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Chapter 7
Edward was about half a handspan taller than Theodore and stood with the straight posture of a model student.
His neatly arranged hair was, as expected, the platinum blond that was almost like a symbol of the Croyman family.
However, his intelligent-looking eyes were green, reminiscent of a dense forest.
This one must take after his mother more.
Unlike Theodore and Luke, who gave off a cold feeling even when they were simply standing still, Edward had a gentle and kind-looking appearance.
He was holding a very thick book in one hand while gripping the doorknob with the other.
Then he spoke to Theodore.
“Come out quickly. Father said we would have the formal introduction during dinner.”
“What? When did he decide that? No one told me anything.”
Theodore complained indignantly, and Edward answered with a gentle smile.
“Father decided it.”
“……”
“Do you want me to tell him you’re unhappy about it?”
“No.”
Theodore answered quietly, his voice completely dejected.
“Go wash up and change your clothes before dinner.”
“……Yes.”
Theodore looked back once at me and Kai before slowly walking out with his shoulders drooping.
“I’m sorry. Did I startle you?”
Once Theodore disappeared, Edward gave me an awkward smile.
“It’s okay, Young Master Edward.”
At my answer, he slightly raised the corners of his lips and slowly spoke.
“Your name is Eria, right?”
“Yes.”
“I hope you settle in comfortably here. If Theodore bothers you again later, tell me.”
Edward gave me a gentle smile.
However, his eyes, which were staring directly at me, contained no emotion at all.
An artificial smile.
It was a kind enough smile to fool anyone who didn’t know him.
At least that guy from earlier seemed honest, even if he had a short temper.
But what was this one thinking so deeply with that little head of his?
“It’s okay. Thank you for looking out for me.”
I answered with a smile.
Edward apparently didn’t feel the need to continue the conversation, so he said a few more words and left.
After confirming that both brothers had completely left, I closed the door again.
Then I hurriedly checked on Kai.
Fortunately, Kai seemed much calmer than before.
“Eria.”
“Hmm?”
“Who were they?”
“The people from earlier?”
Kai nodded.
“The loud one from earlier was Theodore.”
“I know. Theodore, Edward.”
“Were you asking because you were curious why they’re here?”
“Yes.”
“Because I became family with them.”
“Family?”
Kai tilted his head in confusion.
“Are Eria and me family too?”
“No.”
Kai’s eyes widened in shock as he asked,
“Why?”
“Because we’re friends.”
“Friends?”
“A friend is… someone who gives each other candy.”
As I said that, I gave him one piece of candy.
Kai smiled brightly and put it into his mouth.
“I like candy!”
“Yes, candy is good. Don’t you want more candy?”
“Uh-huh.”
I took out several pieces of candy from my pocket and showed them to him.
Then, before Kai could take them, I put them back into my pocket and said,
“If a friend gives you one piece of candy at a time, family gives you several pieces at once.”
My firm action shocked Kai even more than before.
He asked with trembling eyes,
“……Then give all the candy to Theodore and Edward?”
“No, that’s not it. All of this belongs to Kai. I like Kai more than Theodore and Edward.”
“Really?”
Kai smiled brightly and reached his arms toward me.
“Yes. But because we’re friends, I’ll only give you one at a time.”
Kai immediately lowered his arms with a dejected expression.
“……I want to be family with Eria too.”
I smiled lightly and stroked his head.
Kai leaned his head toward my hand for a while before asking with a relaxed expression,
“Why did Eria become family with those people?”
“Because I want revenge.”
“Revenge?”
“Yes. Against the people who did this to me.”
“Do you need lots of candy for revenge?”
“Hmm…… I need a lot. People who can give me lots of candy.”
Kai tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.
I simply smiled and didn’t bother explaining further.
The saying that forgetting is a blessing must really be true.
I remembered the pain I had experienced through countless regressions in incredible detail.
So vividly that it could appear in my dreams even while I slept.
At least Kai didn’t have those painful memories.
I was grateful for that.
“I need power.”
I said this while stroking Kai.
