The moment I saw my grandfather, my mind went blank.
In my memory, I had never been alone with him. Part of it was intentional avoidance on my part, but it was also because my grandfather didn’t particularly care for me.
A child who couldn’t do much—that was the evaluation he made during our first meeting, and it lasted a lifetime.
‘Huh?’
It meant I had no idea how to behave in this situation.
I thought my head would explode, but instead, I felt it being patted. Was this the action of marking prey that’s still alive?
“…What are you doing?”
“…What do you think I’m doing!”
My grandfather, who had been patting my head a few times, snapped back to his senses and spoke to me.
“I need to hear what you were trying to do in my room in detail. Follow me.”
“Yes….”
Even though the Grand Master’s office was used as a rest area for the immediate family, that was only because of my grandfather’s tacit approval. If the owner of the room asked what I was doing, I had no choice but to follow and explain.
As I was climbing the stairs with a heavy heart, Theon came up beside me and spoke.
“Let’s go together.”
Theon’s expression was stiff. He was clearly as intimidated by my grandfather’s imposing aura as I was.
But what was with that determined look in his eyes?
If we went together, he might say something like, ‘The one trying to steal the candy was me.’
“I want to talk with my grandfather alone.”
I couldn’t afford to let my future ally fall out of favor with my grandfather!
I smiled playfully at Theon and climbed the stairs. By now, my grandfather was almost at the last step.
Yikes, if I don’t hurry, I’ll get scolded.
“Don’t run!”
“Okay….”
As I slowly climbed the stairs, I noticed a group of people gathered in the hallway. It seemed that the knights had come rushing after hearing the thunderous voice of the head of the Travel family.
And in the crowd, I recognized a familiar face.
“Miss…?”
It was Anne, one of the spies serving my aunt, Marian.
Her restless eyes seemed to be more about assessing the situation than worrying about me. A private meeting with the head of the family carried great significance for the direct descendants.
In the best-case scenario, it could be an immensely favorable opportunity. But it could also….
…lead to the relatives becoming wary of me.
— The honorable sacrifice made by Reytan Quartz Travel.
Suddenly, I remembered the priest giving a memorial speech in front of my dad’s coffin.
I hurriedly ran after my grandfather, who was getting closer to the door of the Grand Master’s office.
“Grandfather! I’m sorry!”
“For what?”
“Berry tried to steal your candy from the Grand Master’s office!”
Siiiiiilence.
The air between the people froze at my words. Especially Mr. Rex, who had been talking to one of his subordinates, stood still, his hand trembling slightly.
“Enough! Just get inside already!”
You saw that, Anne, right? I’m about to get scolded by my grandfather…. Make sure to report it….
I could already imagine Aunt Marian clapping her hands.
Wow, this is just great.
Feeling like a mouse heading into a lion’s den, I entered the Grand Master’s office.
‘Sniff.’
***
“It’s all my fault.”
Looking at the tightly closed door of the Grand Master’s office, Chief Commander Rex’s face darkened, turning as gray as his hair.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of terrifying scene might be unfolding inside.
The snacks in the rest area were regularly stocked for the direct descendants who might visit at any time, but technically, they were the personal property of Count Travel.
Normally, eating a piece of candy wouldn’t be a big deal.
The fact that Count Travel made an issue of it was the real problem.
“It’s my fault.”
Hearing a trembling woman’s voice, Mr. Rex turned to see a maid whose face had turned pale.
“I told the young miss to stay seated on the central bench, but I had no idea she would wander around the training grounds alone….”
Seeing the maid finally collapse in tears, Mr. Rex blinked. It felt like watching a captive enemy soldier on the battlefield fake tears to lessen their guilt, with no true remorse.
She was an unfamiliar face.
“Who is this?”
“She’s a maid from Stone House.”
“Did she come to fetch the young miss?”
“No. It seems she accompanied the young miss here from Stone House. Apparently, she was looking for a knight to help because the young miss said her legs were hurting.”
Listening to his subordinate’s explanation, Mr. Rex furrowed his brow in confusion.
The young miss had said she came alone.
Regardless of the full circumstances, was that important now?
Especially considering that Count Travel was already furious.
And how could he possibly face Young Master Reytan after all this?
Mr. Rex was a swordsman. Much of his pride in serving Travel had been nurtured by looking up to Reytan, so to speak.
“…….”
In his frustration, Mr. Rex covered his eyes with his hand.
