“Take it.”
What the Duke held out was a small platinum ring. Even though it was platinum, it appeared in various colors depending on the angle of the light. It seemed to glow green and sometimes yellow. Also, at some angles, it looked white. It was a mysterious color. When she looked closely, there were itty bitty patterns engraved on it that were difficult to discern with the naked eye and emitted a faint light. She didn’t know much about jewelry or accessories but this was a true luxury item among luxury items.
“This… What is it?”
Heron was not the type to give gifts to anyone. He hadn’t given anyone a gift since he lost his beloved Rael.
“The forget-me-not banquet will be held soon.”
This was a fact that Viola was well aware of. It would be Viola’s social debut. There, she would build good relationships with the children of various noble families on which she would later work to lay the foundation for her smooth life.
“Use it then.”
“Thank you.”
Viola reached to accept the gift. For a moment, her arm almost fell off.
‘Omg…! Why is it so heavy?!’
Even though it was small, it was heavy. No, it was exceptionally heavy.
‘No. Wait, my arm.’
She couldn’t lose to this small ring. This was not a matter of pride but of survival. What if she trembled and dropped this ring? What if she was given a hard time because she wasn’t able to overcome the weight of this ring?
‘It’s scary just to think about it.’
This, too, was clearly a test. She drew up strength based on her desire for survival and her fear of Heron.
‘I… will!’
Fortunately, Viola’s body was that of the novel’s heroine so it was able to bear this weight. Her arms were shaking but she grinned on the outside.
“It’s my first time receiving a ring as a gift from someone. It feels good to have that someone be my father.”
“Is it heavy?”
Viola thought for a moment. Should she honestly say that it was heavy? Or should she brag and say it wasn’t heavy?
‘He probably already knows that it’s heavy. Lies are meaningless.’
Heron was a freak of nature that could not only automatically read muscle movements but nerve movements as well. Since there was no point in lying, she decided to speak honestly.
“Very heavy. What on earth is this ring made of?”
“Flowers.”
“Yes?”
After saying those words, Duke Heron turned his back as if he had no regrets. He seemed pleased that Viola didn’t seem particularly concerned about the weight of the small ring. As if it being so heavy was only natural.
Squeak—
The door closed with a small sound.
Viola prided herself on knowing a lot about Heron but today it was difficult to understand his behavior.
* * *
That night. Butler Carlton came to Viola’s room.
“I heard a rumor that Butler Zenon’s strawberry ade is excellent.”
“Yes, it’s excellent.”
“I never thought Rathbone Bingum’s recipe would be used to make strawberry ade. If it’s okay with you, Princess, wouldn’t you please treat me to strawberry ade as well?”
Viola nodded her head. Duke Heron had come and gone during the day and now Carlton was coming at night. Even in the great worldview of ‘Bellato’s Shadow,’ they were people who were absolutely self-sufficient. Moreover, Carlton was a former assassin who targeted Heron. He was a man whose job it was to kill people.
‘Scary.’
Although he now had a kind smile, he was actually described as a cold-hearted and ruthless person. From lunch until now, she couldn’t escape even if she wanted to.
After some time, Zenon brought the strawberry ade.
“It’s really delicious. This is my first time tasting it.”
Of course, the strawberry ade was delicious but Viola couldn’t really taste it at this moment. She wanted to quickly get out of this uncomfortable situation.
“What’s the reason?”
“The reason?”
“Yes. Father’s butler wouldn’t have come to my room without a reason. There’s no way you came here just for strawberry ade.”
“Aren’t you embarrassed to say it’s just strawberry ade?”
Carlton smiled and looked at Zenon who was sitting next to Viola. Zenon smiled back and nodded his head.
“The strawberry ade for the princess is made with all my sincerity and effort.”
“I suddenly wonder how delicate the mana control would need to be in order to make strawberry ade using a brutal sword technique like Rathbone Bingum’s.”
“Compared to the Chief Butler’s murderous sword, it’s nothing special.”
Listening to the conversation between the two, it seemed like this strawberry ade was something special. Anyway, that wasn’t important to Viola right now.
“I don’t think it would be a good idea for my father’s butler and closest confidant to personally meet with a successor candidate.”
“That’s right. There are equality issues and it probably wouldn’t look good. However, no one except Duke Heron knows that I came here, so it won’t be a big problem.”
Carlton got up from his chair and knelt down on one knee, looking up slightly at Viola sitting in her chair.
“What are you doing?”
“If you don’t mind, may I take a look at your fingers? To be precise, I want to see which one you’re wearing the ring on.”
Carlton politely extended his palm and in a relaxed manner, Viola placed her hand on top of it.
Carlton was quite surprised inside.
‘She’s wearing the ring without much effort, right?’
