Chapter 66
It was almost unbelievable that Tian—the same Tian who had been casually having serious conversations with Sharon Abner in the conference room—was the same person here.
But Tian went a step further.
“Of course, there are some concerns. If I become your guard, I’ll have to come into the Abner estate, and as you know, I am the Crown Prince.”
“…Your Highness.”
“I’ll do my best, though. But if something unavoidable happens, you might have to come to the palace instead…”
Tian, trailing off with a serious expression, suddenly flushed slightly.
Then he cleared his throat softly.
“Hmph! Well… now that I think about it, neither option is bad. Whether I go, or you come.”
“Your Highness!”
“In any case, I have to go urgently now. The allied forces are moving fast, so time is critical.”
I looked up at Tian in disbelief as he abruptly rose from his seat.
But Tian just waved his hand slightly and, without hesitation, turned his back.
“It was good seeing you today, Annelia. See you next week.”
Tian was taller than his peers.
Perhaps that’s why he strode quickly through the garden on his long legs.
As I stared blankly at his retreating figure, my gaze met Logrio, who was still beside me.
And slowly, I realized.
He had really left Logrio here.
After hesitating for a while, I asked Logrio,
“By the way… Your Highness will come here next week too…?”
Logrio nodded.
“From now on, once a week. He’s agreed to conduct swordsmanship lessons with me in the training grounds of the Abner estate.”
That made sense.
So that’s why he said we’d meet next week.
Does that mean he’ll be coming here every week from now on?
A sudden realization struck me, and I narrowed my eyes.
‘No way.’
At first, I hadn’t noticed, but over time I came to understand something.
Tian was incredibly smart.
He must have realized that the Abner family’s interests aligned with his own.
‘If he keeps visiting the Abner estate recklessly, it could provoke Empress Karin’s hostility.’
So, pretending to assign me a guard, he planted Logrio here and intends to use swordsmanship lessons as an excuse to visit weekly.
Naturally increasing his opportunities to interact with the Abner family!
‘Come to think of it… Logrio too.’
Logrio had served the late Empress.
From Empress Karin’s perspective, having a guard loyal to the late Empress wandering around the palace wouldn’t sit well.
So staying here was also safe for Logrio.
‘Unbelievable. Clever Tian! It was all a scheme!’
Tian needed to lower Empress Karin’s guard.
Especially now, after practically taking over the weapons business she managed.
If he provoked her hostility unnecessarily and she did something strange to Tian, it would be a problem.
‘Exactly! Otherwise, there’s no way Tian would behave this absurdly.’
I looked at Logrio with a proud expression.
“You had a very big plan with His Highness!”
Unsurprisingly, Logrio was flustered.
His expression seemed as if my thoughts had been pierced through.
I chuckled and stood up.
Meanwhile, Logrio froze behind me, stunned.
‘She already realized the swordsmanship lessons were just an excuse.’
She even realized that the Crown Prince wanted to see me every week.
Cute, pretty, perceptive, and intelligent too…
Logrio quietly admired Annelia’s insight.
No wonder the Crown Prince would be completely smitten.
When I returned to my room, Sharon Abner was gone.
I sat alone, thinking deeply.
‘Being formally adopted into the Abner family…’
It had been sudden, but now I knew it wasn’t a bad thing.
The feelings I had while talking to Tian had settled.
‘Right. Maybe I was just overthinking.’
I had realized earlier, while crying, how much my past-life memories affected me.
‘Annelia, like you said, that was just a dream, right?’
‘Nothing like that will actually happen. No one is going to abandon you.’
Tian had been right.
The fact that I had been adopted into the Longton dukedom was no longer real.
Being abandoned and dying there had also vanished.
Everything disappeared when I reincarnated.
“Yes. I have to focus on my current life.”
Thinking that way, there was nothing wrong with Sharon Abner’s words.
Whatever I did in the future, becoming an Abner heiress was the safest option.
‘Research too.’
I wanted to expand the academic society Owen and I had founded.
At my current status, there were several restrictions.
But if I became a noblewoman, the duchy’s budget would be allocated in my name.
Then I could freely use that money…
‘And of course, I could use it for personal research as well.’
For example, the light that enveloped me when Brook attacked…
‘That was definitely magic.’
I vaguely suspected that the light was related to my reincarnation.
There was nothing else in this world that could explain such an impossible phenomenon but magic.
I was curious about what exactly this magic was, how it was triggered, and why it used me as a medium.
I came to a conclusion.
‘Alright. I’ll follow Sharon Abner’s advice.’
Once I organized my thoughts, I vaguely understood why Sharon had made this suggestion.
‘The Abner family currently has no suitable heir.’
Jayden was not the next duke, and Sharon Abner didn’t seem ready to pass her position to him.
Normally, in such cases, the dukedom might skip a generation.
But the problem was that Jayden wasn’t even married yet.
‘The reason the collateral branches caused trouble was probably because of this situation.’
Some in the council, like Cainton, supported Jayden purely because of “bloodline.”
But not everyone did.
People like Lady Larien had supported Jayden reluctantly, just to push Sharon Abner aside.
The reason to push Sharon Abner aside was obvious.
‘The heir position of a great noble family like the Abners is vacant. How many collateral branches wouldn’t want that position?’
So they either wanted to remove Sharon and force Jayden to take the position…
‘Or perhaps they wanted to inject their own bloodline into the Abner family.’
Just like Camilla Coel had done before.
‘Maybe that’s why Sharon Abner wants to adopt me.’
If I became an Abner heiress, at least the attempts to put another heir in the family would decrease.
I would already occupy the position.
‘Even excuses like recommending a smart child for the future of the family won’t work.’
Because I was already a recognized intelligent child.
And if Jayden had a real heir later…
‘I can be discarded then. An adopted child can always be easily removed.’
Either way, if I joined the Abner family, Sharon Abner would be at ease.
Would that harm me? Not really.
Until Jayden produced an heir, I could live safely under the name of an Abner heiress.
‘Honestly, thinking logically, there’s no better contract than this.’
I had just been vaguely scared earlier.
Because memories of my past life kept resurfacing involuntarily…
I shook my head.
‘Yes. One time is enough to be abandoned and sad.’
Now, even if I were abandoned again, I could face it with composure.
And, after all, is it really abandonment?
It’s just that both parties got what they wanted and parted cleanly.
The current me was different from my past-life self.
I had bought myself time; now I just needed to grow into an adult capable of protecting myself within it.
‘I just have to be well-prepared to leave whenever necessary.’
I stood up.
‘The plan hasn’t changed.’
I had to lay the groundwork within the Abner family.
Only my status was changing slightly.
From a commoner under Abner’s protection to a noblewoman.
‘Yes. That’s what I’ll do.’
My heart felt lighter.
I headed straight for Sharon Abner’s office.
“Annelia, you’ll be an Abner heiress.”
Sharon looked at me with a blank expression.
In the child’s ivory-colored eyes, there was a clear sense of discipline and tension.
“I’m sorry for running off earlier. I was startled and needed a moment to think alone…”
The child hesitated but did not avoid my gaze.
As if she had prepared herself beforehand.
“Of course, even if I become a noblewoman, I won’t behave rudely, spend recklessly, or suddenly eat a lot more food.”
