Episode 28
***
“She has suddenly developed a fever.”
The physician, who had been summoned in a hurry, spoke.
“This is driving me insane.”
Kalec buried his face in his hands in distress.
When he saw the child’s head slump again, he truly thought he was going to faint.
“How can she not even realize that her body is burning up like this?”
“And Your Grace as well.”
The physician, examining the small body, gave him a slightly reproachful look.
“How could you not notice when you were right next to her? I also warned you that she shouldn’t overexert herself yet.”
“She looked completely fine… Ha. That’s no excuse.”
He had no idea why she had endured her illness in silence.
‘Was I really that frightening?’
He didn’t know. He truly didn’t know.
‘If it had been that bastard Alec…’
Would he have noticed before the child collapsed from exhaustion?
The physician sternly reminded him once more that she needed complete rest before leaving. Kalec continued to stare down at the sleeping child with a complicated expression. Behind him, Ruska approached quietly.
“Your Grace. The parade has been mostly sorted out.”
Kalec rubbed his weary face.
“The more I look at it, the stranger it feels.”
Ruska suddenly spoke. He lowered himself and gazed at Lirin’s sleeping face.
“Her hair was so pretty.”
The pink hair, cut abruptly near her chin.
“Was it really because of the beasts?”
“…Yes.”
Kalec couldn’t reveal Lirin’s abilities, so he answered as such.
Seeing that made his expression harden again. It had been like this for a while.
Sighs kept escaping him, his fists clenched tightly, and an inexplicable anger toward himself surged within him.
Because…
It upset him. Seeing her hair cut off like that.
It wasn’t just because her hair had become shorter.
Whether intentional or not, the fact that this tiny child had thrown herself into activating the artifact struck him deeply.
A child had sacrificed herself to protect an adult.
‘That should never have happened.’
Realizing that so clearly made Kalec’s brow furrow even deeper.
— Don’t be mad…
Lirin’s faint voice echoed in his mind.
He had only been looking at her with a troubled heart, yet for some reason, the child seemed to think he was angry.
But he hadn’t been angry.
‘But from her perspective… I suppose it might have looked that way.’
Then, something flashed through his mind.
The image of that foolish man who seemed capable of nothing but laughing and making a fuss.
“Ah… So that’s why Alec…”
“Pardon?”
“…That’s why he made that kind of face.”
He knew his own temperament wasn’t gentle. Perhaps that bastard had deliberately controlled himself to keep that side from showing.
So that the little one wouldn’t be afraid.
Kalec forcibly relaxed his tense brow and carefully tucked the blanket around Lirin.
Her soft, even breaths spread through the air.
“Ruska, what about the orphanage I asked you to look into?”
“Oh, you mean the place to take in Lady Lirin and Lord Theo in a month? I’ve narrowed down a few options. Would you like to see them?”
Ruska flipped through the towering stack of documents.
“No, just build a new one.”
“…Excuse me?”
“It needs to be safer, bigger, and more spacious if we’re going to entrust this little one there. And when she comes of age, support her properly so she never has to worry about making a living.”
Through this incident, Kalec had come to a firm conclusion.
Regardless of Alec at twenty-seven, to his present self, Lirin had already become an important child.
And when it came to her safety, he could never afford to be careless.
“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to just let her stay in the mansion…?”
“If something like today happens again, she might lose more than just her hair. She could lose her life.”
Kalec vividly remembered the moment he had put away his cherished toy soldier as a child.
Some things were too precious to keep close.
There were still too many unresolved matters on his plate.
He had to deal with the divine beast issue, prepare for the upcoming competition with other dukes, and keep an eye on the imperial succession struggle. Most importantly—
The movements of the Magic Tower were becoming suspicious.
‘So that’s why that bastard Alec chose to disappear.’
Unlike Kalec, Alec must have lived in peace, raising the child without such worries.
“Tch.”
That idiot.
If he cared so much, he should’ve never forgotten in the first place.
Then maybe everyone could have been happy.
