adult. ¡®If there¡¯s anything wrong, I could just ask. After checking if there is a misunderstanding.¡¯ ¡°But he came last time.¡± Casion closed his mouth when he remembered when the King came. ¡°When did he came again? What did you say when he came?¡± The King came when Cassion collapsed, causing a commotion. At that time, I was only focused on how to save Cassion, so I didn¡¯t try to find out what happened. Speaking of which, I should asked about it. When I straightened my posture and stared at him, Cassion knitted his lips. ¡°He told me not to live a pathetic life.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°He told me not to show up until I stood upright on both of my legs properly.¡± Did he even have something else to say to his dying son?! Cassion smirked as I clenched my fist. ¡°How is it any different from getting kicked out?¡± Cassion¡¯s resignation fueled my anger further. Was King Carmine that indifferent? I scrambled through the memories of the past. He was a cynical man, very busy, but not hard enough to whip his sick son. At least he knew how to feel sympathy. Carmine once reduced his sentence because the sinner who committed the crime had a child. That happened a few times! Dyson was unhappy with Carmine¡¯s way of ruling, but I liked his human side. ¡®I thought he could be some help.¡¯ Frankly, I tried to stimulate Carmine¡¯s sympathy to cheer Cassion up. At least I wanted Carmine to stay neutral. But considering what he said to his sick son, it seemed difficult to expect neutrality. ¡®Don¡¯t come up until you stand upright¡¯, that wouldn¡¯t mean literally right? He had never replied to Cassion¡¯s letter, but he suddenly appeared and told him to stand properly first.¡­ What? Suddenly, a light flashed in my head. Carmine was famous for his reticence. Moreover, it was rather from the fact that he had little personal time due to heavy work. A busy Carmine came to Cassion out of the blue and verbally abused him? That didn¡¯t make sense. I was lost in thought. Why would Carmine come here? Why did he take his time to come all the way here only to say, ¡°Stand up¡±¨C What did he need Cassion stand uo for anyway? ¡°Ah!¡± I found the answer. Cassion tilted his head at my exclamation. ¡°What?¡± I drew close to Cassion. And I said, looking at Cassion, who was pulling his upper body back. ¡°Your Highness, we misunderstood.¡± Cassion looked at me with eyes like he couldn¡¯t understand what I was saying. ¡°He told you to stand up. His Majesty is not here to kick you out, but to give you strength!¡± CH 30.1 Even if the method was wrong, it was for his son¡¯s sake. ¡°It can¡¯t be true. My father who has neglected me all this time?¡± I was a little shaken by what Cassion said, but I continued as if I hadn¡¯t been shocked. ¡°He gave you the hint that he came to give you strength. I¡¯m sure His Majesty won¡¯t reject my request.¡± ¡°If he did?¡± I shrugged my shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s not important if he did. No matter what His Majesty thinks, I¡¯m sure we could go up there. I¡¯m still going to His Majesty anyway, so let¡¯s think like we are asking him a favor.¡± I pointed my finger toward the ceiling. There was no turning back now that we have made up our mind. The only way left for us was to go straight. I wouldn¡¯t even look back. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s say my father doesn¡¯t hate me like you said. So, what¡¯s next? He doesn¡¯t answer even if I send a letter, so how are you going to ask for an audience?¡± ¡°All requests for an audience are cut off by Julia. In fact, I wonder if your letter was received well by His Majesty.¡± I didn¡¯t point it out immediately because I was proud of what Cassion did, but when Cassion said he sent the letter I thought Carmine probably didn¡¯t receive it. Julia could have intercepted Cassion¡¯s letter in the middle. Julia knew I was coming in and out of Cassion¡¯s palace, so there was no way that she let her guard down. No matter how busy she was with Phoenix Bank Julia once stole a letter to Carmine and he got mad. She probably only got caught once, there¡¯s a high chance that she is a habitual offender. Since then, Carmine has replaced all the people around him who are suspected to be on Julia¡¯s side.¡¯ It was a long time ago. ¡°My letter¡­ didn¡¯t go through?¡± ¡°It could have been. So ask him in person. You wouldn¡¯t know whether he replied to your letter or not. If he didn¡¯t, what¡¯s the reason?¡± Cassion was lost in thought for a moment. He rubbed his thumbnail with his eyes down. ¡°Is there a way?¡± Cassion asked. He decided to meet Carmine. ¡°Would I have said I¡¯d meet His Majesty without a way to meet him? It¡¯s Dyson¡¯s birthday soon!¡± Cassion frowned. ¡°How do you know Dyson¡¯s birthday?