Chapter 52
Bang!
A pitch-black night.
The fireworks, the grand finale of the festival, began.
A single spark shot into the sky, blooming into a flower and disappearing—over and over again.
It was beautiful, but there was something that caught my eye even more.
Children who had come with their parents.
When I was young, I had seen a sky like this exactly once.
It must have been a year before I came to the duke’s estate—lured by small fireworks that even lit up the slums, I had wandered all the way here.
Of course, back then I was with friends who were in circumstances much like mine.
After struggling to arrive, we cheered as we watched the sky explode like magic.
But nowhere were the gazes upon us kind.
Not the excited musicians, nor the people crowding in front of the noisy confectionery stalls. They all treated us like flies swarming around fish, eager to chase us away.
So I thought it was only natural.
That living happily meant wearing good clothes and eating good food as a duke’s daughter.
That deceiving people was bad, but being able to become useful—even in that way—was something to be grateful for.
But the person who broke that formula was the duke.
That brief memory—of even one person acknowledging the raw, unpolished me and forgiving me—grew into a desire to live properly, without denying myself.
‘…That’s why I was so excited. I was so happy to come here together…’
That’s right.
The festival outing with my father, which I had looked forward to so much, became unbearably sad.
Because the children who had failed at stealing right in front of me were my old friends who had come here with me long ago.
Those friends, who had now become thieves, didn’t even recognize me.
I must have changed so much from being treated well that they couldn’t recognize my appearance anymore.
That made me feel sorry.
‘If only you’d stolen bread instead—I could’ve paid for it. You couldn’t even steal properly. …Idiots. Fools.’
I wanted to shake off the gloom, but it wasn’t easy.
And then—
Suddenly, the duke grabbed my waist and lifted me up.
Startled at being floated into the air, I flailed in surprise.
The place he plopped me down with a thump was the back of his neck.
He was giving me a piggyback ride like a child!
‘Huh? Huh? My butt’s dirty! No, no, you can’t!’
“Airi, it’s okay! You can see everything from up here! My clothes are dirty too….”
“It’s dangerous. You need to hold on to my head.”
“…!”
I was confused.
It was my first time riding on someone’s shoulders—whether I should do as told, keep refusing, or even how I was supposed to hold on.
I was so flustered my head felt like it would burst.
Then the duke bent forward slightly.
“Ah!”
Startled, I instinctively wrapped my arms tightly around his head.
As if amused, the duke let out a soft breath, his shoulders shaking slightly.
Just then—bang!—a much bigger firework burst into the sky.
Children’s laughter and gasps, adults’ hearty laughter, all rang in my ears as the fireworks bloomed in full glory.
Could there be a better spot than this?
Rather than the splendid fireworks, I watched the duke’s silver hair in my arms being dyed in countless colors.
‘If only… time would stop.’
The final fireworks faded, and the cheers gradually died down as people began to leave the festival grounds one by one.
We, too, began our last activity—a night stroll.
Though the road was dark, with many people already gone, it was more enjoyable than ever.
Because someone who cared for me on a gloomy day was with me.
Suddenly, I felt I should express myself, even just a little.
“Airi, there’s something I want to say. Now, properly, I—”
As he opened his mouth, I tightly grabbed his hand and spoke.
“Jena! Ah—no, no, that’s not it.”
“Jena?”
Today had been nothing but memories of my childhood, so the name slipped out out of habit.
When the duke looked at me, I hurriedly continued.
“Airi! Airi! Duke, today I was really, really happy. I really was.”
At my rushed babbling, he waited patiently.
So I took out the feelings I had prepared.
“Even if my real dad were somewhere, it’d be the same! No—actually, I’m definitely happier now!”
I meant it.
Even if I had a real family, I didn’t need them.
Because being with the duke made me happy.
But for some reason, the duke’s face stiffened completely.
Then he muttered,
“…Real father.”
“Yeah!”
How foolish of me.
No matter how excited I was, I should have noticed.
There had been a reason behind his quiet gaze.
It had already been half a year since my regression.
Autumn arrived, with its beautiful blue skies.
Straightening my hunched back, I took in a scene utterly different from the season.
Lively spreading leaves, humid warm air, even grasshoppers flying about.
That’s right.
This place was the former lord’s garden, and the grounds of the Wildorf estate—where it was perpetually midsummer.
From afar, Bianca came running and shouted,
“Miss Airi!”
“Yeah! Bianca!”
“Did you pick all the flowers you liked?”
I quickly gathered the flowers I had set down and showed them off.
Of course, picking flowers was just an excuse.
I had really come to secretly practice necromancy—looking for dead insects, birds, or mice.
Once you revived and dismissed them, you couldn’t summon them again, so this place—where life cycles were fast—was perfect for training.
“Disappear.”
When I released the power I’d been focusing before Bianca arrived, my gathered army of insects scattered like ash.
