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chapter 113
“No, please be careful!”
Ibby waved her hand once again.
Seeing her do that, the faces of the people around her relaxed and brightened.
It had only been five days since Ibby arrived.
In that short time, the atmosphere in the Kaylen Ducal House had changed tremendously.
The biggest change was that laughter now filled the breakfast table.
Normally, breakfast at the ducal house was always quiet and calm.
Of the three children of the Duke and Duchess, two were already adults living elsewhere, and the remaining Arcel was very taciturn.
It wasn’t that they had a bad relationship. The Duke and Duchess were still a loving couple, and even though Arcel wasn’t particularly affectionate, he always respected his parents, and conversations at the table never really stopped.
The problem was that that was all there was.
Even the visiting distant relatives who came occasionally were generally quiet and calm people.
For the servants, that was convenient, but when the village children occasionally passed by noisily, the ducal mansion felt unusually silent.
But not anymore.
“So in the morning we went to cut roses together. These roses here were cut by Arcel and me!”
Ibby proudly pointed to the pink roses in a vase on the table.
The flowers, still carrying the morning dew, were vivid and fragrant.
“Oh my, what if our little Ibby hurt her hands?”
The Duchess looked at Ibby’s small hands with concern as she reached for her fork.
“I’m fine! The gardener gave me gloves, so even if I touch the thorns, it doesn’t hurt at all! Right, Arcel?”
“Yes. Even if you squeeze hard, it doesn’t hurt.”
Arcel, sitting next to Ibby, nodded in agreement and picked the ripest grape from the table, feeding it to her.
After chewing and swallowing the grape a few times, Ibby began telling what had happened yesterday.
“Also, we went to the stream and caught fish, and there was even a blue glowing fish in the water…”
Though it wasn’t a big deal, everyone in the ducal house softened while listening to her.
Occasionally, laughter burst out, and Ibby’s excited voice could be heard explaining things enthusiastically.
It was completely different from the usual quiet breakfast, yet no one found it annoying.
The change wasn’t limited to breakfast.
The maids now all carried colorful rubber bands and small combs in their pockets.
When they ran into Ibby, as if lucky, they would ask her if they could fix her hair if it got messy.
Because of that, Ibby’s hairstyle changed several times a day.
The music room, which had been closed during the vacation, was now open every morning, and Ibby and Arcel could be seen diligently organizing sheet music and books.
After finishing, the sounds of various instruments could be heard.
Harmonized music filled the house, and the people hummed along to the melodies.
At first, the pieces were very simple, but within a few days, they became quite complex.
It was clear that Ibby was learning very quickly.
Even the Duke, who used to leave early for the imperial palace, took a few days off to stay at the house.
Rarely resting, he wandered the estate all day, keeping an eye out for Ibby and Arcel.
Among all these changes, the biggest change was in Arcel himself.
“Ibby! Let’s go play!”
The usually quiet, composed, and neat young master had disappeared, replaced by a playful boy excited to see what they would do today.
Arcel, who used to dress perfectly without a single wrinkle or button out of place, now climbed trees with his clothes stained with dirt, dust, and grass.
The servants, seeing the young master acting like a normal boy for the first time since they entered the house, felt an unexpected surge of emotion.
Yes, our young master is human after all.
After spending such a joyful morning, the Duke had to leave for the imperial palace.
“I’ll be back.”
“Have a safe trip!”
Escorted by Ibby, he set off for the palace.
He turned back several times along the way.
Even when the carriage had gone far, he could still see Ibby waving, and he thought to himself:
‘If my guess is wrong…’
In fact, the probability of that was overwhelmingly high.
A child from a distant orphanage being Princess Ibvien? How likely was that?
All he could rely on was that Ibby was supposedly seven years old, had the hair and eye color of Clois and Lilian, and reminded him of Lilian.
‘First, maybe she’s not seven.’
The age of seven was based on the orphanage’s claim.
Though she was now well-fed, Ibby was still smaller than children of that age.
Even a year’s difference would mean she could not be Princess Ibvien.
