IMLM 04

Chapter : 04

At first, Rachel hesitated for a moment, but soon she offered Jen an apology.

It probably wasn’t sincere. Unlike me, whom she couldn’t treat carelessly, Jen was a child whose status—whether noble or commoner—was unclear.

‘Though judging by his clothes and appearance right now, he does look like a noble.’

Rachel probably thought that doing nothing would draw my attention, so it would be better to apologize quickly and leave.

‘…Well. I’ll take it.’

Seeing the very person who had been shouting and accusing him just moments ago now apologizing made me feel completely refreshed.

It felt like I was finally being compensated for an injustice from my past.

‘Back then, it turned out the boss had miscalculated.’

But that person never apologized to me. He just brushed it off and told me to get back to work.

Compared to that, this situation was resolved very well.

Once Rachel finished apologizing, she hurriedly left the party hall. The other guests also read the room and began heading home one by one.

It had started late since it was a cocktail party, and enjoying a party after something like that would have been ridiculous anyway.

‘I should head back too.’

Mary was still standing where I had left her earlier. Good. Now I can really leave—

“Lady Amelio!”

…Ah, seriously. Who now?

I turned toward the voice and saw someone approaching me from afar.

It was Diana Hentison, the host of the party.

Diana, who seemed to have rushed over, was breathing heavily. After taking a deep breath, she straightened herself.

“I read the letter you sent me! I really wanted to talk with you, and we finally get the chance.”

…Oh my god. She read that letter?

‘Where’s a mouse hole when you need one?’

It would have been better if I’d just been burned as firewood. I thought she was a Hentison from the original story and wanted to get on her good side, so I wrote everything that came to mind.

I’m so embarrassed I could die. Maybe this is actually how I die.

Does Diana know how badly I want to rip my dress and pull it over my head right now?

“I’ve never met someone who speaks as well as you, my lady. I’m so jealous.”

…She doesn’t know. That’s why she can say that.

“If it were me, I’d have just ripped all that girl’s hair out—”

“…My lady?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Diana smiled bashfully. It felt a bit unsettling, but it seemed my plan to win her favor had worked.

Though it was all pointless now.

“…Then I’ll be going. I enjoyed the party.”

Mary had been waiting for a while, so I hurried to move.

But the moment I took a step, Diana grabbed my arm, so it was useless.

Does this family have a habit of grabbing people’s arms? Please, just let me go.

“Just a moment, my lady. Would you talk with me for a bit?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m tired—”

“It’s about Jen.”

Diana looked at me with pleading eyes. I felt a slight tightening of the grip on my arm.

“It’ll only take a moment.”

Ah, did she think I wouldn’t soften if she said that?

“…Just for a moment.”

Diana beamed at my response and led me somewhere while still holding onto me.

Feeling like this conversation would drag on, I gestured to Mary to rest and wait.

Seriously, what am I even doing?

‘I need to hurry back and think about what to do next.’

I’ll make them pay for this. I really will.

Loraina followed Diana farther and farther away. Jen didn’t take his eyes off her until she disappeared from sight.

Gerald, who had been watching Jen from the side, slightly bowed his head and asked,

“What do you plan to do?”

“About what?”

“You want something from Lady Amelio, don’t you? That’s why you asked Diana to keep her occupied.”

Gerald smoothly pulled out a sheet of paper from his chest and began writing something down.

Recording conversations and burning them after Jen reviewed them was nothing new.

“You may not remember, but I sincerely apologize for what happened earlier. Lady Morette is a strong candidate for Crown Princess, so I couldn’t step in. I’ll整理 the details and report back—”

“No, that’s fine.”

“…Pardon?”

“I remember everything, so there’s no need.”

“…You remember everything?”

“Yes. Every single detail.”

Jen—no, Leonard—turned his head again toward the direction where Loraina had disappeared.

It was the first time he had ever truly looked into someone’s eyes and spoken with them.

Leonard couldn’t remember what people looked like. No—more accurately, he couldn’t see them at all.

Even Gerald, standing right in front of him, was only recognizable as a person. He couldn’t see any clear facial features.

But Loraina was different. He could see what her face looked like when she smiled, and how it changed when she was angry.

That was why, despite Baron Hentison’s request that he not go outside, he had rushed out and grabbed Loraina’s arm.

‘Hey, kid? I’ve got something urgent to do, so could you let go of my arm?’

The moment she spoke to him for the first time was vividly etched in his mind. The first eyes he ever saw in his life were a beautiful shade of blue.

“Y-you remember everything?”

It was the first time Leonard had remembered an encounter with someone.

Startled by the unexpected development, Gerald forgot to keep writing and just stared blankly at Leonard.

But Leonard couldn’t see that expression either. Even though he had clearly seen Loraina’s face earlier.

It was certain. There was something special about Loraina.

“Yes. So I’m thinking of staying close to her.”

“What? But what if the Emperor notices—”

Leonard looked down at his own hands. Small, fragile hands came into view.

“As long as I’m in this body, they won’t notice. The Emperor is looking for a fully grown half-dragon, not a little boy.”

A dragon reaches adulthood at a hundred years old. Half-dragons follow the same growth process.

But even after three hundred years, Leonard had not matured.

That was because he had lost his guardian during the time when he should have stayed in the nest longer, receiving the aura of other dragons.

It was a blessing that such critical information had never leaked. Only Leonard and the Hentison household knew this truth.

