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Chapter 3
It was completely different from the original story.
“Honestly, I have no reason to refuse. As you can see, my treatment here is like this.”
“I can see that all too clearly, and I find it extremely unpleasant.”
“If—by any chance—I decide to follow you, can I stay for just a few more days?”
I asked.
Isaac snorted as if he roughly understood.
“Looks like there’s something you want to do?”
“Hahaha.”
“…If that’s your decision. Then can I take that as a yes?”
I added solemnly,
“There’s one last person I’d like to meet.”
“You mean Retilia?”
“Yes. I just want to secure some safety first.”
Safety first, no matter what.
Hearing that, he smiled, seemingly satisfied.
“Of course. But since we’re all sincere with you, I can guarantee you that what you’re worried about won’t happen.”
Why are you all so “sincere,” exactly?
Leaving behind those incomprehensible words, Isaac asked me to wait for a moment and disappeared from the room.
‘…Haa.’
Left alone, I slapped my own cheek. Smack.
“Ow!”
Then, overwhelmed by the sharp sting, I collapsed onto the bed and rolled around.
❖ ❖ ❖
“May I ask why you came here so suddenly without sending word?”
The duke, sitting across from Retilia in the reception room, asked her.
Not long ago, she had clearly approached first, offering to take responsibility for the safety of the Kolhart Trading Company.
— “Are you serious? Your group would protect our company?”
— “It’s not a bad offer. I’ve heard that recently, quite a few workers have been dying out on the frontiers.”
Just as she said, recently the people responsible for transporting supplies to the capital had been dying in groups.
It had already been a headache—and somehow, Hardenberg had made the offer first.
That fact alone had already thrown high society into a frenzy.
“If this is about the trading company, then things must’ve been somewhat settled by now… Are you planning to make a final decision?”
“Soon enough. We’ll send word to set an exact date.”
“Then you came today for another reason?”
Retilia pushed the teacup on the table aside. Her golden eyes shone coldly as she opened her mouth.
“I heard you have a daughter.”
“That’s right. And if you’ve heard, then you’ll know—she’s a child worthy of pride anywhere.”
It was a strange question to suddenly bring up a daughter, but the duke answered without suspicion.
Then Retilia declared:
“We wish to accept your daughter as one of us.”
“……!”
The duke gasped.
To make Saren a member of Hardenberg?
Hardenberg consisted of only five individuals—some of the most powerful ability users in the entire history of the Ruspert Empire.
Just receiving their business offer had already inflated his pride, but this condition was beyond anything he expected.
The five who let no one else in. If it were revealed that they were accepting someone new into their exclusive circle, the entire empire would be in an uproar.
‘It must be because my Saren is an ability user…!’
Saren showed signs of awakening. The duke believed this was why they wanted to bring her in.
Suppressing his wild imagination, the duke nodded eagerly.
“Y-Yes!”
“Good.”
“This is a great decision, Hardenberg! And I’m not just saying this because she’s my daughter—Saren is truly beautiful and intelligent. She’ll awaken as a powerful ability user and be of great help to you!”
The duke couldn’t hide his excitement. Retilia ignored his bragging and rose from her seat.
“That’s all I came to say. I’ll be returning now.”
“Before you go, could you at least meet my daughter—”
“Retilia.”
Before he could finish, Isaac appeared in the reception room in the blink of an eye. The duke jumped in surprise, but Retilia greeted him calmly. You’re here?
Isaac nodded.
“The discussion?”
“Just finished.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
“W-Wait a moment! Hardenberg!”
“We’ll see you at the final negotiation.”
The duke jumped up to stop them, but they both disappeared without looking back.
“…Ha!”
Left alone, the duke let out a hollow laugh.
He couldn’t believe what had just happened. Or more accurately, Retilia’s proposal.
‘A member of Hardenberg…!’
His eyes shone with joy and ecstasy.
The proposal had come directly from Retilia herself, the group’s representative. She had never made such an offer to anyone before.
Since the day they had first revealed themselves and were officially acknowledged by the emperor, they had been only five. They never allowed anyone else inside their circle.
And now Hardenberg had directly proposed to include Saren Kolhart among them.
‘This isn’t the time to just stand here!’
Overcome with joy, the duke rushed out of the reception room.
He had to share this news with his beloved daughter at once.
❖ ❖ ❖
Isaac soon returned, bringing someone new with him.
Tap—
A woman stepped inside. Her golden eyes widened as they landed on me.
She wore her navy hair tied up high, and unlike the usual dresses here, she wore white pants.
Her uniform-like clothing and distinctive appearance—
She was exactly as I remembered Retilia to be.
