Chapter 18
The Peacock Mansion had countless servants and knights.
Assigning one of the smaller tasks to the child didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Thinking that way, I couldn’t just stay still.
I got out of bed and headed to the child’s room.
Knock, knock.
I knocked on the door, but there was no sound from inside.
“It’s me. Are you awake?”
No sooner had I spoken than the door opened, and the child appeared.
It was as if he had been waiting for me.
“I came because I have something to say. Can I come in?”
The child nodded slightly, and I stepped inside.
After pausing for a moment to choose my words, I looked at him and spoke.
“Thinking about it, I don’t see any reason why I can’t take you with me.”
The child’s face immediately lit up with excitement as he understood what I meant.
“I still think it might be better for you to be at the orphanage, but if you want to come with me, I’ll take you. Are you really going to come with me?”
Unlike before, the child shook his head vigorously.
“Yes! I want to come with you!”
His voice carried a firm and unchanging determination.
“I’ll do anything. I’ll follow any orders. No, I’ll do them well.”
“I see your determination. Then, would you like to become a knight?”
He could have worked as a servant, but judging by the strength I saw earlier, the child seemed suited to be a knight.
“…A knight?”
“Yes. If you come with me, I’ll make you a knight. And you’ll have a proper teacher too.”
I thought of William and, on my own, called him the teacher.
“Yes! I’ll become a knight. A knight who protects Bel!”
A knight to protect me—what a cute thought. I smiled slightly.
“And until now, I didn’t mind you calling me by name, but since you’ve decided to follow me, you shouldn’t call me casually anymore. From now on, call me ‘Miss.’”
“Yes. I will, Miss Bel.”
Now, this child belonged to me, so I was his master.
It was only right to teach him early what was proper.
“You’ll have a lot to learn. You need to learn to ride a horse and train to become a knight. Can you do it?”
“I’ll study hard, Miss.”
Now that I had told him to call me “Miss,” he said it politely every time he spoke.
“And…”
For some reason, once I decided to take the child, everything seemed to move quickly.
“Do you still remember nothing from before?”
“Yes…”
“Then you’ll need a name.”
I couldn’t keep calling him ‘you’ or ‘hey.’
He needed a proper name.
“What should it be? Do you have one you like?”
“Please, Miss, you give me a name.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You took me in, so it’s only right you give me a name too.”
She was right.
I thought for a moment, then a good name came to mind.
“Rian. Let’s call you Rian.”
“Rian…”
The child repeated his new name aloud.
“Thank you, Miss.”
Now smiling brightly, the child would be called Rian.
After that, the four of us—myself, Mary, William, and Rian—traveled together.
We even went to Glens and saw the diamond mine with my own eyes.
‘All these diamonds are mine…’
I would never forget the excitement I felt seeing the diamond mine for the first time.
Even a small chunk of rock like this could be sold to buy a whole house—that thought thrilled me.
The main reason for visiting Glens was just to see the diamond mine.
From there, we continued our journey to other places in the empire, seeing and experiencing many things.
During that time, Rian trained hard every day with William, as if determined to keep his promise to me.
Surprisingly, living with us and eating well seemed to make him grow rapidly.
To exaggerate slightly, he seemed taller after every night’s sleep.
Over the year we traveled, Rian grew from a twelve-year-old child to look like a boy around thirteen or fourteen.
Growth can be slow for some and fast for others, so I proudly watched Rian grow without suspicion.
Eventually, we arrived at a coastal city called Yulita in the southern part of the empire, where we rested in an inn.
While traveling by carriage, I noticed the city was very lively.
I asked the innkeeper why.
It was festival season.
Hearing “festival” made me suddenly think of the man I saw in Feorate a year ago.
He was incredibly handsome…
His hair seemed as if black paint would smear if touched, and his eyes shone like amethysts, making him even more striking.
‘I wonder if the other children from the circus are doing well?’
I drifted to sleep with these thoughts, and the next day, we decided to stay in the city for a few more days.
During our year-long journey, we hadn’t visited many cities during festivals, so we were lucky to enjoy one in Feorate.
Anyway, festivals lift people’s spirits, and the unique atmosphere of a coastal city’s festival made it worth staying here.
“Miss.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Mary called me from outside.
I got ready and stepped outside.
We decided to walk, not ride the carriage, as we were now familiar with the area.
The inn was in the center of the busy district, so it was easy to walk around.
“Miss, look over there!”
Mary’s excited voice carried as she pointed to the colorful, lively street.
“The sea! You can’t see the end of it!”
Walking slightly off the main road, we finally saw the vast ocean.
It was my first time seeing the sea here.
Somehow, it felt familiar, which made me feel at ease.
“Miss, it’s my first time seeing the sea!”
I could feel Mary’s excitement.
I assumed that not only Mary, but everyone in Yulita—including William and Rian—were seeing the sea for the first time.
I wasn’t wrong; their eyes were different from usual.
Especially Mary, who had talked endlessly about the sea throughout our journey, was full of anticipation as we approached Yulita.
“Can we go closer?”
“Yes, let’s go.”
We walked onto the golden sandy beach to see the sea up close.
Mary ran around in delight, exploring everywhere.
Watching her made me feel happy too.
I glanced at William and could clearly see how he felt about Mary.
He looked at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world.
Seeing the two of them made me feel proud and moved.
I left them to their own world and approached Rian, who had been staring at me since earlier.
Rian had grown at least 15 cm taller in the past year and looked at me with wide eyes.
“This is your first time seeing the sea too, right?”
“Yes. It feels strange and amazing, so I think it is my first time.”
Rian’s growth was remarkable.
Not just in height, but his voice and way of speaking no longer resembled the child he was a year ago.
“I see. How does it feel?”
“Blue, wide, and enormous.”
“Is that all? How do you feel now?”
I teased him, asking if that was really all he could say.
“…Good.”
“What?”
“Very good.”
Rian’s steady gaze and smile were unexpectedly charming, almost making my heart skip a beat.
“If I had known you’d love the sea, we would have come sooner.”
Why did he suddenly go quiet again?
Before I could ask, Mary called me.
“I think I got too caught up in the sea by myself. Sorry!”
Mary lowered her eyes with an embarrassed smile.
“No, it’s fine. You can keep looking around.”
“No, I’ve seen it all. Let’s go somewhere else. Quickly.”
And so, we walked back to the street full of shops.
