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[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ explains that it is a very special soulmate.]
Ah, a soulmate!
Finally understanding, I moved on to the next line.
<Usually, an Awakened can hide their Bijou. However, if they lose control, such as when they get excited or under different circumstances from usual, it becomes visible. In fact, during combat, unless…
There is only one reason an Awakened would lose control.
For that reason, the Bijou is often considered a secret token of love that is only shown to one’s partner. Allowing someone to touch it is a significant expression of trust and affection, and touching it carelessly is a grave disrespect.
Although it is not a common occurrence, sometimes an Awakened may intentionally reveal their Bijou to non-Awakened individuals to add authority to their words.>
“Eek, why don’t you tell me the one reason?”
I was curious about what kind of situation would make someone lose control!
This book is quite unfriendly to children.
I pouted.
However, this time, even the Spirit Kings were silent.
Since no one was giving me an additional explanation, I had no choice but to move on.
I decided to ask the Admiral about it later.
<The Bijou is dazzlingly beautiful and can enchant people in an instant.
Its forms are diverse, but the famous ones known so far are as follows:
The Sun.
Crescent Moon.
Star.
Circle.
Diamond.
X.
Question Mark.
Inverted Question Mark.
Raindrop.
Swirl.
Heart.
Clover.
Musical Note.
Treble Clef.
Sometimes, a family may share the general form of their Bijou.
In such cases, the color, size, or shape may differ slightly.
Since the shape of the Bijou varies for each Awakened, there may be forms that are yet to be discovered in the future.>
‘Then what are the shapes of the Admiral’s and Brother Elzen’s Bijous?’
And mine? I have a place for a Bijou too.
‘Who is my soulmate?’
I was so curious that I couldn’t hold back and rolled around on the floor.
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ whispers that if you grow big and strong, you will be able to find out who your partner is.]
“How many nights do I have to sleep to grow big?”
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ bursts into laughter.]
[About a hundred nights, a hundred times.]
I stretched my fingers.
I can count to a hundred.
Ten fingers counted ten times make a hundred.
‘But a hundred times a hundred…?’
That’s too hard.
I grabbed my head, groaned, and just gave up.
“Then… I might not be able to meet my soulmate?”
[The Water Spirit King ‘■■■■’ nods.]
“It would be sad if I couldn’t meet you…”
I want to meet you.
My destined partner.
I’m so curious about what kind of person they will be.
“Then, who decides who your soulmate is?”
[The Spirit King of ‘◇◇’ quietly interrupts.]
[The Fate Spirit King coordinates with the causal law manager and the gods to decide.]
Ah, from the way they said that, it seems that the Spirit King of ‘◇◇’ is not the Fate Spirit King.
I gained a small clue and tucked it away in my heart for now.
Then, I returned to the book.
<In the case of the imperial family and the four great duchies, if a Bijou does not manifest, the child is sometimes not even considered a part of the family.
The existence of an Awakened is very important in territorial disputes.
However, just because they have many children does not mean all of them will Awaken.
Therefore, in some families, there is a culture of accepting those who Awaken as adopted sons or daughters.>
‘I know about this.’
That’s why I became the Admiral’s daughter.
<There is research suggesting that if an Awakened marries a partner connected by Bijou and has children, the first child usually becomes an Awakened.
The chances decrease with the second and third children.>
A baby. A baby…
I rubbed my chin, pretending to be deep in thought.
‘The Admiral had three children.’
The first, Mikard.
The second, Elzen.
So, the third one?
What is their name?
‘Well, I’m the fourth.’
But as if by some unspoken agreement, no one spoke of the third child.
“Lina, you know.”
After pondering, I called Lina, who had come in to tidy up the clothes.
“Yes, Miss. Do you need something?”
“Yes! Where is the family portrait? You said that you saw it, right? Is everyone included in the portrait?”
Clatter, thud!
The basket slipped from Lina’s hands.
“W-where did you hear that…?!”
Was it such a shocking thing?
I rolled my eyes and told her the truth.
“I met Brother Elzen today at the library. He said there’s a family portrait. But I haven’t seen it before…”
“Oh……”
A troubled look crossed Lina’s face.
“Well, I can’t speak carelessly. I’m sorry, Miss. I can tell you where the portrait is, though…”
“Yes.”
“Well, there isn’t exactly a restriction on going there. But the Admiral doesn’t seem to like people visiting that place.”
But if I don’t go, I can’t complete my assignment.
“I’m going to go see it. I’m curious about my sister.”
“Oh…”
“What is her name?”
Again, a troubled expression.
“Her name… is a taboo subject…”
“I see.”
“I can tell you where the portrait is, but you must come out quickly after a brief look, okay?”
Worry filled Lina’s voice.
In fact, I had already noticed.
‘It seems that my brother’s mother went to a faraway place. So did his sister.’
Then, the Admiral lost his partner.
‘He must have been very, very sad.’
The teacher from the Carrot Class said that when someone is hurt, you need to soothe them.
There are visible wounds, but there can also be wounds in the heart.
The Admiral must have a heartache because he no longer has a partner.
‘Maybe that’s why he doesn’t smile often.’
I thought, as I slowly opened the door to my room.
It would be nice if the Admiral’s heart had a door too, and I could open it.
***
The Pashayen Mansion was long and stretched horizontally.
Usually, portraits are hung in the Corridor of Records, but the one I was looking for wasn’t there.
‘They said it’s in the empty room next to the Admiral’s bedroom.’
And here it is.
There was no one at the door.
It seemed like I could enter at any time.
“Hello.”
I greeted politely and slightly opened the door, catching a whiff of a fragrant scent.
‘What is this?’
A very sweet floral fragrance filled the air.
“Wow.”
The bedroom was very bright.
Sunlight streamed in through the slightly open window, making the light green couch look incredibly cozy.
Next to it were potted plants with lush green leaves, all looking fresh.
As if someone still lived there.
‘It’s so clean…’
The room was spotless, without a speck of dust!
On top of that, there were bouquets of flowers everywhere, making it truly beautiful to look at.
‘Lily of the valley, ranunculus, and roses!’
The vases still had water in them, as if they had been freshly arranged and cared for this morning.
[The Spirit King of Earth ‘■’ seems to like the bedroom.]
[The Spirit King of ‘◇◇’ points to the table.]
Following the Spirit King’s indication, I approached the table and opened my eyes wide.
“A gift?”
It looked like it was meant for the owner of this room… Why hadn’t it been opened?
It was still wrapped with a ribbon!
Just as I was about to touch the pink ribbon out of curiosity, a breeze blew in from somewhere.
“Oh.”
Thud.
A card fell at my feet.
I picked it up and strained my eyes to read the words carefully.
《My Aul.
Our 13th wedding anniversary, which you no longer exist for.
With a longing that feels like dying, Egon.》
So, this was sent by ‘Egon’ to someone named ‘Aul.’
“Egon…? Diegon?”
That’s the Admiral’s name.
“Then all of this…”
Could it have been sent to his soulmate?
[The Spirit King of Fire ‘■■■■■’ shows a sorrowful expression.]
[The Spirit King of Earth ‘■’ says that most deaths simply return to the earth.]
[The Spirit King of Water ‘■■■■’ adds that some deaths may go to the sea.]
Ignoring the quarrelling Spirit Kings, I counted the number of gifts one by one.
‘Seven.’
Even though the recipient was no longer there, the Admiral had continued preparing gifts.
‘So, this is what a soulmate is.’
It felt like I was touching something that shouldn’t be touched.
Just as I carefully placed the card back on the table, it happened.
