#7.
“…What are you staring at like that?”
“…Inside.”
‘Well, maybe.’
Veronica clasped Shion’s hand tightly with her tiny, fern-like hands.
A calm and gentle smile bloomed softly on her face.
“It’s nothing at all.”
“Liar.”
“Hm?”
“You’re crying again right now, aren’t you?”
Is that so? No, yes… that’s true.
Veronica looked at the drops falling, plop, plop, onto the back of her hand.
‘What am I supposed to do if you’re cute no matter what you do?’
A baby’s body is truly mysterious.
She thought she had just said something very mature, but in reality, she was just a teary-eyed, adorable baby.
Shion clicked his tongue.
“Saying you’re fine while crying like a fool isn’t convincing.”
‘I know that too. Honestly, you and your words….’
“And to be precise, this whole mess started because you lied first. You know that, right?”
“Y-yeah…”
‘So noisy.’
Really, if ruining someone’s mood in an instant was a skill, he’d be a master.
Veronica brushed off his words with a vague excuse and rubbed her eyes dry.
These tears… what should she call them? If she had to be precise, they seemed to be born from relief and a sense of release.
They definitely weren’t tears of sadness.
“Anyway, the problem with kids your age is you think you can get away with anything just by crying—”
“Oppa!”
Veronica shouted out loud.
Regardless of the good news that they might actually become good siblings, Shion was still Shion.
She felt the need to change the subject before unnecessary nagging continued.
Scanning the surroundings, Veronica suddenly spotted something suitable and reached out her hand.
“That one!”
“What?”
“Toy box!”
“Ah…”
Only then did Shion stop talking and remember why they had come here in the first place.
He walked over to where her little finger was pointing, his steps steady without a hint of hesitation.
But when he actually saw what was there, his expression froze.
[ Babies generally like things that shine or look flashy. ]
‘It is shiny and flashy, but….’
Shion bit his lower lip.
Clink, clink.
Every time he opened and closed his hand, a dull metallic sound grated the air like a dissonant chord, echoing his complicated feelings.
Still, he soon seemed to make up his mind and walked back to Veronica.
“You like this?”
“Yeah!”
Veronica nodded enthusiastically with a bright smile.
Her expression, her tone, her eyes—there was no doubt she really liked it.
He wasn’t thrilled, but if Veronica said so, then there was no helping it.
After all, that was why they’d come here, and more importantly, he had just promised not to lie to her again.
‘Well, it’s not like I need it anyway.’
Muttering this, Shion placed his fist on the edge of her cradle.
Then, slowly, he opened his hand and laid the item gently onto the soft blanket.
“Wow…”
Up close, Veronica let out a gasp at the dazzling brilliance.
At first, she had only wanted something to divert the topic.
But there, among the piles of toys, was something so eye-catching she wondered how she hadn’t noticed it before.
“It’s so pretty! Really pretty….”
And when it was finally brought to her, it was beyond what she had imagined.
Just as she was about to touch it—
“Ah!”
“Wait.”
Shion lightly tapped the back of her hand.
Then, sitting beside the pouting Veronica, he spoke.
“This is called a pendant. It’s a type of necklace.”
“Neck…lace?”
“That’s right. You won’t understand it well now, but adults like to hang shiny gold and jewels all over themselves to show off. A necklace is one of those things.”
“Ohh!”
“But this one’s different. This is…”
He paused for a moment, then opened the small case of the diamond pendant to show her.
Inside was a beautiful opaque blue gemstone.
“It’s what they call a pendant imbued with magic power. Or at least, that’s what people say.”
“Really?”
“I don’t know. That’s just the rumor. I’m not sure myself.”
The jewel in the pendant flickered faintly in response to Shion’s touch.
Staring at it with a dry expression, he murmured again.
“I really… don’t know.”
Shion’s fifth birthday.
“What kind of gift is it, Mother?”
“One of the treasures passed down through the royal family for generations.”
For his fifth birthday, the emperor had given him a royal heirloom—a pendant said to react to the wearer’s power.
“Of course, it’s practically a superstition. This pendant has never shown any real reaction.”
“How about for you, Mother?”
“If it had truly reacted for me, I wouldn’t be telling you this now.”
The emperor chuckled and held the pendant before his eyes.
The jewel in the center emitted a faint, intermittent blue glow.
But that was all.
Like a pretty candle flame, or fireworks that flared briefly before fading.
“That’s all it’s ever done. I’ve tried many times, but it never went beyond that. I think it just reacts to a certain level of magic power and glows—basically, it’s a fancy toy.”
“Oh…”
“Still, it’s been passed down in the royal family for a long time. So, if you don’t mind…”
The emperor gently hung the pendant around his neck with a soft smile.
