Chapter 15

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Translated by Sylph

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net.
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“You must be the children Clois was talking about, right?”

Lilian was a mysterious person from the first time they met.

The daughter of a local lord. Was it a small, tiny estate attached to the side of a forest?

“They are more handsome and cuter children than Clois said. Do you want to go pick apples together?”

Lilian familiarly called Clois, who was a prince, by his name and treated Arcel and Ruska, children of high nobles, like village children.

Arcel could not get used to Lilian’s attitude at all.

Silly Ruska, however, liked it and followed her because she said they could play.

Even though he was a five-year-old child, Arcel was already calmer and more mature tha children of his age.

Therefore, he knew that Lilian’s attitude was so different from others and could never be tolerated in the capital.

‘Everyone would say it’s insolent.’

So he kept Lilian at a distance.

In the meantime, Ruska became quite close to Lilian and accompanied her when she went to the forest as if he were a knight.

Watching the two who had become closer, Arcel deliberately ignored Lilian.

“Lord Clois said he would eventually take her as his wife.”

“I know. His Majesty the Emperor was greatly enraged. Now, far from being the crown prince, Lord Clois might not even be able to enter the Imperial Palace ever again. You know what this means.”

“Of course. It means we who supported him are in danger. But as you can see, Lord Clois’s will is stubborn. Far from marriage, he won’t even look at anyone else if it’s not Miss Lilian.”

“Good grief. To think that such a cold person would become like this…”

Arcel’s father, Duke Kaylan, and Ruska’s father, Marquis Lagselve, had a conversation full of worry.

Arcel, who overheard that conversation, avoided Lilian even more.

Clois was the person who was decided as the next emperor.

But because he loved Lilian, he became nothing more than one of the many princes.

Because of that, the people who supported Clois hurriedly left to find another successor.

Even among those who remained, not all of them liked Lilian.

“They say she goes to the forest every day. She must be a witch. She must have captured Lord Clois with sorcery.”

Witch. Sorcery.

At those words, Arcel avoided Lilian even more.

Meanwhile, Arcel went to Lilian’s estate to attend Clois’s upcoming wedding.

On the morning of the day after arriving, Arcel clicked his tongue while watching Ruska go to the forest with Lilian.

‘Has Ruska also fallen for Lilian’s sorcery?’

Otherwise, it was not understandable that he would leave even himself behind and go to play in the forest every day with Lilian.

‘Let’s check.’

So Arcel followed the two.

Thinking that if she were really a witch as people said, he would not leave her be.

Even so, he was only five years old. It was not easy to follow the two with a small body.

‘How can they go so fast?’

Even though he was following with all his might, Lilian and Ruska were becoming distant too quickly.

‘As expected, it’s certain that Lilian is using a strange power.’

If she used that evil power on him, how should he stop it?

Even while worrying so, Arcel continued to follow the two.

But suddenly, the appearance of the two disappeared.

‘What happened?’

When he looked around, he saw the appearance of the two in a very distant place.

Thinking he couldn’t miss them, Arcel hurriedly moved his steps. But…

“Ah!”

Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet felt empty, and his body fell downward.

Because the grass was thick, there was a deep pit in a place he failed to see.

A pain was felt in his body along with a loud sound.

“Arcel!”

When he struggled to lift his head, he saw the face of Ruska looking down at him from above with a surprised face.

And the appearance of Lilian next to him, also looking at him with a surprised face.

‘I’ve been caught!’

He was more worried about that fact than the pain from being hurt.

What if Lilian used sorcery and killed him here?

At that moment, Lilian suddenly jumped into the pit.

“…”

Was she trying to kill him? Or would she use sorcery like she did to Ruska and make him strange too?

When Arcel’s body was stiff with tension, she placed her hand on Arcel’s body.

“Take your hands off me! You witch! What are you trying to do!”

Arcel brushed off her hand with all his strength. But Lilian did not back down.

Rather, she put more strength into it and grabbed Arcel’s arm.

“Ugh!”

The scratches from falling and rolling stung.

‘As expected, a witch!’

