Chapter : 03
The Grand Duke quietly closed Arisha’s door behind him and stepped out.
Standing anxiously outside, the Grand Duke’s son, Egail, paced back and forth before asking,
“What did my sister say?”
“…She said she wants to eat more cake.”
“Cake?”
“Yes. Cake.”
“Has my sister finally… lost her mind?”
The Grand Duke smacked Egail on the back.
“You little—! There’s nothing you won’t say!”
“My back kind of hurts, you know?”
“I hit you so it would hurt. Anyway, she didn’t seem insane. It felt sincere.”
“So Sister really said she wants to talk with Father and eat cake?”
“Yes. Really.”
“…….”
The child who used to throw tantrums whenever she saw him—who would scream and smash things to drive people away—had done none of that.
It was the first proper conversation they had managed since Arisha lost her magic.
He didn’t know what kind of change of heart had brought this about, but it didn’t feel entirely bad.
Something stirred deep inside the Grand Duke’s chest.
Eleven years. Eleven years of trying to talk to his daughter. Perhaps she had finally understood his feelings.
Trying to calm the sudden surge of emotion, he patted Egail lightly on the back.
“It seems your sister has changed.”
“If that’s really true…”
Egail fell into deep thought.
If his father’s words were true, this was a hard-won opportunity. He couldn’t let it slip away.
“I have a good idea.”
Egail decided to place a small gamble on Arisha’s change.
At dawn the next day, Arisha was moving stealthily toward her private library.
She carefully checked her surroundings, making sure no one was nearby.
Only then did she cautiously step inside.
Her heart began to race.
So this is it. I’m finally going to read this book.
At last, she could properly indulge a desire she had long kept hidden.
Her one and only desire.
The book she had never been able to read, bound as she was by others’ gazes.
A book she absolutely couldn’t read while living in the barracks—dangerously secretive and temptingly alluring…
“Soft and Squishy Knitting, 365 Days a Year.”
It was a knitting book.
Afraid someone might see, Arisha quickly hugged the book tightly to her chest.
Once she was holding it, her face grew hot.
She had wanted to try knitting for as long as she could remember, but had never found the time.
And whenever she so much as glanced at a book related to knitting, Kang Suwon and Yak Mokseon would light up and pounce on her.
“Captain, don’t tell me you’re interested in knitting?”
“Sorry, but it really doesn’t suit you, Captain.”
Whenever she heard things like that, she’d grow embarrassed and make excuses, claiming the book wasn’t hers but something she’d picked up.
Thanks to that, she’d never even touched knitting yarn.
I can finally try it.
Hugging the book tightly, Arisha left the library with a fluttering heart and headed back to her room.
Her chest thumped nervously.
Lying down on the bed, she began reading the book carefully, page by page.
She was so absorbed that she lost track of time.
Then—
Crash! Bang!
There was a commotion outside.
“Anna, what’s going on out there?”
After hurriedly hiding the book so no one could see it, Arisha asked.
“The Grand Duke and the Young Master are moving rooms.”
“Rooms?”
What on earth did that mean?
Throwing on a light outer garment, Arisha stepped outside.
What is this?
The hallway was pure chaos.
Servants bustled about, carrying luggage. The sudden relocation had thrown the entire household into disarray.
But the biggest source of noise wasn’t the servants—it was two particular people.
“Since it landed face-up, I’ll take the left room. You know the left room is a handspan closer to Sister’s room, right?”
“Alright then. I’ll take the right. I’m my daughter’s right arm, after all.”
“Wow, that’s incredibly childish.”
“You get more childish as you get older, you brat.”
One of them was a familiar face—Grand Duke Hart. And the other was…
[Character search complete.]
**[> Character Traits
/Name: Egail Hart
/Age: 18
/Height: 183 cm
/Nationality: Pangaea Empire
Brief Description: (omitted)
Traits: Wounded Hawk, Sharp Archer, Tamed Wyvern
Physical Stats
[Stamina: Extremely High] [Intelligence: High-Mid] [Strength: Highest] [Mana: Mid-High] [Willpower: High-Low] [Agility: Highest]]**
‘Ah, Egail.’
Arisha’s younger brother.
Egail’s face closely resembled Arisha’s.
He shared her cool, slightly sharp features, but since he had only just reached adulthood, there was still a boyishness to him.
His eyes were a deep golden hue tinged with black—slightly different from Arisha’s or the Grand Duke’s.
His hair was also a darker shade of gold than hers.
It seemed Egail had inherited more of the Grand Duchess’s blood.
Still, his lean yet solidly built, muscular body resembled the Grand Duke’s.