Even if, in this life, you and I hadn’t gone through the same suffering…
That didn’t mean everything you and I had experienced had disappeared.
For all the countless lives you and I have lived, I’ll find every one of them and make them pay.
“I need the Croyman family’s help to do that.”
The Croyman family stood at the pinnacle of magic.
They were one of the founding families of the Senatara Empire, which stood at the top of the current human world, and their influence was enormous.
Considering that the illegal research facility had been able to conduct large-scale illegal experiments without easily being discovered…
They must have had someone powerful protecting them from behind the scenes.
So I needed strong allies too.
The Croyman family was the perfect choice.
Things have actually gone better than I expected. They’ve been much more favorable toward me than I thought they would be.
Not only Luke, the current head of the family, but also Edward and Theodore, who would eventually become the next heads of the family.
I would make all of them like me and naturally use them in my revenge plan.
It won’t be easy for now, since Edward and Theodore seem to dislike me.
And I couldn’t afford to invest everything only in Luke when I didn’t even know when I would finally succeed in getting my revenge.
“Kai, while we’re staying here, let’s train too.”
“What is training?”
“It’s something fun. If you do well, I’ll give you candy.”
At my words, Kai pouted.
Then his eyes suddenly sparkled as if he had thought of something strange.
“I don’t want one candy.”
“If you get one every time you do well, you’ll have a lot of them.”
“I still don’t want it.”
“Then should I give you something other than candy?”
“Yes.”
“What do you want?”
At my question, Kai stopped smiling and looked at me.
Silence fell.
Beyond his strangely glowing purple eyes, I could see my own awkward smile reflected.
A heavy chill ran down my spine.
…… Was I nervous right now?
I thought Kai and I had been getting along well in this life without any major problems……
Was I mistaken?
Or had I made some kind of mistake?
I went over everything I had said and done to Kai.
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find anything that should have bothered him.
…… Was it the 237th time?
Or the 302nd?
There had been times in previous lives when Kai and I had fallen out and I had died because of it.
Back then, Kai had been unable to control himself because of his excessive obsession with and distrust of me.
In the end, he had lost his reason and gone berserk, once completely wiping out the entire research facility, including me.
It was an unforgettable memory, so I had learned to adapt myself perfectly to Kai in almost every situation.
At least, I thought I had.
“Eria.”
“Uh, yes?”
Kai grabbed my hand as if asking me to focus on him.
He must have noticed that my thoughts had wandered somewhere else.
I felt strangely sorry, so I looked at Kai seriously.
Not knowing that he was about to say something I had never expected.
“I want to be family with Eria.”
“……What?”
“If I train well, I want to be Eria’s family this time too.”
…… Did he really have to say something like that in such a serious atmosphere?
He made me nervous for nothing.
I relaxed all the tension in my body and smiled as I nodded.
“Okay. Once we get our revenge, let’s become family. I’ll give you lots of candy.”
“Okay!”
Kai smiled brightly and hugged me tightly.
Yes. Kai is still young, so it’s okay for now.
As I tried to reassure myself, there was a knock on the door, and Annie entered the room.
“Lady Eria, Young Master Kaiden. It’s time for dinner.”
“Oh, okay. Kai, let’s get up.”
I quickly pulled Kai out of my arms and took his hand.
Kai looked sulky, as if he didn’t like being pushed away.
But perhaps dinner quickly made him forget about it, because he soon smiled again and followed me.
‘If I train well, I want to be Eria’s family this time too.’
…… Why am I suddenly thinking about those words again?
Something about it felt unsettling, but for now, I decided to go eat first.
“Big brother, wait a moment.”
After dinner.
Theodore stopped Edward, who was heading toward his room carrying a book almost as thick as an encyclopedia.
“Theo? What’s wrong?”
Edward turned around and asked.
Theodore looked around before whispering quietly,
“Come here.”
Edward nodded slightly and followed Theodore to their secret hideout.
As soon as they arrived at a small attic that was being used as a storage room, Theodore got straight to the point.
“Big brother. What do you think about the newcomers?”