“…Understood. But constructing a new orphanage isn’t a simple task—it’ll take far longer than a month.”
“I know. So until then…”
Kalec gently stroked the child’s head.
“…We must protect her well.”
For some reason, the sensation felt nostalgic.
***
A dark alley.
A large man in a black robe let out a crooked laugh.
“Lirin… is it?”
The embroidered wave patterns on the hem of his robe swayed slightly. It was a robe worn by magicians.
“What a pretty name.”
And her abilities have also blossomed brilliantly.
The man had watched everything from a short distance as Lirin used her magic.
He lifted the illusion spell he had cast on the horses.
It was his magic that had caused Eliza’s carriage to go out of control. With the chaos caused by the beasts, the surrounding mages had been too distracted to notice. He wasn’t careless enough for mere drifters to detect his magic control.
‘Still, I never thought she’d actually save Eliza Wintervalt.’
He had expected today to be Eliza’s funeral. But Lirin’s abilities were more impressive than he had anticipated. Most of all, he hadn’t expected her to be able to use her unique mana.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter. This guarantees her place in the ducal household now.’
The man smirked.
‘Grow well from now on. Become a child who will be of use to me. My little one.’
Until that time comes.
‘When the time is right, this father will come to fetch you.’
The plan he had prepared for so long was flawless, without a single deviation. It had been perfect until now, and it would remain so in the future.
As long as Kalec Wintervalt never regains his memories.
Absolutely.
***
“Have you found out why my mother’s carriage went out of control?”
Kalec asked.
As expected, the parade had been canceled midway. The imperial palace had been thrown into a state of emergency due to the sudden appearance of a labyrinth—the first in a hundred years.
“Not yet. It’s truly strange. There was nothing wrong with the horses or the carriage, so why does this keep happening…?”
“It’s troubling that these incidents keep happening one after another. Look into it further. Especially—”
He paused briefly before speaking in a low voice.
“The Magic Tower.”
Ruska furrowed his brows as if questioning his meaning.
“If there were no physical issues with the horses or the carriage, then an entirely different force must have been at play. And that force was likely magic.”
“That’s certainly possible… But other ducal houses are capable of using such tricks as well. You’re well aware that Your Grace isn’t exactly the type to get along harmoniously with those around you.”
Kalec replied nonchalantly.
“The anomaly today was a sudden labyrinth. The only ones who would think to take advantage of that chaos to launch an attack are… Who do you think?”
Ruska narrowed his eyes, as if trying to grasp his meaning.
“Your Grace, are you saying…?”
“……”
“Are you suggesting that today’s labyrinth may not have been a natural occurrence?”
“……”
“That the Magic Tower foresaw it but deliberately hid the information? Just to ruin Wintervalt’s parade?”
The labyrinths that appeared throughout the empire were predicted by the Magic Tower’s mages—thanks to a magical device developed by the first Tower Master.
“But why?”
“Who knows… It’s just speculation for now, so nothing is certain. That’s why we must move quietly.”
“Understood. …Damn those Magic Tower bastards. Thanks for the extra workload.”
Ruska muttered curses under his breath as he hastily scribbled something onto the documents.
Kalec cast one last glance at the sleeping Lirin.
‘Something feels off here too.’
How had Lirin managed to reach that alley so quickly on her own? She still wasn’t familiar with the layout of the capital.
And that look on her face when she had insisted on following the parade—it lingered in his mind.
‘Almost as if… she had known the accident would happen and prepared in advance.’
Clicking his tongue briefly, Kalec forced the thought out of his mind.
‘That’s impossible.’
He had been a little surprised by the unfamiliar nature of her magic, but that didn’t mean Lirin could predict the future.
That was the kind of thing found only in ancient tomes about black magicians or in legends of thousand-year-old beasts.
‘It must have just been good timing.’
With that conclusion, he carefully tucked her plump little legs back under the blanket.
The soft, even rhythm of her breathing oddly eased the tension in his chest.
As Kalec stepped out of the bedroom, he noticed a familiar silhouette near the entrance.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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