🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 12
“But didn’t the former duke personally bring her here?”
I pretended not to know anything and continued speaking.
“He did. And he left a will asking her to take care of the young masters. He said she would look after them until the curse was lifted.”
Hearing that, I couldn’t shake the thought that it sounded strangely irresponsible.
“But entrusting the children to someone you know nothing about is a bit…”
As I muttered, Anna hurried to add,
“At first, everyone was suspicious. Especially His Grace. He checked on the young masters several times a day….”
At the unexpected name, my ears perked up.
“Kilian?”
Anna avoided my gaze, looking awkward.
Just then, hurried footsteps approached from the corridor.
“My lady!”
As soon as Anna opened the door, a knight thrust his face inside, panting heavily.
“A messenger has arrived—His Grace has reached the area near the northern gate!”
A large hawk perched on his shoulder opened its beak with a sharp screech.
The large bedroom on the second floor of the annex was Erhi and Irene’s playground.
“Erhi.”
Irene, who had just bitten a piece of mana stone with a crunch, called out to him with a sullen face.
“What.”
“It doesn’t taste good.”
Erhi mumbled,
“It’s the same stuff we always eat… but it really tastes bad today.”
“Yeah, it tastes like nothing.”
Irene eventually spat the mana stone out with a ptoo.
“I want the thing we ate yesterday.”
“The one Cielina brought?”
“Yeah, that one.”
Erhi climbed down from the creaking rocking horse.
“The snack.”
“Yeah, the snack.”
Just remembering the snack they ate yesterday made their mouths water.
“The chocolate was delicious.”
“But the minty one was gross.”
Erhi clicked his tongue as he recalled the taste.
What a weird plant flavor. Why would anyone eat that with chocolate?
He never wanted to taste it again.
“But Cielina said that one was the best.”
At Irene’s sudden remark, Erhi froze.
“…”
Completely oblivious, Irene nudged him for an answer.
“Erhi, do you not like mint?”
But the answer didn’t take long.
“No, I like it.”
Because Cielina said it was good.
“I like it too.”
“Mm-hm.”
Satisfied with the answer she wanted, Irene giggled.
“But don’t leave food on your plate. Royena will think it’s strange.”
Erhi pretended not to notice Irene’s accusing look, his ears pricking at a sound from downstairs.
Step, step, step.
Creaaak—
The door at the far east end of the first floor closed slowly.
“Royena went to pray.”
Irene glared at the pile of mana stones, then ran to the window.
“No one’s here yet.”
Her heart, which had been fluttering moments ago, suddenly tightened.
“Cielina… she’ll come, right?”
“She said she would today.”
Erhi soon joined her by the window.
“Do you think Cielina sneaks out too?”
Irene asked anxiously.
“No.”
“How do you know?”
Confident, Erhi pointed at the main building in the distance.
“There are so many more people in that house. She couldn’t sneak out.”
Irene gasped softly.
“Wow… Cielina can leave her house whenever she wants.”
“Yeah. She said she’ll come anytime we want to see her.”
Both pairs of eyes drifted toward the empty front yard.
“…”
“…”
After a long moment, Irene asked cautiously,
“Then… if Cielina doesn’t come, is it because she doesn’t want to see us?”
“…”
Erhi’s eyes widened in shock.
He had never thought of that.
But… maybe.
Cielina probably had lots of friends besides them.
Maybe today she wanted to play with those other friends.
Then what about tomorrow?
Would she want to play with them tomorrow?
What if Cielina… forgot about them?
“Cielina isn’t coming.”
Startled, Erhi turned to Irene.
“Cielina isn’t coming, Erhi.”
Irene looked like she had even forgotten to blink.
She must be thinking the exact same terrifying thoughts.
“If we wait a little more…”
Erhi was about to try soothing her when—
“Erhi!”
Irene squeezed his hand so hard it hurt.
“Let’s go, Erhi.”
“Huh? Go where?”
Before he could even ask, Erhi’s wings unfurled on instinct.
Irene beamed.
