TVNFL 23

 Chapter 23……………………………………………..

“Is the story finished? Erina.”

As I stepped out of the room, it seemed he had been waiting all along—Gawen Marbas straightened up from leaning against the wall and spoke.

I silently nodded at him. Gawen frowned slightly in confusion, then offered his hand.

Even as I walked through the identical corridors of the imperial palace guided by his touch, my mind was tangled.

—“I will assign one of my dragon’s attendants to your shadow. You can speak with me through them, so if you ever need help, do not hesitate to ask.”

I couldn’t outright refuse the kindness of Shurandis offering to assign one of his dragon attendants, especially because of what he added.

—“If we part like this, it may not be so easy to arrange another meeting with me as it was this time, so please do not decline.”

“…When he says it like that, how could I possibly refuse?”

It meant I now had a way to contact Shurandis without worrying about others watching. I almost felt grateful that he had offered it first.

“Did your conversation with His High King go well?”

“Yes. It was very satisfying.”

I had spent quite a long time speaking with Shurandis. Since Gawen had been waiting outside all that time, it felt proper to answer at least this much.

“…I see.”

His voice sank slightly. I exhaled inwardly and kept walking.

‘He wasn’t really the type to show his emotions this openly, was he?’

Even though the original story had deviated and his character had changed, the image I had of him was still based on the original. So I kept comparing him.

He was the type who really knew how to stir people’s emotions.

“When we return to the estate, I’d like to talk.”

Gawen’s steps slowed for a moment. He looked at me with slightly widened eyes, but I calmly finished my sentence.

“I have something to say to Father and my brothers.”

“Alright. I understand. I’ll tell Father and Russell for you.”

He replied immediately, as if there was nothing to even think about. I quietly laughed inside.

‘He’s going to regret that.’

If only he knew what I was about to say. Once he hears it, he might regret agreeing so easily.

I smiled inwardly. It was strange—I was amused at the thought of them suffering.

But this wasn’t something I was doing just to torment them. It was simply their own fault.

‘Seriously, who told them to neglect the youngest?’

By the time we returned to the estate, I was almost looking forward to their reactions. This was what you call killing two birds with one stone.

And the people of the Marbas ducal family wouldn’t be able to refuse my request. Not a chance.

After possessing this body, the estate had never been a pleasant place for me. It was where I had to see the three men who broke character, and where I thought I would eventually have to escape from.

But today was different. I returned to my room with a light step, even humming softly.

“You seem to be in a good mood, my lady.”

“Yes. I had a very enjoyable meeting with His High King today.”

At that, my maid Marie’s eyes sparkled. She didn’t say anything, but she looked subtly expectant.

“It was an honor just to have the chance to meet him. He was a wonderful person.”

“Was he?”

“Yes. And I’ve made a decision because of it.”

Perhaps sensing something, Marie didn’t ask further and quietly prepared tea.

Smiling faintly, I picked up a slice of lemon pie and took a bite.

The sweet-and-sour flavor spread through my mouth, and my fatigue melted away with it.

There was no reason for me to be impatient. I had already said I wanted to talk—so the ones who would be anxious were them.

Knock, knock.

“My lady, the Duke and the young masters have arrived.”

See? Just like that.

“Tell them to come in.”

Marie bowed respectfully and opened the door. I stood up to greet them with a polite smile as they entered quickly, unable to hide their urgency.

“I didn’t expect you to come personally.”

“You said you had something to say. Of course we should come to you.”

The duke sat in the place of honor and replied gently. He looked almost pleased that I had initiated the conversation.

On the other hand, Gawen and Russell Marbas looked both relieved and slightly anxious. Understandable—the duke had been absent most of the time, so they likely felt more guilty.

“I was wondering if your meeting with His High King went well.”

“It was very fruitful. And thankfully, His High King agreed to my request.”

At that, all three of them flinched. They didn’t know what I had asked for, which made them even more uneasy.

“Father. I want to become independent.”

I dropped a bombshell on them with a smile.

I enjoyed watching their faces crack one by one as I waited for their reaction.

