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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Encounter
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As expected, it happened a few days later.
Lellia witnessed the Imperial Palace servants carrying armfuls of all sorts of dolls.
*‘Wait, if that’s the case….’*
Lellia’s brow furrowed.
It was also around the time the ministers would begin holding meetings to decide what to do with Lellia.
And it was also when the incident that would make Yuriana repeat ‘I'm sorry, Your Highness’ a hundred times was supposed to occur.
But since Lellia had no intention of stealing Yuriana’s dolls, that event would not happen.
*‘Even if I avoid that incident, the ministers will still hold their meetings.’*
Emperor Perseus didn't even want to hear Lellia's name, so he had postponed her disposition.
Lellia chewed on her lip anxiously.
She was worried about what would happen if Emperor Perseus had a change of heart.
*‘He might suddenly get into a bad mood and order me to be married off to some strange man.’*
It would be a relief if he married her off after she became an adult.
But in this world, there were cases where a future son-in-law or daughter-in-law was brought in during childhood to learn the family's customs in advance.
If Emperor Perseus, finding her an eyesore, tried to get rid of her quickly in such a way….
*‘Should I get on my knees and beg?’*
In any case, there was no way the Emperor would marry Lellia off to a normal man, no matter the family.
*‘Because he doesn't know I'm his real daughter and just hates me unconditionally….’*
Moreover, if she left the Imperial Palace like that, the surveillance on her would surely be stricter than it was now.
She might even end up reminiscing about these days, thinking she was happier when no one paid her any mind.
*‘Ugh. How horrible!’*
That afternoon, Lellia packed a bag and left the tower. She wanted to search the cabin as soon as possible and find any magical tools that could be of help.
*‘…Good, no one's here.’*
Lellia confirmed there was no sign of anyone around the cabin and approached slowly.
Just in case, she peeked inside through a crack in the window.
*‘Thank goodness.’*
Emperor Perseus wouldn't be visiting this place for a while anyway.
*‘He's just started doting on his daughter, so he'll be busy playing with Yuriana. The same goes for those two brothers.’*
Thinking it was for the best, Lellia opened the cabin door and went inside.
And the first thing she did was open the secret cellar door in the floor where the emergency rations were hidden and packed a few glass jars into her bag.
Then she began to rummage through the bedside drawer, the desk drawers, and so on.
She had to be extremely careful with this part, as it was a space Emperor Perseus might have looked through.
She was looking around like a little thief for a while when it happened.
*Click.*
It was instantaneous.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of the cabin's front door opening behind her.
The sound made Lellia's body freeze solid. She was so startled it felt like her heart had plummeted to the floor.
*‘I'm sure there was no one outside the window just a moment ago….’*
She had been checking outside the window from time to time, just in case someone came... It was all for nothing.
Lellia squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel a piercing gaze on her back.
*‘Who is it? I have to come up with a good excuse, no matter what.’*
Just as she resolved to do so and was about to slowly turn her head,
“What are you?”
A low voice, thick with anger, came from behind her. The killing intent radiating from behind her was enough to make goosebumps rise all over Lellia's skin.
*‘Could it be Emperor Perseus?’*
If so, she might be executed on the spot.
The oppressive killing intent weighed down on her so heavily that Lellia couldn't even turn her head to see who it was.
As the small child's shoulders began to tremble like a leaf, the person slowly suppressed their killing intent.
Only then was Lellia belatedly able to see who had entered the cabin.
But when she turned her head, Lellia could only blink blankly.
*‘…Who is he?’*
First, thankfully, it wasn't Emperor Perseus.
But he didn't look like a member of the Imperial Knights, a royal guard, or a servant.
The young man, who appeared to be in his late twenties, was dressed in a formal uniform made of expensive fabric befitting a nobleman.
Judging by the sword at his hip, he seemed to be a knight as well.
The man placed a hand on the scabbard at his hip and asked with a frown.
“Who are you? A palace maid? Are you here to clean?”
“I... I'm...”
