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nAfter saying goodbye, I returned to the mansion and had lunch.

nMy father decided that it would be better to leave after lunch because traveling to the capital may take some time.

nRight… It’s a long way from the capital.

nTo get to the Grand Palace not far from the capital, we might need to ride the carriage for a few days.

n“Was there anything else you wanted to pack?”

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n

n“…Clothes?”

nWell, I didn’t have anything to bring when I left the orphanage, and I still don’t have anything that I could call my belongings.

n“I told you to take all your things.”

nBut I don’t have anything to pack, do I?

n“Then there’s nothing else to bring.”

n“Yes. Everything you need has already been prepared, so we just have to go.”

nMy father, who looked at me affectionately, reached out to me as he said those words.

n“Now let’s go.”

nWhen I put my small hand on top of his big hand, my father started to walk slowly to match my steps.

nFor some reason, my father seemed to be in a good mood as we walked slowly.

n“I’ll leave the backyard right away.”

nDo you have a carriage in the backyard of the mansion?

nExcited at the thought of leaving, my hands sweats.

n“Don’t worry about going with someone you know.”

nPerhaps he thought I was nervous about what he said, but the voice of my father who paused and stroked my hair felt warm.

nTo be honest, the expectations were mixed with a little bit of fear, but I liked the comfort so I just chose to laugh.

nI couldn’t believe such a sweet father became a villain. Something must have happened from the original that made him the villain. I shook my head to erase those thoughts.

nAs I looked back at the original story, I saw familiar blue hair.

n“Huh?”

nHis eyes widened as if he had also found us.

nWhile we were staring blankly at the smile in his eyes, he suddenly came closer to us.

n“Master, this was a possible schedule because of me. You know that other wizards don’t have a choice, right?”

n“That’s why you became my assistant.” (Aslan)

nA man who told a strange story to my father turned to me and bent one knee to match my eye level.

n“Now’s the time to formally greet the young lady. My name was Fern Eilish. I’m still lacking, but I’m serving as an assistant to the Grand Duke.”

nSurprised by his sudden actions of kneeling and bowing to me, I was embarrassed.

nI glanced up at my father, but when our eyes met, he only stroked my head.

n“Yes. But… the floor…”

nNeither father nor Fern seem to have any intention of getting up, so I spoke to him timidly.

nIt felt awkward to be suddenly treated like this.

n“Haha, you’re so sweet. But I wanted to greet you formally. Last time I saw you, I couldn’t even say hello.” (Fern)

nFern had a refreshing smile as he said that. Of course, how could I forget that time?

nThe one who was next to my father who first came to pick me up at the orphanage with a smile.

n“Well, last time at the orphanage…” (Erita)

nI was embarrassed, and I nodded away, and Fern laughed.

n“Yes. At that time, I was with the Grand Duke. And today I came to see the young lady. So, shall we go then?” (Fern)

nAfter patting the dust off on his knees, I followed Fern and looked straight ahead, but the carriage we rode before from the orphanage was nowhere to be found.

n“What’s wrong?”

n“Hey, we don’t have a carriage to ride on…” (Erita)

n“Carriage?”

n“Aren’t we going to ride the carriage we used before when we left the orphanage?”

nMy father’s expression was distorted after hearing my words, and he soon smiled lightly.

n“Well, I haven’t been able to explain it yet.” (Aslan)

nWhat do you mean by explanation? My father, who casually hugged me, stood still and nodded, then he continued with great strides.

n“We’re not going by carriage, we’re going by magic.” (Aslan)

n“Ma-magic?” (Erita)

n“Yes. It takes a month to travel to the Grand Palace by carriage.”

nA month? I expected two or three days at the most, but my mouth opened at the ridiculous period of a month.

nAs my father saw my mouth gaping in surprise, he laughed.

n“I guess you didn’t know it was that far.”

n“Yes… Mary said it was far away, but I didn’t know it was that far…” (Erita)

n“You’ve never been there, so you wouldn’t know. It’s normal to travel by carriage.”

nI nodded my head at the newly discovered fact.

n“But was it possible to go so far with magic?” (Erita)

nIt takes one great magic to travel a distance that would take a month by carriage.

n“Well, it’s usually impossible.”

n“Then how?”

nAt that time, Fern, who walked in front of me, turned back with a smile and said,

n“That’s because I’m a very good wizard.”

nWhen I looked up at my father, he nodded and agreed.

n“Normally, a wizard couldn’t use this long-distance magic, but I could with a little help!” (Fern)

nAt Fern’s cheerful bragging, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

nI was wondering why Fern came, but there was a reason.

n“Close your eyes as you may feel a little dizzy.”

nStanding on top of the white magic circle, my father hugged me a little more tightly.

n“If you’re scared, just hug me. Then you’ll be in your room soon.”

n“Then let’s get started.”

