~Chapter 5~
Maybe it was just a coincidence, but this child was so much like me.
Even in death.
On the day this child was poisoned by the Empress, I too was killed by my stepmother.
A dinner prepared just for me… and suspicious pills.
Even though I felt a faint sense of fear, I wanted to trust them.
But in the end, I was abandoned by my family too.
I wondered what the world had become after I died.
It would probably be no different from the pages that described this child’s death.
That thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Now that I had been given a second chance, I finally understood—
how meaningless it is to try to earn love.
If Laila had also been given a second chance…
would she have lived the way she wanted?
I didn’t know her answer.
But mine was clear.
I will live for myself.
By the time I reached that conclusion, the performance had ended.
Clap, clap, clap.
Startled by the sound of applause from the audience, I lifted my head.
A man with long blonde hair tied halfway back was sitting there.
He looked to be around thirty, strikingly handsome.
He wore a splendid formal outfit woven with gold and green. A smile rested on his lips, but his green eyes were dry.
Who is that?
Without Laila’s memories, he was just a stranger to me.
Fortunately, Laila rarely had any chances to speak, so no one in the imperial palace had noticed that I’d changed.
As always, if I just acted like a timid girl—trembling, barely moving my lips—people would click their tongues and move on.
“Have you been practicing like this all along?”
Officially, Laila had never received academy education.
Was he surprised because I was playing the piano?
At his question—whether I had been secretly practicing—I gave a small nod.
He stared at me intently.
Who is this guy?
His presence was overwhelming. My lips dried from the tension.
“You really resemble your mother.”
My mother? That must mean the deceased Seventh Consort.
If he referred to her as your mother, then he must be someone above a consort…
A man higher than a consort…
Could it be—
Laila’s father?!
I slowly looked him over again.
The golden hair and green eyes characteristic of the Belliana imperial family. And that striking appearance.
I swallowed.
Christopher de Belliana.
The Emperor of the Belliana Empire.
He looks incredibly young…
But why is he here?
“Did you want to attend the academy?”
He asked again.
I quickly shook my head.
He let out a small laugh.
“So you’re different in moments like this too.”
Was it just my imagination?
His expression looked… lonely.
Like he was remembering someone.
I didn’t know how to respond.
This silence was unbearable…
Feeling pressured to say something, I hesitated before speaking.
“I… I am also Father’s daughter.”
“……”
“Maybe I resemble you, which is why I’m different from Mother.”
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
“Resemble me… I’ve never once thought you did.”
He frowned.
Was that his way of saying he was displeased?
He’s unnecessarily honest in front of his own daughter.
I didn’t dare curse him out, so I just smiled.
His smile deepened.
“I’ll keep my promise. Since you’re keeping yours as well.”
After saying something incomprehensible, he disappeared.
“Ha…”
Only then did I let out the breath I had been holding.
What was that…
What promise?
An uneasy feeling crept in.
Should I look into it?
No… If I push too far and they discover my magic, I might end up trapped in the palace.
I briefly thought of Helene’s life.
Handling state affairs until dawn every day.
Enduring unwanted advances from clueless nobles and foreign royals.
And even suffering the Empress’s jealousy just for being favored by the Emperor.
“……”
I slowly placed a hand over my chest and made a vow.
Never let them find out.
My large, precious magic.
* * *
I didn’t have much to pack.
I could create whatever I needed anyway.
All I took were three books from the library and one guitar.
In Laila’s empty room—devoid of even a single stuffed toy—this child-sized guitar stood out.
It was made of light brown wood, with a pressed purple rose attached to it.
It was an instrument personally made by Laila’s biological mother, Sierra.
Sierra was known as the ultimate villainess of the imperial palace—
but she was also the only person who truly loved Laila.
I should take it, right?
It was the only proof that Laila had been loved as a child.
I couldn’t throw it away.
I tore open a small space in the air and placed the bag and guitar inside.
At that moment, a leaf about the size of my palm fell from the guitar.
What is this?
A plane tree leaf?
