After returning to the mansion, I wrote a letter to Luca and sent it off. I had been hesitant for a while, but after seeing him today, most of my complicated worries seemed to vanish.
I sealed the letter with sealing wax and placed it on the silver tray the attendant was holding.
Watching the letter leave my hand, I found myself hoping—perhaps greedily—that Luca and I could at least remain in a relationship where we exchange such small letters and ask after each other’s well-being.
I was afraid of my own feelings. That this longing might turn into obsession, and that obsession might end up consuming me.
It was inevitable that I’d question the affection I felt toward Luca.
Just because my soul wasn’t originally that of Raveria, did that mean I could go against the natural flow of this world?
It felt like every sentence I had read in the novel was pointing directly at me.
“…Ah, the mark.”
Once I confirmed that the attendant had left and I was alone in the room, I stood in front of the full-length mirror leaning against the wall and lifted my top.
The red mark on my abdomen was still there, just as vivid.
The only difference from last time was that it oddly seemed to have taken on a clearer shape.
‘Wait… does this thing move?’
The mark, which had changed position slightly and taken form, was rubbed by my fingers. The rare disease of Lady Raies had its origins as far back as the first Duke of Raies.
The Raies family, known to have inherited the blood of the legendary elven race from across the sea, was said to have striking appearances and silver-white hair.
Though most considered this a blessing, the women born into the Raies line suffered. Their powerful dark elf blood manifested so strongly that their fragile human vessels couldn’t withstand it, leading them to die young—usually around the age of twenty.
Since I couldn’t change the vessel I was born with, I came up with a way to divert the energy stored in this body through a different medium to cure my illness.
Actually, it wasn’t my idea alone—Terry helped a lot. Kids have vivid imaginations, so I used to throw questions at them.
The disease of the villainess that wasn’t even revealed in the original novel—knowing that it was growing inside me was the hardest truth I had to accept after reincarnation.
What had I done wrong in my past life to deserve such a fate—trapped in an abusive orphanage, doomed to die of an incurable illness?
‘I’ve got a quiz for you, Terry. Wanna try guessing?’
‘Yes! Gimme the question!’
‘There’s a balloon. Air keeps going into the balloon, and one day… it’s definitely going to burst.’
‘That’s scary… I don’t like it when balloons pop.’
‘Right? But that balloon can’t be allowed to burst. At the same time, it can’t shrink completely either. What should we do?’
Terry grinned and said it was an easy one.
‘Just poke a tiny hole so the air can slowly come out somewhere else! Then it won’t pop or shrink too much!’
It was a simple idea, but in that moment, an episode from the original novel flashed through my mind.
There actually were objects in this world that could contain magical energy.
But they didn’t exist in the capital—or even in this country. Acquiring one would be difficult, but remembering that gave me hope.
‘I can never find it on my own.’
Though I was born with a body overflowing with mana, I couldn’t use magic. The original novel said it was because natural aptitude and the ability to wield power were not the same.
In short, it was due to an extremely low mana affinity.
Raveria, too, had never been able to use her vast internal magic before she died.
‘The more I think about it, the more tragic this fate feels. I must be paying for cursing Raveria a thousand times while reading the novel….’
Feeling a prickle of guilt in my chest, I fixed my clothes properly.
That’s when it happened.
Bang!
“Ria unni!!”
“Terry?! What are you doing here?!”
A small, rabbit-like girl dove into my arms.
“Terry! You’re not supposed to be here!”
Following behind her was my older sister figure, Serin.
The soft little creature rubbing her cheeks against mine was none other than Terry, who Serin had cared for since she was a newborn.
Terry didn’t remember her, of course, but it seemed Serin had resumed her role as Terry’s caretaker.
“Ria, I’m sorry. I only meant to show her around the mansion for a bit.”
“No, you don’t have to apologize. It’s our Terry.”
I lifted Terry in my arms. It was General Terry who had played the biggest role in helping me escape the orphanage.
“But Terry, are you staying in the mansion? Why haven’t I seen you around?”
“She went back to Raies Orphanage for a while but returned today. She says she wants to live here and learn the work.”
“What? Terry, really?”
Terry pressed her cheek against mine again and grinned.
“No one’s taking Ria unni from me!”
Why would she say something like that now?!
At the same time, back at the imperial palace—
Luca had a strangely unpleasant feeling. It reminded him of his orphanage days, when the so-called “Ria Corps” of tiny stalkers would glare at him with suspicion.
They were kids who treated Luca like a romantic rival because he was always with Ria. Among them, Terry was undoubtedly the ringleader.
Luca already knew from Ria how the orphanage kids had been rescued and where they were now, so the strange familiarity of that tension soon faded.
Shaking off his unease, he crossed the garden toward the reception room to retrieve the gift Ria had prepared for him.
‘Come to think of it, this is the first gift Ria’s given me. Today really is a landmark day…’
“Oh my, look who it is.”
Just then, a sweet feminine voice reached his ears.
“How have you been? Ever since your return, you’ve been holed up in the crown prince’s palace. I haven’t had the chance to greet you properly.”
It was Lady Jeria, the first concubine. Her snake-like eyes were as sharp as ever. She was like a viper—sometimes looking delicate, sometimes baring her fangs. As the daughter of the Croa family, she essentially controlled all real estate documents in the empire.
