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Episode 25
“Miss? Why are you looking at me as if I’m so praiseworthy?”
<Seriously… Hey! You haven’t won yet, okay? Can’t you see the Count’s dead-fish eyes?>
Dead-fish eyes? What on earth is that supposed to mean!
“Today, Daddy’s eyes are all sparkly— eek!”
When Tiya stubbornly denied it and looked up into her father’s eyes, she let out a suppressed groan.
Count Shurka’s eyes were still as hollow and dry as a pitch-black pit with not a glimmer of light in them. No matter how often she saw them, she just couldn’t get used to it.
Still, Tiya pumped herself up and kept chattering away.
“And also! Yesterday, we had lunch together, but he avoided sitting next to me!”
“……”
“Minus ten minutes from Daddy’s time!”
“That’s right. Rodion was wrong in that case.”
“Hehe. I like it when Daddy takes my side.”
Tiya squeezed her father’s upper body tight, like a cicada clinging to a dried-up tree trunk.
Winter let out a laugh through his teeth. At first, he thought Tiya was shameless for constantly demanding this and that from the Count with those blank eyes of his.
But now, somehow, her efforts felt not only admirable but even a little pitiful.
And the most surprising part was that, contract or not, the Count always did as she asked.
<So what, did his pride evaporate along with his emotions?>
Winter clicked her tongue.
Soon, Tiya hopped off the Count’s lap.
‘Alright. Parenting for the day, complete!’
“Daddy, I’ll come again tomorrow.”
She waved proudly, congratulating herself on another day of fine parenting. But unlike usual, her face wasn’t all that bright as she left the office.
Though she put on a brave front before her father, the truth was she felt a little— no, very— hurt by Rodion.
“…He’s with Valentina again.”
Especially when she saw him standing side by side with her.
By now, Tiya could hardly tell whether she was watching Valentina or Rodion.
She hid herself behind a corner and secretly watched them.
Under the pale winter sunlight streaming through the hallway windows, their hair glowed with the same golden color, like real siblings.
Without realizing it, Tiya grabbed a handful of her own black hair.
If only she’d inherited their mother’s platinum-blond hair like her brothers.
For the first time in her life, she thought her hair looked rather shabby.
<Nothing to be jealous of.>
At that moment, Winter coolly pierced through her thoughts.
“I-I’m not jealous, okay? I just feel a little uncomfortable, that’s all…”
Like a featherless crow, Tiya squawked in protest, but soon lost strength.
‘My chest feels tight.’
It was like a tangled ball of thread inside her heart. She wanted to unravel it, but was afraid that touching it might only make it worse.
Maybe, just maybe… this really is jealousy, like Winter said.
Her shoulders drooped gloomily.
She hadn’t even figured out whether Valentina was good or bad yet. Still, she disliked her for no reason.
‘I hate this feeling. I really hate it.’
For the first time, Tiya felt like she didn’t even know herself.
Seeing her more dejected than ever, Winter finally spoke.
<Now that I think of it…>
She organized her thoughts before saying anything. But her conclusion didn’t change.
Tiya had failed to observe Valentina properly, but Winter hadn’t trusted Tiya’s judgment from the start—she trusted her own eyes.
A child who always dressed and bathed alone.
Valentina Dantal, who avoided contact for fear of hurting others.
<Most likely, Valentina Dantal is actually a boy.>
A boy who thoroughly hid his gender to survive, and would one day become the Thorn King—the final Dantal.
Tiya’s eyes widened in shock.
Well, who wouldn’t be? Even Winter herself had never imagined Valentina was a boy.
But somehow, Tiya’s expression softened into pity.
“…Winter, you’re really bad at comforting people. Making up such nonsense.”
She even gave Winter a look as if she were pitiful.
“Because it’s so absurd, it made my jealousy over Valentina feel silly. Thanks.”
<That wasn’t comfort. It was a possibility based on solid reasoning.>
“Yeah, yeah. But I believe in you, Winter!”
Tiya clenched her fists in encouragement.
‘This brat…’
Winter swallowed her irritation and forced a smile. She was learning how to deal with Tiya now.
<Since you believe me, let’s be careful. We can either catch her red-handed or lure her into revealing herself.>
“W-What? That far?”
Before she could protest properly, she spotted Valentina alone—without Rodion.
Instead of overthinking, Tiya marched forward.
“Alright. I’ll interrogate her right now!”
<Wait—>
Before Winter could stop her, Tiya stood before Valentina with a solemn face.
“Are you… a boy?”
“……”
<You! If you don’t know how to interrogate, you should’ve said so!>
Valentina blinked, then her lilac eyes welled with tears.
“…Do I… look like a boy to you?”
Water shimmered in her eyes, ready to spill at any moment.
Panicked, Tiya flailed.
“No! Of course not! I just—just in case! I mean, I’m a girl too, you know!”
“Mhm. That much is obvious.”
Winter slapped her forehead.
An awkward silence stretched between the two girls until Valentina finally spoke.
“I… actually wanted to tell you this from the first day.”
She fiddled her fingers nervously before continuing.
“I thought your black hair was really beautiful. Like a night sky filled with starlight.”
Tiya’s gaze dropped to her own hair swaying over her chest.
She had been upset because she didn’t look like her brothers.
But Valentina compared it to starlight.
Instantly, the veil of jealousy fell away, and Tiya saw Valentina clearly for the first time.
Valentina was still the summoner who had subdued a flower spirit, and her hair still shone gold—yet strangely, none of it bothered Tiya anymore.
‘I can’t believe I was jealous of such a kind girl without even talking to her properly.’
Her face burned with shame.
What she thought was a hopeless knot unraveled easily with one pull.
“Me too… I think you’re really pretty. Like a fairy of flowers.”
At those words, Valentina blushed and smiled shyly before leaving the garden.
Tiya laughed brightly, finally letting go of the last lump of envy weighing on her heart.
“Winter! Did you hear? She’s not a boy, and she’s really nice! I think Valentina’s definitely on our side.”
<…Fine.>
Winter sighed deeply.
Unlike Tiya, who had been utterly charmed, Winter remained wary.
It wasn’t about her being male or the future Thorn King.
It was something more fundamental.
‘Her true feelings never show.’
That was Winter’s conclusion after days of observation.
Always polite, always smiling—yet completely unreadable underneath.
And far too composed for a child.
Winter resolved to stay cautious.
Maybe the threat surrounding Bladizev was already much closer than she had thought.