There was an ancient plane tree in the imperial palace—it seemed to be from there.
But something felt off.
It looked fresh, as if it had just been picked.
Was it preserved with magic?
After hesitating, I placed the leaf inside the guitar as well.
Just in case someone might look for me, I left behind a short note telling them not to search.
My preparations for running away were finished so quickly it felt almost empty.
Even though I was leaving far away, there wasn’t a single person in this vast palace to say goodbye to.
Poor Laila.
“Ah…”
Come to think of it—
there was one place I could say goodbye.
* * *
Moonlight poured in through the open window.
White curtains scented with soap fluttered in the wind.
Standing precariously on the windowsill, I tucked my wind-blown hair behind my ear.
As the curtain billowed open, his room came into view.
Thanks to the bright moonlight, it wasn’t too dark inside.
But the boy standing before me was so beautiful that the rest of the room seemed blurred.
Bathed in moonlight, he looked like a glowing white moon—mysterious and unreal.
I had only ever seen him in ragged clothes.
Now, dressed in a crisp white shirt and loose black trousers, he looked completely different.
His beauty, impossible to hide even in rags, now shone brilliantly.
His soft silver hair, as if it would melt at a touch, swayed in the night breeze.
His clear blue eyes sparkled, shifting colors under the moonlight.
On this spring night filled with the scent of acacia—
I was so captivated by his beauty that I lost my words.
And not just that—
as I tried to step down from the windowsill, I nearly slipped.
He rushed over and caught my waist, carefully setting me on the ground.
Only then did I come back to my senses and awkwardly spoke.
“I thought you’d be scared of the dark.”
He quickly let go and turned his head away.
His face flushed red as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“I-It’s not scary at all.”
In the original story, he was afraid of the dark and always slept with candles lit.
But now, there wasn’t a single light in the room.
Only soft moonlight filled the space.
Rather than feeling guilty for changing the story, I was simply happy that he had overcome his trauma.
After hesitating, he slowly turned back and met my eyes.
“I was waiting.”
“For me?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded slightly and continued.
“I’m leaving for the Kailon Empire.”
“That’s great! Are you going with your mother?”
In the original story, he endured six more years of abuse before awakening as a dragon.
After awakening, he went berserk and burned down the ducal estate, killing both his abuser and the duke.
That was how his suffering ended.
But if he awakened in the Kailon Empire—
wouldn’t that tragedy be avoided?
The crown prince there, Paris—a black dragon—had been educated about dragon awakening since childhood.
Surely this boy could receive the same guidance.
The Emperor of Kailon, Mikael, cared for him deeply.
He had even personally come to take him away before.
So there was a high chance he would receive proper training and information.
That meant his death flag was gone.
What kind of future would he have now?
Maybe he’d never return to the Belliana Empire.
Maybe he’d live well there, as a white dragon.
Thinking I had changed my favorite character’s fate filled me with satisfaction.
A smile crept onto my lips, and I covered my mouth.
Watching me, he hesitated before speaking.
“…Do you want to come with me?”
“Me?”
“They say it snows often in the Kailon Empire. Everything is white and beautiful. There are lots of cute animals girls like, and there’s a huge theater with fun performances…”
He enthusiastically described the empire.
But in the book I read, it was a cold land filled with magical beasts.
A typical harsh northern territory.
Yet hearing him describe it, it sounded like a cozy Swiss mountain village.
Is he trying to persuade me?
It felt strange.
Had I grown attached already?
Even though we hadn’t known each other long, parting from him wasn’t easy for me either.
Not wanting him to notice, I deliberately put on a cold expression.
“I don’t really like the cold.”
“Oh… then…”
“Just kidding. I like winter. But I really can’t go with you. I’m leaving too.”
His eyes widened in shock.
“I came to say goodbye today.”
His brows drooped.
After hesitating, he finally asked—
“…Where are you going?”
“I’m going home.”
I’m going to make a home of my own.
Somewhere no one knows me.
A place where I can finally live comfortably.
“So where is your home?”
“…The world of fairies?”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m serious.”
