🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter: 9
Because Cordelia was much taller than she was, Sevtina had to look up at her. Though she was slightly shorter than Dante, she was still the tallest woman Sevtina had ever seen.
Cordelia’s confident presence was captivating. Sevtina thought she was someone who truly suited being a knight.
Cordelia placed a hand on Sevtina’s shoulder.
A violin began to play with a steady rhythm. When Sevtina glanced to the side, she saw the violinist performing with all his strength.
“Try it the way you were taught. I’ll follow your lead.”
“I’m not very good at it though…”
As Sevtina trailed off, still lacking confidence, Cordelia shook her head.
“Who’s good from the very beginning? Everyone learns like that. To define being ‘good,’ you also need a time when you’re comparatively bad.”
Strangely, her heart felt at ease. She was less tense than before.
Sevtina moved her feet to the rhythm. One. Two. Three. Left foot, right foot. Left. As Sevtina moved, Cordelia followed her lead.
Focused on the violin, Sevtina suddenly stepped hard on Cordelia’s foot.
“Ah!”
“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt.”
Without changing her expression, Cordelia continued dancing with her.
“Are you really sure it doesn’t hurt?”
“This is nothing. A piece of cake.”
For someone in the knight order like Cordelia, this probably didn’t even count as pain.
Still, hearing her say she was fine was reassuring.
She stepped on her foot two more times, but Cordelia brushed it off each time. Perhaps because she was less rushed than usual, Sevtina made fewer mistakes.
As the violin reached its climax, her body spun in a circle. Coming to a stop, Sevtina caught her breath.
‘…Was that okay?’
“You did well. That was excellent, Sevtina.”
Cordelia patted Sevtina’s shoulder as she stood still.
Seeing Cordelia smile with the corners of her lips raised, Sevtina finally felt relieved.
Sevtina turned her head toward the Zerros couple.
“Our Sevtina dancing this well…!”
“You could send her straight to a ball like this without any worries.”
Dabbing their eyes with a handkerchief, they looked like audience members who had just finished watching a touching play.
“Absolutely perfect!”
‘…No, that’s not quite right.’
She had stepped on feet several times, and this was the easiest step.
But Sevtina thought that in the Zerros couple’s minds, she might already have become the greatest dancer in the Empire.
Sevtina realized something.
…Being acknowledged didn’t feel bad.
No—honestly, it felt good. Being praised made her want to work harder. Feeling strangely warm, Sevtina brushed her cheek and realized her face had flushed.
A thrilling sensation.
A pleasant flutter.
Emotions she had never felt before rushed over her.
“At this level, it should be fine to introduce her to people….”
Justian Zerros rested his chin on his hand, a satisfied smile on his lips.
“What do you think, Sevtina? I’m thinking of holding a party to celebrate your awakening. The nobles all want to see you.”
“…When were you thinking?”
“If we start sending invitations now and consider cleaning the banquet hall, hiring staff, and so on, it’ll take at least two weeks even if we rush. But above all, your opinion comes first.”
“Come to think of it, the Imperial Family asked us to pass along their congratulations once more.”
Cordelia chimed in from the side.
“They might visit in person soon.”
Justian muttered as he stroked his beard. Sevtina was surprised at how casually the Emperor’s name came up, as if they were talking about visiting another noble estate.
Talking about the Emperor made her think of the Crown Prince.
‘…I wonder if Wyatt is doing well.’
Thinking about how Dante and Klazen had changed, she wondered if he might have changed too.
But Sevtina soon shook her head.
He was the Crown Prince, after all.
“Sevtina? Are you all right?”
Justian’s voice brought her back to her senses.
“Noble ladies around your age will be coming too. This would be a good chance for you to make friends.”
Jane said with a smile.
Friends. Ironically, that word made Sevtina think of the person farthest from being a friend to her.
“…Will an invitation be sent to Rivga as well?”
At her question, Justian nodded immediately. His eyes gleamed.
“If you want, I can even make sure they come. But why Rivga?”
“I was just curious.”
Cordelia nodded.
“It seems what we talked about last time stayed with you.”
“It’s unfortunate what happened to the second daughter.”
Perhaps because Sevtina had been lying unconscious for so long, the Zerros couple viewed Rivga with sympathy.
