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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Del and Jaehae
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The diary stayed put, as if it knew I would take it.
“Have a drink.”
Winter handed me the cocoa and waited for my reaction.
I took a sip and my eyes lit up.
“Wow, this is delicious!”
Forgetting it was hot, I sipped at it little by little.
Winter smiled in satisfaction.
“It was worth making. Kivrin doesn’t have a very discerning palate, so he says everything is delicious.”
I tilted my head.
“The Young Lord?”
“They say there’s nothing wrong with his sense of taste, so I’m not sure why. Well, we can talk about this later. More importantly, won’t you tell me in detail about the tea party today?”
“Ah, yes!”
I told her that the macarons were delicious and that Sophia had given me the sunniest seat, saying I needed plenty of sunlight.
“Then, the topic of the festival came up…”
I hesitated.
—Because His Grace the Duke and the Duchess would have naturally told you about something like this. If they truly cared for you, that is.
Was it because my memories of my past life had evaporated?
Scarlett’s words, which I had brushed off earlier, now stung like a thorn.
Winter and Menelik cared for me so much already, yet suddenly they were being painted as people who wouldn’t even tell me common knowledge.
“…I want to start my lessons again tomorrow.”
Though it must have seemed out of the blue, Winter simply rested her chin on her hand.
“I was thinking we’d decide after at least ten days had passed.”
“I know my own body best. I’m all better now.”
Winter laughed at the forced determination in my voice.
“This is unusual for the Cheria who used to agree to everything I said. Hmm, did those girls perhaps pick on you for not knowing about the ducal estate’s festival?”
“Ohh…”
“You’ve always been hard on yourself, so I imagine you were upset that they dragged me and Kivrin into it. Let’s see… Did they say something like, I hadn’t even taught you such common knowledge?”
My jaw dropped.
“How did you know?!”
Her deductive skills were so sharp I would have believed her if she’d said she’d watched the tea party through a telescope.
Winter said with a proud expression.
“It’s because I’ve always watched you closely, wanting to know you better. Didn’t I say I’d love you even if you were an earthworm? I wasn’t just saying that, you know.”
I nodded, mesmerized.
“I believe everything you say, Mother!”
Winter continued.
“To save my daughter-in-law’s face, we’ll have to hold a grand festival next year. And the reason the spring festival was discontinued is simple. We used to hold a hunting competition with hard-to-get prizes, and unlike other festivals, it often devolved into brawls.”
I thought some huge incident must have occurred, but the reason was simpler than I expected.
What? Then Scarlett could have just told me herself, couldn't she?
Winter watched my sulky face with amusement.
“Hmm, in any case, it’s a shame the young lady of the Rington family could only find fault with something as trivial as a festival. Then again, with you being so lovely, there’s hardly anything to criticize.”
*Mother, I think you see me in too favorable a light.*
*But I like her too, so it’s fine.*
I was completely won over and ended up telling her everything else that happened.
When she heard that seeing Menelik had reminded me of my biological father, Winter crossed her legs.
“Isteban Mayol was known as an eccentric in the capital. He never appeared at social gatherings, so if he were to be tossed aside, no one would immediately notice.”
A chilly smile spread across Winter’s face.
“I understand now why you insisted on starting your lessons, and why Rick couldn’t contain his killing intent even in front of the meeting room.”
*My father-in-law was a little scary…*
“Now, there’s just one more puzzle for me to solve. Why did you come to think you were a snake? I’d love it if it were some cute idea, like you concluded that since snakes always travel in pairs, you, as Kivrin’s partner, must also be a snake…”
“…”
It was actually true, so I had nothing to say.
*Since the Kivrin from my past life had said something about fate, I just accepted it…*
As I suddenly fell silent, Winter’s eyes narrowed.
“Should I praise your audacity?”
Haha. I subtly avoided Winter’s gaze.
As if to say ‘nice try,’ Winter shifted her position and beckoned to me.
“Cheria, come sit on my lap.”
Of course.
I sat on Winter’s lap.
Winter ran her fingers through my hair.
