Chapter 57
57
After dismissing the guards Dad assigned me, I ran into Adrian, who will become Dubled's nemesis, while taking a walk, and if I say I made a mistake and sold Isaac's name, Dubled will be struck by lightning.
Isaac hmm'd and read the letter.
"...Waiting for the next time we meet?"
I jumped up as if I was going to leap and said.
"I, I, I think it came to the wrong person! More than that, eat a cookie. It's delicious."
Then, I subtly sat Isaac down and tried to snatch the letter away...
Henri said with narrowed eyes.
"In this castle, LeBlaine is the only girl who can wear those shoes."
Then Isaac's face turned grim. Dad said.
"Which bastard."
Henri and Isaac glared at Dad with a murderous aura.
"Please cast a tracking spell, Father."
"Father, I'll take the lead."
...Since when have they been so in sync?
I desperately pretended to be in pain.
"Ugh, ugh, ugh..."
As I clutched my stomach and groaned, the Dubled people who were startled quickly rushed to me.
"Are you okay?"
"What's wrong!"
"Leubu."
Pretending to be sick is embarrassing and I feel sorry for my family, but it was the most effective method.
I groaned and mumbled faintly, "My tummy hurts..." and Dad, his eyes widened, picked me up in a flash!
"Doctor!!"
And forgetting to call for one, he took me to the medical ward himself.
The forgotten letter was left in the garden, and I signaled to Leah with gestures.
'That! Mine!'
And the faithful Leah, watching her surroundings, slipped the letter into her apron.
My wholehearted acting as a patient worked perfectly, and the letter incident was forgotten.
Only Leah, who brought the letter, was looking at me with narrowed eyes.
"I made a fwiend when I went to the Temple! But Leubu can't wead the letter, so I told him to send it to Ishak."
As I awkwardly made excuses with gestures, the kind Leah didn't ask any further and gave me the letter.
After Leah left, I sighed and caressed the letter.
I had a scary imagination that Dad and my brothers might just kill him even if they knew he was a prince.
'Surely they wouldn't go that far, but anyway, I'm glad Dubled and Adrian didn't meet.'
The two were future enemies.
People said.
If one of them died, it was definitely the other's doing.
In fact, Dubled faced a major crisis due to Adrian, and Adrian was almost killed by Dubled's scheme.
I unfolded the letter.
The content was just the one line that Isaac had read. It didn't even say who he was.
Just that was enough for me to know how much Adrian had agonized over writing the letter.
Adrian knows I'm a Wizard. And if he's smart, he'll know how dangerous it is to contact me.
It was obvious how much the Empress's faction would hate a Wizard and anyone who contacted him.
'The shoes... he saw my shoes.'
Shoes for noble children have very soft leather. There's not much walking to do, so they're just for show.
Mine are much more comfortable than other shoes, and they don't have decorations, but anyway, they're made for noble children, so they wear out easily even with a little walking.
But that day, I walked a lot and even took a walk in the mountains, so they weren't in good condition.
'He's a sensitive kid.'
I smiled and secretly hid the letter where it couldn't be seen.
And I wrote a reply.
'I'm sorry I can't meet you right now.'
Given Adrian's circumstances and my own, I couldn't easily go to see him.
If he got involved with me, Dubled's Young Lady and the Child of Destiny, the Empress's scrutiny of him would intensify.
If he got caught up in the fight for the throne, Dubled's future couldn't be guaranteed either.
But I was worried about him.
The image of him sitting blankly like a withered tree that had lost its Familiar kept lingering in my mind.
I tore a page from my sketchbook and wrote a reply.
[Thank you for the gift. The shoes are pretty, and the flowers were so, so pretty. I'll think of you while looking at the things you sent. Let's write letters often!]
After finishing writing, I sealed the letter well and asked Chairman to deliver it to the Temple where Adrian was.
In the evening, Dad came to see me.
"How's your tummy?"
"The doctor harabuji gave me medicine and I'm all better!"
"I see."
Dad lightly rubbed my eyes with his knuckles, then pulled a chair to the bedside and sat down.
"Leubu, the Temple has officially conveyed that they want to educate you. What do you think?"
The Empress Dowager must have given up, so they're in a hurry.
At Dad's words, I fidgeted with my hands.
"Dubled has many enemies. As long as you're here, you'll be in danger. Above all, if you live in the Temple, Dubled won't be pointed at as evil."
"......"
"You'll be able to receive the Empress Dowager's support, and you'll be able to develop your Divine Power in earnest. That's good for your future too."
"...Does Dad want me to go to the Temple?"
Dad smiled faintly.
"You'd be surprised if you knew what petty things your brothers and I did to keep you from going to the Temple."