¡± ¡°Oh? What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you proposed to Dayson first before you asked me to marry you?¡± What¡¯s going on? ¡°No way! Don¡¯t even think like that. I think of him as less than dust!¡± I was confused at first and angry at the end. Cassion shrugged at my reaction. A huff came out of my nose. ¡°Sure, sure. I know you don¡¯t like Dyson.¡± Did I overreact? Cassion looked at me and said, ¡°Why do you state the obvious?¡± I was a little embarrassed from my overreaction, but I couldn¡¯t help it. Dyson, Count Cotcos, Julia were my anger-inducing buttons. ¡°But from my point of view, I might misunderstand. It¡¯s weird to know that you hate Dyson so much yet you know his birthday. Wouldn¡¯t it be weird if I said I knew Julia¡¯s birthday?¡± His explanation gave me goosebumps. ¡°All right, Your Highness. Let¡¯s continue. On Dyson¡¯s birthday.¡± ¡°Yes, on the pig¡¯s birthday.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t insult the pig.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to say his name. What can I do?¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t call him by name.¡± ¡°Fine. It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve met.¡± When I was with Cassion, we kept getting sidetracked. Was it because I have a lot to talk to him about yet we didn¡¯t have much time? Or was it because I felt too comfortable because I was at the same age as my enemy? I should wrap up the conversation I was having before the story went elsewhere. ¡°On the birthday of someone whom I couldn¡¯t bring myself to even call his name.¡± Cassion nodded. Seeing that he leaned his body on the table, it seemed that his energy was slowly reaching his limit. I got up and brought a cushion. Naturally, Cassion bent down and placed one cushion behind his back and in front of his stomach. Cassion hugged the cushion and put his head on the cushion. Next time, I would definitely bring a teddy bear. ¡®A teddy bear would look better on you than a cushion.¡¯ Looking at Cassion hugging the cushion, I thought about useless things again. ¡°Tell me, I¡¯m tired.¡± Cassion hastened me. I hurriedly cleared up my thoughts and continued the discussion. ¡°They usually have a birthday banquet on the Prince¡¯s birthday.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Cassion had a face that he had never heard of. Come to think of it, Cassion probably had never had a birthday banquet. Carmine, you bad guy! I would never take Carmine¡¯s side anymore. I couldn¡¯t believe he didn¡¯t give this little, tender boy a birthday banquet. ¡°Your Highness, on your birthday, I¡¯ll give you a big, big breakfast and dinner banquet.¡± ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? What do know what I want to do on my birthday? Just continue.¡± Whether Cassion ignored my idea or not, I vowed to show my sincerity on his birthday. ¡°All members of the royal family can participate. And some nobles.¡± In the evening, a separate banquet would be held, but the King¡¯s favorite aides were invited in the morning. CH 30.2 I didn¡¯t know who it would be, but for the Prince to succeed to the throne, he had to get used to the noble¡¯s faces in advance and earn his favor. ¡®My father was invited every time. I got an invitation again this year.¡¯ Even after my father died, the invitation came. But I didn¡¯t receive it. At that time, the designation of a guardian was completed, so Count Corcos received it and he went instead. It was a time when he started to get close to Dyson, so he might have sent me an invitation, but it was strange to think about it. Maybe Count Corcos didn¡¯t let him invite me to consolidate his power. ¡°So, we have to go there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Go there?¡± ¡°To get permission to get married.¡± He leaned his body completely against the cushion between Cassion¡¯s armpit and the table. I expected a big reaction, but seeing him drooping, even I felt weak. ¡°Talking to you makes me run out of energy.¡± ¡°You mean you like my plan, right?¡± He shook his head but did not object. ¡°Your Highness, do you hate it because I rush things?¡± ¡°Not that I don¡¯t like it. As you said, only good things will happen after I marry you.¡± It sounded like you didn¡¯t believe it, since he had no other way anyway. ¡°More than that, Diana.¡± His voice shrank. I guess he was about to fall asleep. ¡°Yes, go ahead, Your Highness.¡± The color on his face was slowly fading away. When would you continue talking even though you were tired like you played too much? ¡°Do we need to keep calling him someone whom we don¡¯t need to bother to call his name? It¡¯s hard.¡± I guess it was hard to say it every time we talked. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s just go with the bad guy.¡± ¡°That sounds right¡­.