“…Shunen.”
“Uh, hello.”
I awkwardly bowed my head. Retilia approached me, her voice trembling.
“My goodness, this is…”
It sounded like she was about to say, “How long has it been,” but her sentence trailed off.
The moment she saw my face, her expression hardened completely.
“…Who did this to you?”
Why is that the focus again?
I broke into a cold sweat at her unpredictable reaction.
Isaac spoke dryly, as if she already knew.
“You already know, don’t you, Retilia?”
“I’ll go downstairs and break their neck this instant—”
“Wait, hold on.”
I felt déjà vu as I stopped her again.
I still didn’t fully understand why she was angry, but honestly, this entire situation was already chaotic.
‘Originally, you guys weren’t even supposed to know I existed!’
Shouting it wouldn’t give me an answer. Retilia looked like she was in pain, and Isaac looked like…
‘Like someone ready to rip a body in half and throw it to opposite ends of the empire.’
I could vividly imagine him grinding my assailant to dust midair while smiling.
I quietly ignored that and changed the subject.
“By the way, you came to see me, not my sister?”
“Yes… Sister?”
“Yes. Saren Kolhart.”
“…Is she someone you… care about?”
Retilia’s face stiffened awkwardly. Her lips twitched as she forced a smile.
‘Whether I say yes or no, this won’t end well for her.’
If I denied it, they’d probably get rid of her without hesitation.
‘Saren…’
Well, she was a character I created, after all. Even if some weirdo had possessed me, I was still the author.
“Even if the world splits in two, that would never happen.”
Not that I was going to do her any favors.
My extremely calm tone seemed to relax both of them. Isaac smiled brightly.
“Right? And killing isn’t really your thing.”
“Well, that’s true, but…?”
“But teasing people is.”
He smirked cunningly.
What the hell, how do you know me so well? It was already strange that he knew my name, but this was starting to get scary.
“When you leave, we’ll prepare a stage that’ll satisfy you. How about it?”
“And come with us. We mean it, Shunen. We’ll really give you anything.”
It was an outrageous offer, but my hesitation was brief and my decision quick.
If they were talking like this, they clearly weren’t going to kill me. And the first offer was way too tempting.
I nodded.
“Yes.”
And just like that, I gained the strongest backing in the world—and some extra time to hurl the curses I’d only dared to mutter internally before. Victory.
Faces flashed through my mind one by one: the duke who wasn’t even my father, Saren who had some stranger inside her, the maids who secretly looked down on me…
‘I’ll show them how scary a person who’s lost it can be.’
My escape was being backed by the most powerful beings in the world!
❖ ❖ ❖
“Saren! Saren, my daughter!”
“Father?”
She jumped up from her seat, where she had been waiting for the negotiation results.
“Did something good happen?”
“They, they made an offer!”
“An offer?”
“Yes!”
The duke grabbed Saren’s shoulders firmly and met her eyes.
“They want to make you one of them!”
“…What?”
Saren gasped. She hurriedly asked again.
“M-Me?”
“Yes! My daughter, Saren Kolhart—they want to accept you into Hardenberg!”
The duke repeated multiple times that she was the protagonist. Saren’s amethyst eyes widened with awe and joy.
“Hardenberg…! Did they really say that? That they’d accept me into Hardenberg?”
“Even if it’s hard to believe, it’s true. I was just as shocked, hahaha!”
Even when she asked again, the duke laughed heartily, unable to hide his joy.
“What did I tell you? You’re different from that lowborn nobody.”
“I can’t believe it. Me, really…!”
“It must be because of your powers. You haven’t awakened yet, but it’ll happen soon, and they must’ve seen your potential!”
“That’s right! Yes, I’m an ability user.”
Saren covered her mouth with both hands, overflowing with excitement.
“Quick, spread the news, Father. Tell everyone!”
“Yes, that’s a good idea. A new member of Hardenberg—it must be announced to all!”
“Exactly. And what’s important is that I am that new member, right?”
“Ah, yes, of course. Hahaha!”
Even when she pretended to sound a little sulky, the duke just laughed heartily, then immediately called the butler to spread the news.
And the next day—
“Duke Kolhart’s daughter, Saren Kolhart, is to become a member of Hardenberg.”
This news caused a stir throughout the social circles and the entire empire from the morning.
There was only one problem.
“…Idiots.”
Retilia chuckled when she read the headline printed in huge letters.
Thud—
She tossed the newspaper aside without hesitation. It rolled on the ground and was crushed beneath the wheels of a passing carriage.
“They’ll find out soon enough.”
Because she had never once specified that the “daughter” was Saren.
