-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Duke of Superion
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The procession traveled for two days without rest before arriving in Rendinium.
Lellia was bewildered.
Honestly, she didn't feel like she had become an attendant, but rather a precious young lady.
It made sense, as the knights hardly gave her any errands.
Instead, they made sure she had food, gave her a change of clothes, and even patted her on the head.
They even had her ride in a carriage during the journey, saying it would be cumbersome otherwise.
And it wasn't just a baggage wagon, but the finest carriage, belonging to the old nobleman who had rescued her. She wasn’t in the luggage compartment either; she rode with the old nobleman himself.
‘Are they being nice to me just to sell me off in Rendinium?’
She had heard about those who secretly and illegally trafficked young slaves.
‘But Rendinium, the City of Knights, is supposed to have security as tight as the capital’s, so slave trading shouldn’t happen here.’
The carriage entered Rendinium and headed toward the bustling city center.
Lellia stared out the carriage window with anxious eyes. The old nobleman sitting across from her asked.
“Is something troubling you?”
“…No.”
“You look terrified.”
“……”
Lellia eyed the old nobleman with suspicion.
‘Is he really going to sell me?’
Even in a city of knights, there were bound to be those who engaged in illegal activities.
She’d heard that the younger the slave, the higher the price they fetched. Because they had more years of labor left in them.
Lellia thought of the magical potions she had been secretly making over the past two days.
‘I’ve made a sleeping potion, an anesthetic, and a fire potion… If things go south, I’ll have to escape.’
Making that resolve, she hugged her bag tightly. The old nobleman looked curious as to what could possibly be inside that bag.
The knights who had taken care of Lellia were curious as well, but Lellia never once showed them the contents of her bag.
None of the knights tried to look inside by force. Seeing that, it seemed the people of this knightly order were fine adults who knew how to be considerate of a child.
‘As long as they don’t sell me off, that is.’
Come to think of it, she still didn't know which family these knights belonged to.
She had seen the family crest, but since Lellia knew little about the nobles of Auraria, it was useless.
Upon entering the city, the carriage slowed down. Then it stopped in front of a certain building.
Lellia stuck her head out the window to look. The building bore the symbol of the temple.
It was a symbol she had seen ad nauseam during her time in the neutral zone.
As Lellia stared at it, the old nobleman explained.
“We stopped in this city to get treatment for a poisoned knight. There’s a priest dispatched from the central temple here.”
“…Yes.”
The poisoned knight must have been the massive knight with the splint on his ankle she had seen when she first hid in the carriage.
“He’s not on good terms with the priests in the capital, and he refused to get treated there, so we came here.”
“……”
“It won’t take long. If I show them my family crest, the priest will heal him right away. After he’s healed, we’ll stay in this city for a few days before leaving.”
“…Yes.”
Lellia nodded. After a short wait, she saw the knight who had received treatment walk out with a light step.
It wasn't just because of the covenant that the five empires couldn't defy the temple.
The priests possessed incredible healing powers. It was the power of light, twice as strong as the healing magic of mages who wielded mana.
The five empires had to respect the Creutz religion, if only to have priests dispatched to their cities.
The carriage set off again and arrived at an inn.
Lellia remained on high alert for the few days they stayed in the city. It was due to the suspicion that the knights might sell her to a slave trader.
Fortunately, however, after a few days, Lellia was able to leave the city unharmed.
‘I suspected them for nothing.’
Lellia felt awkward as she watched the city of Rendinium recede outside the window.
Seeing her, the old nobleman chuckled.
This time, too, Lellia rode in the finest carriage with the old nobleman.
“We are now heading to my domain. The journey will be a bit more arduous. It’s quite far from here.”
“…Where is it?”
Lellia asked the question she had been wondering about all along. The old nobleman smiled and asked back.
“Have you ever seen a map of Auraria?”
Lellia shook her head. She had seen a map of the Dracanea continent at the temple, but never a detailed map of just the Aurarian Empire.
“Hmm…”
At her words, the old nobleman pondered for a moment. He seemed to be thinking about how to explain it.
While waiting for the old nobleman's answer, Lellia looked down at the robe she was wearing.
This brown robe was a new one that Sir Tethys had bought for her during their stay in Rendinium.
It was made of a very light and soft material.
No matter how she thought about it, everyone in this knightly order was good-natured.
She couldn't remember ever seeing such kind adults in her life.