¡± At the end of the sentence, Cassion fell into a deep sleep. He said he couldn¡¯t sleep when someone else was around. That seemed to be a lie. I patted Cassion¡¯s hair, which was dropped in front of his face, and called Pollock. ¡°Yes, Miss Diana.¡± ¡°Put His Highness on his bed.¡± I left the palace after making sure that Pollock carefully picked up the Cassion and laid him on the bed. It had been a while since we had a peaceful afternoon, and I hoped for the peace to last. *** A relatively calm and quiet day ensued. Thanks to the uproar I made at Phoenix Bank the other day, Phoenix Bank¡¯s reserves were withdrawn. The president of Phoenix Bank tried everything to fix it, but the situation only got worse. ¡®It¡¯s time to play the bankruptcy card.¡¯ Janice put a snack on the table. ¡°I¡¯m sure the president of Phoenix is looking for someone who can turn over the situation at the bank.¡± Rumdrax was the first to address the issue. He mumbled with a snack in his mouth. It was similar to what I thought. Now, Rumdrax was staying in the mansion as my teacher. Matthew¡¯s white face came to mind when I first brought him as a teacher. Matthew was disappointed, saying, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me in advance if you needed a teacher?¡± Ever since then, he had a bad spot for Rumdrax, a strange outsider. Rumdrax pretended to be a nice gentleman, but Matthew wasn¡¯t going easy on him. He was a deacon of the Irenberg family and had lived well over 20 years. Matthew offered to examine whether Rumdrax was qualified as my teacher. Rumdrax followed him while thanking him for the opportunity. I was nervous even though I knew that Rumdrax was a great con artist. However, in the face of my displeasure, Rumdraax passed Matthew¡¯s rigorous screening with ease. According to Janice, Matthew showed Rumdrax how to be a good example of an educator. ¡°How do you know a lot?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I heard.¡± In any case, no one heard the news faster than Janice in the mansion. It was always fascinating to know everything when she was always with me. Anyway, Matthew was also nicely fooled by Rumdrax. ¡®I might get fooled at this rate.¡¯ As I thought about how I should be careful and make him stick to their deal, I discussed the next step. ¡°Make friends with the president of Phoenix Bank. It¡¯s also good to meet as a big investor.¡± ¡°They might ask me to invest a lot of money.¡± ¡°Then express your disapproval. Phoenix Bank¡¯s situation is not good to invest a large amount of money in, so don¡¯t forget to ask questions about bank management during the discussion.¡± Rumdrax put down the cookies that he was eating and sat down on the sofa, kicking in the air. Crumbs of cookies were flying all over the place. It was amazing whenever I saw Rumdrax¡¯s real self, courtesy, and bold behavior. ¡°I can¡¯t believe such a person can change their personality at once.¡± ¡°Diana.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be serious.¡± I couldn¡¯t believe a con man speaks seriously. I shook my head half-heartedly. ¡°Be my pupil.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still your student on the surface.¡± I thought he was going to take a moment to say something, but it turned out to be nonsense. ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± Only then did I ponder the meaning of what Rumdrax said. His expression crumpled. Rumdrax was telling me to be a conman. CH 31.1 It was ridiculous. ¡°If you¡¯re going to talk nonsense, you¡¯d better go out and do your work. I want to finish the Phoenix Bank case within this week.¡± If the Phoenix Bank came to us, we could get rid of all the documents related to the twilight mansion. Writing off false debts wouldn¡¯t harm Phoenix Bank anyway. ¡®I could clean the papers of the twilight mansion and give it to Cassion, and obtain the Phoenix Bank somehow.¡¯ It was a bank that I bought to have a twilight mansion, but I just couldn¡¯t leave it unattended. ¡®I have to run it properly.¡¯ It would take a lot of time to recover from the bad credit and image, but it would be great if I could make the business solid. We needed to find someone who had something to do with Julia To do so, banks, including the bankers, must be acquired. I didn¡¯t really want to do it, but I had to. ¡°I¡¯m too lazy to do meddlesome things, should we just sell the bank?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Rumdrax reacted immediately to my own words. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Where else is the best place to launder money like a bank? It¡¯s really good to spin it and not know whose money it is.¡­¡± ¡°Rumdrax!¡± He brought up crimes again. A few days after signing a contract with Rumdrax, we coordinated the details. I asked him to refrain from crime while working with me. No matter how good he was at disguising and scamming, I didn¡¯t want him to cause trouble if possible. Surprisingly, Rumdrax accepted it. ¡®Instead of committing a crime, I decided to pay him a lot of money.