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Chapter 3
I felt like my choice hadn’t been wrong. This child’s life mattered more than cruel logic or cause and effect.
I slowly let go of Pi-an’s body and asked,
“Pi-an, what is your dream?”
“Dream?”
As if it was an unexpected question, Pi-an furrowed his brows.
“Something like what kind of person you want to become in the future, or how you want to live.”
Pi-an blinked slowly several times, as if trying to understand my question.
“For example, you might want to become a knight.”
“I’m not interested in that kind of thing.”
“Or maybe you want to live quietly in the countryside with someone you love.”
This mischievous little kid suddenly flushed so red that even under candlelight it was obvious.
“I’ll listen. Tell me the future you want.”
Pi-an lowered his gaze to the floor for a moment, then began thinking seriously.
I intended to decide how to save him based on his desired future. If he wanted a life with a guardian, I would take him away. If his goal was social success, I planned to move him immediately to the vault in the government’s secure facility.
But what came out of Pi-an’s mouth left me speechless.
“I want to go to the Kailon Empire with my mother.”
Pi-an was the only legitimate son of Grand Duke Hielde and Princess Madeleine of the Kailon Empire.
I remembered the narrative that he had longed for his deceased mother while suffering neglect from his father and abuse from the mistress.
I barely suppressed the tears welling up and cleared my throat.
I wanted to twist my own mouth for speaking so carelessly. No matter how strong my magic was, I couldn’t resurrect the dead.
“Sorry. Even I can’t bring back the dead.”
I spoke quietly to Pi-an, feeling like a sinner. Then Pi-an suddenly shouted.
“No! My mother is alive! She didn’t die!”
Tears quickly gathered in Pi-an’s eyes. His blue eyes, like a pure sea containing all the world’s noble waters, trembled.
“…She’s alive?”
“She just sleeps a lot. She’ll wake up soon.”
Pi-an casually wiped his tears with his fingertips.
I was confused. Madeleine is alive?
If the duchess was still alive, then the government had been abusing the young lord openly?
Then a hypothesis flashed through my mind.
“When was the last time your mother woke up?”
“…About a year ago?”
Pi-an counted on his fingers and answered uncertainly.
If she hadn’t awakened in a year, it was understandable they considered her dead. Even in modern times, people sometimes define vegetative states that way—how much more so in this world.
Thinking that Madeleine might soon die like that, it made sense the government had acted shamelessly in the ducal house.
It felt like I had discovered hope.
I didn’t know if it would work, but if I could wake Madeleine, Pi-an wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.
“Pi-an.”
“……”
“I’ll wake your mother.”
Pi-an’s blurred eyes became clear again.
I took the boy’s hand and smiled brightly.
“When your mother wakes up, you must live the way you want.”
“The way I want?”
Pi-an tilted his head, troubled by the vague expression.
“Don’t sacrifice yourself for others. Live for yourself.”
“What does it mean to live for myself?”
This kid… why does everything he says sound so heartbreaking?
“Living happily.”
“Happiness?”
The boy, who didn’t understand what it meant to live for himself, became even more confused at the word “happiness.”
I wanted to explain more, but I had no words.
Honestly, I didn’t know either. Living for yourself is harder than it sounds.
In the end, I brushed Pi-an’s sweaty hair back and gave an uncertain answer.
“If you do the things you want one by one, maybe you’ll understand?”
Seeing Pi-an thinking about happiness made my heart feel strangely warm.
I wanted to see more of his hopeful expression, but there was no time before dawn if I was going to wake Madeleine.
I slowly closed my eyes and concentrated. No matter what the original story was, I couldn’t just stand by and watch Pi-an suffer like this.
So if the Creator is watching this, please forgive me just this once. No butterfly effect—just let me save Pi-an.
This household must have signed an exclusive contract with darkness itself, because Madeleine’s room was just as dim with not a single trace of light.
There wasn’t even a candle inside, so I first pulled back the black blackout curtains. They were so dusty it was clear no one had been taking care of the place.
Coughing lightly, I stepped toward Madeleine.
Under the moonlight streaming through the window, her figure faintly glowed. Her long black hair down to her chest and pale skin created a stark contrast.
Once famed as the most beautiful woman on the continent, she now lay motionless in bed.
Seeing her tragic life firsthand made me feel uneasy.
Her husband, who once passionately pursued her, had taken a mistress; her beloved son was being brutally abused by that mistress; and she herself was facing death alone in a dark room.
How could one not feel sorrow?
“Please… when you wake up, live happily with your son.”
I placed my hand on her head and focused.
“Will this even work?”
Even while doubting, I slowly poured in my magic. But even after an hour, she did not open her eyes.
