Wait a minute. That means Tommy might have recognized my face.
I remembered Tommy’s baffled reaction when I introduced myself as ‘Serbia,’ and I was engulfed in anxiety.
But soon, the raging anxiety gradually calmed down.
Even if I had spent a long time with him, 11 years have passed since those days.
And people change as much as the time that passes. Personality, thoughts, even faces.
Thus, I too must have changed over the span of 11 years. Of course, the face of my youth wouldn’t have entirely disappeared, but it wouldn’t be recognizable at a glance.
As my worries were replaced by relief, my preoccupations disappeared and I remembered my original purpose for coming here.
Right, I intended to go to the Imperial Library.
With a more at ease heart, I turned towards the Imperial Library, planning to kill time there as originally intended.
Just as I was about to move,
“Ugh!”
A chilling shiver started abruptly near my chest and traveled through my veins.
The heavy pain, as if being stabbed by dozens of swords, paralyzed my body. I couldn’t speak, let alone groan.
It hurts.
I tried to force a smile with a mouth that had suddenly fallen silent, but tears welled up.
Unable to bear the feeling of thorns growing inside my body, I collapsed with a thud. My back was drenched in cold sweat.
Just moments ago, I had been perfectly fine, without a single pain.
No, to be honest, I had never experienced such pain in my life. Perhaps it was because of my golden blood that I grew up without any illnesses.
But suddenly, why….
I pressed hard on my chest and twisted my face, hoping the pain would quickly subside.
How long had I been like that? Maybe it was the passage of time, but the fierce pain gradually lessened. And then, it disappeared without leaving even a small trace.
“Ha, ha.”
With heavy breaths, I slowly lowered my hand from my chest.
It felt like a great commotion had just occurred, leaving me completely exhausted. Sitting blankly in my weakened state, it took a while to catch my breath, but I eventually came to my senses.
Only then did I realize that I was still sitting on the ground, and I got up and brushed back my disheveled hair.
My clothes were uncomfortable, sticking to me with sweat and dirt, but there was something more troubling.
Why had I been in pain?
If it was due to some physical ailment, there should have been clear symptoms warning of chest pains beforehand.
But as far as I could remember, there were no precursors that would explain the pain in my chest.
While trying to sort through the complexity in my head to find the cause of the pain, something out of place on my body caught my eye. Precisely, it was out of place because it was not out of place.
“Why is this here.”
I grabbed the ends of my hair, now turned the color of hazelnut, with slightly trembling hands.
Fortunately, not all of my hair had reverted to its original color, but the light brown underneath the dark was quite noticeable.
Looking down at it with wandering eyes, I suddenly remembered the information written under my sister’s letter.
[p.s. The potion I’m leaving with you was obtained by him, it’s a potion that changes your eye and hair color as you wish. The duration is one month, so please use it wisely.]
Come to think of it, a month had passed since I entered the palace. And that meant, the effect of the potion my sister left was fading.
…What do I do.
I gazed blankly into space.
If things continued this way, I was bound to expose my true appearance and the lies of the Obelton family would be revealed to the world.
And naturally, what followed would be downfall.
I couldn’t let that happen.
Absolutely not.
Murmuring as if making a firm resolution, I racked my brain until something came up.
Then, someone who could solve this situation came to mind.
“Ian.”
I absentmindedly uttered the name of the person drawn in my mind and drew a self-mocking smile.
It was distressing to ask Ian for help at every crisis, but there was no other way. Since living in Serbia, the person I trusted the most was indeed Ian.
Moreover, this problem wasn’t mine alone. It was a problem of the Obelton family. Therefore, Ian, the head of the Obelton family, had to help me, and so, I had the right to ask for his help. It was my given right.
So, help me one more time, Ian.
I muttered a plea that couldn’t reach him and immediately started moving towards the main palace with a jog.
I had to contact Ian as soon as possible.
***
Gasping for breath as I arrived in the bedroom, there was Isabella changing the sheets on the bed.
“Lady? If you were going to the palace library, why have you returned so soon?”