¡¯ And eventually I would give him the Dragon¡¯s Pledge. ¡°It¡¯s a breach of contract.¡± When I brought it up, Rumdrax shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t I even have a say?¡± ¡°You¡¯d better be careful what you say.¡± Rumdrax told me how strict I was. I wasn¡¯t sure whether he was talking to himself or telling me to listen, but he drank the milk in a gulp, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s for my Lady!¡± Janice, who was sitting next to me and embroidering, threw out her wicket and protested. Rumdrax and Janice quarreled for a long time. My office had never been quiet since Rumdrax came. He couldn¡¯t bear a moment of silence. I was sometimes confused whether it was a good thing to hire him. ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t have all day tomorrow.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ignoring Janice, Rumdrax was basically telling Janice to get lost when he finally saw the bottom of the snack plate. His hand fell regretfully as he fumbled the plate. ¡°To the palace.¡± Rumdrax straightened up. Suddenly, he dragged a chair to my side. ¡°When can I enter the palace?¡± ¡°Wait a little bit. Let¡¯s start with the bank. But why are you so obsessed with holy relics?¡± I asked what I had been curious about for a long time. ¡°Do you have a reason?¡± Rumdrax¡¯s eyes were moistened. Seeing her eyes filled with melancholy, Janice looked with anticipation as if she thought Rumdrax had a secret story that he could not tell. Rumdrax leaned against the window. He stood against the sun, creating a shadow on his face. ¡®He¡¯s doing a show.¡¯ I looked at him in anticipation. I had to admit that he had excellent acting skills. ¡°I guess it¡¯s a sad story.¡± Janice spoke to Rumdrax in a gentle voice as if they had never had a fight before. He sighed low and swept up his hair. Janice put her hands together and focused on him. ¡®Well, people said you¡¯d get attached to each other when you fight a lot. He needs to crack down on Janice first.¡¯ I brought him here to deceive the enemy, and he seemed to fool his friend first. I pulled Janice¡¯s skirt and sat her down next to me. ¡°It¡¯s frustrating, so hurry up and tell me quickly.¡± Rumdrax stared at Janice without even listening to my urging. ¡°To me, the relics are¡­ Do you really want to hear it, lady?¡± Janice focused on his lips. Rumdrax came up to Janice and lifted the tip of her chin. Janice nodded as if she was possessed. ¡°If you want to hear it, come to my room tonight¡­¡­ Ugh!¡± I put up with it and swung the cushion. The cushion hit him in the side and he fell to the floor. ¡°Hey, Diana!¡± The sound of yelping Rumdrax returned Janice¡¯s mind. As Janice leaned back, Rumdrax smacked her lips as if she were disappointed. ¡°Janice, don¡¯t forget that Rumdrax is a conman.¡± Janice was furious when she found out that Loomdrax had deceived her. ¡°Hurry up and meet the president of Phoenix Bank.¡± I kicked him out. It was only after he grumbled out of the room that my office became quiet. *** CH 31.2 It was finally Dyson¡¯s birthday. I visited the Third Prince¡¯s Palace early in the morning. I wanted to sleep more in the morning, but I had to prepare Cassion. This time, the wagon easily crossed the Palace¡¯s gate. Though surprisingly I did appreciate the smell of straws with adequate sunlight and moisture. ¡°It¡¯s not bad, but I don¡¯t want to smell it anymore.¡± Wrapped in straw, I felt like I returned to my senses. ¡°Let¡¯s bear going in and out with the wagon today.¡± I clenched my fists. As I closed my eyes, I felt a certain unevenness on the floor of the palace. It was because the wagon bounced roughly. Feeling the bumps in the royal palace, I remembered what I had prepared to go to the dinner. Pollock, Janice, Rupert and Rumdrax had a hard time over the past few days to go to Dyson¡¯s birthday dinner. It was not just a meal, but a meal for the First prince. Everyone invited would come out dressed up more splendidly than their usual clothes they usually wear. However, Cassion had no clothes or accessories to wear for this birthday dinner. I ran into difficulties even before I went to the banquet. The clothes that were previously bought were among the finest among ready-made clothes, but they wouldn¡¯t do for matching clothes. There was not enough time to make matching new outfits. ¡®I should¡¯ve made it beforehand.