IBRIP l CH 153

Chapter 153 

I answered in a voice that sounded a little more cynical than I intended.

“No, blaming something that happened more than ten thousand years ago just feels pathetic. If you go that far, you might as well blame the creation of this entire world.”

And honestly, I should also blame the fact that this world ended up being recorded as a book in the world I originally lived in. That’s the reason I ended up possessed here in the first place.

So, digging up things from thousands of years ago and pointing fingers didn’t mean much to me. This world had been fundamentally wrong from the start.

“If I really had to blame something, then I guess it’s just my bad luck that I happened to have a teleportation allergy.”

“….”

Winter slowly pulled out the silver knife that had been stuck in the letter. The blade looked black, as if it had been soaked in poison.

He walked toward me. His expression was hard to read. Normally, when his past was mentioned, he would show at least a flicker of guilt or regret. This time, there was none of that.

He reached out a hand to me, as if asking me to take it.

I wasn’t on the ground or in a situation where I needed help, so I didn’t really understand why. But since he held it out, I grabbed it anyway.

Then Winter smiled and said,

“I’ve sometimes wondered… compared to the time I still have ahead of me, is the time I’ve already lived short or long?”

The feeling of his hand was strange.

Looking closely, I noticed a scar on his hand, shaped exactly like the knife he had been holding earlier. It looked like a burn scar.

“Whether you take a step forward, step back, or just sit still… 

Even such small choices might change the world. Thinking that way, the countless years I’ve lived might actually be very short compared to the countless years I haven’t lived yet.”

The scar on his hand had the same rose-vine pattern engraved on the silver knife. But soon, the wound slowly healed.

“Even just from rough calculations, all the time I’ve lived and all the choices I’ve faced aren’t even a tenth of the possible scenarios that exist. The day I realized that…”

Winter swallowed his words. I thought, maybe that was the day he first felt like giving up on life. Forcing a brighter tone, I shook my head.

“No way, that can’t be true.”

“But it was the undeniable truth. Izana, even the smallest, most trivial things can change everything. Like how you took my hand just now, without hesitation.”

There was a flash of relief, almost freedom, in his eyes.

“What do you mean…?”

Winter kissed the back of my hand lightly and smiled.

“Many things between us will change.”

With that, he let go of my hand and left the room. I just stood there, staring blankly at his back.

His hand had been cold. And now that I thought about it, so were his lips.

“The Grand Duke must not even see me at all…”

Lottie muttered behind me, but I stayed frozen in place for a long time.

Time passed. The seasons changed four times.

And then—it was time for me to leave.

Clatter.

“Josef, eat faster. You’re going to be late!”

“Brother, we don’t leave until the afternoon. I can eat a little slower.”

In the Rohia family townhouse, breakfast was bustling as usual.

At the head seat, where the family head should sit, Yudis was sitting instead. On either side of her sat Boris and Josef.

Children grow fast.

Both Boris and Josef had grown more than a hand’s length taller. Boris, who used to be rough and impulsive, had calmed down somewhat.

At mealtimes, he used to slam his utensils down loudly, but now his movements were gentler. He used to hate vegetables, but ever since he started growing crops himself at the palace garden, he thought his labor was too precious to waste—so he began eating carrots and cucumbers raw. Now, he ate vegetables without complaint.

Josef’s brick-red eyes had darkened closer to true red, showing sharper intelligence. And he smiled more often. Both boys did.

Yudis knew why they had changed.

“…Mom.”

Boris set his utensils down carefully, watching her expression.

“Are you feeling okay?”

But Yudis herself was the opposite.

She slept poorly every night, smiled less, and her eyes were always bloodshot. Her face was tight with nervousness.

Part of it was because her health had collapsed after giving birth to Yubel with sheer willpower, despite her weak body. But that wasn’t the only reason.

She had finally ousted Bern Rohia and taken the family head’s seat for herself.