"Then why do you want me not to go to the Temple?"
"Maybe it's because you're someone who belongs in the light."
My family must have thought that if I got used to that place, I wouldn't come back.
Dubled doesn't discriminate against the people of the territory. Just like how they don't consider status or origin in the administrator or employee exams. Of course, it's easy for criminals to hide.
And to prosper the family, the successive Duke Dubleds did anything. The retainers and people of the territory followed them.
The people of the Empire called such Dubled villains.
Dad seemed to be bothered by the fact that I, who should be protected by the Temple and be called a hero, was being pointed at along with them.
It was a thought that the original Theodore Dubled would never have had, so my heart ached a little.
I leaned my head against Dad's big hand.
"I wike it here."
"......"
"I wike being with Dad and my bwothers and the Dubled people. So I don't want to go to the Temple."
Dad stroked my hair and smiled faintly.
"You remind me of when I thought I would be a good father."
Looking at Dad's kind eyes, I thought.
'I'm going to live here with my family.'
Achieve my goal and stay safe.
So I have to prepare to go out into the world.
Time flowed like water.
Like that, 5 years passed. I became nine years old.
A sunny morning.
Sitting in a chair and obediently entrusting my hair to Leah's hands, I looked in the mirror.
The stubby fingers that were like maple leaves have become quite long, and the fluffy hair that swayed on my shoulders now reaches my back.
"Shall I braid your hair, or tie it with a ribbon?"
"Hmm, a wibbon would be nice."
Goodbye to the short, lisping speech!
Thanks to desperate pronunciation practice, I can now use quite elegant speech.
I covered my mouth with both fists and barely suppressed the urge to laugh, then straightened my back.
The maids chuckled and brought a ribbon.
"You're very demure today."
"Leubu is nine years old now... no, this Young Lady is nine years old now. I'm all grown up."
When I lifted my face and spoke, the maids turned their heads and trembled slightly.
'I've pretended to be a child too much, so the third person is stuck in my mouth.'
No, no.
I'm nine years old now. A grown lady.
How much I suffered in the past 5 years. The days were tearful.
I lived as a beggar and almost forgot noble etiquette, so I had to endure Mrs. Confine's hellish training.
Now, I endured the 'You can rest today! Children should play!' attacks from the employees who had become continental fools beyond regional fools, and studied silently.
'The hardest thing was Divine Power training...'
I was a well-known Divine Power beggar in my past life, so it was actually the first time I was using magic.
Since I couldn't get help from a Priest, the Wizards of Dubled put on hoods every day and devoured books related to Divine Power to teach me.
But the Magi Knights couldn't fully understand Divine Power, and sometimes Divine magic failed and my knees would get scraped.
Every time that happened, Dad and my brothers would jump up and down.
Days when I had to soothe Dad and my brothers, who were raging that they would behead the Wizards, saying, 'If the Leubu, Magi Knights die, I'll be sad every day.'
Recalling the past, I drooped my shoulders with a haggard face.
It was then.
"They have arrived!"
The butler's bright voice was heard.
I quickly got off the chair and left the room. The maids followed me closely.
As I headed to the castle gate, I saw the Dubled Knights returning from their triumphal procession in The Capital.
At the very front, I saw a man riding a sleek black horse with a gray mane.
Armor supporting his solid body and a luxurious fur robe falling over his shoulders.
More noticeable than the beautiful attire were his handsome appearance and cool sense of intimidation.
"Dad!"
It was Dad who had returned after conquering the Kingdom of Kruger and eleven other kingdoms, starting with the battle against the Kingdom of Kruger.
Last year, the Empire, which was on the defensive due to the suicide attacks of the Magi Knights of the allied forces who were prepared to die, requested support from Dad, who had subjugated the Kingdom of Kruger in just 8 months.
And in 1 year. The allied nations surrendered and knelt at Dubled's feet.
"Little one!"
"LeBlaine!"
My brothers, who had participated in the war with Dad, jumped off their horses and ran to me. I quickly ran towards them too.
Towards my brothers who opened their arms towards me... no, towards the loot box.
I ran quickly and rummaged through the box without hesitation.
I had been waiting for this day since hearing the news of the victory.
'Did you bring it? Right? You didn't present it to the Emperor, did you?'
Just as I was rummaging through the box with an earnest face, I found it.
A cotton pouch containing what I wanted.
'Hooray!'
It was when I was hugging the pouch preciously. For some reason, the surrounding temperature seemed to have dropped.
I glanced sideways.
"It's been a year since we've seen you..."
"The spoils of war are more important than us..."
I saw my brothers looking at me with gloomy expressions.