So that must be why she was making him suffer like this. The moment Arcel closed his eyes, thinking it was the end.

Flash!

Suddenly, the surroundings were filled with warm light. The light wrapped around Arcel and soon disappeared.

‘She really was a witch!’

To be able to use such a strange power. Realizing that people’s words were not lies, Arcel closed his eyes, even more terrified.

Then Lilian said.

“Look. It’s all healed.”

At those words, Arcel opened his eyes. And he could see Lilian smiling brightly.

And his arm, where the wound had disappeared in an instant.

Arcel dazed at his clean arm.

‘They said it was a witch’s power.’

They said their power hurt people. Cursing, killing, and making the mind strange.

But no matter how he looked at it, Lilian’s power now… did not look like such a power.

“…Why.”

“Eh? What did you say?”

“Why are you being so nice to me? What do you want?”

At those words, Lilian raised her fist and gave Arcel’s head a kkong! rap.

“If I helped you, you should first greet me with ‘Thank you’.”

“…?”

Even his father didn’t do this to him. At Lilian’s attitude as if treating a neighborhood troublemaker, Arcel lost his words.

From above the pit, Ruska said while chuckling as if the situation were amusing.

“I properly greet her with ‘Thank you’.”

“Of course, of course. Because Ruska is a good child.”

When Lilian praised Ruska, Arcel watched her mood and spoke cautiously.

“Thank… you.”

Then Lilian smiled brightly and ruffled Arcel’s hair.

“Yes, like that.”

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After that, Arcel also quickly became close to Lilian.

The forest, which he thought was a dark and scary place, was not scary when he entered with Lilian.

Strangely, it seemed as if the trees of the forest were protecting Lilian.

Vines moved out of the way on their own where she went, and when it rained, broad-leafed trees gathered their branches and covered the top.

“Is this also magic?”

“It is, but… it’s closer to the power of the old ones. More than that, Arcel, did you pick all the blueberries? We shouldn’t be short for making jam!”

Lilian herself, however, seemed to have more interest in the fruits of the forest than her own power.

On the way back from picking many forest fruits as a trio, Arcel asked her.

“But why are you being so nice to us?”

“Oh my, you noticed.”

He couldn’t help but notice.

Just because it was Lilian, she wasn’t friendly to everyone.

Even though she was someone who had known Clois for a long time, there were also people Lilian never met.

Of course, the other person also kept a distance, calling Lilian a witch.

“Furthermore, I was just like those people, so why…”

“No, it’s different.”

Lilian spoke firmly.

“And I’m telling you in advance, I’m also not being nice to you without wanting something.”

At Lilian’s words, Ruska, who was holding a basket of apples, said in a fright.

“Eh? What, then what are you aiming for from us? I’m telling you in advance, I can never give you the sword I received as a gift from my father!”

At those words, Lilian burst into laughter.

A cheerful laugh that was pleasant to hear filled the forest.

Lilian had them put down the baskets and then hugged Arcel and Ruska in her arms.

“I can tell. You two will one day be of very great meaning to my child. You will spend a lot of time together. That child will laugh and cry thanks to you. Sometimes the child will be sad, sometimes happy…”

Lilian’s voice resonated in the quiet forest.

“So please be a good friend to that child. That is what I want.”

While Lilian was speaking, both Arcel and Ruska shut their mouths.

A voice containing a strong conviction that what she said would certainly come true, different from usual.

That remained in the heads of the two children as if a god were giving a revelation.

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‘But, it didn’t come true.’

Arcel, who recalled a very old memory, bit his lip.

Although he didn’t say it, he didn’t know how long he had waited for Lilian’s child because he wanted to be a good friend as she had said.

Just as she had looked after them, they also wanted to help that child.

But Lilian and the child died.

On the day they heard that news, Ruska cried all day, and Arcel also swallowed his tears without being able to say anything.

And since then, he tried to forget Lilian and really lived while forgetting, but…

At that moment, Arcel’s gaze saw a small child standing among the people.

Evi Alden.

Strangely, the moment he saw that orpha child, the smile of Lilian he saw long ago came back clearly.

“Nice to meet you!”