¡¯ We met quite a few times in a short time, but I didn¡¯t think of that. Unfortunately, I decided to buy ready-made clothes and make them as fancy as possible. The designer suggested a form of ruffle on children¡¯s ready-to-wear. Cassion freaked out, but I dismissed his opposition. The seamstress had to measure the size of the person to wear and go through the fabrics several times, but the complicated process was also omitted. The designer made quite plausible clothes just by listening to the commission stated by the Pollock and I explained it to Cassion. I chose and prepared accessories that were gender-neutral among the ones I used. Janice, who had never done men¡¯s hair, took charge of Cassion¡¯s hair. Because of that, Janice went into hard practice and Rumdrax fell victim to practice. And Rupert, too. ¡°I need a very strong painkiller. It has to maintain a clearer mind than usual, so it has to include awakening ingredients. Can you make it?¡± Rupert combined and combined drugs day and night to meet my ridiculous demands. And he gave me satisfactory results. I didn¡¯t know the ingredients used for the painkiller, but the awakening effect was clear. Two nights ago, I took the medicine and stayed up all night. I didn¡¯t just spend the night doing nothing. I read a book by a scholar all night. There was only one thing I could do for those who had achieved all this in just a few days. ¡°Everyone, take a few days off afterwards. I¡¯ve prepared enough money for your vacation.¡± Giving a vacation and a pocketmoney. Everyone waved except for Rumdrax, but they have to receive what I gave them. I forced money into their pockets. That¡¯s what happened in the last few days. ¡°It¡¯s time to get ready, Your Highness.¡± In the morning, I woke up the low blood pressure Cassion and fed him food and medicine. Cassion¡¯s eyes became clearer and clearer. When I beckoned, Janice took out the clothes. Cassion dressed calmly as Janice helped him. Then he frowned and began to push Janice¡¯s hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my fringe.¡± ¡°But, Your Highness, you look much better with your hair up.¡± Janice stamped her comb and a cream that would hold his hair. Cassion shook his head stubbornly. ¡°Miss.¡± Janice asked me for help. ¡°Your Highness, please put your hair up.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s uncomfortable.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the only one with golden eyes.¡± Cassion knew that Janice and I wouldn¡¯t step down if he didn¡¯t tell me why, so he told me the reason frankly. But even after hearing the reason, we couldn¡¯t back down. ¡°That¡¯s why you have to show them! You have to show them that you are the only one with the same colored eyes as His Majesty Carmine!¡± There were currently three candidates for succession to the throne in the kingdom. The first was Dyson, the second was Dyson¡¯s brother Ymir, and the third was Cassion. Ymir was born only a month earlier than Cassion and became second in line to succession. She was a seven-year-old child who was born premature. In other words, he was born seven months after Julia was pregnant. If Ymir had been born normally, he would have been younger than Cassion. ¡®There is a story that Julia tried to give birth to Ymir faster than Cassion.¡¯ I didn¡¯t know if it was actually possible, but Julia was the only one who knew how. ¡®She¡¯s a scary person.¡¯ I stopped thinking about Julia and remembered the three candidates for the throne again. The three shared Carmine¡¯s characteristics evenly. Dyson resembled Carmine¡¯s face features, and Ymir had black hair that looked just like Carmine. And Cassion was born with golden eyes, a symbol of the royal family, although his overall atmosphere was different from Carmine. Julia and Dyson, who hated it, looked unpleasant whenever they saw Cassion¡¯s eyes. ¡°Today, raise your head proudly. Should I trim my bangs now?¡± Was it because of the long-held cold gaze from the people around him? Cassion couldn¡¯t make up his mind easily. ¡°Give me scissors.¡± So I made the decision. When someone was hesitant, just pushed them from behind and gave them courage. CH 32.1 ¡®But wouldn¡¯t it be too much?¡¯ But I couldn¡¯t take it back. Janice worked on the scissors after I sat Cassion in front of the mirror. Cassion stared at himself in the mirror with his lower lip tightly closed. ¡°Janice, come here and trim this part of His Highness¡¯ hair.¡± When I called Janice, Cassion clasped Janice¡¯s hand. ¡°No.¡± Janice looked at the stubborn Cassion in the mirror shaking his head, who looked at me. ¡°Not Janice. You cut it for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never given someone a haircut.¡± ¡°Still, you do it.¡± Cassion took his courage and demanded that I cut his hair, of course I could not recklessly deny him. ¡°All right, don¡¯t tell me later if I cut it weird, Your Highness.¡± After I told him not to whine later, I started cutting Cassion¡¯s soft hair. Black hair fell to the floor. Cassion¡¯s appearance shone just by cutting off the hair that covered his eyes. He still didn¡¯t look healthy as he was thin and pale, but there was this atmosphere that anyone rarely could find in an 11-year-old boy. ¡®He¡¯s going to make a lot of girls cry later.