#.06
“Did you really have to make the kid cry, Marius?”
Leopold, unable to take his eyes off Regina walking away and Liliana still sobbing loudly, glared resentfully at Marius.
“She’s cute, isn’t she?”
“What a twisted sense of humor you have.”
“Still, thanks to that, you managed to set up a meeting with Miss Regina. Why complain?”
Marius displayed his signature cheerful smile. He was thoroughly amused by the unexpected side of his friend, Leopold, that he had witnessed today.
This was the Leopold—the stoic, rigidly principled Leopold von Baltrahein, notoriously reserved. Watching someone like him utterly flustered and trembling over a chance encounter with a young lady was highly entertaining.
‘It was unmistakable—a face that screamed love at first sight.’
Regina seemed to have a favorable impression of Leopold as well, but Leopold’s feelings toward Regina were far more intense than anyone could have imagined.
If the knights under Leopold’s command saw this, they would have slapped themselves, convinced they were dreaming.
“Getting lost and ending up at the playground was a godsend. Don’t you agree?”
“…Well, that’s true.”
The two had arrived in Trovancha earlier than planned to take care of some personal errands before attending the summit meeting.
Although Trovancha’s government officials appeared uneasy about the pair traveling without guards, Leopold was a Swordmaster, often referred to as a human weapon in the empire.
Moreover, Marius wasn’t simply an emperor by virtue of his lineage; he was a ruthless ruler who had claimed the throne after a bloody struggle with his siblings. With their formidable skills, they had little to fear while conducting business and sightseeing in Trovancha.
The problem was, while they were armed with strength, they had no one to guide them through the unfamiliar terrain.
“Do you think we’ll be able to find our way back to the inn?”
“I’ve memorized the address, but I have no idea where we are.”
Though their trip was meant to be a free-spirited exploration, wandering from the coast into residential areas hadn’t been part of the plan.
“The standard of living in Trovancha seems higher than I expected. I thought their isolationist policies would have kept them stagnant. Leopold, if we were to go to war with Trovancha now, even the empire would suffer significant losses. Don’t you think?”
“It appears that way. With 30% of their population being ability users, it’s undoubtedly a nation that can’t be underestimated.”
Trovancha, a warm island nation bathed in sunlight year-round, was wealthy, peaceful, and beautiful.
Its temperate climate and abundant resources made it a tempting target for any conqueror. Simply establishing diplomatic relations with Trovancha, rather than conquering it, was sure to bring great wealth to the empire.
It was then—
“Ahahaha!”
A bright, clear laugh, as refreshing as Trovancha’s seawater, reached the two of them. It came from a nearby playground.
Drawn to the joyful sound, Marius found himself instinctively heading toward the playground.
There, a little girl with jet-black curls was laughing gleefully as she swung on the swings.
“She looks like she’s having fun.”
Leopold murmured quietly.
Marius’s blue eyes darkened as they settled on the girl.
“She’s a child of Berchio.”
“Berchio’s?”
“Before coming to Trovancha, I looked into the Berchio family. They have a youngest daughter.”
The Berchio family, a prominent political household, was renowned even in the empire despite Trovancha’s isolationist policies.
Anticipating the upcoming secret meeting, Leopold had gathered information about the Berchio family members.
‘But why did Andrea Berchio move to the countryside?’
It was puzzling that a promising politician in the prime of his career would abandon everything to retreat to the countryside.
As Leopold murmured to himself, unsure if he was asking a question or simply musing aloud, Marius, as if hypnotized, approached the child on the swing.
“Marius?”
Marius waved a hand dismissively, signaling Leopold not to worry.
He quickly moved to Liliana and gave her swing a gentle push.
For a brief moment, a complex, piercing expression flashed across Marius’s face as he watched Liliana’s small figure from behind.
Witnessing this, Leopold was overcome with an inexplicable sensation.
He couldn’t determine if it was due to the unfamiliar expression on Marius’s face or the lukewarm emotions welling up within himself.
However, Leopold didn’t dwell on the strange feeling for long.
Snapping back to his senses, he scanned the area for another member of the Berchio family.
When he spotted Regina Berchio, the world around him turned monochrome, and only she remained in focus.
His breath caught in his throat. His chest burned, and his mind went blank.
It was a sensation he had never experienced before.
Sunlight cascaded over her, though it felt as if his very soul was shattering.
It was the moment Leopold von Baltrahein fell in love at first sight with Regina Berchio.
***
“You made that decision entirely on your own? How could you not say anything to me or our sister about something involving Lili?”
