🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 3
“What kind of idiot gives something this expensive to a kid like that? Then again, I guess it’s pocket change for a duke’s family.”
The maids took turns selling off Riersha’s belongings little by little, indulging themselves with the money.
That was why there wasn’t a single toy left in Riersha’s room.
Especially paper and colored pencils—those were popular and would disappear within a day.
It became the decisive reason why Riersha, even by the age of ten, could neither read nor write properly.
The tutors assigned to her by the family usually passed the time halfheartedly before leaving.
They all found it humiliating to be told to teach a girl who had fallen out of the duke’s favor.
“If you keep bothering me, I’ll tell the duke everything. You know what that means, don’t you? Now, hold out your hand. Bad children deserve punishment.”
Riersha’s fingertips twitched. Bad memories flooded back, and she shook her head furiously.
Panting, she turned around after what felt like a long walk.
A glimmer of despair flickered in her trembling eyes.
“Why… why am I not out yet?”
She had barely made it halfway through the castle grounds.
She patted her aching legs with her small hands.
On closer look, colorful children’s trinkets hung from her neck, fingers, and wrists—plastic jewelry.
Yes, those too were meant to be sold later.
“It hurts…”
Her body had grown smaller, and so had her stamina. Only now did she realize that.
Now Riersha’s tiny steps were so short that she was moving at an ant’s pace.
She looked down at the bundle that was starting to feel like a burden, clenched her hands, and took another step forward.
The sunlight outside slowly faded, and the path ahead was swallowed by the shadows of a dense forest.
‘Once I pass through here, I’ll be outside!’
But there was one thing Riersha had no idea about—
This forest was known across the Empire as one of the most dangerous places, commonly called the Forest of Monsters.
“What’s this? Looks like a rat’s been at it.”
A silver-haired boy, who looked about ten, frowned as he held up a piece of bread full of holes.
He had come looking for Riersha, who usually hid somewhere in the Tower of Truth but hadn’t appeared that day.
Around him, the maids trembled, kneeling with their foreheads pressed to the floor.
“Where is Riersha?”
“T-that is…”
“And why is her room so empty?”
The boy narrowed his eyes as he looked around Riersha’s room for the first time.
Nowhere in the castle could he sense anything that belonged to her.
No way…
His expression hardened.
“You’re not trying to tell me Riersha’s disappeared, are you?”
“We—we’re sorry! Please, have mercy! The young lady simply doesn’t listen and acts far too freely—!”
Riersha’s personal maid turned pale, rubbing her hands desperately, trying to shift the blame away from herself.
Of all days, why did the second young master have to visit today, when it was her turn to serve the girl?
She ground her teeth inwardly at her bad luck but didn’t dare raise her head.
‘Why did the second young master suddenly decide to see that half-wit?’
Everyone in the Aracrene family had a bad temper.
With the heir, the first son, away from the manor, only the duke himself could restrain the second son, Ricador Aracrene.
No need to say how capricious Ricador could be—his whims were infamous.
He was especially known for being harsh, sensitive, and quick-tempered toward the servants.
Of all people, she had to cross paths with him today.
‘Why would he even come to see that useless girl?’
She had always heard him call Riersha a “rat” and say he hated her, so this visit puzzled her.
Wasn’t it Ricador who always dragged her out when she snuck into the Tower of Truth?
‘Still, it’s fine. Who’d care if that kid’s gone missing? She’s just the family’s outcast anyway.’
Surely, she was just hiding somewhere again, craving attention.
Once Ricador left, she’d find Riersha and make sure the little brat never pulled such a stunt again.
The maid glanced at Ricador’s face and felt slightly relieved—he didn’t seem furious.
Just then, one of the knights returned from searching the castle grounds.
“We’ve found traces of Lady Riersha, Young Master Ricador.”
“What is that?”
In the knight’s hand was a colorful bracelet—an ordinary toy trinket for children.
But Ricador, who had never seen such a childish thing in his life, raised an eyebrow.
“It appears to be Lady Riersha’s. …We found it near the edge of the Forest of Monsters.”
“…What did you say?”
The maid’s complexion turned white as a sheet.
The Forest of Monsters?!
Ricador’s gaze on her sharpened like a blade.
“H-heuheu, I’m not scared. Heuheu, not scared at all.”
Riersha’s eyes were brimming with tears as she forced them wide open.
Her lips trembled as she nervously scanned the surroundings, biting down hard to stay quiet.
It felt like something could leap out at any second.
Even with her normal human body, Riersha could tell this was no ordinary forest.
Not even the chirping of birds could be heard.
She didn’t understand what that meant, but every instinct in her screamed danger.
‘When I came here with Ricador before, it didn’t feel like this.
Why is it so creepy now?’
All her life in the castle, no wild creatures had ever come out of this forest to disturb the gardens, so she’d assumed it was safe.
Since it was part of the family estate, she’d never thought it could be dangerous.
But then—
Drip. Drip.
Something sticky fell from above her head, sliding down her cheek.
“W-what’s… this?”
As she wiped her chin, she froze.
Slowly lifting her gaze, she found a massive monster towering over her—dozens of times her size.
Its eyes gleamed with hunger.
“Ah—ahh…!”
Thud.
Riersha dropped the bundle in her hands, frozen in terror.
Before she could think, she bolted forward blindly.
“R-run away! Scary! Monster!! Waaaah, help! I hate this!!”
What on earth had made her think she could come into the forest alone?!
Even as she ran, hot tears spilled down her cheeks, terrified she’d be caught at any second.
“Sniff!”
She hated pain.
She didn’t want to feel that horrible, deathly sensation ever again.
‘I just wanted to protect my family…!’
In truth, she hadn’t wanted to leave the duke’s castle.
Why couldn’t she just be happy with her family?
‘Was that too much to wish for?’
She didn’t see the root sticking out of the ground and tripped.
“Mommy—!”
Her small body slammed into the dirt, scraping her soft skin.
Pain shot through her everywhere, but that was nothing compared to what was coming.
‘Why did I even come back to the past for this?’
To have survived, only to be eaten alive by a monster—what kind of cruel fate was that?
Sensing the end, Riersha squeezed her eyes shut.
At that moment, a cold current surged around her, and explosive magic burst from her body.
Pop—! Pop—!
Strange sounds echoed.
“…Huh?”
When no pain came after a while, she cautiously opened her eyes.
Bubbles—soap bubbles—floated gently all around her.
“…Bubbles?”
She turned around to see the monster trapped inside a giant shimmering bubble, unable to move.
And just as she stared in astonishment—
“Who said you could enter the forest without permission?”
Unbelievably, Ricador appeared before her.