¡¯ When the hair problem was solved, the rest was quickly solved. Perhaps because Rupert¡¯s medicine worked well, Cassion did not lose his standing and was very cooperative throughout the preparation. ¡°All right, Your Highness. Shall we go out now?¡± When he was ready, I held out my hand. Cassion took my hand. Whether it was him or mine, I could feel the slow pulse begin to beat faster. The dinner was held at Astro Hall. The Third Prince¡¯s Palace and Astro Hall were quite far away, so it took a long time to get there. We weren¡¯t in a hurry, though the dinner had already begun because I calculated that the more people there were, the more Julia would not be able to run wild. And the later we appeared, the more likely we were to get attention. Dyson¡¯s birthday dinner was his first official event as a prince. I wanted as many people as possible to focus on Cassion. When I looked at Cassion and thought of the nobles and royals who would be surprised, I was excited. But the excitement quickly disappeared. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You can¡¯t go in, Lady. Only His Highness can.¡± The guard stopped us. To be exact, me. ¡°Why not?¡± When I asked, the guard repeatedly uttered the same answer like a doll that gave a set answer. ¡°If you don¡¯t have an invitation, you can¡¯t go in.¡± To attend a Royal Prince¡¯s birthday dinner, of course I needed an invitation since I wasn¡¯t a royalty. I knew that, too. But I couldn¡¯t get an invitation for the name of Irenberg family. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t expect Count Corcos to go and get it from Julia himself either.¡¯ In the past, my family would have invitations sent to our mansion. But there have been subtle changes from the past. I didn¡¯t mind much. I didn¡¯t think the invitation was a big deal. Because I expected to be able to get in the dinner with Cassion. ¡®Who¡¯s going to stop me when I have a Royal Prince to guarantee my identity?¡¯ But I was too complacent. The guard was a stubborn principled man. ¡®If I knew this would happen, I would have prepared an invitation even if I had to steal it.¡¯ ¡°You must have an invitation.¡± When the guard mentioned the invitation for the nth time, Cassion grabbed my skirt and pulled it as he stepped forward. ¡°Even if I guarantee her identity?¡± In the royal palace, Cassion¡¯s face was an invitation. ¡°That will not do.¡± But the guard flatly denied him. Cassion clenched his fist. ¡®Who does he think he is?¡¯ It was when I tried to step up because I couldn¡¯t stand the rude guard, Cassion said something unexpected. ¡°It¡¯s an order. Open the door.¡± Cassion ordered the guard in a dignified tone¨C small but determined voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but without an invitation¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility, so open the door. How dare you disobey my orders?¡± The guard didn¡¯t know what to do, so he just averted his eyes anxiously. ¡°Or do you think I¡¯ll hurt His Majesty and my family?¡± ¡°No, Your Highness! How could I think of that!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t, why can¡¯t the person I guarantee get in? I think the invitation to the dinner is needed to let in those with unidentified status.¡± The guard was overwhelmed by the little Cassion. He only gulped because Cassion only said the right things and he couldn¡¯t say anything else. ¡°Did you decide that the person I guaranteed was dangerous? Doesn¡¯t that mean you don¡¯t trust me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making me look like a villain¡± ¡°No, Your Highness!¡± The guard desperately denied it. When Cassion said, the guard was implying him to be the villain, who was trying to kill the King and annihilate the royal family. The sin of sullen destruction of the royal family was too heavy to be easily said. ¡°So open it.¡± Cassion did not back down. I could see the sweat on the back of his neck. CH 32.2 ¡®He¡¯s very nervous.¡¯ I wondered how he was feeling pretending to be tough facing the guard? The rejection of the guard was not just a rejection. Cassion must have realized his presence as a prince was insignificant to a guard. ¡®It must be miserable.¡¯ Nevertheless, I was proud of Cassion, who did not step down for me and stood up to the guard. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her, so open the door.