‘I really did the right thing by running away from the imperial palace.’
Lellia nodded, feeling proud of her decision. She also felt sorry for having suspected them and decided she should be on her best behavior from now on.
And there was one more good thing.
At the inn where they stayed in Rendinium, she had found a new ingredient for the ‘Alchemy Lottery.’
It had happened just last night, on their last night at the inn.
Lellia had woken up to a *tiring, tiring* sound.
In the next bed, Sir Tethys was snoring away. Startled, Lellia fumbled for her necklace, worried the *tiring* sound might wake him.
Fortunately, it seemed the sound was only audible to her.
In any case, when she opened the game screen, the Alchemy Lottery was wiggling and displaying a speech bubble.
[Ah! Σ(ʘoʘ/)/ A new ingredient is nearby!]
[System: New alchemy ingredient ‘A Speck of Dust from a Corner’ discovered!]
As the system message popped up, a gold dragon appeared and, with a little flourish, collected the item.
‘What kind of ingredient name is that…?’
Lellia frowned, but upon closer inspection, she saw it was one of the ingredients used in many new recipes.
‘Oh…!’
The ‘Alchemy Lottery’ game had a system where, once you found an ingredient, the dragon would automatically gather it for you afterward.
Finding it for the first time was the hard part; collecting it was easy.
She felt lucky to have found a frequently used ingredient first. With that comforting thought, Lellia fell fast asleep again.
Life with the knights was very peaceful. For one thing, knights had enormous appetites, so they ate a lot.
Thanks to that, Lellia was always able to eat her fill, just as she had when she lived at the temple.
So, every night, her full stomach made her even sleepier.
Recalling the good night's sleep she’d had, Lellia fiddled with the end of her necklace with a sense of satisfaction.
To make proper use of this necklace, it was important to collect more ingredients.
It was then.
A small commotion arose outside the carriage.
“What is it?”
At the old nobleman’s words, a knight escorting the carriage replied.
“There’s a checkpoint ahead.”
At those words, the old nobleman stroked his chin, murmuring, “Hmm…”
Lellia’s face, on the other hand, turned pale.
‘A checkpoint, could it be…?’
Lellia fidgeted with her fingers anxiously.
They were far from the city, about to pass through the gate at the border of Rendinium, so if there was a checkpoint…
‘They found out I’m gone.’
Perhaps Emperor Perseus had discovered her escape and was trying to find her.
Just then, a tapping sound came from the carriage window.
Lellia was so startled she almost screamed. As she clamped a hand over her mouth and trembled, the old nobleman watched her with narrowed eyes.
When the carriage window was opened, the escorting knight informed the old nobleman in a low voice.
“They say the imperial palace is looking for a ten-year-old girl who looks to be about seven or eight.”
“……”
At those words, the old nobleman’s expression twisted slightly. Lellia was so shocked by the knight’s words that she couldn't even blink.
The inspections were proceeding quickly, and their procession's turn was fast approaching.
The old nobleman thought for a moment, then slammed his hand on a section of the carriage floor. *Thump!* Lellia watched, unable to even scream.
Looking closely, she saw he hadn't just hit the floor, but had grabbed something and opened it.
The perfectly normal floor suddenly opened like a door, revealing a small space.
“Child, it would be best for you to hide for a moment.”
“……”
After a moment’s hesitation, Lellia quickly squeezed into the narrow space.
As she curled up like a shrimp, the old nobleman closed the door to the hidden compartment.
Lellia hugged her knees, lying on her side and trembling. If she was caught and taken back to the capital, she might really be killed.
‘My misfortune won’t just end with being forced to marry some strange person, but really…’
She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched her necklace. Even if she were caught, there was still hope. She had the items she’d made with this necklace.
‘But if they find out they hid me, these people could get hurt.’
The problem was the old nobleman and the knights who had helped her. They might have to give up their lives because of her.
She wanted to prevent that at all costs. Lellia trembled, wondering what to do.
Soon, it was the turn of the carriage Lellia was hiding in.
After a moment of murmuring from outside, someone spoke from outside the carriage window.
“By order of His Majesty, we must conduct a brief inspection. May we search the inside of the carriage?”
It was then.
*CRASH!*
With a tremendous noise, the carriage door flew open as if it were being smashed.
It hadn't been opened from the outside; the old nobleman inside the carriage had kicked it open as he stormed out.