She looked at me with a puzzled expression, holding the wrinkled sheets, as if she didn’t expect me to return this early.
However, I wasn’t in a position to alleviate her curiosity.
The more time passed, the stronger the feeling that my original hair color was creeping up from the bottom, making it harder to breathe.
“Hurry and bring me some stationery, Isabella.”
When I commanded somewhat urgently, Isabella, too, turned urgent and nodded solemnly as if she were a general before a decisive battle. Then she went out with the sheets and came back with neat stationery.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. You need to write a letter urgently?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll wait outside the door, so please call me if you need anything.”
Seeing Isabella saying she would leave first so as not to disturb me in my haste, I laughed and then added,
“Before you go, could you bring me a hair tie? It’s a bit hot after walking for so long.”
“Ah, yes!”
Even though it was only the tips of my hair, it was a part that caught people’s eyes. So, I was thinking of tying my hair up using a hair tie. That way, it would be less noticeable.
Isabella hurried off as soon as I asked her to bring me a hair tie. I watched her back as she left and then picked up the pen.
I wrote down a brief summary of the situation as concisely as possible and requested that a bottle of the potion be brought to me. I also didn’t forget to write about the casino entry ticket as an excuse to meet him.
By the time I finished the letter and was putting the neatly folded letter paper into the envelope, Isabella returned with a pink hair tie.
“Here’s the hair tie!”
I received the hair tie she handed over with a bright smile and showed my gratitude with a faint smile in my eyes.
Then, after using the hair tie to tie my hair up, I handed Isabella the envelope containing the letter.
“Could you send this letter to the Obelton household as quickly as possible?”
“Like last time?”
“Like last time” referred to when I had asked about the Dright family to Ian.
“Yes, like last time. Can you do that?”
“Yes, just leave it to me!”
Isabella responded with an expression resembling an excited puppy.
Seeing her like that, even the confusion in my heart seemed to clear up, even though I knew it shouldn’t.
***
The reply came sooner than expected, within a day.
[To my dear sister,
As I feared, it has happened.
But do not worry. Fortunately, I have prepared about five bottles of the potion for you, just in case something like this occurred.
By the time this letter arrives, which should be around Tuesday evening…
I will have a carriage waiting at the back gate of the palace. Don’t worry about the guards. With the use of a sleep-inducing scent, we should be able to evade surveillance for about two or three hours.
Then, if we make our way to the casino operated by the Marquis of Dright, yes, I have an entry pass for the casino. It’s a VIP pass, so you should be able to bring in one more person with you.
Ah. Just to ease your mind, I did not obtain this pass through illegal means. I got it after having a conversation with the Marquis of Dright at his favorite pub.
But for you to take action personally… honestly, I am against it. It’s too dangerous. You know what kind of people lurk in that place.
Anyway, I’ll keep this brief. Please be careful.
Always by your side, your brother.]
“……”
I read Ian’s reply once more and checked the time.
11 PM.
A time when everyone would be asleep. Under normal circumstances, I would be asleep too, but not today, not when I was supposed to meet Ian.
Sighing deeply with tension, I looked at myself in the mirror.
In it, I saw my hair almost fully turned light brown and one eye had changed color.
If I had decided to meet Ian even a day later, it could have been a disaster.
I murmured softly as I pressed down the robe’s hood over my head, concealing my unnatural face completely.
There was no more time to waste. I had to go. … Let’s go.
Steadying my trembling heart, I stood up and moved as silently as possible towards the back door where Ian was waiting.
I must not be caught by anyone, I repeated to myself.
***
It seemed Ian’s word about putting the guards to sleep with a sleeping incense was true; as soon as I reached the back door, I saw three guards deeply asleep.
One of them was even snoring.
How potent must the incense have been to knock them out like that.
I inwardly admired Ian’s capability as I approached the black carriage nearby. The carriage bore the crest of House Obelton, featuring a winged lion roaring.
As I lightly knocked on the carriage door, it opened from inside.
Ian welcomed me with a bright smile.
“Sister. You’ve come out safely. I was about to fetch you if you hadn’t come by midnight.”