Is it taking time? Or is this not something magic can fix?
As time passed, I grew restless. I removed my hand and waited a bit.
I even briefly considered planting stolen treasures from the government’s vault right now—but thinking of Pi-an’s tearful face made it impossible to give up.
Maybe it wasn’t the brain… maybe something else was wrong?
Thinking she might have developed bedsores after lying down for so long, I carefully checked her body and continued infusing magic.
Gradually, color returned to Madeleine’s face. Her breathing also became steadier and stronger.
“Madeleine.”
I called her name softly, hoping she would wake.
Holding her cold hand, I called her name a few more times.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
“Madeleine, can you hear me?”
She tried to speak but frowned in pain, clutching her throat.
I quickly conjured a cup and water. Madeleine looked at me in shock.
Given that only two beings in this world were known to possess such magic—the Empress and Helena—it was natural she was surprised.
“I’m a fairy.”
“……”
Just like with Pi-an, I gave an absurd introduction, hoping she would overlook it since she had just woken up.
But perhaps like mother, like son—Madeleine also narrowed her eyes at me as if to say, You’re a fairy?
Ignoring my embarrassment, I offered her water again.
Please just let this slide…
Maybe my overly harmless smile worked. She accepted the water and drank, and I quietly sighed in relief.
“Madam, I know you’ve only just woken, but I need to speak quickly because I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
I felt terrible, but there was no time.
I quickly explained how Pi-an had been abused all this time. I also urged her to comfort him properly, in case he had developed trauma.
I even added my unsolicited advice that the trashy duke should not be recycled but divorced instead.
As she listened, Madeleine clutched her chest and cried violently despite her weakened body.
Not only that—she looked like she might go kill the mistress immediately, and I had to stop her.
“…Why are you helping our Pi-an?”
Madeleine seemed half grateful, half suspicious.
“If it weren’t Pi-an, I would still have helped any child in that situation.”
“But that kind of situation isn’t something you’d just randomly discover, is it?”
I had no answer.
Madeleine was unexpectedly sharp for someone who had just woken after a year. Her presence felt overwhelming, and I shrank back slightly.
But I couldn’t exactly say I read it in a novel.
“Let’s just say Pi-an’s prayers reached the fairy…?”
My shameless answer made her eyes narrow further.
I awkwardly avoided her gaze.
Let’s just run away.
Just as I tried to slip off with my eyes half closed, she spoke again.
“Even if I can’t believe you’re a fairy, I’d like to repay you someday if I can. May I know your name?”
Hm… sorry, but we’re never going to meet again. I plan to leave this main storyline and live lavishly using my abilities.
“I’ll tell you next time we meet.”
Using Laila’s innocent face, I lied calmly and left the room.
Thud—
I placed the now-useless silver necklace back into the vault.
The necklace I had stolen was the sacred relic of the Kailon Empire: A Fragment of the Silver Dragon’s Heart.
The Kailon Empire is a nation founded by dragons. If the imperial family of the Belliana Empire are descendants of elves, then the Kailon imperial family are descendants of dragons.
In this world, dragon names are based on scale color. The first emperor was a Silver Dragon with silver scales.
The Silver Dragon, who loved a human woman, brought her to the imperial palace without his brothers’ approval. Naturally, they refused to recognize her as empress.
Conflict between the Silver Dragon and his brothers escalated. Eventually, they deceived the human woman into asking the emperor to prove his love.
By giving her his heart.
The dragon believed his brothers’ lie that dragons give their hearts to their beloved.
Although he realized their betrayal, he still willingly gave her his heart.
What hurt him more than his brothers’ betrayal was the doubt of the woman he loved.
Only then did she realize his love was real—but her doubt had already killed him.
The most powerful being in Kailon history was killed not by dragons or elves, but by a powerless human woman.
The brothers shattered and divided the withered heart.
Those who obtained fragments of the heart gained immense magical power.
However, over a thousand years, the fragments gradually disappeared.
And one of those lost fragments… I had stolen it.
The former emperor of Belliana had hidden it away, wary of Kailon growing stronger.
They were already a troublesome neighboring nation; they couldn’t allow its ruler to become even stronger.
In many ways, this relic was perfect for saving Pi-an. Stealing a royal treasure would bring charges, but they wouldn’t dare escalate things to the level of targeting a duke.
After all, publicly, the “Silver Dragon’s Heart Fragment” was a lost relic.
Clack—
After closing the vault, I finally relaxed and slowly released the barrier.
I felt someone’s gaze from the window again. But there was nothing there.
Maybe I was just nervous after committing my first major crime.
I brushed it off and hurried back to my room.
