DHDF 41

chapter 41

I crossed my arms and looked around the hallway. There were thirty rooms in total.

For some reason, I felt like I could actually do it.

If Ritema happened to guess right by sheer luck, then there was nothing I could do about it.

“You said it’s a game, so there has to be a reward, right?”

“Then… how about a simple wish ticket?”

Not bad, but there wasn’t really anything I wanted from Ritema. After thinking for a bit, I set a new condition.

“The validity period will be six years.”

“I don’t mind, but… why six years?”

I shrugged, and Ritema didn’t ask any further.

“Well, fine. Then you go first, Berzene.”

“There’s no time limit for choosing, right? Even if it takes a while, you can’t complain.”

“How careful are you planning to be? Hmm, fine, whatever.”

I stepped forward. A cool breeze brushed against me, making my hair flutter lightly.

According to the beginner’s manual, once you’re familiar enough with mana, you can sense the mana of others.

‘I’ve practiced a bit, so maybe I can give it a shot.’

I took a deep breath and focused my mind.

Maybe because I had a mission to complete, my senses responded faster than usual.

I forced down the queasy feeling rising in my throat and took another step forward.

“Oh…”

Ritema, who had been all relaxed and confident, suddenly looked startled.

Judging by his reaction, he already knew where the person was hiding.

I was annoyed but decided to question him later and stood between two doors.

‘It’s definitely one of these two…’

The sensation had passed too quickly—I wasn’t sure which one.

Guessing randomly and hoping for another chance was pointless. Now that the game was on, my competitive spirit kicked in.

Just as I tried to focus my mana again, a strong feeling hit me—it was the left door.

“Hey.”

My hunch was right.

“What the hell are you two doing?”

The moment I opened the door, I saw Laot holding Ritema upside down in midair.

The blood rushed to Ritema’s head; his face looked like it was about to burst.

“Hi, big brother. Sleep well?”

Laot’s face was paler than usual—he looked tense enough to tear someone apart at the slightest provocation.

But oddly enough, Ritema didn’t seem intimidated at all.

The way he smiled and spoke so casually was almost impressive.

“How about putting him down before you accidentally see my petticoat?”

Laot sighed irritably and turned his back.

He lowered me slowly—starting from my heels so I could touch the ground properly—but still dropped me a little roughly at the end.

Even so, Ritema landed gracefully.

“Were you asleep?”

“Can’t you tell?”

“That’s why I came to find you.”

While the two of them traded pointless jabs, I looked around Laot’s room.

Unlike his laboratory, which was always piled high with unstable-looking stuff, his bedroom was extremely simple.

So simple I wondered if he actually used it himself.

It looked more like a guest room.

“If I were you, I’d still be asleep right now.”

While I was sharing my thoughts, Ritema somehow managed to push Laot back into bed—like a professional animal tamer.

Laot must’ve been exhausted, because even though he told us to get out irritably, he fell asleep almost immediately.

Unfortunately, the main culprit behind the disturbance didn’t seem inclined to leave quietly.

‘Seriously, he’s impossible to predict…’

Ritema watched his sleeping brother for a while, then climbed onto the bed himself.

Then, as if inviting me to join him, he silently patted the spot beside him.

“Are you sure this is okay?”

I whispered quietly, and he chuckled softly.

“I don’t know. But I’m sleepy. Aren’t you, Berzene?”

Could Ritema use magic too? I’d only been a little tired, yet suddenly sleepiness hit me like a wave.

Unable to fight it, I lay down next to him—and fell asleep.

“Good night.”

Through the haze of fading consciousness, I felt him pull the blanket over me.

I could even feel his hand brushing my hair gently.

When Laot woke up later and saw us sleeping beside him, he looked completely dumbfounded—but didn’t say anything.

The real problem was that we didn’t wake up until after the dinner banquet had ended.

Rosalyn knew where we were, but she didn’t know it was Laot’s bedroom.

Apparently, even his attendants couldn’t locate that room…

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Ritema, who’d been scolded by Lady Karlin until he looked pitiful, returned to his usual self the moment we left the office.

