Episode 4
The woman booked a nearby inn, unpacked her light luggage, and busily went about her errands, planning to finish them before the temple’s opening hours.
“Oh dear, Lirin. Are you sleepy? I can see the drowsiness all over your face.”
“Yawn… Can I just sleep here? I’m so tired…”
I said as I rubbed my cheek against the tightly stretched bed sheet.
“Hmm, I need to go meet the grain merchant now. I can’t leave you here alone…”
“Snore.”
As a last resort, I pretended to sleep by covering myself with the blanket, and the woman shook her head as if she had no choice.
“Oh dear, this child who didn’t sleep a wink in the carriage to look after her brother must be exhausted. Well, there’s no other way. Let’s leave your sister to sleep soundly and go ourselves, Theo.”
“Bubu! Abu!”
“Why is this quiet little puppy suddenly acting like this~ Aha~ You want to go out quickly, don’t you? Alright. Let’s go, let’s go.”
“Buuuu!”
‘What a sly little one.’
I slightly opened my eyes. I could see the back of Masha, the woman, leaving through the door.
‘How did he know I was trying to walk around without him for a while?’
Over the woman’s shoulder, I could see Theo vald’s face puffed up with annoyance.
That pout will last about three hours. I silently mouthed an apology.
‘It might be dangerous to take Theo along…’
Click.
I faintly heard the woman’s voice as she told the innkeeper to look after me before it faded away.
“Alright then, shall we?”
I counted to a hundred in my head before getting up.
When I slightly opened the door, the innkeeper seemed too busy dealing with the sudden influx of guests.
‘Hm, I knew I was good at finding my way!’
I successfully sneaked out through the back alley of the inn that I had noticed earlier.
‘I think I heard that the Duke of Wintervald’s mansion is this way.’
First, I need to check on my father’s condition nearby. After that, I plan to slowly come up with a strategy.
“Did you hear? Just yesterday, the young lord of Wintervald succeeded to the duchy!”
At that moment, I stopped walking when I heard people whispering. I crept closer, pretending to play in the dirt, to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“I heard he’s still not in good health because of the accident. Is he okay?”
“I guess so. In fact, it’s a title he should have inherited five years ago. But because he suddenly went missing, it’s only happening now.”
“Indeed. So, there will be a commemorative procession soon!”
‘A commemorative procession?’
My eyes widened.
It was because a scene from a hazy dream suddenly came to mind.
‘Ah! That line from Kalec in the dream!’
“After mother died, ─ also died, ─ and even ─ were lost. How could I not go mad?”
I don’t know exactly who died so many times, but the only person revealed so far was one.
‘Kalec’s mother! So, the former Duchess of Wintervald’s death…’
That’s what happens.
‘It was during the commemorative procession!’
No!
This is too sudden!
Of course, I can’t let the former Duchess of Wintervald, Eliza Winterwald, die.
‘Because I absolutely refuse to let my father bear a grudge against the world for that reason!’
But then again, crashing the commemorative procession to prevent the accident also seems a bit…
“Dad, peekaboo! I’m out!”
“Where did this wild raccoon come from? Shoo.”
“Argh!”
…Resulting in a honeycomb ending…
If I imagine the worst-case scenario, it could be like that.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
I started to feel anxious.
Before the commemorative procession, I must come up with a reason to stay by my father’s side somehow. That way, I can prevent it.
Yes, a direct approach is the answer.
‘Going straight to the Duke’s residence right now!’
My hurried steps, clutching the strap of my bag tightly, gradually slowed down.
‘But.’
Will the gatekeeper believe the words of an eight-year-old kid… Will he trust this ring?
I’ve come this far, but honestly, I was only half-convinced. After all, my father might have forgotten that he gave me this ring.
‘There’s a 99.99% chance the gatekeeper will mistake it for a fake ring or consider it stolen and handle it right there.’
Is there a more certain way?
Someone who would instantly recognize this ring as genuine and know that my father doesn’t have it anymore…
For example, someone like my father, or someone high-ranking close to him in the ducal household…
“Huh. Why would such a person be here?”
I sighed and was knocking my forehead against a nearby tree at that moment.
“Hmm?”
I felt a faint magical power emanating from the tree.
“Are you trying to talk to me now?”
I quickly looked around. The people in the capital were too busy with their own affairs to pay attention to a secluded tree like this.
I took a deep breath, puffing out my chest, and concentrated power in my fingertips.
Saaa-
A bright greenish light seeped in and shone brightly.
It was my ability to communicate with plants.
Each plant had its own way of communicating.
When connected with magic like this, some plants would shout so loudly that it felt like your eardrums would burst, some would sing, and others would be so shy that they would send messages by scribbling behind their leaves. Of course, not all plants could communicate in this way.
“Lirin, the ability to communicate with plants is extremely rare. So, don’t show it to others carelessly. Understood?”
Recalling my father’s voice faintly, I closed my eyes. Then, I waited to hear the tree’s voice.
[ Hey. ]
Hmm, this tree has a sassy personality. Like someone snobbish in the capital.
“Yes. What?”
[ You, you’re going to die soon. ]
“What?”
Suddenly?
[ So if you want to avoid your fate, go… ]
My face automatically crumpled.
[ Go… ]
Go, what!
‘I know this pattern.’
The city’s hyenas use tricks to snatch away the noses of those who look naive!