My hair, smooth and undamaged, was proof that I was eating and sleeping better than I ever had at the Count’s estate.
She seemed pleased by this as she began to speak.
“You see, a snake, far from rejecting divine power like you do, would scoff at it. Not even a Sword Master can kill one.”
“…”
“Rick claims he’s just humoring Kivrin, but he has a childish side, so just ignore him.”
After checking the condition of my hair, Winter’s hand soon took hold of my fidgeting one.
Soon, she chuckled.
She seemed amused by how much smaller my hand was than hers.
“In the Empire, we call them ‘snakes,’ but in the Kingdom of Moritia, a word with the same pronunciation is written ‘Del.’ It means apex predator.”
She had me open my palm. On it, she drew an unfamiliar character.
It was a relief Winter couldn’t see my eyes, which must have widened into perfect circles.
*Snakes are written as Del?*
“The Temple speculates that Kivrin possesses a portion of Del’s supernatural ability.”
Winter rested her chin on the crown of my head.
“If he merely had scales on his face, the Temple wouldn’t have paid him any mind. They would have just sneered that something hideous was born in the duchy. They wouldn’t be as anxious as they are now.”
“But why do they speculate he only has a portion of the ability?”
Kivrin’s past life had no mention of such a thing, so the Temple must be mistaken.
Winter explained, gently fiddling with my hand.
“Perhaps because the abilities of Del recorded in history are so absurd? They say a single gesture could dry up the sea, and there are old tales of a disaster that follows it. Del and Jaehae always travel together, which is how the saying ‘snakes always travel in pairs’ came to be.”
“…”
One is the snake, and the other is the disaster.
*If Kivrin is Del, that means I’m Jaehae…*
I was at a loss for words.
Whether this was a transmigrator’s buff or not, it was a heinous title I wanted no part of.
As if she knew exactly what kind of face I was making without looking, Winter continued her explanation in an amused tone.
“They have no choice but to assume it’s only a portion. No sealing spell in this world can contain Del. If Kivrin possessed all of Del’s abilities, he would have destroyed the Temple long ago. He wouldn’t have stayed quiet when Menelik hated him, either, would he?”
*Kivrin in his past life did seem to have a bad temper.*
*The problem was that he’d cry, begging people not to be afraid of him.*
The omnipotent being Winter described felt somehow distant.
Of course, I was just as ill-suited to the word ‘Disaster.’
*Ugh, now I see why neither Winter nor Menelik believed me.*
In fact, it felt amazing that they’d found it cute.
*Mmm, well, if they weren’t so extraordinary, Kivrin probably would have told me not to say anything in the first place.*
My earlier shock faded, and my heartbeat quickly returned to its normal rhythm.
Scarlett was wrong after all. My parents-in-law didn’t call me crazy, even when I said strange things.
They didn’t have Yelena examine my head; they just listened to me patiently.
They cared for me far more than my biological parents ever did.
“Are you scared?”
“I’m moved!”
I spoke honestly, my heart aching with emotion, and Winter seemed to tilt her head.
Her platinum blonde hair tumbled over my shoulder.
“…At what part, exactly? I’m relieved, but…”
Winter murmured, sounding completely baffled, but still picked up the cup of cocoa.
The cocoa Winter had so kindly made for me was getting cold.
As I took the cup and began to sip it hurriedly, the head butler arrived.
He reported with a very troubled expression.
“His Grace the Duke is excessively disrupting the Young Lord’s lesson…”
*…That’s probably why your son despises you, Father-in-law.*
Winter shook her head.
“I wondered why he let him go so quietly. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Yes.”
Winter set me down on the sofa and left.
Instead of sitting on the sofa, I flopped down on my stomach.
Then, I traced the character for ‘Del’ that Winter had shown me onto my palm.
*Alright, I’ve memorized it. I’ll have to ask Kivrin about it later.*
—Del and Jaehae always travel together, which is how the saying ‘snakes always travel in pairs’ came to be.
Thanks to Winter’s detailed explanation, I now understood ‘Del’ to some extent.