¡± An arrogant expression could be seen on Cassion¡¯s face when he sent the guard an ultimatum. Eventually he opened the door. The guard nodded at the attendants who were responsible for opening and closing the door. The heavy door, which never seemed to open earlier, opened. Sophisticated music that did not match the earlier confrontation at all, the dazzlingly colorful chandelier, the smell of delicious food that attracted even people who were already full, and the occasional laughter. It was nothing like where Cassion and I stood. Cassion and I raised our heads as if we had promised. We clasped our hands tightly and moved our feet into the hall. There was a heavy door closing behind our back. *** Clank. Count Corcos dropped his fork. His eyes were fixed on the entrance. The smile that filled his face gradually disappeared. ¡°Count Corcos, is there anything uncomfortable?¡± Julia asked. Count Corcos could not answer and hesitated. Julia turned her head along the count¡¯s gaze. Julia was not the only one. Everyone in Astro Hall looked at one spot. At the same time, people¡¯s eyes got bigger. ¡°His Highness Cassion?¡± ¡°I heard that the Third Prince is absent due to health problems.¡± ¡°I heard that too. He never showed up at a royal event¡­.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that Princess Irenberg next to him?¡± ¡°The Third Prince and Princess Irenberg?¡± There was a stir among the nobles. Cassion and Diana were affectionately entering the hall. Julia gnashed her teeth. ¡®How did they get in here?¡¯ Julia squeezed the corners of her mouth to keep her smile. The person who put an eye on Cassion reported that Cassion was quietly staying in his palace. The hole that Diana used to get in and out of Cassion¡¯s palace was also blocked. There was no name similar to Diana Viola Irenberg in the entrance to the palace that Jia checked this morning. ¡®But how¨C!¡¯ Julia chewed the inside of her cheek. If she didn¡¯t remind herself in check, she would likely show the guests an ugly screaming. Julia stared at Diana and Cassion. Diana, feeling Julia¡¯s cold gaze, looked up. Diana, whose eyes met Julia in the air, smiled broadly. Julia¡¯s angry smile was never a welcome from Diana¡¯s point of view. Julia rolled her brain on how to kick them out. Then, King Carmine rose up. ¡°You¡¯re late, Cassion. Welcome, Princess Irenberg.¡± King Carmine greeted them as if he was expecting Cassion. The fact that there was no room for two more people in the banquet hall. But it was just a very small matter. ¡°There¡¯s not enough chairs. Bring it.¡± With only those words, Carmine¡¯s words, were enough to solve the problem. When seats were made for Cassion and Diana, Julia¡¯s chance to kick them out also disappeared. ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡± When boring greetings were said, Diana and Cassion sat down and the feast resumed. But no one could concentrate on their meal. The nobles were busy glancing at Diana and Cassion, and Julia, Dyson, and Count Corcos could not swallow their food from shock and anger. ¡°The chef must be a terrible cook.¡± King Carmine said. The nobles looked up at the King in unison. ¡°That can¡¯t be true. The food is excellent, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Then why do you look uncomfortable and wouldn¡¯t enjoy the feast? Is your seat uncomfortable?¡± Carmine was blatantly asking like Cassion and Diana were their uninvited guests. Who would dare raise their hands to say yes? That Cassion and Diana were indeed uninvited guests. The presence or absence of an invitation was never the matter anymore. The King gave chairs for the two. It was more meaningful than Julia¡¯s invitation. ¡°By the way, you are late, Cassion.¡± Carmine¡¯s gaze at Cassion was not warm. But it wasn¡¯t a word without any emotion. Cassion clenched his fist at the tone of blaming his son for his mistake like any other father. Diana patted the back of his hand under the tablecloth. Cassion was abominable toward Carmine. He knew Cassion wasn¡¯t invited. What was the reason for criticizing him for being late? Cassion was anxious. What if Carmine told him that he wasn¡¯t invited here? ¡®Do you admit that I¡¯m the royal family¡¯s outcast?¡¯ How would the nobles react? ¡®Is he going to pity me?¡¯ Cassion bowed his head and raised the corners of his mouth. ¡®That can¡¯t be true. He is just going to dismiss it anyway.¡¯ Cassion knew what answer to give. But he wanted to ask Diana if he could say this in advance. Cassion turned to Diana. But there was no need to ask. Diana was already looking only at Cassion. Her gaze answered Cassion¡¯s question. ¡®Do as you please, Your Highness.¡¯ My confirming gaze that I would take responsibility for whatever he did, rose the courage from the bottom of his heart. CH 33.1 ¡°Cassion, His Majesty asked you a question.¡± Julia urged Cassion to answer. It was Julia¡¯s first words to Cassion who came to the dinner. The nobles blinked at each other and exchanged looks. ¡®He is really the abandoned prince. It¡¯s totally different from when she is treating Prince Dyson.¡¯ ¡®Just differently? She didn¡¯t even talk to him until His Majesty asked him a question. I don¡¯t know if she even noticed him.