What had Kang Suwon called this kid again?
I remember now.
Egolass.
In the novel, his main weapon had been a bow.
Kang Suwon said it was a nickname combining the legendary fantasy archer Legolas with the “E” from Egail.
Apparently, he’d complained that the kid was annoyingly handsome and talented.
Something along those lines.
“S-Sister.”
The moment they spotted Arisha, Egail and the Grand Duke fell silent.
Both of them cautiously gauged her expression.
“Well, um… there weren’t enough rooms…”
The Grand Duke stepped on Egail’s foot.
He was deeply disappointed by his son’s abysmal excuse.
He hadn’t raised him like that.
No rooms? In a ducal estate overflowing with rooms and nothing but money?
The Grand Duke hurriedly salvaged the excuse.
“We were worried you might feel lonely if you stayed by yourself.”
Arisha could roughly guess what he was thinking.
She had nearly died, only to barely survive—and then suddenly changed.
For the Grand Duke, it must have felt like walking a tightrope, afraid she might slip the wrong way again.
In any case, having them move into the rooms next door wouldn’t really change much.
“…Do as you wish.”
Without adding anything more, Arisha turned and went back into her room.
The Grand Duke and Egail stared at each other in shock.
“Did you hear that? She said it was fine.”
“…Father, I’m suddenly very worried about Sister.”
They cautiously followed Arisha into her room.
She was lying on the bed, in exactly the same position the Grand Duke had seen before.
Once again, the Grand Duke possessed the spirit of a 2 a.m. ex-boyfriend and asked carefully,
“My dear, are you asleep…?”
This time, thankfully, there was a response.
“…Dessert.”
It wasn’t quite the answer he had expected.
“Hm?”
“What’s the most delicious dessert here?”
“O-Our pastry chef is—”
The Grand Duke shot Egail a look.
Egail shouted hastily,
“Cheesecake. He makes amazing cheesecake, Sister.”
“I want some.”
At the Grand Duke’s urgent gesture, Anna moved quickly.
Soon, she returned carrying a cheesecake.
“Go ahead and eat.”
As Anna set the cake on the table at the Grand Duke’s command, Arisha sat up.
She took her seat at the table and first sipped the black tea that had been served alongside the cake.
“It’s good.”
Carefully watching her, the Grand Duke sat down across from her.
Arisha silently ate the cake.
As the sweet flavor melted in her mouth, she wondered if this situation was really real.
It had already been more than two weeks since she possessed Arisha’s body, yet it still didn’t feel real.
Emergency rations—dry, dehydrated, and bland—had been her usual food.
Even those were hard to swallow, knowing someone was dying somewhere while she ate.
That was why this moment felt like a lie.
After cleansing her palate with the last of the tea, she finally lifted her head.
Only then did she notice the two pairs of similar-colored eyes staring at her intently.
Strangely enough, their gazes felt warm.
“Is it good?”
“It’s delicious.”
At her answer, the Grand Duke smiled contentedly and continued,
“The wines kept in the ducal estate have excellent depth of flavor as well. We must try them together someday.”
Egail chimed in gently,
“Next time, try the lemon sherbet. That’s the pastry chef’s specialty too, Sister.”
Seeing how calm Arisha looked, the two who had been on edge finally relaxed and began chatting with her about everyday things.
Arisha quietly watched them—the two people gazing at her with such unreserved affection.
Egail smiled and said,
“And if you get bored, let’s play cards together.”
“Then you can go for walks with this father as well.”
Arisha slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again. After a brief silence, she spoke.
“Alright. Let’s do that, Egolass.”
“Egolass?”
“What’s Egolass?”
“A nickname.”
“What? A nickname? From you, Sister?”
Egail snapped his head toward the Grand Duke and said proudly,
“Did you hear that, Father? Sister gave me a nickname.”
“What? That’s not a term of endearment—it’s just a nickname.”
“Same difference.”
“My daughter! Then I—I mean, your father…?”
The Grand Duke’s eyes grew misty.
“Oh dear, Father is unfortunately disqualified.”
“You brat! Egolass—just hearing it makes it sound like you’d have long ears or something!”
“Are you disrespecting the nickname Sister gave me, Father?”
“No, that’s not—what I mean is—Daughter, I would never—”
“You’re embarrassing, old man.”
Egail relentlessly mocked the Grand Duke.
Arisha quietly placed the last piece of cake into her mouth.
A small smile curved her lips.
She’d planned to spend a quiet vacation, but things had grown rather noisy around her.
Oddly enough…
It didn’t feel bad at all.