He scanned Lellia from head to toe with a hostile gaze. Dressed in a robe, she probably didn't look like a maid.
The palace maids all wore uniforms made of fine fabric. The robe Lellia wore was from her time at the temple.
Unfortunately, she had grown quite a bit since she was younger, so this was the only thing that fit.
“What is your name?”
the man asked, lifting his chin.
*‘Should I lie?’*
She didn't know who he was, so she was scared to answer honestly. But before Lellia could even speak her name,
“Don't tell me...”
The man, who had been glaring at Lellia, stared intently into her eyes and then let out a scoff as if he'd realized something.
“…Are you the daughter of the late Princess Iris?”
“……!”
When Lellia's eyes widened in surprise, he twisted one corner of his mouth as if certain.
“How dare you come here? This is the place Elizabeth left behind! The former Crown Princess whom your mother tormented so cruelly!”
The man radiated immense fury. Because of it, Lellia sank to the floor, shrinking back and trembling.
She was terrified.
The killing intent emanating from a grown man, a knight holding a sword no less, was not something Lellia, still in her small body, could handle.
“How dare a little rat like you! Get out now!”
At his words, Lellia scrambled up in alarm, flung open the cabin door, and fled.
She ran all the way to the small tower without looking back, as if a great beast were chasing her from behind.
After returning to the tower, she climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head.
Her body wouldn't stop trembling, as if something were wrong with it.
Lellia wrapped herself in the blanket, trying to calm down. It was a good thing she had memories of her past life, which kept her from acting entirely like a child.
If she had been an ordinary seven-year-old, she might have fainted on the spot.
Or perhaps she would have burst into tears or had a seizure like Oscar.
Lellia wiped away the tears that flowed from instinctual fear and hugged the little rabbit doll tightly.
“……”
Thinking of the friends she shared this rabbit doll with, she was surprised to find her heart calming down quickly.
Just as she had calmed Oscar when he had a seizure, Lellia soothed herself in her mind. Thankfully, the trembling soon subsided.
But even so, she felt an unsettling anxiety and checked the window to see if the man had followed her.
Fortunately, the area around the tower was quiet.
*‘Phew, that was scary….’*
Lellia let out a sigh of relief and stroked the rabbit doll.
Suddenly, she wondered if Oscar had felt a fear this great, and she found herself missing him.
*‘Anyway… who on earth was he?’*
Lellia thought back to the scary man she had just seen.
Reddish hair and light green eyes. A young man in his late twenties.
*‘I have one person in mind….’*
Recalling what the man had said... she was almost certain.
*‘He must be my mother, Elizabeth's, brother.’*
Elizabeth's family was the ducal House of Superion, which protected the northwestern region.
After Elizabeth's death and Raidios's ascension to the throne, their power had weakened slightly, but they were still undeniably a prestigious noble family.
*‘Though they do end up getting shattered to pieces….’*
Elizabeth had several siblings. The man from earlier was likely one of them.
*‘He must have come to see his nephews, the twin brothers….’*
House Superion had also helped Perseus reclaim the throne. However, they didn't assert their contribution and immediately returned to the northwest.
It meant that now that Elizabeth's revenge was complete, everything else was meaningless.
Emperor Perseus felt indebted to them for that.
*‘Because House Superion also secretly resented Emperor Perseus for failing to protect Elizabeth….’*
But since Cedric and Damian, who would one day inherit the throne, were of Elizabeth's bloodline, it wouldn't lead to a hostile relationship.
*‘Come to think of it, he's actually my uncle….’*
For a moment, Lellia considered going back, revealing the truth, and asking for his help.
But she quickly dismissed the thought.
He wouldn't believe her anyway. Besides, if he got angry like before, she might really faint from fear.
*‘He'd probably try to kill me instead.’*
Lellia shuddered and shook her head.
*‘That was terrifying.’*
He must have loved his late sister very much, considering how enraged he became the moment he recognized Lellia as Princess Iris's daughter.
The angry face of that man, who perhaps resembled her mother a little, kept coming to mind, making Lellia feel uneasy.