“And isn’t this actually convenient? We struggled to keep me hidden in the barony because we were afraid the Emperor might find my existence suspicious. The Hentisons were already under imperial surveillance.”

The reigning Defron imperial family, unlike others, knew Leonard was still alive.

After all, it was the current Defron family that had orchestrated the attempt on his life.

Their pursuit had continued from the moment Leonard escaped the palace, so it was inevitable that the Hentisons suffered for it.

Leonard recalled Baron Hentison, who constantly worried about keeping the servants silent.

If Leonard moved to the Amelio estate, that problem would disappear.

“Even so… do you think Lady Amelio would allow you to stay in her home?”

“We’ll have to make her allow it. It might be the only clue to lifting the curse.”

“But—”

Gerald stopped himself mid-sentence when he saw Leonard still staring in the direction Loraina had gone.

It was the first time he had ever seen Leonard like this, so it seemed best to say nothing more.

The curse cast by the witch Isabel three hundred years ago. No one knew better than Gerald how much Leonard had suffered from it.

Everything Leonard had achieved, he had done without anyone’s help.

How to take his first steps. How to stand back up after falling. And how to endure loneliness on his own.

Leonard had learned all of it by himself.

‘Yes. It’s all for Lord Leonard.’

He couldn’t burden those shoulders with anything heavier. The curse had to be lifted before anyone realized Leonard was cursed.

Since only the Emperor and Empress had died after Isabel’s curse, people believed she had cursed them to death.

So somehow, Lady Amelio had to be persuaded.

Ten minutes later…

Gerald wanted to throw everything away.

“The reason I couldn’t step in earlier was because—”

“That still doesn’t make it right. If I hadn’t stepped in, Jen would’ve been framed as the necklace thief. And that necklace wasn’t just any necklace—it was a gift from His Highness the Crown Prince to Lady Morette. What if the Crown Prince had punished Jen? Would you have just wrung your hands and said it couldn’t be helped if he ended up in prison?”

“That’s not—”

“If it’s not, then you should’ve spoken up earlier. How hard would it have been to say you were together? Why did you keep your mouth shut?”

“I’m sorry—”

“Why do people here keep apologizing to the wrong person? If you’re sorry, go apologize to Jen, not me.”

Gerald found himself unable to speak for more than three seconds at a time before being cut off.

He knew she wouldn’t be easy when she stepped forward earlier, but he hadn’t expected this.

‘…Is this really the eloquence of a sixteen-year-old girl?’

Somehow, Loraina had also concluded that everyone from the Hentison household was irredeemable trash.

It was convenient that he didn’t have to explain why they’d ignored Jen, but it still didn’t feel good.

Diana clapping and agreeing enthusiastically beside Loraina didn’t help.

That fool—she didn’t even realize the criticism applied to her too.

‘How should I bring this up?’

If he asked her outright to take Jen in for a while, he’d be beyond redemption.

‘There has to be a better way to phrase this.’

Same request, but less trashy. Think, Gerald. This is for Lord Leonard.

If he failed here, Lord Leonard would be disappointed—

“Lady Amelio, would you perhaps be willing to look after Jen for a short while?”

You idiot!

Gerald glared resentfully at his brother, who had blurted it out without thinking.

While Diana responded with an exasperated look, Loraina tilted her head in confusion.

“You want me to take Jen in?”

“We have… circumstances, and need to leave Jen somewhere else for a bit. He seemed to follow you well earlier.”

“What—”

“And since you said you knew him, no one would find it strange for him to be at the Amelio estate.”

At Diana’s continued explanation, Loraina fell silent. Gerald let out a sigh.

See? Her already sharp gaze had grown even sharper.

Worse, even though Diana was the one speaking, Loraina was glaring only at Gerald.

…Oh gods, why give me such a trial?

“Are you dumping Jen on me just because I said I knew him in front of everyone?”

“Lady, please, let me explain—”

“You can’t do that. Even if he’s only half-related by blood, he’s still family.”

“Let me just—what?”

After a moment, Gerald realized why he had been branded trash.

It seemed Loraina thought Jen was the Hentison family’s illegitimate child.

It was unfair, but there was no need to correct the misunderstanding.

“It would truly be only for a short time. We’ll provide generous compensation.”

“Do I look like someone who can be bought with money? What do you take people for?”

Ah… so it really won’t work.

Gerald continued in resignation, already imagining Leonard’s reaction.

“We’ll also send people to take care of Jen so you won’t be burdened.”

…Huh?

This time, there was no immediate response.

‘Is she so stunned that it’s not even worth replying?’

Suppressing his fear, Gerald slowly raised his head.

Why he was afraid of a sixteen-year-old girl after nineteen years of living was irrelevant right now.

“…Lady Amelio?”

Loraina looked deep in thought, then slowly spoke.

“Those people… would they include knights?”

Hearing her hesitant tone, Gerald answered instantly.

“Of course. We’ll cover all labor costs for those we send, so you won’t have to worry about anything.”

“Hmm…”

Even after hearing what she wanted, Loraina still hesitated. Just as Gerald grew anxious, the drawing-room door creaked open.

Creeeak.

Leonard appeared.

‘Did he come to see how it’s going?’

Bracing himself for a scolding, Gerald instead heard a voice he could hardly believe was Leonard’s.

“…I want to stay with big sister…”