chapter 12
“I kissed ten-year-old Schloitz while I was drugged.”
I was mortified. Even more mortified were the maids and knights.
“They all saw it…”
Well, we were in front of the house. And even if we weren’t, it’s not like the knights would ever let me wander around alone. Honestly, even if I ran out by myself at 3 a.m., they’d probably follow me in secret.
So yeah… they all said they saw it from hiding.
I’m getting angry.
I comforted him.
Me hugging him.
And me kissing Schloitz…
I buried myself in my blanket and let out a silent scream.
“But… I don’t regret it.”
Even if I could go back in time, I’d probably do it again. Was it just because he was my favorite character? I’m not sure anymore. I was starting to feel like Schloitz was more than just a beloved fictional character from a story.
I started wondering how Schloitz felt about me. I knew he didn’t dislike me—he probably liked me quite a bit by now.
“Then… what if I asked him to marry me later?”
I frowned and seriously considered it. Was I being too selfish, using young Schloitz like this? But honestly… wasn’t it okay? I was the direct heir to the highest-ranking noble family in the kingdom, and Schloitz was destined to become a legendary national hero.
As long as he didn’t die…
He would need to marry eventually, wouldn’t he? In this world, unless there’s a special reason, nobles almost always get married.
“Aren’t I a pretty good choice?”
I rushed to the mirror to check my face again. I was still small and pale from being sick a lot when I was younger, but my facial features were neat and doll-like. No wonder the maids were always hugging me like they couldn’t help themselves.
Even though my hair had been cut short above the neck and had faded to almost gray from the strong medicine, Enricor’s hair was a rich blonde—so mine would probably return to that color eventually too.
My mom and dad were both beautiful, and Enricor had grown into a stunning person. So I’d probably turn out quite pretty too, right?
“Should I just go and propose to Schloitz now?”
And tell him I’ll treat him well forever…?
I hadn’t read the later parts of the novel, but if Schloitz survived, maybe I could even prevent the kingdom from being destroyed like everyone expected. As an adult, Schloitz had a calm, dry, but steadfast personality—he didn’t seem like someone who would break a childhood promise.
My heart started racing at the idea of a surprise proposal. It felt a little shameless, but… I’d never been particularly burdened by shame anyway.
Just then, it was time to take my medicine. The doctor came in to give it to me and shared some unexpected news.
“The boy has almost finished taking the antidote.”
“Really?”
“Yes, my lady. Today at lunch will be his final dose. And to avoid him finding out, we’ve timed it so all of his symptoms, including the spots on his body, will heal at once in about a week or two.”
“…Huh? Then what about his eyes?”
“Since the effects were timed like that, his eyesight should recover when the spots disappear as well.”
“……?”
“Is something wrong?”
“…That’s amazing…”
“You’re too kind. But truly, not even the royal physicians could have done something like this.”
The doctor smiled proudly and handed me a cup of warm water. Even as I drank it, I couldn’t help but think:
“That kind of thing… can it really be timed like that?”
While researching the cure for an incurable disease, I suddenly realized just how advanced the Lefebvre family’s medical technology had become. They were doing something that seemed impossible—but the doctor acted like it was completely normal, which only made it more shocking.
After finishing the water,
I picked one of the flowers from the vase beside my bed—a bud that hadn’t bloomed yet.
It would probably bloom before the medicine fully took effect, but still, I thought it would be nice if Schloitz’s first sight—when he could finally see again—was something beautiful.
“My lady.”
“Dylan…?”
It was Dylan, Enricor’s future right-hand man, whom I hadn’t seen in a while. He’d been overseeing the reconstruction of the orphanage, so he had been there constantly. Why had he come now?
“Are you planning to visit that boy’s house today? Um…”
“Hmm?”
“Someone from the boy’s family has come.”
“……”
I subconsciously gripped the flower in my hand a little tighter.
“Who came?”
Dylan knelt down on one knee in front of me. The silver-rimmed monocle he wore was so clean and polished that I saw a brief reflection of myself in it.
“I thought you might understand, my lady, so I’ll be direct… The boy’s biological father remarried. It’s not a respectable marriage, so the royal social circles reject it. But one of the people who strongly supported that marriage was the boy’s uncle. That uncle is the one who came.”
“……”
“Also, the madam said it wasn’t worth troubling you with, so we hadn’t reported it yet…”
Dylan frowned slightly.
“The family we’re temporarily borrowing—the Siedo family—had a major clash with the boy’s family recently in the capital. Apparently, the lady of the boy’s house holds a grudge over being pushed out from her previous position in this district.”
“What…?”
“How dare she hold a grudge when she was in the wrong?”
I was dumbfounded. Then again, thinking it through, it made sense. No one dared touch the Lefebvre family, but the Siedo family I borrowed—while noble—was a bit weaker than Schloitz’s family. Holding a grudge, she probably charged at them full force.
Anyway…
While most knights or maids spoke gently and carefully around me, Dylan was different. He spoke directly, like he was talking to an adult who could understand everything.
“So this is why he was promoted so quickly from an auditor to the Lefebvre heir’s aide?”
He was sharp.
Thanks to that, it was easy to understand the situation.
And the uncle… I knew who he was. He appeared briefly in Schloitz’s backstory. He was the one who would come to take Schloitz back to the family from this dark slum.
“He’s definitely not a good person.”
Just like Dylan said, the uncle had supported his older brother’s remarriage—even though it was so frowned upon that high society rejected them. The novel “The Mad Beauty’s End” didn’t go into much detail about his motivations, but it was probably to gain favor with the family head and benefit from it.
“That’s the same reason he came to take Schloitz now.”
It would’ve been nice if the uncle was secretly on Schloitz’s side and came to rescue him… but “The Mad Beauty’s End” was a novel where the author seemed a little mad, too. The more popular a character was, the more tragic or painful their past was revealed to be.
It wasn’t intentional, but popular characters often got side stories that explored their backstories—and most of those stories were pretty tragic. It just worked out that way.
So naturally, the reason Schloitz returned to his family wasn’t a happy one. His biological father needed him.
Around this time, Schloitz’s biological father realizes that the son he had with his mistress has no talent for swordsmanship.
Even though their family was famous for generations of skilled swordsmen, the second son was so untalented it was like his ability had vanished completely.
The remarriage was already a joke in the social scene, and this only made it worse. Of course, the father didn’t want anyone to know about his second son’s failure. But this was a world where monsters existed—literal man-eating beasts—and nobles of the kingdom were required to serve as knights.
So the father had his younger brother bring Schloitz back from the slums. He wanted to send Schloitz into the military in place of his useless second son.
Meanwhile, the second son was kept hidden, surrounded by the best tutors in a desperate attempt to force some ability into him.
“Which, of course, fails in the end.”
With a bitter smile, I started walking again.
Still, because of that, Schloitz did inherit part of the family’s sword style. And some of the sword power he had suppressed also reawakened—at least halfway.
“They probably wanted him to die early in the army.”
That’s why they only awakened half of his power. But Schloitz, as he grew up, reclaimed the rest of it on his own. So in the end, it didn’t matter.
Just as Dylan had said, a luxurious carriage was parked in front of Schloitz’s house. It was clearly a noble’s carriage. And a nobleman was stepping out in front of Schloitz.
It was Schloitz’s uncle—Timothee Procyon.
He was frowning deeply at Schloitz, but turned his head when he sensed our presence. Unlike the people of this ragged red district, Dylan and I were dressed quite well and stood out.
The uncle raised an eyebrow at us and said,
“Ah. You must be the young lady from that backwater noble house.”
The way he said “backwater” made it sound like he was holding back from saying something even ruder.
