Chapter 1. I was abandoned by my family
***
“Ha! You wanted me to kneel?”
Diana was so agitated that she screamed out loud. Even as she walked back to the Leroy mansion, she became angry and her steps became fiercer.
Walking loudly into the house, Diana paused suddenly.
‘That’s strange.’
The atmosphere in the house felt so heavy that it was difficult to breathe. As soon as Diana noticed, she became anxious, and tried to quickly return to her room.
“Diana Leroy.”
The heavy voice from behind gave her a bad feeling, and made her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach.
As she tried to suppress the urge to run away, she made eye contact with Marquis Leroy, who was standing there with a scary look on his face.
“Why are you calling me, father?”
Diana smiled as if she didn’t know anything, and hid her trembling hands behind her back.
While she put on an innocent smile for all to see, what came back to her was a thunderous yell.
“What the heck did you do?”
“What do you mean?”
When he got angry right away, Diana wouldn’t lose, and shouted back. Marquis Leroy stared at Diana with an even fiercer look.
“I already know everything.”
Diana’s eyes darkened momentarily. He didn’t say exactly what he was aware of, but she felt like he knew everything that she had done.
“What…?”
Her mouth dried up, and her hands began to shake violently. She clutched her hands harder to avoid being caught, but her shoulders were shrinking.
“I heard everything you said to our eldest sister.”
Xavier, who was standing behind Marquis Leroy, said this to Diana with contempt. He still shuddered when he remembered the scene.
It had just been a coincidence. Knowing that it was probably useless to plead with Leticia to come back, he still went to her to beg for mercy anyways. That’s when he unexpectedly found her and Diana together, which was an unusual situation. So, he decided to secretly follow them, and heard a shocking story.
While he listened, he couldn’t believe it. He had trouble coming back to his senses, even after his long walk back to the mansion.
“I heard that you wished for our abilities to disappear.”
“That, that…”
“You’ve received divine punishment because of your sister!”
“Why is it my fault?! Who would’ve guessed it would come true?!”
At that time, she’d sincerely prayed, but now she regretted it. She’d belatedly realized that nothing good would come of it for her.
“Is that your excuse?”
Xavier’s fury soared as she brazenly insisted that it wasn’t her fault, without a single sign of reflection. He was about to approach her with a scowl on his face, when Emil stopped him.
“Stop, Xavier.”
“Aren’t you angry?”
“Xavier.”
Emil quietly hinted at Xavier. Only then did he close his mouth with a resentful expression at his brother’s mercy.
Diana rolled her eyes at his sharp gaze, and hoped that this moment would pass quickly.
That’s when an angry voice broke the heavy silence.
“I can’t watch you sauntering around with your unchanged ability.”
Diana didn’t understand what the Marquis meant, and looked at him blankly. The moment their eyes met, the verdict was handed down out of the blue.
“Don’t think about leaving your room from today onwards.”
“Father…!”
Marquis Leroy angrily turned away, as if he didn’t want to see her anymore, but Diana followed him with a pale face.
“You want me to lock myself in my room? I don’t want to! I really don’t want to!”
“….”
“I didn’t do it on purpose! It was because I was momentarily jealous. I’ve also reflected on myself a lot…”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
“Father!”
“You should consider yourself lucky that I didn’t kick you out!”
Diana hardened at his harsh roar that pierced the ceiling, and his eyes that said they wanted to kick her out right away if they could.
“I won’t be this patient next time, Diana.”
“Father…”
“Keep that in mind.”
Marquis Leroy passed Diana with Emil and Xavier.
Diana wanted to vent her anger at his back. However, she could no longer push him because she worried that he’d expel her if she did. So, she just quietly stared at the three of them.
***
“Ian, your tie is crooked.”
Leticia, who’d been busy since the morning, said this as she fixed Ian’s outfit. Time felt like it flew past, and it was already Ian’s first day working as an Imperial Official.
“You must be nervous because it’s your first day, but you’ll learn quickly.”
“I think you’re more nervous.”
She was so rigid that people might think it was Leticia’s, and not Ian’s, who was going to work for the first time. Ian smiled as he teased her, which made Leticia pout with a dissatisfied look.
“Of course I’d be nervous.”
“Is that why you’re sending me off?”
“It’s your first day, Ian.”
He remembered that she’d done the same thing on the first day of the exams. Ian smiled as he thanked Leticia, who was walking with him again.
“You don’t have to come pick me up.”
“But you like it.”
“Do I really?”
As if he didn’t really know, he opened his eyes wide, and pretended not to know. Leticia lightly tapped his arm at his teasing.
“Stop joking around, and take this.”
“What is it?”
Leticia presented him with a gold thread bracelet. Ian wondered what it was for, and tilted his head as he looked down at it.
“Elle asked me to deliver it.”
Leticia smiled gently, and placed the gold thread bracelet on his wrist.
Elle was always so blunt with Ian, but she took care of her twin brother more than anyone else. She often asked Leticia for help in these matters, perhaps because she was embarrassed to give it to him herself.
“Please tell her to make it more carefully next time.”
Ian grumbled for no reason, even though it was clearly elaborately woven.
“Say thank you to Elle when you see her.”