nFern, with a large blue jewel in his hand, closed his eyes and began to mumble incomprehensible words.

nThen a white light emitted from the pattern on the floor.

n‘I have no choice but to close my eyes…!’

nErita closed her eyes tightly and buried her face in her father’s arms.

n✿

n“Erita.”

nI was buried in my father’s arms like I was buried in a mouse hole, and I carefully raised my head when my name was called.

nI looked up a little and saw my father’s smiling face.

n“We arrived.”

n“You must have been surprised. It’s understandable because you’ve never traveled through magic before.”

nAfter a moment of embarrassment at Fern’s words, my eyes widened at the scene unfolding in front of me.

nIncomparable to the place where we had just left, the large mansion was like a piece of art in itself.

nWas this the image of the castle I’ve only imagined?

nWhen I came down from my father’s arms and looked around quietly, I could see the front door far behind us.

n‘It must have taken a long time to get to the front door.’

nErita turned around and looked at the mansion.

nIt felt a bit desolate as there were no people walking around, but the huge building was elegant and antique like an ancient castle.

nSurprised, embarrassed… and anxiety, it was an indescribable feeling.

n‘How dare I live in a place like this?’ I bit my lips at the sudden thought.

nUp until now, I was truly happy with the love my father gave me, but I don’t know. Could I really do that?

nThe anxiety that I thought was gone seems to be gliding under my feet again.

n“This is the Grand Palace. It’s also where you’ll live in the future.”

nThe place where Erita lived in the past, and the place where I will live in the future.

n“Thank you for coming back.” (Aslan)

nI couldn’t be purely pleased by my father’s words. It’s because the guilt that was at the corner of my heart came back.

nThe guilt that I stole Erita’s body. It’s been a while since I got here. It was a thought that popped into my head.

nThe thought, not as much as it was in the beginning, but still remains, was enough to calm down the excitement.

n‘…Nope. For now, don’t think about anything else and just be happy.’

nI have the family I wanted so much, and I am loved. So let’s just be happy

nHaving pushed the bad thoughts into the depths, I smiled and started to walk while holding my father’s hand.

nI don’t think anyone would hate me here, and I’m determined to stay strong.

n✿

n‘…What’s this?’

nContrary to what I had in my mind, as soon as I entered the mansion, I was blown away.

nDozens of people stared at me, but I was more amazed by the brilliance of my new home.

n“Yes, my Lord.”

nFortunately, the person who greeted my father right now was the butler I knew, but the number of people lining up after that seemed to be more than 20, if not more.

nPeople’s curious eyes were obviously different from those full of malice, but I was frightened.

nI moved and hid behind my father’s legs, and I felt like crying.

n“The child feels uncomfortable, so you should go back to work.”

nHow did they know how I felt, the people who had been gathered in a line at the orders my father gave them scattered to their respective seats.

nThen I waited and stood next to my father.

nThere were still people glancing at this side, but it was comforting to be far away.

n“See you again, miss.”

n“Yes! I saw you in the other mansion earlier in the morning and I came here first!”

n“Because the person serving must not be later than the owner. Mary also came along and cleaned the lady’s room.”

nIt was a face I already knew, and when I saw the butler smiling kindly, I was relieved a little.

n“Was it ready?”

n“Yes, you could go to your room now.”

nFather nodded at the butler’s answer and turned to me.

n“Erita, they say your room’s ready. Would you like to go there first?”

nI was curious about the place I would be living in in the future, so I nodded.

nThe room where I walked in with my father was closed with a finely carved door.

n“Go inside. This was your room before. Look around.”

nMy father stepped aside so I could open the door myself.

nWhen I put my hand on the doorknob and turned it, the heavy door opened more easily than I thought.

nAs I entered the door slowly, I could see the spacious but cute interior at a glance.

nPerhaps the saying of ‘child’s room’ was true, the room felt cozy and cute.

nAs if they had been cleaning every day for 7 years, I could feel the heart of the Grand Duke towards Erita.

nI don’t know why, but I got emotional. Maybe it’s what Erita’s body feels.

n“Baby, what’s wrong? Don’t you like the room?” (Aslan)

nAs I was biting my lip without saying anything, my father asked in a nervous voice.

n“If you don’t like this place, there are many other rooms. I didn’t mean to say that you should use this place.”

nI shook my head at my father’s soothing words and smiled broadly.

n“No, I’m just, I’m just a little surprised… I like it here. I want to use this room.”

n“I’m glad to hear that, but if you ever change your mind, tell your father. Okay?”

n“Yes! I will.”

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n

nAs I nodded my head and answered clearly, my father was relieved, and then he smiled lightly.

nKnock, knockㅡ

nAt that moment, a quick knock was heard outside the door.

n“Father, it’s Aaron.”

nErita’s only brother, Aaron Krovachatz…

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