Chapter 10
“Don’t tell me… the third one died?”
“…Huh?”
That was sudden.
“I’m talking about the sister above me. The third child, Diana. You must’ve heard of her even if you never met her, right?”
“…I’ve heard of her. Why?”
“Did she die?”
“No?”
“Really?”
Ryan’s expression turned strange.
“The Bless you just used… it belonged to Diana.”
“So?”
“You’re saying you have the same Bless as her?”
“Yes.”
I thought he’d be impressed—but something about Ryan’s reaction felt off, so I tensed up.
“Hey.”
Ryan suddenly leaned down, bringing his lips close to my ear.
Then he whispered—
“Blesses don’t duplicate.”
My breath caught in my throat.
His low voice gave me chills.
“If Diana’s still alive, no one else should be able to use her Bless. So what are you?”
“……”
[So far, it seems two people can’t have the same Bless.]
Even the family’s researchers hadn’t confirmed this yet—it was still under study.
Ryan, who was locked up from the age of twelve, shouldn’t even know this much.
And yet… Why does he sound so sure?
Even I wasn’t certain about that rule.
Why? Because our family’s history wasn’t that long.
Ability users had only appeared recently, and there weren’t many cases to study.
No one knew why these powers suddenly showed up or why only people from the Bassenberg bloodline had them.
Even for us—those born with these powers—so much remained a mystery.
But Ryan…
He spoke like he understood a hidden truth no one else knew.
“Are you a mutation? Or…”
With a sharp smile, Ryan locked eyes with me and asked,
“What else are you hiding?”
My heart started pounding hard.
Just then—
***
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Footsteps approached quickly, and suddenly the door burst open.
“BROOOOO!!”
I jumped and looked toward the voice.
Neatly trimmed bangs. Pure white hair cut in a perfect line at the jaw.
A slender body so slim, it was hard to tell at first if the person was a man or woman.
But I knew who he was.
White hair… That must be Rivan!
Ryan’s old prison mate.
And, if my guess is right, Ryan’s most trusted partner—who helped him with his revenge from the very start.
Perfect timing, really…
“Huh?”
Rivan tilted his head and looked at me.
“Who’s this cute girl?”
Ryan stood straight again and looked at me silently.
“……”
“……”
The silence between them was tense.
Then Ryan said,
“For now… my daughter.”
“WHAAAT?!!”
“Ah… let me tell you a tale from long ago…”
Ryan sighed and slowly walked over to Rivan.
“It was before I went to prison.”
He playfully placed a hand on Rivan’s shoulder and acted like he was telling a dramatic story.
“I spent one night with a woman whose name I never knew.”
“A night? Wait. Weren’t you still in diapers back then?”
“Let me introduce her.”
Ryan gestured to me.
“She’s the daughter I didn’t know I had from that night.”
Silence…
And then—
Rivan burst into laughter.
“That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard!”
“Hahahaha!”
“Hahahaha!”
As the two men laughed loudly together, I nervously swallowed.
For now… I had to play along.
“Nice to meet you! I’m his daughter, Bania!”
“She looks like me, right? Cute, huh?”
“Ugh, come on!”
Rivan yelled at Ryan.
“You think I’m an idiot? You expect me to believe that?!”
“And what if you don’t?”
Even though they hadn’t seen each other in a year, they joked like they’d just met yesterday.
No surprise, really.
They were probably closer than blood brothers, having grown up together in prison from a young age.
Still, his accent is unique. Sounds southern… maybe from the south of the empire?
I quietly studied Rivan.
“Anyway, you’re getting a smack.”
“Ahhh! Why? What’d I do?!”
Ryan grabbed Rivan by the neck and smiled sweetly.
“‘Yally yalla yalashung’? Are you trying to kill me with embarrassment?! Do you know how stupid I felt saying that dumb passphrase out loud?!”
“Whaaat? You actually read it out loud?! Why?! You could’ve just shown the note to the shopkeeper! I wrote the answer on the back!”
“……!”
Ryan’s face froze.
Maybe it had just hit him—what a mistake he’d made.
“You big dummy!”
“Shut up!”
“Ack!”
Embarrassed, Ryan lightly punched Rivan’s stomach and turned away—only to see me.
He paused.
“……”
Oh no. Don’t look at my face…
I was trying hard not to laugh, biting my lips to hold it in.
“Is it funny?”
“No…”
Ryan grumbled and started packing his things.
Soon, he had a large bag strapped to his back and the sword he stole from the guard hanging at his waist.
“Alright. Time to get on the ship. We’re heading straight to the continent.”
“Yay~!”
Rivan cheerfully ran out ahead. Ryan followed behind him.
I stood there, unsure what to do.
“What are you waiting for?”
Ryan had stopped and turned to look at me.
“Hurry up.”
“Oh! Right!”
***
The cool sea breeze blew gently.
Seagulls cried overhead as they flew above the shining sea.
The ship bound for the continent, Laperri, was sailing smoothly.
And here, on the sunlit deck…
Three very strange passengers stood together.
***
Ryan (24) – Just released after 12 years in prison.
Crime: Mass murder and arson.
Rivan (23) – Released one year ago after serving 11 years.
Crime: Illegal human experiments.
Bania (12) – Pretending to be the daughter of a criminal (actually his half-sister).
***
What kind of crazy group is this?
I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
From the princess of a noble family… to a member of a criminal gang.
Talk about a fall from grace.
“So, you were kicked out of the family for being powerless, huh? That’s rough.”
Rivan said after hearing my story on the ship.
He was surprisingly friendly.
In less than an hour, I’d already learned that Rivan was from Rothschild in the southern empire,
that his weird haircut was trendy back home,
and that he had a younger sibling he got separated from as a child.
“All done. So cute…”
“Th-thank you…”
Rivan smiled after tying my hair neatly into twin braids.
“Hahahaha!”
“Ha… ha.”
…I was sweating nervously.
His skin was pale, like he’d never seen the sun.
His body was thin. His face was pretty, almost delicate.
With that short hair, he could easily be mistaken for a girl.
He looked completely harmless—like someone who couldn’t even hurt a bug.
But I knew better.
In my past life, he was famous.
People called him the “White-Haired Magitech Scientist,” more than by his real name.
He was a genius inventor, once the youngest professor in the empire’s Academy of Magical Engineering.
He’d made dozens of deadly weapons.
In my first life, the Bassenberg army was completely wiped out by his strange, never-before-seen weapons.
I always wondered why he attacked our family so suddenly…
So when I returned to the past, I made sure to investigate Rivan first.
That’s when I found out he’d been in the same prison as Ryan.
Now, after meeting him, I had no more doubts.
Just as I thought…
He was with Ryan from the beginning.
And more than that—
“Whew, it’s hot. Let’s head to the cabin for now.”
Rivan grinned and started walking. Ryan followed.
I paused to catch my breath.
Rivan…
Unlike Ryan, who was framed—
He’s the real deal.
A true criminal.
