C 119
(N/T: Yong/용 is dragon in Korean.)
The next morning, I smiled awkwardly as I saw Richard, who had arrived with the wind.
"Really...
His sense for names hasn't changed at all."
When I looked confused, Richard quickly waved his hand in the air and handed me something.
The scent of flowers reached the tip of my nose. Richard chuckled lightly.
"I was worried because I heard you were sick, this is a gift."
"...These are flowers."
"Yes, do you hate flowers?"
"No, I like them."
I accepted the flowers with both hands and smiled awkwardly. I think I've never received flowers from anyone before.
"That's a relief."
Every time Richard laughed, his earrings dangled and swayed.
"I heard you're going to the Mage Tower these days."
"Yes, I'm under the command of the Mage Tower Lord right now. I'm the heir or something."
The expression on his face seemed annoyed. I handed the bouquet to Laurent and nodded.
"That's great."
"...Great?"
"Yes, if you're the heir to the Mage Tower Lord, that's amazing."
"That... Yes."
Richard rolled his eyes slightly and nodded.
"They said the only successor to the Mage Tower Lord is me. The old man said there was no one else but me to do it."
Richard said excitedly. Seeing the wide smile on his face, I gave him a small applause.
"Wow, that's great."
The corners of Richard's lips twisted at my words. It seemed like he was very pleased to hear the compliment.
"As expected, Richard is amazing."
"Well, this... This is not a big deal. Later on, I'll become the youngest owner of the Mage Tower."
The boy proudly revealed his aspirations.
A smile escaped from me as I watched him pounding his chest.
I smiled and nodded. No matter where you go and what you do, please don't become a psycho.
"But what are you doing here?"
"Ah, a mission. Because there was a spy sent by the Suin Kingdom, the Mage Tower requested an interrogation."
"...Oh? But we have Dad in our family, right?"
"Ah, the main interrogation of international criminals is done by the Imperial Palace or the Mage Tower."
I see, I understand.
After all, state criminals can't be privately eliminated by aristocratic families.
"Father... Ahem! No, Duke Etham is a strong person, but he doesn't belong to the Mage Tower or the Imperial Family."
(N/T: Richard called Erno, Father/아버님. But it's also the way a son-in-law calls his father-in-law. Richard used that word to refer to Erno Etham as his father-in-law XD.)
Did he just quietly say that he's his father?
He called my dad, father. I looked at Richard in puzzlement.
"I-It was a slip of the tongue."
His voice trembled slightly as he added, as if he had noticed the meaning of my gaze.
"Since I saw that you're safe, I'll leave now."
Richard jumped up from his seat, waved his hand, and quickly disappeared.
"Oh my, they say these Dalpia flowers are hard to find."
After Richard left, Laurent, who was carefully examining the flowers, said.
"Is that so...?"
"Yes, it's also famous for being a flower that shines brightly under moonlight and lights up the path at night."
"I see."
I was a bit surprised because from the outside, it looked like a simple wildflower.
"Is today's schedule finished?"
"Ah, that was the original plan... however, High Priest Lucilion requested an audience."
"Lucy?"
"Yes."
"When? Perhaps now?"
"Yes, he's waiting in another room."
Well, there's a lot more to do than I thought.
I was going to rest today, but it wasn't easy because many pleasant guests came to visit.
"Come to think of it, Dad's reaction yesterday was strange..."
When I asked him why he slept so much, he kept his mouth shut. Although my dad usually tells me everything.
Then, he asked very seriously what kind of life I had before reincarnation.
Thanks to that, I think I fell asleep in my dad's bed yesterday while talking to him.
But when I woke up in the morning, Dad was no longer there.
"He must have been busy, but..."
Still, when I opened my eyes, my dad wasn't there, so it was a bit sad.
"But why did Lucilion come?"
I tilted my head as I headed to the living room where Lucilion was waiting with Laurent.
Laurent gently knocked on the door, and a voice from inside informed us that we could enter.
"Mistress."
Lucilion laughed, jumped up from his seat, and approached me.
"...When will he stop calling me mistress?"
I nodded slightly as I watched Lucilion approaching right in front of me.
"Hello, Lucy."
"Yes, I heard you were sick. Are you okay now?"
Lucilion looked at me closely and then asked with a slight smile.
"Yes, I'm fine. It's just that I slept a bit."
