Became The Adopted Daughter Of A Family Of Assassins

Chapter 54,

where are you?

 

Riche and Deon were inside a carriage, heading up the road from the Ludwick Palace to Hwangdo.

 

The past three months had seen a temporary closure of the Royal Academy to repair the damage caused by the monsters.

 

On the night of the full moon, Python returned to its body.

 

“The yellow one? As soon as fusion was undone, it went back to the human realm to find its original form.”

 

“And the glass bottle?”

 

“It seems it hid somewhere in a grave before the fusion was undone. It was quite confident that other stars would never find it.”

 

Python was also included among those other stars. Hikenka’s glass bottle prevented detection across worlds.

 

After that, mundane daily life continued.

 

Zeekbert occasionally visited. Robenhaf played foolish wagers with Deon and then returned for another visit.

 

There were no significant events, but before they knew it, the reopening day of the academy was approaching.

 

“Since Dad’s not here, we have to do better.”

 

“Nagging.”

 

Deon gestured for Riche to stop, covering her mouth with his hand.

 

Riche, unfazed, moved her lips beneath Deon’s hand.

 

“It’s worry.”

 

Although there were still two weeks left before the reopening, Deon and Riche had decided to arrive early at Hwangdo.

 

They planned the journey leisurely to avoid the crowded carriages heading to the academy.

 

Blake also intended to join them, but just before departure, he had urgent matters on his territory and said he would arrive in Hwangdo about three weeks later.

 

“Alright, just be quiet now.”

 

“Mm.”

 

Riche held Deon’s hand as they looked out of the window. Through the gap in the curtain, they could see the bustling city streets with people passing by.

 

The carriage entered Hwangdo.

 

“Only about two weeks left until we have to go to the academy. We have quite some time to spare.”

 

That’s good. There was something he wanted to check.

 

“Is Ian doing well?”

 

Ian, who said he would come to Ludwick Palace once during the break, had not contacted them throughout the break.

 

Even after trying to contact the Gerwer family or sending separate letters, there was no response.

 

At first, he thought Gerwer was too busy filling in for Gerwer’s father, but as time passed without even a brief greeting, he grew increasingly worried.

 

“Since the Gerwer family also has a mansion in Hwangdo, I should unpack and visit them tomorrow.”

 

Ian might have come early.

 

With that thought in mind, the carriage stopped in front of a familiar gate.

 

“Master Deon, Miss Riche, we’ve arrived.”

 

Philip announced the arrival at the mansion from outside the carriage.

 

As Deon, who got off first, held Riche’s hand and descended from the carriage, someone approached Riche.

 

“Miss.”

 

When someone Riche had never seen before spoke to her, Philip intervened, asking, “What’s the matter?”

 

“Would you please allow me to briefly meet our Miss?”

 

She seemed to be a maid from a noble family. There was a luxurious carriage parked where she gestured.

 

It seemed she had been waiting there until Ludwick’s carriage arrived.

 

A white bird with spread wings was painted on the carriage’s body. Deon narrowed his eyes recognizing the emblem.

 

“Count Ga?”

 

“……Is Miss Riche being requested by Miss Celine Ga?”

 

Philip’s voice became cautious.

 

Their first encounter was when she was told to kneel in the corridor.

 

Because of that, the impression Celine had on Philip was that she was one of the people hostile to Riche.

 

“Celine senior wants to meet me?”

 

When Riche asked, the maid nodded. Despite Deon’s silent protests, Philip vehemently agreed.

 

“……”

 

After a moment of hesitation, Riche decided to speak with Celine and headed towards the Ga family’s carriage.

 

“If she came all the way here, it must be something important.”

 

As Riche, who was peering out the window, was about to come towards her, Celine, who had been waiting for the carriage door to open, greeted her.

 

“Hello, Miss Riche. It’s been a while.”

 

Returning the greeting, Riche boarded the carriage and sat facing Celine.

 

Celine had an anxious and worried expression on her face.

 

“What brings you to me?”

When Riche asked Celine about it, she immediately got to the point in an impatient tone.

 

“I, I happened to overhear what my father said to my mother. Oh, not exactly overhear, but I happened to pass by the area…”

 

“No need to explain. Just tell me.”

 

She seemed concerned about the nobility’s dignity after saying she overheard. Riche reassured her, allowing Celine to continue.

 

“It’s about a person with abilities. I’ve been pondering alone whether it’s right… But I thought Miss Trixie should know…”

 

“…Perhaps.”

 

In a familiar situation, Riche spoke up.

 

It reminded her of the time in the dormitory lounge when Celine confided in her about Ian’s sleeping sickness.

 

“Senior Ian Dwayne, is it?”

 

“Y-Yes.”

 

Celine nodded.

 

Then, she hesitantly revealed to Riche the conversation she had overheard from her parents, finding it hard to believe even now.

 

“Just yesterday, my father mentioned that people from the Gerwer estate vanished.”

 

“…What?”

 

“He used the word ‘vanished’ exactly as my father said it, and it seems like everyone disappeared.”

 

Everyone vanished.

 

Riche, with a shocked expression, cautiously asked.

 

“Everyone… Who do you mean?”

 

“Everyone. The staff, the knights. Even Lord Gerwer in the ice.”