“What… If you say it instead.”
Leticia couldn’t help but chuckle when she saw Ian nodding as if he couldn’t win against her.
After their talk, they arrived in front of the gate. Leticia took a calming breath and held Ian’s hand tightly.
“Have a good day, Ian.”
“I’ll see you later, sister.”
As they faced each other and smiled, they felt the presence of someone behind them. Looking back they found students, who’d recently passed the exam alongside Ian, and some Imperial civil servants, who’d arrived to welcome them.
“It’s Ian Achilles, right?”
“Is it true that you didn’t learn at an academy?”
“Did you teach yourself how to do it?”
“That’s amazing. Can you tell me your secret?”
“How did you study?”
As the questions constantly poured out, Leticia stepped aside. She turned her head towards the gaze that had been persistently following her, and her eyes met with some elses.
“….”
“….”
As soon as she saw Emil standing there as if he had a lot to say, but didn’t know what to do, Leticia turned her head away coldly. Ian, who belatedly discovered Emil, moved next to Leticia.
Only then did the other students notice Leticia’s existence, and began to talk quickly to her.
“Miss Leticia Leroy, right?”
“I didn’t know I’d meet you here like this.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m…”
“If you’re done with your business, you should go.”
Emil cut them off firmly, as if he couldn’t take it anymore.
While everyone read the chilly atmosphere, Leticia smiled gently, and intervened.
“I hope you can call me properly in the future.”
“What?”
“It’s not Leroy, it’s Aster. Leticia Aster.”
“Ah…”
At their low sigh, Leticia smiled softly. However, her eyes seemed a bit uncomfortable.
“I guess it’s not well-known that I’ve become Count Aster’s adopted daughter.”
“I’m sorry Miss Ler… No, Miss Aster.
Emil bit the inside of his mouth at her attitude that drew a clear line between her, and the whole family. He was about to say something to Leticia, who’d gone to such lengths to push them away, but Ian was one step ahead of him.
“Oh, didn’t you ask me to tell you my secret?”
Ian, who’d been watching the situation quietly, said this while he smiled more benignly than ever. At that moment, the students’ eyes lit up.
Finally, they could hear Ian’s secret to passing the exam. It was a moment they looked forward to, and they all focused on him.
“If you live a good life, it’ll come back to you.”
“What?”
Everyone stared blankly at Ian, and wondered if they’d heard it wrong.
However, Ian’s gaze headed elsewhere. As soon as he saw Emil clenching his fists in anger, a pleasant smile spread across his face.
“Even if you live a bad life, everything comes back to you.”
Ian smiled calmly and bowed slightly to Leticia.
“Sister, I’ll return soon.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you at home.”
Leticia had noticed what he meant, and stroked Ian’s head affectionately.
At that moment, Ian heard a vicious sound, and glanced at Emil while the corner of his mouth raised on one side.
It was obviously the smile of the winner.
***
“How could you take their side?”
“Bartel Leroy” [1]
“Is it that hard to be on my side even for that moment?”
Marquis Leroy, who’d finally managed to meet with Seios with great difficulty, couldn’t overcome his anger and raised his voice. However, Seios, who was sitting across from him, only looked at the Marquis with a frightening calmness.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You said there are harmful substances in my ore! You could’ve turned a blind eye at that time,
“Are you telling me that I should’ve lied to the Emperor?”
“It’s…”
He was embarrassed by his words for a while, but Marquis Leroy began to weigh them again.
“Then you should’ve just said that the pink diamonds do not have harmful substances. Why did you say that they had a detoxifying effect?”
“Why are you blaming others?!”
Seios shouted at his unaccountable attitude that had brought him to this, and how he refused to admit his mistake.
Marquis Leroy finally came to his senses, took a deep breath, and bowed to Seios.
“Once… Please help me this once, Godfather.”
“Bartel Leroy.”
“Emil and Xavier have lost their powers because of Diana. I’ll compensate everyone who’s suffered because of me, so please help me bring Leticia back…”
“….”
“My children’s lives are at stake, I don’t want them to be ruined.”
The more he listened to the Marquis’ words, the more Seios’ face hardened at his attitude that a child without ability was a failure.
In the meantime, he had no idea what to say to his belief that everything would be solved if only Leticia was there.
“Godfather…”
Despite his desperate gaze, Seios turned away silently. How much was this man going to disappoint him?
Eventually, he got up from his seat with a mixed expression. There was no point in talking anymore.
As soon as he turned around, an angry voice reached his ears.
“You’re my godfather!”
“….”
“How can you not do this favor for me?”
He stared with a look full of resentment. Without wavering, Seios said.
“Are you going to throw your child away, then pick her up again when you need her?”
“I…”
“I didn’t teach you that.”
After saying that, Seios turned around, and left the office. Marquis Leroy, who was left alone, sat on the floor, and clenched his fists in anger.
“Even if my godfather doesn’t help, I can bring her back with me.”
Something dangerous flashed in the Marquis’ eyes.
***
[1] I’m sure I’ve heard Marquis Leroy’s first name one other time, but I’m not 100% sure which chapter. If Bartel is incorrect, please let @ me on discord. m( _ _ )m