“How dare you think of searching my carriage.”
“B-But this is an order from His Majesty…”
Lellia bit her lip, praying, ‘Please, please.’ She could hear an angry-sounding voice mumbling outside the carriage.
She couldn't hear clearly, but it seemed there was a problem between the soldier who wanted to search the carriage and the old nobleman who was stopping him.
Lellia waited, her hands sweating, enduring the tense moment.
And then, just as the outside fell silent.
*Thud.*
She felt the jolt of someone boarding the carriage. At the same time, the carriage began to move.
‘Did they not find me…?’
Just then, the old nobleman’s voice came from outside.
“We’ve passed the gate and come a long way, so I’ll open it for you now.”
*Thump!*
As his gentle, reassuring voice reached her, the door to the secret compartment opened.
“…Oh dear.”
The old nobleman clicked his tongue as he saw Lellia’s face, which was a mess of tears. He then reached out and lifted Lellia up himself.
“…Th-Thank you.”
Lellia said, rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of her robe.
The old nobleman slammed the door to the secret compartment shut again with one hand.
“You were frightened. Did you think you were going to be caught?”
“Yes…”
“Tsk, tsk. I thought you were a brave little one, but you’re quite the scaredy-cat.”
Lellia’s brow furrowed at his words. The old nobleman gave a playful smile and handed her a waterskin.
Lellia didn’t refuse and took the waterskin, gulping down the water.
‘What do I do now?’
Lellia wondered as she handed the waterskin back. She needed to think of an explanation, but her mind wouldn't work.
He might get very angry now that he knew she had lied.
‘Or he might send me to the capital to avoid getting involved…’
But it was quite difficult for a ten-year-old girl to invent a reason for being chased by the imperial palace of all places.
The only answer she could think of was, ‘Tell the truth.’
“Where were we? Right, you said you’ve never seen a map of Auraria, correct?”
“…What?”
But the old nobleman didn't ask her anything. He brought up their previous conversation as if nothing had happened.
‘Is he not curious about why I’m being chased by the imperial palace?’
Or perhaps he thought Lellia wasn’t the one the soldiers were looking for. It could be that he had hidden her simply to avoid trouble, since there happened to be a ten-year-old child in his carriage.
‘But…’
That couldn’t be it, since he had seen her trembling and crying in the small secret compartment.
‘Anyone would be suspicious of me in this situation…’
Lellia looked at the old nobleman with a puzzled expression. The old nobleman pondered for a moment before asking.
“Then have you heard of the Duchy of Superion? That is where we are headed now.”
“…What?”
Lellia was so surprised she thought her jaw would drop. The old nobleman said nonchalantly.
“The domain of the Duchy of Superion is located in the northwestern part of Auraria. It’s a border region, the farthest from the capital.”
“……”
Lellia swallowed hard. So… they were heading to the Superion domain?
Superion was the family of Lellia’s biological mother, Elizabeth.
‘In that case… could it be…’
Lellia stared at the old nobleman before her, dumbfounded. The nobleman with dark brown hair, despite his stern features, was smiling gently.
“Then… are you… perhaps…”
“Yes, I am the Duke Superion,” the old nobleman said as if it were nothing. Lellia was inwardly horrified.
‘No way. I never imagined it because he doesn’t have red hair…’
It seemed the red hair of the current generation of Superion siblings was inherited from their mother's side.
‘No, more importantly. Does this mean I’m going to the Superion domain right now?’
Sweat beaded on her clenched fists from the sudden tension.
And moreover…
‘…This man is my mother’s father.’
Lellia looked at the old nobleman with new eyes. She studied his features meticulously, observing him intently.
She wondered which part of the old nobleman’s face resembled her mother’s, and whether she herself had any resemblance to her mother at all.
The old nobleman watched the bewildered Lellia for a moment before speaking.
“…Actually, child, when I first saw you, I thought my dead daughter had come back to life as a child.”
“…What?”
“Your eyes… they look so much like my dead daughter’s eyes.”
“……”
Lellia couldn’t say anything in response to those words and just fidgeted. It was a difficult thing to fully comprehend.
Before her mind could even process his words, tears strangely began to fall.
The old nobleman continued speaking calmly. In a very gentle voice.
“When you first saw me with those frightened eyes, I was reminded of my daughter. That child was always afraid of me. It was because I was a strict father.”