This ring was not something that a twelve-year-old princess could easily wear. Not even the twelve-year-old Medea would have been able to carry it around so easily.
“It’s heavy, don’t you think?”
“It was heavy at first.”
“You look okay now.”
“Yes. It’s okay.”
Carlton was greatly shocked.
“This ring is infused with a whopping 28.7 million marguerite flowers.”
“…”
Viola was momentarily speechless.
“It is a ring refined with the power of the magic master Kurumkrum.”
“Kurumkrum?”
“Yes. He is an elder of the dwarf race who is considered one of the greatest magic masters.”
She now understood without needing to hear an explanation. Kurumkrum, the magic master. He was the one who reached the highest level among all the craftsmen who appeared in the novel.
‘He’s a weirdo who will only make things he wants for people.’
In the latter part of the novel, Viola orders a dagger from Kurumkrum but he refuses the order without any hesitation. Angered by this, Viola tried to kill Kurumkrum, however, failed due to the protection of various rare artifacts Kurumkrum wore on his body. Sick of the human world, he returned to the dwarven forest, never to enter the world again. He absolutely refused to come out.
‘Did he give me the ring that Kurumkrum made?’
She was dazed for a moment.
‘A ring with 28.7 million flowers infused into it?’
Why did he give her this? Why? Trying to stay calm, Viola continued to ponder this question. It had already been 5 years since she possessed this body.
‘Don’t panic, just stay calm and think.’
Finally, Viola was able to come to a reasonable conclusion.
“It seems clear what father wants from me.”
It is the ring of the magic master Kurumkrum. If the social world is compared to a battlefield, this ring could be said to be a soldier’s weapon. In terms of rarity, it was rarer and more expensive than any of Louis Bartengan’s limited edition pieces.
“Consolidate my status as the White Bellato. That must be what it means.”
Carlton pursed his lips. It was exactly what Carlton wanted. Why would Duke Heron go through the trouble of making that ring?
‘Even if you are a Duke, it is difficult to obtain anything from the magic master Kurumkrum.’
The Duke had been informed that he could only order three items. The ‘Extreme Cold’ sword was the first item and the ring was the second, so Heron had only one chance left.
‘I guess you have high expectations for me as a White Bellato.’
Never before had such unprecedented support been provided to any Bellato. It was likely that this could be interpreted as the Duke’s support for Viola, who entered the succession race very late.
“The fact that the butler came to teach me this fact is also a warning for me not to make mistakes. I will honor his wishes and come back looking like a White Bellato.”
Although she spoke calmly on the outside, she was burning inside.
* * *
Sir Hickson, who was having a conversation with Tundra, snorted.
“There are so many different things.”
Hickson looked a little upset.
“That damn bastard.”
“…What damn bastard?”
“Heron.”
Tundra looked around. Fortunately, there was no one in the training hall.
“Master, I think it would be a good idea to be a little more careful with what you say.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t be scared. Why is everyone so scared of him? He secretly has a big heart. He’s not narrow-minded.”
You could swear a little and even mix in some profanity. As long as it did not diminish the prestige of Heron ‘Bellato’ or tarnish the family name, Heron wouldn’t have much of an issue. It’s just that people were too scared to do that.
“Why would he give it to her?”
Hickson tried to peer into his old friend’s heart.
“Have you ever given flowers to Viola?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I think the princess likes it.”
“Really?”
Hickson said that, but Tundra still didn’t understand. Hickson sighed and shook his head in frustration.
“You’re the same too.”
“…Yes?”
“He just gave her flowers.”
Tundra’s eyes widened.
‘He gave her flowers?’
Tens of millions of flowers? By evaporating the entire flower field?
“So that damn bastard gave my daughter flowers as a gift.”
“There’s no way.”
“I’ll bet your right arm that he gave her flowers.”
“Why are you betting my arm?”
“Because it’s not my arm?”
Hickson tilted his head as he spoke.
“Eh? But was she fine after receiving it? Did her hand get hurt or did her arm fall off somewhere? Oh, no. I have to go.”
The ring contained the vitality of an enormous amount of flowers. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to lift it, even most warriors would have a hard time. It would be too much for a twelve-year-old girl’s body to handle.
‘The little one must have pretended in order to stand proudly in front of Heron again.’
That cold yet foolish child would never show that it was heavy.
‘Ugh. I’ll just go look to see where she got hurt.’
What kind of kid would you give a gift like that?
‘If you’re going to give it to her, at least explain that it’s heavy. You probably didn’t explain it to her, right?’
With Heron’s personality, he wouldn’t have explained it. Hickson’s steps became faster and faster.
“Viola. Are you okay?”
When Hickson entered Viola’s room, he encountered an absurd scene.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on December, 21.
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