Chapter 53
I blinked several times. I even rubbed my eyes hard with my hands, but nothing changed.
“What… what is going on here?!”
The shop owner looked just as shocked as I was.
He kept feeling around the spot where the monster core had been. But as Lucian had said, the monster core had completely vanished without a trace.
“……”
Lucian seemed just as surprised. He stared blankly at his hand, which had emitted a white light just moments before.
The only one who remained calm was Claude.
“Lucian, can you try again?”
He handed Lucian another wooden box.
But the result was the same. The monster core vanished with a burst of white light the moment Lucian touched it.
“See! I told you so!”
Lucian, who had finally come to his senses, shouted triumphantly. Even so, I couldn’t just agree with him.
‘What was that just now? Magic?’
Every child in the Empire has their magical power measured at birth. But Lucian’s magic reading had been zero.
‘This wasn’t in the original story either.’
Then what was that light?
“Purification ability.”
I looked up at Claude when he said that.
“I believe Lucian has the power of purification.”
“I told youuu… I’m not a thief…”
“I know. I’m sorry for not believing you.”
I gently patted Lucian’s chest as his heavy eyelids slowly closed. He must have been really upset about being mistaken for a thief, as he kept insisting on his innocence even as he fell asleep.
I had to beg Lucian for forgiveness practically.
“I have a poweeer…”
With those words, the room fell silent. Soon, soft snoring began.
I pulled the blanket up to Lucian’s chin and quietly left the room.
“I never imagined Lucian would have such a power.”
Claude said it seemed Lucian’s touch purified the magic inside the monster core, making it disappear.
‘If that’s the case, what about the other items? The shop is full of monster by-products. If what he says is true, shouldn’t those be purified too?’
‘A monster core isn’t exactly a by-product. It’s a concentration of magical energy.’
The monster core wasn’t a physical part of the monster, like a mermaid’s scale or a unicorn’s horn.
It was the source of a monster’s power—essentially, its heart.
‘Dead monsters lose their magic over time. Only the core retains it.’
So Lucian’s power purified the magic within the core. That was Claude’s conclusion.
‘But there’s no way Lucian has such a power.’
‘Why do you think that?’
Because in the original story, there was no mention of such a thing.
But of course, I couldn’t say that to Claude.
‘If your ability to sense magic is passed on through blood, it’s a real possibility.’
Why do I even have that power?
‘In the original, neither Lucella nor Lucian had any abilities.’
I sank deep into thought.
So many things had changed.
I stayed by Lucian’s side. Amelia found her uncle earlier. Edwin met his father sooner than in the original. I had no idea what changes led to this change in Lucian and me.
‘I should go to the Rilfray estate tomorrow.’
If this power is tied to blood, as Claude said, there must be clues there.
The next morning, I got into a carriage bound for the Rilfrey estate before the sun was even up.
The mansion was quiet, as the children were still asleep.
“Please take good care of Lucian. And Edwin too.”
“Of course. Don’t worry.”
Only after asking Claude repeatedly did I finally close the carriage door.
Even though there were nannies, maids, and responsible Amelia, it still felt heavy leaving Lucian behind. He had never once been separated from me.
But I couldn’t take him with me.
‘If I bring Lucian, the trip will take several more days.’
The purification ability was incredible.
But whether it would be a blessing or a curse was unclear.
‘Some people end up paying for great power with their lives.’
So I had to find out what exactly this purification power was, and whether it was connected to the Rilfrey family.
I thought about that power the whole way to the estate.
After half a day of travel, the carriage finally began to slow down.
I pulled back the curtain and saw the wide plains of Rilfrey.
“It’s been so long.”
The golden sunset lit the scene, and I couldn’t look away.
It was my first time returning since my sister’s death. Everything looked just as it had in my childhood memories.
I stared at a withered plane tree, its leaves fallen in the cold season.
“Those trees used to be so beautiful…”
I remembered writing letters to my sister on dried plane leaves.
That memory made my chest tighten and left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“This is Father’s land.”
If Father were alive, I would still be living peacefully here.
Maybe my sister would have succeeded him as the head of the Rilfrey family.
But now, neither my parents nor my sister remained.
‘I wish I could go back.’
That thought passed quickly, as something outside caught my eye.
“Smoke?”
A gray plume rose into the sky. People were gathered around it.
“Are they burning something?”
I squinted. As the scene became clearer, I saw what was piled up next to them.
“Wheat?”
They were tossing heaps of wheat into the fire.
“Why would they burn wheat?”
Was it bad quality?
Still, it should’ve been edible.
‘No way…’
A horrible suspicion brushed the back of my neck.
‘No, that’s too much.’
The lord of a territory wouldn’t be that reckless.
I shook my head to clear the unease.
Meanwhile, the carriage came to a stop. We had arrived at the Rilfrey estate.
“State your name.”
The guard at the gate spoke.
I opened the window wide.
“Can’t you recognize the family crest on the carriage?”
“L-Lady Lucella…!”
The guard stared wide-eyed.
“Tell my uncle I’m here.”
“What brings you here?”
His voice was filled with displeasure.
“Do I need a reason to visit my own home?”
I sipped my tea with a blunt tone.
At least he brought out tea for a guest.
“You wouldn’t even budge from the duke’s mansion before.”
“I didn’t stay there by choice. I had no other option.”
“Hah.”
Nove Rilfrey laughed dryly.
He was my uncle, the one who took over the Rilfrey title after my parents died.
He had laughed at their deaths and abused my sister and me.
“I thought age might change you. But you’re just the same.”
He sneered.
This was the real reason I hadn’t brought Lucian.
Because I knew he wouldn’t react kindly.
“I’ll take that to mean I’m consistent.”
“Consistently hopeless, that is.”
“Well, you seem to remember my yellow eyes just fine.”
I didn’t avoid his burning glare.
My sister took me to the duke’s mansion so I wouldn’t be under this man’s roof.
‘Because if she didn’t, one of us was going to die.’
Either he’d die, or I would.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
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