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Chapter 21
When I woke up again after another nap, it was well past noon—almost evening.
“Baby, let’s play!”
“We’re going home in an hour. So we have to play now.”
I had just finished a late lunch and stepped outside when the siblings came fluttering toward me again.
‘Looks like I earned major points with them for what I did at dawn.’
Their sparkling eyes were so intense that I couldn’t bring myself to turn down their invitation.
They led me to the garden, where summer flowers were in full bloom.
“Tada! How is it, baby? Do you like it?”
Velikia asked with a big smile as she decorated my hair with tiny flowers.
“Yeah.”
I quietly sat on a rock, letting the child do as she pleased with my hair.
“Baby! Stop that and let’s play horsey!”
“Horse?”
“Yeah! I’ll be the horse, and you ride me!”
Saying so, Velikus flopped flat onto the ground.
“What kind of baby rides a horse! You do it yourself!”
Velikia shrieked, but Velikus shouted even louder in defiance.
“What’s wrong with a baby riding a horse?!”
‘My ears… you two are loud.’
The siblings never stopped bickering, not even for a second.
It was always Velikia scolding Velikus whenever he said anything.
“Sheesh, noona* always hates me…”
(*Note: Korean term for older sister)
Looking dejected, Velikus turned away.
“No! Velikia likes you!”
I couldn’t watch anymore and chimed in.
“N-no I don’t! Who would like that idiot?!”
Velikia quickly shouted when I tried to comfort her brother seriously.
Despite her words, her ears turned red, as if she had been caught.
“She says she doesn’t! Noona hates me, I told you!”
I shook my head at the sulking Velikus.
Despite what she says, your sister really cherishes you.
Just think about what happened yesterday.
Considering the status of the family head, what she did was practically risking her life.
“You two need to get along.”
I spoke earnestly, putting my whole heart into it.
‘How on earth did those innocent kids end up that way?’
The records from the time of the successor conflict are too biased to be trustworthy.
That’s why I don’t know exactly when those two started to go wrong.
‘…I don’t think I’ll find an answer by thinking about this alone.’
So I decided to change the subject with another thought.
‘Is it really okay to leave the Skybola incident as is? What if it causes trouble later because of their family? Technically, it wasn’t a legal punishment under kingdom law but a personal act of retribution…’
While resting my chin and worrying, I soon realized it wouldn’t be a problem.
Come to think of it, the family head is the kingdom’s chief legal officer!
Who would object? His judgment is the kingdom’s judgment.
But then again, from that perspective, Skybola basically filed an official complaint against a child just for suspecting them.
‘What a piece of work.’
Annoyance welled up in me, and I looked around to cool my head.
Just then, I noticed a group of people hurriedly entering somewhere beyond the pillars surrounding the central garden.
“Over there…?”
The bickering siblings also turned their gaze toward where I was looking.
“Hm?”
“What’s going on over there?”
The crowd was gathering in front of the hallway where Abelus’s room was.
‘Why are so many people there…?’
My heart sank.
No way… did something happen to Lord Abelus?
“A-Abelus nim!”
I jumped to my feet, ready to run.
“Baby, where are you going!”
The siblings shouted, but maybe because I mentioned Abelus’s name, they didn’t follow me.
I squeezed between the people who were seriously discussing something with grave expressions.
They were all aides to the family head, capable of using powers.
“Miss, are you all right?”
“I’m okay. But why is everyone here…?”
A servant silently pointed to the closed iron door.
“Hmm…?”
‘It looks like an ordinary door though?’
As I stared at the door, I finally noticed something odd.
The thick iron door was shimmering.
Like the air above a boiling pot of water.
“Miss, you mustn’t go near it!”
As I reached out slightly, hot air leaked out from the door.
“What’s going on?”
“It seems the young master has a fever. Someone needs to go in and cool him down, but…”
The servant trailed off, glancing around.
No one stepped forward. Everyone was hesitating.
‘What! He’s sick and no one will help?’
I was frustrated and angry, but I also understood.
Abelus’s power is so strong that even other members of the Fire Clan get burned.
Especially since just yesterday, he turned a regular mountainside into a river of magma. No wonder they’re afraid.
‘Only the family head or Ancus could walk in there unscathed.’
“What about Ancus?”
“Well… he went out on an errand for the family head.”
‘Why now of all times…!’
“Then I’ll go fetch someone from the annex.”
“The annex?”
“There’s no other way. We can’t leave the young master like that.”
But the ones in the annex aren’t exactly fond of Abelus.
Showing them his weakness while he’s ill… I’d rather—
“I’ll go!”
“B-but…”
“A fully ignitus child is safer than a half-ignitus adult.”
Everyone looked at me, startled, but no one could refute what I said.
“No! It’s too dangerous!”
“The people in the annex are worse.”
“…She’s right.”
“If it’s the young miss, she’ll be fine. She’s a true child of fire. We saw her ignite a flame on her own last time.”
“Still, going to the young master is risky.”
“We’ll fully charge a scroll with magical power and stand by outside.”
After some discussion, the aides brought over a scroll that emitted intense cold.
“This is an ice scroll filled with magic. Go inside and cover the young master with it. Can you do that?”
“Yes!”
I replied with a determined look.
When the servants pushed the door open, melted metal dripped down and drew black lines on the floor.
Swallowing hard, I stepped into the hallway turned furnace.
‘…Wow, it’s hot.’
After just a few steps, sweat was beading all over my body.
The statues lining the hallway had melted into half-liquid forms.
‘Good thing none of the other servants went in. They would’ve been in serious trouble.’
Relying on the chill from the scroll, I made my way to Abelus’s room.
Thankfully, the door wasn’t closed—but the heat radiating through the gap was on another level compared to the hallway.
It was beyond hot. My skin felt like it was burning.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.
The sweat covering my body dried instantly.
In that suffocating space, Lord Abelus was lying alone.
I rushed to the bed, threw off the blanket, and laid the scroll over him.
“Phew…”
The temperature dropped rapidly around me.
Finally, I could breathe again and sat down against the bedframe.
‘Huh? Come to think of it…’
This room felt strangely familiar.
It was my room.
This was the room traditionally used by the heir of the Ignitus family—so naturally, I had lived in it too, being the last successor.
I hadn’t realized it last time because I was too flustered.
Turning my head, I glanced at the sleeping Abelus.
What an uncanny coincidence.
That bed was exactly where I first saw Lord Abelus in the history books when I was a child.
