Chapter 9
Her voice was tangled with emotion.
Old grudges of Mernelia surfaced, mixed with current frustration. But she didn’t expect Jerthermion to admit anything.
“You were the one who first betrayed and denied me, Princess Royal.”
She had expected him to say that.
“Yes… then resign as Erkina’s teacher immediately.”
Mernelia leaned back on the sofa, slowly regaining her composure. Her trembling voice had steadied, and her eyes looked calmer.
Seeing her like that, Jerthermion’s fists tensed. As he slowly opened his hand, deep nail marks were left in his palm.
“I cannot do that.”
The suppressed firmness in his voice made Mernelia press her nails into the leather of the sofa.
“It wasn’t you, Princess, who hired me as Erkina’s teacher—it was His Majesty himself.”
“You….”
“Only the Emperor has the authority to dismiss me. Speak to him directly. I will teach Erkina. No, if I quit, Princess, you will regret it.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“I am merely stating facts.”
Jerthermion stood abruptly, turning away with a resolve as if never to look at her again.
As he walked toward the door, Mernelia shouted sharply from behind.
“If anything happens to Erkina because of you, I will kill you with my own hands!”
Jerthermion paused for a moment.
He whispered just enough that Mernelia couldn’t hear:
“This time, I won’t do anything to regret.”
He calmly left the estate, bypassing its magical barriers.
Mernelia lowered her head, burying her face in her hands after confirming he was gone.
The silent sobs she stifled filled the reception hall.
“You terrible man….”
“Hmmm…”
Erkina rested her chin on the table, staring ahead.
Across from her, the silver-haired boy—whose name she didn’t yet know—gazed intently at her, letting his stomach growl.
“You can eat.”
Erkina pointed to the snacks on the table, then sighed deeply.
“Why isn’t Mom coming?”
Were they fighting? They had a rare chance to meet… somehow, Erkina had a bad feeling.
Anyone who had seen their expressions earlier would be uneasy—they looked like they might tear each other apart.
“What do you think?” Erkina asked.
The boy, who had been reaching for the table, tilted his head.
“Do you think there’s no chance my mom and dad—or, I mean, Teacher—could become lovers?”
The boy avoided Erkina’s gaze.
Erkina pouted in annoyance. Even in this tense situation, he was puffing his cheeks and happily eating snacks.
“Stop eating.”
She mischievously took the plate away.
“What? Did you just eat candy again?”
Earlier, during their studies, he had only eaten the large candy first.
Again, from the assortment of snacks, he picked the large candy first.
“Smart choice for the valuable one.”
If Mernelia knew, she would probably scold him. Thinking he’d taken Erkina’s favorite candy all for himself.
“Since that incident didn’t happen, Mom probably still thinks I like candy, right?”
Ever since that day, she hadn’t dared touch candy.
Erkina recalled the incident before her regression: the day of her eighth birthday, riding to the palace in the carriage. She had nearly choked to death on a large candy she had received as a present when the carriage jolted.
Frantically fearing her daughter’s death, Mernelia had rushed to find a doctor. Even though someone had been struck by the carriage, Mernelia couldn’t think straight. She had to get the dying Erkina to the doctor immediately.
“Oh, right!”
Erkina hurriedly called the butler.
“How is the child we sent to the hospital yesterday?”
“He has safely completed treatment.”
“And his guardian was found?”
“Yes. As you instructed, we checked the inn and located him. He said he would come soon to express his gratitude.”
Relief washed over her. They had overcome yet another hurdle.
Erkina finally leaned back comfortably in her chair, feeling at ease.
Yes, she had solved this issue—so surely, she could also resolve her mother’s and adoptive father’s situation.
She felt confidence pouring out like a chocolate fountain and looked again at the boy in front of her.
“By the way… what should I call you?”
Erkina closed her eyes briefly, trying to recall her memories from before regression. There was a sense of déjà vu, as if she had seen him somewhere before.
But the more she tried to remember, the more her memories slipped into a hazy fog. Especially, memories from her time in the Tower seemed patchy. She couldn’t even recall right after the Tower collapsed.
Fortunately, some memories had faded, making the crucial moments clearer—especially those that mattered for changing the next two years of the future.
“Phew… ah, sorry.”
The boy suddenly appeared right in front of her, startling Erkina.
Flustered, she jumped up and found a sheet of paper and a quill.
“Can you write?”
The boy nodded after receiving the quill.
“Then what’s your name? If you already have one, I don’t need to give you a new one.”
The boy shook his head, lost in thought.
He had learned to write, yet didn’t know his own name. Erkina found it strange, though he seemed unlikely to be dangerous since Jerthermion had left him here.
“So I have to give you a name? Hmm… what’s your favorite color?”
The boy carefully considered, then slowly wrote characters on the paper.
Erkina’s eyes widened. They were ancient characters. Why use an ancient language instead of the common one? Her curiosity deepened, but she read it silently.
“Black?”
The boy nodded. Not only did he look monochrome, but his favorite color was a somber black.
“Wow… anyone would think you’re a creature of darkness.”
At her words, the boy’s eyes sparkled brightly.
Suddenly, a word in the ancient language popped into Erkina’s mind. It meant both shadow and vagueness, just like the boy before her.
“How about Caligo?”
Upon hearing the name, the boy’s eyes flickered dramatically.
Did he dislike it?
He frowned deeply, lips pursing like a goldfish. Though his expression seemed annoyed, there was a hint of excitement.
The anticipation quickly faded, replaced by a deeper sigh of disappointment.
“Don’t like it?”
Fortunately, he wrote on the paper that he liked the name.
“Good. Now that I’ve named you, you’ll help me. I need to connect Mom and Teacher.”
Erkina met Caligo’s gaze seriously, as if plotting a secret plan.
At that moment, Mernelia entered the room, bringing two guests.
One was a tall, broad-shouldered, muscular young man.
“Erkina, say hello. The Marquis of Verden has come.”
“Oh, yes!”
“And this is the child we took to the doctor yesterday. He’s the Marquis’ nephew.”
“Greetings, Princess! My name is Ilyas!”
He had arrived sooner than expected, holding a bouquet instead of a sword, unlike before regression.
“Hello, I’m… Caligo, wait!”
Was that wrong? Had it failed again?
Caligo lunged toward the Marquis’ nephew, swinging his fists before anyone could stop him.
“Caligo! Stop!”
Erkina’s shout made Caligo hesitate, but he couldn’t calm down, continuing to strike the boy pinned beneath him.
“No, what are you doing?!”
Mernelia, shocked, also shouted at Caligo.