He had only been pretending to be remorseful.

“…Yeah, kind of.”

We’d only eaten a few pieces of fruit and some chocolate all day.

Both Ritema and I looked toward Laot. Judging by his unimpressed expression, he was clearly on a different wavelength from us.

“If you keep eating like a bird, you’ll never grow taller.”

“Don’t care.”

With that curt reply, Laot vanished on the spot.

I mentally added another spell to my list of things to learn:

Teleportation magic.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Then let’s eat by ourselves, Berzene.”

We asked the kitchen staff for permission and had a late dinner in the dimly lit dining room.

They even gave us dessert, which I hadn’t expected.

As I put a piece of cake into my mouth, I looked across the table at Ritema.

The ring on his finger shimmered faintly under the light.

“How do you feel?”

I had asked him the same thing before the engagement ceremony, but I still couldn’t shake off my unease.

“Good.”

“No, I mean—about being engaged to me.”

“Yeah. That’s what I meant. I feel good.”

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation, conflict, or doubt in his answer. It was clear and absolute, as if he hadn’t considered any other possibility.

“I’m glad.”

Before coming to the Rottenvale estate, I had only cared about my own safety.

Even if I felt sorry for the person who got entangled with me, there was nothing I could do.

But after meeting Ritema face to face, my perspective changed.

‘I didn’t expect him to be positive about it, but…’

I had hoped he’d at least take it lightly—as something temporary, a fake engagement that wouldn’t last.

“I want to hear your thoughts too, Berzene.”

I scraped the soft cake with my fork, carefully choosing my words.

Unlike Ritema, I couldn’t give a simple answer.

By the time I managed to collect my thoughts, Ritema had already finished his dessert and was resting his chin on one hand, waiting for me to speak.

“Well… to start with, I feel relieved.”

Ritema laughed out loud.

“Berzene, you have been busy lately.”

“Yeah. I don’t think I could go through all that again.”

I’d had to completely break and rebuild my habits—it had been exhausting.

Even now, if I didn’t consciously control myself, the old patterns would slip out.

“And I feel… secure.”

Or maybe it was a sense of belonging. For the first time, I felt like my place—once so uncertain—had finally settled.

It wasn’t enough to relax completely, but I could finally breathe a little easier.

“I just hope everything ends smoothly like this.”

As long as I didn’t run into Laheth.

* * *

Before September even arrived, Aete left for the Academy. She said she’d be back by winter.

‘Not that she’ll stay longer than two weeks anyway.’

She wasn’t the only one who’d left.

Lady Karlin had gone out to inspect a new business site, and the Archduke wasn’t in his office either.

I wasn’t sure of the details, but apparently, none of them would be back for about a week.

Not that I saw them often anyway, but their absence still made the house feel strangely empty.

“How about writing a diary, my lady?”

While I was procrastinating on replying to the growing pile of invitations, Rosalyn spoke up gently.

“It’ll help improve your handwriting. Mayley seems to have benefited a lot from it too.”

“A diary, huh…”

The more I thought about it, the better the idea sounded.

Rosalyn quickly brought me a notebook, and though my hand was clumsy, I began writing my first entry.

Once I started, the words came easily—before I knew it, the page was full.

I exhaled the breath I’d been holding and looked up at Rosalyn.

“You did wonderfully, my lady.”

“Mm. Now let’s start training.”

I nodded to her and shifted my seat slightly.

It was already time for mana perception practice.

“Rosalyn, how long did it take me yesterday?”

“Three minutes and seventeen seconds, my lady.”

The time fluctuated depending on my condition, but overall, the training was progressing smoothly.

I was finally reaching the basic threshold that Laot had mentioned.

Before starting in earnest, I drank some water. Lemon tea was prepared too—supposedly good for the throat.

I took my position and tensed every muscle in my body.

“…Ugh!”

Again.

“…Ugh!”

Again.

“…Hic.”

And then, finally—when I consciously focused, I managed to feel the flow of mana properly. At the same time, a strange sense of futility washed over me.

‘Well, at least I don’t throw up anymore.’

Did I really have to get used to this too?