She had always longed for power in the family. She had been treated unfairly, never good enough in her father’s eyes. She had sworn she would take control so no one could ever push her around again.

And she had done it. But…

“Mom, I thought about it. I really want to go to a swordsmanship academy.”

For some reason, she wasn’t happy. She was anxious.

“…A swordsmanship academy?”

“Yes. You once said it was a good idea, remember? I only gave up before because of my father, but… I really want to go.”

She thought she had gained everything, but in reality, it was all like grains of sand slipping through her fingers.

Yudis forced a smile at Boris’s eager eyes.

“Which academy do you want to go to?”

“…To the Imperial Academy in the North.”

At the word “North Empire,” Yudis dropped her silver knife with a clatter.

Boris quickly grabbed her hand to check if she was hurt, then told the maid firmly, sounding almost grown-up,

“No need to bring a new one, just pick that one up.”

Then he took her plate and cut her food into bite-sized pieces before placing it back in front of her.

“You want to go… to the North Empire?”

Josef had already said he wanted to go to school there too. He hadn’t even asked her permission—he had already taken the entrance exam for the North Empire’s Magic Academy, passed first place, and even got a full scholarship.

He was leaving next year. Without asking. Just telling her.

Josef had always been hard to control. And now it felt like he was slipping completely out of her reach.

And now Boris was saying he wanted to go too.

Of all places, to the North Empire.

There was only one reason.

“Is this… because of Izana?”

“W-what? No! That’s not it!”

Boris shook his head quickly, too obviously.

But then his eyes met Josef’s across the table. Josef, still chewing on a potato, smirked.

Clapping his hands together, Boris stammered,

“…It’s not really about her. It’s just—Josef is going too, so as the older brother, I should look after him.”

Josef swallowed his potato, took a sip of water, and added casually,

“I am going because of Izana.”

“What?”

Boris panicked, but Josef only piled it on.

“She lost to me at chess, at riddles, even at word games. But she said, all proud and smug, that she could beat me in a snowball fight. So, I’m going there to win that snowball fight.”

“…A snowball fight?”

“Yeah. And I’ll beat her.”

Hearing that, Boris’s eyes showed envy.

“Well, neither of you could ever beat me anyway. It’d just be like comparing acorns.”

“Then you should come too, brother. If you can beat me, I’ll admit you’re the best.”

Their banter was cut short when Yudis set her utensils down with a sharp sound.

“Josef, leave. I need to speak with Boris alone.”

The two brothers froze. Her voice was stern.

“Now.”

Josef glanced at her once, then quietly set down his fork and stood. His reddish eyes flicked toward her—she thought she saw a trace of mockery in them. She bit her lip.

Boris looked after him nervously, chewing his nails.

“M-mom, are you angry…?”

Boris had always been devoted to her. Unlike Bern Rohia, who constantly scolded him, Yudis had always cheered for him and protected him.

But now… she felt like Boris’s priorities had changed. And in this moment, his eyes looked at her the same way he used to look at Bern—with fear.

“Boris, my child.”

Yudis quickly knelt beside him, looking up at him with a gentle smile.

“Do you really need to go to the North Empire?”

“….”

Boris bit his lip and lowered his head.

Her voice grew sharper, panicked.

“You’re meant to be the family head. You need to stay close and learn the family’s work, not wander far away. There are plenty of sword academies in the Western Empire.”

“But… don’t all nobles say we should travel abroad and see the wider world?”

At his words, something in her mind snapped.

Had Izana put that idea in his head?

Izana was taking Boris away from her. He didn’t look down on her anymore.

He had never once mentioned sword academies after Bern left on pilgrimage—until Izana was about to leave. And suddenly, he wanted to go too.

It was all because of that girl.

Izana.

The tumor that had grown in her belly was now eating away at the thing most precious to her.

Her head burned with the thought.

And then, at last, Yudis said the one thing she should never have said.

“Boris… you’re not really a Rohia.”