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Chapter 27
I stepped into the middle of the garden, holding a thick branch, facing Herald.
“Go on, try it.”
“Here, right now?”
“Yes, do it while I’m watching.”
“I-I’m scared… I can’t do it…”
“Stop mumbling and just do it.”
“Y-yes…”
I complained under my breath, barely moving my lips, but Herald was ruthless.
In the end, I had to make strange sounds while forcing my ability out in front of him.
“Hiyaaaah!”
“…….”
“Ha, ha, ha! Hyaaah!”
“…….”
“Kyaaah! Ah…”
“Stop, stop!”
I swung the branch and shouted loudly, but Herald, unable to watch any longer, furrowed his brows and stopped me.
He should have stopped me sooner. I just wasted my strength.
“What on earth… what did Finn even teach you?”
“……”
I pouted at his sighing remark.
No matter what, Finn was my teacher… It didn’t feel good hearing this behind his back.
“Kid, come here.”
“……”
He had told me to call him Dad, yet he still called me “kid.”
I swallowed my complaints and obediently walked to him.
As soon as I stood before him, Herald’s large hand cupped my head.
“Don’t overthink it. When using your ability, your mindset must be calm and focused. If you just try blindly, it won’t come out properly. Think carefully about what you want to do with this ability and who you want to use it for.”
What I want to do… Who I want to use it for…
I closed my eyes and silently repeated Herald’s words in my mind.
Then, my mother’s face appeared clearly in my thoughts.
Yes, I will use my ability to protect Mom.
Noticing my changed attitude, Herald bent his knees and placed my hand on his palm.
“Now, focus all your power into your fingertips. There’s no danger, so don’t hesitate.”
“Ugh…!”
I followed his words, concentrating all my senses into my fingertips.
Then, a warm energy immediately flowed through my body toward my hands.
And…
Crackle, crackle!
Electricity sparked from my hand touching Herald’s.
“Huh?”
I had made sparks on the rainy day before, but this felt different.
This time, my fingertips didn’t tingle or feel sharp.
“Yes, that’s how it’s done. Not too difficult, right?”
Herald said with a laugh, seeing the lightning ability swirling around my hands, and stood up.
While we were deeply focused on my ability, someone interrupted.
“Long time no see, Duke.”
When I saw the person, my eyes widened.
“Uh…? You’re…?”
“Who are you?”
Both Herald and I spoke at the same time.
It was definitely that child.
The one I met in the backyard of the annex the day I discovered Pepe’s identity.
The child didn’t look at me and walked straight toward Herald.
With a blank expression, they asked,
“Don’t you remember me?”
“What are you talking about…”
“Two years ago, Duke, you personally brought me here.”
“Brought you personally…?”
A voice repeated from a distance.
All three of our gazes turned to the same place.
Mom and the maids stood frozen, looking shocked.
“Adeline…”
Herald muttered Mom’s name in surprise.
“I came out because I heard Chloe was training with you…”
“Ah, um…”
“You didn’t know there was another child besides Chloe? They look about Chloe’s age…”
Mom’s cold tone froze Herald like a statue.
Meanwhile, Mom carefully examined the child standing slightly apart from me.
She exhaled shakily and touched her forehead in disbelief.
“Huh, while I was gone, this kid got a father? And I didn’t even know…”
“What? That’s not it! I don’t even know who this kid is.”
Herald, clearly frustrated, shouted loudly to deny Mom’s words.
But his voice seemed not to reach her.
“Countess Portnum…”
“…What?”
Mom’s softly parted lips spoke a new name, and Herald’s face twisted.
“This child has the same hair color as the Countess Portnum.”
“What kind of… Adeline, don’t make weird assumptions. I don’t know who this kid is, or why they’re wandering around the mansion!”
“……”
“Really!”
Despite Herald’s desperate plea, Mom turned away.
And with a cold tone, she said,
“You said the meeting was postponed to this afternoon, right?”
“……”
“We’ll talk again when you come back.”
“Wait, Adeline! Listen to me…”
Herald tried to rush after her, but Mom left faster.
And… in the place where the chaos had occurred, only a cold wind swept through.
After staring at the place where Mom had disappeared, Herald slowly turned back.
“Hic!”
He unknowingly made a terrifying face that looked as if he could scare someone with a single glance.
His sharp golden eyes fixed on the lone child.
The child calmly met his gaze, completely indifferent.
“You… what the hell… why are you saying I brought you here in front of Adeline, asking if she remembers? Huh?”
The words were harsh for a child, but the kid didn’t react, and Herald looked extremely angry. I stayed quiet.
“You really don’t remember? You personally brought me here.”
“What?”
“Ah… alchemy.”
The child gasped as if realizing something.
Then, they removed a long necklace from around their neck, and their appearance gradually changed.
“Ah…?”
The pale straw-colored hair was gone.
Black hair flowed like the night sky, and their eyes shone like deep obsidian.
Their cheeks no longer had the roundness of a child, giving off a cold and cynical air.
“You… you…”
I stared blankly, shocked, when Herald’s surprised voice came from beside me.
He pointed at the child, unable to speak, then shouted, “Damn it!” and quickly walked toward where Mom had gone.
