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nWhen I encountered his cold eyes, I felt a cold sweat breaking out on my back. On the one hand, my body felt hot. On the other, I suddenly remembered the last few moments of my life:his expressionless face when he had sex with me, his cruel laughing after he told me he killed my father, and his smirking bloody lips.

nDid the wind blow over me? I felt cold on my neck. I trembled because I felt the same feeling as when my neck was cut by the ax blade in my past life. My eyes began to burn black. The eyes of the boy who I just encountered in my darkened view came to mind. His eyes that I had met for the last time were overlapped with the boy’s.

nRight at that moment my blood was frozen. The cold energy that began to spread from my heart ran all over and bound me tightly.

nAfter keeping silent for a while, he spoke, “Silver hair. I wonder if you are the daughter of the Monique family.”

n“… ”

nI knew I had to show him due manners, but I couldn’t do anything. I had to reply, but my frozen lips refused to move.

nWhen I was just blinking my eyes without opening my eyes, he said, “Even though you are the daughter of the Monique family, you are very arrogant. I think you know who I am, then where is your manners?”

n“… ”

nHe shouted as if he was dumbfounded by my silence. My face turned white. Now that the hot energy that flowed through my heart disappeared, I was shivering in fear that my past would be repeated right now.

n“You don’t want to answer my question?”

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n“… ”

n“Oh my goodness, how arrogant you are! I hear every political faction is supporting your family. It looks like you are holding your head high because of them.”

nMy heart sunk at his annoying voice. I tried to open my trembling lips but couldn’t.

n“You beat me. Enough. I think it’s useless to talk to you more. ”

nWhile trying to tell me more, he stopped and turned. It was not until I heard his footsteps disappearing that I began to relax. I flopped down as if the noose that was coiling all over my body had loosened. My hands had turned pale and were shaking.

nHow much time passed? I stiffened when I heard somebody approaching me.

n‘Is he coming back?’ When I looked back with my trembling eyes, I saw shiny silver hair reflecting the sun.

n‘Daddy?’

nMy father walked to me with quick strides and reached out to me. My cold heart began to pound little by little.

n“Oh, you are here, Tia.”

n“…Dad.”

nI grasped the sleeves of my father’s navy blue uniform with my trembling hands. He looked at me suspiciously, his eyes full of anxiety.

n“Why are you trembling so badly? What happened?”

n“… ”

nWhen I turned into his arms, he stopped asking and hugged me silently. I felt his warmth spreading over my body. Just like the snow melting in the warm sunlight, my frozen blood melted little by little. The terrible horror that had surrounded me gradually disappeared.

nWhen he touched my back gently, I fell asleep before I knew it. Suddenly, I saw his cold blue eyes faintly, but they quickly disappeared like the melting snow.

nI began to hear my father’s voice disappearing gradually. In no time, I was being sucked into the world of sleep.

nAfter meeting the emperor, I stayed put in the house and spent my days peacefully. Was it because I always led a busy life? Spending everyday without doing anything was very strange and precious to me.

nI woke up late in the morning and had breakfast with my father after he came from training and spent the afternoons reading books or taking walks. I decided not to go to the training field as much as possible. Whenever I walked near the field, the training knights seemed to watch me, which seemed to disturbed them. After dinner, I was very happy with the ordinary life that I had never experienced before, going to sleep after checking the papers or quietly reading books next to my father.

nA little after three weeks after I spent peaceful days, an unexpected visitor visited me.

n“Who came to see me, Lina?”

n“Second son of Duke Verita, Alendis de Verita came to see you, lady.”

n“Verita’s second son is here, not his father?”

n“Yes, lady.”

n“Well, okay.”

nI woke up nervously. Just a few weeks ago I made a suggestion about a new taxation based on the same one he announced in the past as if it was mine.

nHad he already devised the method at this point? So, did he come here to take issue with my suggestion, arguing that it was originally his?

nPondering over it, I headed to the parlor. When I came into the room with Lina, the boy sitting on a cream sofa stood up. I bowed slowly towards the stranger.

n“How do you do? Sir Verita, I’m Aristia La Monique. ”

n“Nice to meet you, Lady Monique. I’m Allendis de Verita. ”

n“Nice to see you.. Please sit down. ”

nI briefly greeted him and asked him to sit down. I now sat face-to-face with the boy.

n“Lina, please bring us some tea. Rosemary tea, please. ”

n“Yes, lady.”

nI carefully watched him while Lina was preparing tea. His fresh green hair like spring buds and emerald eyes resembled his father’s and shined with intelligence. He was fair-skinned as if to confirm the rumor that he was a bookworm. He was handsome for a man, but he didn’t seem weak at all.

nThe old me brushed by him, but had never met him in person. As he was already an adult by then, this was the first time I saw him as a boy. I remember he was three years older than me, so he was probably 13 this year.

n“I have tea ready, lady.”

n“Come on in.”

nCarefully pouring tea, Lina quietly closed the door. The unique refreshing scent of rosemary wafted through the room.

n“I heard that you were a bookworm, so I’ve prepared rosemary tea that helps keep your head clear. Do you like it? ”

n“I enjoy this tea. Thank you for your consideration.”

nI drank tea silently. I favored rosemary because the pungent scent tickled my nose and its sillage in the mouth rather than its taste. In the past, I almost always enjoyed it because of my hypotension and chronic headaches.

nHow much time passed? He put down the cup silently and said, “You must be surprised by my sudden visit. I didn’t mean any disrespect, but I came here to ask you something.”

n“You want to ask me something?”

n“That’s right. Is it true that you proposed the newly introduced luxury tax?

nWas my prediction right? What should I say?

n“I now see you did.”

n“…”

n“Wow! That is amazing! I hear you’re only 10 years old, and you’re a real genius! ”

n“Oh my god!” Verita shouted, jumping up and grabbing my hand. I was stunned by the boy’s sudden change of attitude.

n“Please call me Allendis casually. I’ve never allowed anybody to call my first name, but I think you are well qualified to do so. ”

n“Pardon?”

n“Can I call you Aristia? I was frustrated because I couldn’t speak the same language with my peers so far, but I am happy to know we can speak the same language.”

n“Well…”

n“Okay, call me Allendis now. ”

nI freaked out. What happened to me? I was speechless when he called me Aristia slyly, with his emerald eyes sparkling brilliantly. I nodded at him, pleasantly surprised by his sudden change of attitude.

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nAs if he was satisfied with my smile, he picked up the teapot and filled the teacup. I restored my composure gradually when I smelled the fragrance of pine needles. Suddenly, I wanted to ask him one thing, so I opened my mouth hesitantly, “By the way…”

n“Call my name and talk to me comfortably.”

n“Still…”

n“Never mind. Call me by my first name. Come on!”

n“Okay, then. Allendis.”

n“Yes, why?”

n“How did you know I proposed it?”

nIn the past, as I was respected as the next empress, nobody had called me by my first name. I only lived with that hope in mind, so I didn’t remember calling someone’s name, either, because I didn’t have any close friends mine. Was it because of that?

nI felt very awkward to call the boy in front of me by his name. When I called him with a stutter, he smiled and said, “That’s simple if you think about it a little bit.”

n“What do you mean? How? “

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