TBRFC 07

“At heart, I wanted to explain myself far more clearly.

But it was impossible.

I had felt it before, but it seemed to be the limitation of a young child’s body.

In the end, I squeezed my eyes shut.

“I-I’ll definitely be useful!”

“……”

“If you just keep me with you without asking anything, I’ll study hard. And when I grow up, I’ll make lots of magic formulas too!”

Sharon Abner remained silent.

As the silence stretched on, the tension only thickened.

“I can also succeed in… whatever research the Duke asks me to do…”

My head kept drooping lower and lower.

Through my blurry vision, I saw my tiny hands clutching the blanket tightly.

Beside me, I could feel Wendel’s heavy gaze.

Then a frightening thought suddenly crossed my mind.

What if I failed to get Sharon Abner’s agreement here?

‘Then where would I go?’

When she came to take me from the orphanage, she hadn’t asked anything, so I had relaxed.

But apparently, she had simply been holding back her questions.

At this point, even though thinking like an adult had become difficult, one thing was certain.

‘What if she kills me?’

If she thought I was one of Longton’s spies, or some dark mage…

My face gradually turned pale.

When I met Sharon Abner in my previous life, my abilities had already been proven to some extent.

Most of my magic formulas had been handed over to Hiana, but a few had still been published under my own name.

‘Right. That’s why she valued me so highly.’

That was probably why she had given me the seal as well, saying she wanted to help me.

‘But right now, I’m just a four-year-old little brat.’

And that wasn’t all.

In this life, Sharon Abner hadn’t even given me that seal yet.

There were no magic formulas or pharmaceutical methods registered under my name in the academic world.

In other words, I had absolutely nothing to prove myself with. I was merely an unbelievably suspicious little child.

But I had no other choice, so…

“I-I…”

Before I could stop it, tears welled up in my eyes.

The memories from before my regression mixed chaotically with the memories from the few days after it, making my head spin.

Soon, an unbearable sorrow surged over me.

The tears clinging to my eyelashes finally dripped onto the floor.

“Ha, honestly…”

Sharon Abner let out an exasperated sigh.

When I looked up, I saw her slowly rising from her seat.

She walked over to me and spoke with a troubled expression.

“I said it would be strange not to be curious, didn’t I? When did I ever say I was going to interrogate you?”

My lips parted slightly.

“And even if I did ask, looking at you now, you’d probably faint before answering.”

“…Ah.”

“Stop worrying over nonsense. What exactly do you take me for?”

Sharon Abner’s expression turned serious.

“You told me not to ask anything, and I brought you here. To my home.”

“……”

“Do you not understand what that means? It means I accepted your proposal.”

“Th-then…”

“As promised, I have no intention of asking you anything. How you knew about the seal, where you got information about Longton’s spy… I do have many questions.”

Sharon Abner came close enough to stand right before me, then sat on the edge of the bed.

“But for now, loosen up a little. Being clever is fine, but you’re far too frightened for no reason.”

I stared up at her blankly.

Moonlight pouring through the window glimmered in Sharon Abner’s violet eyes.

Beneath her sharp nose, her lips curved ever so slightly.

Without realizing it, a tiny voice escaped me.

“Th-thank you…!”

“……”

“I-I’ll really do my best!”

The realization that I had survived washed over me like a wave of relief.

“I’ll definitely keep my promise. I’ll help House Abner, I’ll be useful…!”

In my previous life, Duke Longton had adopted me because I was useful.

Even after finding his real daughter Hiana, the only reason he didn’t cast me out was because of that usefulness.

Because of me, because of the things I created, the family had gained enormous benefits.

‘All I have to do is the same for House Abner.’

Here, there was no Hiana to steal my achievements, so nothing unfair would happen.

That was a good thing.

Tears glimmered in my eyes as I laughed softly.

“Thank you so much. Really, truly.”

For some reason, a slight crease formed between Sharon Abner’s brows.

After staring at me for a long moment, she answered shortly.

“…Very well.”

The next day.

‘You are now a ward of House Abner. I’ll prepare a place for you in the main estate soon, so stay in this room for the time being. Whenever you leave the mansion, go with Wendel, and I’ll assign a few maids to you as well.’

Recalling my conversation with Sharon Abner from the night before, I opened my eyes.

As I shifted my drowsy body, I saw half-drawn curtains and a spotless window.

“…The Abner estate.”

I really was in the Abner estate.

As the tension finally eased, a languid sigh escaped me.

Ever since regressing, every single day had been unbearably hectic.

To be honest, the pressure had been so overwhelming that I hadn’t even slept properly.

For the past few days, I had barely even felt hunger because I had been in such an extreme state of tension.

But today…

Grrrrowl—

I quietly placed a hand over my rumbling stomach.

Grrrrumble—

Maybe because I finally felt relieved, my stomach was growling furiously.

I climbed out of the large bed.

Carefully gripping the railing at the foot of the bed, I lowered both feet onto the floor.

Since I was already up, I planned to head to the kitchen to find something to eat.

But then I froze upon seeing the blanket draped over one side of the bed.

The soft cotton blanket was stuffed full with fluffy padding and feathers.

‘No wonder. I thought the bed felt unusually comfortable last night.’

Looking around again, I saw logs crackling in the fireplace, keeping the room warm and cozy.

Proof that someone had watched over the fire throughout the night.

Ahem.

I coughed quietly.

Then, awkwardly shuffling my feet, I headed toward the door.

‘Sharon Abner seemed to like me.’

Thump, thump.

My heart beat strangely fast.

‘She kept all the promises I asked for.’

She had even given me such a nice room, bed, and blanket.

But then I suddenly stopped.

My eyes drifted to the hand I had been unconsciously fidgeting with.

A familiar anxiety slowly crept up inside me.

‘…No. Duke Longton was like that at first too.’

My gaze landed on the mirror standing in one corner of the room.

Messy silver hair half-covered my face.

Pale ivory eyes peeked out beneath it.

And tightly pressed lips that looked almost stubborn.

Inside the mirror stood a small, skinny child with an expressionless face.

My emotions slowly settled.

“…Get yourself together, Anellia.”

I hadn’t come here to be loved.

So I couldn’t allow myself to become happy just because I had a nice room and a warm bed.

“This is where I prepare.”

For a long time, I had dreamed of becoming the head of the Academy of Pharmacy.

I had even thought joining the Mage Tower would be nice.

That was during my childhood, before Hiana returned.

When I had devoured every book related to magic studies and started writing papers at the level of actual scholars, my dream had seemed right within reach.

‘I wanted recognition.’

Because magic studies… and pharmacy…

Were the first things I had ever truly loved.

The first things I had immersed myself in completely, losing track of time.

‘I shouldn’t have given up so easily.’

Just because Duke Longton had changed.

Just because my brothers hated me.

Just because I no longer had a place there.

I shouldn’t have given up.

“I can do it here.”

Here, I could slowly rebuild my foundation from the beginning.

The little child in the mirror nodded.

I stared at my reflection for a few more seconds before decisively turning away.

With quick little steps, I walked to the door and firmly grabbed the handle.

Click.

The lock came undone, and the wooden door swung open.

At that exact moment, someone suddenly rushed through the opening.

“——!!”

I collided head-on with them and tumbled backward onto the floor.