Chapter 11
Yudis’s eyes trembled slightly.
The Higha Marchioness’s name before marriage was Ersha Monica Lionea.
She was the only sibling of the late emperor and raised her nephew, Silis, after the emperor’s sudden death, helping him ascend the throne. She was his benefactor.
Once Silis firmly became emperor, Princess Ersha gave up the special name “Monica” that she had received as her father’s favorite, and chose to live solely as the Marchioness of Higha.
Even though she could have worn the crown again at any time, she returned it without leaving a mark.
Everyone knew that Emperor Silis deeply respected and cared for his aunt, who had given up all the royal privileges to protect him.
“She wants nothing more than for [Materia] to grow up safely and steadily.”
“……”
“If she thinks [Materia] is in danger, the emperor will take Young Lord Yubel away. Surely you don’t think he won’t? You know better than anyone—he can and will do it immediately.”
Yudis’s eyes reddened, and her body trembled. She finally met Ersha’s gaze with anger.
“My nephew will treat [Materia] with warmth. And [Materia] will feel ashamed of her parents’ cruel actions and stay loyal to my nephew.”
In contrast, Ersha calmly put on her hat with a dignified smile.
“Here’s my final piece of advice. Young Lord Yubel must grow up to be a loving, kind child full of warmth. If not, the Duchess here will lose everything. Oh, and one more thing…”
Ersha raised her index finger like she had just remembered something.
“Lady Izana looks surprisingly healthy. That means the duchy can focus completely on raising Young Lord Yubel without worry. I’ll be sure to ease the concerns of other nobles about that too.”
With that, Ersha walked past Yudis.
The atmosphere was so tense that the servants didn’t dare move, only bowing deeply.
“P-please, allow me to escort you, Marchioness.”
The head butler, Adrian, was panicked when Yudis didn’t even offer to walk Ersha out.
The Higha Marchioness was someone Emperor Silis trusted more than anyone.
The Marquis of Higha, too, was a man respected in the Western Empire—not only because of his wife but also because of his own talent and character.
If the Duke finds out about this argument, he’ll be furious…!
Imagining the cold storm to come, Adrian rushed to escort Ersha himself.
But Ersha didn’t get far.
“Lady Izana? What are you doing here?”
“I was waiting to thank you, madam!”
In front of her stood a small, delicate young girl.
Izana looked completely different from earlier during the chaos.
Her dirty, blackened hair was still messy, but the natural green shine had returned. Her skin, though still pale, was now clean and carried a fresh, childlike scent.
But instead of smiling, Ersha’s expression darkened.
She’s already become this lovely with just a bit of care…
Ersha looked at the girl with pity. Not knowing this, the girl smiled brightly.
“Thanks to you, I was able to save Loti and even got pretty clothes! Thank you, madam!”
Seeing the girl bow her head, Ersha bent down to match her eye level without thinking.
“You don’t need to thank me, my lady. I didn’t do anything special—just what was right.”
“But still, I got pretty clothes!”
The girl twirled her dress proudly.
Seeing that energetic gesture, Ersha gave a soft smile.
“My lady.”
“Yes, madam?”
“Now, I will show you what real kindness is. So listen carefully, alright?”
“Mm-hm! I will!”
The girl’s lively answer made Ersha nod. But her expression suddenly changed.
Her warmth vanished. Her face turned cold and serious.
“Live quietly. Move carefully. Always watch your step.”
She had said the same thing long ago, when she took in her orphaned nephew.
“Don’t trust anything except what you’re wearing or tying in your hair. Don’t touch things recklessly.”
She had no choice but to teach this to protect her nephew from the predators lurking in the palace.
And Silis, who followed her advice, became the Emperor of the Western Empire.
“Don’t cry. Crying only shows others your weakness.”
At this, the girl lifted her hands to cover her eyes, sneaking a glance through her fingers—remembering that she had cried earlier.
Ersha smiled slightly, but quickly straightened her face.
“If you must cry, make sure no one can hear you. And your footsteps should be softer than your breath. Don’t ask questions. Don’t try to learn things. Just smile. You look the prettiest when you smile.”
Did the girl even understand?
Her gentle, pure eyes looked straight at Ersha.
And in them, Ersha saw the same broken gaze her nephew once had.
Ersha stood up again.
“Well, I’ll be leaving now. No need to come out, my lady.”
She began walking past the now-frozen girl.
“Don’t worry, madam.”
Just then, a firm voice stopped her in her tracks.
“I don’t even cry when I stub my toe on the doorframe!”
The girl stood with her hands on her hips, smiling boldly.
Ersha had come to comfort the girl, but felt like she had been comforted instead.
The girl’s smile was contagious—and powerful.
Ersha smiled back.
A smart child…
But soon, her smile faded into worry.
That child shouldn’t stay here.
Smartness was like a double-edged sword.
A clever child who couldn’t stay quiet would always stand out.
And cause trouble eventually.
In the girl’s lovely eyes, Ersha saw the same coldness as her mother once had.
Ersha hugged herself and hurried away.
She had a lot to report to the emperor—including news about a certain girl who reminded her of his younger self.
And she knew he would always listen to her.
***
Watching Ersha Higha walk away, I thought,
“[Igrio] has gone crazy?”
I had just finished eavesdropping on the fight between the Duchess and Ersha Higha with my ear pressed to the door.
After this morning’s commotion, I was bathed, dressed in clean clothes, and made presentable—probably because of the important guests.
Of course, that didn’t mean my status had magically improved or that I was truly accepted as a member of the family.
And honestly, I didn’t even hope for that. I just didn’t want to be left filthy anymore. That was enough—for now.
I expected more bullying from Boris, stricter eyes from Yudis, and disgust from Bern.
Still, I wanted to live like a person. I had no expectations for anything more from this place.
My only goal was to stay quiet and healthy until a few years later, when [Igrio]—Winter Orsheus—would be formally introduced to me through a meeting with Yubel.
…At least, I was sure that would be enough.
But <Wings of the White Dragon> starts after [Igrio] has already gone through countless regressions.
I didn’t know how many times he had regressed, only that even he had lost count in the original novel.
Some timelines drove Winter insane. In some, he kept killing himself to escape.
The version we meet in the story is one who has survived all of that.
In <Wings of the White Dragon>, Winter Orsheus is a true hero.
He was so used to pain that he could cook a meal even after being stabbed.
His mind and body had dulled from all the trauma, and all that remained was his mission: saving the continent.
The Winter I knew never killed.
After so many regressions, he had learned that taking life only dragged him further into despair.
Eventually, he swore never to kill again—and slowly began to heal.
But now… he was killing?
Not just one person—multiple deaths?
That’s when I heard it.
“Um… miss…”
Someone called me with a trembling voice from behind.
I didn’t need to look. It had to be Loti.
I tried to calm my storm of thoughts and slowly turned around.
But what I saw shocked me again.
