The Neustadter family’s mansion, located in the archipelago, was large and magnificent. It took more than ten minutes by carriage from the entrance before the main building appeared.
Some pale-faced servants lined up in front of the main building to greet Karnov. Karnov took off his coat and held it out to the butler, looking among the servants at the two people standing at the very back. A middle-aged man and woman had pale faces and could not even look at him.
The pale face of the man lacked the emotion of confronting his fifteen-year-old son, who had just returned from the battlefield. The same was true of the woman standing beside him.
“I heard that even after the triumphal ceremony, he stayed at the villa of His Highness the Crown Prince for several days. His Majesty and His Highness are generous to you. You know that, but… But still…”
The middle-aged man stammered and continued to criticize him. Karnov, who returned from the battlefield, stayed at Alexei’s villa on the Isles until today, and now returned to his mansion. Karnov said it indifferently, as if it didn’t matter.
“I was afraid that you two would be too surprised if I returned to the mansion covered in blood as soon as the war was over.”
The tone seemed to be teasing. The words made the man’s face pale. Karnov glanced past, looking at the face with no interest, and then glanced back and opened his mouth as if he had remembered it belatedly.
“Oh, now that the war is over, grandmother has told you two to come back to the estate. You’ll get a formal letter soon. If you don’t go, she’ll come in person.”
There was a groan behind him when they heard that their leisurely life on the isles was about to end, but Karnov did not look back.
His parents were strict enough to die until he was seven. He said that the position of Duke to the Sedvoyer* estate could be occupied by any talented person in the family. However, their word ‘strict’ could be interpreted as ‘harsh’ and ‘cruel’.
*[E/N: Sedvoyer is the name of the duchy itself while Neustadter is the Karnov’s family name/surname.]
It was not discipline that he was so strict with his one and only son, but only the pleasure of not seeing the child as a child and subduing those who were seeking his place.
In fact, his father did not inherit the family because he was an excellent person, but because he met his wife from a good family. His inferiority complex, which had been decayed for a long time, stretched out thorns in all directions. Even toward his own child.
But it all ended with a ceremony at the age of seven for Karnov. Ever since he signed the Spirit of Death.
Karnov clearly remembered his Spirit Day. The day when the figure of a man with a black cloth wrapped like a feather behind his back was dimly reflected.
At first, people did not even recognize the spirit because it was a spirit that had never even appeared in history. Duke Sedvoyer seemed amused rather than his son, who had contracted with a spirit that looked more insignificant than his insignificant spirit.
But that lowly joy didn’t last long. The flowers in the flower bed, which Karnov’s hands had touched, withered in an instant and scattered with black ash. That year, all the gardens of Neustadter’s mansion had to be refurbished. Because not a single flower survived.
Since then, the abuse under the guise of harsh education in the family had disappeared like a wash. The ostensible reason was that the Emperor called him himself and began to educate him with the Crown Prince, but everyone knew the truth.
Karnov’s parents became afraid of their son, who had the power to kill people with just one hand gesture. Karnov had never been disappointed or sad about it. He had no desire to have a friendship with others from birth, and that was the same for his parents who gave birth to him.
The power that made everyone afraid and reluctant to him was rather extreme luck for him. Even if that power caused him to live on the battlefield since he was a boy, even that was a welcome thing for him.
‘…However…’
Karnov thought of the little girl as he went past his parents and went up to his room. The first time he saw the girl was at the triumphal ceremony on the isle. On that high platform, the little girl by Alexei’s side.
Her pink hair like a peony in a garden in an old story and her green eyes like those leaves were impressive. But that sentiment disappeared like a mirage. Because the girl was the royal grandchild whom the Emperor had made to remain in the Imperial Palace at this year’s ceremony to be educated with the royal grandson.
And somehow the girl was where he went to talk to Alexei. Karnov never imagined the girl would be with Alexei.
He admitted that he could find no evidence of guilt in the innocent-looking face as he talked to Alexei. But even if she didn’t mean to herself, there was a good chance that her position would make things difficult.
For Karnov, the girl had just that much of an impression. Even if she didn’t do anything, the girl’s position as an imperial grandchild might be a problem.
But even at the victory ball, the girl was alone. The girl stood still, occasionally flapping her toes or glancing at the snacks on the table in the distance. Alexei and the Emperor were busy, and no one was paying attention because the Emperor had left her in the palace even though she had signed a humble spirit.