“Let’s go to Cielina.”
I stood alone in the middle of the parlor.
The servants were rushing around more frantically than ever.
“Head maid! How should we prepare the meat?”
“He’s probably been chewing dried meat for days. Make a stew—thick, not watery, and with soft vegetables.”
Anna gave the order to the kitchen assistant Toby with her mouth, while signaling to the maid cleaning the bedroom with her hands—showing off her multitasking skills.
“House steward, the knight-captain sent this.”
“Thank you.”
Hans was directing the servants in and out of the mansion like a general.
Since coming to this house, this is the first time I’ve felt guilty.
Amid the chaos, I was the only one with nothing to do.
“My lady.”
Hans approached after speaking with a knight.
“Sir Günter has departed for the gate with the healers.”
Healers?
“Is someone injured?”
“His Grace does not appear to be seriously wounded. But we received a report that one of the knights is in critical condition.”
Hans smiled with relief, but I felt a knot in my chest.
“Is there nothing I can help with?”
Hans gave a strangely bright smile.
“We’ll handle everything. Please rest in your room without worry.”
Hearing that—not as flattery but as the truth—I couldn’t insist any further.
I went upstairs with a heavy heart.
My reckless actions had gotten someone hurt.
They said someone was seriously injured… and Kilian seemed hurt too. They said he wasn’t badly hurt, but they didn’t say he wasn’t hurt at all…
Reality hit me belatedly.
Crash—!
As I sat blankly by the window, replaying it all in my mind, I heard something shatter in the room next door.
What was that?
I jumped up and looked out the window.
Below the study—adjacent to my bedroom—broken glass was scattered across the ground.
Someone broke in from outside?
No way…
Two beasts that used to fly outside my window flashed through my mind.
Erhi and Irene!
I burst out of the room. Thankfully, I didn’t hear footsteps coming up the stairs.
“Kids…?”
I whispered at the crack under the study door.
“Cielina…?”
“Cielina…?”
Their familiar voices came from right behind the door.
They must have pressed themselves against it, listening to the outside.
If anyone besides me heard them—!
Relieved but panicked, I glanced around and knocked lightly.
“I’m coming in, okay?”
Instead of a reply, the door opened.
“Cielina!”
“Cielina!”
The door hadn’t even closed behind me before the two shouted my name loudly.
“Shh!”
I grabbed both their heads and pulled them into my arms.
“Shh.”
“Shhh.”
The children obediently buried their faces in my skirts.
I crouched down to meet their eyes.
“You scared me.”
They giggled.
How am I supposed to scold them when they’re this cute?
My pounding heart slowly settled.
“Let’s sit and talk first.”
I sat them in chairs and locked the door.
“How did you get here?”
Irene proudly announced,
“We flew!”
Of course they did.
As I chuckled at my own obvious question, something struck me.
Wait… back then, they appeared as beasts to me.
And the same happened in the garden, right before I fainted—two beastlike figures.
“Irene… the one I ran into in the garden—was that you?”
“Mm-hm. Irene was scared of Cielina then, so she ran away. Cielina came like, waaah! chasing after me—”
Irene mimicked me running, giggling.
But after I fainted, I’ve never seen them as beasts again. What happened while I was unconscious?
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer.
Did the kids do something?
Just as I lifted my head, meeting a pair of wide, innocent eyes—
“Erhi, did you—”
Before I could finish, voices rang from outside the window. Knights passing through the garden had spotted the broken glass.
“The window’s broken!”
“Isn’t that the floor with the duchess’s room?”
“Did someone break in?”
“Hurry, we need to check inside!”
The children stared at me with round, unblinking eyes.
“St-stay right here.”
I quickly pulled the curtains shut and checked the lock.
My hands trembled from nerves, and I couldn’t help laughing at myself.
Why am I hiding these children from them?
Soon, multiple footsteps echoed as the downstairs erupted into chaos.
Kilian, Zeke, Harkin, and Gabriel arrived at the northern gate.
“Open the gate!