¡¯ ¡®Look at the clothes. They look ready-made, don¡¯t they? He didn¡¯t even know what he was doing today, did he?¡¯ ¡®Tsk, he should have secured his standing.¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s no standing for him anyway. It¡¯s not even for consideration.¡¯ Julia felt much better when she saw the acrimonious eyes of the nobles. So Julia decided to show some generosity. ¡°I heard you were sick.¡± She made excuses for Cassion. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t attending this dinner be too much for your health?¡± He even made an excuse for Cassion to leave. It was a kind of suggestion to leave when she was still generous. It was a threat to Cassion and Diana. However, Cassion did not leave and sat firmly and locked his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m not feeling well, but it¡¯s not to the point where I can¡¯t come out to my only brother¡¯s birthday dinner. Congratulations, brother.¡± ¡°What? Congratulations?¡± Suddenly there was a loud noise. Dyson clenched the tablecloth with anger on his face. Carmine frowned at the frivolous behavior, but it was invisible to Dyson. Dyson felt a great sense of being fooled by Cassion because he couldn¡¯t even walk when Dyson went to see him, and then he appeared at his birthday dinner. For better or worse, Cassion stole the attention he deserved and brought a cute girl next to him. The cute and lovely girl who was supposed to fall in love with Dyson. However, the girl was not looking at Dyson, but only looking at Cassion. ¡®I heard she is the daughter of the Irenberg family.¡¯ Dyson thought how he was much cooler, and that he was going to be king. Yet, whenever Dyson sometimes made eye contact with her, the girl jerked her head away. Dyson¡¯s status as a prince and handsome face were easy for anyone to like him. But Diana¡¯s hostility must be because Cassion said bad things about him. Dyson was upset with Cassion one way or another and raised his voice. ¡°Dyson, isn¡¯t it a good day?¡± Julia exhorted in a soft tone. Carmine was watching Dyson. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to come and congratulate me in person since you weren¡¯t feeling well. Thank you anyway.¡± Dyson grudged his thanks. ¡°But what about the present?¡± Dyson looked at Cassion¡¯s empty hands and asked. Cassion¡¯s face flushed with embarrassment. Dyson laughed. ¡®There¡¯s no way Cassion knows that he needs to prepare a gift. But the nobles who don¡¯t know about it will find Cassion strange for not preparing my birthday present.¡¯ Dyson thought he had given Cassion a proper intimidation. But it was just Dyson¡¯s great imagination. ¡°He could have something he could give you.¡± It was Diana who answered Dyson¡¯s question. When Diana, who had been quiet all this time, opened her mouth, Carmine looked at her interestingly. ¡°But unfortunately,¡± Diana frowned her eyebrows and continued with a look of real sadness. ¡°Your Highness Cassion has no personal allowance.¡± Huh, the nobles gasped. ¡°There¡¯s no personal allowance?¡± ¡°Did I hear it wrong?¡± The nobles spoke with their voices down, but the room was so quiet that everyone could hear the murmur. The nobles, who belatedly noticed, quickly closed their mouths. ¡®It¡¯s understandable.¡¯ Diana thought to herself. The King¡¯s children receive personal allowance from the royal family upon birth. Personal allowance, which was supposed to be paid in a certain amount every month, used by them to pave their way for politics. Even if Cassion didn¡¯t get it as he was at his mother¡¯s private residence, it became an issue that he didn¡¯t get it after he returned to the palace. ¡°And I couldn¡¯t afford to spend my parents¡¯ inheritance carelessly, so I couldn¡¯t find a gift that would suit His Highness. Your Majesty, will you forgive us for our rudeness?¡± Diana looked at Carmine with a pitiful expression. The nobles were shaken when they saw drooping eyebrows and tears filled the round eyes. ¡®Oh, that¡¯s too bad. Is the issue of the succession of the Irenberg family still unresolved?¡¯ ¡®Didn¡¯t Count Corcos say he became her guardian?¡¯ ¡®He did say he would be her guardian. Now that I see it, I don¡¯t think Count Corcos will be able to do it.¡¯ In Diana¡¯s short words, the nobles quickly saw through the situation. Julia and Count Corcos¡¯ lips twitched. It looked like they were about to explode. Diana was the one who actually dropped the bombshell and finally had to endure the gaze of questioning. Diana¡¯s expression was so calm. ¡®Julia wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up the pieces with this.¡¯ Diana was only telling the truth, so she didn¡¯t sound like she was taking sides. She¡¯d rather Julia pick on her about this. ¡®She might get angry if I bothered her with nonsense.¡¯