“I’m sorry. I was so overwhelmed that it slipped my mind. Listen, Regina. This is an excellent opportunity. With a mage of François Cassel’s caliber—”
“I know François Cassel is a genius, but Lili isn’t some lab rat. I can’t just feed her something like that without question.”
“That’s why it can be proven through his thesis. Do you think I didn’t calculate all of this?”
The sound of my sisters arguing echoed from the living room.
I pulled the blanket over my head, suppressing a sigh.
Though the second unnie and the youngest unnie were twins, their personalities couldn’t have been more different.
The second unnie was meticulous and cautious, whereas the youngest was cynical and fearless.
As a result, they often clashed over trivial matters, and today’s argument was about the youngest taking me to see François Cassel.
‘If I were stronger, they wouldn’t have to fight like this.’
Feeling like it was all my fault, my heart sank. My nose tingled for no reason, and I hugged Cookie tightly.
For reference, Cookie was my beloved bunny plushie. Its fluffy pink fur was the most adorable thing ever.
“Cookie, I hope our eldest sister comes back soon, don’t you?”
If our eldest sister came home, the second and youngest would stop fighting.
Alice was the strongest woman in the world, after all.
I waited for her to return from work, but before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep.
When I opened my eyes again, Emilia was waking me with her puffy eyes.
“Hey, wake up.”
“Mm, just a little longer…”
“Nope. We need to go somewhere, so get up and wash your face.”
Emilia forcibly dragged me out of bed and pushed me into the bathroom.
Still drowsy and unwilling, I lay down in the empty tub, hoping to sneak in a little more sleep.
But when Emilia barged in with her fiery gaze, I had no choice but to pout and get up.
After splashing water on my face and washing up, I put on the clothes Emilia picked out for me.
As I was spreading jam on my bread for breakfast, Emilia tied my hair into two neat braids.
“Where are we going?”
“Remember the handsome guy with silver hair we met last time? We’re going to see him.”
Wait, we’re going to see François Cassel?
I stopped mid-bite and gaped.
“Unnie… I think I have a stomachache and should stay home…”
“Don’t even try lying to me. You’ll get scolded.”
“No, really! I’m in pain. I want to lie down in bed.”
Emilia stared at me, as if trying to determine if I was genuinely unwell.
Her sharp, cat-like eyes made my heart sink.
If I got caught lying, I’d have to endure an hour of her nagging.
François Cassel or an hour of scolding…
Faced with this impossible choice, I surrendered to her piercing gaze.
“Fine… I think I feel better now…”
François Cassel was a potential future threat, but lying was a risk that would be exposed in just a few hours.
Resigned, I brushed my teeth and followed my sister out the door to a nearby café.
François, with his unreal beauty, was already there, waiting for us.
“Hello.”
My unnie had raised me to be a polite child, so even though I was scared of him, I greeted him properly.
“Hello, little miss.”
“I’m Liliana, and I’m six years old.”
So stop calling me “little miss” and call me Liliana or Lili!
Of course, that last part was only in my head—I was too scared to say it out loud.
“Unnie, I want grape juice! And strawberry cream waffles, too!”
Ever since running into Marius last time, I’d been craving grape juice.
My sister ordered the waffle and juice for me before engaging in conversation with François.
The complex, professional terms they used made the dialogue harder to understand than a foreign language.
Bored, I nibbled on my waffle while staring blankly at François’ face.
Despite my fear of him, I had to admit… he was devastatingly handsome.
‘If only he weren’t so unstable, I’d want him as a Hyungbu… What a shame.’
Family background, wealth, career, looks—he lacked nothing.
I’d love to set him up with one of my sisters if not for his infamous issues.
Then François reached out and wiped my cheek.
“Eek?”
Startled, I pulled away, only to see his fingertips covered in cream.
He had wiped the cream off my cheek.
After cleaning his fingers with a tissue, François smiled gracefully.
At that moment, I recalled the original storyline.
‘What Hyungbu? Never!’
Before falling for the heroine, Rebecca Marchione, this man was the empire’s biggest playboy, leaving a trail of scandals behind him.
There was no way François could become my Hyungbu.
Not unless I was six feet under… Okay, maybe if I were dead, I’d allow it.
But until then, absolutely not.
While I was busy reaffirming my resolve, François poured something into my grape juice.
“Liliana, it might taste a little strange, but don’t worry—it’s nothing bad. Just bear with it for a moment.”
“Huh?”
As I turned to check with Emilia, a straw was suddenly pressed against my lips.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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