"...I see."
Lucilion looked at me in silence, took my hand, led me, and seated me on the couch.
"Lucy?"
"Didn't you have a dream or something?"
"Mistress, may I ask you something?"
"Yes, of course."
When I nodded, Lucilion opened his mouth with a meaningful expression.
"Is she happy now, Mistress? Is she enjoying everything around her right now?"
My eyes widened at Lucilion's sudden words.
After hesitating for a moment, I cautiously nodded.
"Yes, I like it because it feels like a dream."
"A dream..."
Lucilion muttered quietly and nodded.
He pondered for a moment before looking at Laurent.
"Would you mind stepping aside for a moment?"
"Ah..."
Unlike my dad, Laurent gave me a quick glance. I nodded, and she left the room.
"In fact, today I heard that His Excellency Duke Etham had a strange dream, so I came to the Duke's house."
"A strange dream?"
"Yes, before that, let me clarify one thing. I know that you, Mistress, don't fully belong to this world."
It felt like Lucilion's sudden bombshell comment had hit me in the back of the head.
When I raised my gaze, embarrassed, he was kneeling in front of me, holding my hand.
"Don't misunderstand me. I can read and see anything that belongs to this world and touches the realm of God, ARMA."
Lucilion made eye contact with me and calmly licked his lips.
"So, I knew from the beginning that my Mistress doesn't belong to that world."
"..."
"Because originally, I would have lost that bet that day. I knew, but I was stubborn."
It wasn't hard for me to guess that the day Lucilion talked about was the day we first met.
It must have been the day I offered him the buns.
"I just can't say it, I can see more than I thought, and God tells me more about the future than I thought."
Lucilion showed a side he hadn't shown before. I listened to the story with a slightly puzzled expression.
It surprised me a bit because there was no such information in 'Adopted.'
"The day I made a bet with the High Priest, God told me I would fail, but I was stubborn. It was frustrating."
I thought it was a bit strange.
Lucilion always acted like a know-it-all and remained calm even when using strange abilities.
"And I met my Mistress."
"..."
"Mistress, you are not from this world, are you?"
Bum, my heart dropped to the floor.
There was no particular reason why I shouldn't say it, but I didn't think anything good would come out of it if I did.
So I didn't tell anyone other than my dad.
"To become an adult, the imprint must be intact, but my Mistress said that's not the case, right?"
"…Yes."
"Mistress, did you reincarnate with memories of your previous life?"
"...Yes, something like that."
I trembled slightly.
Lucilion's voice was soft, calm, and sensitive, but my heart was beating very fast.
"Would you like to go back?"
"No. Never again..."
I vigorously shook my head.
Lucilion pondered for a moment before finally opening his mouth.
"The reason my Mistress couldn't be imprinted completely is probably because your other-worldly self is alive."
"...Am I alive?"
"Yes."
"But still, it's strange that I can't see my Mistress's fate."
"Why?"
"Even if the imprint isn't complete...
being entwined with someone's destiny is a positive sign that my Mistress fully belongs to this world."
Listening to Lucilion's calm words, I nodded. He held my hand a bit tighter.
"However, there are two cases where I can't see the fate."
"Two?"
"Yes, the opponent is dead or..."
He trailed off.
"...Or is a god."
I slowly closed my mouth at Lucilion's words. I started to feel a slight headache.
"God doesn't respond to me. Usually, He remains silent about any questions regarding my Mistress."
Lucilion said. Even when I furrowed my brow, he didn't back down.
"Think carefully, Mistress."
"What...?"
My heart began to beat strongly.
As I hesitantly moved closer to the back of the couch, Lucilion held my hand even tighter.
"Mistress, do you really not know this world?"
"It's just..."
It's a world someone invented. I'm in a novel; I couldn't bear to say that, so I just opened my lips.
Today, Lucilion's movements and voice felt like they were in slow motion.
Crack, crack.
Kiiiiiiiik-!
At that moment, I felt like the gears that had been turning were completely out of sync.
At the same time, there was a sound like a terrifying scream, like sharp claws scraping a chalkboard.
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in the darkness in front of a huge cogwheel shaped like Eirin.
Ko-fi o 'Buy Me A Coffe' for Adv4nc3 Chapt3r
Publication of up to 5 weekly ch4pt3rs, thanks.