 

Celine listed the disappeared people with a serious expression, then paused for a moment, looking at Riche with trembling eyes, and finally spoke the biggest reason she came to find Riche.

 

“Ian Dwayne too.”

 

* * *

 

“Try visiting the Gerwer mansion in Hwangdo. I saw Ian Dwayne there about a week ago.”

 

Celine mentioned the Gerwer mansion when she heard Ian vanished.

 

If Ian was in Hwangdo a week ago, he might not have descended to the estate.

 

That night.

 

“Are you traveling alone?”

 

The stableman asked the man in a robe covering him from head to toe.

 

The man nodded.

 

He was a taciturn guest. Perhaps he didn’t even know if his voice was a complex. His voice when he first stated his destination was light enough to think it matched.

 

“He has a large build, but…”

 

The stableman scrutinized the man.

 

Since he couldn’t see his appearance or attire, he didn’t know if he was a commoner or a noble.

 

It was better to treat him politely in this situation.

 

If he treated him like a commoner and he turned out to be a noble, he could be executed for disrespect the next day.

 

“Are you okay with the extra cost for the night?”

 

Once again, the man nodded in response.

 

The stableman walked to the carriage stone without saying anything.

 

The stableman sat on the carriage stone, and the man boarded the carriage.

 

Strangely, the carriage shook less than usual.

 

With that physique, the stableman should have felt his body sinking when he stepped on the stone.

 

The stableman found it strange, but soon, he put aside all his doubts when the man handed him a gold coin through the carriage window.

 

As the carriage departed without any problems, Python chuckled.

 

“See? Didn’t suspect a thing, did they?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Hidden beneath the hood, Riche responded to Python’s words.

 

Python boasted about the greatness of his abilities, hidden in the pocket of Riche’s robe.

 

With Python’s ability to manipulate perception, Riche would appear to the stableman as a robust man.

 

At the Ludwick mansion, a large plush dog was on Riche’s bed, representing her.

 

“They probably thought that doll was you.”

 

“Impressive, Python.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Despite boasting, Python couldn’t hide his unease.

 

Derke Dyon might recognize her though.

In any case, there are two monsters. My contractor and Derkedion can’t understand why their blood doesn’t work.

 

When Riche didn’t catch Python’s muttering, she asked him to repeat. Python emerged from Riche’s pocket, removing his hush. Then, he pointed outside the window at a building.

 

“Isn’t that the Gerwer Mansion?”

 

Riche turned her gaze. In the distance, she saw the neat and grand rear side of the mansion.

 

She had never seen the Gerwer Mansion in Hwangdo before, as she never ventured outside Gerwer’s domain in her past life. But it felt similar to Agnes’s mansion.

 

Riche agreed with Python’s statement.

 

“It seems so.”

 

Intentionally, she called for the Gerwer Mansion and a couple of blocks away as their destination.

 

When Riche got off the carriage, she stopped walking as the carriage left the alley and dashed towards the Gerwer Mansion.

 

Although there was a lock on the iron gate, it was no obstacle for Riche and Python.

 

Riche broke the lock and entered, crossing the garden.

 

Luckily, the mansion’s door wasn’t locked.

 

Creak.

 

She somewhat expected it, but the mansion remained silent even after Riche’s unexpected visit.

 

“Ian?”

 

Riche cautiously called out as she walked through the lobby. The cold marble floor echoed as her shoes clicked against it.

 

It was a sound of coldness she hadn’t heard in a long time. The Gerwer Duke’s mansion, where Agnes lived, was always like this. Quiet, calm, and bleak.

 

Was Ian’s world always like this too?

 

Riche thought maybe her past self and Ian might have felt the same emotions in similar landscapes.

 

“Ian!”

 

There was no response.

 

Her anxious calls echoed back as an eerie silence.

 

“You can’t guarantee that your last moment won’t come.”

 

Hikenca.

 

“What you experienced was even shorter.”

 

Who were you talking about as the last?

 

Her actions hastened with anxiety. Riche, along with Python, began to open doors one by one in the mansion.

 

“No contractor here.”

 

“…Nor here.”

 

But Ian was nowhere to be found, nor even a trace of anyone.

 

Perplexed, Riche stood in the hallway, and the wind passed by.

 

Riche shifted her gaze towards the direction of the wind. The door at the end of the corridor was wide open.

 

“Python, did you open it?”

 

“It wasn’t me.”

 

It wasn’t me either.

 

Riche swallowed dryly and walked towards the room.

 

Like the door, the window was wide open.

 

The curtains fluttered gently in the breeze, and the moonlight streamed into the room through the window frame.

 

The moonlight was reflected on an oval-shaped full-body mirror.

 

“Is that a mirror?”

 

Python smirked. It was reasonable. The patched-up mirror, with missing pieces here and there, looked messy.

 

But above all…

 

Riche slowly walked to the mirror and squatted down.

 

At the bottom of the wooden frame, there were crooked, childishly carved letters.

 

The reason I live.

 

After staring at the letters for a while, Riche raised her gaze.

 

The surface someone had patched up showed nothing, as if the mirror itself was devoid of anything.

 

As if she would never see Ian again.

 

Emptiness. A huge hole seemed to pierce her chest for some reason.

 

Ian, he’s gone.

 

“I will live on. For you.”

 

Tears welled up in Riche’s silvery eyes as she cried silently.