“Would you like to keep it?”
“Yes.”
Even if it was just a superstition, Shion willingly accepted the emperor’s gift.
First, it was a gift from the emperor—there was no reason to refuse.
And if, by chance, the rumor about the pendant was true…
If he could truly draw out a meaningful reaction from it…
Then maybe, just maybe, the father whose face he could barely remember…
Shion nodded.
“Thank you, Mother.”
‘Yes, if it’s me, I can do it.’
That’s what he thought.
So for several nights, he clutched the pendant until dawn, filled with hope.
Even in his sleep, he never let it go from his grasp.
But the dream only lasted a few days.
No matter how tightly he held it, no matter how much magic he poured into it, the result was the same.
The pendant didn’t even shine half as brightly as it had in the emperor’s hands.
Days passed, then weeks, then months—and nothing changed.
One winter day, his patience finally snapped.
‘This… thing dares… to me….’
Thud!
With a heavy crash, the pendant hit the floor and rolled roughly.
Shion Sloran—praised as a prodigy who had completed official magic education by age five, born of both the current emperor, said to have magic power rivaling the first emperor, and the high priestess renowned for her strength.
‘And this worthless pendant dares….’
Biting his lip hard, Shion picked it up and headed to the fireplace.
But standing before the roaring flames, he froze for some reason, gripping the pendant tightly.“Passed down through the royal family for generations.”
“Would you like to keep it?”
“Yes… this is Mother’s gift….”
The gentle flicker of the fire soothed his anger.
Turning away, he sat back on the sofa and rolled the pendant in his hands, calming himself.
Thinking back, the emperor had told him from the start it was just a “toy.”
Even if the rumor was true, relying on the power of some mystical relic wasn’t the path Shion sought as a scholar.
And even if his father or the high priest recognized him because of it—what meaning would that hold?
‘Right. It was foolish of me to think something like this could measure me.’
His crimson eyes settled with resolve.
Placing the pendant into its box, he murmured,
‘I’ll throw it away someday.’
‘…So I never actually threw it away.’
Only then did he remember.
He’d shoved it in storage and forgotten about it completely.
It must have gotten mixed in with the shiny trinkets they’d gathered.
Shion pushed the pendant toward Veronica, who was still staring at it like a well-behaved puppy—tail wagging, if she had one.
“Take a look.”
“Huh?”
“Touch it, or whatever.”
“Oh… okay!”
Permission granted!
Veronica lifted the pendant up to her face with both tiny hands.
It wasn’t impossibly heavy, but for a baby, it felt substantial.
‘But really, jewels and pendants should have this kind of weight.’
She turned it over with sparkling eyes.
It was exquisitely crafted.
Whether the superstition was true or not, the finely detailed diamond pendant was worthy of being a royal heirloom.
Meanwhile, Shion was watching the pendant more closely than Veronica was.
The jewel showed no reaction.
‘Good.’
That’s what he thought.
But then he stiffened and shook his head.
‘Wait… why am I thinking that’s a good thing?’
He looked at Veronica again.
The jewel didn’t glow in her hands—not even faintly.
Of course it didn’t. She might talk early and crawl faster than others, but she wasn’t even a year old yet.
That was normal. That was right. So why did he feel relief?
Biting his lip, his crimson eyes narrowed.
‘Was I… actually wary of her? Of a little kid…?’
“Oppaya!”
“…”
“Oppa?”
Shion didn’t answer.
‘What could he be thinking so hard about?’
Veronica muttered inwardly, then crawled over to him, pendant in hand.
She shook it hard, jingling it in front of him.
“Oppaya!”
“…What? I was just—”
“Thank you! Hehe.”
The pure smile froze Shion mid-complaint.
This was the moment!
If she was going to act cute, it had to be now!
Veronica quickly plopped the pendant over her head and babbled,
“Pretty?”
“…”
“Hmm?”
Clink.
As she tilted her head, the pendant’s chain slipped down from her head, falling around her like a crown of sparkling jewels.
She asked again,
“Pretty?”
“Yes…”
Pretty.
He almost said it without thinking.
But Shion shut his mouth after that first syllable and stared at her silently.
Then he abruptly looked away and muttered toward some far-off corner,
“Yes…”
‘Yes?’
“Same as before—you’re still ugly.”
‘This damn oppa….’
“But still…”
“Hm?”
“You’re tolerable, I guess.”
A faint smile curved his lips.
Veronica stared blankly at him—this boy, who was doing something the Shion of her previous life would never have done: gently stroking her head.
He really had changed. This was reality.
Realizing that made a silly smile spread across her own face.
She closed her eyes, beamed at him, and said,
“Yeah! Thank you!”