“……”
“I should have been a kinder father… that has been a regret that has torn at my heart my whole life. That’s why I couldn’t turn you away.”
Lellia bit her lip hard. She couldn't even let out a sob as tears streamed down her face.
Tears had also welled up in the old nobleman’s eyes. Wet tears flowed down his wrinkled eyes.
“How could that fearful expression be so similar. Of all things… of all things…”
Lellia couldn’t answer, only letting large teardrops fall. She couldn’t think of what to say.
It was just… she was so happy to hear she resembled her, happy and sad. All she could do was cry.
The old nobleman looked at the child who couldn't even cry out loud and asked.
“So I must ask. Who are you, child?”
“……”
Lellia blinked her eyes nervously.
“I… I am…”
She had to tell the truth, but her lips trembled.
She had never imagined that someone would find out about her existence before her nanny returned.
As Lellia failed to answer and only shed tears, the old nobleman reached out his hand.
His wrinkled but large, thick hand brushed against Lellia’s cheek, wiping away her tears.
“You don’t have to force yourself to speak.”
When she looked up, she saw the old nobleman’s kind, smiling face. Seeing that, Lellia no longer felt afraid of him.
She wanted to tell the truth.
That I am my mother’s daughter, that she is my mother.
For some reason, it felt like he would believe her, even without any proof.
But Lellia just cried silently for a long time.
The old nobleman stroked Lellia’s cheek and hair. It was a very gentle touch.
After a while.
Lellia had cried herself to sleep, and Duke Superion gently laid the child down on the plush seat.
As the Duke looked at the child, whose cheeks had quickly become plump after a few days of eating well, his expression was somehow cold.
“……”
At first, he had thought she was just a child who looked similar.
He had wondered why she had to resemble that particular expression, whether his dead daughter had sent the child to resent him.
His offer to take the child as an attendant was purely out of guilt for his daughter.
But things grew stranger.
First and foremost. The child looked too much like his dead daughter.
Looking closely, it wasn't just the fearful expression and the green eyes that were similar.
The expression she made for a moment when eating something delicious, or the way her face crinkled up when she smiled brightly.
To be precise, she resembled the young Elizabeth.
Elizabeth had been a very mischievous child, but she changed into a completely different person as she grew up.
After his daughter had become a full-grown adult, he found himself missing her mischievous old self. At the same time, he felt sorry.
Duke Superion believed it was his fault. His fault for raising his daughter too strictly.
But this child had that same untroubled smile as his daughter from long ago.
Every time he witnessed the child laughing among the knights, Duke Superion felt his heart plummet.
After her pitifully thin cheeks began to fill out, she seemed to resemble her even more.
Just as he was thinking something was strange.
He heard that the imperial palace was looking for a child.
Unlike Lellia, who had been greatly surprised at the checkpoint, Duke Superion had heard the news some time ago.
He had thought it was completely unrelated, but seeing Lellia’s face pale at the mention of the checkpoint, a strange thought occurred to him.
‘This is absurd.’
But as he lifted the crying child out of the carriage’s secret compartment, that absurd thought became clearer and clearer.
Perhaps it was a grand delusion brought on by his own desires.
So he brought it up.
Lellia, you and my daughter look very much alike.
The moment he said it and watched Lellia start to cry, he was certain.
‘This child is of Elizabeth’s blood.’
She definitely knew something. Otherwise, she wouldn't have cried with such a sorrowful face, unable to even make a sound.
Duke Superion clenched his large hands into fists.
‘What kind of life has my granddaughter lived, and why is she being chased by the Emperor?’
His eyes burned fiercely like a lion’s.
He suddenly remembered what the child had said the day he first found her.
“Actually… m-my father hates me. That’s why I was running away.”
“…Were you being abused?”
“……”
Recalling those words, Duke Superion squeezed his eyes shut.
‘Emperor Perseus.’
When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with a mixture of deep resentment and betrayal.
‘Not only did you fail to protect my daughter…’
Duke Superion had been against his daughter’s marriage to Perseus from the very beginning. Perhaps he had instinctively foreseen his daughter’s death.
The only reason he had helped Emperor Perseus reclaim the throne was for his grandchildren.
For the twin brothers, the last trace Elizabeth had left behind.
But it seemed those children were not all that Elizabeth had left.
He didn't know the details, but it was clear that the child Elizabeth had supposedly miscarried shortly before her death had survived.
