Chapter 42
Cautiously keeping my mouth shut, I watched as my father smoothed his face once and spoke quietly.
“…I see. In any case, it’s fortunate that both Edith and Prince Behemoth returned safely.”
‘…He let it slide.’
Thanks to Ethan. I decided it was better to remain silent.
“We were lucky.”
“Even humble, are you? I’d like to talk more with the prince during tonight’s dinner, if that’s alright.”
“Of course.”
I quietly observed my father and Ethan’s conversation.
Ethan… now that I think of it—
‘I thought he always spoke so tersely…’
Of course, even Ethan Behemoth maintained formality with the professors.
Watching him like this, my mother stepped forward and bowed politely.
“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting out of concern for Edith. May I show you to your room and give you a brief tour of the castle?”
“Yes, thank you for accompanying me personally.”
Seeing Ethan follow my mother, I spoke to my father.
“Ah, then I’ll prepare myself before dinner as well.”
“Very well. Then let’s all meet in the dining room. It’s been a while, and we have much to talk about. Diana has been telling me so many things about you.”
“Yes.”
I gently tugged my dress hem, bowed lightly, and followed my father into the castle.
Diana, who had attached herself to my side, seemed intimidated, watching my parents treat Ethan with such courtesy.
She kept glancing between my mother, father, and me, lightly tugging at her dress hem.
Ah… I wanted to handle this neatly, but there might be splashes of monster blood. And dust too.
In many ways, it wasn’t ideal for a child’s lungs.
I gently nudged Diana aside with a soft smile.
“Shall we change your clothes first, then talk? We can chat during dinner as well.”
“…But!”
“We’ll be staying at Crowell Castle for a week. Plenty of time to talk then.”
“Alright… then later…”
It was the first time I saw Diana so restless. I lightly held her hand and tapped her back to send her along.
Diana kept glancing back at me as she followed the servant into Crowell Castle.
I stood at the main gate and glanced up at Crowell Castle.
Old and rustic, yet cozy—my home that would protect me from the chill of winter.
There had been discussions about demolishing and rebuilding it once I became the Grand Mage and prospered the Crowell estate, but I had always opposed that.
I wanted to preserve the castle I remembered.
‘Because my family is inside…’
Everything felt warm and peaceful.
Just like my long-held memories. Always the same.
Perhaps because it had been a while since anyone entered, the quiet room felt slightly chilly.
I stood alone, looking into the large mirror in the room.
The cold eyes reflected back at me met mine. Of course—they were my own.
The beast-like golden eyes seemed to urge me to focus.
I ran my fingers through my still-damp hair, looking away from the mirror.
My pink hair, weighed down by moisture, clung to my hand. Like a lingering question that wouldn’t go away.
Where my fingers passed, faint trails of water traced across my palm. The black mark running across my hand was damp as well.
The sudden odd feeling came from noticing this black mark again while washing.
Turning my palm to reveal it made me feel glum.
“My father must have seen this…”
I spread my hand several times in the direction he would have seen.
I thought I even felt my father’s gaze brush my hand.
Especially since he had held my hand at our first meeting, stroking it multiple times.
Yet…
“…He didn’t say anything.”
I lifted the other hand to examine the mark. Though it had fully healed over time, unlike the fine scars on my cheek, this scar remained dark.
He worried and scolded me about participating in monster-hunting practice, yet he seemed to ignore this noticeable scar?
How worried he must have been.
‘I came back from the Academy with such a large scar…’
In my previous life, I always returned from practice wrapped in bandages, seeing my father collapse in tears. Maybe that’s why his current reaction felt strange.
Still, it was odd.
I recalled Diana saying she had something to tell me. And the way she watched my parents’ reactions too closely.
“Ouch.”
Lost in thought, I kept rubbing the mark, and a scab came off, revealing the red wound again.
“Ha…”
I clenched my still-soft palm. The freshly washed skin pressed softly beneath my fingers.
“…Perhaps he didn’t notice.”
Right. I had returned home, and worrying about this wouldn’t help. My father not noticing my wound was frustrating, but it wasn’t an omen.
In fact, this life felt even more meaningful because changes differed from before.
I reminded myself that the uneasy feeling stemmed from rescuing two servants from the cottage.
Don’t think about it. Tonight is meant to be enjoyable. Ethan will be there too.
If I show my worries, he’ll get drawn in too.
I straightened my posture and headed to the dressing room.
The dresses at Crowell Castle were simple enough for me to change alone, so I didn’t summon a servant.
“…Ah, this.”
But there was a problem.
Had I grown? The sleeves of the long-sleeved dress I had chosen were about half a hand shorter.
Is this still alright?
Twisting my white wrist against the blue fabric, black dust fell from my wrist.
“….”
…Ash?
Could the curse that turns to ash have started already? Not even a year had passed—it was too soon.
Yet perhaps some unexpected incident accelerated its progress. It had happened before.
“….”
I rubbed my wrist to check. Perhaps due to my anxiety, my skin reddened.
Holding my reddened wrist before my eyes, I examined it from an angle.
“…Ha.”
Nothing more fell off. I exhaled in relief.
The curse’s progression was unchanged.
See? The curse is the same. Still fine. Nothing abnormal.
“No reason to worry…”
I muttered to myself, walking around the dressing room.
“….”
I debated summoning a servant to prepare a new dress for the shortened sleeves, but decided to cover it with a black shawl instead and tidied my outfit.
I wrapped my hand’s scar with a bandage so it would be visible.
Hopefully, they’d notice now.
I felt like a child trying to hide her injury from her parents, but this gave me reassurance.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
“A message from the baron.”
“Come in.”
The servant opened the door slowly. Though I didn’t know his name, his face was familiar.
I greeted him warmly without realizing.
“Long time no see. How have you been?”
“Miss! The dinner is ready. Please come to the dining room at once!”
“…Alright.”
Though his tone was bright and energetic, somehow our conversation felt off.
‘…Why didn’t he respond to my greeting?’
I watched him silently, and he too stayed still, staring at me.
Then he spoke again.
“Please come to the dining room at once!”
“…I said I understand. But have you been well?”
“Come now, Miss.”
Not imagining it—the servant ignored my question and smiled widely as he opened the door.
Even with the thick shawl tightly wrapped, a shiver ran down my spine.
…No strange thoughts.
I nodded without showing it.
“…I’ll go now.”
Following the servant, I descended the spiraling staircase to the dining room, feeling an odd flutter in my stomach the entire way.