“She’s been having an even harder time lately because of the eldest daughter. I hear the invitations sent to Rivga have decreased too. If we invite them, it could be a real help. What do you think, Cordelia?”
“Curses are just superstition. I don’t mind at all. And there’s a child there in a similar situation to Sevtina, so it concerns me even more.”
Listening to their conversation, several things felt strange.
The eldest daughter was Julia—what hardship could she possibly be facing?
‘If the second daughter is me, Julai Riv… how could she be having a harder time than I did?’
Reading the room, Sevtina spoke up.
“Did something happen to the eldest daughter?”
“Ah, Sevtina. You know about the heirs of the four elements, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
It was a story more familiar to her than anything else.
“It’s been a year now, but… Rivga’s eldest daughter was announced as the Water heir. Everyone rejoiced when they saw the mark engraved on the back of her hand.”
Up to that point, Sevtina already knew the story.
“The problem began after she became the heir.”
Justian’s expression grew serious.
“The frequency of natural disasters started increasing rapidly. The weather began changing unpredictably, often against our needs. Personally, I think it was just a coincidence in timing, but… since the frequency increased after Rivga’s daughter was officially announced, she’s been blamed for failing in her role.”
It was something Sevtina had never expected to hear. She was shocked.
‘…Even after I died, Julia wasn’t happy?’
Sevtina grew curious about Julia’s current state.
Was she still as proud as before? Or had she changed too?
“…Are you scared, Sevtina? If you don’t want to, we won’t send an invitation.”
Justian asked for her opinion. After hesitating, Sevtina shook her head.
“No. I want to invite them.”
She wanted to know how Julia was living now.
And how Julia would treat her.
After all, she was no longer Julai Rivga.
<Sevtina Zerros has awakened. This party is being held to celebrate our daughter Sevtina’s return to the world. We ask that you attend and pray that Sevtina may live safely and happily.>
Most of the invitation’s content, written in elegant handwriting, was the same. Only the forms of address and greetings differed depending on which noble received it.
The phrase “congratulations on returning to the world” felt embarrassing. Sevtina had never thought of herself as someone whose mere existence could be considered a blessing.
Preparations for the party proceeded smoothly. The largest banquet hall was cleared, scrubbed, and polished. Curtains were replaced, and even the glass panes were changed for new, pristine ones.
That wasn’t all. The chandeliers were replaced with ones even larger and more splendid.
The food to be served was planned in advance, with painstaking care put into every detail.
Wherever Sevtina went, people moved for her. They asked her questions.
“Lady Sevtina, is there a dessert you like?”
“Lady Sevtina, is there a glass pattern you prefer?”
“What color do you like?”
Sevtina hoped the party preparations wouldn’t go wrong because of her. She still didn’t know much and lacked the refinement expected of a noble.
“Please go with whatever you think is best. I don’t know much yet, so I’ll tell you later.”
She wanted to become a better person.
A more perfect person.
This new life planted desire within her—
desires she never thought she possessed.
For Sevtina, the Zerros family reserved Bryden’s shop.
Cordelia even took personal leave to come along herself.
It was a day when the sunlight was so intense it almost stung.
Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, Sevtina stood in front of Bryden’s shop, with Cordelia beside her.
Unlike her usual armor or training clothes, Cordelia wore a dress, and confidence overflowed from her.
Years in the knight order had left her with well-developed muscles and a frame different from that of an ordinary woman, but none of it looked like a flaw on her.
On the contrary, Cordelia’s build made her appear even more dignified.
The confidence radiating from her seemed to play a big part in that.
‘She’s amazing.’
Sevtina envied that confidence.
She could understand why Julia had wanted to be close to her.
Sevtina wanted to become more confident too. She didn’t want to remain passive forever.
‘What is it that gives Cordelia her confidence?’
Lost in thought, Sevtina lifted her head at Cordelia’s voice.
“I heard the dresses here are the most fashionable these days. I don’t know much either, so I asked around a lot.”
Cordelia said this while scratching her head. Normally, she wore whatever Jane prepared for her and didn’t care about brands at all—but this time was different.
This dress was for Sevtina, after all.
She couldn’t just go anywhere.