Just then, the news he had been waiting for finally arrived. A subordinate sent to Stone House had returned.
“There you are! I have word that Young Master Reytan has arrived at the outer castle gate. I have made sure the news can be delivered as soon as possible. Did something happen to Miss Berry?”
Oh, something definitely happened.
With his eyes still covered, Mr Rex muttered quietly. He could already see the future ahead of him.
5. Small and Pretty
Upon entering the Grand Master’s office, Grandfather sat down on the sofa and gestured to the sofa across from him.
“Sit down.”
“Yes….”
I trudged over to the sofa and placed both hands on the seat.
Ugh. I struggled to climb onto the high sofa, and Uncle Callet eventually lifted me up and sat me down.
Since I was seated so close to the backrest, I couldn’t bend my knees. As a result, I ended up sitting with both legs stretched out on the sofa in a rather rude posture, facing Count Travel one-on-one.
Ugh. It felt like I was sinking into the heavy atmosphere rather than the sofa.
“Callet, bring that over.”
“Yes.”
When Grandfather pointed behind me, Uncle Callet picked something up and placed it next to me.
It was a glass jar filled with candy.
“Candy…?”
“How old are you?”
Before I could even process the confusion, Grandfather, who was seated across from me, asked.
I thought I had heard him muttering about me being seven years old when we were on the stairs earlier.
I wanted to ask if he was asking despite already knowing, but as a mere mouse in front of him, I didn’t have the freedom to say something like that.
“I-I’m seven….”
“Then why are you so small? You shouldn’t lie about your age.”
“But I really am…!”
Tsk! Grandfather clicked his tongue harshly.
“Looks like you didn’t grow properly because you weren’t eating enough.”
“N-no! My dad always makes sure I have a nutritious diet that’s appropriate for a growing child….”
“What does that fool know?”
“Actually, he knows a lot….”
“Hmph. You’re a little runt who won’t back down. You’re just like your father.”
I didn’t mean to upset Grandfather, but I didn’t want him to disregard all the effort my dad had put in.
My dad went through so much trouble raising me on his own! If Grandfather saw my dad’s recipe book, he wouldn’t be calling him a fool! How unfair!
“But.”
Grandfather’s gaze pierced through me as I sat buried in the sofa. His golden eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity that made anyone feel tense just by looking at them.
Gulp.
I quietly swallowed and clasped my hands together. In that short moment, my palms had started to sweat.
– It seems what I’m looking for is in your grandfather’s vault.
A memory swirled in my mind.
After my grandfather’s funeral, Crown Prince Theon visited me when I was twenty-four years old.
In the crown prince’s hand was a letter that had been delivered to the royal palace, a letter my grandfather had arranged to be sent after his death.
– There’s a strong possibility that this is the decisive evidence that implicates your relative and their accomplice in the conspiracy to murder Reytan Quartz Travel.
– Did Grandfather know that my dad’s death was a murder?
– We’ll have to confirm it. I’ll look into it myself.
– No, I’ll do it. This afternoon, my grandfather’s will is being announced. No one will care where I am at that time. Everyone will be too focused on who the next head of the family will be.
That’s how I ended up opening my grandfather’s vault, finding the letter as evidence, and then getting stabbed by an unknown person…
‘Why did Grandfather send such a letter to Crown Prince Theon?’
I still couldn’t understand.
It was certain that one of my relatives was the culprit, as the criminal’s possessions found by the crown prince bore the Travel family crest.
Why would Grandfather send a letter to the Crown Prince? That would reveal that one of Grandfather’s own children had killed my dad.
‘And Grandfather always thought my dad had died in an accident.’
Grandfather never listened to me when I suggested there was something suspicious about my dad’s death. At the time, I resented him for it, but I thought it was inevitable.
Grandfather often got angry whenever he saw my dad, calling him a worthless troublemaker.
‘Could it be that Grandfather didn’t actually hate my dad?’
I had thought he didn’t care about my dad’s death because he hated him. But to find out Grandfather was also looking into my dad’s death… He was closer to the truth than either I or Crown Prince Theon had been.
‘Was giving the important evidence to the Crown Prince his way of asking him to punish the criminal?’
I got lost in thought.
Even as I looked into his golden eyes, which suddenly seemed much closer, I found myself thinking about how those eyes must have seen my dad.
Grandfather, who had risen from his seat and placed his hands on the table, looked directly into my eyes and said,
“This time, you’re not crying.”
“…Huh?”
“Aren’t you scared of this old man?”