“W-wha—independent? Erina. What are you talking about…!!”

Of course, the first to recover was the duke.

He was far better off than Russell, who had gone pale and blank, or Gawen, who was frozen like a statue.

“I asked His High King about my awakening.”

They clearly hadn’t expected that topic. The duke visibly flinched.

“An awakening… Erina, you’re not even old enough for your awakening ceremony.”

“But Gawen and Russell already awakened at fifteen.”

I looked at them. As if sensing something, they both averted their gaze.

Their expressions were full of unease and regret.

“But I’m seventeen this year. Two years older than when they awakened. So of course I’ve been worrying about it.”

Because Erina belonged to the Marbas ducal family, even things that wouldn’t normally matter became grounds for gossip.

“His High King said that latent ability is something you are born with. And sometimes, due to certain triggers, a person awakens without fully realizing their potential.”

A trigger.

I thought of the Marbas family itself.

Erina Marbas—who grew up separated from her mother and neglected by her family.

Her environment was anything but emotionally stable. And experience? Had her indifferent family ever truly given her any meaningful experiences?

So, to me, the three men sitting in front of me—growing paler by the second—looked like absolute bastards.

What, did you really think this wouldn’t come out of Erina’s mouth? Or did you never even consider she would think about something like this?

Either way, I found their faces increasingly disgusting.

They only felt regret and guilt, yet they never understood what Erina actually needed. And they never tried to understand.

‘So that’s why they say “tell us if you need anything,” huh.’

Their apologies felt hollow. The thought alone made my body tremble, but I wondered what the real Erina must have felt.

I stared at them calmly. As expected, they couldn’t meet my eyes.

“If I stay at the estate… I think I’ll end up awakening a rather insignificant ability. And then I’d only bring shame to the family. You’d all be disappointed too, wouldn’t you? It’s already been two years since I should have awakened like my brothers.”

“Erina, don’t think like that. No matter what ability you awaken, we would never turn away from you.”

Ha.

I wish they’d rinse their mouths before lying. Never turn away? The duke? Gawen? Russell?

“Lies.”

The word slipped out before I could stop it.

Honestly, did I even need to hide this from them anymore?

I was just voicing what Erina had swallowed in her diary and in the original story. Whether they got hurt or not—none of my concern.

“Don’t lie to me. Even if I’m young, I’m not completely clueless.”

“Erina…”

“I knew how you looked at me for not awakening. I endured it because it was true that I hadn’t awakened.”

…I had actually wanted to awaken early, to meet the duchess mother. But even that had been suppressed. It was written in her diary.

“I want to leave the estate. If I stay here, nothing will change.”

“It will change, Erina! You can’t just assume it won’t! We’ll do better…!!”

Unexpectedly, it was Gawen who reacted most strongly.

His face looked desperate, but it didn’t move me.

“What will change? You’ll apologize and say you’ll do better, and everything will magically fix itself?”

My lips curled upward.

Could things really change overnight like that? You people—damn it, you were the ones who neglected a child who needed care the most because you were too busy worrying about your own feelings.

The emotion inside me surged again. I vaguely realized my reaction was too intense for a mere possessor, but I couldn’t stop it.

It felt as if the real Erina, wherever she had gone, was the one screaming.

If not, I wouldn’t feel this much anger.

“They left me alone when I needed them most, and now they say things will change? How?”

“Erina…!”

“Did you really think I could just say what I needed when you didn’t even know it yourselves? How was I supposed to? Before Mother’s funeral… you always said you were too busy, that you couldn’t be bothered with something so trivial.”

Gawen’s trembling lips closed tightly.

Meeting his pained gaze, I continued speaking.

“And now you say you’ll change overnight, do everything for me, apologize… and expect to be forgiven that easily?”

“……”

“It’s terrifying. Uncomfortable. Because something I was never given is suddenly being forced onto me. I don’t know when it might tighten around my throat again.”

Listen carefully.

“I’m afraid you’ll just throw me away again whenever you feel like it.”

Ten years had already passed.

Did they really think all of that could be erased with a single apology?