Chapter 1 - Part 1
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***
Uncle Zenon died in battle with the pagans. It was the beginning of the misfortune that fell upon the Superion family in the original story.
Lelia was happy to have returned to the estate just in time for this part of the year, but she was hesitant about how to respond.
Duke Superion’s expression softened.
“You are worried that Zenon will be in danger. How sweet…”
“Our good Lelia.”
Her grandfather and uncle spoke with soft eyes, but Lelia objected.
“I know Uncle Zenon is an excellent knight. However… Maybe it’s dangerous, so…”
[If I said I would go, would you object?]
She couldn’t easily speak to them about it, and hesitated.
It was then Romeo spoke up, “Should we remove the armed forces in the immediate vicinity of the territory? Then leave it to us.”
Lelia looked at him in surprise. Romeo looked at Lelia and smiled.
He winked with one eye closed as if he knew everything without her saying anything.
Looking at his signal, Lelia briefly remembered her childhood.
Romeo used to help her first by inferring what she wanted to say without saying it aloud all the time. He winked and sent her a signal just like he used to…
“……”
As she stared blankly at Romeo with a strange feeling in her heart, Romeo spoke politely to the Duke of Superion.
“It just so happens that these two are specialists in killing them. I’m going to spread them out very thoroughly, and knock them out.”
Romeo pointed to Griffith and Oscar.
“They’re very, very close. They will show fantastic harmony and annihilate the pagans.”
Griffith and Oscar, sitting side by side, stared at Romeo with an astonished expression.
[Who’s on good terms with whom?]
However, Lelia on the other side looked at the two with desperate eyes, clutching her hands.
With these two, Lelia was relieved too. Paganism would be nothing to them who defeated the dragon.
‘Please…’
Romeo looked at the two and said, “Of course you’re going to step up, boys.”
Griffith and Oscar, staring blankly at Lelia, nodded as if they could not help it.
When Romeo saw them give their definite answer, he laughed and tried to say something to the Duke.
Griffith opened his mouth first.
“Then Romeo and Kalix, you’ll have to come with her, so she’ll feel safe.”
Romeo’s forehead narrowed. He had a clear expression that he was lazy.
“If we give this task to you.. We’d just be relieved and grateful. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
As the Duke of Superion asked, Romeo nodded indignantly.
“Well, yes. Then let’s take care of it as soon as possible. Is the area in question far from here?”
“No, it’s closer than I thought.”
“Then…”
The moment Romeo tried to say after thinking, Oscar opened his mouth.
“We’ll be leaving tomorrow. It will take half a day.”
“Oh…!”
The eyes of Duke of Superion grew big at the words of the trustworthy Oscar.
Carius didn’t like Oscar, but the Duke of Superion has already begun to take a shine to him.
“Half a day? An hour is enough.”
Griffith looked at Oscar sparking a childish confrontation.
Lelia opened her eyes wide in surprise at the immaturity, but Griffith and Oscar were very serious.
“Really? Then I’ll be there in an hour.”
Romeo chimed in as if he were participating in this childish confrontation.
“Huh? Then I’ll be there in 30 minutes. No, 10 minutes!”
The last one to pipe in was Kalix.
Lelia shuddered at the sight of the juvenile display as if they were ten, or even more so.
***
The next morning, she overslept and woke up and had a light meal in her room. It was hard to sleep well for the past two days, but she was able to sleep deeper than she thought yesterday. Perhaps it’s because her friends decided to help her with her uncle’s work.
Becky came in while she was changing after eating.
The maids who were changing the clothes left, and Becky finished buttoning up the clothes that Lelia was wearing and reported the news.
It was news that her friends left the estate early in the morning.
[Are they already on the way?]
She was going to follow them…
Lelia was grateful and sorry for the friends who left without saying a word.
But she was so relieved that her friends came forward.
It was more reassuring if four people went together than one or two people. They will protect each other and never get hurt.
Lelia thought she must say thank you to her friends when they come back.
Becky seemed to want to ask one question or another about them. Lelia pretended not to know and asked for a glass of water.
Then, when she was left alone, she immediately pressed the round mark in the corner of the viewer.
Since this morning, all of the “Alchemy lottery” system menus had suddenly begun to be invisible.
There’s only a game mark in the right corner.
When she pressed it again just in case, she only got an announcement.
- Inspection in progress for large scale updates. Please look forward to the new alchemy lottery (୨୧ ❛ᴗ❛)✧!
[No, so how long is the inspection going to last?]
[Why don’t you tell me when the inspection ends…]
Her blood was boiling.
[If you’re going to check out like this, you must have prepared your compensation thoroughly, right?]
She thought she would feel better if she received more than 10,000 crystals.
