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chapter 3
“Dare…?” The words were cut off, but the shadow continued, looking just as baffled as I was.
『…A very small one, a little child.』
“What?”
Before a similarly stunned Blair could even ask again, a knock came from the glass door. Blair unconsciously opened her mouth to grant permission.
“Come in.”
And in her field of vision, peering curiously beyond the door, a truly tiny child stepped inside.
The child had bright, almost refreshingly radiant blonde hair, but it seemed to be dulled by an outdated dress that showed signs of long wear, completely lacking any decoration.
Yet her eyes, reminiscent of young leaves, were strikingly vivid and audacious. And she was looking Blair straight in the eye.
“Hello. Please forgive my rudeness, Princess Hilberg.”
Elena bowed politely and then suddenly thrust her small hands forward.
Blair was about to let out a scoff but stopped at the sight of the flower in Elena’s hands.
A violet marianum.
‘…No way she could have known what this is and brought it on purpose.’
Even so, Blair couldn’t tear her eyes away from Elena. It had been so long since she had faced such boldness.
Finally, Elena spoke. Her delicate hands were scratched by thorns, droplets of red blood forming, yet her expression was calm as if she didn’t notice at all.
“Could you… possibly take me to Hilberg?”
Blair finally let out an incredulous laugh. This… what on earth…
“Where did you come rolling from, little chick?”
The Hilberg ducal family operated strictly on merit.
They had a peculiar custom: as long as someone was talented, they would take them in and support them even if they weren’t of the same bloodline.
There were ways to be adopted as a ward—bringing proof of one’s abilities to the family—or in cases of extraordinary talent already recognized elsewhere, the family might extend an invitation first.
‘However, the current Duke hasn’t taken in any wards yet.’
People whispered that it was because the direct heirs’ succession might be threatened, but that was just rumor. The Duke wasn’t particularly doting on his children.
So there were ways to get in through unconventional means.
‘Even if I’m not formally adopted, as long as the Duke becomes my guardian, that counts as success.’
The Hilberg guardian system was very well-structured. You didn’t receive the official title, but in practice, it wasn’t much different from adoption.
Those who emerged from Hilberg under this system often became prominent in their fields and, even after becoming independent, proudly identified themselves as belonging to Hilberg.
This made experts more loyal to the family than even some distant relatives, elevating Hilberg to a status that even the Emperor couldn’t easily challenge.
Also…
‘Wasn’t it said that this family had long dominated the underworld?’
And the one now carrying that role was the princess before me—Blair Hilberg. The first daughter of Hilberg, who in the original story only appeared briefly as a minor character and was known to have died early in her previous life.
In the novel, she was insignificant, but facing her in reality was imposing.
Blair studied me with a sharp gaze, then spoke in a languid tone.
“Little chick whose name I don’t know, why should I take you with me?”
‘…Little chick? Does she mean I’m insignificant?’
I swallowed hard, managing to calm myself, and replied.
“I am Elena of the Clinton family. Whoever brings a violet marianum gets just one chance to build a connection with Hilberg, right?”
“The only people who knew about that faded tradition… are all dead now, as far as I know.”
Yes, that made sense.
It had only happened once in the early days of the country—when Hilberg exchanged tokens of friendship with the royal family. Even those involved no longer considered it noteworthy.
‘And afterward, the relations went terribly sour.’
It was only a story passed down jokingly among direct heirs and some servants. Had it not been for the original novel, I wouldn’t have believed it.
So by knowing this and acting on it, I… must look suspicious beyond belief.
“Who sent you?”
Blair grabbed my face, holding my gaze.
Her long nails pricked my cheek slightly, but I met her eyes without flinching.
Her pupils narrowed like a snake’s, sending an inexplicable chill down my spine.
‘…?’
Blinking in confusion, I noticed her eyebrows suddenly raise.
Her eyes had calmed again, as though nothing had happened.
Blair gave a crooked smile.
“Interesting. I almost want to show you to His Excellency right now.”
I didn’t understand why, but Blair seemed genuinely intrigued by me.
I grinned confidently, and her smile deepened.
“Show him. I won’t disappoint.”
I didn’t actually have the skills to impress the Duke immediately, but pretending I did was the best way to appeal to her.
Blair lowered her posture and gently pressed her hand over mine. Slowly, thorns dug into my fingers.
I still smiled, though the trembling at the corners of my mouth was unavoidable. Blair beamed brightly like a fully bloomed flower.
“…Not bad at all.”
She released my hand and gave a subtle glance to the side. I followed her gaze, but nothing was there.
Straightening her posture, Blair walked toward the door at a slow pace, gesturing for me to follow.
‘Uh… right now? Really?’
A bit flustered, I hurried to follow her inside the hall.
People parted like waves wherever Blair walked, making it easy to follow her.
I looked around anxiously and asked,
“Thank you. Um, shouldn’t I tell my father before we go? Could I have a moment?”
She glanced down at me, then continued forward without hesitation.
“Clinton father? He’ll get home on his own… no, he already did.”
‘I thought he’d be drunk and incoherent by now. How did he get home alone?’
Puzzled, I noticed someone being dragged near the distant door… Surely that wasn’t my father?
A strange sense of unease arose. Had I made an absurd decision?
But even so, there was no turning back now. I rationalized as I climbed into the pitch-black carriage that matched the Hilberg name.
It didn’t take long to reach the Hilberg mansion. I let my guard down, thinking it was closer than expected, but instead of stopping at what looked like the entrance, we kept going endlessly.
‘Is this the whole mansion?’
I peeked out the window, trying not to look too conspicuously. For a capital city mansion, it was excessively large, almost palace-like.
Even with separate estates, building something this massive so close to the imperial palace could probably only be done by Hilberg.
Finally, the seemingly endless carriage ride stopped. With the help of a servant, I stepped down, and the mansion loomed directly ahead.
It was closer to night than evening, so seeing the full mansion was difficult. Yet the rows of lanterns made it easy to survey the courtyard.
Judging by the number of lanterns outside, one could roughly estimate Hilberg’s wealth.
Contrary to my worries, the mansion wasn’t frightening. There were dark spots here and there, but…
‘It’s probably just the night.’
Blair, who had quietly stood beside me without my noticing, placed her hand on my shoulder. I shivered at the sudden contact.
‘I’ve felt this before… why are her hands so cold? Could she actually be… a snake?’
The emblem of Hilberg was a snake, appearing as if pierced through a sword but intricately entwined around the blade.
Blair continued, as if unconcerned with my stare.
“Little chick, I’ll personally take you there. But…”
She added a condition, her face twisting into a malicious smile far more sinister than the darkness behind her.
“You must look His Excellency straight in the eye. Speak clearly and properly.”