Aunt Masha always said to be wary of pagans from faraway lands who might come to the city without us knowing where they came from.
‘How did they know I came from the countryside?’
I calmly raised both hands to signal my refusal.
“Don’t tell me you want me to believe in a cult?”
No, I’m not buying it!
***
‘Damn it, my head.’
Kalec Wintervald lightly touched his forehead.
In the wide training grounds of the Duke’s estate.
Standing in the center, a man dressed in thin training clothes was wielding a sword, exuding a very cold and fierce aura.
As he brushed back his well-kept silver hair, strands of pink hair occasionally peeked through.
What did the Duke’s physician say upon seeing that?
“Hmm. It doesn’t seem to be an illness… If his hair color is changing like this, it likely means he’s been exposed to some power for quite a long time. Perhaps you should consult the Mage Tower for a detailed examination?”
“Hah, forget it. If I tell the Mage Tower and it gets out that I’ve lost my memory, that could be troublesome.”
Ssshh, clang!
‘Exposed to some kind of power?’
The man continued to swing his sword with an expressionless face.
The training dummy was being shattered into powder.
‘Are they saying I might have been captured by a high-level magical beast all this time?’
But nothing came to mind.
His memory loss was a top secret.
Only the physician and a few close aides knew.
Kalec Wintervald had many enemies, so it was best to hide anything that could be a weakness.
Moreover, he had just ascended to the dukedom. As the new master of Wintervald, he had to be flawless; in a way, this was only natural.
‘It feels like just yesterday I left this mansion on horseback.’
When he opened his eyes again, he was in his bedroom.
“Oh my, Your Grace! It’s been five years!”
‘Five years.’
His mind felt blank, as if he had been dreaming for a very long time.
He flicked the sword clean and then habitually fiddled with his earlobe, then stopped.
“A habit I never had before.”
In fact, it was a habit formed by wearing a magical tool that changed his hair and eye color for the past five years. Of course, the memory-lost Kalec didn’t know this.
“Hah…”
The long-desired succession of the dukedom was completed without any issues.
Despite now being the rightful master of the Duke’s estate, there was a discomfort in his heart.
‘It feels like… I’ve forgotten something enormous.’
For some reason, he felt anxious. Uneasy.
‘It’s clear that someone must have kidnapped me. Could it be the Duke of Summerrain? Or perhaps the raccoons of Longfall?’
Gritting his teeth.
His sharp red eyes glowed.
“I should just kill them next time at the hunting festival, pretending it was an accident.”
“Such thoughts should remain internal, Your Grace… internal.”
Just then, Kalec’s secretary and adjutant appeared, holding a pipe.
“Ah, just what I needed.”
Kalec muttered lazily as he took a puff of the pipe, which contained herbs good for headaches. The grayish smoke rose into the air.
“Has Mother’s… no, the former Duke’s carriage passed through the capital gate?”
“Yes. Lady Eliza, too… The moment the succession ceremony ended, she left the Duke’s estate in quite a hurry. She must really be enjoying her retirement.”
Kalec smiled coldly.
“I thought she would set up another heir immediately when I went missing, but for such an impatient old woman, she was surprisingly patient.”
“Haha, things don’t always go as planned. And perhaps she believed you would return, Your Grace.”
Kalec didn’t respond.
He adjutant glanced at his master, gauging his reaction.
Tall, with flawless features, and his eyes always carried a languid boredom.
Despite being bedridden until a few days ago, the muscles outlined under his thin training clothes were intimidatingly well-defined.
‘It seems he didn’t neglect his training even during these five years.’
The adjutant thought as he glanced at Kalec’s impressively toned body.
‘Maybe he’s more… in a lifestyle-oriented shape now… or maybe not? Either way, he’s become even more intimidating to approach.’
Kalec was frightening even five years ago, but now the pressure he exuded was on a different level altogether.
Was it the thicker lines of his face compared to before, or the mature and intense look in his eyes that couldn’t be easily described?
‘It feels like he’s on the verge of exploding at any moment.’
It was like watching a balloon about to burst.
And then.
“Your Grace! Your Grace!”
A servant of the mansion came running.
“What is it? How impudent in front of His Grace.”
“Well, um… Lady Eliza is apparently returning to the mansion at an incredible speed!”
“Mother is? Why?”
Kalec asked leisurely, exhaling smoke from the pipe.
“Well, it seems she picked up a child from the street…”
“What did she pick up? A sweet potato? Tell her to roast it and eat it.”
“No, I mean a child.”
Kalec frowned, clearly not understanding what the servant meant.
“Apparently, the carriage suddenly malfunctioned, and it almost hit a child on the roadside.”
“What? And then?”
“Thankfully, some people nearby helped, so everyone is safe. Both Lady Eliza and the child. But, the important thing is that the child…”
The servant hesitated, mumbling.
What’s this?
“Well, it turns out that the child is your lost daughter, Your Grace!”
Thud.
The long pipe fell from the man’s hand.
“What the hell…”
Kalec’s expression darkened a beat too late.
“What kind of nonsense is this?!”
The balloon burst.
“…Your Grace.”
“I’ve never fathered a daughter.”
How could you lose something that never existed?
Could you?
Can you lose something that was never there?
“Daddy! I’m here!”
Seeing a small child rolling toward him from afar, Kalec Wintervald felt a slight dizziness.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
I have changed the names in the previous chapters. I apologize for causing confusion. 🙏🌸