Fortunately, the medicines that might be needed were taken out before the inspection.
In particular, she took out plenty of medicine for her grandmother just in case. She will have to give her a bottle because she will get an upset stomach if she takes a lot.
At that time, Becky’s voice was heard through the door with a knock.
When Becky heard yes, she pushed the tray in.
“I brought your water.”
Becky put the glass down on the table and gave one more piece of news.
“The Duke has gathered those who have been to the senate and delivered the news. The heroes who contributed to the war against the dragon visited the estate to see Sir Carius.”
“Really?”
“Yes, so he’s going to have a welcoming banquet in a few days.”
“Banquet?”
“Yes, my lady. So I’m going to bring in a seamstress right now, what do you think?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then I’ll call you right back. Hah… How nice would it be to have your coming-of-age banquet together?”
“……”
Becky mumbled, hand in hand, with a look of ecstasy.
“There are wonderful people here as guests! One of them might have a crush on you!”
“No way…”
Lelia muttered with a sour look on her face. Becky made a fairy tale in her imagination and began to drag Lelia into it.
She looked at Lelia with her cloudy eyes, while Lelia listened to her with one ear.
***
Around afternoon…
Lelia was called to talk to her uncle and grandfather.
The two asked Lelia what had happened in the capital.
“……”
When Lelia couldn’t answer easily, the Duke of Superion nodded, saying, “It’s okay. If you don’t want to tell me, I won’t ask you any more.”
He didn’t want to force an answer.
He thought there must be a situation if she didn’t tell him. The Duke’s kind tone of voice made Lelia bite her lips sullenly.
“Actually…”
Lelia knew she couldn’t cheat any more anyway.
In order to prevent the temple from tracking her down, the grandfather had to understand the complications of the matter.
“During my stay in the capital, I stayed in the Imperial Castle.”
“What?”
“Where? The Imperial Castle?”
The faces of both the Duke of Superion and Carius turned pale at Lelia’s sudden confession.
“But it’s… Somehow, I ended up going there dressed as a man.”
“Dressed up? As a man? You?”
“Oh, that’s why you were dressed like that on the day you returned to the estate.”
“Yes…”
“Did you meet the Emperor?”
At the Duke’s question, Lelia nodded softly.
“But he didn’t recognize me. He thinks I’m a man.”
“You’re a total moron, aren’t you? How can I trust that you are a man?”
“It’s… it’s thanks to the alchemy medicine I made.”
Lelia explained the rough story. Because of that, Kalix also thinks that she is a man.
Carius, who was thinking of connecting Kalix and Lelia, pointed to his forehead.
“Please keep it a secret from Kalix for the time being. I have something to say to him. I’m going to talk to you after. I can’t tell you the details right away, but…”
“Yes, I understand.”
More than she expected, Carius was easily convinced.
Lelia was grateful to her grandfather and uncle for always believing in her words without having to explain it.
The Duke covered the back of Lelia’s hand and stroked it with a pitiful expression.
“Poor thing. Didn’t he hurt you?”
“……”
Lelia nodded, saying, “It’s okay”.
Her eyes got teary for no reason.
“Wait!” Carius then asked, “What about the twins? You don’t care if they see you?”
Lelia’s lips flinched as the question of the two came out. This is because the expressions of the two, who were anxious to kill Lelia, came to mind.
The tip of her nose wrinkled and became saddened.
She didn’t really care at the time… However, when her grandfather and uncle asked her, she realized that she was deeply hurt.
Although Griffith had a direct healing spell, the wound left a scar on her mind.
“Both of them didn’t recognize me.”
Lelia tried to put on a straight face.
Cedric and Damien are still precious to their uncle and grandfather.
She didn’t want to give them a hard time.
Lelia forced a smile and turned the story away from the topic.
She said that the temple might track her.
The Duke, who heard the rough story, banged the table with his fist!
He hit it with full force while exclaiming, “Those two! How dare they!”
“That Ruth is a piece of s*it. I thought he was naive, but he isn’t very clever…”
When referring to Princess Julianna, Carius glanced at Lelia.
[T/N: Yes, yes!]
Lelia pulled out an innocent look.
“Poor thing… My granddaughter.”
The Duke hugged Lelia in tears as if he had lost his temper.
“Grandpa…”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Carius made a mixed expression and hugged the two.
“You go away.”
“Father, please have pity on your son as well.”
Her grandfather was pushing her uncle away just like that. Lelia looked at the two of them and immediately burst into laughter.
Carius wrinkled his eyebrows invisibly as he patted his father and Lelia.
Looking at her eyes, it was clear that the twin princes had tormented Lelia.
He thought everything should be okay, but thinking he should take a closer look.
***