While talking to the girl at Alexei’s request, Karnov was thinking leisurely that it would be okay if he ruined it because it was a banquet in which he was the main character. In other words, the girl saw him in the middle of the banquet hall and thought it would be okay to burst into tears.
– Would you like something to eat? Here, I heard that sandwiches with spicy grilled chicken are delicious.
It was a long time ago that someone offered him a private meal, so he couldn’t say anything for a moment. After that, he managed to say a few words, but each of the girl’s responses distracted him.
– If you’re so worried about it. Karnov can be my best friend, right?
The face looking up at him with her eyes bent saying so was as if she were playing a friendly prank.
– …Is that your specialty? Habit?
– You’re not done while talking, but you’re quitting.
– Look at this!
She had a sulky face and voice. It was hard for Karnov to come to his senses at the reaction that had never been shown by anyone standing in front of him.
But he was really surprised when the girl grabbed his sleeve. The memory of signing the Spirit was distant and hazy, but no one came this close before or after that, except Alexei. And Alexei didn’t behave this way because he respected him.
Even when he went to apologize, the girl looked as if he were being mean, with puffed cheeks and pouting lips. Looking at the girl stretching out her arms with a smile at the words of giving her a piggyback, Karnov thought for a moment that it might be the illusion created by the Noctis elves.
Maybe they were still at war, they hadn’t even returned to the isles… Maybe, maybe what he saw now…
Needless to say, it was a stupid idea. However, even if he shook off the stupid idea, the question did not go away. Are you really okay? Don’t you know it’s scary even if you touch me? Could it be that she didn’t know about his spirit?
Seeing that she even recommended the cookies he had touched to the chef, Karnov concluded that she knew nothing. You wouldn’t do that if you knew it.
But the girl said she already knew. Karnov really couldn’t understand. Then, he couldn’t understand why the girl suddenly led him out of the kitchen in a hurry.
He noticed it belatedly because she had never received such a glance. That the girl acted like she was worried he would be hurt.
But Karnov was still not sure if he was right. For such a long time, Karnov only looked at the packaged snacks on the table.
Lise fixed the bright bouquet of flowers in the vase with her fingertips, and looked at each of the petals with an incomprehensible look.
Karnov had visited Asha every day while Asha was sick and lying down. As Asha couldn’t come to her senses, she had to send him back each time, but Karnov brought a different bouquet each time.
“Lise! Eat this.”
“What? I… Are you giving it to me?”
A little girl who could only come to her waist popped out a snack wrapped finely in dry paper. Underneath the colorful pink hair, as if made of peaches, the light green eyes sparkled brightly.
Looking at the eyes, Lise recalled the idea of more than a decade ago, saying that it would look like that if you crush a bright emerald and mix it with water.
“Yes. Actually, I made a sandwich for Lise on the day of the victory ball… but I lost it.”
She wondered how she could be so mature, yet so innocent the next moment, and now again…
“Thank you very much, Your Highness. It’s a pleasure and an honor. But you have to sit down.”
Lise put several snacks that the girl gave out in her apron pocket, held the girl, put her back in bed, and carefully examined her ankles.
“…I heard you went out with His Highness Karnov.”
She brought the girl her soup, but the girl was nowhere to be found, and one of her maids lined up, almost crying. Karnov Neustadter came in, took the Imperial Princess out, I don’t know what’s going on…
So when asked where the two of them went, the maid could not answer. Lise hurried to find the girl, vowing to get the procrastinating maid out from Taimir Palace. She complained about where Karnov Neustadter had gone after leading the unwell person.
Lise, who was standing in front of the room at the word of the maid that the two of them had just left the kitchen of the palace, saw the girl in Karnov’s arms. It looked like a painting painted by a master.
The girl asked Lise to give her a large box without giving her time to talk, and swept half of the snacks on the tray into the box. Then she thrust it at Karnov.
– Okay! It’s okay to take it like this, right?
The girl was confident, and Lise thought she saw something wrong. Because Karnov had a light smile on his face.
‘That Karnov Neustadter?’
The Karnov Neustadter, who will be the Duke of Sedvoyer, a vast land on the northern border, and who has been synonymous with death ever since he made a contract with the Spirit of Death?
The one who monopolized all the most hellish rumors even during the war with the Noctis Elves, built a tower with military feats that no one could remember his age? Smiling? The smile disappeared quickly in the wind, making it even more unrealistic.