‘Moreover, Empress Lilian threw Princess Ibvien off the castle wall while holding her.’
The commander besieging the castle at the time had been very careful about the superstition that killing a mother and newborn would bring a curse.
He also feared revenge from Clois.
So, in a cowardly way, he forced Lilian to jump herself.
By not killing directly, he avoided any lingering guilt.
‘It turned out to be useless, though.’
Clois’ army killed everyone at the castle where Lilian had been, personally with his own hands.
As the palace drew closer, the laughter from the mansion faded, and concern grew on the Duke’s face.
‘Only His Majesty has seen the princess’s body, and that’s a problem.’
He himself had buried his rotting wife and child.
No one else could touch them, and even the Duke could only watch from a distance.
‘So to get detailed information, I have to ask His Majesty directly.’
Even as a longtime friend of Clois, he didn’t have the courage to do that.
‘If I act on a hunch, it will only disturb His Majesty’s mind unnecessarily.’
Since his accession, Clois’ condition had only worsened.
Then, miraculously, this year, he began to improve and even occasionally laughed during meetings.
It had been so long since anyone had seen the emperor like that.
Still, the Duke couldn’t bring himself to ask. If he did, Clois might recall the past, darkening again.
Even walking in the palace, he couldn’t decide.
Then, in a hallway outside the building, he heard a commotion.
“No, I said I’ll take the one I left with me!”
“Even so, what will you do if you take Elisha? The other horses won’t obey without Elisha!”
Turning his head, he saw Marquis Ragselve arguing with a palace staff member.
“Hey, Curtis. Long time no see.”
The Duke greeted his friend and father of Ruska, Marquis Ragselve.
“Huh? Edgar? Why are you so late? Hiding something good at home?”
Marquis Ragselve also raised his hand in response.
“Something good… Well, there is a cute child.”
The Marquis squinted at him.
“Did you eat something strange? You’re talking nonsense.”
“You’ll see soon. Arcel told me that Ibby is going to your house in two days. If you’re not that pleased, I can keep her here.”
“Stop joking.”
The Marquis clicked his tongue.
“Why would I take Elisha? Ruska rolled down the stairs all day yesterday from third to first floor, saying it had to be Elisha. Who exactly is this Ibby…”
Despite grumbling, he hurriedly told the staff to fetch Elisha, showing he was still prepared to receive guests.
“Curtis.”
“What?”
“You still remember Lilian, right?”
At the mention of Lilian, the Marquis’ expression stiffened.
Confirming that the staff he had ordered to bring the child had gone far, he spoke quietly:
“Of course. How could I forget her?”
The Marquis had once been seriously injured and saved by Lilian, so he always addressed her with respect.
“Then… if Ruska’s friend comes, keep a close eye.”
“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“It’s hard to explain now, but you’ll understand. If not, you don’t need to worry.”
“You’re mumbling nonsense. Where are you going?”
“To see His Majesty.”
“Really? You don’t go often.”
The two had helped Clois ascend the throne, but they didn’t see him often, wanting to avoid rumors that they were abusing their power.
“Important business?”
“Yes. I have very important documents to deliver personally.”
“Hmm. Then come along. I’ve heard His Majesty has been in better spirits lately… It’s been a while since I saw him anyway. But what kind of documents are they?”
“Very important. When I deliver this, His Majesty will jump up immediately.”
Hearing that, the Marquis’ expression grew puzzled.
“Documents to behead Sir Siren?”
Thinking of the only rebel they hadn’t captured, he walked with the Duke.
“No, not that.”
“Then what could it be?”
“Very cute.”
“…?”
The Marquis gave up questioning and clicked his tongue, lightly scolding the Duke.
“With something like that, His Majesty would jump up immediately, huh?”
And a little later, the Marquis saw it.
“Your Majesty, I’ve brought Ibby Alden’s letter.”
“What!”
The Duke, holding a small envelope with a squashed squirrel-like drawing, watched Clois, who had been expressionless, suddenly spring up like lightning.