“How nice to finally see you here in the main palace. It’s so hard for family to get together, isn’t it?”
Looking at her, Luca’s eyes twitched. She was the complete opposite of his ailing, flower-like mother, the empress.
Still, he quickly put on a poker face and smiled.
“Thanks to you, I’ve been well. And you, Lady Jeria?”
Jeria smiled sweetly, like a blooming flower. No wonder the emperor had fallen for her and married her in such haste.
He had married the beautiful empress from House Linef, only to take in Jeria less than a year later.
Love is fickle, especially for those who sit on thrones.
The empress came from a humble background. She had no strong family, no imperial favor—nothing.
Even in society, no one treated her warmly.
She pressured Luca to be perfect. Her only way of communicating was through cold, biting words. Growing up in such a loveless palace, Luca’s emotions had withered.
Once he proved himself capable and worthy of the crown prince title, it only got worse.
“Engrave this in your heart. The crown prince must never be weak. Only then can I, you, your sister—our whole family—survive…!”
As if he were her only lifeline. As if she’d die without him.
That obsession, that desperation, left a deep scar on Luca’s heart.
In a palace where no one protected them, the empress and her children were pitied—or treated like filth. Especially by people like Jeria.
With her red hair pinned up like a lovely flower, she stood before him. But to Luca, she was just a black mamba—fangs hidden, tongue flicking.
During the two years of his absence, she had effectively taken over the palace.
Even now, it was no exaggeration to say she had her hands around his throat.
Still, Luca looked her in the eye and spoke calmly.
“How are my brothers? It would be nice to see them all together sometime—as a family.”
Jeria’s lips twitched. Her mask, which rarely cracked, always seemed to fail in front of Luca.
In the past, and now.
Her two sons had never been able to surpass Luca—the prince among princes, once adored by both nobles and commoners alike.
She had worked so hard over the last two years to eliminate Luca’s remaining supporters in the palace.
Just the tea served to those people from the Croa household could’ve filled an entire mansion.
But now he was back. As if nothing had happened.
The palace was in an uproar in just one day. It had been two years since the crown prince disappeared—just when her son Geltuar was being considered as heir.
Everyone thought Luca had died. Her loyalists had whispered it, trying to comfort her. Even Duke Kablos had.
Jeria smirked. The mask was off.
“Well then, if you really miss your brothers, why not visit the East Palace?”
Then, with a sharp glint in her eyes, she added,
“Ah, but perhaps you’re not ready. That place… had quite the incident, didn’t it? Come only if you think you’re strong enough.”
“…Are you saying there’s a reason I can’t?”
Luca’s voice was cold.
She smiled behind her fan and said,
“The Greffin Empire is nearly 700 years old, and yet the remnants of the defeated Magocracy still stir. Even a mighty nation is shaken by vanity—how could a fragile human endure?”
Her frosty gaze stabbed into Luca.
“Your Highness seeks to divide the empire again, after just two years of absence.”
Luca smiled radiantly.
“Yet, I am still the crown prince. Forgive me for not being the child you hoped for. I suppose I must try harder.”
He left with a polite goodbye, saying they’d meet at the next banquet.
Even as he walked away, he could feel her murderous gaze boring into his back. Only now did it feel like he had truly returned to the palace.
His memories with Ria, like delicate snowflakes, vanished in an instant.
This was reality—and for Luca, it brought a deep, overwhelming sorrow.
In the reception room, Ria’s “gift” was indeed waiting.
So large it covered the entire sofa.
“…A teddy bear?”
The attendant came in just then and handed over a letter from Raies.
[To Luca]
Just seeing her handwriting and his name felt oddly flustering.
**[Did you get home safely? Things were chaotic earlier, and I forgot to ask how you’re doing. We both hatched from the same egg called Troy Orphanage, so it’s only natural that everything still feels unfamiliar.
Even so, let’s endure. You and I—let’s hang in there in our new nests, grow strong wings, and fly freely into the sky.]**
The letter was meant for him, and for herself too.
In truth, Ria was the one who had come into this world for the first time and faced each new day with quiet resilience.
She was strong. Luca wanted to lean on her fragile back forever.
Her very existence gave meaning to his life. He wanted to rip apart anyone who attacked her from behind and crush those who blocked her path.
He could do it—and he must.
He continued reading the letter.
[Do you like the teddy bear I prepared? It’s really big and super soft, so hugging it should help you sleep well! I hope today was a good day for you too. See you again soon.]
And just like that, Luca was stuck sleeping with a giant teddy bear tonight.
That oddly smirking bear.
But to Luca, this wasn’t just a stuffed toy anymore. Ria had picked it with care, thinking it could act as her stand-in.
It was more precious than any treasure.
With a small chuckle, Luca carefully lifted the bear into his arms.
“If the palace staff sees me, they’ll think I’m just a kid.”
He said that, but walked through the halls proudly holding the bear—as if he had just received the most precious treasure in the world.
My god he’s so cute mature and awesome. A normal kid his age woyld be way too embarrassed to walk around with a giant teddy bear. But he’s so damn cool he’d probably rock a baby bottle too lmao