“Pant, pant… I’m tired. Huh? Miss, you’re arranging flowers with just five blossoms?”
“It’s okay, that’s enough. I like simple things.”
“Hm, you could take more, you know.”
“It’s really okay. But it’s still hot here. That’s amazing.”
“Right? It’d be even prettier if it snowed, but it hardly ever does in the duchy.”
“Oh, yeah. Snow piling up on banana trees—now that’s interesting.”
Suddenly, Bianca’s face popped right up in front of mine.
Her eyes were narrowed mischievously, her expression playful.
“You see him a lot now, don’t you?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I heard from my dad—you’re going for your engagement ceremony! To the land of snow!”
“…Ugh.”
I shrank instantly like a deflated balloon.
That’s right.
Before winter, the duke and I were going to the Northern Kingdom for our engagement ceremony.
The contract engagement had escalated all the way to a ceremony because the queen consort, unaware of the details, had sent a direct invitation.
I felt burdened about seeing Aster again after piling on so many lies, but there was still something good.
I’d get to see the duke!
‘He’s been so busy since the festival that I haven’t been able to see him—but now it’s a trip just the two of us!’
I was this happy because there were only six months left until the contract expired—the period during which I was allowed to see him legitimately.
Bianca asked,
“An engagement ceremony with a prince—that’s amazing! And they say he’s an incredibly handsome boy. Why didn’t you invite him to the main house? I like handsome guys too. Hmph.”
It had only been two days—had rumors already spread that far?
Bianca’s cheeks flushed as her eyes sparkled with excitement.
I didn’t like that reaction, but I had to admit part of it.
He really was handsome.
You know the type.
A face of a captivating, ruined villain—someone you know is a bad man, yet you can’t help but give everything to.
Right now, Aster was closer to a noble young master, but as an adult, he would be the very pinnacle of that kind of beauty.
I needed to correct Bianca’s ideals before she got tangled up with such dangerous men.
“Bianca, you’ve got a very wrong ideal.”
“What?”
“Don’t you know that saying? Devils wear the faces of angels! Handsome men always make you pay for it!”
“…Miss, take off your shell. There’s definitely a grandma inside you.”
Guilty.
“Well, I’m not that old yet… Anyway, you shouldn’t focus too much on looks!”
“Hmph, I don’t care! I’ll make lots of money and live off handsome faces. Oh—what am I saying!”
“Huh?”
“Secretary Logan is waiting downstairs! I think he came to pick you up.”
“Really? Then let’s go.”
I left the garden just like that, boarded the carriage after being seen off by the Wildorf father and daughter.
My uncle, who looked exhausted, kept his head bowed the entire ride back to the duke’s estate.
He was probably busy helping the duke, or dealing with scheming retainers again.
I wanted to help somehow, but there weren’t many opportunities for a five-year-old.
Especially since the last time I’d fainted, the vigilance around me had increased.
All I could do now was be as considerate as possible so he could rest.
I quietly looked out the window.
The closer we got to the estate, the louder the sounds of weapons clashing from the training grounds became.
‘It feels like it’s been going since dawn… I know the knights are rotating and adjusting, but it must be exhausting.’
Then—
A pitch-black shadow brushed past the window in the passing scenery.
Startled, I assumed a defensive stance—just as something squeezed in through the window with a strained noise.
Looking closely, it was a black bird.
‘Huh? It’s the bird I revived with my first necromancy spell? Oh—have you been following me all this time?’
As I fiddled with the bird out of curiosity, a strange whisper echoed in my head.
‘What is this? A man’s voice…? Ah, didn’t they say it reacts to the owner’s name? Let’s see—who’s talking behind my back!’
Just you wait—I’ll make you die young!
Snickering internally, I focused on the sound.
Even though the conversation came through in fragments, I could roughly infer what was being said.
And it was shocking.
[When are you going to tell Lady Airi? If you leave for training in the Northern Kingdom, you won’t be able to return for at least three years.]
[What? You won’t make her wait? Are you really not going to say anything like this? Don’t tell me you’re planning to never see Lady Airi again?]
‘What is this? Training? Three years? Never see me again?’
My eyes widened in shock.
Then I turned my head to look at the owner of the voice.
It was my uncle, sleeping peacefully through this shocking revelation.
Then was it all an excuse?
Saying we were going to the Northern Kingdom for my engagement?
Now everything made sense.
Why the duke had been holed up in the training grounds, and why the knights’ shouts had been ringing out since dawn.
If he was gone for three years, what about the contract?
Automatic extension? Or automatic termination?
A tangle of worries tore through my mind, but in truth, there was only one thing that truly frightened me.
The fact that in just a few days, I wouldn’t be able to see the duke for three whole years.
That couldn’t happen.
Running away in the middle of a contract? No way.
I grabbed Uncle Logan by the collar and shouted loudly,
“Wake up!! Airi has to go see Dad—right now!!!”
