Idel chuckled softly, watching Sigmund’s face contort in frustration. She then turned her attention back to the cufflink.
“This is…”
“Hey, don’t think about touching it recklessly. It could be a trap.”
This was something that happened often in the Raven’s Den.
They would drop a valuable item laced with poison in a frequently traveled path and then sell the antidote to those who touched it.
‘The same goes for items that shouldn’t fall into someone else’s hands.’
And this dark magician seemed like someone who would definitely do such a thing.
So, as soon as he saw the cufflink, Sigmund mentally reviewed the spells he could use…
‘There’s nothing suitable.’
If he knew the method, he lacked the magic power, and if his magic power was sufficient, he couldn’t control it properly.
Feeling frustrated by the fact that there was nothing he could do, Sigmund clamped his mouth shut.
Idel glanced at Sigmund and then pretended not to notice, lowering her gaze again.
“Well, if you’re right, it’s better to just leave it alone and watch. If he knows he left a trace, he might come back. Let’s wait and see.”
“…Alright.”
Sigmund, crouching opposite Idel, stared intently at the cufflink.
As they observed the small object without touching it, their heads met in the middle.
“It’s a symbol I’ve never seen before. Have you?”
“Uh, hmm…”
At Sigmund’s question, Idel frowned slightly.
‘Strange… Have I seen something like this before?’
It was a symbol she had no memory of, yet it felt familiar, as if she had seen something similar before.
‘Something similar?’
Idel leaned in closer, narrowing her gaze at the cufflink, and let out a small exclamation.
It wasn’t the exact same cufflink, but he had definitely seen something similar before.
‘It was on the day of my father’s—Count Lopez’s—funeral.’
Once she grasped the clue, everything became easy. Idel began to recall memories she had forgotten.
At the time the coffin was being laid to rest, people dressed in black took turns paying their respects to the Count and Melisa…
‘Goodbye, dear. I’ll entrust my… to you.’
Melisa had placed a necklace with this kind of symbol on the coffin before giving it a final kiss.
Just as Sigmund was about to say something to break the long silence, Idel spoke again with a troubled expression.
“This symbol… I think it’s connected to my mom.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. I think I saw it at my dad’s funeral…”
She answered without thinking for a moment.
Then, Idel suddenly realized that Sigmund wasn’t even moving his lips in front of her. His gaze was also directed to the side.
Following Sigmund’s subtle murmur, Idel turned her head and was startled by the sight of a man staring at her.
“Ah…! Wh-what, who are you…?!”
“Are you sure you’re not mistaken, dear customer?”
“…Huh? Vilred?”
At the word “customer,” Idel calmed down and took a closer look—it was indeed Vilred. He was in his true form, without the disguise he wore at the wedding.
“Oh, you scared me… Since when have you been here?”
“That’s not important. I’d appreciate it if you’d answer quickly.”
The seriousness in his expression and tone, unusual for him, caused Idel’s rapidly beating heart to settle down.
She took a deep breath, then exhaled, nodded, and faced him directly.
“If you’re asking about the connection between the symbol and my mom, then yes. It’s true.”
“…I see. But did you hear what this symbol means?”
“Uh, no?”
“…”
A mix of complex emotions flickered across Vilred’s green eyes before disappearing.
He briefly parted his lips as if to speak, then sighed, lightly brushing his face with one hand.
“Alright, I understand. Leave it there as it is, and both of you, let’s go. It’s dangerous here.”
“What? Wait a minute! That’s all you’re going to say?”
Sigmund, with a sulky expression, spoke up to stop his master.
“From the way you’re talking, it seems like you know something. If this symbol is related to her curse, don’t you think you should tell us too?”
Vilred turned back to look at him, amused by his student’s persistent attitude, and made a gesture to silence him by placing a finger to his lips.
“Quiet down, you troublemakers. If I told you not to go, you should have listened. You ran off the moment I took my eyes off you.”
“Ugh, no, it’s just that.”
“If you know you did something wrong, let’s leave it at that for now.”
The tense atmosphere from moments before had vanished, but Vilred’s demeanor remained firm.
As Vilred motioned for them to follow quickly, Sigmund and Idel exchanged glances. They had nothing to say, even if they had ten mouths.
Just like their first meeting when Vilred caught them fighting in an alley, the two silently followed him.
At least on the surface.
‘Troublemakers? We got a clue, didn’t we?’
‘Well… We took the risk, so it’s only fair we got something in return, right?’
Unaware that they were thinking the same thing, the two returned to the venue, only to be met with a scene just as bewildering as the cufflink that had been left behind.
“Idel, where—hic!—where did you go?”
Gianna was sobbing, her face pale and tear-streaked, and her hood was nowhere to be seen.
The child, with her hands clenched tightly, was staring at her, even sobbing silently.
‘What, what is this…?’
She knew she’d be startled by her sudden disappearance, but she never imagined she’d be so upset that she’d cry.
For the first time in a while, Idel was genuinely flustered and instinctively looked at Diane, but it was useless.
Diane wasn’t in much better shape than Gianna.
As Idel watched her, on the verge of bursting into tears, she squeezed her eyes shut. Gianna let out a shaky breath and spoke.
“I asked—hic—where did you go? Did you go looking for that bad magician?”
“Uh… yeah, that’s right.”
“Then why—why did you tell me not to follow?”
“Because Sigmund was with me… and there was no need for you to go.”
It was a dangerous place, after all.
Idel, who had answered reflexively, froze for a moment when she noticed she hadn’t even wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks.
The instant Gianna’s expression twisted into a crying face, she realized how her words must have sounded.
A thin, childlike wail escaped Gianna’s lips.
“…Hiiing, hic! Hwaaah!”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“I—hic—I was afraid you’d disappear again—sniff! I told you to come with me this time, too, and if it was dangerous… hoo-ong!”
You told me to come with you this time, too?
Idel blinked, wondering what that meant, and muttered softly.
‘Ah, she’s talking about when we snuck out of the Duke’s mansion.’
At that time, she had lent her clothes and told her to come to the hideout.
‘It was Gianna who egged me on to help Ivan this time, too.’
Idel finally understood why Gianna was crying so hard.
‘I thought it was no big deal.’
She realized she had been short-sighted.
Because of the preconceived notion of her being the bright heroine in the original story, she mistakenly assumed she wouldn’t be bothered by such things.
‘She’s just a kid too.’
Just as Idel unconsciously bit her lower lip and reached out her hand, Gianna, who had been crying sorrowfully, suddenly lifted her head and glared at her.
It was the first time Gianna had ever shown her a negative look.
“And why—why do you treat me differently from him? I’m your ‘sister,’ and he’s…! Idel, do you like him more than me? So much that I don’t even need to come with you when he’s around?”
“…What is she even saying?”
Sigmund, who had heard Gianna’s words, snapped in irritation, looking disgusted. Most of the actions he’d taken with Idel weren’t even his own will.
‘Ah, I should have realized when I saw her at the shop.’
What a mess, stuck between these two crying kids.
“This time, I won’t just let it go! Hic! I won’t give in either!”
“….”
“Idel, you’re a stupid, dumb jellyfish! I’m going to disappear too! You can stay with him! Don’t follow me!”
With that, Gianna abruptly turned her back. Though she turned away, her hesitant steps made Diane shoot Idel a strong look, urging her.
‘Miss Idel, please…!’
